Sunday, December 15, 2013

Creativity/Mobility - citations, quotes, books and lessons from the innovators include: "...you have to start and do to get anywhere.","Part II: Do it. Write it down and record it. Use what you have, when you have it. Don't wait for the ideal guitar, perfect piano, latest software, newest recorder, machine, time, professional studio, whatever. Again, do it with what you have, when you have it. And do the very best you can do with what you have available. "

http://www.taxi.com/music-business-faq/songwriting/creativity/the5minutesongwritingclass.php



"...you have to start and do to get anywhere....
You can drive to the store in an old Toyota — or you can drive in a new Mercedes — but getting to the store is the point — don't let the vehicle be the process."

http://www.taxi.com/music-business-faq/songwriting/creativity/technologyisyourfriend.php




the power of technology to positively affect social change...

From ambition to action

"The most powerful tools to lift people out of poverty are education and jobs. HP Learning Initiative for Entrepreneurs (HP LIFE) is a global program that offers aspiring entrepreneurs and small business-owners valuable business skills and IT training. HP LIFE has helped create more than 57,000 jobs and 25,000 businesses in 49 countries."... 

http://www8.hp.com/us/en/hp-information/social-innovation/life-building.html#.Uq4Dwa0o4dU






‘Out of our Minds: Learning to be Creative’, explains why it is essential to promote creativity
Ken Robinson

(http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=ntt_athr_dp_sr_1?ie=UTF8&field-author=Ken+Robinson&search-alias=books&text=Ken+Robinson&sort=relevancerank)

Editorial Reviews

 

 

Review

'...inspiring, witty and engaging book.' (Tes.co.uk, April 2011). '...straightforward, amusing and useful.' (Management Today, May 2011). '...a book with the potential to be a catalyst for system-wide change.' (Times Educational Supplement, May 2011). 'Now more global in perspective...the book seems more important than ever...His rallying cry still deserves to be heard.' (Business Life, May 2011).

From the Inside Flap

There is a paradox. As children, most of us think we are highly creative; as adults many of us think we are not. What changes as children grow up? Organizations across the globe are competing in a world that is changing faster than ever. They say they need people who can think creatively, who are flexible and quick to adapt. Too often they say they can't find them. Why not? In this provocative and inspiring book, Ken Robinson addresses three vital questions:
  • Why is it essential to promote creativity? Business leaders, politicians and educators emphasize the vital importance of promoting creativity andinnovation. Why does this matter so much?
  • What is the problem? Why do so many people think they're not creative? Young children are buzzing with ideas. What happens as we grow up and go through school to make us think we arenot creative?
  • What can be done about it? What is creativity? What can companies, schools and organizations do to develop creativity and innovation in a deliberate and systematic way?
In this extensively revised and updated version of his bestselling classic, Out of Our Minds, Ken Robinson offers a groundbreaking approach to understanding creativity in education and in business. He argues that people and organizations everywhere are dealing with problems that originate in schools and universities and that many people leave education with no idea at all of their real creative abilities. Out of Our Minds is a passionate and powerful call for radically different approaches to leadership, teaching and professional development to help us all to meet the extraordinary challenges of living and working in the 21st century

...

I would recommend this book to those individuals who are ready to get out of Academia and pursue a path of creativity, but if you are already an artist or very connected to your creativity this book will be very frustrating. I would recommend the Artists Way by Julia Cameron if you want a great book on how to unblock and enjoy your creative process.

What I did get out of this book were plenty of factoids about education and academia. Mr. Robinson is a bit of a high tower intellectual and so the material reads a bit dry and informative. Information can be helpful but learning how to be creative is not an informational process.

Finally, I have to disagree with Mr. Robinson vehemently when he says in chapter 6 that creativity is about "doing something." It is actually much deeper then that. As an Artist I have found that idea to be too simplistic of a view on creativity. Creativity is a much more layered process then simply doing. Most of the time "doing" gets in the way. "Being" is a more clear channel for higher creativity.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 352 pages
  • Publisher: Capstone; 2 edition (February 21, 2011)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1907312471
  • ISBN-13: 978-1907312472



Start Your Online Learning Now!

Learning Initiatives

http://www.life-global.org/en/LEARN-ONLINE/HP-Life-e-Learning

HP LIFE e-Learning


This free, online training program helps you gain the real-life IT and business skills needed to start or grow your business, in your own time, at your own pace. The courses are interactive and full of information and practical exercises that will give you the skills to meet the business challenges you face.


Why start today?

  • Improve your IT and business skills to start or grow your business.
  • Study in your own time and at your own pace – free of charge.
  • Practice using technology to solve real business problems.
  • Join our network of entrepreneurs via online chats and discussion boards.
  • Qualify for special e-mentorship with an HP expert.
  • Print your certificate of completion and showcase your new qualification.

Tailored to your needs

The modular program was developed by EDC – a widely recognized e-Learning specialist. It covers four main topics: finance, marketing, operations and communication. You choose the courses at the level you need. You’ll also have access to helpful hints, webinars and business information.
http://www.life-global.org/en/LEARN-ONLINE/HP-Life-e-Learning 




Broadening the meaning of creativity

In recent years researchers and educational writers have extended the general meaning of creativity so that it incorporates ideas about inventiveness and imagination.
This reflects a growing acceptance that creativity it is not simply about coming up with big ideas, but coming up with practical solutions to everyday problems and then applying them to real life situations. Everything around us - our homes, cities, medical services, transport and communication systems - are conceived and developed by practical people who know how to implement creative ideas. Creativity can be readily associated with a wide range of everyday tasks and activities, and the importance of creativity at a personal level is often greatly underestimated.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Creativity Beyond- Implementing the use of modern technology!
 
health related

 
including:
“Diversity in a Virtual World: The Transformation of Nursing Education”
 
Nursing Education in 3-D: Leveraging
Virtual Worlds and Immersive Learning Simulations
 
 
The Heavin School of Arts and Sciences
recently launched the first online
Master of Arts in Educational Leadership
degree program in New Jersey. The
program is designed to prepare teachers
and administrators to become educational
leaders serving in the increasingly
complex environment of elementary
and secondary education.
Like all graduate programs at Thomas
Edison State College, the new program
is structured around the unique needs
of working adults.
 
...
 
 
 
“The use of technology is an integral part of the
curriculum and enables students to collaborate on projects, discuss ideas and
research, and share best practices, while they create an e-folio that will serve
as an opportunity for reflection and as a compilation of their learning
throughout the program.”
 
 
 

 

 http://www.academyone.com/explore/initiatives

initiatives, projects and strategies that lower costs, improve outcomes and help our learning communities work together instead of apart. We continuously pursue greater knowledge in this work, expanding our intellectual capital to provide insight into how to meet the demanding and ever-changing needs of educational organizations at the global, national, state and local levels...."




EdUnify Taskforcehttp://www.pesc.org/interior.php?page_id=204


The ability to create, calculate, collect, store, access, share, exchange, federate, report, anticipate, and protect education data must be continuously improved all while costs are contained and new technologies emerge.
Mobility and changing learning patterns together with these factors obsolete long-standing paradigms about how data systems are built and used and drive their reengineering.

EdUnify is supported by a number of prominent, leading stakeholder organizations in education including:
Leadership Team:
AcademyOne
Decision Academic
Emory University
Georgetown University
SCRIP-SAFE International
SunGard Higher Education
Avow Systems
California Community College System
Choice Solutions
ConnectEDU
Datatel
eScholar
Indiana, State of
Jenzabar
Kuali Foundation
Microsoft
Mizuni
National Student Clearinghouse
Oracle
RS3G
SHEEO
SIF Association
USA Funds
Virginia, State of
Xap


PESC is driving the collaborative development and alignment of data across disparate systems and across sectors; and, eliminating incompatible interfaces that disrupt student achievement and inflate costs for institutions, states, government agencies and schools struggling to keep up with the demands of technology while maintaining competitive tuition and/or spending rates.



Initiatives in education
http://www.academyone.com/explore/initiatives

....the CollegeTransfer.Net national web portal, which receives a monthly average of more than 60,000 visitors seeking to transfer, change majors or evaluate their institution’s course equivalencies.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Communication

Listen

How can a twenty-something white man write dialogue for an elderly Chinese woman? Simple. By listening.
Pay close attention to the people around you at your job, on the train or in the supermarket.  When you find someone in your character’s demographic, listen to how he or she speaks.  Notice to whom that person is talking (does the speech change when she speaks to someone else?).
Then use what you have heard in your writing.

Excerpt or citation from 
http://thewritepractice.com/nothing-like-you/


http://www.filmmakingstuff.com/filmmaking-lesson-3-learn-to-build-rapport/

  1. Read the following books: How to Win Friends & Influence People and Never Eat Alone(These are general business books, but useful to your filmmaking.)
  2. Since communication is mostly body language, one effective technique to building rapport involves mirroring and moving your body in sync with the person you’re talking with. (Just don’t be obvious about this.)

How to Write a Character Who is Nothing Like You

Monday, December 2, 2013

Quote from Kate Jacobs, Knit Two

“Seeing a pattern doesn't mean you know how to put it all together. Take baby steps: don't focus on the folks whose skills are far beyond your own. When you're new to something-or you haven't tried it in a while-it can feel impossibly hard to get it right. Every misstep feels like a reason to quit. You envy everyone else who seems to know what they're doing. What keeps you going? The belief that one day you'll also be like that: Elegant. Capable. Confident. Experienced. And you can be. All you need now is enthusiasm. A little bravery. And-always-a sense of humor.” 
http://katejacobs.com/

Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Experience, Consciousness vs. Without Consciousness

http://www.7freedom.com/experienceandconsciousness.htm

Without consciousness we don't exist

What is consciousness exactly? You can be aware of something because of the existence of consciousness. Consciousness is that principle which allows you to have an experience. Without consciousness we can have no experiences at all. Life is experience, birth and death and everything.

Walking down the street is an experience, making love is an experience, listening to someone is an experience, singing is an experience, doing the dishes is an experience. Breaking your leg is an experience, having the flu is an experience, to be born is an experience, to give birth is an experience. Teething is an experience, to get a heart attack is an experience. A feeling is an experience, having a thought is an experience, to enjoy a memory is an experience, dying is an experience, a dream is an experience. Fear is an experience. Laughing and crying are experiences. Life is the sum total of our experiences.

Is an experience possible without consciousness? Can you imagine having an experience in the absence of consciousness? Without consciousness, are you experiencing anything? Consciousness is the basis for all experience. Take away consciousness, and the very life, the complete foundation of experience is taken away. To have an experience is always a two-sided phenomenon: on the one hand, there is consciousness, and on the other hand, there is the experience.

With any and all experience, consciousness is right there. The possibility of an experience is completely dependent on it. Without consciousness, experience cannot exist. No sensory perceptions, no emotions, no thoughts, no dreams. Without consciousness, we don't exist. It is a prerequisite for existence. Yet we are so caught up in living and the gala of experiences... we may never become aware that consciousness is our God, that there's no life without it. Without oxygen we can live just a few seconds, but without consciousness life is not possible in the first place. Existence would not be possible for even a millionth of a second.

Consciousness is changeless

Consciousness never changes, it is unchangeable. Though experience is nothing but change, consciousness is changeless. Experiences are always different from each other, but consciousness, the counterpart of all these experiences, never changes. Although all of our experiences are enormously diverse, consciousness is one and the same. Variances in experience, but unvarying consciousness.

We have the impression that consciousness changes, and that we lose and regain consciousness. But it's just our experiences that change, not consciousness. At times we can be sleepy, while at other times we are lucid and alert. But it is never the consciousness that changes, rather, it is the condition of the body and mind that changes. In other words, sometimes we can have an experience of sleepiness, but we can also have the experience of adrenaline and feel wide awake.

When we are asleep, there seems to be a gap in consciousness because there is a gap in experience! Our doors to experience, our body and mind, close for a few hours, until we start dreaming. During these few hours there is no experience, except a subtle sense of being. We usually do not remember that, but that's due to the limitations of memory, it does not mean that we didn't have this experience of being, of existing.

Waking up in the morning, we may say that we have slept really well! But how can we know? We can know because there was never a gap in consciousness: there was only a gap in vivid experiences. All we can possibly recall, is a sense of well-being. If you suddenly remember a dream, does that not mean that at the time of the dream you were aware of it? Though there are many memorylapses, there is never a gap in consciousness.
.......


Vs.

Without Consciousness

“A psychopath’s approach to life is all about manipulation,” McCrary said. “They make great natural psychologists. They read people well and look at them and businesses as being there to serve their needs. They’re always assessing, “How can this particular job or person meet my needs? How can I exploit them?’” McCrary said. http://www.cnbc.com/id/48743874 ( article To White Collar Psychopaths, Stealing and Backstabbing Come Easy)

Book Description


January 8, 1999 9781572304512 978-1572304512

"Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition."



Amazon.com Review


"Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience and in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want and do as they please..." In Without Conscience Robert Hare argues convincingly that "psychopath" and "antisocial personality disorder" (a psychiatric term defined by a cluster of criminal behaviors) are not the same thing. Not all psychopaths are criminals, he says, and not all criminals are psychopaths. He proposes a psychopathy checklist that includes emotional/interpersonal traits such as glibness, grandiosity, lack of guilt, and shallow emotions, as well as social deviance traits such as impulsiveness, lack of responsibility, and antisocial behavior. His writing is lucid and illustrated with numerous anecdotes. The final chapter, "A Survival Guide," is especially recommended: as Hare writes, "Psychopaths are found in every segment of society, and there is a good chance that eventually you will have a painful or humiliating encounter with one." --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Hare Psychopathy Checklist
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_Psychopathy_Checklist

To White Collar Psychopaths, Stealing and Backstabbing Come Easy

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Published: Wednesday, 22 Aug 2012 | 11:08 AM ET
By: | Producer / Writer

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Roy Hsu | Getty Images
The notion of a colleague betraying you is at least as old as the tale of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, who famously uttered the phrase "et tu" as Brutus plunged a knife into his back.
And if you’ve ever encountered a co-worker who will do anything to get ahead — even if that means ruining your good name in the process — you know how calculating and callous such people can be.
But did you realize that such a person could also have psychopathic tendencies?
We often think of a psychopath as being a serial killer. Yet according to former criminal profiler Gregg McCrary, psychopathy runs on a continuum — with white collar criminals falling in the middle.
As a former agent for the FBI for 25 years, 10 of that in the behavioral science unit, McCrary knows the pattern of psychopaths well. While they vary in degree, he says psychopaths share common traits. “They have no guilt, remorse or shame. They’re deceitful and egotistical. It’s all about them.”
Using standards developed by Dr. Robert Hare, a leader in the study of psychopathy, researchers estimated that 3 million Americans — or one percent of the general population in the U.S.— were psychopaths compared to about 20 percent of the prison population.
High Functioning Psychopaths: The White Collar Criminal
When it comes to white-collar criminals, they might not physically destroy you, but they have no problem financially destroying you. According to McCrary, this type of psychopath should be considered high-functioning.
Unlike lower-level criminals who might rob a bank and leave behind evidence, white collar psychopaths are much harder to catch. They’re intelligent, have great interpersonal skills, powerfully persuasive and able to disguise themselves very well.
“A psychopath’s approach to life is all about manipulation,” McCrary said. “They make great natural psychologists. They read people well and look at them and businesses as being there to serve their needs. They’re always assessing, “How can this particular job or person meet my needs? How can I exploit them?’” McCrary said.
Take the story of Jim Hammes.
McCrary has not met Hammes but said his actions clearly exhibited psychopathic behavior. For nearly 15 years, Hammes worked as the controller of a Pepsi bottling company in Lexington, KY. Viewed as a trusted employee at the family-run business, Hammes appeared to be a devoted father and top-notch employee.
Then an anonymous tip led investigators to uncover that Hammes had allegedly been embezzling money for more than a decade, taking $8.7 million from the company and putting it into his personal account. When the FBI confronted Hammes with the allegations, rather than defend himself he chose to run. Just like that, he became a fugitive and abandoned his family.
Compartmentalizing: Playing the Perfect Role
To a certain extent, most people compartmentalize and lead different lives. It's entirely normal for your work persona to be divergent from your family life. With psychopaths, however, McCrary says the compartmentalizing is much more exaggerated.
When Amanda Hammes learned of the accusations against her father, she refused to believe authorities.
“I knew I would get a call. I knew he’d show up at my house. I knew for sure he would. And then when he didn’t, I was like yeah, this is true,” she told CNBC’s “American Greed: The Fugitives.”
Living a Double Life, Ready to Escape
After Hammes is confronted with evidence that he allegedly embezzled nearly $9 million, he flees. Searching for answers, his family is stunned to uncover more than one shocking discovery. It leads them to wonder if they ever really knew Jim Hammes at all.
Crushed and confused, she and her stepmother searched for clues as to who Jim Hammes really was. They stumbled upon shocking discovery after discovery: from a locked room with books on how to disappear, to both birth and death certificates. (WATCH the video for more about Hammes’s escape plot.)
But most shocking was the realization that Hammes had cheated on his wife, and had been supporting another child for years.
If Hammes is indeed a psychopath, his accused actions aren’t shocking to McCrary. The extreme compartmentalization and jarring secrets would fulfill the need to feel superior. The deceptive life would be thrilling.
“He’s married with a family, but has a girlfriend and another kid. He’s working but also stealing, and nobody knows these things. So he’s smarter than everyone else, and they’re all jerks. And when no one catches on, it reinforces the narcissism," McCrary said.
“I call it duping delight," he added. "They take great delight in duping people and getting over on them because it’s an indicator of how smart and brilliant they are.”

Are Psychopaths Capable of Love?

Crossing the White-Collar Line: Are Psychopaths Capable of Love?
Depending on how strong a person’s psychopathic traits are determines how far down the continuum they will fall. It’s been known that psychopaths lack empathy. Still, more recent studies by scientists — such as Kent Kiehl and Nigel Blackwood



 

Emotional intelligence theory (EQ -Emotional Quotient)

http://www.scribd.com/doc/11689939/Emotional-Intelligence


Emotional intelligence - two aspects
 This is the essential premise of EQ: to be successful requires theeffective awareness, control and management of one's own emotions,and those of other people. EQ embraces two aspects of intelligence:
Understanding yourself, your goals, intentions,responses, behaviour and all.
Understanding others, and their feelings.
Emotional intelligence - the five domains
Goleman  identified the five 'domains' of EQ as:
1.Knowing your emotions.
2.Managing your own emotions.
3.Motivating you.
4.Recognizing and understanding other people's emotions.
5.Managing relationships, i.e., managing  the  emotions of others.
 
Emotional Intelligence embraces and draws from numerous other branches of  behavioural, emotional and communications theories, such
The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i), EQ-360 and EQ-i: YV weredeveloped to assess the Bar-On model of emotional-social intelligence. The EQ-i is a self-report measure designed to measure a number of constructs related to EI. The EQ-i consists of 133 items and takesapproximately 30 minutes to complete. It gives an overall EQ score aswell as scores for the following five composite scales and 15 subscales(Bar-On, 2006).
Basic Information
Ages: 16 and olderAdministration: Self - reportAdministration Time: 30 MinutesQualification Level: BAdditional Information
BarOn EQ-I Composite Scales and Subscales
Intrapersonal
(self-awareness and self-expression)
 
Self-Regard
: To accurately perceive, understand and acceptoneself 
Emotional Self-Awareness
: To be aware of and understandone’s emotions
Assertiveness
: To effectively and constructively express one’semotions and oneself 
Independence
: To be self-reliant and free of emotionaldependency on others
Self-Actualization
: To strive to achieve personal goals andactualize one’s potentialInterpersonal
(social awareness and interpersonal relationship)
 
 
 
 
 
Empathy
: To be aware of and understand how others feel
Social Responsibility
: To identify with one’s social group andcooperate with others
Interpersonal Relationship
: To establish mutually satisfyingrelationships and relate well with others
Stress Management
(emotional management and regulation)
Stress Tolerance
: To effectively and constructively manageemotions
Impulse Control
: To effectively and constructively controlemotions
Adaptability
(change management)
Reality-Testing
: To objectively validate one’s feelings andthinking with external reality
Flexibility
: To adapt and adjust one’s feelings and thinking tonew situations
Problem-Solving
: To effectively solve problems of a personaland interpersonal nature
General Mood
(self-motivation)
Optimism
: To be positive and look at the brighter side of life
Happiness
: To feel content with oneself, others and life ingeneral
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Wednesday, October 30, 2013


Sister Ceo: the Black Woman's Guide to Starting Your Own Business

by Broussard, Cheryl D.

Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Adult
Date published: 
ISBN-13: 9780670871445
ISBN: 0670871443