Comments for Sundry Items http://vward.wordpress.com Noticings and random detours to see where they take me. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:32:30 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=MU Comment on Rejected letter to Sunday Times about Jeremy Clarkson by Danielle White http://vward.wordpress.com/2008/01/29/rejected-letter-to-sunday-times-about-jeremy-clarkson/#comment-563 Danielle White Tue, 29 Jan 2008 17:04:22 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/?p=58#comment-563 Hear hear Ms Ward: People like Jeremy Clarkson need to be stopped with a capital 'S'. How dare the BBC allow this shallow character to get away with such inflammatory comments as were published in the aforementioned article? I too wrote a letter to the editor but unlike yourself wasn't even accorded the courtesy of a rejection letter. Alas - as a busy person working hard to keep the wolf at bay on a fraction per year of what Mr Clarkson and his ilk earn in a month it's difficult to even find the time to write letters let alone devote the appropriate energy to lobbying the right people. This is what these bigots count on - our not having the wherewithal to protest against their outrageous attempts to foment hatred and racism (thereby proving their claims about the worthless 'underclass' they so revile). Someone suggested that Mr Clarkson's article might be something for the Equality and Human Rights Commission for the Press Complaints Commission to investigate. Anyone out there with the luxury of time to follow this through? D. White Hear hear Ms Ward: People like Jeremy Clarkson need to be stopped with a capital ‘S’. How dare the BBC allow this shallow character to get away with such inflammatory comments as were published in the aforementioned article? I too wrote a letter to the editor but unlike yourself wasn’t even accorded the courtesy of a rejection letter. Alas - as a busy person working hard to keep the wolf at bay on a fraction per year of what Mr Clarkson and his ilk earn in a month it’s difficult to even find the time to write letters let alone devote the appropriate energy to lobbying the right people. This is what these bigots count on - our not having the wherewithal to protest against their outrageous attempts to foment hatred and racism (thereby proving their claims about the worthless ‘underclass’ they so revile). Someone suggested that Mr Clarkson’s article might be something for the Equality and Human Rights Commission for the Press Complaints Commission to investigate. Anyone out there with the luxury of time to follow this through?
D. White

]]> Comment on Prose, not prozac by JohnBrady http://vward.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/prose-not-prozac/#comment-559 JohnBrady Wed, 16 Jan 2008 14:52:16 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/prose-not-prozac/#comment-559 I appreciate your perspectives on Bibliotherapy & Nash. I've noted your post @ <a href="http://blog.ogdennash.org/2008/01/bibliotherapy.html" rel="nofollow">Blogden Nash</a Cheers! John I appreciate your perspectives on Bibliotherapy & Nash. I’ve noted your post @ Blogden Nash</a

Cheers!

John

]]> Comment on Empty space for the storyteller by Facilitation - Evaluation - Beyond the Edge - Viv McWaters http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/empty-space-for-the-storyteller/#comment-545 Facilitation - Evaluation - Beyond the Edge - Viv McWaters Sat, 12 Jan 2008 05:10:47 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/empty-space-for-the-storyteller/#comment-545 [...] on language - this time from the writer’s perspective - Victoria Ward writes I’ve been entirely inspired by Doris Lessing’s Nobel Prize speech, her views on the [...] [...] on language - this time from the writer’s perspective - Victoria Ward writes I’ve been entirely inspired by Doris Lessing’s Nobel Prize speech, her views on the [...]

]]> Comment on The back catalogue by natalie shell http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/the-back-catalogue/#comment-368 natalie shell Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:58:18 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/10/12/the-back-catalogue/#comment-368 I love this post - and thought I'd add a beautiful clip made by my friend using stop motion photography - ie lots of photographs taken milliseconds apart cut together to be a video... I made him cut this single sequence out of a larger piece because it just seems to say so much about space, speed and... well you'll see http://www.dailymotion.com/gconde/video/xo4qi_market-in-taipei-spring-2005 by gregg conde (www.greggconde.com) I love this post - and thought I’d add a beautiful clip made by my friend using stop motion photography - ie lots of photographs taken milliseconds apart cut together to be a video…
I made him cut this single sequence out of a larger piece because it just seems to say so much about space, speed and…
well you’ll see
http://www.dailymotion.com/gconde/video/xo4qi_market-in-taipei-spring-2005
by gregg conde (www.greggconde.com)

]]> Comment on The triadic relationship between persons, tools and a new collectivity by Daria Loi http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/the-triadic-relationship-between-persons-tools-and-a-new-collectivity/#comment-317 Daria Loi Thu, 30 Aug 2007 04:07:46 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/the-triadic-relationship-between-persons-tools-and-a-new-collectivity/#comment-317 ....overwhelming and delightful to have the word glorious attached to my work - thank you (+ thanks to Clive for mentioning the suitcase to you). Please feel free to drop me a note at any time if you feel like it - always happy to share ideas with interesting thinkers/players/doers.... and let's meet next time I am in London... ...and yes, of course, Ivan Illich! best wishes, daria loi PS you might find interesting the installation described (as far as one can do that in a website I guess) at: http://www.darialoi.com/my%20your%20our%20suitcase/my%20your%20our%20suitcase.htm ….overwhelming and delightful to have the word glorious attached to my work - thank you (+ thanks to Clive for mentioning the suitcase to you).

Please feel free to drop me a note at any time if you feel like it - always happy to share ideas with interesting thinkers/players/doers…. and let’s meet next time I am in London…

…and yes, of course, Ivan Illich!

best wishes,
daria loi

PS you might find interesting the installation described (as far as one can do that in a website I guess) at: http://www.darialoi.com/my%20your%20our%20suitcase/my%20your%20our%20suitcase.htm

]]> Comment on The triadic relationship between persons, tools and a new collectivity by Dougald Hine http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/the-triadic-relationship-between-persons-tools-and-a-new-collectivity/#comment-135 Dougald Hine Mon, 06 Aug 2007 16:14:38 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/08/02/the-triadic-relationship-between-persons-tools-and-a-new-collectivity/#comment-135 Just wanted to say, I was pleased to see someone referring to Illich and Berger in close proximity. I've found a lot of insight in reading them alongside one another - but yet to come across any real exploration of the common ground between them. Just wanted to say, I was pleased to see someone referring to Illich and Berger in close proximity. I’ve found a lot of insight in reading them alongside one another - but yet to come across any real exploration of the common ground between them.

]]> Comment on Taking stories to the other side by vward http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/taking-stories-to-the-other-side/#comment-106 vward Thu, 02 Aug 2007 11:05:29 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/taking-stories-to-the-other-side/#comment-106 I think the West Wing could be an inspiration at many levels. How to relate small stories (tragedies, not statistics) with the overaraching big stories which hold the series together and connect series to series. The intricacy and counterpoint. The entirely unpatronising view that the viewer is smart enough to carry all this and respond to it. The flaws of leaders. How teams work. And don't work. Transition. The handing over of power and where it leaves the powerbrokers - especially CJ at the end as she has to negotiate her way to a normal life. The faction. The fictionally rosy view of a Democratic administration set into the accurately researched facts of the American constititional processes. And the fact that most of the meetings are held walking down a corridor side by side, not looking each other in the face. There was a programme recently on Radio 4 about the role of wide corridors in the generation of stories. And there is a great deal to be said for what you can say to someone when you are not eyeballing each other. Witness why it's always worth walking your children to school. It's those intersticial transitional spaces, and the sense of anonymity which invite a kind of confidential sharing which doesn't happen in more formal settings with allocated identities (kitchen, meeting room). Corridors not of power but of exchange, although power is certainly flowing back and forth in the West Wing. I think the West Wing could be an inspiration at many levels.

How to relate small stories (tragedies, not statistics) with the overaraching big stories which hold the series together and connect series to series.

The intricacy and counterpoint.

The entirely unpatronising view that the viewer is smart enough to carry all this and respond to it.

The flaws of leaders.

How teams work. And don’t work.

Transition. The handing over of power and where it leaves the powerbrokers - especially CJ at the end as she has to negotiate her way to a normal life.

The faction. The fictionally rosy view of a Democratic administration set into the accurately researched facts of the American constititional processes.

And the fact that most of the meetings are held walking down a corridor side by side, not looking each other in the face. There was a programme recently on Radio 4 about the role of wide corridors in the generation of stories. And there is a great deal to be said for what you can say to someone when you are not eyeballing each other. Witness why it’s always worth walking your children to school. It’s those intersticial transitional spaces, and the sense of anonymity which invite a kind of confidential sharing which doesn’t happen in more formal settings with allocated identities (kitchen, meeting room). Corridors not of power but of exchange, although power is certainly flowing back and forth in the West Wing.

]]> Comment on Taking stories to the other side by Andrew Trickett http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/taking-stories-to-the-other-side/#comment-104 Andrew Trickett Thu, 02 Aug 2007 10:36:38 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/22/taking-stories-to-the-other-side/#comment-104 I posted this at Anecdote as a reply to Shawn's post as I'm in to knowledge management and saw a link. Being a Wing nut - I remember the scene very well and it reminded me of Stalin's quote "A single death is a tragedy, are million deaths is a statistic.; I have long supposed that this comment was made because the human mind can't fully comprehend so many people dying. If it did we might be overwhelmed as human beings. Maybe one day we will look at West Wing for other nuggets of managerial advice. One of my favourite quotes is from Toby Ziegler - after there has been a leak and he summons all the staff in and says " "We're a group. We're a team. From the President and Leo on through, we're a team. We win together, we lose together. We celebrate and we mourn together. And defeats are softened and victories are sweeter because we did them together... You're my guys and I'm yours... and there's nothing I wouldn't do for you. Maybe some managers need to look at that especially for an after action review which I have seen dissolve into a hunt the scapegoat procedure and no new knowledge is shared. I posted this at Anecdote as a reply to Shawn’s post as I’m in to knowledge management and saw a link.

Being a Wing nut - I remember the scene very well and it reminded me of Stalin’s quote “A single death is a tragedy, are million deaths is a statistic.;

I have long supposed that this comment was made because the human mind can’t fully comprehend so many people dying. If it did we might be overwhelmed as human beings.

Maybe one day we will look at West Wing for other nuggets of managerial advice. One of my favourite quotes is from Toby Ziegler - after there has been a leak and he summons all the staff in and says ”

“We’re a group. We’re a team. From the President and Leo on through, we’re a team. We win together, we lose together. We celebrate and we mourn together. And defeats are softened and victories are sweeter because we did them together… You’re my guys and I’m yours… and there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you.

Maybe some managers need to look at that especially for an after action review which I have seen dissolve into a hunt the scapegoat procedure and no new knowledge is shared.

]]> Comment on Peel me another ant by Designer Clothes » Designer Clothes July 28, 2007 7:39 am http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/so-much-to-say-so-little-time/#comment-100 Designer Clothes » Designer Clothes July 28, 2007 7:39 am Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:27:32 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/28/so-much-to-say-so-little-time/#comment-100 [...] So much to say, so little time office of fair trading policy maker, callcentre manager, call centre worker clothes designer, shop manager, shop assistant scientist, researcher librarian, knowledge manager, information officer web designer, code writer … [...] [...] So much to say, so little time office of fair trading policy maker, callcentre manager, call centre worker clothes designer, shop manager, shop assistant scientist, researcher librarian, knowledge manager, information officer web designer, code writer … [...]

]]> Comment on ‘You’ve got a whole repertoire of silences, don’t you?’ by Matt Moore http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/youve-got-a-whole-repertoire-of-silences-dont-you/#comment-78 Matt Moore Mon, 30 Jul 2007 13:21:18 +0000 http://vward.wordpress.com/2007/07/24/youve-got-a-whole-repertoire-of-silences-dont-you/#comment-78 The name you are after is Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Silence & time are an odd couple you've set up here. Both ultimately refuse to be managed and yet are targets of control. If I was feeling pretentious (and I often am) I would say they are both liminal. Most of us want some kind of choice about when we speak and when we are silent, and the speed at which our time is utilised. Sometimes we get that option. The name you are after is Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Silence & time are an odd couple you’ve set up here. Both ultimately refuse to be managed and yet are targets of control. If I was feeling pretentious (and I often am) I would say they are both liminal.

Most of us want some kind of choice about when we speak and when we are silent, and the speed at which our time is utilised. Sometimes we get that option.

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