Systems Community of Inquiry | David Ing | Activity http://syscoi.com/commons/members/daviding/activity/feed David Ing - Activity Feed Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:30:01 +0000 http://buddypress.org/?v=1.5.2 en http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2993/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Credibility gap in "No Need to Panic About Global Warning" […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2993/ Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:30:01 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists Credibility gap in "No Need to Panic About Global Warning" article in WSJ signed by 16 scientists? Opinion piece at http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204301404577171531838421366.html

Repudiation about sources by D.R. Tucker "Scared of Science" at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/d-r-tucker/wall-street-journal-global-warming_b_1240195.html , citing Peter Gleick | "Remarkable Editorial Bias on Climate Science at the Wall Street Journal" | Jan. 27, 2012 | Forbes at http://www.forbes.com/sites/petergleick/2012/01/27/remarkable-editorial-bias-on-climate-science-at-the-wall-street-journal/

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2988/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: At INCOSE IW, Janet Singer (as ISSS VP Research and Pubs) […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2988/ Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:04:18 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists At INCOSE IW, Janet Singer (as ISSS VP Research and Pubs) was tasked to lead a subcommittee on describing Systems Thinking, Systems Science and Systems Approach for the INCOSE Systems Engineering Book of Knowledge. Other projects (e.g. ontology) may also be involved.

See workshop at https://sites.google.com/site/syssciwg/meetings/workshop-2012-january . If you're interested in contributing, speak up to Janet or myself!

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2986/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: What should dialogue designers know about inquiring systems? […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2986/ Fri, 13 Jan 2012 14:51:31 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists What should dialogue designers know about inquiring systems? Workshop recap at http://bit.ly/AeetP6, slides http://bit.ly/A2him0 . Dialogue with Design session in Toronto

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2980/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Systems biology, seeing properties in organisms not in the […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2980/ Fri, 06 Jan 2012 21:07:28 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists Systems biology, seeing properties in organisms not in the parts, arose from advances in computing in larger datasets, says David Weinberger.

> In 2002, when Hiroaki Kitano wrote a cover story on systems biology for Science magazine — a formal recognition of the growing importance of this young field — he said: “The major reason it is gaining renewed interest today is that progress in molecular biology … enables us to collect comprehensive datasets on system performance and gain information on the underlying molecules.” Of course, the only reason we’re able to collect comprehensive datasets is that computers have gotten so big and powerful. Systems biology simply was not possible in the Age of Books.

See highlights of article at http://ingbrief.wordpress.com/2012/01/06/systems-biology-based-on-computer-based-datasets-to-know-but-not-understand-david-weinberger-the-atlantic/ .

Edited excerpt as “To Know, but Not Understand” | David Weinberger | Jan. 3, 2012 | The Atlantic at http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/01/to-know-but-not-understand-david-weinberger-on-science-and-big-data/250820/.

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2947/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2947/ Mon, 02 Jan 2012 19:00:05 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment @roman The animated graphics in How to create a new tool
for the Creative Sustainability by using systems thinking? represents an ambitious crossing of domains.

I looked at your cited Geels (2001) article, and noticed the foundations in Nelson & Winter's Evolutionary Theory of Economic Change, dating back to 1982. The Gunderson and Holling Panarchy work was published in 2002, so there's been a lot a research developed over two decades.

You're on the right path of thinking. Bringing the economists up to speed with the thinking of ecologists over two decades would require a large amount of cross-disciplinary patience, that is well beyond a reasonable scope for this master's course.


In reply to - Roman Lihhavtshuk posted an update in the group Systemicists My essay and interactive tool about the way to connect dots between different theories by using systems thinking http://www.dip.ee/systems/ Merry Christmas! ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2954/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2954/ Mon, 02 Jan 2012 18:41:53 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment @timo In your Architecture, Sustainability and Systems Thinkingessay, you've taken an idealist approach, i.e. you start from a proscribed future and approach the present with a critical eye.

An alternative approach is to start from current practices, and look to see how they might evolve. Going from potential future to current state, and from current state to potential futures are both philosophical stances that can and should be embraced in a systems approach.

Systems are human constructs. Systems are bounded (albeit open) domains within the larger definition of the world. We change the world by working within systems over which we have control ... and hope that we might influence other systems who are interested in like-minded change.

I find labelling potential participants who I might engage in a dialogue as "stupid" a deterrent to joint future engagement. My attitude (primarily in work situations) presumes that people are smart (i.e. even if I don't agree with their actions, they're smart enough to hold onto positions and not get fired!) This doesn't mean that the actions of a group of smart people won't add up to a collective dysfunctional system. Creating a better joint future presents the issue of designing new directions and boundaries that will change behaviours at individual levels, towards collective improvement.


In reply to - Timo posted an update My essay: http://timotiikeri.wordpress.com/ Happy new year mates! ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2953/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: The influences between culture and education in a society […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2953/ Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:53:11 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists The influences between culture and education in a society are circular. "Decades ago, when the Finnish school system was badly in need of reform, the goal of the program that Finland instituted, resulting in so much success today, was never excellence. It was equity" says Pasi Sahlberg, director of the Finnish Ministry of Education's Center for International Mobility.

"What Americans Keep Ignoring About Finland's School Success" | Anu Partanen | Dec. 29, 2011 | The Atlantic at http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2011/12/what-americans-keep-ignoring-about-finlands-school-success/250564/

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2863/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: In school, losing cursive writing and long division seems […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2863/ Wed, 30 Nov 2011 17:24:46 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: In school, losing cursive writing and long division seems like civilization in decline.

>WHAT’S IN: iPad therapy [....] Twitter assignments [....] Smartboard MacGyvers [....]
>WHAT’S OUT: Cursive writing [....] Long division [....] Computer labs [....]

The print edition also included WHAT'S ODD: Wikipedia U. [...] Robot Teachers [....]

Main article at "iPads are in, cursive is out (and other education trends)" Tamara Baluja | Nov. 30 | Globe and Mail at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/primary-to-secondary/ipads-are-in-cursive-is-out-and-other-education-trends/article2254353/ .

Poll on Wikipedia Education Program at "Vote: Are Wikipedia articles an education hit or miss?" at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/vote-are-robot-teachers-an-education-hit-or-miss/article2253253/ .

Poll on Robot Teachers at "Vote: Are robot teachers an education hit or miss?" at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/vote-are-robot-teachers-an-education-hit-or-miss/article2253253/ .

More on Wikipedia Education Program at http://blog.wikimedia.org/tag/wikipedia-education-program/ .

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2854/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: "Systems Thinking in a Bar" blog post leads to […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2854/ Sun, 27 Nov 2011 22:00:18 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: "Systems Thinking in a Bar" blog post leads to @jurgenappelo "Complexity Thinking or Systems Thinking ++" breezy 191-slide presentation. References to Russell Ackoff, Dave Snowden, Ralph Stacey, Donella Meadows, Peter Senge, Michael C. Jackson.

Blog post at http://www.noop.nl/2011/11/systems-thinking-in-a-bar.html , slides at http://www.slideshare.net/jurgenappelo/complexity-thinking . Via @ironick at https://plus.google.com/117735783041226205402/posts/L7McywG9o2c

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2853/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Obliquity: those who succeed the most are those who take the […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2853/ Sun, 27 Nov 2011 21:18:03 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Obliquity: those who succeed the most are those who take the oblique path, says John Kay.
> [In] John Kay’s Obliquity ... The veteran Oxford University economist carefully examines the pathways that people and organizations follow to success, and finds, over and over, that those who succeed the most are those who take the oblique path. “If you want to go in one direction,” he writes, “the best route may involve going in another.”
> The companies that make the largest profits are not the ones that have profit maximization as their main goal, but rather those that try to do something well. The people who have the most wealth are not those who set out to become wealthy, but often those who have avoided money-making opportunities. The people found to be most happy are not those who have pursued happiness, but those who have struggled against challenges.

This reference was surfaced, with a comparison of styles by William Hague and John Baird, at "The direct approach isn’t always most effective" | Doug Saunders | Nov. 26, 2011 | Globe and Mail at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/the-direct-approach-isnt-always-most-effective/article2249830/

The British economist John Kay can be found at http://www.johnkay.com/

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2852/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Beyond the paleo diet, six elements of the Paleolithic […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2852/ Sun, 27 Nov 2011 20:35:11 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Beyond the paleo diet, six elements of the Paleolithic lifestyle (Pedro Carrera-Bastos)
> DON’T JUST EAT IT – LIVE IT
Here are six key elements of the Paleolithic lifestyle, according to Pedro Carrera-Bastos, a Swedish health researcher specializing in the effects of “ancestral” diets, and his colleagues.
> 1. SUNSHINE
Getting enough vitamin D is crucial to bone health, and may also play a role in preventing cardiovascular disease and some cancers. [....]
> 2. SLEEP
Go to sleep when it’s dark, get up when it’s light. [....]
> 3. NO POLLUTION
An obvious one – but easier said than done in the modern world.
> 4. ACUTE STRESS
The typical hunter-gatherer life punctuated long periods of low stress with short bouts of acute stress that triggered the fight-or-flight response. In contrast, modern office workers often show signs of chronically elevated stress, which can have consequences such as elevated blood pressure and a weakened immune system.
> 5. PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
Sure, paleo folks got more exercise than we do. But what kind? [....]
> 6. FRESH, UNPROCESSED FOOD
... modern hunter-gatherers typically get only 35 per cent of their calories from meat, with the rest derived from plants.

The infographic is unfortunately missing in the paper edition, "The Paleo Lifestyle: Should You Go Caveman?" | Alex Hutchinson | Nov. 21, 2011 | Globe and Mail at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/health/new-health/health-nutrition/nutrition-features/is-the-caveman-lifestyle-a-healthy-choice/article2241453/ . One of the six diagrams by Trish McAlaster (on stress) appears at http://sweatscience.com/paleo-the-pace-of-evolution-and-chronic-stress/

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2849/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: The magic of diasporas: Immigrant networks are a rare bright […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2849/ Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:14:11 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: The magic of diasporas: Immigrant networks are a rare bright spark in the world economy. Rich countries should welcome them.
> Diaspora networks—of Huguenots, Scots, Jews and many others—have always been a potent economic force, but the cheapness and ease of modern travel has made them larger and more numerous than ever before. There are now 215m first-generation migrants around the world: that’s 3% of the world’s population. If they were a nation, it would be a little larger than Brazil. There are more Chinese people living outside China than there are French people in France. Some 22m Indians are scattered all over the globe. Small concentrations of ethnic and linguistic groups have always been found in surprising places—Lebanese in west Africa, Japanese in Brazil and Welsh in Patagonia, for instance—but they have been joined by newer ones, such as west Africans in southern China.
> These networks of kinship and language make it easier to do business across borders (see article). They speed the flow of information ...
> Diasporas also help spread ideas. [....]
> Diasporas spread money, too. [...]

See "The magic of diasporas" | Nov. 19, 2011 | The Economist at http://www.economist.com/node/21538742

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2848/ David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Nice guys can finish first: Social networks aid cooperation, […] http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2848/ Fri, 25 Nov 2011 17:17:30 +0000 David Ing posted an update in the group Systemicists: Nice guys can finish first: Social networks aid cooperation, discourage selfishness (David Rand, Harvard)

>... in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the research is among the first studies to examine social interaction as a fluid, ever-changing process. Previous studies of complex social networks largely used static snapshots of groups to examine how members were or were not connected. [....]

> What this is showing is that a key aspect of real-world social networks is the dynamic component. The point of this paper is to say that those networks are always shifting, and they’re not shifting in random ways. [....]

>The findings, Rand said, showed that players re-wired their social networks in intriguing ways that helped both themselves and the group they were in. They were more willing to make new connections or maintain existing connections with those who acted generously, and break connections with those who behaved selfishly.

> “Because people have control over who they are interacting with, people are more likely to form connections with people who are cooperative, and much more likely to break those links with people who are not,” Rand said. “Basically, what it boils down to is that you’d better be a nice guy, or else you’re going to get cut off.”

See "Nice guys can finish first" | Peter Ruell | Nov. 14, 2011 | Harvard Science at http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2011/11/social-networks/

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2794/ David Ing and egoose11 are now friends http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2794/ Mon, 14 Nov 2011 08:19:12 +0000 David Ing and egoose11 are now friends

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]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2737/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2737/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:56:06 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @jinonatrip Thanks for the drawings on system thinking toward natural disaster. We might have to discuss the details for correctness, but the ideas are well worth developing. It would be great to see these in your final report.


In reply to - Jin H. Kim posted an update in the group Systemicists: Here is my second article: http://jinonatrip.wordpress.com/2011/11/06/system-thinking-toward-natural-disaster/ ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2749/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2749/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:50:06 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @daniel In your writing on food vs. goods, the hard core systems scientists would lead you to look at energy use. The energy returned on energy invested has had a long trend of decline, as we (wastefully) used the easy-to-get resources. There's no such thing as a free lunch.


In reply to - Daniel posted on the forum topic CS0004 Day 2, 2011/11 Systemic Thinking of Sustainable Communities (Aalto University) in the group Systemicists: Moi, This is my blog link: http://danielmor.wordpress.com/ Thanks ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2748/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2748/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:45:09 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @skajamaa In your thoughts for the week, you seem to be grappling somewhat with the balance between planning and allowing the future to emerge. Most human beings aren't great with uncertainty and change, so an ambiguous future can be a lot to deal with.


In reply to - Suvi Kajamaa posted an update in the group Systemicists: Second page of thoughts.. suvikajamaa.wordpress.com ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2733/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2733/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:31:33 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @hesam On a short note from teachers and students, you're right that Russ Ackoff can be one of the easiest entries into systems thinking. There are certainly points of disagreement when we get into finer details, but learning the vocabulary and basic concepts is foundational.


In reply to - Hesam posted an update: Second round: A short note for teachers and students http://hichist.wordpress.com/ ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2731/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2731/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:26:44 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @yereum As an alternative to your systems thinking - reflection of day2 where you connect with human mental and spiritual issues, I tend to see sustainability from the perspective of collapse, i.e. existence or non-existence of the system under discussion. Once we get the essential functions of the system into a state of existence, we can be more generous with our use of resources. Speaking of self-actualization is difficult when bellies are empty from famine.


In reply to - yereumkim posted on the forum topic CS0004 Day 2, 2011/11 Systemic Thinking of Sustainable Communities (Aalto University) in the group Systemicists: here is my reflection for day 2. thanks! ]]> http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2721/ David Ing posted a new activity comment http://syscoi.com/commons/activity/p/2721/ Mon, 07 Nov 2011 21:21:39 +0000 David Ing posted a new activity comment: @yereum Optimism comes through in your systems thinking - reflections on day1, which leads me to think that others who see the world differently from you might be apply systems thinking in a way in which you would disapprove. I don't see systems thinking as a panacea, but a view of the world where I would hope the enlightened might converge ... but if they don't converge, perhaps they might communicate.


In reply to - yereumkim posted on the forum topic CS0004 Day 1, 2011/11 Systemic Thinking of Sustainable Communities (Aalto University) in the group Systemicists: Hi, here is my reflection for Day 1. http://blog.naver.com/gentlenature ]]>