I’m generally quite interested in systems, both computer/network and human. Human systems are fascinating since many behaviors are predictable yet people are creative. Getting them together to do great things is especially exciting and I don’t think the technology paradigm shift of the information age is limited to just gadgetry. Change is happening in all facets of people interacting.

To celebrate this I’ve embedded a couple of great presentations below.

This first embed is a short video I originally saw on Robert Scoble’s blog. It’s about a study that found what we thought motivates people at work actually isn’t what motivates people at work (at least for tasks that take cognitive ability):

The second is an internal presentation from Netflix. It’s about their values and culture as a company. It shows a non traditional way of getting the best out of employees:

On my way out to work the other day I grabbed some fingernail clippers for the five block walk. I needed to cut the claws but was running behind schedule and didn’t have time to sit back slicing them on the porch. So I figured why not kill two birds with one stone. As I was walking and snipping, I had a few thoughts about multitasking:

1) Doing two (or more) things AT THE SAME TIME.

Many people incorrectly identify fast movers as multitaskers, but if you look closely you’ll see they’re not doing two things at once. Instead they’re doing a little bit of a thing, then doing a little bit of another thing, then a little bit of another thing, and then maybe a little bit of the first thing. This is not true multitasking. It’s more like rapid small bite unitasking. When I was walking to work and cutting my fingernails I noticed I was truly multitasking: legs moving while clipper clipping, body getting closer to the office, fingernails getting shorter: at the same time.

2) Get two things done at once: slower.

It took longer to cut my fingernails while walking than had I cut them sitting on my porch. I also had to walk slower than usual in order to not fall on my face. The question about multitasking efficiency is: would I have gotten to work in the same amount of time had I cut my fingernails first then walked? And the answer is… No. Both activities take about five minutes. In sequence both would have taken 10 minutes. Doing them simultaneously took 7 minutes.

3) Quality goes down, but it’s good enough.

I didn’t do as good a job cutting my fingernails while walking, but I got them cut, and they look just fine thank you very much. I also got to the office.

4) The risks are greater.

The likelihood of tripping and falling is greater. The likelihood of snipping a hole in my skin while checking both ways before crossing the street is greater. This time… I succeeded.

5) Requires a larger burst of energy.

Sitting on the porch cutting my fingernails takes X energy. Walking to work takes Y energy. Doing both at once takes X+Y energy. You do the math. There’s also extra energy required to monitor the success of multitasked activities. In my case, I noticed my eyes were getting tired from constantly switching between the ground in front of my feet, other people and large metal objects on the road, and the placement of the clippers on my fingernail.

6) True multitasking takes skill, and wisdom.

Many people multitask because they have little self control and patience. They’ll be doing a thing, then another thing comes along and they can’t contain themself from doing it too. But, they may not even be truly multitasking. They might just be jumping from rapid small bite to rapid small bite. True multitasking can save time, but the risks and quality are matters to take into account. And while in the same amount of time it can accomplish more, it also costs more energy. Uncontrolled multitasking can be risky and yield low quality results. Smart multitasking, with the right variables and in the right context, can save you three minutes on your walk to work.

If you can keep up with the pace here are some dramatic stats about social media:

I took this picture of a picture hanging on the wall of our office at SERRC. I’m not sure who is in it, or when it was taken, but you can tell from the technology present that it was probably early ’80s. As a guy who works with all flavors of technology and people, and the intersection thereof, this image struck me as timeless.

Traditional methods for distributing and making money from creative content are struggling to adjust in this impending information age. Larry Lessig (a personal hero of mine) refers to our new culture as a “read/write” one, where members remix the world around them to create new expression. The “closed” business practice of the past are not only ineffective but hampering the creative expressions of today (and tomorrow).

Lessig (who pioneered Creative Commons content licensing) spoke at the TEDxNYED conference. His talk about fair use, openness, and the roles played by industry and government  (about 20 minutes long) is well worth the time:

Here’s a collection of fairly profound stats from a presentation given recently by social media guru Louis Gray. These select items show those of us in education where businesses are focusing their attention and the skills needed by modern graduates.

Yesterday I was lucky enough to get to facilitate a fascinating discussion during ASTE 2010. I’d prepared an hour worth of presentation, but halfway through the questions from participants were so interesting we spent most of the time discussing the issues rather than listening to the presenter (me).

We talked about a number of elements including the paradigm shift we’re currently in the middle of, how the fundamental way that knowledge is managed is changing, and how businesses are using social media to maintain customer relationships. And chiefly, we discussed the hurdles our schools are facing when integrating social media into the classroom in an attempt to better prepare students for the “real” world they’re about to enter.

The slides below provide visual support for the discussion. This talk also borrows heavily from Larry’s Lessig’s TED talk “How Creativity is Being Strangled by the Law” (embedded below).

And here’s the TED talk by Larry Lessig:

Here’s a Wordle made from the ASTE 2010 preconference and conference sectional descriptions, the ASTE webpage, and keynote/speaker biographies. [Click to enlarge].

Are you a Buzzer or not? Please answer this one question informal poll asking if you’re disabling Buzz in your Gmail account, or if you’re going to leave it enabled:

With the release of Google Buzz, there’s oodles of speculation at what Google is aiming for. Facebook’s popularity is soaring, and now they’ve announced they’ll be launching a webmail product to compete with Gmail. So, is Google threatened by Facebook? Heck yea!

The social media wars are heating up! Google already has a humongous user base, and Buzz automatically links into existing Gmail contacts, giving people an instant social network. How well the mass of non-tech Gmail users will take to Buzz remains to be seen, they might find it one to many improvements to an already great product. And whether or not those who’ve already invested time and sweat into Twitter and Facebook will consider switching? Only time will tell… but it’s bound to be an exciting 2010.