Toronto, Ontario; Hamilton, Ontario; Pickering, Ontario
Hudson’s Bay Queen Street: Shopping, not for Christmas, but seasonally-decorated windows displays still draw crowds. Paused to see the rabbit’s head in a good position; it’s animated. I remember similar displays back into the 1970s, when this location was the Simpson’s Department Store. Americanization is more present with FAO Schwartz signs drawing attention to the second-floor pop-up. (Hudson’s Bay, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181201Sake Sushi: Family lunch in celebration of DY’s birthday, a series of servings of all-you-can-eat sushi ordered over the iPad menu. Salmon nigiri was exceptionally fresh. First fish for me in 9 months, since I negotiated with the dietitian to occasionally relax the strictly vegan options. (Sake Sushi, Highway 7, Vaughan, Ontario) 20181202 McMichael Canadian Art Collection: #AJCasson (1965) Little Island, by the youngest of the #GroupOfSeven painters. Featured by @mcacgallery exhibition in The Art of Canada: Directors Cut, tour guide mentioned that only #LawrenHarris and Casson were commercial designers in the Group of Seven, with the others full-time painter artists. Family enjoyed the works, and the walk around the grounds. Somehow, our sons had not known this venue, donated to the Province of Ontario in 1966. (McMichael Canadian Art Collection, Islington Avenue, Kleinberg, Ontario) 20181202CSI Spadina: Systems Thinking peer circle #ClimateVentures @csiTO trying examples on @Andy_Boynton #BartVictor @JoePine. Product-Process Change Matrix with (i) Invention and Mass Production where demand > supply; (ii) Continuous Improvement and Mass Customization where supply > demand. These entrepreneurs found these explained a lot of the challenges they’re experiencing. (Climate Ventures, Centre for Social Innovation, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181203KDMI-Semaphore: Critical making @mattratto@kmdi@UofTInfoFaculty emphasizes reflection in producing material objects. Has the difference between critique and its object reduced, asks Horkheimer? Can human beings be brought back into design? (KMDI-Semaphore, Bissell Building, University of Toronto) 20181206 Mike Hansen Studio: Exhibition of The Remix Series by @mhansen823 Mike Hansen, visualizing sound in a synaesthetic approach, translating specific pieces of music into abstract painting. Converted building is notorious as bunkered house from the 1990s for Satan’s Choice Motorcycle Club, through to 2010 for Hell’s Angels. Bright lights for the show makes visitors forget the windows are bricked over in history. (Mike Hansen Studio, Lottridge Street, Industrial Sector C, Hamilton, Ontario) 20181209 Munk School: Trends and outlooks for Asian countries @Bartapest@ADB_America@munkschool. Asian countries have to deal with the most climatic tragedies in the world, e.g. typhoons. Rapid urbanization, as well as poverty in rural areas. Population is getting old before they’re getting rich. To fill labour gaps countries could open more doors to migrants. (Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy, Devonshire Place, University of Toronto) 20181210Distillery District: Crowds @TOXmasMkt Wednesday night 8:30pm @DistilleryTO. Lineups at poutine shack, couples taking selfies. Many young adults, a few children at attractions. Not shopping, just cycling through. (Distillery District, Mill Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181212 CSI Annex: Holiday smackdown @csiTO with panel judging the best in a wide variety of cookie styles. Lively crowd, with volume of chatter rising to crescendo with the cocktail competition. Met other members coming from across the three CSI offices across the city. (CSI Annex, Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181213Asian Legend Dundas: Casual seasonal dinner for #DesignWithDialogue #SystemsThinkingOntario #UnifyToronto core organizing group, with regrets from those escaping the shortening winter days. More formal meeting will be held in January, yet some cross-group direction has been navigated. (Asian Legend, Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181214Grand Lake Cuisine: Dinner with family flying in all over North America, as a celebration for one who is no longer with us. Younger generation continuing ties, despite the distance. (Grand Lake Chinese Cuisine, Kennedy Road, Markham, Ontario) 20181219 Grand Lake Cuisine: Dinner of elders, on evening before final celebration of one not with us. Having family together in times of change, even briefly, interrupts our lives to remember what is important. (Grand Lake Chinese Cuisine, Kennedy Road, Markham, Ontario) 20181219Mythology Diner: Family lunch early for both my birthday and for Christmas, because sons will be on a plane tomorrow to spend holidays with my sister’s family. Vegan cross-sampling across Filet O’Fish; Philly; Reubenator; Bacon Double Cheeseburger; Caesar Salad; Cream of Spinach Soup; Poutine; Shakes in Peppermint ChocoChip, Lemoney Meringue, Strawberry; Sweet Tart Pie. Dietary indulgence led to food coma for all. (Mythology Diner, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181222 Olga Korper Gallery: Family playing with steel letterforms of #RustGarden by @DonovanSiegel@OlgaKorper. Search for specific letters amongst the 700,000+ to form words on the bench isn’t as quick as one might initially think. (Olga Korper Gallery, Morrow Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181222Chinese Heritage Society of Canada: Welcomed into study group by I Ching master Benfeng Zhu. Lessons are practically held in Mandarin Chinese, so aided by bilingual learners to appreciate throwing of coins, sketching hexagrams, and interpreting changes. My reading of multiple books translated into English, plus smartphone apps, have gotten me beyond beginner’s level. Deeper insight into the underlying five elements theory, and its relation to lunar calendar, will require more scholarly inquiry. The group clubhouse, active for one year, overlooks a pedestrian bridge over a small stream feeding into Petticoat Creek. (Chinese Heritage Society of Canada, Kingston Road, Pickering, Ontario) 20181224Allen Gardens: Turtle climbing on the back of another for a better view, by the waterwheel. Municipal greenhouse is true to posted schedule of opening 365 days each year. Couples day, preceded by lunch out, followed by movie. (Allen Gardens, Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20181225 Toronto Eaton Centre: Busy crowds on Boxing Day in Canada’s most popular tourist destination. Looking at warm gloves, even half-price seemed too rich for my current lifestyle. While I often pass by intersection to this shopping mall, I now recall that I haven’t been inside or bought anything in many years. (CF Toronto Eaton Centre, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181226 Toronto Reference Library: Sometimes the Dewey Decimal System works better than web search on the Internet. Exploring wu xing (five elements or five agents) theory, on second floor in Chinese philosophy, then third floor in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Successfully found The Philosophical Foundations of Classical Chinese Medicine, 2017 by Keekok Lee from Manchester University. (Toronto Reference Library, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181228
Nathan Phillips Square: Rink is cleared of skaters for 13 minutes, open for midday resurfacing with the Zamboni. Obedient crowds left the ice within a minute of guards blowing whistles and an announcement over the loudspeaker. Expect an even larger mob approaching midnight, as entertainers on the stage counts down to the new year. (Nathan Phillips Square, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181231
While the adaptive cycle and panarchical connections reflect the possiblity of movement from one stable state to another, it’s possible to get “stuck” in a disfavoured trap. Social ecological systems involve both natural systems and human systems. After widespread recognition of the 2002 Panarchy book, reflections in 2010 revealed further development of the theory and […]
In order to appreciate the influence of resilience science and panarchy on ongoing research into systems changes, revisiting foundational works sometimes resurfaces insights. In the 2002 Panarchy book, Chapter 15 provides a summary of findings. In the course of the project hat led to this volume, we identified twelve conclusions (Table 15-1) in our search for […]
What might a non-anthropocentric view of sustainability look like? This would probably include regeneration of species alongside others in the ecosystem. With some recent presentations, an idea that resonates with audiences is the “The Second Life of Trees”, credited by Tim Ingold (2002) to John Knight (1998). Ingold sees continuity of life not only of […]
Towards a general theory of living systems, we should be looking beyond the singletons of a hierarchical level, i.e. (i) cell, (ii) organ, (iii) organism, (iv) group, (v) organization, (vi) community, (vii) society, and (viii) supranational level. In a scientific approach, James Grier Miller created a list of hypotheses. In the 1100+ page book, the […]
When exploring the meaning of Living Systems, it’s pretty hard to ignore the major works of James Grier Miller (1916–2002) with a book thus titled. In addition to the 1978 book Living Systems (of 1168 pages!) some additions were published in 1992 in Behavioral Science, the Journal of the Society for General Systems Research. Miller […]
For their community of systems practitioners, Systems and Complexity in Organisation (SCiO) UK invited a presentation at their Virtual Open Meeting in July. Presenting in a 45-minute slot, the slides at http://coevolving.com/commons/2022-07-11-doing-thinking-making-systems-changes were covered in 38 minutes, leaving time for a few questions and comments. The agenda mainly focused on “Doing”, with “Thinking” and “Making” […]
In conversation, @zeynep with @ezraklein reveal authentic #SystemsThinking in (i) appreciating that “science” is constructed by human collectives, (ii) the west orients towards individual outcomes rather than population levels; and (iii) there’s an over-emphasis on problems of the moment, and…Read more ›
In the question-answer period after the lecture, #TimIngold proposes art as a discipline of inquiry, rather than ethnography. This refers to his thinking On Human Correspondence. — begin paste — [75m26s question] I am curious to know what art, or…Read more ›
How might our society show value for the long term, over the short term? Could we think about taxation over time, asks @carlotaprzperez in an interview: 92% for 1 day; 80% within 1 month; 50%-60% tax for 1 year; zero tax for 10 years.Read more ›
For the @ArchFoundation, #TimIngold distinguishes outcome-oriented making from process-oriented growing, revisiting #MartinHeidegger “Building Dwelling Thinking”. Organisms are made; artefacts grow. The distinction seems obvious, until you stop to ask what assumptions it contains, about the inside and outside of things…Read more ›
In web conference, #HermanDaly says #EcologicalEconomics used to get attacked from the right, now it's from the left. Panel @revkin @jon_d_erickson @ktkish @sophiesanniti #TimCrowshaw #KatieHorner livestreamed #sustainwhat .Read more ›
Complementing the idea of a @longnow , @nfergus provokes the challenge of a #shortthen as the online social media platforms distract the larger perspectives on history.Read more ›
Towards a non-anthropocentric view of aesthetics, we explore the legacy of work in the aesthetics of nature. The collection of essays in The Aesthetics of Natural Environments (2004), edited by Allen Carlson and Arnold Berleant, illuminates some of the issues and debates on this perspective. In the Acknowledgements for the 2004 book is a trail […]
In the history of science of systems thinking, Debora Hammond related the backgrounds and connections of the founder of the Society for General Systems Research, that is now the International Society for the Systems Sciences. Boulding (1956) plays a large role in framing two orientations towards “general systems theory”. Kenneth Boulding used to distinguish between […]
Geoffrey Vickers saw human systems as different, with moral character distinguishing from natural and manmade systems. Gregory Bateson, in a more general view of systems, saw morality as entering in systems processes.
In this review of a philosophical work written in Chinese, a comparison is made between Chinese philosophy centering on the body, in comparison to Western philosopy centered on the mind. (I found a reference to this book, tracing back from Keekok Lee (2017) Chapter 9, footnote 8.
The translation from English "systems thinking" to French "la pensée systémique" misses meaning. "Approche systémique" has lineage to "Conférences Macy", "General System Theory (Bertalanffy)" and "Gregory Bateson"
