Even the lousiest teachers can teach you something...

Teachers are human and therefore even your grades are subject to their opinion. Seth Godin outlines the perks of having a teacher that is hard to please.

1. Grades are an illusion
2. Your passion and insight are reality
3. Your work is worth more than mere congruence to an answer key
4. Persistence in the face of a skeptical authority figure is a powerful ability
5. Fitting in is a short-term strategy, standing out pays off in the long run
6. If you care enough about the work to be criticized, you've learned enough for today

Thank you...for not smoking

Tired of always hearing people's conversations on cell phones? Wish that people realized that headphones were made so you didn't have to hear their music?

Microsoft is moving to promote and enhance good manners. How? It hasn't been released however we will hope it'll improve subway and bus rides.

"Will your cell phone whisper to you “don’t shout”? or increase the volume on the other end so you don’t start screaming in the first place? Context awareness of technology is one of the - if not the - primary prerequisite for smart behaviour. Linking social values to the concept of smart is one way to enhance user experience not merely for the user but also his/her surroundings.

Thank God someone said it....

After four long years of higher education I've found myself, many times a week, thinking about the lessons and benefits of coming to college...what sad results.

Thankfully, Seth Godin laments about the college experience as of late, from the financial burdens to the opportunities after graduation, he sheds a new light on this rite of passage experience.

"The coming melt-down in higher education (as seen by a marketer)"

Hospitals = Depressing

In one of her blogs in "By Design" Allison Arieff details her experience concerning frequent hospital visits after her mother was diagnosed with cancer.

"...the waiting room window was lined with plants — all dead. In the exam room of another medical practice, I picked up a copy of Sunset magazine — from 1996 (it was 2003). In the waiting area for her radiation treatments, my mother joined the ranks of weary women sitting in uncomfortable chairs, awkwardly clutching hospital gowns that didn’t close."

Hospitals are the epicenters of ultlimate physical recovery, however, why can't they aid in mental rehabilitation as well? The lackluster, depressing look of waiting rooms and offices often add to patients' mental stress and fear of the impending.

Arieff sums up this proposition with "What if bureaucratic processes seemed a little less, well, bureaucratic, and the architecture of healthcare spaces a little less demoralizing? Might it somehow promote a sense of calm rather than apprehension? Design may seem frivolous to consider when lives are at stake, but proactive change in the realm of healthcare could help to make that context about wellness more than illness."

Building happiness

Can a building really make you happy?

Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara, believes that his building designs may have psychological effects on people. Undoubtedly the the form and fashion of many objects, architecture included, have an effect on our moods and the members of the Royal Institute of British Architects are capitalizing on that.

“Led by Ed Blake, “Building Happiness” was a project that aimed to use the best research and anecdotal evidence from across a wide range of disciplines to identify and analyse the most important drivers in the field. How do we construct happiness? What components make for a happy building or space? How do we measure and quantify this response? is it possible? Who is responsible for it? can it be built in?”- Jane Wernick, Building Futures.

"Impenetrable to Inviting"

Once feeling like an outcast while walking down Madison Avenue, Eric Wilson of The New York Times, now fits right in.

Due to the recession many businesses are clamoring for business, including those located on upscale shopping areas like Madison Avenue. Employees of MaxMara, Gucci, Chanel and other high-brow houses, who once sized up shoppers by their hand adornments and shoes before helping, are now indiscriminately performing their jobs. "Salesclerks, haunted by the papered-over windows of stores next door, are being trained to exude a level of customer service rivaling that of Disney," reports Eric Wilson.

On an experimental journey through the area, Wilson dressed poorly and wandered into several stores on the avenue, including Prada and Ralph Lauren, presumptuously trying on clothes he couldn't afford and making false requests.

Nevertheless, customer service was always outstanding and never wavering no matter the clientele.

Oldest Photograph in New York??

The Sotheby's is being offered the latest claim to the oldest photograph of New York City. The 4-by 5 1/4 inch daguerreotype image depicts a lawn planted by evergreens with a road in the foreground and a house in the background.

The photograph is believed to be have taken around October 1848 or earlier and since it is a rare find, considering that most daguerreotype images only date back to the 1950's, Sotheby's is auctioning off the photo on March 30.

Future fashion

With all other areas of our lives becoming computerized, its no surprise that eventually our clothing would become "robotically enhanced."

Designer Hussein Chalayah has had the world toying with the possibility futuristic, unbelievably, convenient clothing.

"Imagine a world in which garments change appearance, function, in which textiles change characteristics, in response to the person wearing them or the environment in which he or she moves."

Creations pondered: garments sensitive to light, body-heat and even bacteria.

80/20 Rule for Designers

The 80/20 rule asserts that approximately 80 percent of the effects generated by any large system are caused by 20 percent of the variables in that system.

80 % of a product's usage involves 20% of its features.

80% of progress comes from 20% of the effort.

80% of errors are caused by 20% of the components.

80% of innovation comes from 20% of the people.

Great explanation by Randa Clay: 80/20 rule

Emailing Wizard

In his blog entry, "8 things I wish everyone knew about email" Seth Godin gives a few hints on how to properly use email. I thought these four were probably the most necessary for the emailing lot to know.

1. You can't recall an email you didn't mean to send. Some software makes you think you can, but you can't. Not reliably.
2. Email lives forever, is easy to spread and can easily show up in discovery for a lawsuit.
3. Please don't ask me to save a tree by not printing your email. It doesn't work, it just annoys the trees.
4. Send yourself some email at a friend's computer. Read it. Are the fonts too big or too small? Does it look like a standard email? If it doesn't look like a standard, does this deviation help you or hurt you? Sometimes, fitting in makes sense, no?

"You need to breathe, so you need to use Helvetica"

"Helvetica is like air."-Erik Spierkermann

HELVETICA DOCUMENTARY trailer

To notice, or not to notice

Before designing a web page or any display whatsoever, one must first ask themselves one question: do you want your design to be noticed?

Seth Godin proposes this important question. The thing is if you want the information of your display to be noticed then your design has to be good but not overwhelming, however if you're showcasing your design, in an effort to reveal your talent, it is best to be eye-catching.

Remember that.

The Benefits of Humility...

In an effort to deflect the egos and work of hooligans, bus stop sheds are designed to look flimsy and fragile. But in fact, they are long lasting and damaged pieces are quickly fixed.

However, one design company chose to strike out on its own and proclaim its bus sheds "hufter-proof" (hooligan-proof). Prokol Polymers in 2007 declared its new polymer sheds as "indestructible," setting a blaze on the behinds of hooligans everywhere.

Unsuspecting landmarks

One Chase Manhattan Plaza and the Consolidated Edison Building are now landmarks according to the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

Constructed mainly of aluminum and glass, the Plaza was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and was the sixth-tallest building in the world at the time of its completion in 1961.

The Con-Ed building began construction in 1911 and was designed by Henry J. Hardenbergh.

Robotic Assistants

Necessity is the mother of invention, Japan is finding out and getting quite familiar with the concept.

In an effort to combat its rapidly aging population Japan has made significant investment into robotics and cyber-kinetics in an effort to "amplify and expand its shrinking ‘human’ workforce as well as help to cater for the needs of elderly."

While most nations invest heavily in health-care and other medicinal issues, Japan has broadened its budget horizons to include these preventive treatments.

“Life Machines engages with the question of how an aging population’s needs can be met through technology. It investigates a possible future society in which humans and robots coexist in domestic spaces and asks what issues arise in a symbiotic relationship between humans and technology. Questions about what kind of compromises and adjustments will have to be made are explored through scenarios of everyday routines in the relationship of an ageing individual and a robot. The design of domestic objects that reflect the needs of both machines and humans becomes a tool for exploring the human condition and our fascination with using technology to recreate ourselves.”

NewScientist reported on a new amazing discovery: mind reading.

“[...] has used an image of brain activity taken in a functional MRI scanner to recreate a black-and-white image from scratch. “By analysing the brain signals when someone is seeing an image, we can reconstruct that image,” says Kamitani. This means that the mind reading isn’t limited to a selection of existing images, but could potentially be used to “read off” anything that someone was thinking of, without prior knowledge of what that might be.”

Imagine the possibilities. The dangers...

Think like a designer, write like a journalist

According to William Bostwick of the website Core77, not because you're designer doesn't mean you can't successfully present yourself in writing as well. Using one's creativity and unique style and following Bostwick's five basic tips, this can be accomplished.

Firstly, using your abilities as a designer contour work to fit your audience and the task at hand. To know what interests the public is an inherent trait of any designer. Therefore, use it to rearrange sentences, select the proper words and "putting complex ideas into simple boxes."

Secondly, avoid pretentious, useless words or as Bostwick calls them "verbal SUVs -- big pointless words that look fancy but don't do anything." Because many people are unfamiliar with design, use words that are comprehensible and relatable.

People respond to stories. Therefore, tell a story when writing about your projects. Concentrate more on how something came to be rather than what came to be.

Next, use the first person. Personalizing your writing makes it more interesting, more relatable and less formal. According to Bostwick, "A little informality goes a long way."

Finally, "Cut ten percent of all the words you write," Bostwick advises. If it isn't necessary or true don't say it. It's always best to be honest.

CLASS NOTES

Space between letter- kerning
Space between lines- leading

Justified- even on both sides
Ragged right- uneven on right

Five steps to Success

According to Seth Godin in order to successfully when spreading ideas and earn one only needs to follow five simple rules.

1.) Set your sights on what is REALLY possible.
2.) Make wise decisions!
3.) Know your goals
4.) Understand how to get things down and change minds
5.) Earn the respect and turst of your peers.

Minority report...not just a movie

Thanks to Oblong Industries' G speak the interaction between people and data is possible.

“The g-speak platform is a complete application development and execution environment that redresses the dire constriction of human intent imposed by traditional GUIs. Its idiom of spatial immediacy and information responsive to real-world geometry enables a necessary new kind of work: data-intensive, embodied, real-time, predicated on universal human expertise.”

Designer = Communicators

According to William Bostwick of the website Core77, not because you're designer doesn't mean you can't successfully present yourself in writing as well. Using one's creativity and unique style and following Bostwick's five basic tips, this can be accomplished.

Firstly, using your abilities as a designer contour work to fit your audience and the task at hand. To know what interests the public is an inherent trait of any designer. Therefore, use it to rearrange sentences, select the proper words and "putting complex ideas into simple boxes."

Secondly, avoid pretentious, useless words or as Bostwick calls them "verbal SUVs -- big pointless words that look fancy but don't do anything." Because many people are unfamiliar with design, use words that are comprehensible and relatable.People respond to stories. Therefore, tell a story when writing about your projects. Concentrate more on how something came to be rather than what came to be.

Next, use the first person. Personalizing your writing makes it more interesting, more relatable and less formal. According to Bostwick, "A little informality goes a long way."

Finally, "Cut ten percent of all the words you write," Bostwick advises. If it isn't necessary or true don't say it. It's always best to be honest.

Powerpoint Magic

According to Seth Godin's "Nine Steps to Powerpoint Magic" here are a few ways to give a successful presentation.
1.) Only use powerpoint if necessary. While some powerpoint presentations are helpful, others can be distracting. Godin's advice: "Do it in your own words, without artifice and with clarity."

2.) Powerpoint presentations are visual aids, they are not meant to be read. So use as few words as possible. Never more than three words per bullet.

3.) Don't give presentations for small ideas. According to Godin, that's what memos are for, so always make sure, "you brought your big idea with you."

4.) To give a bit of edge to your presentation, get your own font. You can visit Smashing Magazine and buy your own font.

5.) Tell the truth. This concept goes far beyond the given idea of not telling a lie, instead it urges presenters to NOT HIDE anything.

6.) Be as brief as possible. If your presentation can be 20 minutes don't prolong it for an hour. After all today's television broadcasts have conditioned us to have very short attention spans.

7.) Captivate your audience. "Your actions should demand their attention." Ensure that your presentation is all that it can be.

8.) Get a remote because it allows you to maintain eye contact and interact with your audience.

9.) If you're presenting to a large group of people, get a microphone. It may increase the cost of a presentation but it heightens the impact of your presentation and improves your posture. In Seth Godin's words, "If 400 people are willing to spend an hour listening to you, someone ought to be willing to spend a few dollars to make the presentation work properly."

Shopping Reinvented

What thrills us so much about shopping for clothing? Is it the discovery of new possibilities? The exchange of money for our chosen pieces? Or simply the rifling through racks?

Well, If its the latter of the three, then there's a great possibility that Philips will ruin the shopping experience for you. The company is looking to bring to fruition its ideas on a technological device that would have shoppers' measurements connected to store inventory. In addition it would also allow shoppers to see how an article of clothing would look on them. Overall, the invention would allow for a quicker, more convenient and more efficient shopping experience."

Philips envisions demo clothing with “alloy fibers” interwoven, which will essentially allow electricity to extend, mold, and shape the threads to fit one’s body. Basically, Philips is hoping its auto-conforming system will allow shoppers to figure out the precise size they need without all the subsequent guesswork, …”

Marketing the MoMA with Picasso

The image of five naked women are being plastered all over New York City's subway station.

It's not by graffiti artists or random vandals, but by the marketing team of the Museum of Modern Art hoping to capture the attention of New Yorkers. Located on 53rd street between fifth and sixth avenue in Manhattan, the museum is making an effort to transform its image as only a tourist fixture. MoMA employees, in conjunction with the MTA, is displaying Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon" (1907) as well as works as many other contemporary artists like Cindy Sherman, Marlene Dumas, Hopper, O'Keefe and Matisse.

By the end of this six week art campaign, beginning in the Atlantic Avenue and Pacific Street subway stations in Brooklyn, Moma officials are hoping that New Yorkers will be more interested in frequenting the museum and buying museum memberships. Kim Mitchell, the museum's chief communications officer tells, "The whole city is important to MoMA, and this station just seemed to be a good to start the experiment."

Could you fill out my survey? Pass.

It seems like everyday we run across tedious online surveys. Though the better part of us would love to help a fledgling business out, the length and monotony of online surveys often discourage participation. Seth Godin lists five ways to compile an effective survey.

1.) Avoid length surveys. To keep the participants' attention and ensure that they answer your survey honestly, the survey should contain no more than 10 questions. After this, surveys get exhausting.

2.) Avoid loaded questions. In Seth Godin's words, "If you ask, 'which did you hate more...' then you've planted a seed."

3.) Try to make some of your questions interesting. The more engaging the survey is, the better the answers will be. Boring question beget boring answers.

4.) Every question counts, so in as few questions as possible try to ask what you truly want to know.

5.) Along with interesting questions, try a unique format. Different is always captivating.

Heinz packaging: Favorite but faulty

"The one thing design must do is fulfill its function efficiently" proclaims Alice Rawsthorn of New York Times.

However, sometimes the familiarity of a design it often outweighs the a customers preference for efficiency. Heinz's classic glass bottle has become and icon and an indispensable part of the American household even though the plastic version allows users to easily acquire the contents.

The reputation, comfort and classic effortless look that accompanies the glass bottle even allows for expensive restaurants to carry the condiment without repackaging. It's eco-friendly packaging is also another notch along its belt.

Singletown

These days, its seems like marriage is slowly becoming a choice rather than an expectation. The world has now becoming more accepting of the 45-year old successful unmarried female lawyer and the 50-year old bachelor.

More than accepting, they've even become accommodating. At Venice Architecture Biennale in 2008 the Dutch design studio Droog Design & KesselsKramer showcased an exhibition called S1ngletown.

"S1NGLETOWN focuses on the world of contemporary singles. Its relevance is broad, as all of us are likely to belong to this group at some stage in our lives — and likely more than once. In fact, some sources predict that a third of people in developed countries will be living alone by 2026.
S1NGLETOWN is an exhibition that’s also a town, an abstract interpretation of a new kind of urban space. Visitors will be able to walk its streets and interact with its products and citizens, and view their homes."

Good news for the Undomesticated

A Swedish brand, Eton Shirts, has developed a cotton-fiber that no longer requires ironing After washing, the fiber returns to its original shape simply through body heat. While this invention reduces energy use and is another step on the eco-friendly front, it poses a major question:

With the banishment of several step in the manufacturing and the invention of many environmentally beneficial products, will unemployment rise as the world's population becomes more "green?"

Food Pills

In years to come, many have often contemplated the future of food.

Will a tiny pill be able to hit the spot the same way a whole plate of soul food does? Or will our sustenance simply be acquired intravenously?

Philip Design details a possible future for us in three ways.

Diagnostic Kitchen: by using a nutrition monitor nestled in a wand you will be informed of your nutritional requirements and 'how much you should eat to match your digestive health.'

Food Creation: this invention would allow a user to input available ingredients into a system that would essentially combine the items into the preferred form and consistency.

Home farming: this would include people hosting interdependent ecosystems in their homes, for example fish and edible plants.

Who needs a phone when...

You can communicate with you thoughts....

KKDI's Design Studio has showcased a new intra-body communication technology that allows data to flow from the body to gadgets.

No more sharing business cards or swapping emails, information will soon be exchanged through a simple handshake.

Time is money

Designers, the first and most important rule of decision making, according to Seth Godin, is to never ask for more time.

Time, some may say makes for an informed decision, however, it doesn't. It usually just decreases the quality of the final decision.

"More information may help. More time without more information just creates anxiety, not insight," Seth Godin argues.

In addition, the time you would take mulling over the decision, could be spent starting the project or another.

A presentation is a privilege

Don't waste it, Seth Godin warns. And follows by suggesting four ways to make the execution of this privilege even more captivating and valued.

1. No presentation, is a good presentation. If you can send a memo instead, it would be better. Your audience can read faster than you can present and they can then look forward to your presentations since they may become rare.

2. One on one presentations are the second best kinds of presentations. A face to face pitch is much more rewarding and effective.

3. Third most important....INTERACTIVE PRESENTATIONS!!

4. Lastly, ease up on the bullet points and stick to thought provoking stories and pictures.

House of Rockwell

Thankfully, the All-American and heartwarming illustrations of Norman Rockwellhave been revamped, invigorating public interest in this American artist once again. Hoping to turn The Norman Rockwell Museum into "nexus for the study of American illustration art," what some may dub, a lost field, the museum has announced plans to establish the Rockwell Center.

“Rockwell is very accessible, but when you understand more broadly and deeply how much influence his work wielded on an entire nation, you have a much richer experience,”said Laurie Norton Moffatt, the director of the museum.

Having his first illustration printed for the Evening post at age 22, Rockwell's photos are charged with emotion that keep his prints forever relevant.

(Image: Rockwell's "New Kids in the Neighborhood" 1967 )

Van Gogh Tug-o-War

Yale University is suing for the rights to ownership of Van Gogh's "Night Cafe."

The painting was donated to the school in 1961 by alumnus Stephen Carlton Clark and has been housed in the Yale University Art Gallery ever since. However, now the University's ownership of the 1888 painting has been challenged by a man who says he's a descendant of a previous owner.

Our future...according to Microsoft

From health-care to retail, Microsoft has mapped out our futures. Microsoft Office Labs have glimpsed ahead and proposed a way of life for consumers.

By 2019, according to Microsoft "your health team can share data seamlessly." The company imagines a future where individuals can monitor their own health with the assistance of "smart, connected devices."

Secondly, the Microsoft believes that through predictive measures, banks will be able to provide individuals with their finances seamlessly and efficiently.

Next, manufacturing would be faster and more productive, with workers collaborating across time zones.

Lastly, and probably most anticipated, is a greater and more efficient retail process. With this, stores and merchandise will be easily accessible and retailers can anticipate and provide shoppers' needs.

Dieter Rams: Ten principles of Good Design

Good design is innovative.

Good design makes a product useful.

Good design is aesthetic.

Good design makes a product understandable.

Good design is unobtrusive.

Good design is honest.

Good design is long-lasting.

Good design is thorough down to the last detail.

Good design is environmentally friendly.

Good design is as little design as possible.

Universal Principles of Design: Alignment

"The placement of elements such that edges line up along common rows or columns, or their bodies along a common center."

A great design does not have to be teeming with unnecessary pieces and crazy structures, instead a great design contains order and alignment.

Major Schmajor

It doesn't matter what you study, according to Scott Keyes of The Chronicle, it's what you learn...


"Stop Asking Me My Major"
http://chronicle.com/article/Stop-Asking-Me-My-Major/63453/

"One minute I'm crying in my pajamas, the next minute I'm SUPERWOMAN!"

The HAGA Event on March 3, was possibly one of the best experiences a graduate could hold for beginning their careers. Several tips derived from the event were:

1.) Persevere. There is a reason why artists are often thought to be starving, because most times we are. But its all worth the big break in the end. The day you decide to give up can be the day that holds a new future for you.

2.) On that note, though this is one of the few professions where passion is required, it does not excuse a lack of work. You may not always FEEL like working, but it IS a job, so continue working.

3.) ALWAYS document your work.

4.) Believe in yourself and stay confident in what you have to offer.

5.) Dream big, but stay practical. Do not quit your day job, you still need the money to fund your dreams and the health insurance to keep you well.

6.) Make a plan, but don't expect to stick to it. Its always great to set a goal, however as an artist you may never end up where you think you may for opportunities may come along that sweep you off your path. Unexpected doesn't mean unfortunate.

7.) Keep up to date with your craft and those things that surround it. Learn to navigate the latest software and fraternize with other artists. Concentrate on tweaking your own craft, but don't shut the world out.

"Do what you have to do now, so you can do what you want to do later."

On his blog, Seth Godin warns against the "I-don't-feel-like-it" syndrome.

As artists, we often feel the need to be "inspired" before beginning some sort of work; we need to be "in the mood." However, according to Mr. Godin, this approach borders on self-complacency and laziness.

It's not called leisure, it's called work because its difficult.

"... Your feelings are irrelevant to whether or not the market expects great work. Do the work. Ignore the feelings part and the work will follow."- Seth Godin

Abracadabra!!

Joy throughout the land!" Seth Godin blogged after telling of a story of an almost delayed flight that was quickly returned to schedule.

The story was brought up to show the dazzling effect of a rescued situation, of one that looks difficult but is then remedied or as Godin calls it "The Houdini technique."

"Houdini never said, 'check out these trick handcuffs and watch how easy it is for me to take them off.' "

Godin's advice for selling an idea/product is a "rapid change in expectations."
Make easy things look difficult.
Make difficult things look easy.

Mies Van Der Rohe

"God is in the details."

"Less is more."

Carbonated Beverages Reinvented

The development of a new environmentally friendly soda can makes advertising even more ubiquitous. Conceived by Ukrainian Johan De Broyer and developed and designed by Robert Davis the "Soda Seal" has many benefits, it's primary one being its ability to be resealed. These are some of the benefits:
1.) Storage and shipping methods are easy because the form of this revolutionary can is the identical to that of the standard can.

2.) There will be no cost for the can's production, because the inside seal of the can will include advertising that will be copious enough to cover this cost.

3.) There are no new recycling concerns, because the components of this new can are all aluminum.

4.)The can provides a water-tight and gas tight seal retaining carbonation and enabling consumers to use drink beverages during outdoor activity without spilling.

CLASS NOTES 2/18

Reptilian Mind-the fundamental part of the brain that is only consumed with instinctive functions.

Atmospheric- relating to, not specific to topic

unico.com

mediabistro.com

Ten tips for Marketing your Art in Today's World

According to Eric Sparre, Founder and Managing Director of Artspan, besides being positive, patient and bold there are several other steps artists can take in succeeding in marketing their own art...

1.) Take advantage of the Internet.
2.) Branding- have your own image, own site.
3.) Make your site easy to find.
4.) Show your work.
5.) Do your own marketing, starting with close friends and families.
6.) Look for new media & compare notes with other artists.
7.) Know your buyer/audience.
8.) Appropriately price your work.
9.) Do your homework.
10.) Be professional in all things.

Good Design

It needs to be said: A barrage of buttons and colorful layout does not a good "design" does not make. On the other hand, a good design is one that is simple and without overt instructions, tells consumers what to do with the product.

By its form, consumers will derive its function.

"Where is the (real-time) love?"

How is it that I can see you on my way to class and we act like total strangers yet you write on my wall like we've been friends forever? And I am quite sure that though many people may have 500-odd friends on facebook or followers on twitter, they actually speak to less than half...

Cathering Arrow details this rising phenomenon in her blog "2010: Battle for "real-time" relationships."

By 2013, Prince George's County Maryland will be home to the eco-friendly National Children's Museum.

Commissioning the Pelli Clarke Pelli architectural firm, the musem will be a 150,000 square foot space and will include "a wind turbine that will supply the building with energy, a sun reflector on the roof to reduce the use of artificial light and a roof system that will absorb rainwater and improve insulation."

The institution will boast works from Roto Studio, Amaze Design and AldrichPears that highlight the importance of the environment and healthy play.

The Houdini Technique

Joy throughout the land!" Seth Godin blogged after telling of a story of an almost delayed flight that was quickly returned to schedule.

The story was brought up to show the dazzling effect of a rescued situation, of one that looks difficult, but is then remedied or as Godin calls it "The Houdini technique."

"Houdini never said, 'check out these trick handcuffs and watch how easy it is for me to take them off.' "

Godin's advice for selling an idea/product is a "rapid change in expectations."

Make easy things look difficult.

Make difficult things look easy.

CLASS NOTES

Community checklist

Does it satisfy a real need? Do its members learn more, have more fun, get more done or get support?

Does is have a clearly articulated purpose?

Is it clear about who belongs and who doesn’t?

Is there interaction between members?

Are there enduring relationships formed between members that go beyond the original reason for connecting?

Do they contribute, do they participate, do they work together to achieve the common purpose? Being an audience is not a community.

Do they feel responsibility for each other and the community at large?

Are there roles, responsibilities and jobs performed by the membership?

Is it self-policing? Do people censure or eject unruly or unreasonable members?

Are there guidelines, rules, or norms of behavior?

To be really sure that you’ve enabled a real community ask the following questions of your members.

Do they identify with the community? Does it reflect, in part ,who they are as an individual?

Do they have a sense of belonging?

Can they be who they really are without fearing rejection?

Do they have a sense of confidence, safety, even protection?

Do they feel part of something bigger than themselves?

Do they have a sense of purpose and meaning?

What is Community?
A community has historically been defined as a group of people organized around common values and social cohesion within a shared geographical location.

With the Internet, you don’t need the geographical location, so the opportunity for community has increased exponentially with the types of communities expanding in ways that have no analog in the real world. From offbeat brides to steampunk aficionados, entirely new communities can emerge in minutes around interests that may only exist or be possible in an online world.

Sociological:

Not only is the concept of a community a "construct" (model), it is a "sociological construct.". It is a set of interactions, human behaviors that have meaning, and expectations between its members. Not just action, but actions based on shared expectations, values and beliefs, and meanings between individuals.

SLIDE 1 (Overview of living on the Moon)
-Big Moon on slide and text in the middle

SLIDE 2 (Profile of the Moon)
-Descriptive images and captions

SLIDE 3
-Recent developments (embed video)

*Quotes about the moon at the bottom of each slide

-"I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum" George Bernard Shaw

-"War talk by men who have been in a war is always interesting; whereas moon talk by a poet who has not been in the moon is likely to be dull." Mark Twain

-"When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return." Unknown

-“Man is now able to soar into outer space and reach up to the moon; but he is not moral enough to live at peace with his neighbor!” Sri Sathya Sai Baba