Readings of the week…

ninakix:

November 1st - 8th.

1. Everyday Creativity by Carlin Flora
   A great article on how to start thinking more creatively. The magic bullet? Get in the habit. Try to think creatively everyday, flex your creative muscles a bit, not just on the “big” projects.
   

   Ivcevic found that students who practiced forms of everyday creativity share, on average, certain personality traits with their “officially” artistic classmates—qualities lost on the conventionals. They share a tendency toward open-mindedness and curiosity, they are persistent, and they are positive, energetic, and intrinsically motivated by their chosen activities. Whether engaging in everyday creativity could foster such personality traits in the conventionals remains a question, but other studies show that taking up creative pursuits actually makes people more flexible and less judgmental.

2. The Meaning of Information Technology by Nick Kallen
   An interesting take on the next generation of technologies: Now that we’ve turned everything into a heap, and thrown the whole world into our reaches, we’ve got to sort and deal with those heaps.
3. Thoughts on the ‘fun theory’ by Dan Lockton
   Remember this video? Well here’s some interesting analysis of that work: using BJ Fogg’s behavior model, emotional engagement, and questioning whether it will actually cause long-term behavioral change.
4. How the internet enables intimacy by Stefana Broadbent
   Our increased usage of the internet and mobile devices has been supposed to make us more isolated and alone. But Broadbent has research suggesting exactly the opposite, and she tells us about it in a compelling TED talk. I don’t know about you, but there are definitely people I am connected to pretty much 24/7 through these technologies. Also, there’s been other big studies supporting this.
5. How We See Ourselves and How We See Others by Emily Pronin
   Pronin walks us through some interesting research about how we view ourselves and how we see others, and then she ties it all up nicely. It’s not the standard psychology stuff, but it’s not completely blow your mind, either. It’s just written well and reminds us of these little tendencies we have.
6. Also of note: Judge OKs Challenge to Human-Gene Patents, Raising Money Using Customer Development (totally design thinking (ugh I hate using that word just a little bit), but also some good advice in there).

 The Stemware Store: Nos. 1 and 2 were particularly interesting articles.