Presence and relationships

Does IM bring a whole new dimension to our relationship formation?

I have had some fascinating experiences with IM. It, as a medium of communication, carries a sharing and caring opportunity that most other communication means do not have. IM caters for listening, even if at times you cross talk. IM caters for venting. IM provides the means to be respectful of others and at the same time input ones own views, which can easily be picked up later. However, one has to invest a lot of time to get to that point, like with any communication. It is very powerful in that regard and I wonder about those who have formed lasting relationships by starting there as to whether that kind of start provides for a stronger longer term bond.

Fascinating changes in science – spiritual potential

I visited Vancouver over the weekend of 19-21st of April. It was an Association of Professional Futurists conference, or rather a cozy get together among people who know each other more or less and who welcome a chance to mingle with colleagues.

During this weekend, among many other fun and informative things, we did a book swap and got to know about many great works out there providing us with more tools and insights to what is understood, known, not so well known and accessible.

The book I proposed was Biology of Belief by Bruce H. Lipton. It is an easy to read account on the changes in biology. Epigenetics, as the emerging field is called, is altering how we think about thinking and its impact on our very core of being. You can read more here.

In the book there is a quote, which I read out during a panel I took part in “international futures identities”.

The quote, in light of the scientific view on how we can change, is powerful:

Mahatma Gandhi wrote:

Your beliefs become your thoughts
Your thoughts become your words
Your words become your actions
Your actions become your habits
Your habits become your values
Your values become your destiny

In parallel I have read a number of other books relating to the same topic of our power to guide our destinies. Books like ‘Spirituality for the skeptic, a thoughtful love of life’ and the ‘Power of Now’ and ‘Tao Te Ching’, all of these combined discuss the poetic, the scientific, the practical and the spiritual means to a life of beauty.

One mobile device or many mobile devices

Possible directions – one engine – many uses

Will we have the ONE device, it opens the doors for us, it controls our home electronics, it acts as our entry to all portals, it is a personal hub for our real and virtual lives.

Today we have a number of devices. Why? Well at least one thing is clear. None of them perform in well in all circumstances. So for example. I have my work laptop and my personal laptop [mac powerbook]. I like the psychological separation of the two. I like the fact that they are different. I am on my computers alot [no different to so many others] and it is great to look into a different world when at work versus when at home. This could, I think, be done cleverly on one hardware, but I have not seen that yet. Part of the issue is the ‘what gets booted up and what does not’, when all you really want to do is check your e-mail. If I want to just check my e-mail, please don’t load everything and take so long to do it. There are signs that this kind of separation of tasks is about to happen.

Now the discussion about the Swiss Army Knife of mobile devices [does it all] can start shifting slightly. Instead of dreaming of doing everything with one hand size tool we can configure what we need. As the processing power and so on improves soon a match box size ‘engine’ can do as much as a laptop does and more [e.g. think of ipod]. There are flexible screens, projected keyboards and so on. These mean that we could have one engine for everything and several input/output concepts for the many purposes and styles of sharing and communicating. This works, as long as we do not have to think too hard what to take with us.

Another reason why two different laptops [while we wait for the full on mobile tool] are important to me. Companies are taking control of the work device networked to the corporate network. Soon we will see our laptops swept for content – even automatic publishing somewhere on the corporate systems – and ahem I am not keen on the company looking into my private stuff, a folder just does not cut it.

Prosapience

Word for future human related foresight

Over many years I have struggled with the words human, user, people, consumer as the category of foresight I am passionate about. I have used consumer foresight as I have practised within organisations, who eventually would like to see someone buying what they produce. It troubles me though. The word consumer is the end result for organisations. What about everything else in life? I had a discussion on this with a friend who is clever with Greek and Latin and who suggested Prosapience. Pro for forward looking and sapience for wisdom, insight, thoughtfulness. The whole word then is a play with the word homo sapiens.

Thank you!