Finds

№ 1 | Conversation Theory, Civilizations + Burnout, Practical Teaching Tips, Visualizing Knowledge, and AR Contact Lenses

Stephen P. Anderson

Aug 19, 2022 — 2 min read

Let's get this kicked off… five things I encountered over the past week:

“Conversation theory in two pages.”

AKA, I can't escape cybernetics! In response to a post about project constraints, twitter user @evansonearth shared this short essay on Cybernetics and Conversation. Sample 1: “Consensual coordination of consensual coordination of actions” (say that three time quickly!). Sample 2: “We learn what we learn through the interactions we construct”. Yes, 100%! But… the IA in me isn't sure about equating “conversations” with “interactions.” Moving a block in space is… a conversation? 🤨

“Do most civilizations face burnout at the planetary/sub-planetary scale?”

I attended a Tools for Thought event earlier this week. This slide was casually shared, in passing:

Naturally, the references to “Type III civilizations” “homeostatic reorientation” and a “collapse trajectory” brought to mind conversations about Jim Dator's “four futures” (Transformation, Discipline, Collapse, Growth) . Here's the complete, scientific paper: Asymptotic burnout and homeostatic awakening: a possible solution to the Fermi paradox?

On a more practical note…

Practical teaching tips!

I've really enjoyed the “Five Ways To…” series from Tom Sherrington and David Goodwin. Each page is a science-backed, one-page summary (with visuals dual coding!) of a key teaching strategy. Five ways to… Scaffold Classroom Dialogue, Check for Understanding, Sustain Student Attention, Secure Progress Through Modeling, and so one—you get the idea. Here's Five Ways To… The Collection, that rounds up these FWT.

Speaking of visual learning…

“The world’s most important knowledge, visualized.”

I haven't tried out Lucid yet—have you? Reminds me a bit of what Nathan Baschez tried with Hardbound. Condensing complex topics or books into short, visual narratives.

Want to peer into the future?

Ba Dum Tss. Sorry, bad pun. But seriously, augmented reality contact lenses? While the concept is not new, this appears to be “the first authentic test of an augmented reality contact lens.” And it seems like a real technical breakthrough. The "display hardware has about 30 times the pixel density of a new iPhone" and the battery and microprocessor are small enough to sit in your eye. 😲

Closeup of camera len inside the women eye , futuristic digital vision augmented reality technology concept

№ 83 | Stop Project 2025 Comics, Future for All: A vision for 2048, eyeConnect Cards, The Rule Book, and the Effects of Geography on Voting

This edition of the newsletter comes a couple days later than usual, but for a wonderful reason—I spent 5 days last week playing board games with my friends at BGG Con. 🎲 🤩 Next issue will resume the normal Sunday schedule! 🥸Reminder: If you're participating in the Create A

№ 82 | Pebble Talk, The Mood Meter, 3 Styles of Play, A Convection Simulation, an Electoral College Simulation, and What If America Had 6 Political Parties?

📍In case you missed it… Throughout November, I’m hosting another Creative Challenge: Create A Real Life Character Sheet. About 15 people have signed up so far, and there’s space for a few more folks—you should join us! Pebble Talk Here’s a way to avoid awkward small

Creative Challenge #3: Create A Real Life Character Sheet

Welcome, new readers. From time to time, I organize “Creative Challenges,” that fit with the whole “playful things to think with” theme. Previously, there was a One Card Serious Game Challenge, followed by the Make a Zine Challenge. I hadn’t planned on doing another Creative Challenge until next year

№ 81 | Scientific Papers as Comic Strips, 52 Things About Cards, Thermodynamics Cards, Collaborative Place Futures Toolkit, and Why The Work is Never Just “The Work”

✉️Look for 2 extra special emails heading your way, later this week! 1/ The promised print-and-play Zombie Leadership cards. 2/ An announcement about our next Creative Challenge… Scientific Papers as Comic Strips Yes! Comics as things to think with. Here’s an interview with Kanaka Rajan, who uses “narrative illustrations