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Development and Quality: Reply to Agile Diary
Former WiZiQ product manager Vikrama Dhiman responded to one of my tweets with a full-blown blogpost, thereby giving support to Matt Mullenweg's point that microblogging goes hand-in-hand with "macroblogging."
My tweet:
enjoys draft æsthetics yet wishes more developers would release stable products. / adopte certains produits trop rapidement.
Vikrama's post:
Good Enough Software Does Not Mean Bad Software « Agile Diary, Agile Introduction, Agile Implementation.
My reply:
"To an engineer, good enough means perfect. With an artist, there's no such thing as perfect." (Alexander Calder)
Thanks a lot for your kind comments. I'm very happy that my tweet (and status update) triggered this.
A bit of context for my tweet (actually, a post from Ping.fm, meant as a status update, thereby giving support in favour of conscious duplication, «n'en déplaise aux partisans de l'action contre la duplication».)
I've been thinking about what I call the "draft æsthetics." In fact, I did a podcast episode about it. My description of that episode was:
Sometimes, there is such a thing as "Good Enough."
Though I didn't emphasize the "sometimes" part in that podcast episode, it was an important part of what I wanted to say. In fact, my intention wasn't to defend draft æsthetics but to note that there seems to be a tendency toward this æsthetic mode. I do situate myself within that mode in many things I do, but it really doesn't mean that this mode should be the exclusive one used in any context.
That aforequoted tweet was thus a response to my podcast episode on draft æsthetics. "Yes, 'good enough' may work, sometimes. But it needs not be applied in all cases."
As I often get into convoluted discussions with people who seem to think that I condone or defend a position because I take it for myself, the main thing I'd say there is that I'm not only a relativist but I cherish nuance. In other words, my tweet was a way to qualify the core statement I was talking about in my podcast episode (that "good enough" exists, at times). And that statement isn't necessarily my own. I notice a pattern by which this statement seems to be held as accurate by people. I share that opinion, but it's not a strongly held belief of mine.
Of course, I digress…
So, the tweet which motivated Vikrama had to do with my approach to "good enough." In this case, I tend to think about writing but in view of Eric S. Raymond's approach to "Release Early, Release Often" (RERO). So there is a connection to software development and geek culture. But I think of "good enough" in a broader sense.
Disclaimer: I am not a coder.
The Calder quote remained in my head, after it was mentioned by a colleague who had read it in a local newspaper. One reason it struck me is that I spend some time thinking about artists and engineers, especially in social terms. I spend some time hanging out with engineers but I tend to be more on the "artist" side of what I perceive to be an axis of attitudes found in some social contexts. I do get a fair deal of flack for some of my comments on this characterization and it should be clear that it isn't meant to imply any evaluation of individuals. But, as a model, the artist and engineer distinction seems to work, for me. In a way, it seems more useful than the distinction between science and art.
An engineer friend with whom I discussed this kind of distinction was quick to point out that, to him, there's no such thing as "good enough." He was also quick to point out that engineers can be creative and so on. But the point isn't to exclude engineers from artistic endeavours. It's to describe differences in modes of thought, ways of knowing, approaches to reality. And the way these are perceived socially. We could do a simple exercise with terms like "troubleshooting" and "emotional" to be assigned to the two broad categories of "engineer" and "artist." Chances are that clear patterns would emerge. Of course, many concepts are as important to both sides ("intelligence," "innovation"…) and they may also be telling. But dichotomies have heuristic value.
Now, to go back to software development, the focus in Vikrama's Agile Diary post…
What pushed me to post my status update and tweet is in fact related to software development. Contrary to what Vikrama presumes, it wasn't about a Web application. And it wasn't even about a single thing. But it did have to do with firmware development and with software documentation.
The first case is that of my Fonera 2.0n router. Bought it in early November and I wasn't able to connect to its private signal using my iPod touch. I could connect to the router using the public signal, but that required frequent authentication, as annoying as with ISF. Since my iPod touch is my main WiFi device, this issue made my Fonera 2.0n experience rather frustrating.
Of course, I've been contacting Fon's tech support. As is often the case, that experience was itself quite frustrating. I was told to reset my touch's network settings which forced me to reauthenticate my touch on a number of networks I access regularly and only solved the problem temporarily. The same tech support person (or, at least, somebody using the same name) had me repeat the same description several times in the same email message. Perhaps unsurprisingly, I was also told to use third-party software which had nothing to do with my issue. All in all, your typical tech support experience.
But my tweet wasn't really about tech support. It was about the product. Thougb I find the overall concept behind the Fonera 2.0n router very interesting, its implementation seems to me to be lacking. In fact, it reminds me of several FLOSS development projects that I've been observing and, to an extent, benefitting from.
This is rapidly transforming into a rant I've had in my "to blog" list for a while about "thinking outside the geek box." I'll try to resist the temptation, for now. But I can mention a blog thread which has been on my mind, in terms of this issue.
Firefox 3 is Still a Memory Hog — The NeoSmart Files.
The blogpost refers to a situation in which, according to at least some users (including the blogpost's author), Firefox uses up more memory than it should and becomes difficult to use. The thread has several comments providing support to statements about the relatively poor performance of Firefox on people's systems, but it also has "contributions" from an obvious troll, who keeps assigning the problem on the users' side.
The thing about this is that it's representative of a tricky issue in the geek world, whereby developers and users are perceived as belonging to two sides of a type of "class struggle." Within the geek niche, users are often dismissed as "lusers." Tech support humour includes condescending jokes about "code 6": "the problem is 6″ from the screen." The aforementioned Eric S. Raymond wrote a rather popular guide to asking questions in geek circles which seems surprisingly unaware of social and cultural issues, especially from someone with an anthropological background. Following that guide, one should switch their mind to that of a very effective problem-solver (i.e., the engineer frame) to ask questions "the smart way." Not only is the onus on users, but any failure to comply with these rules may be met with this air of intellectual superiority encoded in that guide. IOW, "Troubleshoot now, ask questions later."
Of course, many users are "guilty" of all sorts of "crimes" having to do with not reading the documentation which comes with the product or with simply not thinking about the issue with sufficient depth before contacting tech support. And as the majority of the population is on the "user" side, the situation can be described as both a form of marginalization (geek culture comes from "nerd" labels) and a matter of elitism (geek culture as self-absorbed).
This does have something to do with my Fonera 2.0n. With it, I was caught in this dynamic whereby I had to switch to the "engineer frame" in order to solve my problem. I eventually did solve my Fonera authentication problem, using a workaround mentioned in a forum post about another issue (free registration required). Turns out, the "release candidate" version of my Fonera's firmware does solve the issue. Of course, this new firmware may cause other forms of instability and installing it required a bit of digging. But it eventually worked.
The point is that, as released, the Fonera 2.0n router is a geek toy. It's unpolished in many ways. It's full of promise in terms of what it may make possible, but it failed to deliver in terms of what a router should do (route a signal). In this case, I don't consider it to be a finished product. It's not necessarily "unstable" in the strict sense that a software engineer might use the term. In fact, I hesitated between different terms to use instead of "stable," in that tweet, and I'm not that happy with my final choice. The Fonera 2.0n isn't unstable. But it's akin to an alpha version released as a finished product. That's something we see a lot of, these days.
The main other case which prompted me to send that tweet is "CivRev for iPhone," a game that I've been playing on my iPod touch.
I've played with different games in the Civ franchise and I even used the FLOSS version on occasion. Not only is "Civilization" a geek classic, but it does connect with some anthropological issues (usually in a problematic view: Civ's worldview lacks anthro's insight). And it's the kind of game that I can easily play while listening to podcasts (I subscribe to a number of th0se).
What's wrong with that game? Actually, not much. I can't even say that it's unstable, unlike some other items in the App Store. But there's a few things which aren't optimal in terms of documentation. Not that it's difficult to figure out how the game works. But the game is complex enough that some documentation is quite useful. Especially since it does change between one version of the game and another. Unfortunately, the online manual isn't particularly helpful. Oh, sure, it probably contains all the information required. But it's not available offline, isn't optimized for the device it's supposed to be used with, doesn't contain proper links between sections, isn't directly searchable, and isn't particularly well-written. Not to mention that it seems to only be available in English even though the game itself is available in multiple languages (I play it in French).
Nothing tragic, of course. But coupled with my Fonera experience, it contributed to both a slight sense of frustration and this whole reflection about unfinished products.
Sure, it's not much. But it's "good enough" to get me started.
6 Comments	| tags: Acronyms, agile computing, Agile Diary, Alexander Calder, artists, Civ, Civilization (Game), Civilization Revolution, CivRev, class struggle, coders, creativity, developers, Dilbert, Dilbert moments, disclaimers, draft æsthetics, elitism, engineers, Eric S. Raymond, ESR, Facebook status, Firefox, firmware, fon.com, Fonera 2.0n, foneros, geek box, geek culture, geek niche, Good Enough, IANACoder, innovation, lusers, macroblogging, Matt Mullenweg, microblogging, nuance, problem-solving, quality control, RERO, software development, troubleshooting, troubleshooting approach, Twitter, users, Vikrama Dhiman, WiZiQ	| posted in advocacy, aesthetics, amateurs, arrogance, art, audience, bloggers, blogosphere, blogs, cluefulness, Clueing, comment-fishing, creativity, cultural awareness, cultural capital, cultural diversity, customer service, development, development strategies, Digital Life, Empowerment, enthusiasm, ethnocentrism, experience, experimentation, expertise, free software, gadget freaks, geek crowd, geek culture, geekness, geeks, groupthink, hegemony, humor, humour, hype, innovation, intellectualism, intellectuals, ivory tower, linkfest, musings, naïve, naïveté, Open Source Movement, open-source, opinions, personal, Placeholders, product and process, productivity, professionals, ramblings, respect, responsiveness, satisfaction, soapbox, social dynamics, sociocentrism, software, sophistication, specialists, specialization, stereotypes, techno enthusiasts, trends, WordPress, WordPress.com, writing
Groupthink in Action
An interesting situation which, I would argue, is representative of Groupthink.
As a brief summary of the situation: a subgroup within a larger group is discussing the possibility of changing the larger group's structure. In that larger group, similar discussions have been quite frequent, in the past. In effect, the smaller group is moving toward enacting a decision based on perceived consensus as to "the way to go."
No bad intention on anyone's part and the situation is far from tragic. But my clear impression is that groupthink is involved. I belong to the larger group but I feel little vested interest in what might happen with it.
An important point about this situation is that the smaller group seems to be acting as if the decision had already been made, after careful consideration. Through the history of the larger group, prior discussions on the same topic have been frequent. Through these discussions, clear consensus has never been reached. At the same time, some options have been gaining some momentum in the recent past, mostly based (in my observation) on accumulated frustration with the status quo and some reflection on the effectiveness of activities done by subgroups within the larger group. Members of that larger group (including participants in the smaller group) are quite weary of rehashing the same issues and the "rallying cry" within the subgroup has to do with "moving on." Within the smaller group, prior discussions are described as if they had been enough to explore all the options. Weariness through the group as a whole seems to create a sense of urgency even though the group as a whole could hardly be described as being involved in time-critical activities.
Nothing personal about anyone involved and it's possible that I'm off on this one. Where some of those involved would probably disagree is in terms of the current stage in the decision making process (i.e., they may see themselves as having gone through the process of making the primary decision, the rest is a matter of detail). I actually feel strange talking about this situation because it may seem like I'm doing the group a disservice. The reason I think it isn't the case is that I have already voiced my concerns about groupthink to those who are involved in the smaller group. The reason I feel the urge to blog about this situation is that, as a social scientist, I take it as my duty to look at issues such as group dynamics. Simply put, I started thinking about it as a kind of "case study."
Yes, I'm a social science geek. And proud of it, too!
Thing is, I have a hard time not noticing a rather clear groupthink pattern. Especially when I think about a few points in Janis's description of groupthink.
Antecedent Conditions Symptoms Decisions Affected
Insulation of the group Illusion of invulnerability Incomplete survey of alternatives
High group cohesiveness Unquestioned belief in the inherent morality of the group Incomplete survey of objectives
Directive leadership Collective rationalization of group's decisions Failure to examine risks of preferred choice
Lack of norms requiring methodical procedures Shared stereotypes of outgroup, particularly opponents Failure to re-appraise initially rejected alternatives
Homogeneity of members' social background and ideology Self-censorship; members withhold criticisms Poor information search
High stress from external threats with low hope of a better solution than the one offered by the leader(s) Illusion of unanimity (see false consensus effect) Selective bias in processing information at hand (see also confirmation bias)
Direct pressure on dissenters to conform Failure to work out contingency plans
Self-appointed "mindguards" protect the group from negative information
A PDF version, with some key issues highlighted.
Point by point…
Antecedent Conditions of Groupthink
Insulation of the group
A small subgroup was created based on (relatively informal) prior expression of opinion in favour of some broad changes in the structure of the larger group.
Lack of norms requiring methodical procedures
Methodical procedures about assessing the situation are either put aside or explicitly rejected.
Those methodical procedures which are accepted have to do with implementing the group's primary decision, not with the decision making process.
Symptoms Indicative of Groupthink
Illusion of unanimity (see false consensus effect)
Agreement is stated as a fact, possibly based on private conversations outside of the small group.
Direct pressure on dissenters to conform
A call to look at alternatives is constructed as a dissenting voice.
Pressure to conform is couched in terms of "moving on."
Symptoms of Decisions Affected by Groupthink
Incomplete survey of alternatives
Apart from the status quo, no alternative has been discussed.
When one alternative model is proposed, it's reduced to a "side" in opposition to the assessed consensus.
Incomplete survey of objectives
Broad objectives are assumed to be common, left undiscussed.
Discussion of objectives is pushed back as being irrelevant at this stage.
Failure to examine risks of preferred choice
Comments about possible risks (including the danger of affecting the dynamics of the existing broader group) are left undiscussed or dismissed as "par for the course."
Failure to re-appraise initially rejected alternatives
Any alternative is conceived as having been tried in the past with the strong implication that it isn't wort revisiting.
Poor information search
Information collected concerns ways to make sure that the primary option considered will work.
Failure to work out contingency plans
Comments about the possible failure of the plan, and effects on the wider group are met with "so be it."
Less Obvious
High group cohesiveness
The smaller group is highly cohesive but so is the broader group.
Directive leadership
Several members of the smaller group are taking positions of leadership, but there's no direct coercion from that leadership.
Positions of authority are assessed, in a subtle way, but this authority is somewhat indirect.
Homogeneity of members' social background and ideology
As with cohesiveness, homogeneity of social background can be used to describe the broader group as well as the smaller one.
High stress from external threats with low hope of a better solution than the one offered by the leader(s)
External "threats" are mostly subtle but there's a clear notion that the primary option considered may be met with some opposition by a proportion of the larger group.
Illusion of invulnerability
While "invulnerability" would be an exaggeration, there's a clear sense that members of the smaller group have a strong position within the larger group.
Unquestioned belief in the inherent morality of the group
Discussions don't necessarily have a moral undertone, but the smaller group's goals seem self-evident in the context or, at least, not really worth careful discussion.
Collective rationalization of group's decisions
Since attempts to discuss the group's assumed consensus are labelled as coming from a dissenting voice, the group's primary decision is reified through countering individual points made about this decision.
Shared stereotypes of outgroup, particularly opponents
The smaller group's primary "outgroup" is in fact the broader group, described in rather simple terms, not a distinct group of people.
The assumption is that, within the larger group, positions about the core issue are already set.
Self-censorship; members withhold criticisms
Self-censorship is particularly hard to observe or assess but the group's dynamics tends to construct criticism as "nitpicking," making it difficult to share comments.
As with leadership, the process of shielding the smaller group from negative information is mostly organic, not located in a single individual.
Because the smaller group is already set apart from the larger group, protection from external information is built into the system, to an extent.
Selective bias in processing information at hand (see also confirmation bias)
Information brought into the discussion is treated as either reinforcing the group's alleged consensus or taken to be easy to counter.
Examples from cases showing clear similarities are dismissed ("we have no interest in knowing what others have done") and distant cases are used to demonstrate that the approach is sound ("there are groups in other contexts which work, so we can use the same approach").
1 Comment	| tags: brainstorming, Bruce Tuckman, decision making, executive decisions, group dynamics, group insulation, in-group, information management, Irving Jarvis, isolated groups, project management, social groups, social psychology, social science, Sociology, storming	| posted in academics, advocacy, arrogance, cluefulness, Clueing, comment-fishing, community-building, Crazy Predictions, critical thinking, cultural diversity, diversity, Ethnography, groupthink, learn by doing, mindshare, moral enterpreneurs, naïveté, networking, opinions, politics, ramblings, rants, respect, responsiveness, social change, social contract, sociocentrism, stereotypes, trusting people, wishful thinking, wishlists
Présence féminine et culture geek (Journée Ada Lovelace) #ald09
En 2009, la journée de la femme a été hypothéquée d'une heure, dans certaines contrées qui sont passées à l'heure d'été le 8 mars. Pourtant, plus que jamais, c'est aux femmes que nous devrions accorder plus de place. Cette Journée internationale en l'honneur d'Ada Lovelace et des femmes dans les domaines technologiques est une excellente occasion pour discuter de l'importance de la présence féminine pour la pérennité sociale.
Pour un féministe mâle, le fait de parler de condition féminine peut poser certains défis. Qui suis-je, pour parler des femmes? De quel droit pourrais-je m'approprier de la parole qui devrait, selon moi, être accordée aux femmes? Mes propos ne sont-ils pas teintés de biais? C'est donc d'avantage en tant qu'observateur de ce que j'ai tendance à appeler la «culture geek» (voire la «niche geek» ou la «foule geek») que je parle de cette présence féminine.
Au risque de tomber dans le panneau du stéréotype, j'oserais dire qu'une présence accrue des femmes en milieu geek peut avoir des impacts intéressants en fonction de certains rôles impartis aux femmes dans diverses sociétés liées à la culture geek. En d'autres termes, j'aimerais célébrer le pouvoir féminin, bien plus fondamntal que la «force» masculine.
Je fais en cela référence à des notions sur les femmes et les hommes qui m'ont été révélées au cours de mes recherches sur les confréries de chasseurs, au Mali. En apparence exclusivement mâles, les confréries de chasseurs en Afrique de l'ouest accordent une place prépondérante à la féminité. Comme le dit le proverbe, «nous sommes tous dans les bras de nos mères» (bèè y'i ba bolo). Si le père, notre premier rival (i fa y'i faden folo de ye), peut nous donner la force physique, c'est la mère qui nous donne la puissance, le vrai pouvoir.
Loin de moi l'idée d'assigner aux femmes un pouvoir qui ne viendrait que de leur capacité à donner naissance. Ce n'est pas uniquement en tant que mère que la femme se doit d'être respectée. Bien au contraire, les divers rôles des femmes ont tous à être célébrés. Ce qui donne à la maternité une telle importance, d'un point de vue masculin, c'est son universalité: un homme peut ne pas avoir de sœur, d'épouse ou de fille, il peut même ne pas connaître l'identité précise de son père, il a au minimum eu un contact avec sa mère, de la conception à la naissance.
C'est souvent par référence à la maternité que les hommes conçoivent le respect le plus inconditionnel pour la femme. Et l'image maternelle ne doit pas être négligée, même si elle est souvent stéréotypée. Même si le terme «materner» a des connotations péjoratives, il fait appel à un soi adapté et sans motif spécifique. La culture geek a-t-elle besoin de soins maternels?
Une étude récente s'est penchée sur la dimension hormonale des activités des courtiers de Wall Street, surtout en ce qui a trait à la prise de risques. Selon cette étude (décrite dans une baladodiffusion de vulgarisation scientifique), il y aurait un lien entre certains taux d'hormones et un comportement fondé sur le profit à court terme. Ces hormones sont surtout présentes chez de jeunes hommes, qui constituent la majorité de ce groupe professionnel. Si les résultats de cette étude sont valables, un groupe plus diversifié de courtiers, au niveau du sexe et de l'âge, risque d'être plus prudent qu'un groupe dominé par de jeunes hommes.
Malgré d'énormes différences dans le détail, la culture geek a quelques ressemblances avec la composition de Wall Street, du moins au point de vue hormonal. Si l'appât du gain y est moins saillant que sur le plancher de la Bourse, la culture geek accorde une très large place au culte méritocratique de la compétition et à l'image de l'individu brillant et tout-puissant. La prise de risques n'est pas une caractéristique très visible de la culture geek, mais l'approche «résolution de problèmes» ("troubleshooting") évoque la décision hâtive plutôt que la réflexion approfondie. Le rôle du dialogue équitable et respectueux, sans en être évacué, n'y est que rarement mis en valeur. La culture geek est «internationale», en ce sens qu'elle trouve sa place dans divers lieux du Globe (généralement définis avec une certaine précision en cebuees névralgiques comme la Silicon Valley). Elle est pourtant loin d'être représentative de la diversité humaine. La proportion bien trop basse de femmes liées à la culture geek est une marque importante de ce manque de diversité. Un groupe moins homogène rendrait plus prégnante la notion de coopération et, avec elle, un plus grand soucis de la dignité humaine. Après tout, le vrai humanisme est autant philogyne que philanthrope.
Un principe similaire est énoncé dans le cadre des soins médicaux. Sans être assignées à des tâches spécifiques, associées à leur sexe, la présence de certaines femmes-médecins semble améliorer certains aspects du travail médical. Il y a peut-être un stéréotype implicite dans tout ça et les femmes du secteur médical ne sont probablement pas traitées d'une bien meilleure façon que les femmes d'autres secteurs d'activité. Pourtant, au-delà du stéréotype, l'association entre féminité et relation d'aide semble se maintenir dans l'esprit des membres de certaines sociétés et peut être utilisée pour rendre la médecine plus «humaine», tant dans la diversité que dans cette notion d'empathie raisonnée, évoquée par l'humanisme.
Je ne peux m'empêcher de penser à cette remarquable expérience, il y a quelques années déjà, de participer à un colloque académique à forte présence féminine. En plus d'une proportion élevée de femmes, ce colloque sur la nourriture et la culture donnait la part belle à l'image de la mère nourricière, à l'influence fondamentale de la sphère donestique sur la vie sociale. Bien que mâle, je m'y suis senti à mon aise et je garde de ces quelques jours l'idée qu'un monde un tant soit peu féminisé pouvait avoir des effets intéressants, d'un point de vue social. Un groupe accordant un réel respect à la condition féminine peut être associé à une ambiance empreinte de «soin», une atmosphère "nurturing".
Le milieu geek peut être très agréable, à divers niveaux, mais la notion de «soin», l'empathie, voire même l'humanisme n'en sont pas des caractéristiques très évidentes. Un monde geek accordant plus d'importance à la présence des femmes serait peut-être plus humain que ce qu'un portrait global de la culture geek semble présager.
Et n'est-ce pas ce qui s'est passé? Le 'Net s'est partiellement féminisé au cours des dix dernières années et l'émergence du média social est intimement lié à cette transformation «démographique».
D'aucuns parlent de «démocratisation» d'Internet, usant d'un champ lexical associé au journalisme et à la notion d'État-Nation. Bien qu'il s'agisse de parler d'accès plus uniforme aux moyens technologiques, la source de ce discours se situe dans une vision spécifique de la structure social. Un relent de la Révolution Industrielle, peut-être? Le 'Net étant construit au-delà des frontières politiques, cette vision du monde semble peu appropriée à la communication mondialisée. D'ailleurs, qu'entend-on vraiment par «démocratisation» d'Internet? La participation active de personnes diversifiées aux processus décisionnels qui créent continuellement le 'Net? La simple juxtaposition de personnes provenant de milieux socio-économiques distincts? La possibilité pour la majorité de la planète d'utiliser certains outils dans le but d'obtenir ces avantages auxquels elle a droit, par prérogative statistique? Si c'est le cas, il en reviendrait aux femmes, majoritaires sur le Globe, de décider du sort du 'Net. Pourtant, ce sont surtout des hommes qui dominent le 'Net. Le contrôle exercé par les hommes semble indirect mais il n'en est pas moins réel.
Cet état des choses a tendance à changer. Bien qu'elles ne soient toujours pas dominantes, les femmes sont de plus en plus présentes, en-ligne. Certaines recherches statistiques semblent d'ailleurs leur assigner la majorité dans certaines sphères d'activité en-ligne. Mais mon approche est holistique et qualitative, plutôt que statistique et déterministe. C'est plutôt au sujet des rôles joués par les femmes que je pense. Si certains de ces rôles semblent sortir en ligne direct du stéréotype d'inégalité sexuelle du milieu du XXè siècle, c'est aussi en reconnaissant l'emprise du passé que nous pouvons comprendre certaines dimensions de notre présent. Les choses ont changé, soit. La conscience de ce changement informe certains de nos actes. Peu d'entre nous ont complètement mis de côté cette notion que notre «passé à tous» était patriarcal et misogyne. Et cette notion conserve sa signifiance dans nos gestes quotidiens puisque nous nous comparons à un modèle précis, lié à la domination et à la lutte des classes.
Au risque, encore une fois, de faire appel à des stéréotypes, j'aimerais parler d'une tendance que je trouve fascinante, dans le comportement de certaines femmes au sein du média social. Les blogueuses, par exemple, ont souvent réussi à bâtir des communautés de lectrices fidèles, des petits groupes d'amies qui partagent leurs vies en public. Au lieu de favoriser le plus grand nombre de visites, plusieurs femmes ont fondé leurs activités sur la blogosphère sur des groupes relativement restreints mais très actifs. D'ailleurs, certains blogues de femmes sont l'objet de longues discussions continues, liant les billets les uns aux autres et, même, dépassant le cadre du blogue.
À ce sujet, je fonde certaines de mes idées sur quelques études du phénomène de blogue, parues il y a déjà plusieurs années (et qu'il me serait difficile de localiser en ce moment) et sur certaines observations au sein de certaines «scènes geeks» comme Yulblog. Lors de certains événements mettant en contacts de nombreuses blogueuses, certaines d'entre elles semblaient préférer demeurer en groupe restreint pour une part importante de la durée de l'événement que de multiplier les nouveaux contacts. Il ne s'agit pas ici d'une restriction, certaines femmes sont mieux à même de provoquer l'«effet du papillon social» que la plupart des hommes. Mais il y a une force tranquille dans ces petits regroupements de femmes, qui fondent leur participation à la blogosphère sur des contacts directs et forts plutôt que sur la «pêche au filet». C'est souvent par de très petits groupes très soudés que les changements sociaux se produisent et, des "quilting bees" aux blogues de groupes de femmes, il y a une puissance ignorée.
Il serait probablement abusif de dire que c'est la présence féminine qui a provoqué l'éclosion du média social au cours des dix dernières années. Mais la présence des femmes est liée au fait que le 'Net ait pu dépasser la «niche geek». Le domaine de ce que certains appellent le «Web 2.0» (ou la sixième culture d'Internet) n'est peut-être pas plus démocratique que le 'Net du début des années 1990. Mais il est clairement moins exclusif et plus accueillant.
Comme ma tendre moitié l'a lu sur la devanture d'une taverne: «Bienvenue aux dames!»
Les billets publiés en l'honneur de la Journée Ada Lovelace devaient, semble-t-il, se pencher sur des femmes spécifiques, œuvrant dans des domaines technologiques. J'ai préféré «réfléchir à plume haute» au sujet de quelques éléments qui me trottaient dans la tête. Il serait toutefois de bon ton pour moi de mentionner des noms et de ne pas consigner ce billet à une observation purement macroscopique et impersonnelle. Étant peu porté sur l'individualisme, je préfère citer plusieurs femmes, plutôt que de me concentrer sur une d'entre elles. D'autant plus que la femme à laquelle je pense avec le plus d'intensité dit désirer garder une certaine discrétion et, même si elle blogue depuis bien plus longtemps que moi et qu'elle sait très bien se débrouiller avec les outils en question, elle prétend ne pas être associée à la technologie.
J'ai donc décidé de procéder à une simple énumération (alphabétique, j'aime pas les rangs) de quelques femmes dont j'apprécie le travail et qui ont une présence Internet facilement identifiable. Certaines d'entre elles sont très proches de moi. D'autres planent au-dessus de milieux auxquels je suis lié. D'autres encore sont des présences discrètes ou fortes dans un quelconque domaine que j'associe à la culture geek et/ou au média social. Évidemment, j'en oublie des tonnes. Mais c'est un début. Continuons le combat! 😉
Aleijna Brugos
Anik Lachance
AT Wyatt
Aurora Flewweling-Skup
Caroline Allard
Caroline Fontaine
Cécile Gladel
Christine Prefontaine
Connie Reece
Debbie Cerda
Debbie Rouleau
Diana Martin
Elizabeth Hunt
Elizabeth Losh
Erin MacLeod
Geeta Nadkarni
Helen Faradji
Hélène Recule
Isabelle Lopez
Jen Cardew Kersey
Jenny Cool
Jess Laccetti
Kim Vallée
Kumiko Vézina
Kyra Gaunt
Leila Monaghan
Mademoiselle Klektik
Maria Briceno
Maria Ljungdahl
Marie-Chantale Turgeon
Martine Pagé
Meri Walker
Michelle Blanc
Michelle Greer
Michelle Sullivan
Mireille Caissy
Muriel Ide
Nadia Seraiocco
Nathalie Bergeron
Nellie Deutsch
Nicole Hansen
Oza Meilleur
Panthère Rousse
Patricia Tessier
Renée Wathelet
Sarine Makdessian
Shirley-Carol Landry
Vali Fugulin
Vanessa (Vanou)
Véronique Boisjoly
13 Comments	| posted in academic conferences, advocacy, amis, Années Lumière, audience, bloggers, Blogging, bloguage, blogues, cluefulness, comment-fishing, community-building, connaissances (acquaintances), creativity, critical thinking, culture, diversité, food and culture, français, friendliness, friends, geek crowd, geek culture, geeks, gender, globalisation, globalization, hegemony, humanism, journalisme, lectorat, linkfest, naïveté, Nation-States, nationalism, new media, online communication, online communities, participatory culture, partnership, Places, plogue, praises, réseaux sociaux, readership, respect, Scientific American, social butterfly effect, social capital, social change, social contract, social dynamics, social mobility, social networking, stereotypes, Tech, technology, voice, wishful thinking
Social Networks and Microblogging
Microblogging (Laconica, Twitter, etc.) is still a hot topic. For instance, during the past few episodes of This Week in Tech, comments were made about the preponderance of Twitter as a discussion theme: microblogging is so prominent on that show that some people complain that there's too much talk about Twitter. Given the centrality of Leo Laporte's podcast in geek culture (among Anglos, at least), such comments are significant.
The context for the latest comments about TWiT coverage of Twitter had to do with Twitter's financials: during this financial crisis, Twitter is given funding without even asking for it. While it may seem surprising at first, given the fact that Twitter hasn't publicized a business plan and doesn't appear to be profitable at this time,
Along with social networking, microblogging is even discussed in mainstream media. For instance, Médialogues (a media critique on Swiss national radio) recently had a segment about both Facebook and Twitter. Just yesterday, Comedy Central's The Daily Show with Jon Stewart made fun of compulsive twittering and mainstream media coverage of Twitter (original, Canadian access).
Clearly, microblogging is getting some mindshare.
What the future holds for microblogging is clearly uncertain. Anything can happen. My guess is that microblogging will remain important for a while (at least a few years) but that it will transform itself rather radically. Chances are that other platforms will have microblogging features (something Facebook can do with status updates and something Automattic has been trying to do with some WordPress themes). In these troubled times, Montreal startup Identi.ca received some funding to continue developing its open microblogging platform. Jaiku, bought by Google last year, is going open source, which may be good news for microblogging in general. Twitter itself might maintain its "marketshare" or other players may take over. There's already a large number of third-party tools and services making use of Twitter, from Mahalo Answers to Remember the Milk, Twistory to TweetDeck.
Together, these all point to the current importance of microblogging and the potential for further development in that sphere. None of this means that microblogging is "The Next Big Thing." But it's reasonable to expect that microblogging will continue to grow in use.
(Those who are trying to grok microblogging, Common Craft's Twitter in Plain English video is among the best-known descriptions of Twitter and it seems like an efficient way to "get the idea.")
One thing which is rarely mentioned about microblogging is the prominent social structure supporting it. Like "Social Networking Systems" (LinkedIn, Facebook, Ning, MySpace…), microblogging makes it possible for people to "connect" to one another (as contacts/acquaintances/friends). Like blogs, microblogging platforms make it possible to link to somebody else's material and get notifications for some of these links (a bit like pings and trackbacks). Like blogrolls, microblogging systems allow for lists of "favourite authors." Unlike Social Networking Systems but similar to blogrolls, microblogging allow for asymmetrical relations, unreciprocated links: if I like somebody's microblogging updates, I can subscribe to those (by "following" that person) and publicly show my appreciation of that person's work, regardless of whether or not this microblogger likes my own updates.
There's something strangely powerful there because it taps the power of social networks while avoiding tricky issues of reciprocity, "confidentiality," and "intimacy."
From the end user's perspective, microblogging contacts may be easier to establish than contacts through Facebook or Orkut. From a social science perspective, microblogging links seem to approximate some of the fluidity found in social networks, without adding much complexity in the description of the relationships. Subscribing to someone's updates gives me the role of "follower" with regards to that person. Conversely, those I follow receive the role of "following" ("followee" would seem logical, given the common "-er"/"-ee" pattern). The following and follower roles are complementary but each is sufficient by itself as a useful social link.
Typically, a microblogging system like Twitter or Identi.ca qualifies two-way connections as "friendship" while one-way connections could be labelled as "fandom" (if Andrew follows Betty's updates but Betty doesn't follow Andrew's, Andrew is perceived as one of Betty's "fans"). Profiles on microblogging systems are relatively simple and public, allowing for low-involvement online "presence." As long as updates are kept public, anybody can connect to anybody else without even needing an introduction. In fact, because microblogging systems send notifications to users when they get new followers (through email and/or SMS), subscribing to someone's update is often akin to introducing yourself to that person.
Reciprocating is the object of relatively intense social pressure. A microblogger whose follower:following ratio is far from 1:1 may be regarded as either a snob (follower:following much higher than 1:1) or as something of a microblogging failure (follower:following much lower than 1:1). As in any social context, perceived snobbery may be associated with sophistication but it also carries opprobrium. Perry Belcher made a video about what he calls "Twitter Snobs" and some French bloggers have elaborated on that concept. (Some are now claiming their right to be Twitter Snobs.) Low follower:following ratios can result from breach of etiquette (for instance, ostentatious self-promotion carried beyond the accepted limit) or even non-human status (many microblogging accounts are associated to "bots" producing automated content).
The result of the pressure for reciprocation is that contacts are reciprocated regardless of personal relations. Some users even set up ways to automatically follow everyone who follows them. Despite being tricky, these methods escape the personal connection issue. Contrary to Social Networking Systems (and despite the term "friend" used for reciprocated contacts), following someone on a microblogging service implies little in terms of friendship.
One reason I personally find this fascinating is that specifying personal connections has been an important part of the development of social networks online. For instance, long-defunct SixDegrees.com (one of the earliest Social Networking Systems to appear online) required of users that they specified the precise nature of their relationship to users with whom they were connected. Details escape me but I distinctly remember that acquaintances, colleagues, and friends were distinguished. If I remember correctly, only one such personal connection was allowed for any pair of users and this connection had to be confirmed before the two users were linked through the system. Facebook's method to account for personal connections is somewhat more sophisticated despite the fact that all contacts are labelled as "friends" regardless of the nature of the connection. The uniform use of the term "friend" has been decried by many public commentators of Facebook (including in the United States where "friend" is often applied to any person with whom one is simply on friendly terms).
In this context, the flexibility with which microblogging contacts are made merits consideration: by allowing unidirectional contacts, microblogging platforms may have solved a tricky social network problem. And while the strength of the connection between two microbloggers is left unacknowledged, there are several methods to assess it (for instance through replies and republished updates).
Social contacts are the very basis of social media. In this case, microblogging represents a step towards both simplified and complexified social contacts.
Which leads me to the theme which prompted me to start this blogpost: event-based microblogging.
I posted the following blog entry (in French) about event-based microblogging, back in November.
Microblogue d'événement
I haven't received any direct feedback on it and the topic seems to have little echoes in the social media sphere.
During the last PodMtl meeting on February 18, I tried to throw my event-based microblogging idea in the ring. This generated a rather lengthy between a friend and myself. (Because I don't want to put words in this friend's mouth, who happens to be relatively high-profile, I won't mention this friend's name.) This friend voiced several objections to my main idea and I got to think about this basic notion a bit further. At the risk of sounding exceedingly opinionated, I must say that my friend's objections actually comforted me in the notion that my "event microblog" idea makes a lot of sense.
The basic idea is quite simple: microblogging instances tied to specific events. There are technical issues in terms of hosting and such but I'm mostly thinking about associating microblogs and events.
What I had in mind during the PodMtl discussion has to do with grouping features, which are often requested by Twitter users (including by Perry Belcher who called out Twitter Snobs). And while I do insist on events as a basis for those instances (like groups), some of the same logic applies to specific interests. However, given the time-sensitivity of microblogging, I still think that events are more significant in this context than interests, however defined.
In the PodMtl discussion, I frequently referred to BarCamp-like events (in part because my friend and interlocutor had participated in a number of such events). The same concept applies to any event, including one which is just unfolding (say, assassination of Guinea-Bissau's president or bombings in Mumbai).
Microblogging users are expected to think about "hashtags," those textual labels preceded with the '#' symbol which are meant to categorize microblogging updates. But hashtags are problematic on several levels.
They require preliminary agreement among multiple microbloggers, a tricky proposition in any social media. "Let's use #Bissau09. Everybody agrees with that?" It can get ugly and, even if it doesn't, the process is awkward (especially for new users).
Even if agreement has been reached, there might be discrepancies in the way hashtags are typed. "Was it #TwestivalMtl or #TwestivalMontreal, I forgot."
In terms of language economy, it's unsurprising that the same hashtag would be used for different things. Is "#pcmtl" about Podcamp Montreal, about personal computers in Montreal, about PCM Transcoding Library…?
Hashtags are frequently misunderstood by many microbloggers. Just this week, a tweep of mine (a "peep" on Twitter) asked about them after having been on Twitter for months.
While there are multiple ways to track hashtags (including through SMS, in some regions), there is no way to further specify the tracked updates (for instance, by user).
The distinction between a hashtag and a keyword is too subtle to be really useful. Twitter Search, for instance, lumps the two together.
Hashtags take time to type. Even if microbloggers aren't necessarily typing frantically, the time taken to type all those hashtags seems counterproductive and may even distract microbloggers.
Repetitively typing the same string is a very specific kind of task which seems to go against the microblogging ethos, if not the cognitive processes associated with microblogging.
The number of character in a hashtag decreases the amount of text in every update. When all you have is 140 characters at a time, the thirteen characters in "#TwestivalMtl" constitute almost 10% of your update.
If the same hashtag is used by a large number of people, the visual effect can be that this hashtag is actually dominating the microblogging stream. Since there currently isn't a way to ignore updates containing a certain hashtag, this effect may even discourage people from using a microblogging service.
There are multiple solutions to these issues, of course. Some of them are surely discussed among developers of microblogging systems. And my notion of event-specific microblogs isn't geared toward solving these issues. But I do think separate instances make more sense than hashtags, especially in terms of specific events.
My friend's objections to my event microblogging idea had something to do with visibility. It seems that this friend wants all updates to be visible, regardless of the context. While I don't disagree with this, I would claim that it would still be useful to "opt out" of certain discussions when people we follow are involved. If I know that Sean is participating in a PHP conference and that most of his updates will be about PHP for a period of time, I would enjoy the possibility to hide PHP-related updates for a specific period of time. The reason I talk about this specific case is simple: a friend of mine has manifested some frustration about the large number of updates made by participants in Podcamp Montreal (myself included). Partly in reaction to this, he stopped following me on Twitter and only resumed following me after Podcamp Montreal had ended. In this case, my friend could have hidden Podcamp Montreal updates and still have received other updates from the same microbloggers.
To a certain extent, event-specific instances are a bit similar to "rooms" in MMORPG and other forms of real-time many-to-many text-based communication such as the nostalgia-inducing Internet Relay Chat. Despite Dave Winer's strong claim to the contrary (and attempt at defining microblogging away from IRC), a microblogging instance could, in fact, act as a de facto chatroom. When such a structure is needed. Taking advantage of the work done in microblogging over the past year (which seems to have advanced more rapidly than work on chatrooms has, during the past fifteen years). Instead of setting up an IRC channel, a Web-based chatroom, or even a session on MSN Messenger, users could use their microblogging platform of choice and either decide to follow all updates related to a given event or simply not "opt-out" of following those updates (depending on their preferences). Updates related to multiple events are visible simultaneously (which isn't really the case with IRC or chatrooms) and there could be ways to make event-specific updates more prominent. In fact, there would be easy ways to keep real-time statistics of those updates and get a bird's eye view of those conversations.
And there's a point about event-specific microblogging which is likely to both displease "alpha geeks" and convince corporate users: updates about some events could be "protected" in the sense that they would not appear in the public stream in realtime. The simplest case for this could be a company-wide meeting during which backchannel is allowed and even expected "within the walls" of the event. The "nothing should leave this room" attitude seems contradictory to social media in general, but many cases can be made for "confidential microblogging." Microblogged conversations can easily be archived and these archives could be made public at a later date. Event-specific microblogging allows for some control of the "permeability" of the boundaries surrounding the event. "But why would people use microblogging instead of simply talking to another?," you ask. Several quick answers: participants aren't in the same room, vocal communication is mostly single-channel, large groups of people are unlikely to communicate efficiently through oral means only, several things are more efficiently done through writing, written updates are easier to track and archive…
There are many other things I'd like to say about event-based microblogging but this post is already long. There's one thing I want to explain, which connects back to the social network dimension of microblogging.
Events can be simplistically conceived as social contexts which bring people together. (Yes, duh!) Participants in a given event constitute a "community of experience" regardless of the personal connections between them. They may be strangers, ennemies, relatives, acquaintances, friends, etc. But they all share something. "Participation," in this case, can be relatively passive and the difference between key participants (say, volunteers and lecturers in a conference) and attendees is relatively moot, at a certain level of analysis. The key, here, is the set of connections between people at the event.
These connections are a very powerful component of social networks. We typically meet people through "events," albeit informal ones. Some events are explicitly meant to connect people who have something in common. In some circles, "networking" refers to something like this. The temporal dimension of social connections is an important one. By analogy to philosophy of language, the "first meeting" (and the set of "first impressions") constitute the "baptism" of the personal (or social) connection. In social media especially, the nature of social connections tends to be monovalent enough that this "baptism event" gains special significance.
The online construction of social networks relies on a finite number of dimensions, including personal characteristics described in a profile, indirect connections (FOAF), shared interests, textual content, geographical location, and participation in certain activities. Depending on a variety of personal factors, people may be quite inclusive or rather exclusive, based on those dimensions. "I follow back everyone who lives in Austin" or "Only people I have met in person can belong to my inner circle." The sophistication with which online personal connections are negotiated, along such dimensions, is a thing of beauty. In view of this sophistication, tools used in social media seem relatively crude and underdeveloped.
Going back to the (un)conference concept, the usefulness of having access to a list of all participants in a given event seems quite obvious. In an open event like BarCamp, it could greatly facilitate the event's logistics. In a closed event with paid access, it could be linked to registration (despite geek resistance, closed events serve a purpose; one could even imagine events where attendance is free but the microblogging backchannel incurs a cost). In some events, everybody would be visible to everybody else. In others, there could be a sort of ACL for diverse types of participants. In some cases, people could be allowed to "lurk" without being seen while in others radically transparency could be enforced. For public events with all participants visible, lists of participants could be archived and used for several purposes (such as assessing which sessions in a conference are more popular or "tracking" event regulars).
One reason I keep thinking about event-specific microblogging is that I occasionally use microblogging like others use business cards. In a geek crowd, I may ask for someone's Twitter username in order to establish a connection with that person. Typically, I will start following that person on Twitter and find opportunities to communicate with that person later on. Given the possibility for one-way relationships, it establishes a social connection without requiring personal involvement. In fact, that person may easily ignore me without the danger of a face threat.
If there were event-specific instances from microblogging platforms, we could manage connections and profiles in a more sophisticated way. For instance, someone could use a barebones profile for contacts made during an impersonal event and a full-fledged profile for contacts made during a more "intimate" event. After noticing a friend using an event-specific business card with an event-specific email address, I got to think that this event microblogging idea might serve as a way to fill a social need.
More than most of my other blogposts, I expect comments on this one. Objections are obviously welcomed, especially if they're made thoughtfully (like my PodMtl friend made them). Suggestions would be especially useful. Or even questions about diverse points that I haven't addressed (several of which I can already think about).
What do you think of this idea of event-based microblogging? Would you use a microblogging instance linked to an event, say at an unconference? Can you think of fun features an event-based microblogging instance could have? If you think about similar ideas you've seen proposed online, care to share some links?
6 Comments	| tags: access control lists, archives, asymmetry, backchannel, baptism, BarCamp, bots, business cards, calendaring, chatrooms, classification systems, colleagues, community of experience, conferences, confidential microblogging, confidentiality, connections, corporate blogging, daily show, Dave Winer, ennemies, event microblog, event microblogging, event organization, event participants, Event participation, event registration, event scheduling, event tracking, event-based microblogging, event-specific microblogging, exclusiveness, extraverts, extroverts, face-threatening acts, Facebook, fandom, fans, favourites, first impressions, Fluidity, folksonomy, follower to following ratio, followers, following, geek culture, hashtags, Identi.ca, ignoring people, inclusiveness, indirect connections, Internet Relay Chat, intimacy, introverts, IRC, Jaiku, keywords, Laconica, LaTwit, Leo Laporte, LinkedIn, liveblogging, low-involvement, lurkers, Mahalo Answers, marketshare, Médialogues, meeting people, meetings, microbloggers, microblogging, microblogging ethos, microblogging groups, microblogging instances, microblogging platforms, microblogging systems, MMORPG, MSN Messenger, mutual friends, MySpace, networking, next big things, Ning, notification systems, one-way connections, online presence, oral communication, Orkut, passive participation, personal connections, personal involvement, PodCamp, PodCamp Montreal, PodMtl, politeness, profitability, reciprocated, reciprocated links, reciprocation, reciprocity, relatives, Remember the Milk, secrecy, shared interests, shyness, SixDegrees, SixDegrees.com, SMS, SNS, social connections, social media, social media life, social networking systems, social networks, taxonomy, TDSwJS, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, This Week in Tech, timidity, trust, tweeps, TweetDeck, Twistory, TWiT Army, Twitter, Twitter groups, Twitter Snobs, two-way relationships, unconference, unconferences, unfollow, vocal	| posted in acquaintances, advocacy, audience, blog comments, Blogging, blogging systems, blogging tools, blogosphere, cellphones, cluefulness, Clueing, comment-fishing, communitas, Communities, community-building, constructivism, Crazy Predictions, creativity, critical thinking, cultural capital, cultural identity, development strategies, digital lifestyle, Facebook, forums, friendliness, friends, friendship, geek crowd, geek culture, geekness, geeks, glocal, glocalization, groupthink, informality, innovation, knowledge people, linkfest, local, localization, location-specific, media, mediascape, memes, mindshare, musings, naïve, naïveté, new media, nostalgia, online communication, online communities, online privacy, online publishing, open-source, openness, opinions, optimism, participatory culture, Placeholders, productivity, profiles, public, ramblings, responsiveness, shameless plug, social, social bookmarking, social butterflies, social butterfly effect, social capital, social contract, social dynamics, social networking, social networks, social publishing, social software, sophistication, specialists, specialization, tagging, tags, techno enthusiasts, technological determinism, trends, trusting people, wishful thinking, wishlists, WordPress, WordPress.com, writing


text:
Untangling Your Marriage: A Guide to Collaborative Divorce
Nanci has been practicing law since 1992. She started her practice in busy litigation firms in Montpelier & Rutland, Vermont with a focus on Civil and Criminal Litigation and Family Law. She also worked at Vermont Legal Aid, Inc. representing victims of domestic violence and people with psychiatric diagnoses in mental health civil commitment proceedings. Nanci began her solo private practice in 2005 and works exclusively in the area of Family Law. She is a member of the Vermont Bar Association and the International Academy of Collaborative Professionals. She has received advanced training in and practices Collaborative Divorce and Collaborative Mediation. She is also licensed to practice law in the state of New York.
https://nancismithlaw.com/
The Loneliness of Recovery with Dr. Cardwell Nuckols
Loneliness is a real danger in addiction and recovery.
Dr. Cardwell Nuckols is a leading expert on loneliness and its impact on mental health. He has been in recovery for 45 years and is the author of several books on the topic, including "The Loneliness Cure: How to Overcome Loneliness and Create Lasting Connections."
This episode is about loneliness in recovery and how it can be a relapse danger. Dr. Nuckols learned about loneliness in recovery from his own experience and from working with others in recovery. Loneliness is a condition that affects everyone and can be caused by a variety of factors.
"The idea of success and future began to start to become apparent to me. An idea of the future that wasn't wrapped up in drugs and my friends wanted nothing to do with me."
In this episode, you will learn the following:
1. Loneliness is a big deal today, but nobody seems to be dealing with this.
2. Loneliness is a relapse danger.
3. Loneliness is a catalyst for drug use.
Dr. Hans Watson Pt.3 - The Family's Illness and Recovery
In part 3 of our series with Dr. Hans Watson, Dr. Watson discusses how the family habits and "illnesses" show up in children's behavior.
Dr. Hans Watson Pt.2 - Anxiety and Depression THE REAL DEAL
Part 2 of my 3 part series with Dr. Hans Watson. We discuss Anxiety and Depression in such a way that we KNOW what helps, what hurts, and what happens next.
What is the job of the brain and how is it different when we have struggled with anxiety or depression?
Dr. Hans Watson Pt.1 - Building Resiliency in Teens
Are teens nowadays just not able to handle what we could as teens? Are they too "fragile" and get depression and anxiety over things Gen Xers and Boomers just bootstrapped and handled?
Were we more resilient?
Dr. Hans Watson brings us through the life and psyche of a teen in this, Part 1 of a 3 part series. In this episode we confront not just the WHY, but HOW resiliency is created in the brain and tools to help our teens develop it.
Dr. Watson is a highly decorated, a combat-proven leader with advanced psychiatric training & experience. He has the necessary experience and skills to inspire & motivate groups, deliver world-class mental health training, improve leadership, identify the reasons for any organization's performance, and execute expert psychiatric evaluations for the courts.
Part One of Three
I Hurt Too
Aaron Huey, Founder of Firemountain Residential Treatment Center, has a frank conversation with Val who's brother suffers from Schizophrenia. Honest, emotional, and a clear understanding of how mental health issues hurt everyone in the family. They help to answer the question,"When a family member is mentally ill, what happens to the rest?"
www.beyondriskandback.com
www.mhnrnetwork.com
The Art of Being Cool With Dyslexia
Host of Beyond Risk and Back and founder of www.firemountainprograms.com, Aaron Huey, interviews Chester Simmons, a young man that learned how to overcome dyslexia and ADD. Tune in to hear an amazing perspective for parents:
What is it like to have Dyslexia?
Do you grow out of it?
How does it affect ones social life?
What helps?
Love & Logic and REALLY Risky Teens
Dr. Charles Fay and Aaron Huey review the essentials of Love and Logic and how it can provide a clear path of boundaries, consequences, and responsibility for ANY child. Dr. Fay is a parent, internationally recognized author, consultant and highly skilled public speaker. Millions of educators, mental health professionals, and parents world-wide have benefited from his practical and down-to-earth solutions to the most common and frustrating behaviors displayed by youth of all ages. These solutions come directly from years of research and clinical experience serving severely disturbed youth and their families in psychiatric hospitals, public and private schools, and homes. His interest in education and psychology were peaked as a child from years of exposure to some of our nation's most dynamic experts in these fields. This early exposure came as a result of participation in training events with his father, Jim Fay. Jim is one of the nation's leading experts on child discipline and has over fifty years of experience in public education. The internationally recognized Love and Logic approach was literally developed around Charles Fay as he grew. Now he jokes, "I think that's why I became a psychologist…just to figure out what they were doing to me as a kid. But…let me be clear…I absolutely adore my mom and dad as a result."
Dr. Fay currently works full time as an author, consultant, public speaker and CEO of the Love and Logic Institute. Because of his high-powered sense of humor and story-telling skills, audiences experience the most memorable and life changing form of learning: learning that's mentally connected to joy and real-life examples.
www.loveandlogic.com
Teens and Sex-Ed.
Talk about bodies, sex, birds, and the bees to your kids and teens.
Leave space for family values. Leave space for your teen's ideas and values...that are in development.
Mandi Nuttall is a former high school health teacher and collegiate volleyball player at BYU and has since adopted the self-proclaimed titles of a taxi driver, nutritionist, doctor, therapist, personal trainer, cancer fighter, interior designer, janitor, photographer, chef, all since marrying her soulmate and becoming a mother. Mandi and her kind-hearted husband Matt found out real quick how easy it is to go from 3 to 5 kids after twins rocked their world. After living in Utah for 12 years, and Mandi working as a professional photographer while her husband finished school, the Nuttalls have moved North and have fallen in love with the Pacific Northwest. In between the craziness of motherhood, Mandi has found another incredible purpose. Mandi is now publishing her first book, The Birthday Suit Book 1: Yearly Guides to Easily Teach Children Ages 1 to 9 About Their Body and Sex which launches on October 5th. This first book will make a huge difference in parents' lives. Mandi believes in the limitless potential within families to do good and raise knowledgeable children. She witnessed the lack of knowledge in her High School students when teaching about the body and health in her Health class, and knows how hard it is for parents to feel confident in teaching this subject. So she wrote this book to make the process simple, and to empower parents to then empower their children to respect and love their bodies. We have one shot to teach our kids to respect their bodies, and we can't leave that up to the world-it's our job and divine responsibility.
Permission to Heal
27 years as a High School Teacher, Marci Brockman is the author of Permission to Heal and this show helps clear the way for self-care.
Empathy begins with the sharing of our stories. In this podcast, we engage in meaningful, deeply human conversations to inspire connection, compassion, understanding, and whole-hearted wellness. We all need to learn to give ourselves the grace and space to heal from trauma, breathe through the tough stuff, and create meaningful lives and love. Only we can give ourselves permission to trust and take care of ourselves, follow our hearts and desires, and build lives of love, home, and belonging. Marci Brockmann is an author, artist, podcaster, and English teacher.
Do you actually have to stop and literally give yourself permission to recover from your trauma?
Yep. It is the first step to true healing. Tell yourself you can.
Check out her podcast "Permission to Heal" and her website: https://www.marcibrockmann.com/

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Yewcanflyyx aka Millie Burton is a 21 year old (DOB: August 2, 1997) pure-blood witch living in Neverland. She wields a 16" Redwood, Unicorn Hair wand, and is a member of the unsorted masses of Hogwarts students just off the train eagerly crowding around the Sorting Hat. Her favorite Harry Potter book is Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and her favorite Harry Potter character is Dobby, Snape, and expectially Draco Malfoy..


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Google Plans to Enhance Wallet Service to Compete Apple's Passbook
Source: Google Wallet | Official Website
Google revealed in a YouTube video that it plans to enhance its Wallet service with location aware store cards, boarding passes, and event tickets. The expanded service is much like similar to Apple's Passbook feature, which will be available along with iOS 6 this fall.
Enhancements for Google Wallet
New features planned for the Google Wallet were revealed in a YouTube video last week. It was reported that the search engine giant plans to expand the functionality of this service beyond payment cards. As stated by Google Wallet Product Manager Robin Dua:
One of the things we're trying to do is make it easy for airlines, transit providers, and other types of issuers of credentials to make it super simple for them to get their credentials stored in the Wallet. That's the goal. We want you to be able to leave your leather wallet at home and carry your phone and transact with that as your primary transaction device.
Google first launched its Wallet service in May, and it was followed by the release of Android devices that feature Near Field Communication chips. This component enabled Android users to make mobile contactless transactions.
Both Google Wallet and Apple Passbook are expected to use location technology and remind users that they have a reward card for a business establishment nearby. However, the search engine giant's mobile payment system is designed to enable payments with the user's credit card information stored in the cloud.
In relation to this, there were rumors that Apple is also showing interest to add NFC chip on its iPhone. However, it was reported recently that there will be no addition of NFC chip in the next-generation iPhone. This silenced further allegations that the upcoming handset could offer NFC e-wallet functionality with the Passbook application in iOS 6.
More About Apple's Passbook
Apple's Passbook was dubbed the company's "key feature" for iOS, which is set to debut this fall. They also described the application as the user's "boarding passes, movie tickets, retail coupons, loyalty cards, and more now all in one place."
While Google Wallet depends on NFC for mobile payments, the Passbook feature relies on local awareness and quickly provides users with store cards and other applicable items for nearby businesses. That said, Google's developer video reveals that it is planning to add similar location-based feature to its Wallet service that enables it to compete directly with Passbook.
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The 6 Best New Songs We Heard This Week: Mark Ronson With Bruno Mars, Mary J. Blige With Disclosure
By Jillian Mapes
This week brings strong dance cuts from Mary J. Blige's Disclosure collaboration and Giorgio Moroder's first new studio album in decades, plus rising rookie Tobias Jesso Jr., Tink, 1D, and Mark Ronson with Bruno Mars.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars — "Uptown Funk"
James Brown's "Living in America" x the Ghostbusters theme x Prince circa Purple Rain x The Sugarhill Gang's "Rapper's Delight" = "Uptown Funk." When it's done this infectiously, I can barely bring myself to care that it's all recycled hits. Also, please turn "MAKE A DRAGON WANNA RETIRE" into your catchphrase, Bruno Mars.
Mary J. Blige and Disclosure — "Follow"
Mary J. Blige's team-up with Disclosure might just prove to be the most forward-thinking career move the R&B diva's made in the last decade. "Follow," off Blige's London Sessions LP (out 11/24), uses a similar beat as Disclosure's "Grab Her," but Mary's vocals escalate it to a next-level dance floor burner.
Tobias Jesso Jr. — "Hollywood"
Tobias Jesso Jr. is this sweet, goofy Canadian dude whose simple yet expressive piano songs remind me a little of early Randy Newman. This is very much a compliment in my world. Up until this point, he's only released demos and singles via a flexi-disc 7-inch series on the True Panther label. The studio version of "Hollywood" arrived this week, and it's stunning in its singularity. This is a story about aiming for, and ultimately fearing, your own dreams. Tobias tells it with his piano, his voice, and an unruly cacophony of brass instruments. The two elements combined hit me hard between the lungs.
Giorgio Moroder — "74 Is The New 24"
How can you not kinda root for Giorgio Moroder? Not only has the disco pioneer made a major career comeback (thanks, Daft Punk), he hasn't just coasted by on his past achievements. This coming spring, he'll release his first new album in decades, complete with guest appearances from Britney Spears, Charli XCX, Sia, Kylie Minogue, Mikky Ekko, and more. "74 Is The New 24" is the first taste of this LP, and though its themes are a touch novelty, the beat is for real. Over-the-top electronic music with distinct guitar tones is a difficult thing to pull off (unless you're Nile Rodgers), and it's precisely what makes "74 Is The New 24" stand out.
https://soundcloud.com/uheardxxhear1st/tink-feat-charlamagne-tha-god-around-the-clock-prod-timbaland-the-breakfast-club-radio-rip
Tink — "Around The Clock" (feat. Charlamagne Tha God)
Timbaland said that Chicago rapper/vocalist Tink's debut is probably one of the best albums he has produced since Aaliyah's One in a Million. With this wordplay, I'm starting to understand why.
One Direction — "Clouds"
Phoenix would have been lucky to have this on their last album. (Sidenote: that new 1D album is preeeeeetty solid.)


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The Other Place is a play by American playwright Sharr White. The play premiered Off-Broadway in 2011 and then ran on Broadway.

Productions
The Other Place had its world premiere Off-Broadway in an MCC Theater production at the Lucille Lortel Theatre on March 28, 2011, in a limited run that ended May 1, 2011. Directed by Joe Mantello, the cast starred Laurie Metcalf and Dennis Boutsikaris.

The play then had its West Coast premiere at The Magic Theatre in San Francisco, California on September 12, 2012, in a limited run that ended October 14, 2012. Directed by Loretta Greco, the cast starred Henny Russell (as Juliana Smithton) and Donald Sage Mackay, with Carrie Paff, and Patrick Russell.

The play had its Broadway premiere in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on January 10, 2013 and closed on March 3, 2013 after 34 previews and 61 performances. The cast starred Laurie Metcalf and Daniel Stern, and was directed by Joe Mantello.

The Other Place received two Outer Critics Circle Award nominations, for Outstanding New Off-Broadway Play
and Outstanding Actress In A Play (Laurie Metcalf). Laurie Metcalf won an Obie Award, Performance. Metcalf was nominated for the 2013 Tony Award, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play.

It was presented at Central Square Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts in September 2013.

The Other Place had its southeast regional premiere at Carolina Actors Studio Theatre in Charlotte, North Carolina on January 9, 2014.

Plot summary
Juliana is fifty two years old and a brilliant drug-company scientist.  She is giving a speech to a neurological convention.  As she speaks we cut away to scenes with her doctor, phone calls from her estranged daughter, and arguments with her husband who may or may not be divorcing her.  Through it all she constantly refers to "the other place", a cottage on Cape Cod that the family once owned, and a place where Juliana feels she may reunite with her missing daughter and find some peace of mind.  Juliana becomes argumentative with everyone around her and appears increasingly confused.  The phone calls from the missing daughter may be a delusion.  Juliana believes that she has a brain tumor and says that her mother and other relatives all died of brain tumors at an early age.

Eventually Juliana actually visits the other place and encounters the current owner whom she mistakenly believes to be her daughter.  The woman is initially hostile and has problems of her own.  But soon the two women find mutual comfort as Juliana's husband arrives to take her home.  In a poignant closing monologue she finally confronts what is really going on.

References

External links
 The Other Place at the Internet Broadway Database
 The Other Place at Off-Broadway Internet Database

Broadway plays
2011 plays

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


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ProjectsExperienceAboutResume
UpZone: A Creative Sustainability Game
Designing a creative solution to help families reduce household waste.
User Researcher
Aug 2021 - Nov 2021
Yugvir Parhar, Madeleine Paulsen, Yufeng Ritz Wang
This work was a part of a semester-long project with a focus on sustainability and the user-centered evidence-based design process.
In this project, our team researched parents who upcycle to design a solution that addresses the barriers they face when repurposing items in their home.
Designed surveys
Developed interview questions
Conducted semi-structured interviews
Analyzed data using affinity maps
Assisted physical and video prototyping
Created prototype evaluation protocol
Led play tests and rapid discount evaluation
Upcycle (verb): the process of repurposing waste or discarded material in creative and useful ways.
Upcycling extends the life of products which ultimately helps conserve energy, resources, and the environment through creativity and resourcefulness. Through research insights we discovered that many parents upcycle to reduce household waste, to spend less money on new items, and to engage with their children in a creative hands-on activity. However, many of these parents also face barriers to upcycling including a lack of time, supplies, and creative ideas.
Thus, we sought to create a solution that both reduces the barriers to upcycling and supports the existing practices and creative spirit of the upcycling community!
Our user-centered design process led us to the creation of UpZone: the upcycling card game + phone app that supplements a user's upcycling process by providing a fun, collaborative game for both children and adults!
In this game, players work together in 3 rounds to gather materials, brainstorm project ideas, and build new creations using materials found in and around their home. Players use the material, build, and action cue cards provided to inspire creativity in the upcycling process and learn about sustainability along the way!
Game Card Design
Digitally designed game cards with large bold text for legibility and bright nature-related colors relating to elicit associations with sustainability and the Earth
The Physical Game
Once printed, the game features a set of instructions, physical cards, game chips for keeping track of progress,
An extension of the game that features the rules and a timer for each round, and serves as a repository for additional information about each material, build, and action card for additional inspiration and facts about sustainability.
Playing UpZone
Players work together in a race to gather materials listed on Material cards from around the home, brainstorm what to create using Build and Action cards, and finally construct a new creation before time runs out!
Initial Exploration Research
We started off our dive into the world of upcycling with literature searches about upcycling, a competitive analysis of products and services that support or encourage upcycling behaviors, and an observation of online communities where people who upcycle congregate.
We used these methods to discover who was upcycling and what were their user characteristics, or personalities, beliefs, and motivations. From this information we were able to construct visualizations of user characteristics and user goals.
Literature Survey: In a Netnographic survey of upcycling, we found that "Family and children" was identified as the most common group of people among online upcycling communities. The study's findings served as a basis for specifying our target user group to parents with children under the age of 18 who upcycle.
Observation of Online Communities: While reusing and repurposing items is not a new phenomenon, we learned that upcycling is still a relatively new term. But the concept is becoming more popularized through social media channels such as blogs, Facebook groups, and Reddit communities specifically dedicated to upcycling.
Competitive Analysis: Many existing applications related to DIY and upcycling serve as repositories for creative ideas, but lack the ability to organize and filter content or share project ideas. It was clear we needed to do more research on the current behaviors of parents who upcycle
Understanding the Users
User Characteristics
We identified five personality attributes of parents who upcycle based on an in-depth study of upcycler types using the value-motivation axis system. Parents may be motivated by extrinsic (e.g. saving time, money, optimizing resources), or intrinsic (e.g. personal expression, sense of accomplishment, home beautification) motivations. At the same time, parents exhibit value orientations that range from universalism (e.g. reducing household waste in service of the environment) to particularism (e.g. focusing on self-satisfaction, personal fulfillment).
User Goals
We also found that parents who upcycle have specific environmental, economic, personal, and family goals they are trying to accomplish that our system must support. We later validated and updated these findings validated using research methods like surveys and interviews.
Following our initial exploratory research we developed a problem statement:
"How might we design a system that both reduces barriers and supports the practices of parents who upcycle?"
To learn more about what those barriers and practices are, we set out to conduct additional research target at our user group: parents with children under the age of 18 who upcycle.
Purpose: We surveyed parents who upcycle in order to validate the user attributes and goals we identified previously from literature and the observation of online communities.
Process: We distributed a 17 question survey to various Facebook and Reddit groups screening for parents with children under 18 who upcycle. We developed the questions to understand their current behaviors, attitudes, and needs.
Outcome: We received 106 survey responses and used the results to develop our design requirements.
Purpose: Semi-structured interviews allowed us to gain a deeper understanding of our interviewees' upcycling behaviors as well as their motivations and goals when completing the activity.
Process: We recruited 4 parents with children under 18 who upcycle. We asked participants open-ended questions in a semi-structured format that enabled us to adaptthe conversation and dive deeper into individual responses.
Outcome: Interviewees discussed their previous upcycling projects in depth and were eager to share past projects they had worked on and the various uses of their upcycled creations. We were also able to gather qualitative information about the end-to-end upcycling process in much greater detail than the survey allowed, which helped inform our hierarchical task analysis. In addition, we were able to dive deeper into how parents upcycle with their children and how their children respond and engage with upcycling.
Survey Findings
91% of survey respondents agree that upcycling helps them reduce household waste. It is clear that reducing environmental Impact is a key motivation and user goal for parents who upcycle.
87% of survey respondents upcycle with their child. Children thus play a central role in parents' upcycling practices.
72% of survey respondents agree that upcycling saves them money. Upcycling helps parents use what they have to spend less money on new items.
Affinity Mapping
From our survey and affinity map findings, we generated the following functional and non-functional design requirements to guide the design of our product.
Design & Prototype
Our team took inspiration from the Disney Creative Strategy for Brainstorming, which divided the process into three main stages - The Dreamer, The Realist, and The Critic. We diverged to generate as many outlandish or eccentric ideas as we could, then used our rational brains to criticize them together. Like so, we came up with 10 design ideas, and from those 10, we picked and chose the ones that seemed to most naturally fit all the design requirements.
After coming up with 30+ initial design ideas in our brainstorming session, out team narrowed them down and sketched out the top 10 designs.
Selecting our idea: UpZone
Why UpZone?
We decided to prototype and develop the concept for UpZone because it satisfied all our design requirements and addressed each of our target users' goals:
Economic Goal: players are reusing materials, therefore, can save money since they don't need to buy new.
Environment Goal: the game provides an element of environmental education to players.
Personal Expression: players use prompt cards to make projects which affords user creativity and individuality.
Family Time: this game is designed to be a fun activity the whole family can enjoy!
We began our prototyping process by determining a basic gameplay, structure, logic, and the values that we wanted the game to embody through its play.
Prototyping process: Multiple Iterations
Our team went through several iterations of UpZone during our prototyping phase. In our first iteration, the object of the game was competitive, and players would compete against each other to build the best upcycled project. However, after soliciting feedback from users in our target group as well as colleagues, we realized that people do upcycling projects together, and introducing a competitiveness aspect would stray from the core value we were trying to embody; parents spending time with their children while imparting their skills, values, and knowledge using the game as a tool for the same.
Decision: Thus we decided to change the object of the game to a collaborative one so that everyone comes together to build one upcycling project, and designed the rules such that everyone is involved in the upcycling activity!
UpZone: A Creative Sustainability Card Game
UpZone is a multiplayer card game that encourages creative reuse of everyday household items in a fun and collaborative way! You can see the video prototype explaining the rules below:
We created a rulebook to explain the setup and rules of each game round.
And we created a high-fidelity prototype app that features the rules and a timer for each round, and serves as a repository for additional information about each material, build, and action card for additional inspiration and facts about sustainability.
Discount Evaluation
Due to time and availability constraints, we opted to perform discount evaluations for UpZone. We created a two part evaluation plan in order to address both the concept of UpZone as well as it's playability.
We designed our discount evaluation and benchmark questions to measure and assess two main design requirements:
[1] The product should inspire creativity by connecting users to materials and ideas and [2] The product should be designed simply.
Phase 1: Video Prototype & Content Analysis
We first asked our four participants to watch our Video Prototype to both give them a walkthrough of gameplay and to gauge their overall grasp of the concept. After participants watched the video, we asked them to complete the AttrakDiff Survey to gauge the concept of its pragmatic qualities, hedonistic qualities, and attractiveness.
Finding 1: The concept for UpZone has a high attraction rating. The participants rated the attraction an average of 2.18 on a scale of -3 to 3 which reveals a high perceived likability of the concept for UpZone
Finding 2: UpZone was perceived as task-oriented (highly usable in accomplishing user goals). The users perceived the game to be useful in providing a structured and fun way to upcycle their household waste materials.
Phase 2: In-lab Playtest & Semi-Structured Interview
The in-lab playtest and semi-structured interview provided qualitative data in the form ofquotes. We then analyzed this data by systematically going through the transcripts andnotes and discovering patterns within the users' responses and comments. We groupedtogether with the comments under similar themes. This process was repeated until wehad identified our design findings and implications.
Finding 3: The game instructions (instruction manual) needs more clarity in terms of readability as well as game rules.
Finding 4: The visual design on physical cards has the potential to be more engaging (like Augmented Reality).
Finding 5: Users enjoyed the game as a way to get started with their upcycling project, and perceived the game as a tool for education about the environment, and upcycling.
The results from our prototype evaluation suggest that we still have room to continue iterating on the design of UpZone to improve its learnability, usability, and consistency. Our next step would be to complete an at-home play test of the game with parents and their children (limitation due to Covid-19).
Recruit from a diverse pool: While our target users were parents with young children who upcycle, we only spoke to mothers in our interviews. We recognize the lack of diversity in our participant pool likely contributed to the omission of design decisions that may be relevant to dads.
Don't go in with a solution in mind: As a team we learned early on to be open minded to all brainstormed ideas and concepts. We did our best to evaluate each design based on the requirements set forth in order to make data driven decisions, but we did so with an open mind. If we had approached this problem with preconceptions, we would have likely ended up with just another app.
When in doubt, go back to insights: There were several times during the design process that we had opposing ideas as a team and couldn't agree on a direction to move forward. What helped us escape the "mental road block" was referring back to our user goals, survey results, and user interview quotes to not only remember our design requirements, but remember why we created them in the first place.


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Saint-Malô-du-Bois is een gemeente in het Franse departement Vendée (regio Pays de la Loire) en telt 1189 inwoners (1999). De plaats maakt deel uit van het arrondissement La Roche-sur-Yon.

Geografie
De oppervlakte van Saint-Malô-du-Bois bedraagt 14,3 km², de bevolkingsdichtheid is 83,1 inwoners per km².

Demografie
Onderstaande figuur toont het verloop van het inwonertal (bron: INSEE-tellingen).

Gemeente in Vendée


The shape of the canvas drawn by Lee In-hyeon is an unusual rectangle. The work is a continuous screen with a delicate layer, not a monochromatic uniform plane. The sequential process steps in which the paint penetrates the rectangular canvas does not simply mean a single layer of paint. It is a constantly changing fluid scene and the process by which our perceptions are generated.
Lee In-hyeon received his bachelor's degree from Seoul National University, College of Fine Arts, and master's degree in art research as well as Ph.D. from the Tokyo University. He has had more than 20 solo exhibitions at home and abroad and participated in many group exhibitions. His works are collected in many institutions such as the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Seoul Museum of Art, Busan Museum of Art, Art Sonje Center and the British Museum.


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