| Minciu Sodas laboratory | 2002-02-14 21:00 1 comment |
 by Flemming FunchOne of the groups I occasionally participate with is the Minicu Sodas Laboratory in Lithuania, which coordinates various activities about how to collect, represent and share thoughts on the Internet. For example, they're working on standards for how to transfer structures of thoughts/ideas/concepts between different programs that help you to organize your mind. That might be mind-mapping software or personal organizers or creativity tools, etc. See this page for an overview. This is dense and rather mental stuff, but important in terms of working out how to effectively network diverse collections of information and people. One of the groups within Mincu Sodas is the mailing list discussion group described below, in a message from Andrius Kulikauskas, the director of the organization. This is included for those of you who might be a fit for it. It is not for just anybody, and would probably not make much sense unless you're seriously into this kind of thing already. I.e collaborative software, knowledge management, academic philosophizing, etc. ************************************ Invitation for "Thinking Relevantly" ************************************ Our working group "Thinking Relevantly" wants to learn how to engage group minds. We invite you to help Peter Kaminski, our Investigatorius, make intuitive a "network economy" based on investing in bridges instead of walls. Our current endeavor is to organize a capacity for inexpensively customizing websites for Internet communities in ways that let them thrive socially and financially. We're working on: - Developing user interfaces for public workspaces, where people get things done by thinking out loud. - Articulating an etiquette for "living with bridges", like a Ten Commandments for a network economy. - Building a registry for how various Internet groups prefer to be engaged, both intragroup and intergroup. - Documenting various kinds of representations of value, especially alternative currencies that might be multi-dimensional. - Practicing how to pair enterprises and communities so that they might get things done together. - Engineering the customization of websites so that both developers and users are acquiring and applying skills they find meaningful. You can follow our correspondence by choosing the option "thinking relevantly" when you visit [link] If you would like to participate, then you need to join the Minciu Sodas laboratory. Our laboratory is devoted to "caring about thinking", and functions as a networking club. We consider our work together as an investment in each other. You are welcome to bring related projects. We award free membership if you help us by placing some of your experience in the public domain. In particular, we award free twelve-month membership for your thoughtful answers to our questionnaire below: "What keeps me from investing in my community?". Alternatively, you may pay our twelve-month membership fee of $300. Please write to Andrius Kulikauskas, Direktorius at ms@ms.lt for this or other options, or if you have any questions. We welcome you! **************************************** What keeps me from investing in my community? by Peter Kaminski and Andrius Kulikauskas **************************************** 1) What is a group of people in which I want to invest myself differently (and my time, energy, warmth, gifts, money, connections)? 2) How would I like to invest myself in this group? 3) What needs to change for me to invest myself differently? ___ the group's good or bad will? ___ the group's aim? ___ the group's clarity of vision? ___ the group's honesty or hypocrisy? ___ the group's chances for success in the world? ___ the group's existing resources? ___ the group's closedness or openness? ___ the group's appreciation of my talents or contributions? ___ my own understanding of what I might offer the group? ___ my having more or less at stake in the success of the group? ___ my having more or less at stake in my own success? ___ the constraints on time or space or money? ___ my freedom outside the group? ___ my freedom inside the group? ___ my mentor? ___ my maturity? ___ my direction? ___ my intent? ___ other (Mark any that apply above, but then please explain here): 4) How might I or others affect such changes? ___ accepting the group as it is ___ participating with a different attitude or goal ___ offering and applying my gifts in new ways ___ positioning myself differently within the group ___ clarifying my contribution ___ participating in a different time or place ___ rebudgeting my resources to belong and participate ___ changing the group's relationship with the world ___ helping address the group's needs ___ starting a new group activity ___ ending an existing group activity ___ changing the group's rules or policies ___ structuring the group differently ___ changing the composition of the group ___ clarifying the group's purpose ___ changing the group's values ___ leaving the group ___ other (Mark any that apply above, and then please explain here): 4) Do I agree to place my answers in the public domain, so that all may copy and share them without asking for my permission? (If you do, we'll share them.) 5) Would I like to give my name? And a way to contact me, such as an email address? (If you do, we'll credit you as the author.) The Minciu Sodas laboratory shares your thoughtful answers through our website [link] Please send them to ms@ms.lt Thank you for Caring about Thinking! |