Monday, May 14, 2018
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Sunday, February 23, 2014
How the Brain interprets stuff
The human brain is quite a bio-engineering master piece. By using electricity to shoot chemicals back and forth between an intricate number of connected brain cells, it allows us to think, feel, see and wonder how this all works.
Not only is it evolving like a magical spider web when we are born, it also keeps us alive when we are sleeping at night. Imagine what it would take to always remember to have your heart beat and to breath in and out – we would not get anything done :-).
And with all the crazy and amazing technologies we have now-a-days, we still don’t know how we actually remember ‘stuff’.
Even more amazing – at least to me – is the ability to comprehend and to assimilate. Do me a favor and read the following text:
7H15 M3554G3 53RV35 7O PR0V3 H0W 0UR M1ND5 C4N D0 4M4Z1NG 7H1NG5! 1MPR3551V3 7H1NG5! 1N 7H3 B3G1NN1NG 17 WA5 H4RD BU7 N0W, 0N 7H15 LIN3 Y0UR M1ND 1S R34D1NG 17 4U70M471C4LLY W17H 0U7 3V3N 7H1NK1NG 4B0U7 17, B3 PROUD! 0NLY C3R741N P30PL3 C4N R3AD 7H15.
Quite amazing – isn’t it ? Don’t forget though – learning correct spelling is still important ! Yet it seems not critical to our survival. Just in case you were not able to read the text above, this is the text in ‘normal’ writing. Read it and then read the text above again: THIS MESSAGE SERVES TO PROVE HOW OUR MINDS CAN DO AMAZING THINGS! IMPRESSIVE THINGS! IN THE BEGINNING IT WAS HARD BUT NOW, ON THIS LINE YOUR MIND IS READING IT AUTOMATICALLY WITH OUT EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT, BE PROUD! ONLY CERTAIN PEOPLE CAN READ THIS.
A great book – I can personally recommend – to learn more about the brain, is BRAIN RULES by John Medina. An amazing book with simple rules that one can follow and understand (as well as the genetical biological details for the nerds in us).
Related articles
How the Brain interprets stuff
Wednesday, November 27, 2013
Wikipedia - the crowdsourced 'truth' of things ?
Wikipedia is a great reference for quickly looking up anything. This has been my experience so far. Be it a city, a software, really anything – I typically was able to find something that got me started in my search of understanding more about the topic in question.
With the caveat that I understood that I can not fully rely on information on Wikipedia to be 100$ true and verified. It has been created by people like you and me, and then added or changed over time.
A legal court in Germany has now ruled that Wikipedia is legally responsible for some disputed content. It is NOT that Wikipedia now has to confirm and verify everything. But if something is disputed to be wrong, they’ll have to look into it.
Bummer for Wikipedia ? Bummer for open source referencing ? I think the effect benefits the end-user. There have been circumstances where I ran into some things that I knew to be not accurate ( 
Related articles
Wikipedia - the crowdsourced 'truth' of things ?
Monday, November 18, 2013
Gen-X, Gen-Y and Gen-Z & Social usiness
Tibbr, one of the business social network solution vendor, keeps posting interesting articles on the cultural and social aspects of online social interation.
This article talkes about the different perspectives of three different generations: X, Y and Z (aka Millenials).
Key take-aways from this article on the benefits each generation can have from engaging online:
- Gen X
- More visibility
- Wider range to motivate, empower and recognize
- Gen Y
- Effective collaboration with distributed teams
- Easier knowledge sharing
- Gen Z
- Easier to brainstorm with others and gather a wide range of feedback
- Easier to connect with experienced subject matter experts
Gen-X, Gen-Y and Gen-Z & Social usiness
Wednesday, October 09, 2013
The No More Landmines Trust (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How Google Maps is helping clear landmines in war-torn countries
HALO Trust are making the most of online mapping software to build a safer life for post-conflict communities
Halo Trust is using Knowledge Management to capture and analyse all relevant data and information – with the understanding that organizational knowledge is their biggest asset. http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/oct/07/halo-trust-google-maps-landmines
Related articles
The No More Landmines Trust (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
How Google Maps is helping clear landmines in war-torn countries
HALO Trust are making the most of online mapping software to build a safer life for post-conflict communities
Halo Trust is using Knowledge Management to capture and analyse all relevant data and information – with the understanding that organizational knowledge is their biggest asset.
http://www.theguardian.com/voluntary-sector-network/2013/oct/07/halo-trust-google-maps-landmines
Related articles
Saturday, September 07, 2013
A new way of building bridges - the rescue for deteriorating infrastructure ?
English: Suspension bridges are suspended from cables. The earliest suspension bridges were made of ropes or vines covered with pieces of bamboo. In this picture the suspension bridge, which is now only for human use, is in Astore Valley. This type of bridge is found in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
is a great article about a new innovation. Using huge plastic tubes filled with concrete to quickly and cost-efficiently build new bridges. Worth reading to appreciate the ingenious idea.
Related articles
A new way of building bridges - the rescue for deteriorating infrastructure ?
Monday, August 26, 2013
Good discussion on how to make ones commute more productive
Listen (Photo credit: Johan Larsson)
I posted a response to this discussion:
http://lifehacker.com/how-can-i-make-my-commute-more-productive-1200044920
and mentioned that Pocket (formerly known as Read It Later) has a listen function, the Economist has an audio edition and Umano is an app that read news articles out loud. These are what I use when I walk, jog, take public transportation or via bluetooth and car speaker system listen to when I drive.
Related articles
Good discussion on how to make ones commute more productive
Friday, May 10, 2013
Gamification and Knowledge Management
Gamification provides a roadmap to foster people engaging in the means of knowledge capturing, sharing and re-use. The idea is that gamification makes it more enticing to capture knowledge to gain rewards, share knowledge to collect badges, and re-use knowledge to achieve other trophies (or any combination there-of) .It also fosters more engagement in related area like online learning.
Two challenges to consider
Gamification of Life (Jul ’11) (Photo credit: VFS Digital Design)
1. Playing games is not an ongoing thing. People play when they feel like it. A good game keeps you interested, but that only goes so far.
2. There are lessons to be learned from the past of reward and recognition programs. Points, rewards, badges are not enough for long-term engagement. It still comes down to understanding, embracing and engaging on a purpose-level or professional/work related relevance
Related articles
Gamification and Knowledge Management
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
A new era has started - by batteries
Imagine a battery so powerful, that it can jumpstart your car. Imagine your smartphone to work day and night for a whole month. That is what the near future could bring, if this new kind of batteries will become available soon. Best of all – if its empty – it could recharge within minutes.
DOW KOKAM Lithium Ion batteries (Photo credit: amcgore)
Imagine the implications for electric cars, for the availability of electricity in the developing world. Is it unfair to say, this could change the world. We’ll see.
Related articles
Send to KindleA new era has started - by batteries
Yammer tour in chicago
Keynote of Yammer tour in Chicago is starting. Adam Pisoni, CTO and CoFounder of Yammer is highlighting the reason for purchase and integration with Microsoft. He is interested and wants to talk about ‘disruption’. SVP business software solutions is talking next about the information revolution based on an IDC 2013 report.
He is talking about four forces of industry transformation. cloud, mobility, big data/analytics and social business – as of today.
Sensing and responding is the new business model, instead of creating a product and selling it.
Social business is here and here to stay. see slide above.
Adam is now talking about Tower Records and Napster and ITunes, how the later two disrupted Tower Records 1 billiion dollar business.
The pace of change is accelerating. The faster we connect, the faster we change. The lifecycle of disruptive technologies is now below 5 years, impacting everybody in some way.
The more efficient we get, the less adaptable we become. Disruption is about someone else figures out how to provide the value you are providing better than you.
Capatilize on disruption: Align (on common goals and value you provide), organize (conways law – companies create products and services that represent the way they communicate internally), empower (employees to innovae on how they provide value), adapt (kaizen, constant improvement).
NAB (australian bank) has YamJams about discussing a particular problem and innovate a solution.
Deconstruct and reconstruct your business virtually on a regular basis to always build the best company possible.
Here are some tweets about the #yamtour:
jIVgold: @robert_aichele it was great meeting you at #yamtour yesterday. Hopefully I be able to get out to "the Real" Oakland »
jess_ismore: In excellent company"@mfauscette: #yamtour customer panel: @LovelandSam @scaleovenstove @jess_ismore @robert_aichele http://t.co/kaykDFEgk2" »
scancloud: RT @Yammer: Go Melanie Hohertz! RT @bryonycole: Packed session for "getting you org working social" #yamtour in Chicago http://t.co/sNI0DMqFDJ »
ullabres: #YamTour Chicago was a success! will see you again beautiful city. http://t.co/V4jl0GaqUF »
sharepointrich: @jwillie nice actually meeting and chatting with you at #yamtour yesterday man, let's do it again sometime »
jessseeyy100: RT @Yammer: 'Empowering your employees' is about redefining jobs around the *value* employees bring - @yammeradam #yamtour »
CindyThurston: maybe 10% in legal? | RT @espnguyen 79% of companies are implementing some type of enterprise social platform this year @mfauscette #yamtour »
sharepointrich: Three guys at #yamtour today with untucked dress shirts: @yammeradam @jwillie and yours truly. #IGuessImDoingSomethingRight »
anicole87: RT @espnguyen: .@scaleovenstove says the number of emails he receives has decreased significantly since using Yammer. #yamtour »
scaleovenstove: RT @mfauscette: #yamtour customer panel: @LovelandSam @scaleovenstove @jessismore @robert_aichele http://t.co/j3fRIypGLW »
jheathsmarsh: Catch up with @SmarshInc this week in Chicago at #yamtour and #salesforce to learn about the latest in yammer and chatter archiving! »jheathsmarsh: RT @SmarshInc: RT @JordanatSmarsh Enjoying the #yamtour at the @SmarshInc booth http://t.co/YO8RAsHOiJ »
SmarshInc: RT @JordanatSmarsh Enjoying the #yamtour at the @SmarshInc booth http://t.co/YO8RAsHOiJ »
PSAgustin: @anicole87 is dropping the knowledge in the Yammer 101 breakout session! #yamtour http://t.co/KYzmJPEZe3 »
Yammer: Go Melanie Hohertz! RT @bryonycole: Packed session for "getting you org working social" #yamtour in Chicago http://t.co/sNI0DMqFDJ »
bryonycole: Packed session for "getting you org working social" #yamtour in Chicago http://t.co/kGLXP6JS7k »
SeeBeldner: @spwookiee Next time you're at @Carrabbas or @Outback ask when they'll be on @Yammer. Then maybe they'll cater the next #yamtour :) »Related articles
Send to KindleYammer tour in chicago