Saturday, July 25, 2009

Making Big with Small

Four Lessons in The Art of the Small
So our little metaphor — of drops of water falling on an ocean, or on a rock — contains in it four lessons that we’ll call The Art of the Small (only slightly related to the Jedi Force technique):

1. One person can make an impact. Don’t feel that it’s hopeless. You don’t need to be someone famous or powerful to have an impact. You can make a difference, you can change things — if you focus on The Art of the Small.

2. Concentrate your efforts on smaller and smaller areas. When your efforts are diffused over a wide area, they won’t have much of an impact. So focus on smaller areas, and your efforts will be felt more fully. It could take time for change to happen, but keep that focus narrow.

3. Try to find an area that will cause a tipping point. You’ll have the biggest impact if you can change something that will in itself cause further changes — the rock that causes the avalanche. This isn’t an easy thing, to find that pressure point, that spot that will cause everything else to change. It takes practice and experience and luck and persistence, but it can be found.

4. Don’t try to beat an ocean. You’ll lose. Instead, focus on small changes that will spread.

I was inspired by The Art of the Small: How to Make an Impact. Most challenging of the four lessons is "Try to find a tipping point." This is one of the reasons why I like to explore at the intersections of ideas. Perhaps I'll be lucky to find an intersection that will provide an easy tipping point.

It seems pretty intersectable.
Don

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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Edge: BETTER THAN FREE By Kevin Kelly

When copies are free, you need to sell things which can not be copied.

Well, what can't be copied?

There are a number of qualities that can't be copied. Consider "trust." Trust cannot be copied. You can't purchase it. Trust must be earned, over time. It cannot be downloaded. Or faked. Or counterfeited (at least for long). If everything else is equal, you'll always prefer to deal with someone you can trust. So trust is an intangible that has increasing value in a copy saturated world.

There are a number of other qualities similar to trust that are difficult to copy, and thus become valuable in this network economy. I think the best way to examine them is not from the eye of the producer, manufacturer, or creator, but from the eye of the user. We can start with a simple user question: why would we ever pay for anything that we could get for free? When anyone buys a version of something they could get for free, what are they purchasing?

Kelly goes on to describe eight qualities that are better then free as the basis for future revenue models. With the internet as the ultimate copy machine, the following generatives will continue to add value to this super distribution network:

  • Immediacy
  • Personalization
  • Interpretation
  • Authenticity
  • Accessibility
  • Embodiment
  • Patronage
  • Findability

He goes on to propose that money doesn't follow the copies, it follows the path of attention, a Twitterfied notion.

The writing provides some interesting ideas at the intersection of free.
Don

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Friday, July 17, 2009

The Social Data Revolution(s) - Now, New, Next - HarvardBusiness.org

In 2009, more data will be generated by individuals than in the entire history of mankind through 2008.

Clearly, this data revolution will bring lots of opportunity for anyone who can make sense of the data.

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Thursday, July 16, 2009

Count your Money to Feel Happy. Count your Money to Reduce Pain

A report cited by Science Daily and published in Psychological Science proposes that counting money may make you happy and reduce your level of pain. 

In one of the experiments, participants were asked to immerse their fingers in hot water for 30 seconds after counting either paper or money.  Those that counted money rated the pain with less intensity.

In another experiment, participants who counted money rather than paper, had lower social distress when playing a computerized game.

Most have us have been taught that "money can buy happiness."  But this study suggests that there is some debate at the intersection of money and happiness.  What's your thought?

It's intersectable.
Don

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Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Exercise and the Brain - Not an obvious intersection

I was reminded this morning with a video n Why the Brain Craves Sleep and Exercise on the BrainRules blog of the not so obvious intersection between exercise and cognition.  I'm a fan of Brain Rules by John Medina and the post's video interview is a good reminder that I have not been diligent in the physical exercise that he nicely ties to a healthy brain.  The connection to sleep is more obvious. 

Exercise and Learning.  It's Intersectable

tags: Exercise, Learning

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Inaugural Post on Posterous - Looking for Intersections

I am writing an email that will turn into my inaugural post on Posterous which can also be found at www.intersectable.com.

It occurs to me that my motivation for an online presence is pretty simple.  Unlike many authors, consultants, and product marketers who are looking to sell and promote, I use my online presence to primarily discover, learn, and connect. 

Intersectable.com is primarily about connecting. I'm fascinated by intersections where things connect.  In fact, one of the phrases that I occasionally use is,

Interesting things happen at intersections.

What kind of intersections?

Any kind of intersection.   I like to explore any crossroad where you find an intersection of different roads traveled, new  ideas, information, learning, trends, people, politics, presentation, or data.

When approaching an intersection you can encounter "interesting" events:

  • First there is a danger of a collision when approaching an intersection.  Some intersections are simply "dangerous".
  • Second, every intersection offers the possibility of a change in direction, a chance to take a new path.
  • Third there is an opportunity for a new convergence or a  meeting of people, ideas, and information.  Innovation could result.

I am starting this blog in the pursuit and discovery of interesting intersections.  I'll be looking for intersectables and interesting crossroads.  Please stay tuned.

It's Intersectable.

Don

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