Without being a fan of any brand, I confess in each football world championship and Olympic Games, coca-cola and pepsi have very ingenious ads. The creative people of diapers and some odorants as axel, for my taste are very good as well.
I LOVE ideas and creativity!!!!!
The following ad is the first one I see from the next football cup, and it made me smile. Perhaps others will smile too, here it goes:
It is evident my whining about focus and writing. The only way to stop complaining is to overcome it. Honestly, anyone that wants to overcome a self-problem requires A LOT of desire, conviction, effort, discipline, and a strategy. My writing improvement strategy involves reading, listening to others and writing. There are A LOT of books supporting how to improve writing. The craft of research is one of my favorites. Listening others is very valuable at different levels. Writing is key.
From my rejected papers, Roman asked me in this post what I had learned from my referees’ feedback. Honestly, even that I categorized the feedback at that time, there were only words, which I could share or write in this blog, but I couldn’t feel nor understand them. I have no idea how other humans evolve, but I need time to comprehend a message, a situation, an experience.
Some months later, I am able to share some tips from this writing_learning_process:
TIP_1: Keep things simple.
Simplicity is a common advice that I get from my readers (e.g. referees, supervisors) and by reading books about writing. To understand this advice is another story. My actual interpretation and experience is: I can keep things simple only when I understand them clearly.
When I am able to write or express a whole idea in one sentence. At that moment I can claim that my idea is concrete, then I can write it in a simple way. If I can’t write an idea in one sentence, then it is a draft idea, which means it must be polished; I need to think still on the idea.
I am developing a process on how to clarify my own ideas, but that will be another post.
TIP_2: Define your terms.
I haven’t seen this advice in a book. But while working with senior researchers, and specially with my supervisors, I hear constantly: be clear in your definitions.
I must define all the terms I will use in my manuscript at the beginning. In addition, I should use those terms along the paper consistently.
Warning! One must define terms, in a simple manner. Hence, one must have a clear understanding of them. (read tip 1)
TIP_3: No waste words – use them all
If you write something, use it. Otherwise, do not write it.
In other words, if you are defining a concept, implies that the concept is used in the paper. If you do not use it, then do not write it; it turns redundant.
TIP_4: Be generous with others
Several books refer to this tip as promote a conversation. In the last days, I had the opportunity to listen Tim and Clint, and they have highlighted this tip: references make a paper stronger.
A scientific paper should supports an argument; the paper is a contribution to the world’s knowledge. If an argument is a discussion in which disagreement is expressed; meaning it is a debate; then more opinions should be present in the paper. Research papers are not dictatorships.
The paper must stimulate our thinking through a flow of arguments. It is actually a beauty.
TIP_5: Consistence.
Consistence is another noun easy to pronounce and hard to grasp. The way I am working towards reach consistency is as follow:
At this moment, the mentioned five tips are so far my digested outcomes from referees comments with support of others who had helped me to understand. Honestly, the five tips have helped me to focus. The day I succeed with my writing, then some of these tips might be transformed to rules. But meanwhile I hope they are useful for someone, and leave a comment if there is something that I am missing or it can be improved.
Escher hands – My view on them is: we are improving ourselves constantly.
I had been writing about my concern on natural disasters (e.g. here and here), specially stressed with earthquakes. My last entry was with Chile, now in early April 2010 a 7.2 earthquake shook Mexicali, Mexico , last week a 6.9 earthquake in Qinghai, China, and last night in Papua New Guinea.
Most of the dead tolls are our own fault. We support the growth of over-populated cities with lack of urbanism research and strategies. In addition we build low quality shelters, and so on.
Apparently most natural disaster are between the tropics.
But on April 14th, north European countries have been affected by the eruption of Eyjafjallajoekull volcano in Iceland. The airspace has been closed in most European airports for the danger that implies to fly through the ashes. The Europe flight grounded creates passengers inconvenience at different levels (I am lucky to do not be in such a situation) and millions of euros lost in direct and indirect industries e.g. carrier of goods, suppliers for airlines.
However and unfortunately all the media I read, except of the article from Alain de Botton, a critical reflection point is missing: nature is making the obvious explicit. We need to slow down our life styles and harmonize with the rest of life forms in the planet. We should be wise, instead to pretend to be smarter than nature. The price of our stubbornness is rising every day. Anyway, we keep making history.
What I am proud of is the positive attitude of most of the travelers. Social Networks are the best!
Screenshot of #getmehome in Twitter. Great attitude from people!
One of the reasons why this research group called my attention was: they are doing research in what we call developing countries. For those who knows me, it is not a surprised that I was attracted with this idea.
However as I discover more about ICT4D, I realize I am not from the same philosophy.
This is COMPLETE contradictory, I know. Specially because I want to help and actually I am contributing at some level with ICT4D. But I am interesting in the personal growth of any individual.
On Friday I was briefly in one talk regarding ICT4D. I wonder if anyone on that room read Carlos Fuentes. In one of his books, el espejo enterrado (in english: the buried mirror), Fuentes manage a very special concept: when two cultures meet each other. The encounter of cultures imply the discovering of each other step by step. Two different worlds are discovering each other, this has sever implications at different levels. I know this type of reflection is not only his, there are different writers making explicit the reflections of different meanings and interpretations.
In the 30 minutes I was in that room on Friday, my heart got sad. I just heard how the experts were concern on changing the “ignorance” of the countries they are working with. Of course that ignorance is in reference to our perspective. As we assume several of their problems and behaviors must change. In those 30 minutes, I did NOT hear what do we discover in the host cultures that can make us work together. I did NOT hear how the locals define their own problems. I did NOT hear a we (foreign and locals) at any moment. Much less I hear what the foreign has learned or admired from the “host” culture.
If I have a guest in my house and tells me how to furnish it, clean it and even live in it. I wont get happy and I doubt I will get open to those wise suggestions. Less if I haven’t even ask for those suggestions myself.
I accept I am a western. This is a fact, for “n” reasons, starting from the perspective I born in a BIG metropolis of the western hemisphere. But that does not give me any rights to say that my way of living is the correct one.
I had been a missionary for several years. I had lived in communities that from our “western” eyes are not developed. Where there is literally nothing. I had seen people die, and I had seen people sleeping on the street trying to get warm next to an animal. No shelter, no food, nothing. However, those communities and those individuals are richer in other aspects than us. What makes us think or believe we are superior? The money, yeap sure! With all the ongoing natural disasters, we will see how much the money can help us.We are just loosing the point of living.
I wish to hear one day, from any leader, how one draws the line between what is your desire of your own growth, my desire for my own growth, and our common growth. Wondering, when we will work together?
The “solution” we are approaching as “development”, in my humble opinion and in most of the cases, is not taking us anywhere. Because since the first encounter the respect is not existent, we do not consider ourselves equals. That problem is in both ends of the conversation the westerns and the no-westerns. When we accept that both parties are as important as oneself, then perhaps growth will start to flourish.
I admit there are very valuable people in the world of ICT4D. I respect them. It exists good will, and all the good stuff we can think of. But sadly from my eyes we are missing the point and following some type of e-colonialism pattern.
To the time!. Maybe I am mistaken, maybe we will change the approach….in anycase,right now I must finalize my thesis.
Recommended book to read!
1. I LOVE what I do.
Since I was a child my dream has been to create life. My childhood is full of designing, creating and learning stuff constantly. It puts me in “flow” to do those things.
2. Thinking is challenging.
As more I have to think, as more I understand why the majority of humans avoid doing it.
3. Writing is not easy.
I found writing especially painful because I do not have the proper basic skills. However, I will not quit. I know I am not going to be Shakespeare because writing is not in my system. I just want the basic skills to finish my PhD. Hence, now I am in the process of unlearning and learning. Perseverance!!! As Winston Churchill said: “Never give in. Never give in. Never, Never, Never.”
Ok, I am also asking for a miracle, otherwise I will die in the process to be honest.
3. The PhD process has helped me to discover myself.
To learn to focus is VERY HARD. I think is challenging for any PhD student. But, I think it is a relevant process that contributes to a self-discovery too.
4. I am thankful when referees of my work give constructive comments.
Constructive comments, promotes healthy growth. Thanks to one of my referees, I got to know Nigel Cross. After I read one of his books, a big smile emerged. Today I can articulate one of my strengths: I am good in design.
My supervisor, Erkki, told me about my strength earlier. But I was not able to understand him. Perhaps, I was not ready to understand. Honestly and as surprisingly as it might sound, it has taken me decades to realize that I like to design, and that I am good at it. Anyway, better later than never 😉
Now I can identify with other designers. Yes, I think on paper as they do. I specially identify with this quote:
“The way designer work may be inexplicable, no for some romantic or mystical reason, but simply because these processes lie outside the bounds of verbal discourse: they are literally indescribable in linguistic terms.”
I FULLY AGREE!!!! One sketch can say much more than a whole book. There are experiences that cannot be put in word, one must only live them.
I see solutions, and I work in a cyclic process of discovery solution-challenges. For me things are not linear, are cyclic and dimensional, and bunch of other stuff which I cannot articulate.
Actually, even philosophers such as Burke had already expressed how words put limits. This quote of him gets in my heart:
“Even if a given terminology is a reflection of reality, by its very nature as a terminology it must be a selection of reality; and to this extent it must function also as a deflection of reality”.
Yes, I admire anyone who has the gift of the words. But let’s be honest, different types of intelligence exist. I guess at some point science will have to contemplate other ways to show scientific contribution besides just using the words. Ok, I know it will not happen in my time, thus I have to succeed within the traditional school. But I hope time will come and things will evolve.
To finalize a video of a talented friend, Franci Cronje, which I think it matches this post. She has another perspective, but it also gives food for the though.