Change is in the Air – How to Cope

I should mention, as a matter of perspective, that change is always in the air. Life never remains static. The questions to ask about change are - how big is the change and how much will it affect you and the things you care about. For example, the introduction of web technology caused massive changes for some and relatively minor changes for others. If you were the owner of a local independent bookstore, a journalist, or in one of the many professions that were profoundly altered by the web, then the changes to your life were pretty massive. However, if you were someone who used to order products from a catalog and just started ordering them on the web instead, the changes were not that great. For any change, there are those who will see it as "everything changed" and others who will see it as "just a different way of doing what you always have done before".

Massive changes can affect your identity as well as your profession. For example, if you were a steel working when the steel industry evaporated, it was not only a professional dislocation but a loss of identity.  Even if you managed to land a new job, with good prospects, the way you viewed your self in the steel industry was probably very different from the way you see yourself trying to climb the corporate ladder. So even if you managed to recover financially, creating a new identity would still be a challenge.

Let us assume, for the sake of this post, that you are one of those whose life will change significantly. What can yo do to  ? It is, as they say, easier said than done. But, the first step is to avoid denial. If things around you are changing in significant ways, you have two choices: accept that things are changing, or deny the change and put your fate in the turbulent forces of the change. Most people would say that avoiding denial and accepting the change is the way to go. But, most people actually do the opposite. One of my favorite pundits, Gerald Weinberg, once said something to the effect that people will only change to keep something bigger from changing. I think there is a lot of wisdom in that. Since one's identify and profession are pretty big things, they are only likely to change them to keep something bigger from changing like their livelihood and their ability to survive.

Once you have accepted that change is occurring the next step is to adapt. This is a challenge because you are replacing the familiar with the unfamiliar, the predictable with the unpredictable, and security with risk. Still, you need to find a way to incorporate the change into your life. And here is a tip that might help. If you had to move to a new city for some reason you would experience many of the same things. But, you wouldn't stay locked up in your apartment. You would go out and find where the shops are. You would find what attractions the new city offered. You would find out how the transportation system worked, what local customs were and so on. Initially, it would all be strange. But eventually, it would become familiar. When change comes don't stay locked up in the past. Get out and find out what is going on. Initially, it will be strange. But eventually it will become familiar.

Refine, Test, Refine More. Test More

A pattern is a much less rigorous form of a scientific theory. That is to say that the pattern is extracted from experience in an attempt to explain it economically. And the pattern, like a theory, must be hardened through testing. So, if you find a useful pattern you must test it in two ways. First, you must make sure that it does, indeed, explain the phenomenon. Second, you must use the pattern to predict future events and see if it holds up under that requirement. Supposing that it does, you must keep looking for ways to refute your pattern. Over time, if you cannot refute the pattern then it is probably a pretty good pattern. And if you do manage to refute, you might try refining it. However, as you attempt to refute your theory, you must be aware of some troublesome cognitive biases. That is we are inclined to accept evidence that supports our theory or pattern while dismissing data which refutes it. We want our pattern to be correct. But, in order to make it correct, we have to view it critically, rejecting aspects of it that don't fit and continuing to challenge the parts that seem to fit. Over time, if you objectively challenge the pattern, you will strengthen it and increase its utility.

How to Get a Clue or How Can You Get Better at Recognizing Patterns?

If you follow the stock market, you might notice that when stock prices go up too fast or go up for an extended period of time there is a good chance they will tumble back down at bit. The tumble may be minor or significant. But, we can see a pattern here which we will call "What goes up, must come down".

This pattern does not just apply to stocks. We can see a very similar pattern in the careers of celebrities and politicians - riding high one day and in free fall the next. It also happens with hit music, fashions and fads. It might even happen in your love life or your job. It is a useful pattern that we see in many very diverse situations.

The "What goes up, must come down" pattern is simplistic but it is a place to start. Once we recognize this pattern we can refine our understanding of the phenomenon which the pattern describes. We can ask questions like - do difference situations have a different pattern in their rise and fall. Do some things go up fast and fall just as quickly while others grind up slowly and go down like a beach ball filled with water? Are there elements of situations that give us a clue regarding which rise and fall pattern they might fit? Once we have one pattern, no matter how simple it may be, we can expand it into a whole family of other patterns.

Are there different patterns that describe the same situation? For example, we just used the "What goes up, must go down" pattern to describe your love life. Maybe other patterns will do just as well. Let's say we have a pattern of "Initial euphoria, disillusionment, accepting reality" which also applies to your love life. Perhaps this pattern could apply to corporate mergers, or peace treaties.

The point here is that the more patterns you can recognize the more situations you can apply them in and the more nuanced your understanding of phenomena can become. So, start looking for patterns and when you find one try applying it to other situations. And begin creating more nuanced patterns for specific situations. Over time you will develop a collection of patterns that you can apply to a variety of situations. But that, it only the beginning.

Beware: Clues are Only Possibilities

Although I have provided several clues that led me to believe that we are moving into chaotic times, you shouldn't believe this simply based upon clues and neither do I. Clues lead to possibilities not certainties. Just because you find a resonate pattern to organize your thoughts does not mean that you have it right. You need evidence and the more evidence you have the more you can believe you are on the right track.

So, how do you proceed? Step One is, of course, recognizing patterns. If you are not good at recognizing patterns, you will have to rely on patterns that other people have recognized. But, given that you have a pattern to work with, there are some additional steps you can take in both discovery and validation.

An initial validation step is needed to make sure the pattern is valid. For example, let's say that you become aware of the economic pattern that the top 1% of the wealthy in the United States control the majority of the wealth. The first question you have to ask is - is this really true?

There have certainly been a lot of news stories claiming this so you should read and listen a little more critically as news stories are often spun based upon the beliefs and worldview of the journalist or newspaper. I don't mean to suggest that you are being misled. I merely mean to point out that there is no objective view of a social phenomenon and any analysis represents a particular interpretation. 

For discovery purposes, ask if this pattern is occurring elsewhere.  So, let's say, for example, that you become aware of the economic pattern that the top 1% of the wealthy in the United States control the majority of the wealth. Is this occurring in other areas as well?  Are the top 1% of researchers or artists producing the majority of the research or art? Are the top 1% of politically active families producing the majority of the politicians?The more places you can find the pattern, the more useful the pattern might be.

You can try explaining the pattern to other people. Some will reject it simply because it is not what they think. If this is the case, you should be polite but not waste a lot of time with them. Some will find legitimate flaws in what you have said and will express them. You need to reconcile these flaws with what you believe to be true about the pattern. If you cannot then the pattern may be flaws. You might be able to adjust it or fix it. But that will require some work. If the work isn't worth it, you should drop it. If you do manage to reconcile the flaws, you have probably gained, along the way, greater insight into the pattern and the phenomenon it represents.

Finally, you need to make a sincere attempt to disprove what you believe about the pattern. Ask yourself what could be true that would disprove the pattern or what thing might happen in the future to dispute it. As time goes by, if you are sincerely trying to find evidence that the pattern does not work and you fail to, it is probably a pretty good pattern.

What To Do in Chaotic Times

Let us assume for the moment that I am on to something with this dichotomy I have identified with normal times and chaotic times. This is not a forgone conclusion, but I will come back to that later.

How do you behave differently to be successful in chaotic times? As it turns out, the answer is quite simple, at least superficially. In normal times, you set goals, make plans, and pursue your goals. In chaotic times you cannot set goals and make plans because things are in a state of flux. This, after all, is what got me to thinking about this initially. Instead of setting goals, you have to look for opportunities. You may not know what is going to happen. But, when suitable opportunities arise, you must be prepared to take advantage of them.

How do you prepare yourself to take advantage of opportunities in chaotic times? This is a little trickier but still not that difficult.

Figure out, in general, what you are good at.

Figure out what kinds of opportunities might arise that would need the things you are good at.

Shore up your strengths so you are ready to take advantage of opportunities. This simply means that you should work on getting better at the things you are good at.

Make sure your are psychologically ready to look for opportunities.You need to be open to new things or things that do not look exactly like what you were expecting. You don't want to pass up a good opportunity just because you did not recognize it.

Make sure you position yourself to know about the right kinds of opportunities as they arise. This involves networking and keeping up with sources that are likely to provide information that you need.

Finally, you need to be flexible. If you make mistakes, learn from them. If you got something wrong be prepared to make adjustments to get it right. Don't be afraid to take chances or experiment.

Does this mean you should quit your job and wait for opportunities?  No, you need to sustain yourself until something good comes along. However, you have time to invest in sustaining yourself and time to invest in your future. The time you invest in your future should be directed at preparing yourself to take advantage of opportunities.

Clue Four: Steppenwolf

These clues are coming from all over the place. But when patterns come together, it is because the pieces of the puzzle resonate with things that you might not even notice otherwise. That is what makes them clues. And I would also emphasize that they are clues because they are useful patterns for organizing your thinking about nagging hunches and intuitions. They are not messages  from beyond in some weird mystical way. Well, let me take that back. I suppose they are messages from beyond in some weird mystical way. Just not the weird mystical way that most people might think of them.

In this case, however, there was a connection. The Mad Men epiphany got me to thinking about the turbulence of the 1960's which brought to mind a novel by Herman Hesse which was very popular at the time. The novel was entitled Steppenwolf and the name was popularized by a rock band who adopted the name. The novel was actually published in 1927 and republished in the 1960's due to its popularity at the time. And, surprisingly, it was republished again just a few years ago.

The main character in Steppenwolf was an individual caught between cultures who did not belong to either. He came to represent people caught between two cultures in the case of cultural change. Any culture, according to Hesse, has good things and bad things about it. But, on the balance, the good things out weight the bad. So, for anyone living in a given culture, life is generally tolerable. However, for people caught between cultures, life can be brutal. Consider, for example, a modern person transported back to Medieval Europe. Life would be horrible. However, if you took someone from Medieval Europe and transported them to the modern age, life would be equally as horrible.

People in the 1920's were undergoing substantial cultural change in a Post WWI environment, with prohibition, bath tub gin, flappers and a run away stock market. They were caught between the dying world order of the previous century and the nascent new order which would take a while to form. In the 1960's the Baby Boomers saw massive cultural change as well, which is why the book became so popular again. It is interesting to note that if you add 40 years to 1927 you get 1967. And if you add another 40 years you get 2007. All at the brink of impending massive social change. I don't want to make too much of this. But, it is an interesting pattern.

Nonetheless, this notion of transition between cultural norms gave further credibility to the idea that was brewing in the back of my mind. It suggested that we might be in chaotic times because we were at the brink of another wave of massive social change which has yet to take form. And we might be able to get some insights by looking back to the 1920's and 1960's.

Clue Three: Mad Men

I was watching Morning Joe (a news commentary show on MS NBC) one morning a few months ago and they had a guest on who was the script writer for the very popular TV show Mad Men. The discussion, around the table, was about the early 1960's era and why that time period resonated so much with audiences today. As the discussion developed examples started popping up of instances they could remember of people who were part of the Mad Men era that could not deal with the changes that would occur later in the decade. I think it was Joe Scarborough who said that his father liked the early Beatles but by the time Rubber Soul came out he no longer understood was was happening. When he said that, the wheels began turning.

The transition from Mad Men to Woodstock was a period of major cultural upheaval in this country and many others as well. For most Baby Boomers it represented the defining moments of their lives. For the sake of simplicity I am going to reduce this to a larger pattern and that is - the old giving way to the new. In this case the Mad Men represented the old culture and Woodstock represented the new.

Now we are approaching a similar transition only the Baby Boomers represent the old and the rising Millenials represent the new. I believe that the show resonates with Baby Boomers because they subconsciously see themselves in Mad Men - people riding high in a belief system that is about to crash. I think it also resonates with Millenials but for a different reason. For the Millenials it is a reminder that their day will come.

Going back, for a moment to this idea of normal times vs chaotic times we can see the pattern once again. When the old way is the default world view we have normal times. When the new replaces the old we have chaotic times. When the new becomes the default world view we have normal times again.

Clue Two: Thomas Kuhn

As I mentioned earlier, clues are not given to you by some guiding force. And clues are not discovered along the way. Clues are merely ideas or patterns that resonate with what we are thinking and help us put form to those nagging fuzzy ideas in the backs of our minds. So, my second clue seems even more unrelated than the first one.

I have been working on a very difficult paper on the philosophy of information systems. Earlier in the data gathering stage I was reviewing a lot of books and articles that I though might be useful in helping me write the paper. I went off on several side roads which is not at all uncommon in these pursuits. One of those side roads was into the philosophy of science. I was wondering, at the time, how the philosophy of science might be different for research in information systems than it is natural or social sciences. As I was pondering this I picked up some classic works by Karl Popper and Thomas Kuhn along with a variety of lessor known books that I felt might be useful.

While pondering Kuhn, the idea of "normal science" kept ricocheting around in my subconscious. At the risk of over simplifying this idea allow me to explain it in a very cursory manner. Most of the time, in a scientific field, there is a fair amount of agreement on what problems it is trying to solve, what methods lead to legitimate results, what counts as evidence and so on. The questions appear to be answerable. And the methods appear to be adequate for answering the questions. This is what is referred to a "normal science". Then a disruption comes along. There are anomalies that cannot be explained or important questions that cannot be answered.

When this happens, the field must adjust. New ideas and methods must be considered as scientists attempt to account for the anomalies or make progress on the unanswered questions.   Over time some of these new ideas will become mainstream and the field will settle back down to "normal science"

Now, I did not intend this post to be a short lecture on the philosophy of science. But, I needed to explain that in order to explain how it became a clue.It occurred to me that my goal setting behavior was disrupted because it was not clear to me what was important to achieve. I could not fix on a goal or set of goals because things were in such a state of flux - that not only were the targets moving but what qualified as a target was changing as well. Thinking about Kuhn's concept of "normal science" I thought the pattern fit well to the social, economic and political spheres as well. There are normal times when you know what your are trying to achieve and how to achieve it. In normal times you can set goals and pursue them. However, in the times between normal times, the times I refer to as "chaotic" things are in a state of flux and it is difficult to set goals in order to make progress. 

Clue One: The Folly of Goal Setting

I am almost pathological in my goal setting behavior. I have a five year plan and a ten year plan. I don't actually write these down. But, I do, generally, have a pretty good idea what I would like to accomplish in various time frames. I can't say that I always accomplish everything as I have goals at varying levels of important. There are must do goals, goals that I would like to accomplish, and goals that might be fun if I get around to them.

Every year I make News Year's Resolutions which I do write down. I actually check the resolutions periodically to see if I am on track for the year. I don't always accomplish all of these either. Most do get accomplished to some degree. One or two might be bumped to the next year. And there are those that I abandon after reflecting on them and deciding that that are not worthy goals.I set goals for each month and have a To Do List everyday. The same applies to these as far as accomplishing them. 

I am not revealing all this to convince your that I should be on some sort of OCD medication. Rather, it is to establish the fact that goal setting and goal driven behavior is just a part of my nature. That is, until just a few years ago.

I usually start working on my list of New Year's Resolutions in early Fall. I do this because I want to have time to think through the goals that I will be dedicating my time to in the following year. I'll jot them down, reflect on them, and revise them so that I have a pretty solid list when the New Year shows up. But, when I began to ponder my initiatives a few years ago, I found that I was incapable of identifying any reasonable goals. This was a huge problem and I began to give it some pretty serious thought.

After reflecting on this for a while, I realized that the reason why I was having trouble setting goals was that the future was in a state of flux. I am usually pretty good at predicting, in general terms, what is likely to happen. I do not have any clairvoyant talents. I just know a few tricks. I ramble on about these in another one of my sporadically attended blogs Patterns and Predictions which you can look at if you feel so inclined.

Nonetheless, I realized that with the future largely opaque to me we must be in an unusual time. And that was my first clue.

Normal Times vs. Chaotic Times

Here is something I have been thinking about a bit lately. It seems like there is something different about the times we are currently in. Everybody that I talk to seem to feel it somehow. But nobody can put it into any context. We have been in an extended recession. The usual economic rules don't seem to be working. Nobody seems to know what to do. We have a great deal of global unrest punctuated by crises like the Ebola epidemic. The US Congress can't seem to get anything done. There is great political division across the US. And, it is not limited to political and economic realms. In their personal lives, people seem to be unsettled and no longer deriving the satisfaction they once derived. People used to feel that if you worked hard and pursued your goals, you would get somewhere. Now that seems to be fanciful musings from the past. Something is different. If I had to summarize it in a sound bite, I would say that nobody seems to know what is going on and nobody seems to know what to do about it. So, I began thinking about what is going on.

I have been getting clues now for several years and those clues are beginning to fall into a pattern. I will describe some of the clues in future posts. For now, I will just provide a general description just so you don't think that the clues are coming from voices in my head.

Let's say that you are working on a problem in the back of your mind. Somebody says something that resonates greatly and seems to provide some insight into the problem you are puzzling over.  This is a clue. It may have had nothing at all to do with your problem. But, because it provided needed insight, it is a clue. I will expand on this later.

For right now I am going to cut to the chase and lay out the answer. We have gone from a period of normal times to a period of chaotic times. And understanding that helps us make sense of what is going on and what to do about it. If that peaks your interest, stay tuned, or keep reading as the case may be. I will explain all in upcoming or subsequent posts.

Taking a Break

The academic year is coming to an end. My last class is Wednesday. And then I coast into summer mode. I have some things to work on which will require a lot of attention. So, I will be taking a break from blogging. If you wish to be notified when I start again you can follow me on Twitter. My account is DrJohnArtz. I don't tweet much so you won't get a lot of traffic. But, I will send out a tweet when I start blogging again. Enjoy the summer. I will be thinking deep thoughts. ;)

Ethnography

A colleague of mine suggested doing an ethnographic study of an organization where he is doing some consulting work. Somehow, the idea of learning more about ethnography caught my attention. I am not sure how this happened. I ignore most things. But, now and then, an idea will get stuck in my head and I can't get it out.

The term ethnography comes from two Greek words which translate, roughly, into writing about people. It is probably better known as cultural anthropology. What an ethnographer does is to move into a foreign culture, attempt to understand it from the inside, and then document that understanding. Historically, the was done by people who wished to understand other cultures from large countries to small isolated tribes. More recently, organizational cultures have attracted attention as well.

The philosophical justification for this approach is articulated in Martin Hollis' The Philosophy of Social Science One of the dimensions that divides the assumptions made by researchers is Explanation vs. Understanding. Those who seek explanation looks for relationships between variables in describing a culture. For example, money spent on one's self versus money spent on others might be a metric to describe a society. Further, if there is a relationship between money spent on others and longevity, then those who seek explanations have found what they are looking for. But, what is it like to live in a culture where one spends more money on others? Those who seek explanation cannot answer that. For that we need understanding. And ethnography is a means of achieving understanding. While researchers holding different sets of assumptions might have harsh words for those holding other assumptions, it really isn't a matter of right or wrong. Different sets of assumptions yield different knowledge. And one can only argue that a set of assumptions is more or less useful in obtaining certain knowledge.

I found ethnography appealing for three reasons. First, the quantitative/technical part of my brain gets tired and  ethnography provides a way to use a different part of my brain when the other part needs a rest. Second, unlike many academics who drill deeper and deeper into a niche, I am quite the reverse. I want to know about everything. Finally, I believe this approach might have great value in studying certain aspect of Information Technology. For example, there are definitely software 'cultures' that produce information systems and those cultures need to be better understood. Further, we see unique cultures developing in virtual worlds and massively multi-player role playing games. And those unique cultures would bear some scrutiny as well. In addition, I think I might be uniquely qualified to do that as it is easier for an expert in IT to learn ethnography than it would be for an ethnographer to learn information technology. So, I am off on another tangent.

Presenting, Sequential Art, Archetypes and Abstrations

I mentioned a whole flock of books on presenting that came out in the past 5 or 6 years. My favorites include  The Complete Guide to Business School Presenting by Stanley K. Ridgely and HBR Guide to Persuasive Presentations  by Nancy Duarte both of which emphasize the use of stories as the backbone of a presentation.

But, when it comes to advise on how to construct a story, there is precious little help. We get such tired heuristics such as Beginning, Middle and End. But, that is not particularly useful to one trying to figure out a narrative argument to bolster their presentation. So, how does one construct a compelling narrative? Once again, graphic novels come to the rescue. For example Will Eisner the man who coined the term "graphic novel" provides two works Comics and Sequential Art
and Graphical Storytelling and Visual Narrative which do provide some structure.  If we think of a presentation as sequential art they provide a framework for thinking through the storyline.

Another benefit that the graphic novel format provides is the use of archetypes. Archetypes are symbols for bundles of human behavior that tend to occur together. Archetypes provide us with a high level of intellectual economy where we don't have to read long passages which describe behaviors that we have to infer character traits from. Instead we are given an archetype with which we are familiar that is customized for use in the story. One might argue that this is a response to the short attention span that we have developed in this age of text and distractions. But, I see it as stepping back another level of abstraction in our knowledge

To understand this level of abstraction consider a simple cognitive function of counting. First we count on our fingers, then pencil and paper where numbers represent quantity, then on a calculator where the computations are done for us and finally on a computer where the computations are embedded in a procedure. As our knowledge grows it become increasingly important to organize our knowledge base into levels of abstraction and select the level of abstraction that is necessary for educating us with the things we need to know. It seems like graphic novels may be the next level of abstraction for a rapidly expanding knowledge base.

Graphic Novels and the Future of Education

In the same way that stand up comedy provides a useful model for thinking about lecturing, graphic novels provide a useful model for education as well. But, whereas stand up comedy only provides insight into lecturing, graphic novels provide insight into writing educational books and presenting educational content. Further they provide insight into presenting both in class and online. 

There are three ways in which the format and design of graphic novels can be applied to education:1) better books, 2) better lectures and presentations; , and 3) more compelling content in distance education classes.We have already seen the beginings of this move toward better books. For example, Icon Books has an "Introducing" series of books which present some pretty serious content in a graphic novel format. For example Introducing Philosophy: A Graphic Guide is, as the title says, an introduction to philosophy. I have read dozens of these titles and their graphic novel format allows the reader to come up to speed very quickly in a diverse range of topics. The last one of these I bought, which was only a couple years ago, did not have the title addition "A Graphic Guide" which suggests that Icon books is becoming more aware of the power of the graphic format, at least for sales.

One could easily argue that these "Introducing" books do not provide the depth that one needs to really become an expert in an area. And, I would agree. But that is not the point. As fields get deeper and deeper, we find that experts become silo-ed with a deep knowledge in their field but little understanding of adjacent fields. I believe that education in the future will require a general understanding of a wide variety of fields either in conjunction with or even without deeper knowledge in a specialized field. And the graphics novel format will help facilitate that.

Graphic novel design will also lead to better lectures and presentations. In the past five years or so we have seen a flurry of new books on presentation skills which condemn mind numbing linear PowerPoint presentations and raise the bar of expectations for people who do presentations. Much emphasis in these new books is placed on narrative reasoning or story line. Most books emphasize the importance of story but few provide much detailed information about how to create story lines. This is where the design theory of graphic novels comes in. Some of the biggest names in comics such as Will Eisner and Scott McCloud have written amazingly insightful works on how to design graphic novels. To be fair, they are focusing on comics. But, both readily recognize the potential application of this media in other areas. I would wholeheartedly agree.  Just like it was a small step from stand up comedy to better lectures, it is a small step from comics to better presentations.

Finally, the design techniques of graphic novels will lead to more compelling distance education. Just like Sesame Street realized decades ago, you can't teach anybody anything if you cannot, first, keep their attention. This is already a problem in classroom education but it will worsen when education is delivered in distance mode. At least in the classroom students don't have distractions (assuming that they aren't playing with their laptops or iPhones). But, at home where they are recieving instruction over the Internet the pedagogical content is competing with television, streaming video, music, kids crying, friends coming over and all manner of compelling distractions. Anyone who thinks that video recording of classroom lectures will serve this audience probably ought to get out of education and find a field they know something about.

Lectures and Stand Up Comedy

I am going to digress to make a point that will tie in nicely with and bolster the point of the next post. So, bear with me as this will probably sound like an unrelated digression.

I have been lecturing to classes for many decades. When one 'takes' classes they see a professor or teacher at a moment in time which is too brief to see any patterns with regard to teaching or lecturing. But, when you teach for some period of time those patterns become obvious, perhaps painfully obvious.

Professors, not unlike other performers, experiences ups and downs in their profession. Some times teaching is as good as life can  get. Other times it borders on the unbearable. For example, new professors are often buoyed by the experience of being in front of the class. Being the expert while gaining the respect and admiration of the students is a pretty heady experience. But, at some point, the novelty wears off and the new professor experiences doubt. Maybe he doesn't know as much as he though she did. Maybe there are students in the class who know more either from other classes or from life experiences. In some classes the chemistry is amazing. In others it is poisonous. Some times you can't wait till class begins. Other times, you would do anything to avoid it if you could.

It was in one of these slumps that I had an epiphany. I had been a bit off and I had just had a nightmare class. Everyone who teaches knows exactly what I mean by the nightmare class. There are students in the class who don't want to be there. There are others who shouldn't be there. There are no motivated students that you can use to perk the class up. It is a dreary and difficult situation. Fortunately, it does not happen very often.

But, it was in one of these slumps that I was up late at night watching stand up comedy on Comedy Central. The epiphany was that teaching and stand up comedy had a lot in common. The comedian cannot rely on the energy of the audience. While it is nice if the audience loves the show, the comedian must be energetic even if the audience is asleep or abusive. The comedian must make each joke fresh even if that joke has been told a hundred times before. Similarly, the professor cannot rely on the energy of the audience. The lecture must be energetic even if the class is half asleep. And ideas must be offered as though the professor just thought of them in order to keep the lecture fresh. There are more parallels, but the point here is merely to show that one can get inspiration from the oddest places and you never know when a format used in one area can be applied to advantage in an other.

When I stumbled on to graphic novels, I had a similar epiphany. The format of graphic novels can be applied to great advantage in education - first in in-class lectures and ultimately to online education. I have used the stand up format to great advantage in improving my in-class lectures and I am sure I can use the format of graphic novels to take things to the next level.

Learning to Draw and Learning to Write, Again

In the last post, I heralded the future potential of graphic novels. And I will continue on this theme in future posts. But it is easy to to sit back making proclamations about the future. The question is - are you will to put your time where your mouth is? And my answer is - yes I am. I am going to learn how to write graphic novels. I doubt very seriously that I will ever write The Great American Comic book. But, then, that is not really what I am after. I want to learn this skill so I can apply it other things.

Many years back I decided that I need to learn how to write. I am sure I have told this story elsewhere in this blog. So I will just hit the high points here. I enlisted a group of friends, students and colleagues who I put on a listserv and promised to send out a chapter every week. I used some of the people on the list as the basis for characters in the story. The result, after several online novels, was that I had honed my writing skills considerably. Although I never published any fiction, which was not really my intention, I did seriously boost my writing skills. And those skills have paid off in all the writing that I do including this blog. In addition, I am better at storytelling which is an important skill in blogging, lectures, and even academic presentations. So, it was well worth the effort.

But, traditional writing, both fiction and non fiction is very different from writing for graphic novels. I am not prepared, at this stage to articulate those difference. However, I will at some point. But, those writing skills will become very important in developing more compelling lectures and presentations. And, I hope to carry them forward into the world of distance education which is badly in need of something.

But, it isn't just writing. I have to learn how to draw. Initially, I am not very ambitious here. I will see how it goes. If I can learn how to draw simple clip art I will call it a success. This alone is worth the trouble as 'borrowing' clip art from the web may become a problem in the future if I develop classes online from which I derive revenue. There is free clip art but it looks cheesy compared to custom clip art that is drawn specifically for a situation. If I can develop these skills and want to take on more challenges, I will create a cast of characters which I can use in producing educational materials. If I get really ambitious, I might use these skills to write educational books.

If you are astute, you might be thinking - there are a lot of professional artists and writers out there. How can I compete with them. That is an important question. But I do have an answer. First of all, most graphic novels are created by writers and artists. That is two people working in collaboration. I think I can learn to do both. Can I do both as well as the professionals? No, but then I don't need to. I have another advantage as well. I can provide content. So, I become the single person - writer, artist and content provider. And there are precious few of those. Further, as far as I know there are none in my areas of expertise. So, this seems like a good bet.

A Circuitous Path to Graphic Novels

I am somewhat obsessed, at the moment, with graphic novels. But, before I just blurt out all the reasons why I think this medium is important I want to explain how I got here. After all, this blog is supposed to provide some insight into being an academic. And the ways in which I stumble around intellectually, finding good ideas along the way, is certainly part of that.

This story begins last summer on a walk I was taking with my walking meetup group. We were chit chatting as we walked and sharing information about television series shows that we found worth watching. One of the shows that came up was The Walking Dead, a show about an apocalyptic world in which people were constantly defending themselves against zombies. I was intrigued by this show for some reason. I am not normally a fan of zombie shows but several people claimed that it was way more than a zombie show. I asked around after the walk and found that a lot of people felt the show had some dramatic value. So, I watched a couple episodes and couldn't decide whether or not I liked it.

Several weeks later, I happened to be in a local used book store. As I was checking out, I saw a thick volume on display at the checkout counter, with the title The Walking Dead. I asked if it had anything to do with the TV show and landing up spending the next half hour coming up to speed. I absolutely love these kinds of encounters. The guys working at the used book store were excited to be asked about something they knew a lot about. And I was excited to get answers to all my questions. Usually, I just wear people down with questions and leave with more questions unanswered than answered. But, sometimes you encounter people who love to talk about what they know and know a lot. When this happens on a topic I am interested in, it is sublime.

It turns out that The Walking Dead was a graphic novel series from the mid 1990's. And the thick volume I was looking at was one of two compendium volumes. I don't know this for a fact, but my guess would be that the compendium was published due to the increased interest created by the TV show. But, for me, it was evidence of a huge gap in my knowledge. I knew next to nothing about graphic novels. And finding the hole I began to wonder what else I was unaware of.

So, I began pulling the thread as I always do. I randomly bought a few graphic novels and read them. I looked up 'graphic novels' on Amazon. I perused the Graphic Novels section at the library. Slowly I began stumbling on something very interesting. Although there are lots comics out there of varying quality, there was also a strain of profound artistic and literary thinking. I came across some authors such as Will Eisner and Scott McCloud who not only created comics but whose level of critical depth approached the depth found in more conventional forms of art and literature.

I realized (largely thanks to Scott McCloud's work) that the graphic novel paradigm had potential far beyond what had been realized thus far. Not only was there as yet untapped potential, but that potential looked very much like the future. And then, BANG! BOOM! KAPOW! I saw the light.

I Enjoy Writing

I enjoy writing. I write stories. I write every day in journals. I write weekly blogs. I write endless emails. I write book and article reviews. I write academic research papers. I have books that I have written both fiction and nonfiction that I have not published. I wrote them because I love to write. But, writing isn't just about enjoyment. It is about organizing your thoughts, reflecting on your life, and communicating ideas to others.

All of us have stuff going on inside of us all the time. There are thoughts, feelings, reactions, insights, hopes, desires, great ideas, misunderstanding, fantasies, paranoid delusions, and so on. If we just let these things ricochet around our psyche our internal condition becomes more like a compose heap than a well defined self.

We like to organize these bits of psychic energy into coherent thoughts and externalize them for the purposes of validation. That is, we want to externalize our internal states so others can look at them and tell us that we are not crazy.

The most common way to do this is simply by talking to others. There is a reason why people like to talk. Some talk on the phone. Some talk face to face to friends. Others pay professionals to talk to them. But, we need to talk. Talking helps us sort through our compost heap we call the self and turn it into a garden we call the persona.

Not everybody likes to talk. Some people wish to pretend they don't have a compost heap. Others find different ways in which to reveal it for validation. Some people do it though art. Some through music. Others will find alternative artistic outlets like crafts or cooking. When you see somebody's art or listen to their music, you are experiencing their internal struggles. And when you eat somebody's cooking... well we don't want to put too fine a point on it.

And, of course, there are those who will choose writing. Some will text or email. Others write notes. Some write journals or diaries, blogs, websites or paper articles. Some will write stories or essays. Others will write books. But, writing is a very special way of sorting ourselves out. It is precise and disciplined. We have to know what we want to say and work it into a recognizable structure. Once something is written it becomes real. It becomes sorted. It starts to make sense. 

So, here are four benefits of writing: 1) It allows you to ventilate, 2) It allows you to organize your thoughts, 3) It allows you communicate with others, and 4) It is a form of creative expression that can be very satisfying.

And that is why I enjoy writing. 

I Like Some Unusual Things for Unusual Reasons

People often like things because they feel that they should. Some people really do like things and don't know why. In this post, and a few subsequent posts, I am going to mention a few of the more unusual things that I like and the unusual reasons why I like them. I will follow up with more detailed explanations in the future posts. In this post I will just provide some teasers.

I enjoy writing. I write every day in journals. I write weekly blogs. I write endless emails. I write book and article reviews. I write academic research papers. But, writing isn't just about enjoyment. It is about organizing your thoughts, reflecting on your life, and communicating ideas to others.

I enjoy listening to recorded books. I am a very slow reader for some reason and having a short attention span, it is difficult to sit for hours to read a book. But, I listen to books while walking, hiking or driving in the car. And in those situations, I can listen for hours.

I spend a lot of time on the C and O Canal. It is good exercise and an opportunity to enjoy nature. But, it is so much more. It is a place where you can get some perspective on life.

I enjoy jigsaw puzzles. They exercise your cognitive abilities for pattern recognition and spatial thinking. They area flow experience. They can be used as a form of meditation. And, when you finish one, they provide a great level of satisfaction.

I enjoy video games. Lately most of my focus has been on World of Warcraft. Not only is it a great deal of fun, but it provide benefits far beyond just being fun. It sharpens your mind, provides the mental exercise necessary to forestall mental decline with age, and you learn a lot of valuable skills such as strategy, decision making, and problem solving that are useful in other aspects of your life.

Lately, I have discovered and become fascinated with graphic novels. This is one of those things that people will snicker about until they wake up one day and realize they have changed the world in significant ways.

The common thread here is that these are all things that one could enjoy just for the sake of enjoyment. But, when something you enjoy also provides important other benefits as well it becomes a double win.

I Like Cooking

Cooking is a great pleasure that is not fully enjoyed by far too many people. Many people just don't have the time or the inclination. Traditionally, lot of men have never learned how to cook; and a lot of women have had to cook creating the sense that cooking is a chore or an obligation rather than a pleasure to pursue. I realize that gender roles are changing and don't wish to reinforce stereotypes here. But the point is that far to few people experience the joys of cooking some for traditional reasons and some for more modern reasons.

Cooking is a design activity and a creative endeavor. You are actually making something. And, you are making something of value. Perhaps you find creative satisfaction in photography, sketching or writing. Getting someone to look at your sketches or read your stories can be a challenge. But, if you create savory dishes, it is no problem finding people to enjoy them.

I think my approach to cooking is a little different from others, although, for all I know, it could be that everybody does it exactly the same. I don't follow recipes. I  try things. I will look at recipes for ideas. But, when it comes right down to it, I just try something and see how it comes out. Some times it does. Rarely is it inedible. So the food rarely goes to waste. But, some times it falls short. It isn't as good as it can be. When that happens, I try to figure out what I did wrong and what I should do differently next time. I call it experimental cooking. And when I am cooking for others, I try to limit the novelty of the experiment.

It is fun to go to a restaurant, find a dish you like, and then try to replicate it at home. It is fun to come up with an idea, try it out and see what happens. I have books on the science of cooking so I can gain a deeper understanding of exactly what is going on and how I can achieve different results.

I think there are three primary benefits to experimental cooking: First, it is a creative outlet which provides the same creative satisfaction that other creative outlets provide. Second, it is an excellent core for social activities. You may not get people to come over to your home to enjoy your sketches. But, invite them for a tasty dinner and they will be there. Third, when you cook things yourself you know exactly what is is going into the food you eat and you have much greater control over your dietary intake.

It is sad that so many people see cooking as a task that you have to do rather than a pleasure that you might want to do.

I Like Single Malt Scotch

Single Malt Scotch is not only a treasure in its own right, but a metaphor for life as well. However, before we get into that, let's first, look at some etymology. Distilled spirits, in the Middle Ages, were referred to as aqua vitae which is Latin for water of life. A little alcohol does make one feel a bit more lively. So, the name is not surprising. As the Romans penetrated into the British Isles, aqua vitae got translated into Celtic as uisge beatha again water (uisge) of life (beatha). Uisge (pronounced, roughly, as oose-gay) came down to us as whiskey. For reasons that may be obvious to some, but are opaque to me, whiskeys in the British Isle took on names from their countries of origin (Irish Whiskey and Scotch Whisky) while American whiskeys are named for ingredients such as Bourbon (corn whiskey) and Rye Whiskey. I also have no idea why there is an 'e' in Irish and American Whiskey but no 'e' in Scotch Whisky. 

As distilling evolved, something happened in Scotland that can only be described as magical. As in the valleys of southern France where soil and weather conditions produced grapes ideal for wine making, the raw materials of Scotland produced peat for roasting barley which made it ideal for making scotch. In fairness, I should point out that ideal conditions are not enough. In France it was the vintner's art applied to the ideal grapes which produces extraordinary wines. And in Scotland, it is the distiller's art applied to peat roasted barley which produces extraordinary scotches. 

Following the wine analogy we can see another parallel with scotch.  wines can be varietals or blends. Varietals are usually named after the grape variety from which they are made. So, a Chardonnay is made from Chardonnay grapes where as Pinot Noir is made from pinot noir grapes. If a wine is not named after a grape, it is usually (although not always) a blend. Varietals tend to bring out the flavor of a specific grape more clearly where as blends allow different flavors to compliment each other. Whether a varietal or blend is a superior wine is difficult to say as there are plenty of extraordinary wines as well as clunkers in both categories. This lack of clarity is not usually the case with scotch. 

Scotch is made from malted barley which produces alcohol much like fermented grapes produce alcohol. The process is a bit different but the result, in both cases, is tasty alcohol. And the tastiness is a result of the ingredients and the fermentation process. Scotches follow the same dichotomy that wines follow in that there are single malt scotches (like varietal wines) and blended scotches (like blended wines). Some of the most successful scotches such as Johnny Walker and Chivas Regal are blends. Blending scotches allows the distiller to compliment flavors from various malts in order to produce a more palatable product. But, connoisseurs of scotch nearly always prefer single malts. Why is that?

Single malts provide more intense, unique flavors. Unlike blended scotches where the various flavors round out each other, the flavors in a single malt and well defined and more pronounced. The down side of this is that one must develop a refined pallet in order to really appreciate a good single malt.

The first time I took a sip of Laphroaig (pronounced Lah-froyg) I almost spit it out. It tasted like somebody had taken a mediocre scotch, thrown in a half dozen used cigar butts and let it sit for a week. I was even angry at the person who had recommended it. But, over time as my pallet became more refined, I began to appreciate the complex symphony of flavors. I like the symphony analogy because it a person who had never heard music were to listen to a symphony they would be over whelmed with what would sound to them like a cacophony of random noises. But, over time, as their ear became more refined, they would begin to appreciate the beauty and complexity of the music.

This is how it is with single malt scotches. It takes work to develop a refined palette. But, once you do, the taste experience can only be understood by some one else who has invested the time to develop the necessary refinement. I think single malt scotches are the finest tasting experience on the planet. Granted, I am not entirely objective. There may well be wines that offer a similar experience. But, if there are, I cannot afford them let alone afford enough to develop the refined pallet necessary to enjoy them. So, for my budget, they simply do not exist.

I also said, at the beginning of this post, that single malts are a metaphor for life. As the tired old saying goes, you get out of it what you put into it. But the underlying metaphorical theme here is that most of the great pleasures in life take great effort and refinement to fully enjoy. Think art, opera, theater, culinary delights, and so on, as examples of things that you might not appreciate at first. But, once you learn to appreciate them, you allow yourself profound experiences of joy that cannot be understood by anyone who has not made the effort.

Lest I sound too elitist here, I would also point out that not everyone experiences the same level of appreciation watching a baseball game, horse race, or golf match. Not everyone gets the same level of enjoyment out of a book or a movie. The more you learn about what is to be appreciated by these things the more you will enjoy them.

I Like Big Bang Theory

Every decade or so a major sit com (situation comedy) comes along that captures not only an audience but the imagination of the audience as well. Examples include shows like Odd Couple, Mash, Seinfeld, Friends and, now Big Bang Theory. To the comedy purists I should note that I am aware of the fact that Big Bang Theory uses a laugh track and has both a formula and an ensemble cast. I am also aware of the fact that these are considered ear marks of a cheesy TV sit com. In fact this formula was satirized by Ricky Gervais in Extras. I agree that formula TV sit coms are not generally the height of comedy. But, some times they are and here are some reasons why Big Bang Theory rises above the clutter.

First, the characters are archetypes. We have all known people like the characters in the show. But, these characters are both larger than life and self contradictory. Viewers can both relate, at some level, to each character but they can also relate to the others that the character irritates. If it were a standard ensemble viewers would side with a character while disliking others. But, due to the clever character construction there are things we like and dislike about each character.

Second, they are not only funny but they resonate with the audience. Following the archetypes theme in the previous paragraph, the characters resonate with the audience. We not only recognize people we have known, we recognize aspects of ourselves. And, in recognizing ourselves we can gain insight into our conflicts and sublimate our concerns.

Third, they allow the audience to laugh at themselves as much as they laugh at the characters. Some times all you do when faced with the complexity and unfairness of life is to laugh at the human condition. As we laugh at the characters in the cast we also laugh at ourselves.

Fourth, the comedy is both universal and unique to a moment in time. One of the strengths of the show is that it works at multiple levels. There are universal themes instantiated in the moment. The instantiation in the moment makes it relevant while the universality makes it more enduring.

Of course, the writing is excellent. This is not to say that the acting isn't good. It is. Making these larger than life archetypes is no small feat. But, without the excellent writing there would be nothing to reveal through the characters.

Sixth, the story has legs and the legs are used. Some people feel that serial TV shows should never run more than a few seasons as the story gets stale and forced. But, the secret is to have the characters evolve so they face new situations. This is tricky since we like the show because we know the characters. If they evolve into different characters we might not like them as much. So, the writers walk a fine line between having the characters grow and evolve without making them unrecognizable in the process. So, far they have managed to pull it off. There is a natural entropy in a series show and so far the writers have managed to stave it off.

Seventh, the cast has a natural chemisttry. Three of the cast worked together on the Rosanne Show and already had a working relationship. But there relationships are not the main story. So, you get the benefits of their experience without having it over shadow the new show. 

Finally, they fold in cameos from big name actors which provides a stamp of authenticity. It is an honor, for example, to have Bob Newhart on the show. But it is an honor for Bob Newhart as well. There has been a parade of cameos as big name characters honor the show and receive honor as well. This removes the isolation of sit com in a studio and integrates it into the reality of daily life. This in turn increases the resonance and excitement of the show.

Yes, they have done a wonderful job.

I Like Downton Abbey... A Lot

Like tens or even hundreds of millions of other people across the globe I am a loyal fan of Downton Abbey. Some of the reasons for this are no different from the other fans. Other reasons might be less common.

Superficially, the visual experience is extraordinary. The costumes, main house, and grounds are breath taking. And the trips to the village just add to the authenticity. Who ever is responsible for period authenticity does an amazing job. One one hand it feels as educational as a documentary, yet, on the other hand, it never feels arcane or strange. You feel like your television is a time machine into days gone by where you are as comfortable and familiar as you are on the sofa where you are sitting to watch the show.

The actors are extraordinary as well. They bring these characters to life so well that you feel as though you know them, perhaps even as though you have always known them. But, for me, an important measure of good acting is that you think  the actors and actresses are really like this character in real life. Then you see one of them in an interview, where they are very different, and then realize what a truly amazing job they are doing with their character.

The writing deserves kudos as well. In fact, if it weren't for the excellent writing the other components would not come together. At bottom Downton Abbey is a soap opera. Its purpose is to emotionally engage the viewers into the lives and travails of the characters. But, what separates Downton Abbey from afternoon soap operas is that the afternoon poor cousins are usually heavy handed and formulaic brutally extracting unrefined pathos from an unwashed audience. But the emotional complications in Downton Abbey are subtle, sophisticated, and nearly always instances of larger issues. And, on that note of larger issues, I will turn to the of the deeper reasons why I like the show.

The characters of Downton Abbey, despite the grandeur, costumes and quaintness are people just like you and I. One of the greatest accomplishments of the actors and the writers is to make us feel like we know about these people and care about them. The problems they are facing are problems that we face today. They are coping with change. They are often pinched by social roles. They often pinch back. They have to adjust to new technologies. They have to cope with the ugliness of war.  They are people wresting with the eternal problems of the human condition and we can relate to their struggles. But, it isn't all big issues. There is unrequited love. There are serious and painful losses of a loved one. Society is unfair; yet it works better for some while not as well for others. And it isn't perfect for anyone. 

Maggie Smith won a well deserved award from the Screen Actor's Guild last night for her role as the Dowager Countess. She is, at once, the very symbol of the old order and its most cynical and insightful critic.In reacting to the other characters she provides equal amounts of stern rebuke and comforting solace. And, yet, despite the complexity and contradictory aspects of this character she pulls it off as though it is as natural as a walk on the beach. 

This is good stuff. Some day it will end and I will be very sad.

What Do I LIke ?

If you have been reading this blog for a while and hearing me bitch about all manner of things, you might wonder if there is anything I do like. The truth is that there are a lot of things that I like and I thought that now might be a good time to point some of them out lest I be dismissed entirely as a cranky old curmudgeon. I am just going to provide a list of things I like here. But, in subsequent posts I will explain what I like about them. This second step is important because a lot of people think that liking something is good enough. According to them, you don't have to know why you like it, you just like it. But, that is not good enough for me. I have to know why I like something lest I find myself liking something that I don't really like. Yes, life gets complicated for me. And I recognize the fact that there are compelling arguments in favor of the unexamined life. But, before I digress on that, here are some things I like.

I like books. I like history. I like movies and TV. I like recorded books and lectures. I like  sushi. I like single malt scotch. I like good beer. I like teaching. I like people (Well, not very  many really. But the one's I like, I like a lot) I like World of Warcraft. I like waking, hiking and biking. I like the C&O Canal. I like cooking.I like kids. I like students. I like new ideas. I like learning new things. I like detecting new trends. I like finding patterns in things that don't seem to make sense. I like cats and dogs and reliable cars. I like Sudoku and jigsaw puzzles. I like figuring out how things got to be the way they are. I like the National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian. I like people who are clever, creative or know what they are talking about. All three are rare and if they all occur in one person it is scarey.

Over the next few posts and more sporadically after that, I will explain why I like these things. After all, the unexamined like is not worth liking.

Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons

I am not yet finished ragging on life in Academia. If you have been enjoying this rant, then please keep reading. If I have been irritating you, then you should probably stop until I move on to another topic.  Back in the late 1990's Kurt Vonnegut published a book entitled Wampeters, Foma & Granfalloons. These terms, which were coined by Vonnegut in earlier works refer to foibles in our search for meaningful patterns in our daily lives. I thought I would take them a step further and show how they apply to academics who are world class masters of finding patterns in the otherwise meaningless.

A wampeter is a central theme of a group of people who are connected in a mystical way thought this theme. The wampeter provides meaning, connection and a sense of purpose to the group. An example of a wampter is the Holy Grail or the Maltese Falcon.  For academics the wampeter is academic recognition. This comes in the form of rankngs, publications, or citation indexes. Consider the following two options. In option one you are well regarded for your entire life only to have your life's work completely refuted shortly after your death. In option two, you are not recognized during your life time but shortly after your death you become accepted and widely recognized prescience. Which one would you choose. Most academics would choose option one as having it feel good while you are doing it is much better than really making a lasting contribution. And while there are glaring exceptions, most academics are shallow and short sighted. And the pursuit of wampeters such as rankings, and citation indexes is exactly what they need.

A foma is a harmless untruth meant to comfort simple souls. A real life example of a foma is the claim that if you keep your head down, work  hard and play by the rules, life will work out OK. In academia, foma are more common than hushed up affairs. Despite the common misconception that universities are centers of critical thinking, academics as a group are far more likely to believe nonsense than any other professional group. H. L. Mencken once said something to the effect that there is no idea so stupid that you cannot find a professor who believes it.  Yeah, I know, I could have looked it up and gotten it right. But, then, you can as well. Anyway, my favorite academic foma is that all research is valuable and contributes to our body of knowledge. Academics like to cite the example of imaginary numbers which were created for no obvious purpose but found use later when Marconi invented the radio. But, there are two flaws in this example. First, overwhelmingly most academics don't come up with stuff nearly as good as imaginary numbers or radio transmission. And, if this is so common in research why is it that the example of Marconi and Imaginary numbers are the only example that is every provided. The sad truth is that if 99.9% of all academic articles were destroyed today, not much would be lost. That is, of course, as long as the right 99.9% was destroyed.

A grandfaloon is a proud but meaningless association of people. I will not give any real life examples of this as I am trying not to offend any more than I have too. But, granfalloon, like foma, in academia are as common as fudged annual reports.  There are honor societies, tenured professors,  and fellows of professional societies. There are traditional professions such as psychologist or historian and more modern sounding categories such as innovation engineer or cognitive neuro something or other. There are alumni of important schools and faculty of equally august institutions. If you ask someone how being a member of a particular granfalloon makes them any different from people who are not members of that granfalloon your question will be greeted with a tolerant and slightly condescending smile. After all, how could you understand. You are not, after all, a member.