THE GURTEEN KNOWLEDGE-LETTER (ISSUE 10, 29 MARCH 2001)
======================================================
Welcome to the 10th issue of the Gurteen Knowledge-Letter. You may
notice a slightly different tone to this month's knowledge-letter. By
profession I am not a writer or journalist so putting these letters
together is still a learning (read struggling!) experience for me.
I've tried to make them personal and to avoid corporate-like
gobbledegook. But one or two of you have pointed out that its my
views and opinions that interest them as much as the resources - so I
have made a conscious effort to be just that little bit more personal
and opinionated about things.:-)
CONTENTS
========
1 - Knowledge, People and Power
2 - Groove Update
3 - Quotations: Albert Einstein on Human Beings
4 - Know your value?
5 - The Coffeemachine Lecture, 11th April, London
6 - Quick Clicks
7 - Microsoft Announces "HailStorm"
8 - Michael Porter on Strategy
9 - Events
KNOWLEDGE, PEOPLE AND POWER
===========================
Regular readers will be aware by now of my interest in the growing
shift in power to the individual and their increasingly central role
in the new economy. So I am always on the lookout for events that
confirm this trend. Well a friend of mine Sheila Moorcroft who is a
consultant with Business Futures recently told me about a series of
forums that they are running this year - International Futures Forum
2001 - Knowledge, People and Power.
These forums will examine the trends and issues shaping this shift in
power to the individual and the development of increased technical
and emotional connectivity; the ways in which new forms of knowledge,
consciousness and individual potential might develop; and the
implications for markets, communities and organizations.
Participants are able to attend three international workshops:
ˇ Extending individuals - new ‘soft’ and ‘hard’ technologies for
extending individuals’ connectivity, knowledge and power - Stockholm
May 2001
ˇ Harnessing minds - the challenge facing organizations to harness
the diversity that is both the individual and the organization -
Montreal September 2001
ˇ Creating sustainable communities - the role of communities in
reconciling the interests of the individual and the many - London
November 2001
Take a look!
For details of the forums, themes and membership options:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0005452E?open&r=1&p=0
For more about BusinessFutures:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0002DB9A?open&r=1&p=0
GROOVE UPDATE
=============
Thanks to the great response to my request for people to help
evaluate Groove. Although we had a lot of activity for a week or two
it has since died off. But its not dead - if you joined up please
come back on board and lets re-kindle the discussion and evaluation.
If you didn't but would like to click the discussion link below for
details of how to download Groove and join the discussion space.
Finally, some interesting news - Groove has struck a development
agreement with Microsoft as part of its HailStorm technology
announced recently - see section on HailStorm and .NET below.
http://www.computerworld.com/cwi/story/0,1199,NAV47_STO58905,00.html
Groove Networks:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X00024376?open&r=1&p=0
Groove Discussion Space:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0003852E?open&r=1&p=0
QUOTATIONS: ALBERT EINSTEIN ON HUMAN BEINGS
===========================================
Growing up as a scientist (my degree is in Physics for God's sake!) I
only ever knew Albert Einstein as one of the world's greatest
scientists. It is only in recent years that I have discovered the
spiritual side to this great man. Here is one of my favorite quotes
by him but follow the link to his page for several more quotes and
resources.
"A human being is part of the whole, called by us 'Universe'; a part
limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and
feelings as something separated from the rest--a kind of optical
delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for
us, restricting us to our personal desires and affection for a few
persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this
prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living
creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Nobody is able to
achieve this completely but striving for such achievement is, in
itself, a part of the liberation and a foundation for inner security."
On Human Beings
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X00003D02?open&r=1&p=0
Albert Einstein
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X000064B2?open&r=1&p=0
KNOW YOUR VALUE?
================
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) is about taking a personal or
individual perspective to Knowledge Management rather than an
organizational or corporate one - I wrote a little about the concept
in last month's knowledge-letter and said that as far as I knew there
were no books on the subject. Well thanks to those of you (including
Mick Cope himself) who came back and told me about Mick Cope's book
"Know your value" - clearly a book on PKM. Mick has since sent me a
copy that I have yet to fully digest but it looks extremely good.
I'll review it in a future knowledge-letter.
Know your value? value what you know:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0005450A?open&r=1&p=0
For more on PKM in general:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X00028452?open&r=1&p=0
THE COFFEEMACHINE LECTURE, 11TH APRIL, LONDON
=============================================
The Coffeemachine is a network of knowledge management practitioners,
set up by current and former members of City University Business
School (CUBS). Regular meetings are held, usually at the Business
School, with the aim of encouraging discussion and the exchange of
ideas relating to Knowledge Management. These events are free and
anyone is welcome to attend. If you are interested in KM and in
London on the day of an event I'd encourage you to attend - I try to
get most of them and they are always well worth the effort.
The next lecture will be given by Rebecca Benniston of Logica Plc. -
"Implementing Knowledge Management in the IT Sector: Shifting the
focus from technology to culture."
The doors will open from 6.00pm to allow for an opportunity to
network and there will be a post lecture drink at a local venue for
those interested in continuing the discussions.
Location: Gresham Lecture Room, Level 7, City University Business
School, Frobisher Crescent, Barbican Centre, London,UK.
*** The session is free and anyone is welcome to attend. ***
*** RSVP to Angela Hector mailto:[email protected] ***
Full information, including directions:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0005AE5A?open&r=1&p=0
QUICK CLICKS
============
Top Achievement
- Personal development resources website - runs a daily e-mail
quotation service. I subscribe to it - I love some of the quotations
by more obscure authors.
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0001270E?open&r=1&p=0
WARIA
-The Workflow And Re-engineering International Association. If you
are into workflow or re-engineering - this is a good resource site.
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X00006126?open&r=1&p=0
Learning Circuits
- Online magazine on e-Learning. Several good articles on this site
plus an e-learning newsletter.
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0001E0FE?open&r=1&p=0
The Foresight Institute
- Nanotechnology - the coming ability to build materials and products
with atomic precision. Take a look at the online version of Eric
Drexler's book - Engine's of Creation - if you are not familiar with
the potential for nanotechnology - this book will blow your mind! It
did mine when I read it maybe 10 years ago now.
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0000E7F2?open&r=1&p=0
MICROSOFT ANNOUNCES "HAILSTORM"
===============================
"We have already gone so far down the road of serving computers that
we’ve come to accept our servitude as necessary. It isn’t. It is time
for us to rise up with a profound demand: Make our computers simpler
to use! Make them talk to us, do things for us, get the information
we want, help us work with other people, and adapt to our individual
needs. Only then will computers make us productive and truly serve
us, instead of the other way around."
- Michael L. Dertouzos, Director of the MIT Laboratory for Computer
Science, from his book The Unfinished Revolution
.NET - Microsoft's XML Web services platform has the grand aim of
making this vision a reality. On March 19th, Microsoft announced a
set of enabling services - code-named "HailStorm". HailStorm is a key
part of .NET
.NET web services are very small, reusable application components
that can be shared seamlessly among websites as services. By
subscribing to various "plug and play" web service functions, such as
currency conversion, calendar updating, and notifications, web
developers will be able to create richer user experiences more
quickly and easily. Many organizations already subscribe to the
Microsoft Passport Services user identity web service which is one
such service.
I've yet to take all this in myself but when I do - here are the
links I'll follow - take a look and get feel for what .NET and
Hailstorm are all about:
HailStorm:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/hailstorm.asp
.NET website:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/default.asp
.NET white paper:
http://www.microsoft.com/net/intro.asp
Microsoft:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0001F14E/
The Unfinished Revolution:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X0005AE22/
MICHAEL PORTER ON STRATEGY
==========================
"The world's most famous business-school professor is fed up with
CEOs who claim that the world changes too fast for their companies to
have a long-term strategy. If you want to make a difference as a
leader, you've got to make time for strategy." Take a look at the
article below in Fast Company Managazine to see what he has to say on
the importance of strategy.
http://www.fastcompany.com/online/44/porter.html
Or go direct to the home page of the Fast Company website - its
packed with useful ideas and tools.
Fast Company Website:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X000063AE/
Michael Porter:
http://www.gurteen.com/gurteen/gurteen.nsf/ID/X00008202/
