One of de Bono’s key concept is that vertical, or logical, linear and critical thinking has limitations. It is reductive, designed to eliminate all but the truth.  This is in contrast to lateral thinking where new associations and ideas are actively sought.  He believes it is important to disrupt conventional thought patterns adopted by the brain to facilitate creativity.  His books provide many tools to help with this process.  One tool, which he refers to as “Po” involves the act of provocation.  It is designed to introduce a random factor which stimulates a shift of thinking in new directions.  De Bono proposes that most of the problems in thinking are at the perceptual level – that is, that many more mistakes are made by people jumping to the wrong conclusion than by behaving irrationally once all the relevant facts are known.

To address this problem, he created attention directing tools under the name of CoRT, later as DATT and also included as Code 2 in the de Bono Code.

As the name suggests, the tools operate by directing peoples’ attention to different aspects of the situation for a couple of minutes. For example, an OPV (Other Peoples’ View) prompts the thinker to list the people (or types of people) who would be affected by a proposed idea. The thinker is then required to imagine what effects that idea would have on each of these different people.

While this may sound like an exercise in altruism, it need not be. Say you’ve got a selfish desire (e.g. you’re a kid wanting ice cream), then doing an OPV will help you anticipate and plan for other peoples’ responses (e.g. “Mummy, me and Jimmy were thinking that cleaning our rooms to your complete satisfaction might earn us both an ice cream. But we would have to eat these ice-creams immediately to avoid spoiling our dinner.”).

De Bono’s work has caught the attention of businesses and educational institutions.  Schools from over twenty countries now include de Bono’s thinking tools into their curriculum.

“Glaciers in the Himalaya are receding faster than in any other part of the world and, if the present rate continues, the likelihood of them disappearing by the year 2070 and perhaps sooner is very high if the Earth keeps warming at the current rate,” according to a 2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report.

Himalaya Glaciers Melting At Unprecedented Rates- CNN Reports

This is especially troubling because all of Asia’s major rivers-the Yangtse, Yellow, Indus, Ganges, Brahmaputra, Salween and Mekong-derive their flow from its glacial melt water.  All of this augurs poorly for China’s agriculture and it supply of fresh water.  Severe drought is becoming more common in many of the Chinese agricultural areas that supply food for its eastern cities.

Scientists have estimated that by 2030, China will have exhausted all of its available fresh water supply to the limit.  Yet, while the water supply is shrinking both its population and water use are growing as its economy continues to grow at a relatively rapid rate.  India and other Asian nations face a similar crisis.

This type of fresh water crisis is likely to be repeated in many other places around the world, including the western United States, over the coming decades.  The situation in our Third Pole symbolizes what is perhaps the most dire potential consequence of climate change for humanity – a massive scarcity of fresh water.

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Her journey in becoming a social entrepreneur started as a result of her own experience trying to provide the best possible care for her son, Tibor, who was born disabled.  The doctor said he would never be able to do anything in the world. She disagreed and looked for families in similar situations and formed a community. Until 1994, they lived illegally in a so called “group home” producing ceramics. Erzsébet quickly realized that the only way the fate of the disabled in Hungary would improve would be for them and their families to organize and begin to replace the state’s inadequate services.  Szekeres lobbied and applied tirelessly for grants, permits, and contracts before receiving funding in 1989 from Hungary’s Ministry of Welfare.

Her strategy for improving life for the disabled recognizes that in a context of poor or nonexistent services and facilities for the disabled, a holistic approach is more likely to improve the overall quality of life for the disabled.  So her work addresses all of the fundamental components for a happy and productive life. First, she provides educational/training opportunities for young adults and then helps to place them in work environments where they can apply the skills that they have learned.  In addition, she has developed a network of specially designed housing units for her clients so that they might have the greatest degree of independence possible. Finally, she provides comprehensive psychological counseling for both clients and their families.

Her organization has built centers across Hungary which provide skills training, access to employment and housing for previously institutionalized disabled citizens. Currently, Erzsébet is spreading her model throughout Europe with the help of the Committee for Disabled of the European Union.  Her 21 living and working centers now serve over 600 persons with multiple disabilities. The centers are based on one concept: total respect for the needs, wants, and abilities of each client.

Erzsébet Szekeres is now an internationally recognized social entrepreneur. Her organization received the Essl Social Price, an international award for social achievements donated by Martin and Gerda Essl.

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Pretty impressive for a company that many had written off as history a couple of years ago.  And all done without a taxpayer bailout.

One of the ways Ford is exploring to make its cars more appealing is with in-car apps based on its Sync technology.  With help from the University of Michigan, Ford is developing cloud-based apps that go beyond the usual GPS navigation and real-time vehicle monitoring.  They include some social networking functions, which use Ford’s Windows 7-based software platform. The social media-based apps that are the mos noteworthy include:

• GreenRide Challenge which puts carpools together via Facebook, even allowing for a potential sponsorship deal whereby drivers who accrue points can benefit from a rewards system
• Listen. Speak. Rate. Share. app, which lets users review locations via sites such as Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook

There are challenges: the apps rely on having an ever present 3G network, so they may not work in remote areas.  However, they demonstrate that this another example of how hard times are forcing American car manufacturers to completely rethink and retool the concept of the car.

Ford Announces Mobile APIs for SYNC with Stitcher, OpenBeak, and Pandora at CES 2010

In combination with experiments going on in new engine technologies based on alternative fuels and sophisticated automotive electronics to enhance the driving experience, this period is reminiscent of the early days of the industry, before the formulas for success had been identified and it became a game of scale rather than innovation.

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New studies by Etienne Koechlin, director of the cognitive neuroscience laboratory at the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (Inserm) in Paris demonstrates that the human brain can keep track of two task more or less simultaneously, if there are sufficient rewards associated with each task.  His research shows that the area of the brain that was highly active in the observed multitasking behavior, the frontopolar cortex (which organizes pending goals while the brain completes another task), is well developed in humans.  However, the work also shows that while the human brain can track two tasks at once, it generally cannot handle more than two tasks, and the actual performance of each task isn’t necessarily efficient.

Many wired aficionados take great pride in their ability to multitask in an effort to stay ahead of increasingly hectic schedules and heavy workloads.  But, as ComputerWorld blogger Jim Taylor notes, neuroscience has discovered a catch to all this simultaneous activity.  In order to effectively do two tasks at the same time:

• At least one of the tasks is so well learned as to be automatic, meaning virtually no focus or thought is necessary to engage in the task
• The tasks involve different types of brain processing

Research findings by the American Psychological Association have demonstrated that when you shift focus from one task to another, that transition is neither fast nor smooth. There is a lag time during which your brain must free itself from the initial task and then fix onto the new task. This shift, though it feels instantaneous, takes time. In fact, up to 40 percent more time than single tasking – especially for complex tasks.  So there is a large efficiency penalty incurred by multitasking.

Multitasking: Fact Or Fallacy
A humorous look at multitasking

All these new discoveries aren’t likely to make us give us iPhones and other engines of multitasking anytime soon.  But we may to consider that serial tasking – being present in the current task at hand – may make us more productive as well as less stressed.

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The iPad combines the more comfortable screen size of a laptop with convenient mobility of an iPhone.  Many of the apps found on the iPhone have been ported to the iPad and I find them easier to use on the larger screen.  But the thin, lightweight form factor means I don’t feel like I’m schlepping around computer gear.

IPad Launch by SteveJobs

Here are some iPad apps that BusinessWeek recently listed as the most useful:

• 1Password for iPad
  
• Instapaper Pro
• iBooks app
• Netflix
• Pages
• TweetDeck for iPad
• Things for iPad
• The Weather Channel Max for iPad

One of the most interesting aspects of the iPad is as an e book reader.  The iPad is clearly aiming at the exploding e-book market.  And the fact that it has general purpose computing capabilities (vs. being a dedicated e-book reader) could position it as a serious threat to the Amazon Kindle.

An example of the enhanced e-book reading experience you can get with an iPad is demonstrated by the Alice in Wonderland iPad app. Its actually the first e-book device that feels like something you would want to curl up and read in bed.

Alice in Wonderland e-book on iPad

The iPad has set a high standard for its competitors and as consumers, we all stand to gain from the ensuing battles that are now shaping up in Techdom.

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Recently President Obama announced $8 billion in grants for high speed rail.  The program is aimed at creating high speed intercity rail in a number of regions across the country.  In particular, the grants will give a boost to projects already underway in Florida, Illinois and California. At the same, the President hopes to provide some job stimulus.  Some of the potential high speed rail lines are shown in the map below.

Joe Biden summarized the vision of a true high speed rail network:

What we’re talking about is a vision for high-speed rail in America. Imagine boarding a train in the center of a city. No racing to an airport and across a terminal, no delays, no sitting on the tarmac, no lost luggage, no taking off your shoes. (Laughter.) Imagine whisking through towns at speeds over 100 miles an hour, walking only a few steps to public transportation, and ending up just blocks from your destination. Imagine what a great project that would be to rebuild America.

Now, all of you know this is not some fanciful, pie-in-the-sky vision of the future. It is now. It is happening right now. It’s been happening for decades. The problem is it’s been happening elsewhere, not here.

However, the plan has its critics.  For example, Representative John L. Mica from Florida doubted whether the planned line from Orlando to Tampa, which received $1.25 billion in government funds, was a worthwhile investment since it would only save travelers about 30 minutes on a trip that normally takes 90 minutes by car. Other criticisms have focused on cost to benefit considerations and the poor track record of passenger rail service.

High Speed Rail in the US

But sometimes the ROI for infrastructure investments is difficult to assess.  No doubt there were critics of our investment in the national highway system, but its benefits have been immense.  A well conceived high speed rail system could yield similar benefits over time.  We just need the wisdom, tenacity and courage to get started and see it through.

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Raised by her grandmother in rural South Africa, Khosa began her career as a practicing nurse and mid-wife before turning her focus to combatting the AIDS epidemic in 1990. Having co-founded an HIV/AIDS testing clinic in Pretoria, Khosa became increasingly frustrated with the lack of follow-up care provided for her patients. With 4.2 million South African citizens – roughly 10% of the country’s total 45 million inhabitants – infected with some form of potentially life-threatening illness, the government health system was unable to provide even the most basic of treatment options. Once diagnosed, patients were often sent home without medication, food, counseling or additional care.

In the face of this growing crisis, Khosa formed Tateni Home Care Services to provide at-home caregiving and counseling to patients and family members. The guiding mission of Tateni – a Nguni word, which roughly translates to the encouragement of a mother for a child learning to walk – is to empower and educate care-givers in the essential skills necessary for basic patient care. Using a traveling team of retired nurses, Tateni trains members of rural communities in the essential skills of at-home care. These community workers, in turn, are expected to share their knowledge with patients and family members. Each community is also supported by an extended group of medical professionals that can provide necessary medications, occupational and physical therapy and bereavement counseling.

Tateni Charity Organization

In addition to training, Tateni has also taken an active role in confronting the social effects of this epidemic. The HIV/AIDS crisis – as well as the high instances of other chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, cancer and tuberculosis – has created a generation of orphans in need of help. Tateni offers counseling, food supplies and a drop-in facility for children whose parents cannot care for them. Tateni has also created programs to assist patients who are able to work, providing workshops in salable skills such as gardening and sewing that allow them to remain active participants in their community.

Tateni’s model has since been adopted in other African regions, as well as influenced the South African Department of Health to include ‘palliative’ care in their official curriculum for nurses and doctors. By providing a care system that is accessible, available and affordable to every patient, Khosa has also reinvigorated a country ravaged by illness and poverty. And proven that compassion – in any language – is a beautiful and fundamental right.

ToughStuff, an African-based company, is already experiencing promising early returns with their entry – a solar panel roughly the size of a sheet of paper. Recognizing the need for stable electricity in villages across the continent, while mindful of the limited financial means of most rural families, the company has delivered a $15 panel for household use. Designed to withstand the harsh environmental challenges posed by the region’s severe weather cycles, the thin, waterproof film is easy to install and requires little maintenance. And though small, their panel can provide enough energy to power household appliances and overhead lighting.

ToughStuff’s Social Entrepreneurs

In Nepal, 18-year old Milan Karki has created a silicon-free solar panel that relies on human hair to conduct electricity. Although silicon is the most common metalloid on the planet, the manufacturing process necessary to extract silicon is tremendously costly in energy expenditure – and is partially responsible for the high price of solar panels today. In Karki’s panels, the silicon is replaced with human hair – relying on melatonin, a light-sensitive compound, that acts as a small-scale energy conductor. Using this readily abundant resource, the small panels can be cheaply manufactured to provide an ongoing, renewable source of energy for even the most remote villages – and should the factory-installed strands break, the components can be easily replaced by the user.

Another promising player in the low-cost solar panel market is Atlanta-based Suniva. Founded by a Georgia Tech alumnus, the company relies on improved manufacturing methods that reduce the time and energy expenditure needed to make photovoltaic cells. By integrating numerous processes and finding alternatives for accepted industry standards, Suniva promises more effective, efficient panels at an affordable cost.

By focusing on delivering efficient, stable electricity through solar energy, these companies are surmounting the myriad of challenges that have long kept this renewable energy resource from being widely adopted. These advancements are proving to a dubious public that solar energy can be effective as an alternative to fossil fuel-based sources, while introducing new, cost-effective methods of production that could potentially drive down the per-panel cost for energy-conscious consumers around the world.

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Created in 1995 by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs, the concept is based on the idea of the ‘World as Café’, that the most innovative and creative resolutions were born of intimate group discussions that took place in a casual setting. Today the set of seven ‘integrated design principles‘ have been used by groups around the globe – from non-profit organizations to governments to worldwide corporations.

World Café Principles

‘Set the Context’

The foundation principle. In planning a World Café event, organizers must first determine the exact subject for discussion. Past groups have used the process to address any number of essential issues – including improvements to regional school systems and social welfare topics.

‘Create Hospitable Space’

To encourage discussion, a café locale should be an inviting, ‘safe’ environment – similar in feel to an easy chat around the kitchen table. This principle also touches on invitation design, space decoration and even the importance of providing food and beverages for the participants.

‘Explore Questions That Matter’

Ask an absorbing question that will stimulate thought. Because this particular process is so crucial to motivating the group, the founders have developed a short list of essential, shared characteristics of the most powerful questions addressed within the Café format.

‘Encourage Everyone’s Contributions’

The success of a Café meeting depends on the involvement of all attendees. To allow for deep discussions, this principle uses the ancient ritual of the ‘talking object’ – a physical item that passes from speaker to speaker. This limits extraneous discussion, and allows the listeners to fully focus on the solutions proposed by each speaker.

‘Connect Diverse Perspectives’

Each Café set-up should allow for small tables of no more than 6 participants of varied ages and fields of expertise. As the event progresses, participants will move among other tables, sharing the thoughts and ideas discussed at previous tables with their new groups. In addition, the Café promotes the use of paper tablecloths and markers to make note of key talking points and concepts. These are later shared with the entire group at the end of the event.

‘Listen Together for Insights’

The ability to fully concentrate on the ideas and concerns of other Café guests is critical to the evolution of effective solutions. Rather than formulating a response to another speaker – while they are still talking – guests are encouraged to listen completely to the proposed ideas before responding.

‘Share Collective Discoveries’

Because the primary question/dilemma is shared amongst all tables, there is often a ‘pattern of wholeness’ – key insights that are continually repeated and shared amongst each small group. At the end of the event, use the written notes of each table as a starting point for uncovering the essence of these insights and how that essence may influence – and improve – the potential solution.

Using each of these principles, the World Café process is designed to be fully inclusive. In which, each contributor has the opportunity for their unique voice to be heard by the group. While this process has been developed for physical meetings, the organization has also created an online forum to allow for discussions on the most profound concerns facing our global community today. It’s the future of collaborative problem-solving – where every voice has its value, and its right to be heard.