ZoeScope™

Observation is Powerful

2009-01-15T07:14:00.001-08:00

A traveler
without observation
is a bird without wings.

~ Saadi

MOSLIH EDDIN (MUSLIH-UN-DIN) SAADI (SADI)
Persian poet, (1184 - 1291)

Giga Quote
Public Quotes

From The Heart

2009-01-01T08:59:00.001-08:00

"What comes from the heart goes to the heart."

-- Samuel Taylor Coleridge, QuoteWorld

Noticed during the Barbra Streisand segment of the Kennedy Center Honors.

What are CLiCs - Take 271

2008-12-26T08:48:00.001-08:00

Draft Sat, Oct 11, 2008
Updated Mon, Dec 8, 2008
~~~

You are here. Your primary challenge is to live your life. Go!

~~~
Mon 12/8/2008
For being more aware, and for learning.
For appreciating more, and for loving.
For achieving more, and for leading.
...

How bizarre does that sound? And yet, we bring more order to being a football player, a chef, or an architect than we do to living our lives.

CLiCs, Core Life Concepts, are for bringing order to what we need to know to live our lives. Every part of our lives.

Benefits

1 ::: A Place for Every Idea, and Every Idea in its Place

Instead of a massive jumble of ideas, whether in alphabetical order, or what, CLiCs puts ideas in order. Just as the rainbow informs us of a sensible order to colors, ROY G BIV, or Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet, and time requires that we act in order from Past, Present, to the Future. So CLiCs presents a new order. An order that is consistent with reality, thus providing ... a place for every idea. And then we need to put every idea in its place. (((Organized Ideas and Insights)

We keep all of our other valuables in order: food, clothing, money, possessions,
Order brings more value: knowledge, insight, choices

2 ::: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

A picture provides context. At a glance, we can grasp some of the essence of what is going on. A picture provides insight in multiple dimensions. With a picture, we can better see how things fit and work together.

Gain - clarity in communication, effectiveness, time.
Pain - people get confused, lost in the weeds, miss the point with too many words

3 ::: Life Demands Skill and Wisdom

"I'm out of bed and dressed. What more do you want?" So reads bumper stickers and t-shirts that I've seen.

Whether with football or with food, fundamentals are essential. You can't just fake it. Life is the same way! But what are the fundamentals for living an effective life? The order of ideas that CLiCs present provides insight into this critical task. CLiCs do not pretend to capture all the wisdom we need. However, it seeks to identify "the blanks". It's each of our jobs to "fill them in".

Schweitzer and Example, Example, Example

2008-11-28T11:34:00.001-08:00

"Adults teach children in three important ways:

The first is by example,
the second is by example,
the third is by example."

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing."

Albert Schweitzer
French philosopher & physician (1875 - 1965)

Good Order

2008-11-28T11:30:00.001-08:00

Good order is the foundation of all great things.

Edmund Burke

(Found in my notes Chap1Chap2.doc)

LIFE Photos From Google

2008-11-19T21:12:00.001-08:00

http://images.google.com/hosted/life

Incapable of Comprehending!

2008-11-18T06:44:00.001-08:00

JB's Favorite Einstein Quote

Physical concepts are free creations of the human mind, and are not, however it may seem, uniquely determined by the external world. In our endeavor to understand reality ...

we are somewhat like a man trying to understand the mechanism of a closed watch.

He sees the face and the moving hands, even hears its ticking, but he has no way of opening the case.

If he is ingenious he may form some picture of a mechanism which could be responsible for all the things he observes, but he may never be quite sure his picture is the only one which could explain his observations.

He will never be able to compare his picture with the real mechanism and he cannot even imagine the possibility or the meaning of such a comparison.

A simpler quote

All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is the most precious thing we have.

Albert Einstein

I might edit his quote though, to say, …

All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike - and yet it is one of the most precious things we have.

Albert Einstein with Tom Horsfield's assist

Direct quote from JB

I'm not saying there is no absolute truth, just that we don't fully understand that truth. And it is surely to be wrestled with, just as we are here. I think God knows that when we, as human beings, reach a point where we think we know the absolute truth (not the source of it, but the actual truth itself), we become dangerous, to ourselves, others, and creation itself. ... Therefore it is simply our job to trust and have faith in Him. We can discuss and debate our perceptions/models/understandings, and that's good. But let's not destroy creation in the process.

Baddeley's model of working memory

2008-10-08T07:58:00.001-07:00

Reference: Wikipedia

CLiC Pictures give you another tool to use on "your visuo-spatial sketchpad" while you're

listening,
conversing,
acting, or
assessing.

See Aaron Williamson's blog with illustration from Dave Gray's VizThink

TOTE or ETOTE

2008-10-08T07:47:00.000-07:00

George A. Miller strikes again! I've been fascinated with his idea of chunking in memory, i.e. 7 plus/minus 2 pieces of information at a time. He also developed a model for how we operate called TOTE.

My only addition (I always have to edit), is to add an E at the beginning.

Enter
Test
Operate
Test
Exit

Raven Maps - Big Picture View of Earth

2008-10-06T11:35:00.001-07:00

Raven Maps

More than meets the eye

2008-10-03T08:51:00.001-07:00

CLiC Pictures are about seeing (the side of life that) what your eye cannot see.

or ...

CLiC Pictures are for seeing a side of life that your eye can't see.

or ...

CLiC Pictures are for seeing what your eye can't see.

or ...

CLiC Pictures are for seeing life in a way that your eyes can't see.

In every situation and with every person, there is much, much, more going on than meets the eye. CLiC Pictures give you the ability to see and consider what can easily escape your attention.

CLiCs and CLiC Pictures can help you ...

be Aware of more
Appreciate more
Achieve more

CLiCs and CLiC Pictures identify the parts of life and reveal how they fit and work together, giving you the ability to recognize patterns in life, and then leverage them to be more effective.

Idiom Research - There is more going on than meets the eye

Idioms at TheFreeDictionary.com

There is more to something/someone than meets the eye.

something that you say when you think that something or someone is less simple than they seem to be at first.

There's more to this than meets the eye.

I suspect Tom's not telling the truth.
There must be more to him than meets the eye, or else why would she be interested in him?

Life 101

2008-09-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

In many ways CLiCs and CLiC Pictures are about compiling your very own 'book' which could be called 'Life 101'.

Book by Peter McWilliams

Ability and Wealth

2008-09-19T16:14:00.001-07:00

Ability is a poor man's wealth.
John Wooden

Hmmm ...

Dave Gray - Lens matrix

2008-09-18T11:15:00.001-07:00

Lens matrix
Originally uploaded by dgray_xplane

Very Cool

Dave Gray - Seven lenses for visual thinking

2008-09-18T11:13:00.001-07:00

Seven lenses for visual thinking
Originally uploaded by dgray_xplane

7 or 5 ;)

Dave Gray - Q-tools

2008-09-18T10:01:00.001-07:00

Q-tools
Originally uploaded by dgray_xplane

More cool stuff to read, research, and understand.

More at DaveGrayInfo.com

Dave Gray - The Mountain

2008-09-18T09:55:00.001-07:00

The Mountain, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Dave Gray - More on the 3d model

2008-09-18T09:53:00.001-07:00

More on the 3d model, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

In a triangle ...

Dave Gray - Five frames for visual thinking

2008-09-18T09:52:00.003-07:00

Five frames for visual thinking, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

And more!

Dave Gray - Five frames for visual thinking

2008-09-18T09:52:00.001-07:00

Five frames for visual thinking, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Continuing ...

Dave Gray 3d -- A model for learning and improvement

2008-09-18T09:51:00.001-07:00

3d -- A model for learning and improvement, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Do Discover Design ... very cool process. Capturing Dave's work here so I can see it all in one place.

Also at DaveGrayInfo.com

Flickr

2008-09-18T09:37:00.001-07:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

Visual Overview of Life

2008-09-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

936 Blogs = 78 Years

Source

Found via infosthetics

'Choice' Choice Quotes (no I didn't stutter)

2008-09-08T09:47:00.001-07:00

CHOICE - QUOTES

- "Your Choices Determine Your Destiny. Choose Wisely."

Star Wars, Episode III

- "It is easier to say no, with a burning yes inside."

Stephen Covey

- "There is perhaps, no psychological skill more fundamental
than resisting impulse"

Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence

Ideas are huge!

2008-09-08T09:46:00.001-07:00

Ideas shape the course of history.

~ John Maynard Keynes

Deming - Plan Do Check Act

2008-09-05T13:43:00.001-07:00

Deming's "Cycle" is ...

Plan
Do
Check
Act

PLAN: Design or revise business process components to improve results
DO: Implement the plan and measure its performance
CHECK: Assess the measurements and report the results to decision makers
ACT: Decide on changes needed to improve the process

But even by the definitions given at this site, wouldn't it be more accurate to say ...

Plan
Do
Check
Decide

Poverty of Attention

2008-08-29T10:19:00.001-07:00

"A wealth of information creates a poverty of attention."

cognitive psychologist Hebert Simon

Found at review of Glut

Book - Informal Learning - Jay Cross

2008-08-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

Unbook

Found Jay Cross via Dave Gray Unbook blog

Blog

www.informl.com (missing an a)

Wiki

http://internettime.pbwiki.com/

Description

http://informl.com/2006/05/20/what-is-informal-learning/

Book

Informal Learning book at Amazon published by Pfeiffer
Informal Learning in 10 minutes

Beautiful Natural Photography

2008-08-20T14:51:00.000-07:00

Found via Wikipedia article on Aristotle while researching the major categories with which we think about the world. The author has a great Table of Contents page here.

Beautiful!

I did not know that we could "see" the Milky Way from the Earth. Wow!

Cool "Infographic" of A Historical Map of Olympic Medals

2008-08-20T10:38:00.001-07:00

A Historical Map of Olympic Medals

Found thanks to ... Cool Infographics

The Power of Maps by Denis Wood

2008-08-19T09:52:00.001-07:00

Book is recommended by Dave Gray at Amazon in Visual Thinking category.

Something to consider ...

Gain Perspective, Be More Effective

2008-08-19T07:50:00.001-07:00

Is gaining perspective more familiar than gaining context? I think so. If we're talking about story, then a professional may say, "What is the context?". But if we're just talking with one another, a friend might suggest that you need to "gain a better perspective" on an issue.

So a quick summary of what CLiC Pictures can do for you is ...

Gain perspective
Be more effective

Center of the Universe Syndrome

2008-08-19T07:41:00.001-07:00

Great use of metaphor from a 'testing' article.

There was a time when it was commonly believed that the earth was the center of the universe. It was a reasonable belief that made perfect sense from our perspective. It's not like at the time we could look through a giant telescope, or launch a deep space probe to get a different point of view. I actually think that this "Center of the Universe Syndrome" is natural. Given no reason to do otherwise, why wouldn't a person look at something from his own perspective?

Unfortunately, this Syndrome is not particularly helpful to a tester who is genuinely concerned with software quality. To really have a positive impact on quality, I think testers would do well to consider the following before deciding that the team or company doesn't care about quality, or doesn't take testing seriously:

Someone, somewhere, is paying for this team to develop this software. In most cases that someone considers a profitable project to be of acceptable quality.

Few developers would have jobs if not for that someone paying for them to develop software for the purposes of making a profit.

Even fewer testers would have jobs if it weren't for those developers trying to build software for 'the someone' looking to earn a profit.

When all is said and done, in many organizations the test team is no more at the center of the universe than the Earth's moon. Think about it. In your team, does the test team (the moon) orbit the development team (the Earth), which is guided by the gravity of the business (the sun), which in turn is weaving a path through the universe of business, finance, and competitive pressures? If so, maybe it makes sense to think about the things you can influence -- such as testing methods, improved communication and test prioritization -- as opposed to things you probably can't -- like budget, business priorities, and contractual obligations.

That is similar to how the Earth's moon influences tides, causes solar eclipses, and inspires awe and a spirit of exploration in the inhabitants of Earth, but it doesn't seem to feel as though it isn't taken seriously because it can't change the direction that the Earth orbits the sun.

Article by Scott Barber at SearchSoftwareQuality.com

Aside ...

Are you the center of your universe?
Is it even your universe?

Stick Figures are cool!

2008-08-18T19:40:00.001-07:00

Summary of Current Pithy CLiC Thoughts

2008-08-14T08:18:00.001-07:00

Using just ...

a small set of ideas

we construct ...

a place for every idea

with which we we can ...

consider, connect, create

with ...

anyone, anytime, anywhere.

Mind42

2008-08-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

And there's another one!

mind42.com

This is reviewed by Chuck Frey. And I found it via his conference site.

MindMeister

2008-08-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

This tool is recommended by Litemind.com. What is a visual thinker to do?

MindMeister

Business Model Innovation and LifeStyle

2008-08-12T11:20:00.001-07:00

I snagged these images from a slideshow created by Alex Osterwalder via a blog entry posted by Dave Gray.

This visual model also fits perfectly in the center of the LifeStyle CLiC Picture.

Macroeconomics and LifeStyle

2008-08-12T11:16:00.001-07:00

Cool visual found at Wikipedia under Macroeconomics.

This fits in the LifeStyle CLiC Picture quite well.

From a Small Set of Ideas to Anywhere and Anytime

2008-08-12T10:05:00.001-07:00

From a rather small set of ideas, we can identify a location anywhere in the Universe.

Earth

Land

Sea

Air

Astronomical Body

Planet
Star
Black Hole

Space

Distance
Location

From a different and still rather small set of ideas, we can identify anytime in the history of the world.

Time

Second, Minute, Hour
Day, Week
Month, Year, Decade
Century, Millennium

Relative 'Location'

Past, Present, Future

Can we do the same conceptually? I propose we might be able to. From a small set of ideas to a place for any idea ... a place for every idea.

A Place for Every Idea

2008-08-12T09:30:00.001-07:00

As the old adage goes for organizing things,

A place for every thing, and
every thing in its place.

Can I be so bold as to suggest that CLiC Pictures can provide ...

A place for every idea ...

Or at least ...

A context for every idea

Comapping

2008-08-11T09:16:00.001-07:00

A new Web 2.0 tool. Anyone using it?

Comapping.com

Collaborative
Web-Based
Mind Mapping

David Armano Logic+Emotion

2008-08-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

From "Blogs are Free Samples of Your Brand"

| View | Upload your own

CLiC Pictures - Equip 2nd Take

2008-08-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Any thoughts on which image?

CLiC Pictures - Equip Yourself for Life

2008-08-09T12:36:00.000-07:00

There is a 'flow' to learning CLiC Pictures which can help us in every part of life.

Learn the Core parts and patterns
Which then support our understanding and using the Life patterns and pictures
Which inform our appreciation of the Big Concept pictures and parts
which then ...

Grove and the TPM - Team Performance Model

2008-08-08T07:42:00.001-07:00

Interesting example of a visual model diagram ...

Time ... left to right
Freedom ... top to bottom, greater to lesser

At The Grove

Allan Drexler and David Sibbet spent 10 years refining a comprehensive model of team performance that shows the predictable stages involved in both creating and sustaining teams. The Drexler/Sibbet Team Performance™ Model (TPM) illustrates team development as seven stages, four to create the team and three to describe levels of performance.

The stages and their key questions are:

Orientation—Why am I here?
Trust Building—Who are you?
Goal Clarification—What are we doing?
Commitment—How will we do it?
Implementation—Who does what, when and where?
High Performance—WOW!
Renewal—Why continue?

The complete model includes keys that indicate whether or not a team has resolved the predictable issues in each stage. Unlike simpler models that focus primarily on team formation or team behaviors, the TPM not only shows how the sustaining side relies on mastering the fundamentals indicated on the creating side, it also describes the behaviors exhibited during each stage of the model. This powerful tool for developing and sustaining teams can be used as an information checklist for thinking through team development, or more formally with a Team Performance Inventory (full written report) and Team Performance Indicator (self scorer).

The Grove has developed a full range of learning guides and workshops in a Team Performance System that can be licensed.

Grove Facilitation Model

2008-08-07T15:29:00.001-07:00

The Grove Consultants, International

Discovered via VizThink Member David Thomas.

Google Blog entry ... by David Sibbet

Triaging Information based on Know Feel Do

2008-08-07T09:02:00.001-07:00

Do I need to ...

... Be Aware?

Know

... Care?

Feel

... Prepare?

XPLANE and idiagram Home Page Pictures

2008-08-06T08:13:00.001-07:00

Isn't it cool that even though these pictures have been developed independently, they bear a remarkable resemblance. I believe they are each laboring to depict a fundamentally human process.

XPLANE Home Page

idiagram Home Page

Forms, Fields, and Flow from Dave Gray

2008-08-04T13:32:00.000-07:00

From Dave's Site ...

In this short video (about seven minutes) Dave introduces some basic principles of visual language: Forms, fields and flows. He think of this as the “alphabet” of visual language. This set of principles is the primary set of marks you need in order to create visual meaning.

Marks and Meaning by Dave Gray

2008-08-04T11:28:00.001-07:00

Tempted, I think so.

Version Zero at Lulu.com

Pros ...

- See what Dave is thinking in one piece
- Hope to collaborate with Dave some day on my work (Likelihood?)
- See and own the quality of Lulu.com

Cons ...

- $25 bucks for a moving target

ColorJack Color Wheel

2008-08-04T11:11:00.001-07:00

Very cool!

http://www.colorjack.com/sphere/

Found via ...
http://www.agencytool.com/dashboard/

Found via ...
http://www.xplane.com/xblog/2008/07/25/web-design-dashboard/

Thought and Language Flows

2008-07-31T21:34:00.001-07:00

Two pictures which are capturing a similar flow. First this great 'image' based picture, by Dave Gray at DaveGrayInfo.com

And this 'diagram' by Ryan Coleman from a slide ... at SlideShare.net

Via Ryan Coleman's list at The VizThink SlideShare.net Group

Chart Chooser ! Cool

2008-07-31T21:09:00.000-07:00

I was just thinking about the spectrum of visuals ... being

Static
Dynamic
Interactive

and the sub-spectrums are ...

Chart ... Data Visualized
Diagram ... Abstractions Visualized
Image ... Resembles Reality in some way

And Found this Chart Chooser via The Extreme Presentation Method

Find this interactive version at ChartChooser.com

Diagram vs. Image Example - Wow!

2008-07-31T13:44:00.001-07:00

Sometimes a diagram is the right tool for the job, sometimes its an image.

First there was a workflow diagram ...

Then, there was a useful workflow image, helpful for training ...

Internal VizThink Thread
Topic ... How info-maps helps on training
Contributor ... Renato Gangoni
Company ... Tim

Load Testing Presentation No Knowledge

2008-07-30T09:16:00.000-07:00

Delivered June 20, 2008

The World is Just Awesome - Discovery Channel Commercial - Boomdiata

2008-07-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Garr Reynolds @ Google

2008-07-30T07:32:00.001-07:00

The Power of CLiC Pictures

2008-07-24T12:39:00.001-07:00

Gain perspective and focus attention (Consider)
Organize ideas and actions (Connect)
Discover and apply reusable patterns and pictures (Create)

We can see how CLiC Pictures share the first two bullets as benefits with geographical maps (i.e. road maps whether city, county, state, etc.) The third bullet could be thought of as similar to a city or roadway planner who leverages familiar road and traffic patterns as they design and create new 'places'.

(original note Wed 7/23/08-w2)

Vision and Mission - Take #38

2008-07-08T11:07:00.001-07:00

Vision

More people living more intentional and meaningful lives.

Mission

Encourage our quest to live and learn.

(To support the crucial quest to live and learn.)

CLiCs - An Outline

2008-07-08T09:43:00.001-07:00

Life is complex, random, and often hidden from view.

Setting the Stage

Facts of Life

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."

With this in mind, in many ways, we each create our own life.

Challenge

However, life is often complex and frustrating, random and disorganized, and often hidden from view. There are so many choices, so many unknowns. How can we equip ourselves to create and lead our lives? It is huge, varied, and overwhelming.

An Opportunity

What if we could approach life similarly to the way we approach other disciplines such as cooking, medicine, or sports?

Identify the fundamentals and pursue mastery in them
Apply the fundamentals
Learn in terms of the fundamentals

Introducing CLiCs

Section 1 - Life's Fundamental Parts and Patterns

Section 2 - See Life More Clearly, Live More Intentionally

Section 3 - Always Living and Learning

Inspire Yourself!

2008-07-03T10:23:00.001-07:00

Before you inspire your team,

you must inspire yourself.

From a DU poster in AB's cube.

Image Test - Will it grow?

2008-07-03T07:25:00.000-07:00

Well?

Too funny, this post was just an experiment on posting a larger image.

:::: Attribution of Artwork ::::

It turns out this is by a fellow VizThink Community Member - Austin Kleon. (I found this over a year ago, before I even knew about VizThink.)

Austin Kleon on the web with Edward Tufte Images
Austin Kleon after attending VizThink '08 in Austin, Texas
Austin Kleon MindMap Set on Flikr

Tom

Mission Version #37

2008-07-02T09:16:00.001-07:00

Support our desire to live and learn

Support our quest to live and learn

Support our need to live and learn

The Tao of Pooh

2008-06-30T11:36:00.001-07:00

My point exactly ...

How can you get very far,

If you don't know Who You Are?

How can you do what you ought,.

If you don't know What You've Got?

And if you don't know Which To Do

Of all the things in front of you,

Then what you'll have when you are through

Is just a mess without a clue

Of all the best that can come true

If you know What and Which and Who.

--from the Tao of Pooh, in Popcorn's Cracking, p. 15

From Quote Page ...

http://www.trinicom.com/sue/quotes.htm#Paradigms

More Mission Riffs

2008-06-30T09:33:00.001-07:00

Clarify the quest to live and learn

... or ...

Organize the quest to live and learn

Possible Mission Statement Versions

2008-06-30T09:25:00.001-07:00

Two possible mission statements behind CLiCs

Serve the quest to live and learn

... or ...

Encourage the quest to live and learn

Create!

2008-06-27T14:38:00.001-07:00

"We cannot change the cards we are dealt,
just how we play the hand."

Randy Pausch
The Last Lecture

Within this space,
we each create
our own life.

To create or not to create ... that is the question

2008-06-26T19:20:00.001-07:00

We each create our own life.

Each one of us must ...

2008-06-26T15:01:00.001-07:00

We must each construct, compose, and conduct our own life.

But how?

Know and grow in the fundamentals of life
See our lives more clearly
Think, listen and learn more effectively

Benefits, Take 39

2008-06-25T15:05:00.001-07:00

LIVE / Meaningful and Difference-making Life - MDL

~ Model what it means to live

LOVE/ Create Deeper Relationships - CDR

~ building Cedars (long lasting, strong, aromatic)

LABOR / Be More Effective - BME

~ Be a better ME

LAUGH / Savor More of Life - SML

~ Sommelier, a wine steward, trained and knowledgeable in savoring wines

Benefits, Take 38

2008-06-23T15:11:00.001-07:00

Be more effective
Have better relationships
Enjoy more of life
Live more meaningfully

CLiC Pictures - Think More Clearly About Life

2008-06-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

A possible benefit summary ...

CLiC Pictures give us the ability to
think more clearly about our lives,
every part.

Using CLiC Pictures we can ...

become more effective
cultivate richer relationships
pursue living a more meaningful life

Actions CLiC Pictures support ...

Consider
Connect
Care
Create

(Did you ever notice that care and create share the same first four letters?)

Vision Fuel

2008-06-12T07:33:00.000-07:00

Vision

think more effectively
act more intentionally
live more meaningfully

Through more effective thinking,
we take more intentional actions,
living more meaningful lives.

Through more effective thinking, we live more meaningful lives.

Visual Aids with Food

2008-06-10T13:09:00.001-07:00

We use visuals for many efforts.

Our Radar

The Food Pyramid serves as a type of radar for us consider what we do and don't want to eat.

Our Repertoire

A cookbook can serve as a collection of the recipes that we have in our culinary arsenal.

Our Results

If we were a chef, or an event organizer, we might keep a portfolio of the events and banquets that we had served.

In the realm of ideas and knowledge, what do we have?

Hmmm ...

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

A Powerful Set of Ideas

2008-06-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

There are many, many sources that state: "You need these 3 truths", "these 7 steps", "the 10 top strategies". Sets and sets and sets of ideas. And lots of them are excellent and invaluable. However, in the end, we have a huge Fibber McGee's closet stuffed full of sets of ideas. We don't usually think of looking for a good "set of ideas", however that's what these are.

When we were younger, we would get excited about a new LEGO® set, or an Erector® set, or a Lincoln Log® set. With the right set of pieces and parts, we could build almost anything. Well in life, the same is true with a good set of ideas.

Introducing the set of ideas

... that gives us the ability to

organize
assess
benefit from

every other set of ideas.

References

Webinar - Write More Effective Concepts

Introducing the blank that gives us blank.

Universal Conceptual Framework

Beautiful Lincoln Log Homes

Brief Description of Zoetics , a new Thinking / Thought Language

2008-06-10T08:48:00.001-07:00

A blast from the past, just for the fun of it. To see where how I've progressed.
(Originally drafted April 7, 2005 - 3 years ago)

Some of the names have changed ... but it's still growing.

Primary content of Zoetics, a new Thinking Language

13 familiar concepts each represented by a simple shape, i.e. ThoughtShapes (or ThoughtBlocks)
Idea Spectrums associated with each of the 9 core ThoughtShapes
Action Progressions which can be used with any action
Basic Syntax
(Key Definitions?)

Basic Purpose of Zoetics

Enable us to think, communicate, and act with our Right and Left Brain strengths
Be more familiar with the stuff of life (thinking dexterity vs. manual dexterity)
Discover patterns and key knowledge which are highly reusable
Raise our awareness of the key "things" that we need to look for in every situation (edit)

Initial Applications and Foundations

Foundational Patterns: Cause & Effect, Communication / Transaction, Test, Ownership, Responsibilty
Inescapable Actions: Events, Decisions, Problems, Goals ( EDPG )
Motivation: Mission, Purpose, Dreams, Vision ( MPDV )

Creator's Guide Course

2008-06-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

Some similar ideas and visuals ... cool!

Don't know enough to endorse or not endorse, but it's always cool to ideas in the same genre.

http://www.creatorsguide.com/

http://your.creatorsguide.com/master_creative_system

Word of Mouth and Excellence

2008-06-10T07:04:00.001-07:00

05 June 2008

How do you generate word of mouth?
Excellence, of course.

--Tom Peters

(C) 2008 Tom Peters

Radar --> Repertoire --> Results

2008-06-09T12:26:00.001-07:00

An author on the internet talks about these 3 R's for professional effectiveness.

Radar
Repertoire
Results

CLiC Pictures can be used to improve the Radar visibility in any area of our lives, whether personal or professional. It's up to us, then, to cultivate our actual Repertoire of abilities which we then produce our Results with.

References ...

Mike Pegg: The Wye Valley, Herefordshire, United Kingdom

3 tips for employing your personal radar

Strengths Coaching in 90 Minutes (In Ninety Minutes) (Paperback)
by Mike Pegg (Author), Sue Moore (Author)
at Amazon.uk

Blogs of 3 tips with label of strengths

A reminder ...

2008-06-09T07:33:00.001-07:00

"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up."

~ Thomas A. Edison

Action vs. Contemplation?

2008-06-05T19:00:00.001-07:00

Quote of the Day - Jacob Bronowski -

"The world can only be grasped by action, not by contemplation."

Jacob Bronowski @ Wikipedia

Not either, or, but both.

A Universal Conceptual Framework

2008-06-04T11:10:00.001-07:00

Many Frameworks

Many people provide frameworks to inform what we need to know and do in order to succeed in life.

For instance ...

The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People

John Wooden's Pyramid of Success, Head Coach UCLA ...
Napoleon Hill 17 Principles of Success

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
Benjamin Bloom's Taxonomy of Learning Domains

ThinkTQ - 10 Colors of Success
The Life Puzzle - 16 Areas and 5 edges
The Life Scope - 8 Vital Zones

A Universal Conceptual Framework

CLiCs, or Core Life Concepts, are a fundamental set of ideas and CLiC Pictures provide a visual way of constructing Universal Models and Frameworks to be more effective in every are of life.

Introducing the "conceptual framework" that gives us "the ability to organize, assess, and benefit from every other conceptual framework".

or

Introducing the "framework of ideas" that gives us "the ability to organize, assess, and benefit from every other framework of ideas".

Top Familiar Uses

2008-05-27T07:59:00.001-07:00

Top 5 Familiar Uses

Personal growth
Learning and Communication
Getting things done
Building Relationships
Leading our lives

Personal Growth

Assess our lives and our children's lives ... and fill in the gaps

Learning and Communication

Paying attention. Knowing what in the world is going on.

Getting things done

Discern where we really want to go. Determine best plans and strategies.
Execute following familiar steps.

Building Relationships

Appreciating a person's entire life.
Conversation ideas.

Leading our lives

Looking at the bigger picture, and determining what we need and want to do.

Unique Contribution of CLiCs

2008-05-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

If we sent ourselves on a journey ... whether to ...

Hike the Appalachian Trail
Climb Mt. Everest
Travel the entire United States on foot

We would equip ourselves in several ways. We would need to ...

Know the kinds of things and situations we would encounter
Prepare ourselves with strengths and skills to deal with these
Bring a map of the area we would be covering and of the surrounding terrain

Now, life has often been compared to a journey or an adventure, and yet we leave our preparation to living this life to a much more haphazard approach than if we were making a trip of some sort.

CLiCs and CLiC Patterns identify ...

The general things and situations (items, influences, and interactions) we will encounter in life
We then must gain skill and strength to deal with these

CLiC Pictures

Help provide conceptual maps of life and the surrounding world.

The goal of CLiCs ... to serve as a type of inventory as we enlighten, equip, and envision ourselves for real living.

(CLiCs are Crucial Life Concepts)

Fill in the blank

2008-05-22T10:08:00.001-07:00

We have taken many tests with fill-in-the-blank required answers,
which fundamentally don't matter to our lives.

CLiCs identify
the blanks which we all must fill in
in order that we may live
successful and satisfying lives.

Life is NOT Simple

2008-05-20T11:25:00.001-07:00

We ...

Life is not simple.
Life is not easy.

We don't know much.
We're not in charge.

So let's deal with it.

or

You ...

Life is not simple.
Life is not easy.

You don't know much.
You're not in charge.

So deal with it.

Conceptual Cartography

2008-05-20T11:09:00.000-07:00

Not so much topography, but topology.

Identifying boundaries, places, scale, and interrelationships.

Cartography @ Wikipedia

Quote - Stream of thought vs. Ordered

2008-05-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

This is my living faith, an active faith, a faith of verbs:

to question, explore, experiment, experience, walk, run, dance, play, eat, love, learn, dare, taste, touch, smell, listen, argue, speak, write, read, draw, provoke, emote, scream, sin, repent, cry, kneel, pray, bow, rise, stand, look, laugh, cajole, create, confront, confound, walk back, walk forward, circle, hide, and seek.

To seek: to embrace the questions, be wary of answers.

-Terry Tempest Williams, naturalist and author (b. 1955)

Stream of thought is cool.
Ordered is cool, too.

CLiCs - A Conceptual WIKI

2008-05-12T08:15:00.001-07:00

CLiCs are to store your ideas about WIKI.

W - wisdom
I - insight
K - knowledge
I - information

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiki

When life gives you lemons ...

2008-05-09T13:07:00.001-07:00

The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.

-M. Scott Peck, psychiatrist and author (1936-2005)

Idea Scope - Double Entendre - Scope as in Range or Reach

2008-05-09T12:02:00.001-07:00

The double entendre at work for us

scope - (noun) providing a visual image

scope - (noun) the range, reach, extent, or spectrum

Another use for the Idea Scope is to appreciate the focus of a given conversation or endeavor. To see that the present topic is focusing on a particular part of life, and that in doing so, it is neglecting other areas of life. That's cool. It's not a bad thing. It's an awareness thing. Kind of like when using a menu at a restaurant. We look at the menu to consider the scope of our options. Then we have the privilege of choosing what to focus on, what to have, and what else to neglect. At least for that meal.

So when conversing, thinking, acting, or what have you, using the Idea Scope can help us know where we are in the world.

Seeing the physical ... and conceptual

2008-05-09T10:45:00.001-07:00

Physical

Small

microscope

Far

telescope

Circumspectly

periscope

Conceptual

time

calendar

location

map

ideas

idea scope

IdeaScope - Maybe the right metaphor

2008-05-09T08:25:00.001-07:00

While thinking again about a way to describe what CLiCs, and CLiC Patterns and Pictures can do for us, I thought of the Idea Scope concept again.

Using an Idea Scope, we are able to see, not the physical, but the conceptual. An "Idea Scope" enables us to see the 16 ideas, conceptual features, that surround us throughout our lives.

We can ... somewhat like using Google Earth

Know what we are focusing on
... and know what we are neglecting as well
Zoom in and out and look around
See parts of life which are invisible

By using the Idea Scope, we can improve our ...

Listening & Comprehension
Retention & Recall
Application & Effectiveness

Whether you are a Leader, Learner, or Doer, you will benefit from the Idea Scope.

Call now to order your very own Idea Scope ;)

Should it be one word or two? Upper or Lower?

Idea Scope

... or ...

idea scope

... or ...

IdeaScope

... or ...

ideascope

3 Levels To Use

2008-05-01T07:55:00.001-07:00

There are three levels we could benefit from CLiC Pictures, Progressions and Spectrums.

Level 1 - Parts

Use the 16 parts of life to represent any situation or information, in order to learn, teach, or make a difference. In doing so, we also improve our mastery of these 16 central parts of life.

Level 1 - Existing Pictures

Use any of the existing patterns or pictures when we're learning or doing in order to be more effective. Learn from familiar to unfamiliar and all that.

Level 3 - An Idea Scope

Use several of the existing patterns and pictures, as well as any new ones of your own, to create a multiple level-of-detail view of any person, situation or information, which we can conceptually zoom in to the details (i.e. a microscope), or conceptually zoom out for a more universal view (like a telescope).

Supporting Better Idea Transfer = Communication

2008-04-28T14:00:00.001-07:00

When we communicate ideas to each other, we want them to be ...

Meaningful (understandable)
Memorable (unforgettable)
Noteworthy (important)

We want others to say things like ...

"I know what you are talking about."
"Yeah, I remember what you said two years ago on this topic"
"Wow, I am so glad you told me about this!"

As opposed to ...

"I have no idea what you're talking about"
"I'm sorry, did you say something?"
"And why did you just waste my time?"

(Found 'noteworthy' via a search on 'importance' at Wordnet)

The PUB View - The Ultimate General Context

2008-04-28T13:34:00.001-07:00

April 28, 2008

While conversing with Scott about world views, we first discussed the feeders of how we "Identify Reality":

(:-) Source ---> Book

Interaction }
Information } ---> Recipient (-:)
Inference }

This didn't connect.

Then we discussed the PUB View of the Reality. This one clicked!

I mentioned that one of the powers and values of CLiC Pictures is that they can provide conceptual context much like how maps provide geographical context.
If we think of the progression of drilling in ...

A map of the Milky Way galaxy
A map of our Solar System
A map of the Earth, or a globe
A map of our continent, North America
A map of the U.S.A.
A map of your state
A map of your county
A map of your city
A map of your neighborhood
A map of your house

or ...

A view of the Earth
A map of our country
A map of our region
A map of our city

I should have mentioned the PUB View first, which then puts the 3 I's of Identifying/Discovering Reality in context (who knew?), which then also is a clean lead into the argument that training ourselves to infer or reason using logic is a foundational and central skill that we all need.

Vitruvius Gets Around

2008-04-25T12:57:00.001-07:00

Vitruvius, the roman architect born c. 80–70 BC and died after c. 15 BC, identified three essential attributes of a building which are relevant to any item that we deal with.

A structure must exhibit the three qualities of

firmitas, strong or durable
utilitas, useful
venustas, beautiful

Or as I like to say ...

Firm
Functional
Friendly

I did not know that the famous picture of the man in the circle created by Leonardo da Vinci was called the Vitruvian Man

Leonardo da Vinci's Vitruvian Man (ca. 1487). Pen and ink with wash over metalpoint on paper, 344 × 245 mm.

Insights are life

2008-04-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

We live and die by our insights.

CLiCs help us gather, discuss, and apply our insights.

or

CLiCs help us combine and use our insights.

or

CLiC Pictures help us seek and share insight.

(seek, save, show, sort, shift)

Building your life ...

2008-04-23T09:36:00.001-07:00

Just As A Builder Uses Specific Tools and Materials To Construct A House and a Home . . .
You Can Discover The Tools and Materials You Need To Build Your Life

When building a house ...

You can hire professionals to build the home
The professionals use invaluable tools to create the home
You can buy quality materials that go into the home

When building your life ...

You are the 'professional builder'
You need to discover and learn the tools to use
You can't buy quality materials. You need to make them 'by hand'.

CLiCs stands for Central Life Concepts

CLiCs are ...

the fundamental items, influences, and interactions
that you must master
to build your life.

Quote is from the Build A Life website.