WikiMindMap

1. It's a mind map program
2. It's 100% online
3. It searches any term on Wikipedia and automatically creates a mindmap

Yes it's true and it's very cool. Check it out.

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Visual thinking

Great presentation on visual thinking by Ryan Coleman.

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What makes a place great?

Corner nook, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

"It's surprisingly simple.

Over the past 30 years Project for Public Spaces has evaluated more than 1,000 public spaces, and informally investigated tens of thousands more. From all this we have discovered that most great places--whether a grand downtown plaza or humble neighborhood park--share four key qualities:

1. It is accessible and well-connected to other important places in the area.
2. The space is comfortable and projects a good image.
3. People are drawn to participate in activities there.
4. It is a sociable place where people like to gather, visiting it again and again."

Read more.

Can we do this in our common (shared) office spaces? What makes for a great shared space?

Please share your thoughts.

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Ice breaker

Ice breaker, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

Here's a simple but effective way to break the ice and introduce people at your next meeting or event. It's a good way to get people into a brainstorming/creative mood and sets the tone for a creative meeting.

1. Give everyone an index card and a colored marker (it's better if everyone has a different color).

2. Have each person fold the card in half to make a table tent.

3. On the front, have them write their name and draw their "supermask" (as in, if they were a superhero, what would be their mask?).

4. On the back, have each person write their "supername" and "superpower."

5. Go around the room and have each person describe their card to the group.

Variations:

1. If everyone more or less knows each other: After writing their name, have each person pass their card to the person on their left or right. The person receiving the card fills it out and passes it back. Then go around the room as before.

2. Instead of "supername" and "super power" you can try other things, like "wrestler mask, name and secret move."

3. Corporate version Have each person draw a self-portrait on the front of the card, and on the back write something others are unlikely to know about them.

We did this at a recent edition of visual thinking school and it really livened up the meeting. Here are the results.

Give it a try, and post your cards to the vizthink! pool.

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The most important technique of presenting

Index card sketches from Meshforum 2006, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

"Look your listener in the eye. Most inexperienced speakers lose the attention of their audience by looking up at the ceiling to collect their thoughts, looking at the floor, or darting their eyes around the room.

Whether you are addressing a small or large group, lock your gaze on one person, and keep it there for about five seconds - long enough to complete a thought. Then look at another person, take a breath, and continue with your next thought.

If you are talking to only one person, you'll want to break eye contact once in a while to avoid staring. But looking at one person per thought, and pausing slightly between each thought, is the most important technique of presenting."

-- From How to shine at presentations by Kevin Daley, founder of Communispond.

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How to support play

LIFT notes, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

More notes from the LIFT converence in Geneva.

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Drawings are conversations

Help me write a story!, originally uploaded by dgray_xplane.

"A drawing is a conversation with yourself."
-- Vitor Higgs, infographer

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Sketches of Morrocco

Beautiful sketches of Morrocco by Enrique Flores Here's another one.

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Website on a dry-erase board?

Click the picture to read more.

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Self-Governing Workshops and Offices

Conflict
No one enjoys his work if he is a cog in a machine.

Resolution
Encourage the formation of self-governing workshops and offices of 5 to 20 workers. Make each group autonomous- with respect to organisation, style, relation to other groups, hiring and firing, work schedule. Where the work is complicated and requires larger organisations, several of these work groups can federate and cooperate to produce complex artefacts and services.

From A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander

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Tooth mapping

This graph is a visual record showing the health of a patient's gums.

The red dots indicate bleeders that appear as the dentist probes the gums for their health. The graph-like bars that over-lay the teeth are measures of the gaps between the teeth and the gum.

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Five secrets of the curious infographic

These are notes from a talk given at Malofiej 15 by Graphics Editor Marcello Valoncini.

1. Look forward. Don't stop with the news, simply reporting what has occurred.
2. Reach out. Don't be shy; call people and ask for details.
3. Watch TV. Look to the television medium for ideas and particulars.
4. Compare elements. Even if they seem absurd at first, comparisons help people understand things in a larger context.
5. Use the internet. It can deliver strange, funny or useful elements to enhance your story.

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What is an infographic?

This year's Malofiej competition is notable because for the first time ever, an interactive graphic was the only winner for the "best in show" award.

This sparked a lot of conversation about "what is an infographic?" As infographics go online, the line between infography and software begins to blur. Where does infography end and interface design begin?

About a week ago I had an interesting conversation with Juan Velasco, Graphics editor of National Geographic, where we tried to answer some of these questions. It's the beginning of a manifesto -- can you help us make it better?

WHAT IS AN INFOGRAPHIC?

1. It's a visual explanation that helps you more easily understand, find or do something.
2. It's visual, and when necessary, integrates words and pictures in a fluid, dynamic way.
3. It stands alone and is completely self-explanatory.
4. It reveals information that was formerly hidden or submerged.
5. It makes possible faster, more consistent understanding.
6. It's universally understandable.

Please add your comments and thoughts.

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Check out the zoomquilt

Click here.

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Why you can't dial in to free conference call services

If you have a Cingular/AT&T phone, you may have noticed that you have trouble dialing in to free conference call services. That's because Cingular -- your service provider -- is blocking your calls.

Cingular spokesman Mark Siegel says it's not a consumer freedom issue, it's about economics.

I say it's a good time to switch your services, so Cingular can understand the economics of treating their customers this way.

Read more here.

If you want to get out of your Cingular contract, here are some tips:
- How to get out of a cellular service contract
- Get out of your cell phone contract
- Celltrade: A service that helps you change providers
- How to get out of a cell phone contract

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