Toronto (out of an ankle cast, started physiotherapy)
Martin Centre: Doctor said ankle can come out of cast, although extra caution would prescribe 2 more weeks. Now in street shoes, no bouncing, physiotherapist is deferred for 2 weeks in case hard pressure is applied. DY and I stopped by Chinatown for shopping, with me on crutches, lower leg has turned numb. Wearing court shoes in the house instead of sandals, feeling my way after the injury 9 weeks ago. Not even a new ultrasound since Dec. 27. (Martin Family Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180301 UToronto Art Centre: Figures of Sleep exhibition @MueckRon (2002-2002) “Untitled (old woman in bed)” on loan from National Gallery of Canada. Hyperrealistic sculpture slightly smaller than real life, spotlit in a dark room. Show closes tomorrow. Standing on two legs after yesterday coming out of the two-month cast, both the injured and uninjured limbs are out of shape. (University of Toronto Art Centre, King’s College Circle, Toronto) 20180302 Toronto Light Fest: Illuminated long house may not be official art installation, but the shell of a patio on Gristmill Lane. Next to last night of Toronto Light Festival a destination for some walking exercise with crutches. Near-freezing temperatures, but no snow, lots of photographers out. (Gristmill Lane, Distillery District, Toronto, Ontario) 20180303 East York Town Centre: Mall walking on crutches, should soon graduate to cane. Enclosed shopping centre in Thorncliffe Park is central to Pakistani and Afghan community. Bulletin board in supermarket has homemakers offering special cooked breakfast on weekends, presumably too much work for fully employed weekday employees. (East York Town Centre, Overlea Boulevard, East York, Ontario) 20180305OCADU Grad Studies: Lecturing @OCADU_SFI with @redesign and Jeremy Bowes, on “Architecting for Wicked Messes” for “Understanding Systems and Systemic Design” class. Full-time cohort opted for a more loosely structured studio room, students spread out at tables and chairs. (OCADU Graduate Studies, 205 Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180307 St. Michael’s Hospital: Statue at the official address at the east entrance on Bond Street, the conventional entrance is at the south on Queen Street, or emergency off Victoria Street. Quiet halls with administrative offices lead to elevators to busy floors. (St. Michael’s Hospital, Bond Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180308Onsite Gallery: Wool hand-tufted textile @ONSITEatOCADU@alexkeha (2015) “Stele” (which is defined as “the central core of the stem and root of a vascular plant”). Part of The Sunshine Eaters exhibition, artists and designers looking at land, plants, flowers and trees. (Onsite Gallery, OCAD University, Richmond Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180309 Sumac Creek Health Centre: Portrait in @BennyBing series @TheDanielsCorp Regent Park Rotating Gallery for March, on the walls by doctors’ offices and treatment rooms. In regular office hours, are only the sick, injured, and medical professionals privileged to view the collection? Appreciating art as therapy in addition to other healing services. (Sumac Creek Health Centre, Regent Park Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario) 20130312 Athlete’s Care, The Beach: First visit to physiotherapist for Achilles tendon recovery. Scheduled appointments twice per week for the month until we get on the plane for Shanghai. Flexibility of right ankle is at 25% of left ankle. Initial exercises assigned to stretch for mobility, strength will be the next priority. Went shopping, bought foam roller stick. (Athlete’s Care, The Beach, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180313OCADU: 69th meeting of @StronglySustain with web conferencing, featuring update on Flourishing Enterprise Innovation Toollkit Project. Watched experience report video from a First Explorer. Participants included both some from the founding, through to some coming new to the work. Had post-meeting discussion on activities in parallel communities. (OCADU, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180313Yorkville: Looking southeast, Cumberland Terrace low plaza on Bay Street built in 1974 contrasts to the new One Bloor skyscraper at Yonge Street, the current tallest building in Toronto (since the CN Tower labelled a freestanding structure, not a building). The Manulife Centre on Bloor Street is also vintage 1974. We don’t visit this upscale neighbourhood often, yet it’s biking distance from home. Some personal business led us to check into some other shops. (Bay Street at Cumberland Street, Yorkville, Toronto, Ontario) 20180315Riverside district: Mastered homemade vegan black bean soup in Instant Pot. Day 3 on dietary portfolio prescribed by Dr. David Jenkins at UToronto and St. Michael’s Hospital, inventor of the glycemic index. Had negotiated with researchers for a menu without psyllium or plant sterol margarine, then spent 2 days reading journal articles to determine grams of viscous fibre, soy protein and pulses for consumption. Clinical trial published 2015 shows Portfolio Diet reduces LDL cholesterol, but adherence is only 48% compared to DASH diet with non-significant improvement but has 105% adherence. (Riverside District, Toronto, Ontario) 20180318 UToronto iSchool: Talk by @GeoffreyCBowker “How the West was Won by Data”. Full room for lecture by prominent academic, as part of a quick visit serving as external examiner in a Ph.D. defense, Long day for a professor coming from Pacific Time into Eastern Time. Digest at https://ingbrief.wordpress.com/2018/03/19/2018-03-19-1610-geoffrey-bowker-how-the-west-was-won-by-data-utoronto-ischool/ . (UToronto iSchool, Bissell Building, St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180319SystemsThinkingTO: Earlier selfie with @wjbellows reconnected @jp2connect to me, social tie through the Ackoff S3 program. Agenda for SystemsThinkingTO meeting was an open conversation with Bill Cooper to W. Edwards Deming, and the blend of ideas from multiple sources. (LoyaltyOne offices, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20170322Snow Lion Meditation Shop: Selected buckwheat hull pillow to replace one that predates my current spouse. This shop offers smaller ones to be used as meditation cushions, we chose the largest for our bed. We may continue to look for just hulls, 5 lbs. should fill the old pillowcase. (Snow Lion Mediation Shop, Pape Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20180328
St. Michael’s Hospital: Signed up for MyChart personal record app at Patient Registration on Donnelly wing south, after seeing new brochure. Appointment with orthopedic surgeon about Achilles tendon confirmed healing, the additional mobility and strength is left to the physiotherapist. (St. Michael’s Hospital, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180329
Toronto, Ontario
Heartland: Annual Superbowl party hosts serve traditional BBQ burgers and frankfurters. This year was not as cold as some years. Some friendly faces from previous years, some new faces expanding the circle. (Heartland, Mississauga, Ontario) 20180204UToronto iSchool: Service Systems facilitation-presentation by UToronto iSchool graduate students. Getting closer to the current edge of research, so the variety of sources is lower. Citing people whom I know well. (UToronto iSchool, Bissell Building) 20170207UToronto iSchool: Generative pattern language presentation-facilitation by UToronto iSchool graduate students. Started with an example of context-problem-solution, and showed how Christopher Alexander evolved the definitions over time. Citing research up to the bleeding edge at recent conferences. (UToronto iSchool, Bissell Building) 20180207Glorious Chinese Cuisine: Family lunch order becomes complicated, as Special A BBQ Duck and Special C Tilipia comes with 6 + 5 dim sum items, but not choices are acceptable. Waitress came back multiple times, new on the job. Weekday event scheduled because weekends are so busy. (Glorious Chinese Cuisine, Denison Street, Markham, Ontario) 20170208St. Michael’s Family Practice: Medical checkup says no weight gain in the 45 days since cast for Achilles tendon injury was put on. Many years since my last full physical exam, high cholesterol runs in the family, blood pressure is up. Looking forward to behaviour change, made some appointments at clinics, could take 6 months before results. (St. Michael’s Hospital, Family Practice Unit, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20170209UToronto iSchool: After wrapping up my last lecture of the course, DY saw a poster for Valentine’s Day iTea for iSchool faculty, staff and students, and opted to hang out for 15 minutes in the classroom we just vacated. Picking out some candy into take out cartons, the scrum ran through supply quickly. We don’t usually celebrate February 14. (UToronto iSchool, Bissell Building) 20180214Martin Family Centre: Southern exposure into ambulatory care centre, Donnelly wing (renamed from Queen wing in 2013, dating back to 1928) to the west and south, and the Bond wing dating back to 1892 to the east. Construction in the heart of downtown Toronto has to deal with major legacy constraints. (St. Michale’s Hospital, Martin Family Centre for Outpatient Services, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario). 20180215Martin Family Centre: Right ankle to be in cast for 2 more weeks, says Dr. Khoshbin. Removed two wedges, foot will be level with ground. Good progress on Achilles tendon healing, but little response to squeezing lower calf leading to an autonomic reflex. Inside the house I should walk without crutches, outside the house, I should use crutches. After 6 weeks with foot pointed down, the cast should now support the foot pointing up into normal position. I will sleep with the cast on for a few more days, and then switch to wearing it for daytime only. Textbook recovery following Fowler Kennedy protocol from Western University. (St. Michael’s Hospital, Martin Family Centre for Outpatient Services, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180215Regency Resto: Indian buffet to celebrate AKY’s offer of admission to UToronto Ph.D. program, not Chinese New Year dinner. Also on waitlist for another department, and waiting for responses from other universities, funding may be negotiable. (Regency Restaurant, Little India, Gerrard Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180216Open Innovation Learning: Presentation is ready, and softcopy book arrived in time for official launch tomorrow night. The printed paper isn’t that expensive, but the ePub is the way to go. The physicality of 690 A4 pages may be easier on the eyes, but the volume is heavy to hold. http://openinnovationlearning.com . (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20180220OCADU: Friendly audience for book launch of Open Innovation Learning @OCADU Auditorium, special session of Systems Thinking Ontario. Demystifies the breadth and depth of research written over 3 years of doctoral studies, stretching back from the 1886 Berne Convention on copyright, to IBM years 1993-2011. Publication is open access reference work, best medium is ePub http://openinnovationlearning.com . Photo courtesy of Chris R. Chapman, @DerailleurAgile (OCADU Auditorium, McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20`180221OCADU: Sketchnoting @playthink of book launch for Open Innovation Learning at Systems Thinking Ontario. Key ideas captured in real time over a 55-minute lecture given for the first time. https://twitter.com/playthink/status/966521254642683904 Open access book at http://openinnovationlearning.com . (OCADU Auditorium, McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180221OCADU: Systems Thinking Ontario panel with Tim Lloyd @perelgut following book launch presentation of Open Innovation Learning. Audience members extending the theory building to make sense in application area relevant to themselves. Open access book at http//openinnovationlearning.com . (Photo courtesy of Noah Ing). (OCADU Auditorium, McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20170222OCADU: Signing postcard for @petri at book launch for Open Innovation Learning. Open access book is free at http://openinnovationlearning.com , so the traditional momento from an author book signing is modified for the 21st century. A physical book can be published on demand, but it’s better to save some trees! (OCADU Auditorium, McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180222OCADU: Physical publication, cover by @celinalaurette “Escape from Plato’s Cave” a reality at book launch for Open Innovation Learning at Systems Thinking Ontario. She’s a graduate of the design program at OCADU, so reception was like a homecoming. More practical medium is the open access ePub at openinnovationlearning.com . (Photo courtesy of Noah Ing). (OCADU, McCaul Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20180222SystemsThinkingTO: Dialogue mapping @DerailleurAgile exercise, Compendium software still works well. Reviewed the full meaning of wicked problems, and some of the history with Horst Rittel, West Churchman and Christopher Alexander. (SystemsThinkingTO, King Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180222The Theatre Centre: Installation @TheatreCentre@gxcentrik Gabrielle Lasporte Modern Batik brightens up interior. Relaxed cafe/bar with theatre-goers awaiting entry, in the former 1908 Carnegie Library building. (The Theatre Centre, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180225The Theatre Centre: Conclusion of #NoForeigners Derek Chan @Aprillx@fuGENTheatre@HongKongExile closing performance. Inventive production with shadow puppets in front of five monitors voiced by live actors, last moments sees real humans in front of the big screen come out of the dark. Full house, with a bright winter Sunday outside. (The Theatre Centre, Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario) 20180225Sumac Creek Health Centre: Paul Shields (2017) “Comfort” and “Reason” paintings featured in quiet corner of a neighbourhood facility of St. Michael’s Hospital. Minor procedure with a way-overqualified surgeon as a followup to a family practice physical checkup a few weeks ago. In the Canadian medical system, an unexciting visit is welcomed. (Sumac Creek Medical Centre, St. Michael’s Hospital, Regent Park Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario) 20180226
Cineplex Eglinton: Experimented with Black Panther in a 2D IMAX conventional room. Enjoyed the movie, but can’t say that the image quality was noticeably better than on a regular screen. Seat was about 1/3 from the front, dead center, so screen filled field of view. For a 4pm Tuesday movie, there were less than 20 customers, so viewers may have targeted the 7pm 3D version. (Cineplex Eglinton Town Centre, Lebovic Avenue, Scarborough, Ontario) 20180227
Toronto, Ontario
Perfect Chinese Restaurant: New Year’s dinner to hear about father’s 40-day trip to Asia. One son absent in the U.S., but not the usual one. Normalcy from holiday season should return next week. (Perfect Chinese Restaurant, Sheppard Avenue East, Scarborough, Ontario) 20180101Lifelabs: A series of waiting rooms for medical labs and clinics all in on morning is better than making multiple trips. Following through on previously-scheduled appointments was manageable with Uber rides, crutches and a found wheelchair at the hospital. (Lifelabs, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180102Bissell Building: UToronto iSchool students self-organizing into teams who will lead presentation-facilitation in the Systems Thinking, Systems Design Information Workshop running for 6 weeks. Started lecture with student reading the syllabus on their phones and computers, due to AV issues with equipment in the room. (Bissell Building, St. George Street, University of Toronto) 20180110St. Michael’s Hospital: Switched to air cast from plaster splint after 19 days. Doctor said the Achilles tendon seems to be healing well, but can’t give strong diagnosis until next appointment, 31 days away. Changing from totally non-weight-bearing to being able to balance on toe. Can removed air cast for showers at night, but will be sleeping with two wedge inserts as treatment. The air chambers aren’t to be pumped up until wedges are removed. (St. Michael’s Hospital, Queen Street East, Toronto, Ontario) 20180115UToronto iSchool: Object Process Methodology presentation-facilitation led by UToronto iSchool students who described themselves as far from engineering types. Stepped through slides, then showed prepared example in Opcat software downloaded from Technion. They then further engaged the class by leading collaborative live modelling of a making a snowman. Showing the methods side in the Systems Thinking, Systems Design course. (UToronto iSchool, Bissell Building) 20170117
Helsinki, Finland; Hameenlinna, Finland; London, UK, Scarborough, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario
Kiasma: Julia Varela (2016) X/5.000 from the series Hijacked, plasma screens crumpled and rendered useless. Inspired by terrorists erecting screens in Mosel to promote propaganda. Museum exhibition of Ars17 features contemporary artists on the digital revolution. (Museum of Contemporary Art Kiasma, Mannerheiminaukio, Helsinki, Finland) 20171201HAMK: Saturday lecture to master’s students scheduled in the luxury of space of a large classroom. Reorganized discussion into small groups, sitting around a table might have improved interactions. In a new building on the university campus. (HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences, Hämeenlinna, Finland) 20171202Ahvenisto Lake: Winter swimming area kept clear of ice by air bubbling near shore. Steps down from public sauna are kept warm for health enthusiasts who want to warm up before plunging into the cold. In early evening, saw visitors headed towards the building, then a woman emerged in near freezing temperatures to enter the water. We walked a path around the lake, illuminated after the sunset before 3:30 p.m. (Ahvenisto Lake, Hameenlinna, Finland) 20171202Rosso: Our friendship is a continuing conversation since my first visit to Finland in 2003 (and meeting in California in 1999). This restaurant has been truly local for over 50 years, predating fast food chains. Neapolitan pizza with vegan cheese an indulgence leading to overconsumption. (Rosso, Sibeliuksenkatu, Hämeenlinna, Finland) 20171202Museo Militaria: Days before centenary of Finland’s independence, immersed in longer history of land controlled by Sweden, and then Russia until the revolution of 1917. Jaegers trained in Germany in the few years preceding, became core of white (anti-communist) army who defeated the red and Russian forces. History explains why Finnish engineering and telecommunications figure large in the society. (The Artillery, Engineers and Signals Museum of Finland, Vanhankaupunginkatu, Hämeenlinna, Finland) 20171203HAMK: Soft launch @daviding with @MinLii of Open Innovation Learning book in Finland, in advance of formal event in January. In conjunction with Open Data Hame meeting, led to practical questions about engaging greater participation supporting regional travel and tourism initiatives. (HAMK Häme University of Applied Sciences, Visamäentie, Hämeenlinna, Finland) 20171204Dipoli: International students on intercept lunch between other activities on campus. Completed renovation of Dipoli touted as first step in the new university campus plan. The granite interior was part of the original design from 1966 for the Student Union of the Helsinki University of Technology. Hope they got a good price when it was sold to Aalto University Properties a few years ago. (Dipoli, Otaniemi, Espoo, Finland) 201712015
Toronto, Ontario; Markham, Ontario; Scarborough, Ontario; Orillia, Ontario; Shanghai, PR China; Helsinki, Finland.
Chinese Visa Center: Mural of historical figures and stories of China’s five thousand years of civilization includes: 1. Houyi, Shooting Suns; 2. Shennong, the Ancient Herbalist; … 5. Hua Tuo, the Ancient Divine Chinese Medical Practitioner; 6. Sun Wu, the Great Military Theorist; 7. Qu Yuan, the Famous Poet; … 11. Confucius, the Great Chinese Philosopher; … 17. Mulan, the Chinese Girl-warrior; 18. Genghis Khan, the Great Conqueror; 24 Marco Polo, and The Travels of Marco Polo; … 27. Koxinga, the National Hero. Waiting in queue to drop off visa application folder, wondering about the process of choosing the 27. (Chinese Visa Application Service Center, University Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20171102Cascon 2017: Clustering sticky notes in Strategic Foresight Workshop after discussions over lunch and ideation. After years of lecture layouts, ballroom is arranged with round tables to encourage sharing and capturing amongst participants. Many drawn away from collective activity towards posters at kiosks around the room, so maybe next time reducing options for distraction will lead to stronger inputs. (Cascon 2017, Hilton Suites, Warden Avenue, Markham, Ontario) 20171106Cascon 2017: Presentation #cascon on Cognitive Blockchain @DonnaExplorer, IBM Fellow. Clear demonstrations of pilots on cross-border supply chain traceability, Kimberley Process Certification Scheme for diamonds, IBM Verifier scanner to validate sources, Walmart Food Safety provenance. Digest at https://ingbrief.wordpress.com/2017/11/07/2017-11-07-1015-donna-dillenberger-cognitive-blockchain-cascon/Highland Farms: Ontario grown Flemish Beauty pears on destination shopping, later in the season that I had expected. This heritage variety grows locally, not as popular as Barlett, Anjou or Bosc. Childhood memories of the tree by my grandparents’ house on the southeast corner of Beverley Street and Cecil Street in the 1960s, gone by the 1980s. I’m appreciative of a smaller grocery store that supports local growers. (Highland Farms, Ellesmere Road, Scarborough, Ontario) 20171107Delicious Paradise Kitchen: Father’s choice for Chinese fast food lunch. When I saw the serving of rice pulled on the plate, I said “too much”, and the server put half back into the pot. Dad says one serving is enough to serve two seniors. (Delicious Paradise Kitchen, Silver Star Blvd., Scarborough, Ontario) 20171109Port of Orillia: Off season for boat cruise on Lake Couchiching, on the Orillia waterfront. Quick business trip driving north on overcast early afternoon, followed by southbound trip starting before dusk and then ending in rainy dark. Radio reports subsequently declared winter snow, relatively early for the season. (Port of Orillia, Centennial Drive, Orillia, Ontario) 20171109
Toronto, Ontario; Munich, Germany; Krems, Austria; Vancouver, BC
EditDX: Soap kettle interior illuminated @EditDX, in the former Lever Brothers plant. History of industry in a massive abandoned factory near urban centre celebrated, rather than hidden. (EditDX, 21 Don Roadway, East Harbour, Toronto, Ontario) 20171003EditDX: New Urban Crisis @Richard_Florida @EditDX is growing inequality between winner-take-all cities and places in a poverty trap. Instead of iconic buildings and starchitecture, need a communing architecture, not a cutoff architecture. Retraced life history from Newark to Pittsburgh to Toronto. Digest at https://ingbrief.wordpress.com/2017/10/02/20171002-1305-richard-florida-urban-futures-keynote-editdx/ (EditDX, 21 Don Roadway, East Harbour, Toronto, Ontario) 20171002EditDX: Brigitte Shim @alexbozikovic @EditDX making ancient invisible fishing weirs visible. Mnjinkaning Fish Fence Circle by bridge at the Narrows between Lake Couchiching and Lake Simcoe. (EditDX, 21 Don Roadway, East Harbour, Toronto, Ontario) 20171002UToronto iSchool: Digital @gamespacenl @ischool_TO Platformization of Cultural Production research on 3 pillars of business studies, political economy and platform studies. Multisided markets, with gaps for deeper inquiry into economics, governance and infrastructure. Research in progress, students in classes at Scarborough College partially immersed in ongoing knowledge development. (Faculty of Information iSchool, St. George Street, Toronto, Ontario) 20171003EditDX: Good design @alicerawsthorn @EditDX has usefulness, beauty and integrity in light of sustainable development goals (unlike 1969 Olivetti Valentina typewriter in museums). Design is an agent of change that can help us to make sense of what is happening, and to turn it to our advantage … if society allows it to do so. Digest at https://ingbrief.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/20171008-1310-alice-rawsthorn-good-or-bad-design-editdx/ (EditDX, 21 Don Roadway, East Harbour, Toronto, Ontario) 20171008EditDX: Free lunch @EditDX Feeding the 5000 demo of cutting global food waste in half by 2030, as Sustainable Development Goal. Made from ingredients that would have been discarded, enjoyed fall minestrone and potato focaccia bread. Separate queue for vegans. Amidst volunteers, white hats from @GBCChefSchool. (EditDX, 21 Donway Road, East Harbour, Toronto, Ontario) 20171008Lalibela: Had turkey a few weekends ago, so Thanksgiving of Ethiopian cuisine an unusual choice as dairy-free, and the teff in injera is gluten-free. Combined with AKY’s birthday falling on same day, another way to celebrate as a family. Front window still open with fall relatively warm. (Lalibela, Danforth Avenue, Toronto, Ontario) 20171009Cineplex 4DX: Enjoyed Matinee of Blade Runner 2049, 4DX experience a change from our preference for 2D. The 3D effect was subtle, may not repeat the bucking seat, blowing air and cool water sprays. In hindsight, would have preferred the larger screen of Imax. Epic movie! (Cineplex VIP, Yonge-Dundas, Toronto, Ontario) 20171010Riverside: Woke up to urban foresters trimming branches in front of our house. The linden tree is officially owned by the city. Pruning away from the tangle of electrical wires is a service funded by tax dollars. True fall temperatures this week, and dusk comes early. (Riverside neighbourhood, Toronto, Ontario) 20171012Pinakothek der Moderne: At top of stairs, Olaf Menzel (2002) Reise Nach Jerusalem, made of acrylic, plastic and strobe light. Morning stroll through contemporary section and design, not so interested in modern. Took a little while to figure out that I had been to this art museum before, about a decade ago. (Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany) 20171018Danube U. Krems: Fall colours on Alaunbach stream from deck beside controlled flow through the campus of Danube U. Krems. Walking up from city centre hotel, pedestrian access to path beside the local prison. First day of Purplsoc conference, remembering some familiar faces, discussing with other semi-famous in the field. (Purplsoc conference, Danube University Krems, Austria) 20171019Heuriger Weingut Hambock: Local winery restaurant for conference dinner. White wine served in pitchers, complemented by buffet of smoked meats and bread. This neighbourhood tavern near the old town is hidden on a residential street. Attendees come from a wide variety of geographies. (Heuriger Weingut Hambock, Krems, Lower Austria) 20171020Kremser Gasse: Across from St. Polten train station is an attractive shopping street that I might visit, if I had more time. This town is the state capital on the main line between Munich and Vienna, and more developed than the destination of Krems where our conference was held. This brief stop was the first of three this evening to position for a plane westward tomorrow. (Kremser Gasse, St. Polten, Lower Austria) 20171021YYC: Canadian designed YYC Link passenger shuttle has human drivers, and no wait for ride. Shaves minutes off changing terminals. Amazed that 60 minute connection including immigration and terminal changes is comfortable. (YYC, Calgary, Alberta) 20171022Hyatt Regency Vancouver: View southwest towards the University Endowment Lands of the Burrard Peninsula, from the 34th floor in the West End. Skyscrapers in foreground in contrast to trees in the distance. For now, sitting away from the windows, remembering visitors often get distracted by the view. (Hyatt Regency, Burrard Street, Vancouver, BC) 20171023PLoP 2017: Intro to Writers Workshop @rpg Richard P. Gabriel. Inspired by U. Iowa since 1936, style evolving. Originally group leader was like a traffic cop around discussion, more maturity now should have leader serving as a teacher, asking questions and giving clarity on process and content. In this first session learning by showing, inner circle discussing the paper, with outer circle of observers. (PLoP Pattern Languages of Programs, colocated with ACM SPLASH, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC) 20171023PLoP 2017: Workshop @plopcon @daviding with @HeleneFinidori @chrisimweb “Negotiating Order with Generative Pattern Language” taking a more theoretical bent. May repeat next year, after discussants have an opportunity to catch up reading Christopher Alexander (2012) “The Battle for Life and Beauty of the Earth”. High-level sensemaking. Slides at http://coevolving.com/commons/20171023-negotiating-order-with-generative-pattern-language . (PLoP Pattern Languages of Programs, colocated with ACM SPLASH, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC) 20171023Vancouver Art Gallery: Neil Campbell (1992/2017) East, a site-specific wall painting dominates visitors walking by. Tuesday night visit unfortunately saw many galleries closed as exhibitions are changing, for an opening later in the week. (Vancouver Art Gallery, Hornby Street, Vancouver, BC) 20171025PLoP 2017: Traditional closing of event, participants calling names and tossing yarn to connect to colleagues old and new. Games with parachute limited by low ceiling in the hotel. (PLoP Pattern Languages of Programs, colocated with ACM SPLASH, Hyatt Regency Vancouver, BC) 20171023Caveman Cafe: Paleo vegan dinner low in carbs, emphasizing proteins and greens. We split the Caveman pizza and a Lamburgini sandwich made with cassava bread. Servers behind the counter attentive to needs, advising on suggestions, in a semi-chaotic lines jumping around delivery as hand-made timing. (Caveman Cafe, E. Pender Street, Vancouver, BC) 20171026Kitstaya: Relaxed lunch in neighbourhood where I lived 1982-1984. I met DY back then, and KY and TW were still dating. Nostalgic, and a lifetime ago. (Kitstaya, West Broadway, Kitsilano, Vancouver, BC) 20171026UBC University Blvd: Rain or shine rail jam @UbcSkiAndBoard club trucked in snow on a cool fall day. Student climbed to top of bales of hay, and then slid downhill to grind a rail skateboard style. Discovered this was the 10th annual event, a wild spectacle that eastern Canadians find bizarre. Another change in UBC since I studied here in the 1980s. (University Blvd., University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC) 20171027Sunset Beach: Bernar Venet (2007) 217.5 Arc x 13, unpainted Corten steel , installed in 2013 as part of Vancouver Biennale public art. In the background, ships moored in English Bay. (Sunset Beach, Vancouver, BC) 20171028Granville Island: Pyramids of berries seem to be a new standard in produce presentation, exhibited by multiple vendors. Nostalgic of grad school days when I would come for a quick shopping trips on quieter weekdays. Leisurely weekend stroll as an old married couple. (Granville Island Market, Vancouver, BC) 20171029Shady Island Seafood: Dinner at dusk by Steveston Fisherman’s Wharf. Walked down shoreline to the Britannia Shipyards National Historic Park, observing restorations of buildings of Japanese and Chinese fishing workers back to the 1900s. (Shady Island Seafood, Bayview Street, Steveston Village, Richmond, BC) 20171028Lonsdale Quay: Rode Seabus to the north shore, climbed up four flights of stairs to a crow’s nest by the Quay Market for a view southwest to Coal Harbour. We chose to wear fall coats, many locals seem to be in denial of the changing seasons, some still braving shorts. (Lonsdale Quay, North Vancouver, BC) 20171029Bene Sushi: North shore experience of carefully prepared sushi with piano jazz playing over the speakers. Conversation with old friends picking up where we left off, trying to remember how many years since the last visit. (Bene Sushi, Marine Drive, West Vancouver, BC) 20171029
Libby Leshgold Gallery: Isabel and Alfredo Aquilizan (2017) “Bound: Project Another Country”, luggage and rope. Gallery just opened last week in new building. opened in September, fortunate timing for our west coast visit. (Libby Leshgold Gallery, Emily Carr University of Art and Design, Vancouver, BC) 20171030
Systems Processes Theory has been under development for many decades, led by Len Troncale, a past president of the International Society for the Ssytems Sciences. Many have found getting a grip on the science to be a demanding task, both in scope and in depth. Over many decades, Lynn Rasmussen was a collaborator, refining and […]
The Socio-Technical Systems (STS) perspective, dating back to the studies of Eric L. Trist and Fred E. Emery, was on the reading list of organizational behaviour classes in my undergraduate and master’s degree programs. It wasn’t until 15 years later, when I got involved with the systems sciences and David L. Hawk, that the Socio-Ecological […]
Civic Tech can be described as projects using technology “for the public good“. Civic Tech may be related to, but different from Gov Tech. For the May 2024 Systems Thinking Onrtario, we had two knowledgeable guests in conversation. Dorothy Eng, executive director of Code for Canada since 2021, related her professional journey from engineering to […]
On my May trip through the UK, I accepted an offer to lead an Expert-Led Session at the University of Hull. I had previously been a Research Fellow of the Centre for Systems Studies, but haven’t travelled to the Hull for some years. As we worked out the arrangements, I found out that the seminar […]
I’ve been checking on the breadth of some personal research on systems thinkers. (The list is incomplete, and may orient more towards systems scientists). Searching on Scopus gives an h-Index that counts scholarly references (with a boost, for the first person on the list who received a Nobel prize in chemistry). The list below is […]
Reading a theorist who espouses the dao (tao) in their systems work? Here’s a challenge: is the writer referring to daojia, or daojiao? Daojiao 道教 is religious daoism, gaining legitimacy only with the Tang dynasty (712-758 CE), after many centuries with the religion of Confucianism as dominant. Classical Chinese philosophy is hard to interpret even […]
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 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 […]
In reviewing the original introduction for Systems Thinking: Selected Readings in the 1969 Penguin paperback, there’s a few threads that I only recognize, many years later. The tables of contents (disambiguating various editions) were previously listed as 1969, 1981 Emery, System Thinking: Selected Readings. — begin paste — Introduction In the selection of papers for this […]
In a recording of the debate between Michael Quinn Patton and Michael C. Jackson on “Systems Concepts in Evaluation”, Patton referenced four concepts published in the “Principles for effective use of systems thinking in evaluation” (2018) by the Systems in Evaluation Topical Interest Group (SETIG) of the American Evaluation Society. The four concepts are: (i) […]
