Approaching winter solstice, the temperature in Toronto hovers around freezing, and we see a mix of rain and snow.
Toronto, Ontario
Riverside neighbourhood: Snow outside our bedroom window onto the street for the first day of December strikes fear into morning commuters. South of Queen Street East, just east of the Don River, we have a microclimate, so precipitation melted to wetness by later in day. Three weeks to winter solstice, and then we hope for brighter days. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20201201Harry Gairey Rink: Parents giving children a feel of the ice with skate helper training aids, an improvement over pushing a chair around. Slower movement on the pleasure pad to the south, faster circuits on the hockey pad to the north. Artificial ice solidified with temperatures below freezing overnight, streets otherwise clear of snow. (Harry Gairey Rink, Alexandra Park, Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20201205Fontbonne Ministries: New awnings over walkway are an adaptation for @FontbonneMin to continue services to commmunity who have to line up outside, with temperature dropping for winter. With #MustardSeed program, @CSJTO had changed from welcoming lunches inside on weekends, to providing lunches to go. On morning walk through neighbourhood, passed many multi-child strollers pushed by caregivers. (Fontbonne Ministries, Queen Street East, Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario).Laneway, Leslieville: Who has the keys to these locks? Two posts and a chain across laneway raises questions as to whether it’s private property, or a public right-of-way that has been obstructed. Pedestrians can easily walk around, but vehicles will be deterred. (Laneway north of Queen Street East, from Carlaw Avenue eastbound to Boston Avenue, Leslieville, Toronto, Ontario) 20201208Jimmie Simpson Park: Snowfall is transitory; snowbanks are persistent. Young children play on a small white mound while parents observe, in a familiar Canadian moment. Shovelled our sidewalk and backyard this morning, the forecast is for slightly warmer temperatures that might or might not melt the accumulation. (Jimmie Simpson Park, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20201209Former Union Station Bus Terminal: Decommissioning of terminus north of the @unionstationTO tracks, as boarding for regional @GOTransit buses move south of the tracks. The 2003 replacement for the Toronto Coach Terminal had passengers traverse outside in summer and winter, while the new gate areas promise better. No snow on ground, we have a weather reprieve for a few days. (Union Station Bus Terminal, 141 Bay Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20201210Riverdale Collegiate Institute: Dormant hallways momentarily spring to life with students changing classrooms in the link between #RiverdaleCollegiateInstitute wings, looking southward. Outside the front side of the building, the small number of socially-distanced masked students suggests staggered breaktimes. Playing fields and sport courts are closed due to pandemic, with playground equipment specifically reserved for toddlers in daycare. (Riverdale Collegiate Institute, Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20201211McCleary Playground: A second life for a tree, branches downward inverted from its natural history. In a garden designed for 5- to 12-year olds, children may not think the position so strange. Just east of the railway tracks by Queen Street East, this site might be altered by future transit expansions. (McCleary Playground, McGee Street, Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20201215Toronto Eaton Centre: On Saturday afternoon before Christmas, might have normally expected busy shoppers on Yonge Street. With Province of Ontario declaring a grey zone, retail stores can offer only curbside pickup, not the usual mode for an urban mall. Drizzling rain discourages the street performers often on the sidewalk. (Toronto Eaton Centre, Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20201219Ashbridges Bay: At the perimeter near the shore, patches of films of ice beginning to form in the shallows. Most boat owners seem to prefer covering their watercrafts with white, so dusk is almost monochromatic. Towards the park, parents walking with their children bundled up in snowsuits. (Ashbridges Bay, Lake Shore Boulevard East, Toronto, Ontario) 20201220Lower Don River: Looking downstream, there’s a beach on the west side with the river at a low level, that might otherwise be submerged in a flood. The Metrolinx-Go Train bridge will is to be replaced and widened with new arch bridges for the future Ontario Line. Cyclists and runners frequent the trail for exercise. (Lower Don River, Toronto, Ontario) 20201221Devonian Pond: Loose time sees skaters in tights, player with hockey stick, child with trainer, and mother using toddler using stroller to get around the rink. Construction through campus on Gould Street now seems complete, pavement replaced by interlocking stone for pedestrians and cyclists. Hadn’t appreciated that the square with the oval pond was opened in 1978 with funding from the Devonian Foundation of Calgary. (Devonian Pond, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario) 20201223High Park: Chose to walk around park on the west side, as our annual December 24 family day. Light rain in off-season, attractions shut down due to pandemic. A rare opportunity with all our sons in town, though no longer all under one roof. (High Park, West Road, Toronto, Ontario) 20201224Woodbine Park: Finishing up afternoon walk south through park, across Woodbine Beach boardwalk, then back north towards Queen Street East. First visit to NPI and CL in apartment, condominium building with finishing touches and people moving in. Parents dragging toddlers on sleds through the snow. (Woodbine Park, Coxwell Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20201227
Logan Avenue, north of Dundas Street East: Stairs barricaded at bottom and top, alongside rail tracks for Metrolinx Lakeshore East and Stouffville corridor, pique curiosity. Walking around the block revealed large parking lots for industrial warehouses, with trees and fences barring pedestrians from danger. The planned Ontario Line will squeeze more tracks into almost the same width. (Logan Avenue, north of Dundas Street East) 20201229
Winter has discouraged enjoying the outside, so more occasions for friend and family inside.
Mississauga, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario
Heartland neighbourhood: Annual Superbowl ritual featuring hamburgers grilled outside, cold but not blizzard conditions this year. Broke vegan regime as indulgence with family. Larger attendance of millennials this year, some boomer regulars cancelled last minute due to colds. (Heartland neighbourhood, Mississauaga, Ontario) 20200202Celebration of Life: Leaving long message at memorial for a friend who passed away in October. DY was a few years ahead of Mary at the same primary and high schools in Vancouver, and only got to know her through PY in Toronto. Honoured by her relatives flying into for the occasion, and coworkers relating stories of adventurous career in documentaries and journalism. (90 Broadview Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20200208Riverside neighbourhood: Sparkler means no candles to blow out. Departing from usual cake to accommodate preferences, donuts are less sweet, and the banana bread is even less. Packaging says plant-based, gluten-free, peanut-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, soy-free and sesame-free, leaving us wondering what ingredients could potentially still be on the list. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20200211Factory Theatre: Coming down from tiered set for bows, #ftLadySunrise @FactoryToronto update by @magicalmudge to 2005 Vancouver sees societal similarities to #CaoYu original 1936 Chinese-language play set in Shanghai. Shallow, dislikeable female characters made even less sympathetic as competitive amongst themselves, with no men cast in the production. Quite a contrast to the conventional portrayal of Asian women as passive and graceful. (Factory Theatre, Bathurst Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20200218Riverside neighbourhood: Professional delivery of a new refrigerator, and old one hauled away, at home. Deliveryman had tape measure to check entry, asked for a hammer, and then removed door to accommodate width. We had cleared hallway, EKI and I took a few extra moments to finishing emptying contents, mostly onto our back deck in a Canadian winter day before freezing. Evokes memories of myself doing refrigerator deliveries for Kent Tv in Gravenhurst, in the 1970s. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20200219Woodbine Beach: Art installation of recycled sailcloth stuffed with straw #NoodleFeed @iheartblob attracts children @winterstations on a clear, bright day above the freezing point. Some took off their boots, others jumped with them on. First bicycling day in a while, wind felt heavy travelling east and then back west. (Woodbine Beach, Toronto, Ontario) 20200223SystemsThinkingTO: Relaunch of #SystemsThinking TO @acojoaca @CatarinavM_TO meetup, guiding conversation through #GarethMorgan #ImagesOfOrganization handout http://coevolving.com/commons/20200225-stto-imagesoforganization towards reframing metaphors. Fishbowl for 15-minutes, then breakout into small groups, ending with debriefings. Participant reported enjoying opportunity for dialogue, collectively making sense of ideas. Closed out session with plans for next monthly meeting, format will evolve with experience. (SystemsThinkingTO, Loyalty One, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20200225 photo by CatvM
Very Fine Seafood Cuisine: Sister coming to town reserved time for family dinner. Ten courses with Peking duck, multiple fish dishes, and vegan selections. Joking about fusion tendencies, cranberries with duck, roasted potatoes with beef, lobster deep fried. Other local family out of town, otherwise we would have needed two banquet tables. (Very Fine Seafood Cuisine, Milliken Boulevard, Scarborough, Ontario) 20200229
Mentally busy month with a conference coming to town, and maintaining the regular pattern of local meetings, travel around town only by bicycle.
Toronto, Ontario
OCADU Great Hall: Figure @OCAD assembled from many materials by Sarah Juliet Nadler, part of the Frutti exhibition, Florence off-campus program. Sheet to the left either fell down due to poor adhesive, or the figure rose in the night to pull it down. (OCAD University, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181103Congee Queen: Sisters-in-law on both sides of our family on short visits through town, we voted for Sunday lunch with greater variety than dim sum. Discussions included where and who to visit on the upcoming holiday season. I over-ordered by a few dishes, so we had leftovers to take home. (Congee Queen, Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20181104Spoke Club: Design ladder @hallahelga@honnunarmidstod with DesignTOFest promoting @IcelandNatural. Step 1 No design; Step 2 Design as a style; Step 3 Design as a process; Step 4 Design as innovation; as illustrated by @designcentret . Design March @honnunarmars cited as the biggest design festival in the work per capita. With population of 330,000, everyone in Iceland knows @bjork or her mother. (The Spoke Club, King Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181105 Regis College: Lawren Harris (1968) Abstraction A, shows a sun-like form emitting light. This painting hangs in theological school of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) at the University of Toronto. The room is within line-of-sight of the receptionist, and most passing through the college probably have never taken a second look. (Regis College, Wellesley Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181107 Power Plant Gallery: Vivian Suter “La Canicula” exhibition @ThePowerPlantTO of canvases created with nature. Works were moved both indoors and outdoors her home in Panajachel, Guatemala, marked by insects and weather. Visitors appreciating the installation, walking around the hangings. (Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Harbourfront, Queen Quay’s West, Toronto, Ontario) 20181108Climate Ventures: Systems thinking peer circle @csiTO, on @longnow history, @stewartbrand How Buildings Learn pacing layers. Fast gets all the attention; Slow has all the power. Also covered James March ambidextrous organization, and Pierre Bourdieu Algeria 1960. Second session, trying to meet every 3 weeks. (Climate Ventures, Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181112Renaissance Basecamp: Welcome by @chriskutarna to Renaissance Basecamp @Basecamp3 #rebase #basecampTO . Full day of teams working Rethinking in tables, having prepared with online discussions in weeks preceding. Most people meeting each other for the first time face-to-face. (Artscape Sandbox, Adelaide Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 2018114Books on Pattern Language: Selecting from bookshelf for #WickedProblems #SystemsApproach #PatternLanguage show-and-tell at #SystemsThinking Ontario session at #ClimateVentures @csiTO tonight. Publications cross architecture, software development, social change. https://wiki.st-on.org/2018-11-21 (Centre for Social Innovation, 192 Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181121 Bissell Building: Understanding #Tablets in Early Childhood Education @rhondamcewen@KDMI Semaphore speaker series @UofTInfoFaculty. Research based on communication theory by #NiklasLuhmann. Attentional deficits in children are already there, but tablets make it worse. Not much better than flash cards, as developers don’t encourage instructing or exploring concepts, mostly tap and drag, dumbing down rather than featuring other modes (e.g. blowing into a device). Gestures can change the way that knowledge is conceptually understood, not just on working memory, but long term memory. (Knowledge Media Design Institute and Semaphore Labs, Bissell Building, University of Toronto School of Information) 20181121Systems Thinking Ontario: Books to browse at #SystemsThinking Ontario #ClimateVentures @csiTO. Discussion on #WickedProblems, #SystemsApproach, #Pattern Language tracked through history with #HorstRittel, #CWestChurchman, #ChristopherAlexander. Focus from 1964 Notes on the Synthesis of Form through to October 2018 @PLoPCon and #PUARL#Purplsoc meetings. (Climate Ventures, Centre for Social Innovation, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181121Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine: Medal and trophy for Professor David Lam, recognition of “Outstanding Doctor” by the Chinese Government, including founding the oldest acupuncture school in Canada. He declined to travel to China for the ceremony, so the honours were shipped to him. I haven’t visited in 5 years, and wanted a more systemic diagnosis combined with experiences in both Chinese and western medicine. Prescribed not a single herb, but a complex combination. (Institute of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Dupont Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20181123 Systems Thinking TO: Champagne toast for #SystemsThinkingTO second anniversary, led by @DerailleurAgile. Played Triangles game from the #SystemsThinkingPlaybook, emphasizing system behaviors and conceptual errors in (i) autonomous behavior and (ii) magnification. (Systems Thinking TO, LoyaltyOne, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20181127 Unify Toronto: Panel on #UnifyToronto Land Use Summit @DrawdownProject meeting #6 of 7 sectors. @lmiresk, @AndrewJamesKnox for @transitionTO, #KevinBest, #RyanNess for @TRCA_News, #SeanThomas for @UofTForestry. Sketching by @playthink , emphasis on relevance from global study to action in Greater Toronto (Unify Toronto, Drawdown Toronto, Friends House, Lowther Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181128
Olga Korper Gallery: Steel letterforms of #RustGarden by @DonovanSiegel are 707,349 characters from the 1945 #TwoSolitudes novel by #HughMacLellan on the perceived lack of communication between Anglophone and Francophone communities. Sign @OlgaKorper Gallery encourages walking on the artwork that fills the main space. Ephemeral art has some people spelling out words on the bench backs. (Olga Korper Gallery, Morrow Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20181130
Toronto, Ontario; Mississauga, Ontario; London, Ontario
The Rex: Not yet CD for @mikedownesmusic @TedQuinlan @Larnell_Lewis @robibotos, still working towards release with original compositions. Audience rather full for a Thursday night, as jazz lovers anticipate some of the top players in town. (The Rex, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20170202Avonwick: Superbowl big screen, switched to U.S. tv station to watch commercials from original broadcast instead of Canadian simulcast. Annual event has most of us spending more time on visiting with friends, we’re not really football spectators. (Avonwick, Mississauga, Ontario) 20170205Luen Hop: Passport photo studio at back of dry goods store in Chinatown East, getting recent shot for visa for Shanghai visit in April. Studio no longer does photo processing, and only takes portraits three times per week. Weather was clear today for a quick bike ride over. (Luen Hop, Broadview Avenue, Riverdale district, Toronto, Ontario) 20170206China Visa: Drop-off visa application only 20 minutes with appointment. Fewer customers than last year, almost all Asian faces. Turnaround in 3 days as non-express, maybe a post-Chinese New Year trough. Freezing rain outside, slid on sidewalk to bang left knee. (China Visa Application Service, University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20170207The Grad Club: Leisurely roast beef with Yorkshire pudding lunch in university pub. Snowy walk across campus, weather is more wintery in this region than back home. (The Grad Pub, Middlesex Center, Western University, London, Ontario) 20170210Anestis Taverna: Attracted to resto by friendly wave from the grill at the front window. Impromptu dinner scheduled in a newer resto in Greektown, good moussaka and souvlaki Winter storm redirected driving route away from crossing 401, through to downtown and then uptown again. (Anestis Taverna, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20170210Willcocks Street: Temperature swing up over 10 degrees C in mid February a new record for Toronto. Wore sunglasses on bike ride to U. Toronto and Chinatown. Campus may be quieter than usual, at start of reading week. (Willcocks Street, University of Toronto) 20160218Seor Ak San: Family Day leisure for Korean cuisine. Decided on Chinatown district, first restaurant choice was queued up, went to strong alternative for a change of pace. Sons assessed quality as better than equivalents in Beijing, where they ate a lot of food in this style. (Seor Ak San, Spadina Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20160120Ted Rogers School: Intro to R Programming @BigDataU with @polonglin lecturing. welcome by @regionomics. Free meetup for beginners to data science, most attendees in room are novices. Attending to see how class is taught, will discuss variants for different target audiences afterwards. (Ted Rogers School of Management, Dundas Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20170222Betty’s: After @DrupalTO meetup, social @BettysOnKing. Large group accommodated on a Monday night, casual time discussing common technical experiences. Some familiar faces from previous events. (Betty’s, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20170227
Dundas Street W at St. Patrick Street: Eastbound slight jog south formerly called Anderson Street in the 1910s was rerouted with alignments for the Toronto Railway Company before 1921, west of University Avenue. Further west from McCaul Street, the previously named St. Patrick Street became Dundas Street, leaving the label for north-south Dummer Street to became the new St. Patrick Street. Older cities pieced together throughways in modernity. (Dundas Street West at St. Patrick Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20160228
DY Pearson T1 Departures. Diana starting on AC flight 11 hours eastbound where weather should improve by 20 degrees Celsius. Sister KSY intercepting on route, to fly together. Sister SKY should meet at arrival. Reversal of roles, as DY usually drops us at airport. (Pearson international Airport Terminal 1 Departures, Toronto) 20140202 1436Toronto Pearson Bamboo City. Small scale skyscrapers as #BambooCity at Pearson Terminal 1 near Priority Checkin, sponsored by HSBC. Is the big barricade around the installation to deter children? (Toronto) 20140217 1001
Excursion to Hvitträsk, the home/studio of architect Eliel Saarinen, and childhood home of Eero, who grew up around his father’s work. Kirsti and Jari pointed out the traditional Finnish touches in the home, interesting of the light of the father creating in a more traditional style while the son developed the modernism. The exhibits showed a number of unrealized plans, which makes we wonder about the relationship between architects and clients in years before I was born. After touring the house, we walked down to the lake, where Kirsti was searching for Finnish chanterelles. (Kirkkonummi, Finland) 20101003 1230Montreal waterfront along the St. Lawrence River, viewed from the Ile Sainte Helene. Sightseeing detour, telling our sons about their grandfather bringing us to Expo 67 when we were children (Montreal, Saturday) 2010100 1830Chinese herb ingredients for decoctions for three days to battle excess heat due to travel fatigue. Recognized ginger root, everything else looks like twigs and leaves. Boil in 3 cups of water for 40 minutes. Apothecary suggested not eating chicken for three days (Toronto, Sunday) 20101017 1530Sunday brunch buffet at Taverna Cretekou, relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere, bouzoukis on the speakers, family of three generations speaking French at the next table. I am just passing through on the way to meet Kent, enjoying a low stress roast lamb sandwich (Alexandria, Virginia, Sunday) 20101024 1300Abingdon Plantation, on the National Register of Historic Places, is an enclosed grassy mound that includes a ruin, found in between the rental car garage and Terminal B of Reagan National Airport in Washington DC. Millions of people pass nearby, but how many would care to stop for even a moment, to look at the plaque? Is this the American appreciation of history? (Washington, DC) 20101026 1330
Exploring the possibility of a renewed Systems Thinking TO, #ChrisChapman convened a ST/TO: One More Pass Through the Loop session. The last in-person event met in 2019, and then the Covid pandemic interrupted a regeneration. The group put post-it notes up on the whiteboard as reflections on features of prior success, and prospects when many […]
Overhead lamp shades strung over the narrow passage may now be weathered by years of cold winters. Live-work spaces of the Artscape Distillery Studios were vacated in 2021 at the end of the 20-year lease from Cityscape Development. East end of lane terminates with white facade of The Gooderham Condos. (Case Goods Lane, Distillery District, […]
Surrealist #ChristianButterfield (2024) Cold No. 6 - Up Up Higher is acrylic and collage on canvas. Order and disorder are in contrast with sculpted geometric shapes and colours, with newspaper clippings reflecting the oversaturation of media. Vulnerability and reflection is evoked in the declarations of consumer culture, societal pressure, and/or interpersonal strains. (Corkin Gallery, Tank […]
Last day of advance poll for Canada federal election. Queue winding upstairs to second floor was a 30 minute wait, poll for surname in last half of alphabet had DY finished 15 minutes earlier. Unexpected crowd at 4:00pm, voters must have already made up their minds. (Jimmy Simpson Recreation Centre, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) […]
Bridge across Portage River in 49-acre park on a chilly spring day. Had picnic lunch with windbreak under covered shelter. Unproductive visit to city centre, discovered Kalamazoo was practically vacant on Easter Sunday afternoon. (Milham Park, East Kilgore Road, Kalamazoo, Michigan) 20250420
White tablecloth dinner of Afghan cuisine, close to home for international family from grad school days. One retired, while the other is slowly moving out of business. Catching up on kids now adults with their own children, in Hawaii and Delaware. (Kabul House, Dempster Street, Evanston, Illinois) 20250419
Fourth floor Fernanda Laguna (2018) I Love It is two panels of acrylic on canvas with cutouts. Feminst artist has cofounded galleries, publishing house, and art education program in Argentina. Works are part of the Descending the Staircase exhibition series. (Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20240419
Freshly made deep dish Chicago-style pizza, made with soy cheese and seitan pepperoni. I used to enjoy this specialty in grad school, but gave up dairy 30-some years ago. I managed two slices as DY ate around the crust, leaving more than enough for a picnic on the drive back to Toronto, and a lunch […]
Late afternoon lunch in vegan restaurant with attitude. Followed overhead thread of light over bar, across to west wall. Ordered deep dish Chicago style pizza, kitchen prep time estimated at 35-45 minutes. (Kitchen 17, West Diversey Avenue, Chicago, Illinois) 20250419
Visiting home of CMN, lifelong career shifts from tennis pro, to high energy physicist, strategy professor, now jazz pianist. First met him as a graduate school advisor 45 years ago, when I entered my master's degree program. I recall a day biking the 20 miles up from Evanston to the prior bigger house, and then […]
Two years after submitting an academic manuscript and responding to double-blind reviews, “Rethinking work, with the pandemic disruption” has now been published in the International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior (IJOTB) as earlycite. The article has a DOI (Document Object Identifier), and should be streamed with an official volume and issue number soon. The […]
The 128th meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario was convened in person. The classroom was filled with current students, alumni, our regular participants, and a few curious newcomers. Moderated by Zaid Khan, the conversation was sparked by Stephen Davies and myself (David Ing) on the evolving styles in learning systems thinking. Stephen has been leading SFIN-6011 […]
The “Understanding Systems” SFIN-6011 course is a requirement in the master’s program in Strategic Foresight and Innovation at OCADU. For winter 2025, the class is now led by Stephen Davies, breaking the incremental evolving of content since 2008. While still on faculty at OCADU, the original course designer Peter H. Jones is now a Distinguished […]
In the 1970s, five ways of knowing were established by C. West Churchman in The Design of Inquiring Systtems. In the 1990s, his student Ian Mitroff carried on the tradition and extended that work in The Unbounded Mind. Now in the 2020s, the technology of Generative AI opens up opportunties to query or request responses […]
For readers with an interest deeper than the 15-minute presentation given in August, the Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Socio-Technical Perspectives in Information Systems (STPIS 2024) have now been formally publishied. The invited paper on “Reifying Socio-Technical and Socio-Ecological Perspectives for Systems Changes: From rearranging objects to repacing rhythms” was reviewed by the […]
The 125th meeting of Systems Thinking Ontario coincided with the closing day for the RSD13-RSDX online program. As a regular systems convening group, we’ve had monthly meetings since January 2013. Zaid Khan moderated a discussion including me (David Ing), Tim Lloyd, Allenna Leonard, and Kelly Okamura. We recollected starting as a spinoff from Design with […]
David L. Hawk (American management theorist, architect, and systems scientist) has been hosting a weekly television show broadcast on Bold Brave Tv from the New York area on Wednesdays 6pm ET, remotely from his home in Iowa. Live, callers can join…Read more ›
Following the first day lecture on Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 1 for the Global University for Sustainability, Keekok Lee continued on a second day on some topics: * Anatomy as structure; physiology as function (and process); * Process ontology, and thing ontology; * Qi ju as qi-in-concentrating mode, and qi san as qi-in-dissipsating mode; and […]
The philosophy of science underlying Classical Chinese Medicine, in this lecture by Keekok Lee, provides insights into ways in which systems change may be approached, in a process ontology in contrast to the thing ontology underlying Western BioMedicine. Read more ›
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 ›
In 2024, WordPress Studio was released, making installation on a local computer simpler. The instructions were modified from MacOS to Ubuntu Linux, by Daniel Kossmann, “How to install WordPress Studio in Ubuntu Linux” | Jun 15, 2024 at https://www.danielkossmann.com/how-to-install-wordpress-studio-ubuntu-linux/ I already had NVM installed, but in Terminal, with the result “command not found”. In the […]
The appreciation of change is different in Western philosophy than in classical Chinese philosophy. JeeLoo Lin published a concise contrast on differences. Let me parse the Introduction to the journal article, that is so clearly written. The Chinese theory of time is built into a language that is tenseless. The Yijing (Book of Changes) there […]
In trying to place the World Hypotheses work of Stephen C. Pepper (with multiple root metaphors), Nicholas Rescher provides a helpful positioning. — begin paste — Philosophical perspectivism maintains that substantive philosophical positions can be maintained only from a “perspective” of some sort. But what sort? Clearly different sorts of perspectives can be conceived of, […]
Finding proper words to express system(s) change(s) can be a challenge. One alternative could be diachrony. The Oxford English dictionary provides two definitions for diachronic, the first one most generally related to time. (The second is linguistic method) diachronic ADJECTIVE Oxford English Dictionary, s.v. “diachronic (adj.), sense 1,” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/3691792233. For completeness, prochronic relates “to […]
The selection of readings in the “Introduction” to Systems Thinking: Selected Readings, volume 2, Penguin (1981), edited by Fred E. Emery, reflects a turn from 1969 when a general systems theory was more fully entertained, towards an urgency towards changes in the world that were present in 1981. Systems thinking was again emphasized in contrast […]
