The gift that no one wants

"The Vault balances on a continuum between extreme points: the practical necessity and virtue of gathering and securing the world's seed diversity, and the equally negative and dreadful signal it gives off by telegraphing that this is really necessary, drawing attention to the current dangers seeds have to be protected from. George Bataille describes in The Accursed Share the way in which the gift is positive and negative at the same time, because it binds the recipient to return it with an even more valuable gift. In a way the Seed Vault is a gift to all of us, which binds us to return it with an even more significant one. It is the gift that no one wants." - Dyveke Sanne (artist of the Svalbard Seed Vault facade)

As interviewed in the Nov/Dec 08 issue of the fabulous The Believer. Photo by Mari Tefre / Global Crop Diversity Trust

Waiting to say the next thing

Russell T. Davies, Doctor Who: The Writer's Tale:

"Dialogue is just two monologues clashing. That's my Big Theory. It's true in life, never mind drama! Everyone is always, always, thinking about themselves. It's kind of impossible to do otherwise. I just hate dialogue that goes:

RUSSELL
I went to town.

BEN
Why?

RUSSELL
Because I needed to see Stan.

BEN
And what did he say?

RUSSELL
He said you knew the truth.

BEN
Yes, I do.

RUSSELL
Why didn't you tell me?

BEN
Because I was scared.

It's like they're both listening to each other. Rubbish! Appalling amounts of TV dialogue is like that, especially on the soaps, whereas in reality we're all waiting to say the next thing we want to say."

TED Local

I'm getting excited about next week's TED conference, which I'll be watching with friends and colleagues from the low-carbon comfort of my living room. I hope for some great conversation -- the program list, if you haven't seen it, is extraordinary.

Plenty folds

Plenty magazine (both the print and web editions) joins the list of magazines that have gone under due to rapid shifts in the economy and media landscape. I applaud Plenty's good intentions, and it's sad that those involved in the venture are losing their jobs. But I also take Plenty's bow as a sign -- even a positive one -- of where we are in our national and species-level focus on the environment.

While the short-term hype around green consumerism is fading, perhaps the long-term trend towards "bright green," long-term, systemic thinking and collective behavior is just getting going.

Seventeen hearts in seventeen mouths

Mark Hurst's Good Experience blog once again lives up to its name:

"A Kindle trick that changes the reading experience"

Note to self

Take responsibility.
Honor intuitions.
Respect everyone as an equal.
Give yourself a break.
Love.
Have patience.
Take risks.
Drop your guard.
Focus on the goal.
End what doesn't work.
Preserve what does work.
Create new things.

Mastery

If I had to choose a single slide to talk about the future of education, this might be it.

Four great books

I read some good books last year, but these four were marvelous. All have expanded and clarified how I see the world and approach my work on a daily basis. Shared in the hopes that you might enjoy them as well:

Nudge, Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
Little Brother, Cory Doctorow
The Art of Learning, Josh Waitzkin

Why I haven't blogged in months

I've received a few "ahems" for not blogging in awhile. My explanation:

I've been busy with some fun and rewarding projects.

Along with so many others, I've found myself channeling much of my online energy into micro-blogging, which is simply more efficient for sharing quick thoughts and recommendations. In particular, I use my Google Reader stream to share the top 5% of what I'm reading and thinking about.

I'm interested in putting some more energy back into my blog, as a way to share not just what I'm thinking about, but what I'm thinking. So going forward, expect posts that are relatively infrequent, but potentially longer and more thoughtful. I am heading to Maine next week for Pop!Tech, which should be great brainfood, so expect at least one or two updates related to that.

The future is not here yet

On September 11, 2001, my mom called and woke me up to tell me what was happening. For some reason, likely shock, my first thought was to go to the web. It took over ten minutes of searching before I found a buried Yahoo! story referring to NYC's "once majestic skyline." At that point, I turned on the TV and like everyone else was there for the next several hours.

Since then, networked media has become personal, local, and ubiquitous. I've come to expect, as have many others, that citizen journalists will be the front line defense in flu outbreaks or terrorist attacks.

So I'm sad to report that at least today in San Francisco, one of the most networked cities in the world, old-school news sources still get there first, and slowly at that.

• I looked out the window about 30 minutes ago and saw a giant plume of yellowish grey smoke rising from the Mission.
  
• I went on Google News and did several searches for "San Francisco and fire" -- no updates
  
• I checked my local Facebook network, Outside.in, and SFist - no news
  
• After 20 minutes of occasional searching online, I heard news helicopters overhead -- I turned on the TV and saw the "breaking news" report from an SF local news station.
  

As expected, the cause was a big house fire, not a terrorist attack or "airborne toxic event." But it saddened me to realize how slow our media sources really are, or might be, the next time something more serious happens.

Nokia "Remade"

I'm surprised that Treehugger takes such a dim view of the new Nokia "Remade" phone.

Even though it's a prototype, as far as concept cars go, it's a pretty good one. Nokia or some other company could start using the ideas implicit in "Remade" to design the next generation of cradle-to-cradle personal electronics devices.

Admittedly, no one has made the business models here work yet, but given the importance of the task, and the number of people working on the problem, someone will eventually get this right.

Marketa Irglova acceptance speech

An inspiring moment from last night's Oscars ceremony.... Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova win best song for "Falling Slowly."

How to Be an Adult

A gem of a book -- insightful and immensely practical. I think it would be a better world if they taught more of this kind of information in college.

How Google innovates

A great summary of how Google pursues innovation, and why your company might want to think twice before following their lead. (From Nicholas Carr.)

A More Perfect Constitution

One of my college professors, Larry Sabato, has written a timely and engaging book, A More Perfect Constitution: 23 Proposals to Revitalize Our Constitution and Make America a Fairer Country.

For me, the biggest surprise of the book was learning that Article V includes not one, but two processes for amending the Constitution. The process that has never been taken, and that Sabato discusses at length, is a Constitutional Convention, to be called once two-thirds of the states petition for it.

Sabato's specific proposals and the years of public debate that would go into a successful constitutional convention would not only increase our government's efficiency, but also bring many more people into the conversation about the kind of society and world we want to build. It's a thorough, moderate, and inspiring book.

Edward Tufte on the iPhone: video

Some geeky fun for a Friday afternoon.

Tufte: "Clutter and overload are not an attribute of information, they are a failure of design."

(Thanks Kristine for the link!)

Winning and losing

One of last year's stickiest, fastest-growing, most thought-provoking, and purely enjoyable online gaming properties was Bogglific -- the homegrown, free, networked version of Boggle on Facebook.

There are many creative ways that Hasbro could have handled its intellectual property concerns without alienating the thousands of passionate users who used Bogglific every day.

Sadly, as of today, they went with a plain ol' cease and desist.

From the Bogglific home page:

Bogglific to Close Down :-(
Hasbro, Inc. has sent a DMCA notification notice to Facebook regarding Bogglific. They claim it violates their trademark, and violates copyright over the Boggle rules.

I'm no lawyer, and can't see how it violates copyright. But I have neither the time nor the money to fight this, and Facebook has given me a grace period of 48 hours to shut the application down voluntarily.

You might be interested to know Scrabulous is in the same boat, but they have the resources to fight their battle. Hopefully they will be successful.

Sorry, guys. It was great fun while it lasted. You're a fantastic bunch, and it's a pity that Hasbro doesn't realise that Bogglific helped its Boggle sales by introducing all your Facebook friends to the game, not hindered it. That is sadly how the litigious US works.

Note that the Bogglific forum will be deleted by Facebook, so you may wish to post further discussions to the Bogglific Addicts group (which is not run by me.)

Where do Bearitos come from?

A great map showing the corporate parents of many of today's popular organic food brands. From Phil Howard at Michigan State University. (Thanks to Roxie for the link!)

The culting of brands

I blogged recently about wanting to write a book comparing cults, built-to-last corporate cultures, and wildly successful consumer brands. As I secretly hoped, someone has already written such a book, and it's phenomenal.

If Jim Collins described the optimum corporate culture for the late 20th century, then Douglas Atkin in "The Culting of Brands" has intuited the human relationship model behind the most powerful business innovations, and grassroots social, technological, and religious movements of the new century.

Imagining the future: Feasible globalizations

A provocative article from Dani Rodrik. (Thanks to Umair Haque at Bubblegeneration for the link.)

Why conversation matters

An intriguing model from Paul Pangaro. For anyone trying to design the next generation of human-computer interfaces, or win a political argument at the family dinner table.

The Story of Stuff

An amazing video from Annie Leonard and Free Range Films.

Running dry

The NYT has been running an important series of articles about disappearing water supplies in the U.S. due to climate change. The bad news: According to Steven Chu of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, “There’s a two-thirds chance there will be a disaster... and that’s in the best scenario.” The good news: Cities and regions across the country are taking their futures in their own hands, and looking systemically at potential solutions.

The American West: Disappearing snowpack in the Sierra Nevadas and elsewhere forces some drastic choices.

Orange County: Turning sewage into drinking water.

Fort Collins: Going nuclear in this "deeply green" city could jeopardize local water supplies.

The Axe and the Dove

The Dove "Onslaught" video has stirred up controversy for parent company Unilever, which also markets Axe deodorant. From today's AdAge:

'"Onslaught" also accomplished what four years of racy Axe ads hadn't -- getting the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood to demand Unilever stop running Axe ads. While the group already was aware of Axe and of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty, the specifics of the "Onslaught" push set it off.'

A complex story about the marketing biz, corporate integrity, and social media.

Quotes from Pop!Tech: Paul Polak

"90% of the world's designers work on the problems of the richest 10%."

Holiday gift ideas 2007

Some holiday gift ideas for your ecologically, socially, and digitally minded loved ones:

1. Apple TV - It's a slick product all-around, but by far my favorite thing about Apple TV is that it makes it easy to watch hours of TED video podcasts from the comfort of your living room.

2. GlobalGiving gift certificates - GlobalGiving makes it easy and fun to give to grassroots projects in the developing world, and see that your donations have real impact. (Admission: GlobalGiving is a former client of mine.)

3. Muji anything - Today is the grand opening of the first Muji store in the U.S. Hopefully, we'll soon see an e-commerce site, but in the meantime, head to Soho in NYC for hundreds of simple, thoughtful and (somewhat) green products. I have my eye on the rice cooker and the bike.

4. Eatwell Farms - In Omnivore's Dilemma, Michael Pollan makes a fairly stark distinction between "industrial organic" and truly organic foods. With Michael's book in mind, I tried Eatwell Farm's pastured eggs, and found them to be three times as tasty, and considerably more healthful, than the very best eggs at Whole Foods. For those in the Bay Area, Eatwell's produce boxes are a perfect gift.

5. MCG Jazz recordings- Bill Strickland is a hero of mine for his work with youth, education, and the arts. The Grammy-winning live jazz performances from Manchester Craftsmen's Guild are a special treat for music lovers, and the proceeds help support a terrific cause.

BP and EA bring climate change to SimCity

I love the concept. Eager to see whether the game's climate change models are realistic, but at least it's a start. Thanks to Dan for the link.

Quotes from Pop!Tech: Victoria Hale

"How you do your work is more important than what you do, and in the end determines the magnitude of your impact." - Dr. Victoria Hale, Founder, OneWorld Health

The Guru of Getting Things Done

The October issue of Wired has a fascinating profile of David Allen, the author of the immensely practical, and best-selling Getting Things Done. I've been following Allen's fussy-practical productivity tips for a few years now, so I was surprised to learn that many of his techniques grow out of his direct experience, and ongoing involvement, with the human potential movement.

The article has a few other surprises: Allen is a former karate instructor and heroin user, and a current Minister in the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness, a church that believes in "a benevolent consciousness guiding mankind, who in the past has appeared as Jesus, St. Francis of Assisi, and Abraham Lincoln."

The human potential movement fascinates me. In my spare time, I dream of writing a book that spells out the historical and philosophical connections between EST, Tony Robbins, Byron Katie, Jim Collins, Lifespring, cognitive behavioral therapy, The Secret, and Al-Qaeda. But in the meantime, we have this provocative article from Gary Wolf.

p.s. Speaking of personal productivity, I'm on my third day of getting used to OSX Leopard. One of the features that I'm spending a lot of time with, but that hasn't received much hype, is the revised To-Do/Notes system. To-Dos are now fully shared between Mail and iCal, and the functionality has been beefed up in many small ways that make it easier to follow some of Allen's top list management tips. The UI is imperfect, but it's still a big leap forward.

Awww

Raymond Crowe makes some magic with shadow puppets.

The carbon footprint of the multiplex

A UCLA study has concluded that the entertainment industry is Southern California's second biggest polluter, after the oil industry. Clearly, this is an industry that is ripe for reinvention:

"No amount of public service announcements or celebrities driving hybrid cars can mask the fact that movie and TV production is a gritty industrial operation, consuming enormous amounts of energy to power bright lights, run sophisticated cameras, and feed a cast of thousands."

Still, there are some bright spots of innovation. In addition to switching to renewables and offsetting emissions, I especially liked the following:

"Pieces built for the 2001 film Ocean's 11 now sit in the Santa Monica offices of the National Resources Defense Council. Sets from this year's sequel Ocean's 13 were donated to decorate the halls of local community colleges." (Associated Press)

"Good things happen in the dark"

On Saturday night October 20th, Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Transamerica Building, and dozens of local homes and businesses will turn off their lights for one hour. It's all part of Lights Out San Francisco, a local grassroots organization I'm excited to be involved with.

Events like these have more than just symbolic value... They bind neighborhoods together, and remind people of their individual and collective power to take on climate change. LOSF will publish the energy-saving results on its website, and the organization is also distributing thousands of free CFL light bulbs, which will help cut down on San Franciscans' carbon emissions and energy bills long after the event itself.

So treat yourself to a candelit dinner, and encourage your local businesses participate. San Francisco is just the start: the event is going national with Lights Out America on March 29, 2008.

DVRs and vampire power

I've been curious for awhile about the vampire power used by DVRs like TiVo. It's worse than I thought: according to the NRDC, set-top boxes in the U.S. alone consume $2 billion worth of electricity annually, or the equivalent of 15 million pounds of carbon dioxide.

Broadcasting & Cable does a good job covering how different DVR makers are increasing the energy efficiency of their products. More eco-friendly consumer electronics are a win for everyone: manufacturers whose products will last longer; consumers who will enjoy lower power bills; and the environment.

A big week for green TV

Discovery Communications acquires Treehugger

Broadcasting & Cable releases a Green TV issue

Jack Bauer and 24 fight climate change

Imogen Heap: "Just For Now"

A fantastic YouTube clip to start your Monday. Imogen Heap sings a round with herself, mixing it in real-time.

Blackle.com is the new green

Heap Media has responded to Mark Ontkush's observation that a black background version of Google would save 3000 Megawatt-hours a year by going ahead and building one.

From a usability perspective, white type on black is clearly harder to read, so I don't think this is a final design answer. But I like how Blackle sparks conversation about new and better ways to green the web. Kudos.

(Thanks to Todd for showing me this.)

Second Chance Trees

Oh, I love this. Another great example of how Second Life can help spark conversation, and foster real-world progress... in this case on the issue of reforestation. (from 3pointD)