Rachel Smith tags me – 5 more things

Five Things, or Late to the Party But Hey There’s Still Beer « Ninmah Meets World

Beer? Did someone say beer? In the spirit of appeasing my twitter friends, here are five more, for Rachel. It was learning she loved to weld that made me give in. I am not sure I am going to tag anyone else. How about a variation. If you want to be tagged, leave a comment and consider yourself tagged.

1. My first job in Seattle was in a cookie factory, alternately stacking cookies for packaging or decorating holiday cookies. I lasted a week. My problems? 1. I was too tall for the assembly line and it was killing my body. 2. I worked too fast and the rest of the crew was getting pretty ticked with me.

2. I once had a role in a musical where I was on stage for most of the show but said nor sang anything. Any guesses? (hint: it was a male role. I also played a ghost for one scene. I’m a sucker for character roles.)

3. I don’t like black licorice.

4. I had my first bliss of nature in a stand of deciduous trees, loosing there autumnal beauty upon my head. I danced.

5. I have no tattoos. But I’ve thought about it!

David Sibbet: visual cartographer at TED 2008

Oh, I want to watch this!

David Sibbet: TED2008: The Big Questions

This from David:

We’ll be doing this using the latest Wacom Cintiq tablets and beta versions of Autodesk’s Alias Sketchbook Pro. Our drawings, some 5-15 for each speaker, will be saved and accessible on a huge portfolio wall with multi-touch capability. If you’ve seen the movie Minority Report,or used an i-phone, it allows that kind of manipulation of imagery. You can pinch-reduce pictures, rotate them, sort them, move them around — all by touch.

I don’t know what we will produce, but it will be integrated into a book about this year’s TED, focusing on the theme The Big Questions. We’re calling ourselves “visual cartographers,” and I’m focusing on making not only the big questions, but the patterns that connect these ideas visible.

You know when you gotta go – Nexus for Change 2

March 28th I head to Bowling Green, Ohio for my second Nexus for Change. Last year at Nexus 1 I had the opportunity to work alongside some amazing professional graphic recorders who were supporting the overall event and my eyes were opened to the visual aspects of group process. This year, I’m heading back to Nexus for Change 2/Nexus U and am inviting you to consider going too. And I’m on the Arts Team again (as well as the Tech team, but spreading my wings beyond my customary domain).

I was on the fence because life is crazy and the year is looking to be full of travel. I was unsure because it took a while to see the agenda and to figure out if I had something to contribute/get. Then I decided to let go of expectations and just COMMIT!

This year there are two parts ($600 for 4 days!). Nexus U is a chance to focus on large group/whole system methods and consider how to apply them. Think of “method camp.” Gabriel Shirley has assembled a team of experienced practitioners to lead folks through a series of fast/deep dives on Saturday, then to work in groups to plan actual applications. Then on Sunday night Nexus 2 opens, followed by two days of thinking about whole systems change – how methods are related, how we can use these tools to change our selves, our companies and the world.

Are you a facilitator? A change maker? Interested in change? In methods? Sign up and come along. If you are into visual methods, I’ll be leading the deep dives on Saturday, then I’ll be backing up an old client, James Soohoo (James is NOT old, but this is a past client!!) as he shares how online tools made a difference for his group at the March of Dimes.

For all the details in a downloadable form, click here: Nexus for Change 2 Invitation (pdf)

Visualizing Information for Advocacy

Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design from the Tactical Technology Collective. Oh wow, this is fantastic. Down-loadable. Free. Here is the overview:

Modern life is saturated with ever increasing amounts of information, advertising and media with little time to digest what is being said. Against this background, NGOs and advocates too often find the information they want to communicate, either buried in long reports full of professional jargon and statistics, or overlooked in an endless stream of media releases. Whether communicating to the public, staff, donors or government officials, information design can help NGOs communicate with more impact, increase accessibility, and present issues powerfully.

Visualizing Information for Advocacy: An Introduction to Information Design is a manual aimed at helping NGOs and advocates strengthen their campaigns and projects through communicating vital information with greater impact. This project aims to raise awareness, introduce concepts, and promote good practice in information design – a powerful tool for advocacy, outreach, research, organization and education.

Through examples, the booklet demonstrates how to use innovative visual graphics to tell a complex and powerful story in a snapshot.

The manual was designed and produced as a collaboration between Tactical Tech and John Emerson of Backspace – a design consultancy dedicated to research, development and promotion of design in the public interest. John’s work portfolio includes print, internet, and broadcast television work for NGOs, not-for-profit corporations, and activist groups.

Hattip to Beth Kanter who tweeted about this!

Balancing OLPCs at NorthernVoice 2008

One more NVoice shout out – Luke Closs had an OLPC with him and taught me a LOT, including how to balance one on your chin. Here I’m getting into it slowly by using my teeth to help. Later I balanced, but sitting on the ground so the fall would be shorter for the little green and white sweetie. I’m still a digital grasshopper, oh Master Luke!

Nancy and Luke Duelling on Flickr – Photo Sharing! by Lee LeFever