The “Blog” of “Unnecessary” Quotation Marks

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

I love this! A type crimes blog with specificity. I needed some humour today.

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the future is posted on wikipedia

ok so this is very interesting to me… you can type in a future year in wikipedia and it will give you a list of things that are predicted to happen, fictional references to things that happen or are supposed to in that year and so on. i stumbled across the “2060s” page:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2060s 

i was fascinated.

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system :: intervene

Tonight I read “Leverage Points, Places to intervene in a system”
by Donella Meadows

I was inspired to write the following in regards to my thesis. I found it to be an excellent article for anyone looking at systems and wondering, where do I start if I want to intervene and promote change? It echoed the lecture that Terry Irwin gave here last semester. She mentioned leverage points and intervention/interference and it has been bouncing around in my head ever since. The article gave me a way to latch onto it and work through the idea in a way that connected to what I am thinking about for the “making” part of my thesis.

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Summary:
At the start of the article, leverage points are defined as points of power. Meadows then describes a list of 15 places where intervention in a system can take place. She then described as to where each of these 15 places are found in a complex system and gives concrete examples of how these places function by using simple metaphors such as the filling and emptying of a bathtub. In doing this, she effectively describes complex systems and their leverage points for change at the same time in concise and easy to understand language.

Parts of the article that are relevant to my research include the following points in her list of 15:
6. The structure of information flows (who does and does not have access to what kinds of information)
5. The rules of a system (such as incentives, punishments or constraints)
4. The power to add, change, evolve, or self organize system structure.

I found these three areas relevant when analyzing the potential for communication flow between mentor and job seeker, and job seeker and members of the community she is in via the job counseling agency.

6. Structure of Information Flows
By rerouting the way that information flows between the involved parties by using technology that already exists in the system, can something new be revealed that empowers the participants? If the information passed via cell phone, internet and printed paper communications compliments each other instead of producing multiples of packets of information, can the system be strengthened and the usability increased?

Can this rerouting of information create potential for more information to passed between participants, information that can empower them to make informed decisions in situations where choices must be made as they happen rather than after a delay that could mean lost opportunities?

5. Rules
The rules of the system can be intimidating if the participants feel oppressed by them. This oppression can also be a lack of understanding of the rules and their boundaries. Not all rules have hard and fast limits. An information flow or communication platform that allows for the differentiation between rules that are critical and rules that are flexible can relieve the stress of failing to discern between the two and potentially losing one’s job or status within a job. This seems to be illustrated well by the “What to Wear” scenario. Work attire is a socially accepted syntagm, but it is also has potential for paradigmatic variation, especially in women’s wardrobes where there are many possibilities of variation within garment choice. Clothing is deeply connected to identity. Understanding the effects of the intersection of identity and system rules perhaps can enable understanding and informed choice.

4. Self Organizing System Structures
When systems self-recognize their adaptability and resilience, is there a greater potential for positive change? If a women sees herself as part of a system that functions with her as an integral part rather than an expendable cog, is she more likely to adapt and grow with the system as it changes?

In a community of women who are recently re-entering the workforce, is their value and power in seeing themselves as communally tied instead of lone ships floating in unchartered waters?

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a letter to my classmate, interested in public policy + design

matt,

if you haven’t perused the facebook debate groups yet, i am thinking its becoming a powerful polling tool. it might be relevant for your policy and design pursuits. it brings up so many questions for me, about social network and its intersection with politics and policy. for example, where does the data go? how is it used? this is only one angle. from the user side, i find it a safe way to put your views out there, question by question for viewing amongst your community. many conversations about politics take place over meals and in bars with friends, some end well and others badly. its so interesting to think about these questions as timely and finite questions to discuss. in a way, its a great motivator to wrap my head around the issues in the midst of daily life chaos. for a moment, i am thinking, how do i feel about this? and then i make a decision and post it. i also find it fascinating that ron paul has or his staff has answered so many of the questions. i am not a supporter, but its a great idea to do that. access to a huge community.

anyway, i am going to post this to my blog but in the form of this letter to you b/c you came to mind first when i was playing around with it.

here’s a link:
http://www.facebook.com/politics/debate.php?id=27944880272&ref=nf

later,
kelly

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