Information Rambler

Comments

2011-10-24T11:33:00.000-07:00

Someone recently shared a link to a blog, pointing out the comments section introduction:

"Please use the comments to demonstrate your own ignorance, unfamiliarity with empirical data, ability to repeat discredited memes, and lack of respect for scientific knowledge. Also, be sure to create straw men and argue against things I have neither said nor even implied. Any irrelevancies you can mention will also be appreciated. Lastly, kindly forgo all civility in your discourse . . . you are, after all, anonymous."

I thought this was brilliant. I am not someone who comments often on articles or blogs, but I sometimes glance through the comments when I finish reading. I primarily browse through the online versions of BBC News and the Seattle Times, for world and local news, respectively. The Seattle Times commentators certainly fit the above statement a little too closely for my liking. It frequently seems to be a free-for-all to see who can come up with the most idiotic or unsubstantiated content, belittling others and generally presenting themselves poorly. People seem to sometimes react to the feeling anonymity in the digital realm by behaving in very different manners than they would in-person.

Photo by Stian Eikeland

In my information ethics course, we discussed the pros and cons of anonymity from both an ethical and policy perspective. It isn't a clear-cut, black and white issue, but it is an important area to consider as new technologies and information behavior continue to emerge and evolve. There are cases where anonymity can facilitate more honest feedback, particularly when there are power disparities that hinder people from feeling completely able to voice opinions otherwise. Employee engagement/feedback surveys are a good example of this.

But for something like social media or other by-choice dialogue, I wonder if anonymity is the best choice. I understand the comments on cute kitten pictures at icanhazcheeseburger.com don't often take a serious tone, and I wouldn't argue that a site like that requires full name disclosure. But on a newspaper site like the Seattle Times? I think that it is a little too convenient for people to say outrageous things on an issue, throw out all sorts of data that they do not back up, and do it all rudely.

In terms of social media, I was really disappointed with the newest development by Google on their most recent foray into social media, Google+. Google initially instated a policy that required users to use their real names when signing up for Google+. I seemed to have missed most of the commentary and "controversy" over that, but Mashable recently reported that Google would be relaxing that policy to support pseudonyms and nicknames. Seems like that move will dilute the community-concept (including knowing who your neighbors/'friends' are) that Google was going for. Ah well. Maybe I'll go post an anonymous comment about my concerns.

A 15 page report? That'll be $1,295 please.

2011-10-10T15:46:00.000-07:00

One aspect of my role as a researcher for an accounting firm is to provide industry and economic outlook write-ups as part of larger client projects. As a department, we subscribe to a number of different services that allow us access to reports and analysis, but I also look for other relevant sources for each topic. I often find reports that look like they may be relevant, but require a subscription that the department does not hold.

For the most part, the subscription-based model is understandable if annoying to someone like me. I wouldn't want to access the source if it weren't valuable, and if it is a business producing the data and/or analysis, it makes sense that they charge for it.

But the amount sometimes seems somewhat disproportionate. I recently found a Gartner market report that seemed likely to contain pertinent information. I knew we don't subscribe to them, but I was hoping to find a report that might be summarized or quoted elsewhere. I glanced down at the purchasing information out of curiosity... $1,295.00 for a 15 page report.

Hmmm. So that doesn't fit the budget.

Honestly though, the value-add of the information I could fish from that doesn't seem to match the price tag. It makes me wonder who would consider the data and analysis in those 15 pages actually worth it to pay out that much money. And it also makes me really curious about what kind of content is in the report! That has to be some excellent and astounding research, right?

At least I hope it is...

PS: If only I had figured out a way to charge $86 dollars a page during my undergraduate and graduate school experience... they I might have made a profit rather than being in six-digit debt.

Read, Analyze, and Write... QUICKLY

2011-09-29T15:38:00.000-07:00

The most amazing thing about being a professional researcher outside an academic context? [Okay, other than the paycheck] The fact that there is a direct link between the work I'm doing and some sort of business action that takes place. I went into a MS graduate program largely because I was frustrated by the idea of continuing down the pure-academia route. It is critical to study and analyze the world, but all the research that I did as an undergrad... where was the value to anyone other than me as I developed analysis and writing skills? Of course not everything done needs to have an identifiable value attached to it, but from a career point of view? Well I have finally found a route that puts all the skills I've worked on building the last six years through "higher education", and that is working as a researcher at an accounting and consulting firm in Seattle. It is the most amazing opportunity I never would have known I was missing out on if I hadn't been hired.

The best parts so far have been the incredible office environment (unlimited Starbucks brewed coffee... I mean, really?) and people that have welcomed me to the firm. The work is challenging and extremely different. I mean really, anyone who knows me never would have guessed I would end up working in an even remotely finance-related environment. Without going into specifics, it isn't your typical research-type job. We're meant to be a resource for the firm, yes, but we're doing it with an output/results focus that includes billable hours and profit.

My most enjoyable projects thus far have been the industry-related writing pieces I've done, which means I've gotten to research up on the motorcycle industry, paint & sealant manufacturing, semiconductor manufacturing, and property management so far. The diversity of topics and the variety of frameworks means that I've found my ideal career context. I'm working in an environment that keeps my brain engaged, the type of work changes frequently, and I am in a constant learning mode.

Basically I've found a way to be a paid perpetual student. Man I love it.

PS: Writing on my lunch break, I have to admit, I love the view when I turn around in my desk chair. It's a good thing I don't face the window, because I'm not sure I would be able to concentrate.

Real-World, Here I Come

2011-09-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

Well I am officially not a graduate-school geek. That whole graduation thing happened a few months ago, and I’ve been acclimating to non-student life ever since. I had one last hurrah of a summer, thankfully, before turning into a “real-world” citizen who (thankfully) managed to find a job.

Summer went something like this: sleeping; some contract work; watching Sounders FC matches; sleeping; job hunting; sleeping; panic-attacks over lack of job; sleeping; buying a car; sleeping; family members from NY arriving (2 adults, 4 children under 7); international friend visitation; babysitting mentioned nephews & niece; job interviews; driving 1,000 miles in one week; Whistler-with-friends; job acceptance & paperwork; goodbyes to friend and family; driving more between Seattle & Ferndale; starting new job…

Notice how sleep stopped happening along the way? Yeah, I did too.

So now the new job is fabulous, even though it has felt akin to trying to drink out of a gushing fire-hydrant. I’m still working on figuring out the new life-work balance. The weekdays are still difficult to adjust to – full days in the office and trying to squeeze in some evening activities before a relatively early bedtime. It is stress-relieving to finally have a full-time paycheck, but the stress from trying to figure out repayment of student loans is epic.

By the way, I should make a note that if the federal government wants to stimulate the economy, they should do a student-loan forgiveness program en masse. There would be a HUGE influx of revenue into the market from all of us recent graduates who are currently putting at least half of our paychecks into paying off debt. I’d still have some privately-held debt, but it would cut my total amount in half.

And the whole system for repayment is terribly confusing, disjointed and poorly designed.

But regardless, the only direction to move is forward.

Graduation -- A Master's Degree Completion

2011-07-06T18:08:00.000-07:00

A minor miracle has happened. I have survived graduate school.

What a complex and challenging two years it has been, learning concepts and frameworks that I never would have dreamed existed. The MSIM degree at the University of Washington's Information School has been a growing and learning experience. I've been exposed to people and ideas that have allowed me to see problems and the world from new perspectives and within many different contexts.

When I graduated from my undergraduate program at The American University, there was a certain way that I viewed the world, and my time there shaped my skills and abilities, including giving me a strong foundation in research. Shifting to the field of "information" has actually been a natural progression for me.

I've discovered I am an information gatherer.

Whether trying to build a case for a peace program in Kashmir or developing a content strategy for a company, having the right information is critical. I find it incredibly satisfying to solve problems using rigorous and robust information.

And I am looking forward to the next step of finding a career that isn't just a job, but will allow for finding engaging and dynamic solutions for how to connect people with the information they need.

Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference 2011

2011-04-29T14:19:00.000-07:00

Attending the Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference was a new experience for me. I have attended a number of conferences in the last few years as a student, but this was the first conference where I felt I might actually be attending as a future practitioner. The opening keynote addresses both approached some of the high-level issues associated with emergency and disaster management. The booths of vendors were quite interesting to peruse - the products and services available ranged from communication systems to emergency rations. The first session I attended was on building resilience community partnerships - how to form connections between businesses, government, and citizens.

And this opportunity was also very special because I was given the opportunity to take part in Annie Searle's presentation "Tweet Me Up: Social Media Tool and Crisis Management". Annie presented some of the emerging trends and risks associated with the increasing prevalence of social media use in both normal and crisis business environments. Speaking to about 150 people, the session covered a number of benefits as well as the challenges of social media that appear in the crisis management framework.

After recommending organizations (including government, business, and NGOs) find ways to better adapt to the new reality of social media, Annie passed the microphone to me. A bit nervous to be lecturing to a room full of experienced professionals, I tried to clearly present some of the social media tools available, and how they can work and be managed. It is always an educational experience to try and present a topic one is very familiar with to an audience you must assume knows little to nothing about.

Social media isn't going away. One of the questions from the audience was, in short, about what if Facebook (or the like) isn't around in 5 years? Should people (organizations) jump on board and go through all the headaches that are being seen with trying to integrate social media into more and more business environments? And my first thought was it doesn't matter if Facebook isn't around in 5 years. It is simply one "tool". The methods and mentalities are changing in society, just like what happened with email. And someone else in the audience pointed out just that - the conversations businesses and organizations are having today about social media are very similar to those that were taking place 15 years ago over email. An interesting thought to mull over.

At A Loss for Words

2011-04-13T16:31:00.000-07:00

Seriously. Not from anything horrific or sad or wonderful. I just seem to find myself slogging through my brain, trying to find words these days. This is how I know I am at an almost critical burnout point. Meaningful thoughts are important to communicate well, and I'm not at the top of that game these days. So I'm saving my words for what I must get done in the next 57 days until graduation.

I had a whole food and information ramble kind of tossing about in my mind, but at this point I'm afraid of how long it might take me to put those sentences together. I'll have to give it a go, regardless.

Women, Cyberspace, and Information

2011-03-25T21:08:00.000-07:00

CC License Use (http://flic.kr/p/4TAdv6)

Well, the 2011 winter quarter, and all its insanity, is officially over and done. What a whirlwind it has been, both in my life and the world.

So I had an interesting article sent to me the other day by a friend. One of the Financial Times (UK) blogs posted on "Inequality in Cyberspace", about the numbers showing that there seems to b. The author, Liz Bolshaw, mentions Noam Cohen's NYT piece left off talking about how only 13% of Wikipedia contributors are women, and Joseph Reagle's justification that women are “less willing to assert their opinions in public”.

HAHA. That's an interesting thought. Haven't gotten that impression from most of the women I've met.

My first though about the whole gender gap isn't concern, it's "women have better things to do than edit Wikipedia". Not sure how true that is, but it seems to me that the people who are the most qualified to do something don't have the time to do what they need to do. Not that women are more qualified by any means, but they're certainly not less qualified. I'm not convinced that women are less well-represented as an internet population, but really? Is it something we should be concerned about - that women are not contributors to Wikipedia? My association with Wikipedia-editors is drunk frat boys mucking around with various entries. Is that something women should be aspiring to? The power of outsourcing knowledge creation to the cyber community (Wikipedia is only one such example) is certainly a force to be considered, and the power of it comes from the diversity of the people who are contributing. I would be more concerned with those who are excluded from contributing (directly or indirectly), not those who chose not to participate.

An interesting side note - women are actually really well represented in my program. Less so in the undergrad version, but there is still a good number, or at least it seems that way to me. It has been quite an experience the past two years as I've studied in a hybrid field that mixes strong gender stereotypes. The program is based out of the field of Library Science, but it has been heavily influenced by Information Technology and Business. I have the feeling that there are less gender stereotypes because of this hybridization, but I have yet to really immerse myself into the working field. All I know, there are some kick-ass women out there who are managing information and sharing what they know with the world (see some Seattle folks like Karine Nahon, Vanessa Fox, Samantha Starmer, and Alix Han). Maybe we aren't writing in Wikipedia, but women are certainly invested in cyberspace and information.

The Knowledge Economy - Don't Kill the Education Budget

2011-03-02T10:01:00.000-08:00

An article on the BBC News website yesterday was titled "Graduates - the new measure of power". The main take was from an education perspective, looking at the shift from raw resources as sources of power within nations to knowledge and intellectual resources. This is not a new topic - scholars have been exploring the shift to the "knowledge economy", but perhaps I've been abnormally exposed to the school of thought since I'm getting a degree in information. Nevertheless, it is a recognized fact that measuring the "power" of a nation must calculate the innovation, information, and knowledge that is being generated within its borders and its citizens. This article emphasized the role that formal educational institutions play in this generation of value, and how all across the globe governments are heavily investing in their future through students and schools.

Maybe the numerous states in the US, such as Washington, should consider this fact before they continue to viciously slash at the state-supported education budget for schools such as the University of Washington. As the Governor's new budget presents a worst-case scenario of an additional 40% slash, it is important to understand what has come already (from a letter to the State legislative from Interim President Phyllis Wise).

The steepest decline in state funding for the UW came in 2009-2011, when the state and the nation entered the Great Recession. Over a two-year period, the University of Washington lost over $132 million in state funding, roughly 30% of its state appropriation. Even with two 14% tuition increases, over $57 million in cuts were still necessary to balance our core education budget.

Major cuts included:
• Eliminated 950 jobs
• Froze enrollment for resident undergraduates
• Closed/eliminated 12 degree programs; 14 MA programs now self-sustaining
• Increased advisor load by 180 students per advisor
• Closed 384 undergraduate lecture sections and 130 small group sections
• Decreased number of lab sections by 20%, while average lab size increased 38%
• Closed 4 writing/tutoring centers and 2 computer labs (loss of 1/3 student workstations)
• Closed 1 library, reduced library hours, and canceled subscriptions to over 1,200 journals
• Reduced hundreds of hours of student counseling services (advising, financial aid, health)

As I'm preparing to graduate in June from a program that is not state-supported at all, I'm still concerned as a citizen of Washington about the future of education systems if these huge cuts are continued. Economies recover, but it is likely going to take years and years for educational institutions to recover from the hemorrhaging of funds out of their budgets. It seems awfully short-sighted for any government to pull money from the one resource that is almost guaranteed to reward the economy handsomely in the future.

Creativity, Law, and Change

2011-02-07T19:51:00.000-08:00

I recently listned to a well-articulated TEDTalk by Larry Lessig on "Laws that Choke Creativity". A really interesting and thought-provoking piece about how the changes in culture are leading to creative conflicts in the newest generations.

"We made mixed tapes; they remix music. We watched TV; they make TV. It is technology that has made them different, and as we see what this technology can do we need to recognize you can't kill the instinct the technology produces; we can only criminalize it. We can't stop our kids from using it; we can only drive it underground. We can't make our kids passive again; we can only make them, quote, "pirates." And is that good? We live in this weird time, it's kind of age of prohibitions, where in many areas of our life, we live life constantly against the law. Ordinary people live life against the law, and that's what I -- we -- are doing to our kids. They live life knowing they live it against the law. That realization is extraordinarily corrosive, extraordinarily corrupting. And in a democracy we ought to be able to do better."

I thought this was one of the best summaries of one of the biggest social difficulties of the times - the shifting notions of right and wrong, and what kind of impact that has on us as a culture. I think I have some more thoughts on this, but for now I have to get back to writing a paper on the concept and ethics of a national "smartcard" ID. A fascinating topic that has led me down many tangents (such as this video) though most of the diverging hasn't been useful for the paper. Oh well. At least the tangents are interesting and educational.

Anonymity, Privacy and The Debate on National Online IDs

2011-02-01T00:18:00.000-08:00

I think the National Internet ID conversation that has been recently taking place is quite an important and interesting piece to be discussed. I've been approaching a research piece on it from a risk-perspective, but part of that is a risk to privacy and anonymity. In an article by Helen Nissenbaum on anonymity, I thought she had a good point - that anonymity is really about being "out of reach" from consequences. Anonymity can be abused and used as a negative thing (think criminal activities) but many times it is critical for certain systems to work (as mentioned, voting and peer-review).

In the draft of the "National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace" released in June 2010, their vision of the future sounds pretty good. "Individuals and organizations utilize secure, efficient, easy to use and interoperable identity solutions to access online services in a manner that promotes confidence, privacy, choice, and innovation." (pg. 12) Some interpret the strategy to mean that Americans could begin to have unique online identities used to access password-protected websites. That's an interesting and slightly worrying thought. While "confidence, privacy, choice and innovation" sound good, what does that mean in a practical sense?

Would having some sort of online identification be a threat to anonymity and a violation of privacy? Already there is so little privacy on the internet - maybe if the government regulates more, there would be less abuse of breaches in privacy and security. But I am a bit leery of the idea of allowing a government to so in-depth access or observation to the behavior of citizens. Nothing sounds so tyrannical as being observed at every moment or having to curtail one's speech for fear of reprival. And I'm not sure that an Online ID would be the most conducive tool for an open and free democratic society. But on the other hand, I like parts of the idea in theory - but things look so good on paper sometimes when in reality they just are a really bad idea.

Airplanes, Seattle, and Visualizing It All

2011-01-31T12:06:00.000-08:00

This quarter I started a really fascinating independent study project with a Foster School of Business professor, Dr. Richard Nolan. I get to do some research for him on people, places, and time - all related to the aeronautic-powerhouse Boeing and its role in the Seattle/Puget Sound Area.

Specifics aside, I've really enjoyed learning about three specific things.

1) The idea of the "industry commons"
This is an idea that seems to in part come from the medieval practice of sharing a common space for the good of a community. Sharing resources and ideas in a collective space is a way for an industry to innovate and strengthen itself. There is the idea that the movement of tacit knowledge happens more readily in geographically bound spaces through more informal transfers - in short, similar people are drawn together in one place and share their knowledge with each other in non-professional settings such as in a bicycling lunch group. When an industry has certain geographic concentrations, there is a tendency to see others of the industry (individuals and companies) drawn to that location.

2) Visualization of non-linear information
This has been my biggest challenge. I have done a lot of research over the past 8 years or so, and yet this is the first time I have to "visualize" my findings. I can create lists and draw conclusions no problem - but finding a way to visually represent the data is quite a daunting task. I've taking classes with design elements, but this is actually having to create meaningful visuals. Today I discovered MindNode which will hopefully help me out as I map out pretty complex relationships between people, places, organizations, and time. Hopefully they'll turn into something interesting and clear at the end, because right now they're kind of confusing. The first draft is always the hardest, they say, and then the following iterations should hopefully become easier to improve.

3) Airplane and Seattle knowledge
This has been a side bonus of the project - I've been reading lots and lots for this, and I find myself discovering very interesting little facts and tidbits about Seattle and its history. I love it - I've been out here almost every year of my life before finally moving here in 2009, and this city continues to enchant me. Learning about the richness of its people and places has been wonderful.

The other thing is that I get to learn about airplanes - I retain less of the information but it's still a cool subject. I've always loved traveling, and now it is quite cool to know more about the giant beasts that get me from one place to another through seemingly impossible conditions.

PS: Don't research airplanes if you're nervous about them already.

Emerging Technologies - Connecting or Isolating?

2011-01-24T13:20:00.000-08:00

There are some interesting conversations happen around the world about the role of social media and how human behavior is changing alongside the emergence of the newest ways of communication.

Recently on the Colbert Report, Sherry Turkle talked about her recent book "Alone Together". The thesis of her book is summed up by a recent by Paul Harris in an article in The Guardian: "technology is threatening to dominate our lives and make us less human. Under the illusion of allowing us to communicate better, it is actually isolating us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality that is a poor imitation of the real world."

I think this is a fascinating hypothesis, worth conversation and further exploration. I seem to, by default, love the ease of communication and accessibility I have to friends around the world. When you have friends from Canada to England, Germany to Cambodia, and France to Honduras, it seems somewhat miraculous to be able to email, call (with video), text, and instant message all of them for either free or very reasonable prices. Fifty years ago - heck, twenty five years ago - this kind of communication would have racked up a bill a mile long. But I take it for granted that I can instantly write an email to the child I sponsor in Honduras, then have a free video Skype call with my friend in Cambodia, and follow it up with sending a text for just a few cents to another friend in England.

Yet this access does make it difficult to keep up with everyone. I rarely sign into Skype these days, often because I find it more distracting that I can afford with work and school, or simply because I forget to. Emails that are easy to send sometimes take weeks for me to get around to finishing, and loiter in my drafts box for a while. There are so many ways to communicate these days, but I still have many days where I feel the lack of communication in my life. I still write hand-written letters every once in a while, simply because there is something incredibly special about sending and receiving "snail-mail".

But I'm not sure that we're being isolated because of this technology. I think it is a possible repercussion for some people, but I'm not sure it is a societal epidemic. The key point, though, that I take away from this book and the idea of "cyber-skepticism" is that it is good to be skeptical. Just because social patterns are forming does not mean those are necessarily positive steps forward. There is the cited story about the woman who left a Facebook suicide note, and her 1,048 "friends" on Facebook failed to take action to do something, or take it seriously. I think this is a tragic story where there was a disconnect between cyber-life and "real"-life, and should serve as a catalyst for self-examination as an internet society. At the end of the day, I think it isn't the technology we have to worry about - social media is only the tool, neutral without the people and actions behind it.

Ity-Bity Little Tortoises

2011-01-19T13:40:00.000-08:00

Because they're so cute, I had to share a quick link to the Woodland Park Zoo's tiny little new members. It's little moments like this that remind me why we have to strive to let people know the importance of protecting creatures like these from extinction.

Plus, watching those tiny little buggers crawl around made me smile.

From the blog:
Egyptian tortoise hatchlings, 2 weeks old, behind the scenes at Seattle's Woodland Park Zoo in the Day Exhibit. The Egyptian tortoise is critically endangered with populations facing severe pressure from habitat degradation and the illegal international pet trade. Learn more about this species and how Woodland Park Zoo is helping to protect it in the wild on the zoo blog: ‪http://bit.ly/gPzl2Q

Keeping Our Troops Connected

2011-01-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

A recent headline on Wired.com made me pause: "Tweet Away, Troops: Pentagon Won’t Ban Social Media".

There has actual been the serious possibility that the Pentagon would ban soldiers from using social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook? It boggles my mind - many of the troops now are being more and more made up of digital natives. You might as well tell them they're banned from talking as tell them they can't use social media, especially to communicate with their friends and family. As Robert Mason et al. describe them, these youngest generation of adults have “grown up in a world surrounded by connectivity and digital tools. They are ‘net natives’ or ‘digital natives.’ These are people who have never known a world without the Internet, instant messaging, online games, and the possibility of persistent digital presence with networks of people.” You're not going to be able to tell we of this digital native generation that we can't have our Facebook or Twitter fix. Sorry, it just isn't going to happen. Social media is a force that is moving forward, not winding down.

** Edit Note: If you read the comments, Jordan makes some very good points that should be integrated into my little ramble here. I really agree with her when it comes down to the fact that sometimes take an entitlement approach to social media. Just because we behave a certain way doesn't mean we should. **

Apparently, the bright idea of banning came from military officials who feared that social media caused too much security hassle, and took up too much bandwidth. So to say again, in 2009 the military was "seriously considering" a complete ban. The reason that this is now back in the news is because come March of this year, the 2009 policy that "enshrined military access to social media" is expiring, which only came after a long battle.

Hopefully, there wont' be any more malarky about banning or limited access. Because frankly, if the military did do something like this, the country would probably have to implement a draft. And then there would be riots in the street... and on Twitter.

A Plethora of Words - An Update

2011-01-14T14:20:00.000-08:00

I've started out this Winter quater term with a very full but wonderful plate. I have a fantastic internship with Annie Searle & Associates (ASA) as a research associate. I am able to research and write on risk and crisis management issues, something I am increasingly excited about as a career path, which has been an ongoing concern in my head. While I love what I'm learning at school, it has been difficult to not know exactly what I want to do after the degree. And so I'm quite pleased that I've found an area that I am interested that has a name and recognized professionals out there. Secondly, I'm working on my final-year Capstone project, the culminating part of the program. We are challenged to put our knowledge into practice, which is sometimes daunting but oh so exciting. This is also going to be implemented at ASA, which makes things a lot more enjoyable since I am settled there already.

I look forward to seeing some topical overlap in my information security class as well, which is focusing on risk management for the most part through an IT lens. And I must say, I have quite enjoyed our "Policy, Law and Ethics in Information" class so far. It reminds me of my undergrad days - getting to read and discuss Hobbes and Rawls is almost nostalgic. But the best thing really is that it is an application of knowledge from my BA degree into my master's work. That hasn't happen very often, so it is quite fun for me.

But people are fascinating regardless of context. I am doing an independent study with a professor over at the business school, and I am getting to track and map out the people over the years that have influenced Boeing and the Puget Sound area. It is fascinating to see how all the brilliant people came together, and how they seem to have drawn other smart people and the companies that want smart people to them.

All in all, quite an overwhelming plate. But it is all so good! I just have to be careful not to get sick off of all the lovely bounty of information before me. I am writing and reading so much these days I am a bit overwhelmed by even trying to keep up with the news some days. But words are powerful, and it seems that I have to take advantage of the opportunity to both consume and produce as many as I can.

Changing the World With Design

2010-12-01T01:10:00.000-08:00

Since starting my graduate degree in Information Management, I've discovered an entire new and fantastical world called "design" that has entirely changed the way I think and view the world. The principles that make up the foundation of "user-centered design" can also serve not only to design better systems and stuff, but provide a framework through which to view the world.

One of the cooler applications of design to "everyday" life is the work that is being done by Emily Pilloton in North Carolina. Co-founder of ProjectH, a nonprofit design organization, Pilloton has taken on one of the scarier systems ever formed in the US - formal education - and has begun to tackle it with design.

Thinking about how to "fix" our underfunded, outdated, bureaucracy-laden public education system is a difficult, convoluted and systemically heartbreaking effort. But Pilloton has armed herself, and works to create "Design initiatives for Humanity, Habitats, Health, and Happiness". And it's working. They are doing some really awesome things over in North Caroline.

Check out her TED talk on "Teaching Design for Change". It is one of the most inspiring TED talks I've seen in a while. Often the people who speak for TED have these wonderful insights, challenges, and ideas, but this one is particularly strong because this a snapshot into work that is creating sustainable change in behavior and attitudes. And that's just cool.

More About Emily Pilloton:

A visit with Stephen Colbert on The Colbert Report (1/18/2010)

Writing for Design Mind about the need for design to "Get Local", a reflection around the one-year mark of their project in Bertie, NC.

Coming Down to the Wire

2010-11-27T19:12:00.000-08:00

This term has been a wickedly difficult one to make it through. Not because of bad things, but because there have been perhaps too many elements that have been taking up all the bandwidth I have. I think the dilemma of too much of a good thing is almost harder to manage, because it comes down to the fact you have to cut out something you don't particularly want to cut.

But the end of this somewhat overwhelming quarter is in sight, and hopefully I'll be able to finish some of the blog entries that I have sitting in the drafts folder. There are so many awesome things happening and going on in the world, and I have a lot of thoughts that whirl around in my head I want to get down on paper. But unfortunately, I've had to prioritize the writing that is required of me at the moment (mostly some fascinating research). And honestly, my word-quota has been mostly filled by it.

So this has been a bit of a blog sabbatical, but only a temporary one.

The Beauty of Data Visualization (David McCandless TED talk)

2010-10-26T22:08:00.000-07:00

I have to do a quick post about this TED talk from earlier this year. David McCandless talks about "The Beauty of Data Visualization". And it's beautiful. I've been digging around the newest website, "Information is Beautiful" having a lovely time examining all the truly lovely visualizations they've created.

I really do believe that pictures/visuals really are the next sets of vocabulary for communicating data. We have spent a lot of time in using words to describe data (and believe me, I love words), but there's so much power in a picture. And the visualization of data can give you an immediate grasping of context (accurate only if done right, of course) that words just can't quite capture.

For example, McCandless et al. produced a "Billion Dollar-o-Gram" in 2009 to give some context to those billions being thrown around. Go look at that for a second, and then come back after finding the cost to "Wall Street Revenue 2009", "Cost of Obesity Related Diseases", "Eradicate AIDS worldwide", and then "Worldwide cost of financial crisis".

McCandless talks about how the sometimes quoted "absolute figures" don't give you a whole picture - the relative presentation of data through visualization can give you a better view of the landscape. Visualization creates an information map for people to explore, and helps expose the hidden patterns among the data.

One comment he makes was interesting - he challenges the saying "data is the new oil" with a slight modification: "data is the new soil". It is this rich resource, and there is so much of it. We just have to figure out how to ask the right questions of it to get the answers.

"Let the dataset change your mindset" - the use of visualization is definitely a part of making sound decisions that can be backed up by data.

Design & The Platinum Rule

2010-10-25T17:36:00.001-07:00

We have Alix Han (@uxkungfu) talking to students today about user-experience (UX).

You know the "golden rule": Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Alix tells us the platinum rule of design: Do unto others as they would have you do to them...

What?

Well, it goes like this - you might like to be kicked, but that other person might prefer hugs. Seems a bit simplistic, but ....

Stealing some of the main points from her presentation, there are a few key elements that make up the desires/needs of humans and their interactions.

Talking About Emotional Design

Certainty: I want to know that things will work the way I expect them to

Variety: I want fresh, entertaining content

Significance: I want to feel special and important in some way

Love & Connection: I want to feel connected to someone or something

A designer's job is to research/discover how these come together and make a user's experience awesome.

The Walking Schoolbus

2010-10-12T08:45:00.000-07:00

A short column in the Seattle Times this morning by Nicole Brodeur made me hopeful about small changes that will hopefully have a lasting impact. The only information here is really the coordination efforts – I simply wanted to share something I thought was really nifty.

The article covered the “walking schoolbus” that goes to West Woodland Elementary school in Phinny Ridge every morning, coordinated by one man (a Mr. Glen Bradburn) and 18 families. Parents are in charge of “driving” the bus – they walk their kids to meet other parents and children, and eventually get all 22 children to school. Then they do it on the way back.

It’s a clever solution – it gets kids walking more (challenging the rising obesity levels in kids), also letting them work off some of that seemingly endless energy that makes it difficult for them to pay attention in school. It is a great opportunity for families to get to know each other in neighborhoods, helping people see beyond their own little bubble that is so comfortable to stay in. It saves on busing costs and petrol, is better for the environment, and is simply just a cool thing.

Going strong since 2005, this walking bus will hopefully continue to run and inspire other families/communities. There are apparently 18 other walking buses in the Seattle area – I hope they continue to grow.

Education and Innovation

2010-10-11T09:34:00.000-07:00

Today the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced the Next Generation Learning Challenges, which is "a collaborative, multi-year initiative, which aims to help dramatically improve college readiness and college completion in the United States through the use of technology."

Sounds like a great initiative to me. Education is one of the issues that I feel very strongly about, but it doesn't get a lot of my energy, mostly because it often depresses me. But this is quite relevant for me right now, because I'm working with a colleague on refining a case study we wrote together about this very issue - how can the educational system benefit from the integration of technology, and successfully see that happen? How does an institution keep it's educational mission at the forefront of any initiative that brings about change? I think it's an interesting and critical problem, and it has to be taken seriously by parents, students, legislators, business owners, educators, and pretty much every citizen in the country.

In the press release, Bill Gates says “American education has been the best in the world, but we’re falling below our own high standards of excellence for high school and college attainment ... We’re living in a tremendous age of innovation. We should harness new technologies and innovation to help all students get the education they need to succeed.”

I think Mr. Gates has it right - we're at a pivotal moment in our education system's history, and how we deal with this is going to set the tone for the next few decades. We're not talking frivolous or secondary issues - we're talking about the education of generations of kids. The policy and investing choices we make today are going to have repercussions, and so we all had better take them seriously. I hope this movement from the Gates Foundation will help stimulate further dialogues about this issue.

Information & Making Decisions

2010-10-04T12:18:00.000-07:00

Decision making can be a difficult thing. Sometimes it's simple "I wouldn't be caught dead in those shoes", a decision made on strong personal preferences without much thought or information needed. My experiences over time have shaped my shoe taste, and I don't really need outside information to make my decision.

But the majority of the time, making a decision is not so simple - numerous variables can catch us up in a game of trying to calculate tradeoffs and possible outcomes and consequences. I find myself going over the same problem over and over, imaging all the various things that could go wrong if I make the "wrong" decision. Over-thinking an issue can get me into trouble.

And then there are the decisions we don't even realize are important until later, and we go through the phase of "if only I'd known when I was making that decision that I would end up here with this result, I would have chosen differently".

It's easy to find oneself feeling paralyzed in the face of making a decision that can have seemingly unending number of outcomes and consequences.

Good information can help the decision making process easier. If we know more, we can make more informed decisions. Part of what I want to do with my degree in this field called information management is help make information more accessible, understandable, and sustainable for decision making in organizations.

Whatever the heck that means in the real-world. Still working on figuring that part out.

On Vacation

2010-09-24T12:53:00.000-07:00

Between wrapping up my summer internship, and then leaving on vacation (and having spotty internet and time), this rambler is taking a bit of a blogging break. Will kick it back in gear come next week when I'm back in Seattle and back to routine.

A Self That Goes On Changing

2010-09-03T14:24:00.000-07:00

One Virginia Woolf quote is that "A self that goes on changing is a self that goes on living."

I've been thinking a lot about change these days from a few different perspectives.

As a student, I'm gearing up for an interesting academic quarter. I've started to prepare for a course titled "Information and the Management of Change" which I'm quite looking forward to. The two main readings for the course are Galavan et al.'s Strategy, Innovation and Change and Beer & Nohria's Breaking the Code of Change. While I've only read the introductions for both, they have already caught my interest, because change management is not an easy or simply beast to tackle. I hope they both fulfill their promises of being spaces where theory and real-world practice have met and been synthesized. On page one of Galavan, the editors claim that their contributors are people who"breathe life into strategy through the connection of innovation, leadership, and change management". Sounds good to me.

In professional and personal news... well, they're going to stay professional and personal. But on a general level, there have been some interesting changes that have happened, and some changes that need to be made. There are some changes I'm looking forward to, and others that are not so simple. Sometimes the most needed changes are the ones we resist implementing the most.

Wish I were blogging from PAX, but that was not to be this year. That's one thing I plan on changing - I'm buying my pass as soon as they go on sale next year!

Projects & Relative Problems

2010-08-25T12:35:00.000-07:00

This seems very true some days:

(Picture from http://ninapaley.com/mimiandeunice/)

Whether at work or in one's personal life, it seems to be that by default we want to prioritize our own problems, and view them as more important and difficult than those faced by others. Our needs are at the center of how we see everything else. We can look back later and put a crisis or breakdown in perspective, but in the moment it's hard to have insight like that. But when it comes to the workplace, it can be costly to an organization for an individual to take this stance. In trying to mitigate projects and the inevitable conflicts that arise, this mentality is a particularly difficult challenge for someone like a business analyst or project manager.

Say, for example, I'm trying to get two different department heads to communicate with each other, and communicate to me, about priorities, problems they need fixed, and what their requirements are for a certain project. But if they can't come up with supporting data/information about why their needs are more important, all that happens is a back and forth of "My needs are more important than theirs because... because" and reasonings that have no data to back them up. If I can't get this information, I can't validate any decisions I make in terms of the project direction, nor can I make much (if any) progress.

Anyone in an organization that is tasked with coming up with requirements or needs must be able to not only articulate those needs, but have validating data to back up the reasoning behind those needs. We can't become personally attached to "having-our-way" when there's no data to back up why our way is "better", or why your problem is the most critical. We have to be able to tell someone or many someones why we choose to do something, and what value that decision adds to the project.

Getting that data can be tricky, full of politics and personal feelings, and sometimes it simply isn't going to happen. Information is not a straightforward topic, and it is really the people that make it a challenge and "interesting" in both good ways and bad. But it is worth the effort when you can stand in front of a group and present a solid project with an information foundation you can rely upon.

Norman Strikes Again

2010-08-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

You know it's going to be interesting when one of the most well known names in HCI design write a blog post called "Design Thinking: A Useful Myth".

Don Norman's post this past June is well worth the read, not only because it is well written but because it has some interesting points that might make for good discussions amoung "designers". Norman talks about the fact that the idea that designers somehow have mystical powers of intellect and perspective can be a useful myth, but that this idea of "design thinking" is simply a myth. He makes the point that it really isn't a unique characteristic to this profession. Breakthroughs simply occur "when people find fresh insights, new points of view and propagate them". Creative people are all around. But the design community, across all sectors, has a vested interest in perpetuating the myth that designers somehow have the monopoly on design thinking, which is according to Norman really simply "a public relations term for good, old fashion creative thinking.

1) The myth helps fight against the confusion that "design" equals "making things pretty". Design is so much more than that, and every little piece that might change the popular mind helps.

2) It helps get designers into the door at organizations. "Hire us, they say, and we will bring the magic of design companies to you, working wonders upon your dead, stilted, unproductive company." Ultimately, Norman points out, the "design thinking" pitch is akin to claiming a secret weapon that has to power to solve big problems, and that is a valuable tool.

Norman wraps up the post with an interesting challenge to designers:

"So, long live the phrase 'design thinking.' It will help in the transformation of design from the world of form and style to that of function and structure. It will help spread the word that designers can add value to almost any problem, from healthcare to pollution, business strategy and company organization. When this transformation takes place, the term can be put away to die a natural death. Meanwhile exploit the myth. Act as if you believe it. Just don't actually do so."

Why Are We Still So Paper-Based?

2010-08-10T09:23:00.000-07:00

It continually amazes me how much paper my last job produced - I was working as a database coordinator for an academic department at the UW. Sounds like a pretty electronic-centric position, right?

Wrong.

I had a brown paper bag I used to collect mixed paper for recycling. I think I emptied it every other week. That doesn't seem too bad if you don't think too much about that. A supposedly paperless position, filling up a Safeway brown paper bag every two weeks!! Reports and presentations and notes, printouts and event planning materials.

Currently I'm interning with the university's information technology office, and it just baffles me. We print out so much electronically-based documents and artifacts. Everything from emails and reports and meeting handouts. While laptops are dominant, notes are still often taken with paper and pen. Though personally I'm thankful that what I'm doing now produces very little printed work, even though I find myself in the center of a paper-laden environment.

I think that this is partly a holdover of established working practices - it is only very relatively recently that we could make almost any document electronic. This is probably the core of the reason - people who have been working for the last 15 to 30 years are not likely to want to change how they've been doing things. In a world where technological innovations have ripped through our societies, radically changing and shifting established assumptions and practices, it is difficult to keep up with the latest anything, let alone quickly adapt.

This is not to say that there haven't been successful moves to reduce paper use - as part of a university -wide initiative, the office is required by state law to use 100% recycled paper, reduce paper use by 30% beginning July 2010, and to recycle all office paper. It seems as if there is steady support for it, but it certainly takes more than throwing away paper in a different box. Moving towards paperless or paper-scarce environments requires a shift in attitude, behavior, and an acceptance that it won't always be convenient or the same as it was before.

The End of Google Wave

2010-08-06T11:46:00.000-07:00

A recent article by Maggie Shiels, a Technology reporter for the BBC News, proclaimed the news that "Google drops Wave because of lack of users". Reading through this, it seems a little strange to me. But it seems as if that because "Wave has not seen the adoption we would have liked", says Google, they are going to phase out the site and integrate some of the developed technology into other Google projects.

Honestly, giving up on Wave seems premature to me. I have been able to use Wave for a few different classes, both for note taking and project managing, and it has been a very interesting tool. Yes, I agree with the assessment that for it to be successful, many people need to be signed up and using it. I think pushing it within both corporate and education environments should have really taken it off. Wave has this awesome real-time communication and collaboration aspect, and it does it all within a browser. It has character-by-character live typing, and the ability to drag-and-drop files from the desktop, even “playback” the history of changes that users have made. It integrated other forms of communication and I'm really disappointed that Google is giving up on it. Perhaps it is because users required invitations, but that doesn't seem to be the case - I still have a good number of invitations that are sitting unused in my account.

I think this is indicative of the core problem with many information technology initiatives. This great technology exists, but people lack either the incentive or knowledge for how to use it to its fullest potential. So I don't think that the retirement of Wave is a technology failure, but an information one. If Google is going to "create innovations with the potential to advance technology" they're going to have to innovate better user communication and education along the way.

***

On a side note, I've been thinking about something recently. I don't read the news as much as I'd like to these days. During my undergraduate studies, I read the New York Times every morning, took the copy with me throughout the day because I would likely reference it at least once either in a class or in conversation. For the most part I focused on political and international news, and "digested" almost all the news articles through that lens.

Today, the way I get news it quite a bit different. I skim the international BBC headlines online when I get into work, briefly scan through my Twitter feed for local and technical news, and during my lunch break I'll dive deeper into a handful of stories that catch my eye. These articles are almost always technology or information related, which makes sense considering my program. Seems to be the story of grad school so far - all this information I want to process and not enough time to do it.

Tim Brown TED Talk July 2009

2010-07-30T13:18:00.000-07:00

This was one of the first videos I watched after discovering the wonderful resource of the fantastic "TED Talks". A comment on the video by a Robert Chesley caught my eye, as he sought to sum up the core message of Brown's talk. I'd try to paraphrase, but it sounds so right as it is:

"It's about looking past the small "new and improved" versions of design and exploring possibilities. It's not enough to strive for new and improved. That's the old school approach. What we have needed and are now beginning to move toward is the integration of ideas based on human centered actual needs. The context of the use needs to be central to the design itself, not the other way around. This approach means you have to get away from the CAD station and actually talk to customers and watch them. Above all listen to what they are saying relative to the context that they alone can bring to the table. From this position you will gain insight into the real problems they face. Once you truly understand the problem you can begin the process of integrating related problems of other customers. This is where real design innovation begins. This is the start of the process for developing dynamic disruptive changes in the market."

I think that this is the elusive goal every designer, regardless of what you're designing: to try to genuinely understand the problem you're designing to solve. One of my favorite quotes is from Zelda Harrison. She gets at the crux of the issues: "Never ask a designer to design a bridge. Ask a designer to design a way to cross the water".

Video of Jesse Schell: "Designing Outside the Box" DICE 2010

2010-07-28T08:27:00.000-07:00

Last night I watched this 28 minute video of Carnegie Mellon University Professor Jesse Schell talking about "going beyond Facebook" and the emerging game development trends. I thought I'd share some of the key points that I took away from watching it - though it might make more sense to watch it first!

Some of the key takeaway points:

1) The unexpected force by which Facebook et al. stormed the world. The list of games (ClubPenguin, Wii, WiiFit, Guitar Hero) that were these huge hits that traditionally seem completely impossible. And I still don't see the appeal of Farmville. Apparently I'm too traditional.

2) That these phenomenon are all breaking through into reality. The blending of virtual and reality are on the path to blurring together almost indistinguishably. Interesting psychological reasoning that because we're cut off from nature and "we live in a bubble of fake bullshit" we're seeking out the "real" relative to our experiences. Maybe it's just because we've finally realize how artificial so many of our interactions have become.

3) Technology is going to continue to diverge in some respects, rather than unify into the happy box. Loved the idea of the iPhone as the Swiss Army knife.

4) Games are creeping into daily life more and more. I can totally see this, and I liked the examples he pointed out. These things have turned accepted and traditionally established processes and behaviors into something more.

Fantasy Football - Even your grandmother does it.
Geocashing - Because taking a walk is better when there is treasure at the end of it!
Fox & The Simpsons - Watching TV has become a game.
DARPA's red weather balloons - We'll do the work for them!
Weight Watchers - Points are like a game.
Ford Hybrid Car - Grow the plant leaves, save on gas. This has changed the way people drive!

5) Imagine if skilled game designers were involved in the development of these emerging "games". It would really change things up. I think that the marketing department in the way of hiring designers for a while, because marketers seem to always think they know what is best. Strength of game designers is that interaction-design emphasis.

6) We're heading towards a future where creepy sensors are always recording everything. Schell suggested that this potentially could be a huge behavior changer. A little big-brother-ish, but I think I like it in theory.

7) Disposable technology. I think we're already a good ways there. Think about how quickly we go through things. Schell makes an interesting point - the technology in a Furbie is greater than the technology it took to put a man on the moon, though that is true for almost any electronic these days.

8) Huge danger for games to turn into serious commercialized schmuck. Penny-Arcade made a comment or two about this trend in the game "Alan Wake". I haven't played it, but it is reported to have some serious crazy ass product placement in the game, perhaps the most blatant yet. Anyways, I thought of that when he was talking about the REM cycle device for some reason.

Wii Games - E3 2011 - Guitar Hero 5

The Information Rambler

2010-07-21T08:40:00.000-07:00

What do you do with information? How do you process it? What do you do with the overwhelming amount of it that bombards you almost every moment of every day.

Those are pretty serious questions. The implications of how a person, group, organization, society, nation answers that can have echoing answers with lasting repercussions.

Information can change national policy, the color you choose for your house window frames, or even what wine you chose to have for dinner.

I'm entering my second year of a master's program in "Information Management" at the University of Washington in the beautiful . The meaning of that in itself is a challenge to unravel, and yet a fascinating journey.

I'd like to document a few pieces of this experience, and put into words some of the thoughts I've been having about information. Might as well put it out into the teeming mass that is the interwebs.