Topic started by Bala Pillai (@ roosevelt.sydneywerks.com.au) on Fri Oct 11 22:15:21 .
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.
Dear Forumhubbers,
APIC is looking for the most creative, imaginative and courageous thinkers and doers of you to partner and provide services to a consortium led by APIC, as we complete the last bits of architecting self-sustaining networked mind cooperatives for shared ethos groups -- minds ecosystems. Below is the framework from which your mind will need to be able to spring off from.
This is definitely NOT for is-there-really-more-to-life-than-covering-my-ass? types.
Do you qualify? Do you have passion? Are you one of the rare "the cup is half-full rather than half-empty" types?
cheers../bala
Bala Pillai
"Networking Minds in Halls Without Walls Since 1995"
Founder, The Asia Pacific Internet Company http://www.apic.net/news.phtml
Founder, Malaysia.Net http://www.malaysia.net , Tamil.Net <http://www.tamil.net
Sydney, Australia
Phone: + 61.2.9807.8589
Yahoo Instant Messenger: bala2pillai
Ecosystems Thinking For The Minds Ecosystem
By Bala Pillai
June 9 2002, Sydney
"Progress lies not in enhancing what is, but in advancing toward what will be."
-Kahlil Gibran, "A Handful of Sand on the Shore"
Each of us can see only up to a certain big picture cause-effect level. To
see cause-effect beyond that big picture level, one has to think and reflect
deeply or be attentive and be able to ask questions of one who does. As
well, one has to interact with unlike minds, for the very existence of
greater pictures to be sparked.
Ecosystems thinking has us to look at some of the biggest pictures possible.
The small picture-big picture continuum is best imagined by its
representation, concentric spheres.
Concentric spheres in turn are best recalled by their two-dimensional
equivalents, concentric circles -- yes, those reverberating circles you see
when you throw a stone into a pond. You may see 20 concentric circles.
Average man only sees with his eyes and he tends to believe
that his eyes cannot belie him. He is wrong. What you see is *not* the
truth, though it may be. For example, if you understood a tree by what you
see, you will understand wrongly, because you cannot see the photosynthesis
process. Neither can you see the crown roots. The most important parts of
the tree, are hidden to the naked eye.
If you trust your eyes fully, you are seeing the smallest concentric sphere.
It will not occur to you that much of what happens in this concentric
sphere, is caused by a sphere one size larger. And much of what happens in
the one size larger sphere was caused by a sphere yet another size larger.
This goes on and on.
Why is ecosystems thinking crucial today?
Let us take the Internet. It is really an emerging ecosystem of human minds that combines those on the Net and those off (with wired human bridges).
It is working best where minds share a similar ethos -- where minds have
common references to build trust and relationships off.
When the ecosystem is more complete, it will thrive lots more than it is
thriving today. Some questions you may ask are:-
(a) Why is the ecosystem of minds on the Internet not working perfectly?
(b) What components are missing?
(c) What processes are missing?
(d) What components or processes are already there, but are not understood
well or not accorded the priority they deserve?
The answers to these are best found in paralleling Nature's ecosystem to
that of what the ecosystem of minds should have viz (a) to (d) when it is
much
closer to the completeness of Nature's ecosystem, than it is now.
For example, let us for argument sake, say that there are (i) 300 components
and (ii) 200 processes in Nature's ecosystem. We know that one of the
topmost processes in Nature is photosynthesis. Yet another topmost one is
symbiosis.
Question: What are the equivalents of photosynthesis and symbiosis in the
minds ecosystem? What are the hurdles to them forming? What returns are
there if these hurdles are removed? What ingredients are needed to remove
these hurdles and to forge these processes?
Why is photosynthesis important? It is at the bottom of the food chain. It
is the process by which trees and plants obtain resources to start the whole
food chain.
Now ask, what is the equivalent of photosynthesis in the ecosystem of minds
on the Internet? What is the most significant source of resources for
significant new Internet ventures? In the West, it is passionbits including
Open Source and venture capital. How about your ethos' space?
What are the parallels to the other 300 components and 198 processes in
Nature's ecosystem, in your minds ecosystem?
Would trust between participants be one? Would more intensive networking
between minds be another? Would networking between complementary folks, as
in Nature, make it more worthwhile? How can complementariness be revealed
easier? Would a database of profiles that is shared by participants be a
way?
Would a rating on each of the 6Rs be one?
[6Rs = resourcefulness, responsibility, responsiveness, reliability,
rapport-building, risk-taking]
How do we rate the 6Rs? Can we experiment with some of the models currently
used in psychological testing, while we find better ways?
Is interaction a precusor to trust building? How do we increase interaction?
What are the key ingredients of interaction, that make it a precursor to
trust building? Would the sense of "presence" when we see each other
face-to-face, be one? How do we recreate this in the minds ecosystem? Can we
go some way through the sense of presence in Instant Messaging and Webcams?
Of these which is of a higher priority than another? Why?
The solving of all these needs are income opportunities for minds in your
ethos space.
The unearthing of other whitespace, unfilled space in your minds ecosystem,
will show up all the other opportunities.
And that comes from ecosystems thinking. That is why ecosystems thinking is
important.
(This message is released for use, redistribution, or modification under
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if someone else bases a work on OpenContent, the resultant work will be
made available as OpenContent as well. Please send comments,
suggestions or edits to the author, Bala Pillai at bala@apic.net Thanks)
Bala Pillai
"Networking Minds in Halls Without Walls Since 1995"
Founder, The Asia Pacific Internet Company http://www.apic.net/news.phtml
Founder, Malaysia.Net http://www.malaysia.net , Tamil.Net <http://www.tamil.net
Towards Ants Mindhood: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/erumbugal
Sydney, Australia
Phone: + 61.2.9807.8589
Yahoo Instant Messenger: bala2pillai
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