Sunday, October 16, 2005
Decoding Intent
I'm off to give a talk on "decoding intent and emotion" at a conference in Concord, NH. I'm glad that "100 bloggers" is happening (although I had recommended creating the "100 Bloggers Experience" in the badlands of the Dakotas instead!
Lots of great talk and ideas. Its cool to participate in such a grand "meta conversation" with such a flow of connected thoughts.
My contribution: What matters is not just what we say (content), but how we say it (our process, intentions, etc.). Geeks (and I use the word admiringly) sometimes tend to forget this and focus on content alone. Theory of Mind tells us to continually attempt to infer what others are thinking and feeling and to be "mindful" of that. Noam Chomsky called this the "deep structure" of language. So, rather than knocking the ideas of others, lets "tune in" to each other and care about what we are all saying. Not so good ideas do not disappear because others criticize them, but rather because better ideas begin to shine. I know this sounds corny, but having just survived awful flooding in the Keene, NH area my belief in the importance of a little "peace, love, and understanding" (Elvis Costello's words, not mine) is stronger than ever. Let's listen...not just to the words, but to the meanings behind the words...and spread some much needed good vibe out there.
Peace,
Larry Welkowitz
Lots of great talk and ideas. Its cool to participate in such a grand "meta conversation" with such a flow of connected thoughts.
My contribution: What matters is not just what we say (content), but how we say it (our process, intentions, etc.). Geeks (and I use the word admiringly) sometimes tend to forget this and focus on content alone. Theory of Mind tells us to continually attempt to infer what others are thinking and feeling and to be "mindful" of that. Noam Chomsky called this the "deep structure" of language. So, rather than knocking the ideas of others, lets "tune in" to each other and care about what we are all saying. Not so good ideas do not disappear because others criticize them, but rather because better ideas begin to shine. I know this sounds corny, but having just survived awful flooding in the Keene, NH area my belief in the importance of a little "peace, love, and understanding" (Elvis Costello's words, not mine) is stronger than ever. Let's listen...not just to the words, but to the meanings behind the words...and spread some much needed good vibe out there.
Peace,
Larry Welkowitz
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Corpo! I very much appreciate your input. This is precisely why I asked you to join us here at 100 Bloggers--to shake things up a bit.
Thank you!
Now, as for achieving something bigger, what do you have in mind?
I think we would all welcome some fresh ideas.
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Thank you!
Now, as for achieving something bigger, what do you have in mind?
I think we would all welcome some fresh ideas.
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