Gods & Heroes: Singularity Institute – OWS – Twitter

23 Trillion Wrongs Don't Make a Right - OWS 10/15/11

Working Group Schedule - OWS 10/15/11

While NYU and NYC public school students joined Occupy Wall Street demonstrators downtown, the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence met uptown at the 92nd St Y. Sunday Oct 16, I dropped by on behalf of Social Media News New York (@smnny) to hear the Singularists's view of economic trends and what to do next. Mind you, taken to its furthest reaches the Singularist way of coming together would put the 1% and 99% uncomfortably close in the same bucket by making all humans redundant.


‎"Working with stuff is easier than working with people..we’re spending a lot on Health Care and not getting good value”. " 

Tyler Cowen, The Great Stagnation

TFP Measures Production from New Ideas

Cowen's TFP chart shows how productivity measurements from new ideas have flattened to 1/6 of that in the 19th century!  What can be fixed with stuff has already been done through industrialization and technology. Now, it's those hard people problems, health care and education being prime examples, that have to be addressed.  Developers were encouraged to focus on mobile devices to help humans with their interactions. He gave the example of something that could tell you when you are talking too much on a date.

Balloon Challenge Response

"Our communication paradigms are broken...we need connections to solve hard problems...You are fighting economics of attention"

Riley Crane, Rethinking Communication

Riley Crane shows organizations, companies and government how to build adoption of products, services, ideas and causes by “getting to the communication cascade” His graphs of communication cascades in social media amid the “economics of attention” was timely in the context of the weekend’s escalation of OWS.  

Social Media Boards - OWS

Once again Twitter, Facebook and mobile text carried the message of dissent globally and minimized confrontation on the ground when students used social media to quickly re-gather on Wall St. from Washington Square to avoid riot squads forming closeby at Astor Place.  

David Ferrucci, Tech, Dan Cerutti, Bus.

"...there is value in human language versus curated data"

David Ferrucci and Dan Cerutti

IBM's Watson executives claimed to value human analysis and included scholarly journals and other human language publications in programming the Jeopardy star.  His new gig is helping Health Care companies improve the performance of caregiver teams. 

Sharon Bertsch McGrayne, David Brin, Alex Wissner-Gross

" ....decendents of priests and rabbis, alphas should speak the adversary's language.."

David Brin

Futuristic writer and self-proclaimed contrarian, Brin proposed the “god creators” learn the language of the adversary.  Appealing flagrantly to the healthy ego in the room, he suggested their grasp of the Bible would be so impressive that even if the religious right is not converted, the caliber of debate would flatter and disarm the adversary.  In the heady atmosphere of the auditorium that morning, Brin’s tip made sense.  Forget the Crusades, 9/11 and the American abortion clinic’s daily toil, the super debater has entered!  Game imagery must be taking hold, even I thought yeah!

Badges, um, rewards go first to "god creators" gathering low-hanging quantifiable fruit, so our super bright humans aren’t likely to focus on the “hard” human stuff in the near term.  Brin’s got a point.  Better set one’s expectations closer to the ground.  Maybe they’d think it’s fun to pick up languages to show off. Minimally, those in desperate need of a lift could at least get a heady atmospheric fix - contact high, so to speak.

Must be great to be so smart.







Links

Occupy Wall Street: occupywallstreet.org


Social Media News NY: www.facebook.com/smnny


The Singularity Institute: www.singularityu.org


Twitter: www.twitter.com

Sept 11 - Subject: I'm a New Yorker - Make History National 9/11Memorial - Museum of Me

On this day ten years ago the world came apart and then together.  We each remember 9/11 in our own way and now have great tools to share this story.  Its an ongoing process... 

Links

http://on.fb.me/Sept11Spain

http://on.fb.me/Breuer

http://makehistory.national911memorial.org/

http://www.intel.com/museumofme/r/index.htm


Visit


http://www.sonsureda.com/index.php

www. linguae-mundi.com


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9CDini9SDM

http://www.yeguadacartuja.com/visitas_video.php

NYC Sights & Sites - Foursquare

Such fun this past week....Sunday's ah ha was on the Met roof gazing through the Anthony Caro sculpture especially noted for their engagement with the public; then dashing like a bandit down the stairs - once forbidden - to snap the "neighbors" in the galleries. 

Tuesday, I checked into the Carsten Aveda Institute.  Enroute, on the Upper East Side, Dulce Vida Café appeared with Colombian food - perfect to surprise Miss Gloria, the salon manager, a Colombia native.  The treats were so authentic, they prompted her immediate call, “Do you deliver to Union Square?”.  

Then the stylish Amadeo offered a complimentary manicure while telling me about his 2nd job with kids after work at Harvey Milk Public School, before going to a 3rd gig, performing whenever he can at Roseland. 

Wednesday, I joined Jeff Pulver’s NY for NYers #140 On Board for a guided tour by NYC fun fact specialist Jason Schuman.  One gem was the story of how Manhattan’s first luxury high rise got its name.   Evidently,  architect Henry J. Hardenbergh had a sense of humor.  When teased that his new creation was as far away as the Dakotas, he just used it.

Standard and Poor's appearance in the window, prompted a boo from the busload of #140 characters.  Lady Liberty sighted aboard the Zephyr on Manhattan's “blue highway" hushed the same crusty New Yorkers pausing to see her “enlightening the world with freedom”.

If the hawkers of scarcity intend to keep hording at the same rate in this town, they best adapt their refrain. This land grows the inspired.
Always Count the Cost - American Proverb

Four your inspiration:


Anthony Caro
http://www.flickr.com/photos/metmuseum/sets/72157626611308431/

The Metropolitan Museum on Foursquare
https://foursquare.com/metmuseum
"Neighbors"
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1861582018985.2094091.1223975029
Dulce Vida Cafe
http://www.dulcevidacafe.com/
Carsten Aveda Institute
http://www.carsteninstitute.com/
Roseland
http://www.roselandballroom.com/
NY for NYers #140 On Board Photos
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1873939047903.2094702.1223975
Harvey Milk High School

http://schools.nyc.gov/SchoolPortals/02/M586/default.htm
#140 OnBoard
http://140onboard.com/029
#140 State of Now Photos
http://www.meetup.com/140conf/photos/678526/
The Dakota
The Dakota - New York Architecture Images-

nyc-architecture.com/UWS/UWS017.htm - Cached

The Zephyr, Circle Line Downtown

http://www.circlelinedowntown.com/zephyr.asp
Foursquare
https://foursquare.com/
The Peking 
http://www.southstreetseaportmuseum.org/index1.aspx?BD=8995

Fat Tuesday - Sing Out America

@MarketWatch’s FatTuesday picture reminds me of the place I’ve loved since my mother, an interior designer installed a restaurant there and we heard Melba Moore and Preservation Hall in the French Quarter. Years later, at JazzFest 2005, it was a saxophone added to a flamenco trio. You see and hear everything in New Orleans. I promised myself another trip the same year to help restore a 12-bedroom Victorian. That Fall brought Katrina. Instead of restoring a historic home, I was waiting on HUD to release it’s wrong-headed hold on inventory of high-demand, low income housing. The sad series of national and personal misfortunes followed. I didn’t get back to the Gulf until Feb 2009 with Architecture for Humanity’s Biloxi Build, never imagining there would be more to come with BP.


When wondering today, how indeed the American public is to endure more discriminatory political discourse, I drew strength from those photos and the exuberant diversity that is New Orleans remembering the Arabic proverb…“when danger approaches, sing to it.“



Oh and I also kicked-in to Magnum fotog Bruce Gilden Foreclosing America   http://is.gd/Y8k9QT that has just 3 more days to be funded. He’s helping more voices in America to be heard.

Talking Story with Jeff Gomez at NYOpenCoffee

“We now have the technology to look into eyes all around the campfire, as tribal storytellers once did ..”

Jeff Gomez, CEO Starlight Runner Entertainment

Chasing the Story

By introducing story to Hot Wheels on various platforms, Starlight Runner helped Mattel’s Matchbox gross an additional $600 million. The imaginative comic books and trading cards added to their campaign created multiple ways for kids to participate in the excitement of racing. The brand persona grew over each of the various activities.

Now the collision of digital media and its consumption is further changing the way stories are told. “A rising tide of millennials, all consider themselves co-creators.”  They're rejecting broadcasting and re-asserting 2-way dialog. Digital's increasingly participatory narrative adds to the story canon. Gaming audiences are accustomed to being in the brand experience and expect it.

“Keir Etsu, Drop Rivalries+Win-Japan's Ethos Post WWII”

Concurrently, valuation models where “the idea is guarded", rooted in scarcity thinking, conflicts with the open source culture of the social web. “Now, I show you what I do, how I do it AND give it to you for free. As an expert, I am a thought leader and I want you to be an expert too. I have a secret sauce in how I do it which is my point-of-difference, my way of doing it.”

At times, you may hold back to grow the story. Understanding the compelling power of story, Lucas held back rights to Star Wars.  Starlight Runner held back in negotiation with Mattel to include girls. The right thing to do, yes, but it also ensured the widest possible audience when front-page female racers were coming up. Mattel figured it out, signed and got the added $600 million with new extensions.

Collision of Media - Translation to Multiple Platforms

When asked about the art of translating correctly to different platforms, Jeff said “It is the most difficult thing. Text for example is the most intimate message to a kid, if you do it wrong, you risk loosing them on all the other channels.” As in any other medium, story weakens when executed without regard to differences,  i.e. Game, Facebook, Twitter, I-Pod, Text.  Execution must play appropriately throughout. “When something cares about us, we care back.”

Around the table (right to left - not all pictured):
Gilbert Hammer,  iptvevangelist.com
Jeff Gomez, starlightrunner.com
NeilGrossman, WhizBangPowWow.com
Bobby Manuel, MixedLabs.com
John Mathews, comscientgroup.com
Georgette Asherman, directeffects.net
Andy Sharpe, songdivision.com
LesGoldberg, bedandbreakfastnetny.com
Owen Brunette, SwarmPoint LLC,
Nathan L. Gallow, nlgallow@gmail
Linda Matljan,  lamella@mac.com

Starlight Runner Entertainment, founded by Jeff Gomez and Mark Pensavalle, has packaged books, comics and graphic novels. They've developed videogames and alternate reality experiences for Disney, Hasbro and Fox while working on “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Tron Legacy,” “Transformers” and “Avatar,” as well as Coca-Cola’s “Happiness Factory”.

Is content King, if functionality is a Serf?

"Designing for a best case persona versus the 'even your grandma can do it model supports goal-directed versus task-directed design”
Paul Hine, ZocDoc

NYC Web Design met for a presentation, panel and tech author update at AOL Venture’s at 770 Broadway Monday nite. ZocDoc's Paul Hine calibrated user design by advising completing full personas to satisfy. Consider what they do, how they react personally, professionally and to brands. Have multiple personas but know who loves the site and could be an evangelist, design for them without offending the others.

To create a tangible example, Paul showed a photo of imaginary “Joanna” the financial exec, who spins, eats Chinese at her desk and tagline quote would be “I don’t have time for that”. Though Joanna may never tweet for you or become an evangelist, its important not to piss her off. You strive to design so as not to offend your multiple personas, she’s still a user and could like the site.

Whether you are an “ultra-lite start-up in your girlfriend’s kitchen” or a large complex organization all sites need to test. You weigh results and filter accordingly. This includes tapping all user touch points. When you get positive comments, engage and survey. It all builds persona profiles.

An audience member said what he loved about using ZocDoc was the ability to decide by his own schedule. This Paul re-inforced, is “goal-directed” design argued for in Alan Cooper's Inmates are Running the Asylum. Instead of just providing a place to input a doctor's name and address, the user selects from scheduled openings and satisfies a goal. Similarly, eliminating just one step in password protection could be a huge improvement for the user.

When the panel came to review Noo‘s event site, the audience had been primed to ask, "what am doing here and how do I do it? Panel tips included visually setting off content to prioritize information and letting go of elements no longer supporting the new direction. A couple of advance copies of Larry Aronson’s update of HTML Manuel of Style topped a well-received evening of art and copy tango, webstyle.

Michael Bolin's Build Steps and new tool plovr to speed your site

The other night at the NY Web Performance Meetup organized by Sergey Chernyshev, I had the opportunity to hear software engineer Michael Bolin, (Google Calendar, Google Tasks, and the Closure Compiler) step a room full of speed hungry developers through build steps outlined in his book Closure: The Definitive Guide http://amzn.to/GuideClosure and then introduce his tool to further speed the process, plovr http://www.plovr.com/.

Admittedly, Sergey’s 101 intro, set it up but still. That I could follow this stuff was attributable mostly to Michael’s thoughtful, methodical delivery, but partly I think to cold immersion. You see “back in the day” at the SF convention center, I also took a seat in the front, then to absorb Java. Sometimes its useful to imagine oneself in a foreign country immersed in a new language and culture. Something always sticks.

Here’s what stuck. This web performance crowd are driven to speed your sites. Yes, the advertising model is pushing them but there’s another thing. Something observed later when free tech books were handed out. Rather than a raffle, Sergey required a brainstorm. Then you saw it, pure pleasure in thinking up better answers - the books were an excuse. We are getting our better, faster user experience but they get the real charge.

Tuesday Nov 23rd NY Web Performance meets for SPEED
RSVP bit.ly/aciIJY 7pm at Logic Works.