Sal Kahn - Another smart contributor

Sal Khan at Gel 2010 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Dr. Gregory Todd Jones - innovation is in the networks

Dr. Gregory Jones gives an interesting talk about networks and creativity. He states that, "networks of people are creative and innovative and knowing how to structure those networks properly has a direct impact on productivity." He talks about how sharing, reciprocity, and even happiness (he provides reference to several research studies that warrant future investigation) are all products of the structure of the networks that we live in.

The concept of Edgility that I have been developing resonates with Dr. Jones' ideas. We all need to be thinking about how we structure or in most cases restructure our networks to become more productive.

From what I see this restructuring needs to go well beyond what most of us think of when we think about "networking." We live in a competitive world that requires creativity and innovation. I believe that these innovations will be driven from the edges of the system. They will be born by individuals working on the edge of networks who have ideas about how to do something better. These ideas will then be brought to reality through networks of people working together. It is how we structure these networks that is vital to this type of productivity. These networks are fundamentally different than the ones we have typically worked within, diverging from hierarchy and structure and even being thwarted by traditional incentives. In 2010 I will continue to restructure my networks, and discuss this process here (edgilityblog.com), in an attempt to increase my Edgility

Happy New Year everyone!

The Blue School: by the Blue Man Group

Parents are lining up in New York for their children to enter The Blue School. The Blue School was created by the founders of the Blue Man group as an alternative the New York city schools.

Here is an excerpt from a Time.com article / interview about The Blue School,

The original Blue Men--Matt Goldman, Phil Stanton, Chris Wink--came together as "sort of a support group for people whose creativity had been all but squeezed out of them by education," says Wink. "At one point, we asked, What if there was a school you didn't have to recover from, that didn't make you question the idea of being creative?"

Pitch Poker - Life...

Here is an interesting video that looks at life as a game, relating it to poker.  It is a bit long, but if you stick with it... they talk about innovation and creativity and how technology enables us all to work in this world.