Finds

№ 7 | Above the Line, Cameras and Lenses, AI Video Generation?!, Reframing the Office Space, and a Classic Book on Meetings

Stephen P. Anderson

30 Sep 2022 — 2 min read

Living above the line

A co-worker shared this short video, with a cautionary note: “Warning, this may change how you look art the world.” Enjoy “Locating Yourself — A Key to Conscious Leadership.”

Cameras and Lenses

I love a good web page with interactive elements. Here’s an interactive blog post to check out, all about… Cameras and Lenses!

AI Video Generation?!

Last week it was AI being used to generate video summaries. This week, it’s AI being used to generate video clips. This new “Make-a-Video” tool (from Meta) uses machine learning to translate a rough text prompt into a short video. Essentially, what Midjourney, Dall-E, StableDiffusion do for static image creation, this can do for short video clips. 🤨

Here's a solid piece from HBR. Heck, how can you go wrong with an opening statement like “In today’s hybrid world, ‘work’ is increasingly something people do, not a place they go.”

Now, some criticism (not necessarily about this article). I don’t disagree with anything written, but… what’s the problem we’re solving for again? Is the goal to get people back into the office? Or something more? I like the proposal to recast the office as a place for connecting with other people. I’ll “Yes, and…” this proposal. But… Let’s also not let up on making or finding ways to connect remotely, as well. In many of these kinds of articles, I keep sensing an implicit assumption that presence and connection is something that can only happen in person—with physical proximity. I think it’s more complicated than that, and that yes, there are contexts where people can and do already feel tremendous presence—with co-workers they’ve never been in the same room with. Where are these stories?

Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There!

I’ve been researching the heck out of meeting best practices, so I was surprised to come across a book recommendation (on meetings) I’d never heard of: Don’t Just Do Something, Stand There! I haven’t read it yet, but this comes from a colleague whose recommendations are always top notch.

№ 85 | Wardley Mapping, “Should I Stay or Should I Go Now?”, Project Zero’s Thinking Routine Toolbox, Art Therapy Card Deck, The 100-Year Lab, and Seeds of Renewal

This will be the last newsletter until next year. I normally publish Thinking Things every two weeks, which means the next issue would fall on December 29th, except—I’m going to take off some time off over the holidays🎄. Next issue will go out (checking the calendar) Jan 12th.

№ 84 | The StoryTelling Leader, Content Patterns, Defining Transdisciplinary Research, the Serious Games Idea Deck, the Map of Board Games, and Andrew Garfield and Elmo on Grief

The StoryTelling Leader I recently started following David Hutchens on LinkedIn. As it turns out… I already I own two of his books (Circle of the 9 Muses and Outlearning the Wolves) and his card deck (below) 🤪. Anyway, when it comes to narratives—specifically leadership stories—he knows his stuff!

№ 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