Ottawa, Ontario; Toronto, Ontario.
Farhat Bakery Meadowlands, Ottawa. Lebanese baker warms up meat pies and zataar in oven at lunchtime for takeout. First time in modest storefront of Farhat Bakery on Meadowlands, high quality for reasonable price. Friend suggested only half the usual spice, but slight burn an hour later suggest I should ask for mild next time. (Ottawa, 1119 Meadowlands) 20130911 1219Bridesmaids at Burwash Hall Gate House. A rainy Saturday at Victoria College, University of Toronto presents a challenge for a photographer trying to capture a wedding day. Maybe 7 bridesmaids in pink. Groom and bride to the left, photographer to the right. Was on campus today for the annual Victoria College Booksale. (Toronto) 20130921 1323American Embassy, Ottawa. At the western edge of the Byward Market district, the Embassy of the United States of America on Sussex Drive is an imposing concrete building. The skylights at the north end create some visual interest. (Ottawa) 20130925 1826
Chinese postage stamps of Dr. David Lam. Commemorative postage stamps of Dr. David Lam, in addition to medal, plaque and glass trophy for lifelong service, issued by Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine in April. Only one of two TCM practitioners recognized at this level outside of China, Dr. Lam in Canada, and another in the U.S. Dr. Lam declined to go to China to receive his accolades. Retired in Canada, he still teaches and sees legacy patients. (Toronto) 20130928
Toronto, Ontario; Ottawa, Ontario; Kingston, Ontario.
Sugar Beach umbrellas and sailboats in Toronto Harbour. At 23 degrees C, a perfect August day to be at Sugar Beach under an umbrella, or on the water in a sailboat on Toronto Harbour. Appreciating comfortable climate after having spent practically all of July in humid temperatures over 30 degrees in China, Vietnam and then Jamaica. Better planning would let me stay home in the summer, and travel to other parts of the world when I’ll appreciate their climate more. (Toronto) 20130807 1823Shooting Covert Affairs in Toronto. Clapperboard said @CovertAffairs, spotted @PiperPerabo in drivers seat of car with mic and grips behind, on The Esplanade, just west of Berkeley Street. Extras on sidewalk, police blocking traffic both directions, but filming stopped to allow TTC bus to pass. Basketball players on court in far background could care less. The city retains some glamour as a media production centre. I’ll have to watch out for the episode where this car shows up. (Toronto) 20130807 1834Dow’s Lake. Canoeists learning to paddle on Dow’s Lake near central Ottawa. Appreciate the moderate summer temperature on a August weekday. (Ottawa, ON) 20130815 1309Parliament Hill. Evening stroll in Otttawa by Parliament Hill, on the south bank of the Ottawa River. Compared to Toronto, the people in Ottawa are friendlier and seem less stressed. Since I spend so much time outside of Canada, I’m getting cognitive dissonance of dealing day to day with nice people where I don’t have to think so much about how we communicate (Ottawa) 20130815 2005Kingston Portsmouth Olympic Harbour. On the route home, by Portsmouth Olympic Harbour, right beside the Kingston Penitentiary, a maximum security prison. Noting the many boats on trailers that anyone could just drive up, hook up, and tow away, without supervision or security. Does the prison next door give thieves any pause to think about potential consequences? (Kingston, Ontario) 20130816 1858Edward Gardens Fountain. On our 28th anniversary renewal of vows, the limestone lady at the Edward Gardens fountain looks freshly cleaned. DY and I queued for a wedding party to clear, and then recommitted for another year. With my retirement and AHI’s surgery, it’s been a roller-coaster year. After the big family pilgrimage to China and then Vietnam, we’re considering couples travel together. (Don Mills, ON) 20130824 1458
Control room at Bell Lightbox. Expected to see movies previewing on monitors, but largest screens were cameras watching pedestrians on outside the Bell Lightbox King Street. Signs and programs of the Toronto International Film Festival posted on many walls. Walked around the building, haven’t yet seen a movie in it. (Toronto) 20130831 1654
In contrast to my winter visits to Finland, the timing of Co-Create 2013 conference meant an opportunity to visit in the summer. Minna and Petri now live in Hameenlinna, which is cottage country 100 km north of Helsinki. As a way of beating jet lag, Minna suggested that we bicycle along the paths north by the lake (Vanajavesi).
In town, the Finnish sense of humour shows up at the HAMK University of Applied Sciences with a milk pier, for which the design is patented. It’s outside the dairy. Students produce products which the local neighbours enjoy.
Petri and Minna have a big back yard. The weekend was warm enough for brunch under the gazebo, but not warm enough for shorts.
One tourist attraction open on Sundays is the glass outlet in the town of Iitala.
Studying in the Faculty of Arts and Science, Eric’s degree was granted by St. Michael’s College. The scene was a little quieter in the college quadrangle, in front of the sculpture titled Michael (after the archangel) by Anne Allardyce.
Toronto, Ontario.
Aalto. U. team at #RDC2013 Jenni Simanainen, @PiaTamminen, Emma Nermes presenting on “Conscious Consumption” as “Nordic by Design” at the Rotman Design Challenge at U. of Toronto. The team recovered from jet lag on the third day in Eastern Time for a clear and professional presentation. 20130303 092658
Bows from #ChingChongChinaman cast @fuGENTheatre triumphant premiere. Oliver Koomsatira, Zoe Doyle, John Ng, Brenda Kamino, Richard Lee, Jane Luk, directed by Nina Lee Aquino. Comedy, misdirection, multicultural confusion. Enjoyed the performance as a family outing. (Aki Studio Theatre, Daniels Spectrum, Toronto) 20130315 2139 [updated March 17 with official photo and link to fu-gen.org, at the request of the producer]
Kingston, Jamaica; Toronto, Ontario.
Goats grazing beside John Golding Road, Kingston Jamaica, behind U. West Indies Mona campus. Ravine down to Hope River, with the Blue Mountains (Dallas Mountain) beyond. Rough housing by squatters in the neighbourhood, completely rural area just minutes east of the university, a short drive from urban Kingston (20130213 1149, Hope River Valley, Jamaica)
Tire on minivan went flat northbound on Don Valley Parkway, pulled off onto Don Mills Road N, stopped on bridge. Called CAA. First CAA responder lowered spare tire, found wouldn’t hold seal. Referred to tow truck, 20 minutes later. Technician used wheel lift so flat driver side rear tire off ground. Towed to Canadian Tire Laird and Eglinton. Tire was 2 months old, replaced under warranty. Upside was spare tire now also repaired, should an incident happen under less favourable circumstances. (Toronto) 201302227 1216
Southbound Canada Line rises in height to cross over Fraser River via the North Arm Bridge, with a gradual turn west towards a shorter Middle Arm Bridge. Rafts of log booms see bundles of timber floated downstream on the way to processing. Scenic exit from the city on the way to YVR. (Canada Line Skytrain, […]
In morning shade, Kim Adams (2001) Squid Head is two rear ends of cargo load delivery vans. Without cabs or steering wheels, the lack of human driver foreshadowed vehicles 25 years later. Initially noticed the lack of license plates on the complementary blue GMC rear end, along our journey from city centre to YVR. (Vancouver […]
Photorealistic machine feel at centre of Ewan McNeil (2023) Roller Ball acrylic on canvas. Incongruous with floral patterns in background. Part of the Pattern Language exhibition also showing Dana Cromie. (Pendulum Gallery, RBC Place, West Georgia Street, Vancouver, British Columbia) 20250505
Leisurely lunch with @chris_wiesinger discussing Language Action Perspective, Heidegger and life histories. Previous connection via @chaunceybell, followed through on idea that we should meet when in town. Offshoot threads to others we haven't met in person. (Nuba in Gastown, West Hastings Street, Vancouver, British Columbia) 20250505
Walking through Vancouver West End, encountered creatively designed public space officially opened in 2022. First new park in 10 years, full of visual interest with skybridge, play areas, pavilions, coffee shop. High urban density, serves 30,000 residents within a 10-minute walk. (Rainbow Park, Richards Street, Vancouver, British Columbia) 20250504
Still a free thrill to carefully descend and ascend the arc of the bridge, holding handrails to moderate speed. Posted sign says closure in the fall, maybe time for resurfacing that happens every 10 years. Valley for the Lynn Creek is separate from the larger Capilano River, where we visited the fish hatchery. (Lynn Canyon […]
Dyadic waterfalls may follow Shinto style of complementary Odaki (masculine) and Medaki (feminine) forces of the natural world. Original small memorial garden with kasuga style lantern honouring diplomat Nitobe Inazō builtin 1935 did not survive vandalization when Japanese Canadians were sent to internment camps in the 1940s. Norman Mackenzie, president of UBC (1944-1962) recognized Nitobe […]
Overhead sculpture, light projection onto floor, + audio recording Yuan Wen (2025) Play in the Field, part of Impos(s)able Impositions: UBC Master of Fine Arts Graduate Exhibition. At end of hall, drawings on xuan rice paper. Noises were intruding from the installation just over the wall, with sounds set for the opening night reception two […]
Outstanding view of North Vancouver mountains, and West End city centre from second floor patio on south shore of English Bay. Club is private for sailors, but upstairs is open for public. Can't remember visiting this venue when I lived in Vancouver in the 1980s. (The Galley Patio and Grill, Jericho Sailing Centre, Discovery Street, […]
Hoist from 1930s industrial heritage was moved opposite Sea Village in 2022. Prior location was hidden by Emily Carr University site 1980-2017 at 1399 Johnston Street, a building still vacant. Tower has become a landmark near southeast end of street, visible from Public Market. (Historic Yellow Crane, Johnston Street, Granville Island, Vancouver, British Columbia) 20250503
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 […]
Rhythm and pitch are primordial to language. Susan Rogers, after a career becoming Prince's recording engineer, turned to complete a PhD in psychology focused on music cognition and psychoacoustics.Read more ›
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 ›
Timothy F.H. Allen, president of International Society for the Systems Sciences 2008-2009, passed away peacefully in his home, surrounded by his family, on May 1, 2025. With his work on ecosystem ecology, I learned more about living systems than anyone else in the systems community. After his retirement, he was proud of putting together a […]
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 […]
