Art is a diverse range of human activities in creating visual, auditory or performing artifacts (artworks), expressing the author's imaginative, conceptual ideas, or technical skill, intended to be appreciated for their beauty or emotional power.[1][2] Other activities related to the production of works of art include the criticism of art, the study of the history of art, and the aesthetic dissemination[clarification needed] of art. The three classical branches of art are painting, sculpture and architecture.[3] Music, theatre, film, dance, and other performing arts, as well as literature and other media such as interactive media, are included in a broader definition of the arts.[1][4] Until the 17th century, art referred to any skill or mastery and was not differentiated from crafts or sciences. In modern usage after the 17th century, where aesthetic considerations are paramount, the fine arts are separated and distinguished from acquired skills in general, such as the decorative or applied arts. Though the definition of what constitutes art is disputed[5][6][7] and has changed over time, general descriptions mention an idea of imaginative or technical skill stemming from human agency[8] and creation.[9] The nature of art and related concepts, such as creativity and interpretation, are explored in a branch of philosophy known as aesthetics.[10] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art (more)

meta - The Craft, DIY, Neo-Victorian (more)

[[Creation] (creativity)]: the Collaborative production, direct and unmediated, of necessary beauty, outside all structures of hypermediation, Alienation, commodification. We've long since grown weary of quibbling over terms, and if you don't know what we mean by "Necessary Beauty" you may as well stop reading here. "Art" is only a possible sub-category of this mystery and not necessarily the most vital. http://www.dromo.com/fusionanomaly/immediatism.html (more)

Douglas Rushkoff sees the Real World as the ultimate Subversive space. We can take charge of the real reality they left behind; I mean the world we're actually living in. The yards and streets and fingers and tongues. Let's build Bicycle lanes and barbecues, After School programs and AIDS care networks, places to play music and playgrounds for kids. They're so busy monitoring the airwaves for signs of treason against the market or state that they've lost track of what's happening between real people. Turn off your cell phone and speak to that guy sitting next to you on the bus. That's about the most subversive thing you could do. TAZ/Immediatism in action.

In Real Life

see Real World

Self-determination theory (SDT) is a macro theory of human motivation and personality, concerning people's inherent growth tendencies and their innate psychological needs. It is concerned with the motivation behind the choices that people make without any external influence and interference. SDT focuses on the degree to which an individual’s behavior is self-motivated and self-determined.[1] In the 1970s, research on SDT evolved from studies comparing the Intrinsic and Extrinsic motives, and from growing understanding of the dominant role intrinsic motivation played in an individual’s behavior[2] but it was not until the mid-1980s that SDT was formally introduced and accepted as a sound empirical theory. Research applying SDT to different areas in social psychology has increased considerably since the 2000s... Edward L. Deci and Richard Ryan later expanded on the early work differentiating between intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and proposed three main intrinsic needs involved in self-determination.[7][8] According to Deci and Ryan, the three psychological needs motivate the self to initiate behavior and specify nutriments that are essential for psychological health and well-being of an individual. These needs are said to be universal, innate and psychological and include the need for competence (mastery), autonomy, and relatedness (connection).[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-determination_theory (more)

cf Agency (more)

Social connection is the experience of feeling close and connected to others. It involves feeling loved, cared for, and valued,[1] and forms the basis of interpersonal relationships. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_connection

Scott Adams: How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life ISBN:1591847745 (more)

Action research or participatory action research – is a reflective process of progressive problem solving led by individuals working with others in teams or as part of a "Community Of Practice" to improve the way they address issues and solve problems. Action research involves the process of actively participating in an organization change situation whilst conducting research. Action research can also be undertaken by larger organizations or institutions, assisted or guided by professional researchers, with the aim of improving their strategies, practices, and knowledge of the environments within which they practice. As designers and stakeholders, researchers work with others to propose a new course of action to help their community improve its work practices. Kurt Lewin, then a professor at MIT, first coined the term “action research” in 1944. In his 1946 paper “Action Research and Minority Problems” he described action research as “a comparative research on the conditions and effects of various forms of social action and research leading to social action” that uses “a spiral of steps, each of which is composed of a circle of planning, action, and fact-finding about the result of the action”. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_research (more)

Andy Matuschak and Michael Nielsen: How can we develop transformative tools for thought (thinking tools)? Part of the origin myth of modern computing is the story of a golden age in the 1960s and 1970s. In this story, visionary pioneers pursued a dream in which computers enabled powerful tools for thought, that is, tools to augment human intelligence E.g., Douglas Engelbart, Augmenting Human Intellect... retrospectively it's difficult not to be disappointed, to feel that computers have not yet been nearly as transformative as far older tools for thought, such as language and writing. We believe now is a good time to work hard on this vision again. In this essay we sketch out a set of ideas we believe can be used to help develop transformative new tools for thought (more)

memorization tool - see CardDeck

Hal Macomber quotes Clarke Ching on applying ToC Thinking Processes to traditional Project Management, then explores the assumptions challenged by Agile Software Development (Scrum), finally comparing a bit to Critical Chain Project Management. Clarke examines three cause and effect assumptions behind the evaporating cloud as it was described. He sets out to invalidate each one. (more)

One of the ToC Thinking Processes

Theory Of Constraints Thinking Processes (more)

Clarke Ching: Rolling Rocks Downhill ISBN:1505446511 Takes Eli Goldratt business-fiction approach to pitching Iterative Agile Software Development for a new product being created by a mature company. (more)

When designing Collaboration Ware, consider the scale/scope where Context is created/interpreted on a daily basis. It's not at the whole-EnterPrise or division level. Neither should it be in the lone mind of the individual (Management Trinity). Most actions are coordinated at the Team Work level, so that's where context needs to be built and shared (to make D And D decisions, esp as a Product Team). (more)

The next great mental health app will look like Pokemon Go, according to a Silicon Valley psychologist. Dr. Cameron Sepah, a psychologist who works primarily with tech executives and VCs in his San Francisco private practice, believes that "digital therapeutics," like these apps, are the future of mental healthcare, because they are more easily scaleable and accessible than traditional therapy. He says that the next generation of mental health apps won't look like traditional treatments, instead they will be more like games. (more)

Clarke Ching: Lesson One - Winston Churchill. Churchill was appointed First Lord of the Admiralty and instructed to prepare the navy to win a war against Germany. (more)