captain's blog

Proposal: Google+Circles and #Squares

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 06:00:14 -0400

This whole Google+ circles model is still brand spankin’ new to the social media experience and we’re all still trying to figure out. Including Google.

In the meantime, Chris Messina who started the whole Twitter #hashtag thing (he’s currently on the Google+ team) is trying to figure out what’s next. Last night he posted this to Google+:

So, I suppose the question is, can we come up with a better spec for G+ to implement and adopt today?

In the middle of the conversation thread, Ben Petro made this suggestion:

Why not use the shape analogy? Like, create ‘squares’ of topics you want to share, and be able to quickly add your posts to different squares.

I wrote a response, and I thought I’d post it here! (Just in case my little proposal ever becomes or inspires an actual thing.)

This is really a question regarding aggregation, which is one of Google+s strengths so far.

The ‘squares concept’ really resonates with me. It hints at structure and top down orderliness. When we talk about public space, it’s either the public ‘sphere’ or the public ‘square’. I think the concept of the square really scales here to describe subsets of opt-in public groupings.. whereas circles should remain tied to the idea of private groupings.

Conceptually then, ‘Public’ is not a circle but a square. It’s the one global square that everyone is a part of. The proverbial content firehose of the main stream.

Circles should be private and start with one person and grow all the way up to the maximum limit.

Squares should be owned by individuals as circles are, but they’re opt in. When you add someone to your ‘Following’ circle, you are seen by those users as following their public square. Alternatively, you can opt into choosing to follow an individuals other public squares to receive a subset of their posts.

Example: If my profile is a public profile, I automatically get one public square by default. Everyone who adds me to a circle is in in fact following my personal public square. Additionally, I can create squares based on interest, community, project, etc. I can’t add anyone to squares, but I can ask people to follow one or another to the exclusion of my other public squares.

And then there’s the ‘Extended Network.’ Let’s say I want to target a public post towards followers of +Chris Messina . Instead of tagging him, I’d tag his public square with #Chris Messina. Followers of +Chris Messina don’t see my post unless they are looking at the public feed around Chris. Of course, I can always use the hashtag in a private post thereby starting a private conversation around his private square.

(I suppose my proposed hashtag usage in Google+ is a combination of twitter hashtags and facebook all posts.)

Now, let’s say +Chris Messina has a #getfirefox square he filters posts to. I don’t care about anything else he posts, so I follow that square and maybe one other. His other public posts don’t exist in my stream. If I filter my stream around Chris’ getfirefox square, I have the choice of seeing his content, or expanding to the global public stream around his square (like following a twitter hashtag). Now let’s say I want to target a post about firefox to a few of my circles, and Chris’ public square. i should be able to do that by simply typing #Chris Messina#getfirefox. This post would appear in the streams of the people in my chosen circles, as well as the public stream around Chris’ #getfirefox square. In a sense, this is also a much more targeted form of ‘Extended Circles’

All that sounds complicated when typed out, but I think the experience of it can be made as simple as circles. Soo… recapping a bit.

Circles are private but inclusive; 1 up to 5000(+?)
Visual: People exist inside the circle.

‘Extended Network’ is the least private you can get. They’re feel semi-public.
Visual: Triple node thingy which indicates circles around circles.

Squares are public but exclusive; global down to 1
Visual: People congregate outside/around squares

Tagging a post with circles and squares essentially builds a single post bridge between that circle within that public square. This can be visualized as circles inside the squares.

Tagging a private post with a circle but using a hashtag within it creates a one-way bridge (a link, one might say) between that circle and the square. Being able to do this is important because of search. If I search/follow a hashtag/square, I’ll be able to see both public an private posts I’m a part of within the same stream. Squares within circles, so to speak.

It’s all very simple really.

Well, that went a little long. I wonder if there’s a character limit…

And then:

One other note, this circles and square dichotomy becomes increasingly interesting when organizations come into the picture! The Mozilla foundation can then have their own public square for #firefox in addition to Chris’ public square for #firefox. I guess this implies that we’d be adding squares to circles in addition to circles to squares…

You can follow the entire conversation thread here: http://plus.google.com/102034052532213921839/posts/Hjaq8prh8mv

My Master Plan

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 22:41:00 -0400

Things change so quickly this day and age that having a plan just doesn’t cut it anymore. Adaptability and a willingness to throw everything you’ve planned for out the window at a moments notice are key to survival.

The point of this being is that anyone who says they have a master plan pretty much has a mark on their head.

Guess what?

I have a Master Plan!

(That’s with capitals ‘M’ and ‘P’)

I consider my master plan to be extremely realistic and viable. Furthermore, I’ll be the first to admit it will never happen. Ever.

I now have once had a master plan… so what’s next for mastermind such as myself to occupy his time with?

Seeing as global scale planning at the individual level is prohibitively difficult in the current environment, I’m thinking we need a framework for agile collective planning.

And so I have a plan for us to plan how we all plan our plans. (No, that’s not how I’m going to pitch it.)

I’m writing a bunch of project proposals right now and they all seem to be converging upon a single extensively modular proposal framework. As I start publishing the first few proposal drafts these next few weeks, I want to start exploring the development of an open framework for creating nested and networked proposals. (No, that’s not how I’m going to pitch it either.)

Because what’s better than ones own master plan? A plan that we can call OUR Master Plan!

(via Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com)

Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:55:54 -0400

(via Dave Meslin: The antidote to apathy | Video on TED.com)

Kitchen Sink

Fri, 17 Dec 2010 02:21:37 -0500

Kitchen Sink

"In my latest game, Evoke, which I designed for the World Bank Institute, we enrolled about 20,000..."

Thu, 14 Oct 2010 13:30:36 -0400

““In my latest game, Evoke, which I designed for the World Bank Institute, we enrolled about 20,000 students in 150 countries. After ten weeks of completing quests and missions, each player was able to develop a business plan for a small company or social enterprise that will tackle an urgent problem like hunger, poverty, or access to clean water. We chose 50 of these projects to support with actual funding and mentorships. That’s 50 real-world companies, run by people who might otherwise have been unemployed—all from ten weeks of online game-playing. Game designers are increasingly on a humanitarian mission, even if the rest of the world hasn’t yet noticed. It’s some of the best work anyone can do.”“”

- http://www.oprah.com/world/The-2010-O-Power-List/5

punch-bot: face(-to-face)book

Mon, 11 Oct 2010 20:19:15 -0400

punch-bot: face(-to-face)book:

punch-bot:

the story: for the longest time, i wouldn’t accept friend requests on Facebook from people I did not know in real life. it seemed silly. over the years, my resolve wavered, at least partially due to the fact that I started using Facebook as much for professional reasons as for personal….

plans vs reflexes

Fri, 08 Oct 2010 06:23:01 -0400

Lots of progress has been made in C4 Atlanta these past few months! We have firmly established the focus of our mission, built a strong team dynamic and have been putting pedal to the metal in getting all the infrastructure we’ll need in place to have as explosively impactful a 2011 as possible.

That’s not to say some things haven’t slipped through the cracks. Sometimes course correction is necessary, and along the way I’ve had to learn how to rapidly shift gears in order to effectively navigate.

At this very moment, it’s time for another such course correction.. but this one happens to be fundamentally different from those previous: I’m having to shift all the way into high gear! While driving blindfolded.

That’s right! I’ve reached the point in which the usual approach doesn’t apply! While I’ve learned that excessive planning can be a killer, in this case any amount of planning is a certain killer!

Nearly a month ago, we announced our first professional development program at C4 Atlanta: “Entrepreneurship in the Arts.” It starts on October 23rd, participants will meet for 5 consecutive Saturdays, the tuition is $200 and there are slots for 15 or so people.

The problem? By last week (at which point I was in New York working on other C4 Atlanta projects) we’d heard from a few interested parties, but that was about it. We also realized that we hadn’t accounted for a number of one-time expenses we’re going to incur in having this seminar. Clearly, we hadn’t put in enough time on this specific project to execute it effectively. As the one who occasionally claims to be ‘a social media community person’, I feel like I dropped a ball here.

But wait! There are still 12 days left! And while that may not seem like much time to increase participation nor raise $5000 in funds to pay for it all, it may in fact be more than enough.. as long as I remember that reflexive action is what’s currently needed to get to the finish line in time.

Or maybe it’s the starting line…

Anyways, great pep talk! Let’s do this!!

(btw, this also classifies as our first real fundraising effort, so donate now!)

on preparation and time management

Sat, 21 Aug 2010 23:06:00 -0400

I think the universe is speaking to me.

It’s telling me… I rely too much on technology. And that I’m not prepared enough for when it fails me. Which, this past week and a half, has been CONSTANT! And since last night’s thunderstorm knocked out power for a bit and fried my modem, I’ve had a some time to reflect upon the activity of preparation.

I’ve come to realize that I’ve recently been shooting myself in the foot repeatedly by not being prepared for technological failures. I’m also starting to suspect that this may be a symptom of a deeper problem: I often don’t make preparation a priority nor do I consider it a core activity of many of the things I do on a daily basis.

Reflecting upon this past year, I have had very few disappointments with the decisions I’ve made and the things I’ve accomplished. However, just about every disappointment or setback I’ve experienced has had one common thread: lack of preparation on my part.

This is perhaps the answer to the question regarding how to take my time management skills to the next level. I have difficulty estimating how long some activities will take to accomplish which can lead to over promising to myself and others. Is the problem really my ability to estimate time? Or would my estimations be more accurate if I was had prepared beforehand?

I’ve long thought that preparation was a planning activity. Now I’m thinking it’s the first step in execution after planning. If so, then I need to learn how to recognize when greater preparation is required for anything I intend to do.

How does one cultivate this habit? I’m not entirely sure yet, but I suspect finding an answer to this question will also involve preparation.

Thoughts? Experiences? Stories?

Yes, You Can Save the World with Startups - The Emergent Fool

Tue, 27 Jul 2010 00:55:43 -0400

Yes, You Can Save the World with Startups - The Emergent Fool:

“The only firms that create jobs on average are brand new ones.”

Interesting notion. I think this is a gross oversimplification, but I’m going to ignore this and say I agree with the conclusion wholeheartedly!

Does Language Influence Culture? - WSJ.com

Mon, 26 Jul 2010 00:50:54 -0400

Does Language Influence Culture? - WSJ.com:

“It turns out that if you change how people talk, that changes how they think. If people learn another language, they inadvertently also learn a new way of looking at the world. When bilingual people switch from one language to another, they start thinking differently, too.”

"Our mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups, by enabling..."

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 02:31:43 -0400

““Our mission is to increase the number of female founders of technology startups, by enabling entrepreneurs with a network, resources and knowledge to take your startup from an idea to launch.””

- Women 2.0 » Networking women entrepreneurs in the Silicon Valley

“The End of the Story: How capitalism killed narrative,...

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 03:15:54 -0400

“The End of the Story: How capitalism killed narrative, and how to grow new ones”

Douglas Rushkoff has some extremely compelling ideas about what ails our economic system, how the internet and social media present an opportunity to create communities of trust and economic sustainability from the bottom up, and the role of the artist in creating our diy future.

This is easily one of the most thought provoking and inspiring talks I’ve heard in years!!

on being a 'Captain'

Fri, 02 Jul 2010 02:25:34 -0400

There comes a time in your life when you feel pulled in multiple directions at once and don’t know which way to navigate. Worse, you feel as though you are being drawn and quartered and unable to escape the sheer number of commitments that have accumulated over time. Feeling alone and overwhelmed you fail to escape the shackles of routine and the lack of creative drive and purpose that seems to permeate your environment. You are stuck in a cage that doesn’t seem entirely of your own making.. and you may be so trapped you don’t even realize you are inprisoned half the time.

Is there a way out? Well, learned helplessness in the face of external forces creates a self-fulfilling prophecy, so a good starting point is to take it completely out of the equation! Freedom can only be attained when it is fought for by every individual man, woman, child and everyone in between. One must take personal responsibility for gaining their freedom. Most often, even this isn’t enough however.

We must also surround ourselves with other souls who share a sense of solidarity and common purpose in the fight and preservation for freedom.

In ages gone by freedom was represented for many by the symbol of a ship at sea. (Or a space ship for many today!) But the physical craft itself never truly granted freedom.. it is everything surrounds a ship that gives it meaning and purpose that leads to a sense of freedom. The the crew, the captain, the cargo, the rituals, the upkeep, the ports, journeys, adventures, etc.

Ships, whether pirate or of a more proprietous nature, were essentially businesses. The sustainance of the crew as well as of the operation itself were of prime importance if the freedom of sailing the seas was to continue in perpetuity. Freedom comes at a cost, and without every piece of the ship working in coordination with the others towards the common purpose of sustaining the ship.. the sense of Freedom was fleeting.

Today, our world is exploding! There are more people alive today than have ever existed before. People with hopes, dreams and ideas. As a species, we now produce more information every year or two than in all of history combined and our speed of information production is only increasing. Even the amount of space for us to explore is increasing exponentially as virtual 2d and 3d environments grow into existance. We haven’t even really gone into space yet. The experience of living in this age of interconnectedness would be indescribable to someone five hundred years ago. Fifty years ago. Even today, it seems impossible to describe the experience of the present to many of our contemporaries.

Imagine how difficult it will be tomorrow morning. And the morning after.

Zeitgeist is a german word that means ‘Spirit of the Times’. Today’s Zeitgeist is perhaps the most exciting it has ever been! I crave the freedom to explore and experience all that this blue ocean has to offer. And so, I’m taking this idea of the ship and updating it for the 21st century.

A ship is a business that serves to not only take people places, but sustain them until they decide to go to port for a break. But who can resist the allure of the seas once they’ve heard the call?

A ship is a business, and business has changed in our modern age. These seas are even moreso virtual than they are physical. Today, ships sail the Zeitgeist.. and it is only when a ship is served in siblinghood by a crew of free persons that the Zeitgeist can be soaked up and sailed for all its’ worth!

I have decided to adopt the title of Captain in order to take my place within this metaphorical ship so that my crew and I can live as fully as we can and be the best free men, women, children (and everyone in between) that we can be before the Zeitgeist draws us down into Davy Jones Wayback Machine.

We will fight against the learned helplessness that our consumerist, mass media driven society seems to inspire and become the primary makers of art, culture, products, (web) services, ourselves, society and all that other meaningful fuzzy feely stuff.

If you are reading this, I invite you to take control of your destiny and join my crew.. but also to become a Captain yourself! True self empowerment comes through the empowerment of others. By engendering a webby 21st century spirit of curiosity, entrepreneurship, stewardship, cooperation, forward thinking, artistry, and lifelong exploration and learning, we can become free, sustainable and generally awesome human beings.

The Zeitgeist is calling. Can you hear it?

-Captain Lyre Calliope

awaking aboard the Zeitgeist

Sat, 22 May 2010 17:30:16 -0400

I awoke with a start this morning. At first I thought myself myself lost without a ship or crew. Mere moments later I realized that I’d awoken aboard the Zeitgeist and the terrible lucid nightmare I’d entered into through the blending of the Mystery’s inner and outer aspects was over: a reality bending dream that served as a trial before the Zeitgeist was ready to take us on our next journey.

The mixing of dreams and wakeful awareness, allegorical fiction and literal reality can be confusing at times and a difficult art to master. I hope to be able to find deeper meaning through these excursions, but only time will tell if I am successful. If I am lucky, I will also find other spirits along the way to travel with whenever I venture into these altered memetic states of narrative mind.

But enough of my introspective ranting, for we are currently at port in the Terminus Shipyards and preparing to set sail! And I am getting restless for a new adventure.

I will soon address my crew whom I suspect to be just as restless (if not more) as I.

new friends

Thu, 13 May 2010 22:16:06 -0400

Joe Winter and I had spoken to each other at various conferences, events and the like a total of maybe three times over the past four years. We became ‘friends’ on facebook and twitter but never really spoke to each other directly save for the occasional comment and retweet. These interactions were enough however to give me the sense that we were both mutually aware of each other’s general existence from week to week. I suppose you could say we’ve shared a very modern sense of ambient intimacy over these past few years.

My impression of Joe has been that he is forward thinking and hard working individual who is constantly trying to learn new things that will help him accomplish his personal goals as well as those of the people he was working with. While he often chooses to remain silent, he still has a strong presence that is especially felt when he does choose to speak: which he always does with much thought and intent.

I thought he was an all around great guy, and enjoyed remotely watching him check-in to places all around the city while meeting new people, learning new things, and making whatever he was working on happen.

About a month ago, I was surprised to find that he had just been let go from the Atlanta Coalition of Performing Arts, the organization he had worked with for five years. The very next day, we serendipitously checked into the same restaurant in Sandy Springs and struck up a conversation.

As it turns out, he was not the only person to get sacked! His coworker at ACPA, Jessyca Holland, had also been let go the very same day. The two of them made a very good team, so they decided to gather a number of close friends and trusted advisors within the arts community to figure out what they should do next. During our foursquare inspired meetup, something told Joe to invite me to this gathering.

I’m glad he listens to the voices dropping him hints. As it turns out, both Joe and Jessyca are not just passionate about the arts, but also share that rare entrepreneurial spirit that let’s you take scary leaps of faith with high hopes! After meeting Jessyca and some of their friends, I decided to help them in the initial stages of getting their next project off the ground.

Before I knew it, I found myself at the edge of the same cliff Joe and Jessyca found themselves at. And you know what? Jumping suddenly looked like an attractive option!

Why? Because I spied an otherwise perfectly fine ship left marooned at the bottom of the cliff. And a Captain needs a ship.

what's in a name?

Thu, 06 May 2010 23:27:28 -0400

I’ve been asked by a number of people why I’ve chosen to take on a pseudonym to engage the public sphere.

First off, I don’t consider it to be a pseudonym! Rather, ‘Captain Lyre Calliope’ is my stage name.

And all the world’s a stage.. is it not?

assembling a scouting party

Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:57:00 -0400

This past week, the Georgia State Legislature passed a budget that effectively does away with the Georgia Council for the Arts. This will be a major blow to the local arts community.

http://blogs.ajc.com/arts-culture/2010/04/14/georgia-council-for-the-arts-facing-elimination/

This is however a microcosm of a larger trend in which the currency of art has been losing value within our society. I think this is a trend that needs to be reversed.

In fact, I believe that the Georgia State Legislature, by declaring war on art, has inadvertently declared war upon the very roots of humanity itself! I see a battle brewing upon the horizon.

Tomorrow morning there will be a march in support of the arts at the Georgia State Capital. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=118570831491273

This could end up being nothing, or it could be the beginning of an exciting adventure!

I’m assembling a crew to scout out what may be the first shots in this war to determine whether this kind of social movement is worthy of us for exploration.

If you would like to join my scouting party, we will be meeting at 11am at the North Springs Marta Station:

View Larger Map

And arrive at the Rialto Center for the Arts at GSU sometime around high noon.

View Larger Map

The march is scheduled to go from 1pm to 3p. Afterwards, we will most likely scout out some food and drink.

If you would like to join us, contact me online, or give me a call at 573-427-7463, or just show up!

charting the course

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 08:47:15 -0400

The more skeptical have asked me where it is I intend to travel with my crew. The answer I typically give is “forwards.” I understand that this is not an answer for some, so let me be more precise.

There are many directions and numerous dimensions through which we may travel.. but only one that is relevant; simply, we travel forwards through time!

They say it is the journey, not the destination that matters. Therefore I say the question that should be asked isn’t ‘where are we going?’ but ‘how?’. How do we travel?

My answer is this: We move forwards in time with shared vision, fellowship, and trust in our fellow crewmates, captains, and stowaways (intended and unintended) to forge a bold path into a future where every moment is adventurous, frightening, and yet worth more than all the gold, diamonds, and manufactured silicon in the worlds! Immortality is found in these kinds of moments in which we learn what we are made of and who we could become.

In my mind, this is the only journey worth taking. I ask my crew to place their trust in me to make sure this path is charted. I place trust in my crew to carry us through this journey.

In the end, it is only together that we might find a destination that is worthy of us.

Techcrunch: "To Steve Or Not To Steve?"

Wed, 14 Apr 2010 03:31:00 -0400

Techcrunch: "To Steve Or Not To Steve?":

“The Company is the Ultimate Work of Art, Not the Product”

Fantastic article, and fantastic quote! This is why it’s so important to assemble the right crew for any expedition, journey, or treasure hunt!

The measure of a Captain is his or her crew, just as the measure of an Artist is his or her art.

“For the first time in centuries, the creators in our economy are its rulers, their personalities shaping not only their products but entire companies. It’s as if, instead of being confined to an insane asylum, Vincent Van Gogh were allowed to direct the activities of thousands.”

What madman will you choose to follow into the unknown?

Techcrunch: "Dear Authors, Your Next Book Should be an App, Not an iBook"

Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:53:08 -0400

Techcrunch: "Dear Authors, Your Next Book Should be an App, Not an iBook":

Indeed! The iBooks app constrains artists into working with the same restrictions we’ve had for centuries since the printing press revolutionized the medium.

Now it’s time for the ‘book’ to evolve again into a new interactive multimedium that has never been seen, heard, or played with before!