Seek and Celebrate Small Victories The most important thing in software development is motivation. Motivation is local — if you aren't motivated by what you are working on right now, then chances are it won't be as good as it should be. In fact, it's probably going to suck. Long, drawn out release cycles are motivation killers. They insert too much time between celebrations. On the other hand, quick wins that you can celebrate are great motivators. So, if you're in the middle of a months-long release cycle, dedicate a day a week (or every two weeks) for some small victories. A new simple feature A small enhancement to an existing feature Rewriting some help text to reduce the support burden Removing some form fields that you really don't need When you find those 4-hour quick wins, you'll find celebration.
Partner diversity increases growth: acacia tree "Trees that sequentially partner with multi-species sets of ants produce more offspring than trees that maintain a lifelong association with any single ant...said Todd Palmer, a UF [University of Florida] biology professor...'Looking at the costs and benefits to the tree, not just at a single moment, but in terms of number of offspring produced over a lifetime, the best possible outcome is obtained not by having what we thought was the 'good mutualist,' but rather by having all four ant species at different life stages...,' [Palmer] said. The key to the new findings is the timing. When a species lives a long time, its needs may change drastically as it grows from young to old, and sequential associations with several partners may help it meet those needs at different times, he said...[A] mutualistic species may require a partner that helps it survive during its vulnerable younger years, even if that partner prevents it from reproducing, Palmer said. Learn more at The Palmer Lab Todd M.
A masculinidade fingida: como disfarçar que você é uma bicha-amoeba | Cultura e Sexualidade Gilmaro Nogueira Baphão Queer . Disponível em: Existem milhões de formas de ser homem, masculino, heterossexual ou homossexual. Temos poucos termos para nomear quaisquer dessas possibilidades, devido a um empobrecimento da linguagem em nossa cultura. Esses termos são utilizados para nomear uma escala de masculinidade/feminilidade que vai da representação do homem heterossexual (macho) à identificação com a mulher (afeminado). Em minha pesquisa de mestrado, sobre os sites de relacionamento e salas de bate-papo para homens que buscam envolvimento sexual com outros homens, verifiquei que os sujeitos textualizam nos seus perfis a busca por diferentes corpos, sendo que há lugar no desejo sexual para homens novos ou idosos, magros, malhados ou gordos, negros ou brancos, machos e discretos, mas não para os afeminados. Voltando para a minha pesquisa, constatei que quase todos os homens mencionavam em seus perfis que não buscavam homens afeminados. Baphão Queer
Successful Moderation of Brainstorming Meetings I think the game development community has done a pretty good job of sharing resources and ideas and tips and tricks on effective brainstorming. However, it’s one thing to tease out of your brain all the fantastic and creative ideas you could ever ask for; getting the same thing out of a group of people in meeting-form is a slightly different animal. Have you ever been in a brainstorming meeting where people sort of sit around and spit out ideas, but by the end of it, no one is sure if anything was really accomplished, and you have the uneasy sensation of having just poured a bunch of creativity into a black hole? Design Charrette for Get In Line I’ve had some success with moderating good brainstorming meetings that end with that feeling so I’m just going to walk through my usual process. Understanding Your Role First off, it’s important to understand what you are doing when you initiate one of these meetings. Preparations Choosing a Meeting Space A whiteboardful of brainstorming Time Toys
Rootlets reabsorb nutrients: giant groundsel Senecio Senecio Learn more at Organism/taxonomy data provided by: Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Application Ideas: Model for recycling and use of local resources. Industrial Sector(s) interested in this strategy: Industrial ecology, urban recycling programs Uma incubadora de ideias e soluções para o Bem Comum “Você nunca muda a realidade lutando contra ela. Para mudar algo você cria um novo modelo que torna o modelo existente obsoleto.”R. Buckminster Fuller E foi acreditando nisso que, em 22 de abril de 2009, no mesmo dia em que se celebra o Dia da Terra, fundamos a rede social da Coolmeia, Ideias em Cooperação. A mesma existia, enquanto ideia, como um pequeno website e uma rede social embrionária, desde 4 de julho de 2008, mas foi a partir desta data que o sonho de transformar a realidade a partir de uma convergência de redes, viveres e sentires se tornou palpável, coletivo, vibrante. Naquele dia, escrevemos: E cada um pode fazer a sua parte. E complementamos: Como diz um ditado chinês: ”É com um passo que se começa uma jornada de 100 quilômetros”. Daquela data, hoje, passaram-se quatro divertidos, efervescentes e significativos anos. E aqui estamos, 22 de abril de 2013, simbolicamente encerrando um velho e, ao mesmo tempo iniciando um novo ciclo de venturas e aventuras. Quer nos dar a mão?
Keeping your team on the same page, the Insomniac way The larger your team is, the more opinions there are, and the more difficult it is to make sure that everyone is sharing a vision and heading in the same direction. That's true in pretty much any creative endeavor, but according to Insomniac founder and CEO Ted Price, it is the most important role for someone leading a game development studio. We sat down with Price to see how creative consensus is maintained at the Ratchet & Clank and Resistance developer, and how being at the top and having everyone listen to you can sometimes be dangerous for your project. You've been running Insomniac for over 18 years now. What have you learned about keeping a team on the same page? We've learned that it's not about the process, but it's about the people. As an example, I was asked today about what methodology we use. Most of the time, though, we can rely on a few core principles. How do you keep everyone reminded about that core goal? We've learned to do that. Hell yeah. Yes there is. All the time.
Cytoplasm seeks efficient routes: slime mold The slime mold, Physarum polycephalum, is an extremely effective forager capable of creating extensive and highly efficient networks between food sources. This single-celled creature, classified as a protist, oozes its way across surfaces in search of bacteria, fungal spores, and other microbes to feed on. As it spreads and grows in search of food, it naturally organizes itself into a network of tube-like structures that quickly and efficiently connect its disparate food sources. Physarum maximizes its ability to find food by ‘remembering’ and strengthening the portions of its cytoplasm that connect to active food sources. By trimming back connections and maintaining only active pathways, Physarum uses the least amount of resources and energy possible while still creating a resilient and fault-tolerant system. Check out Physarum in action in this video.This summary was contributed by Emily Hoehn. Physarum polycephalum Physarum polycephalum Schwein., 1822 Learn more at Prof.
Discovery Network "A Discovery Network (DN) is an open and decentralized value network , a collaborative organization that can include commercial, academic, governmental and independent entities, all collaborating together and coordinating their efforts to enrich society with new material goods and services, and extracting some value from doing so. The DN is mainly a knowledge and a logistical organization. It processes information and knowledge, plans and coordinates, in order to innovate, produce, and distribute new products, on the world market." It was proposed by Tiberius Brastaviceanu , through Multitude Project in summer 2008. The The Matchmaking Device System was an attempt to implement the Discovery Network model in the summer of 2010. Some fundational documents of the Discovery Network It was launched in January 2011 by Tiberius Brastaviceanu , Ivan Pavlov and Francois Bergeron around the Mosquito, an optical fiber-based sensor designed for biomedical applications. Greener Acres
Will Wright et la gestion d'une équipe : Anti Patterns Produire un jeu, c’est d’abord et avant tout une aventure humaine. Former une équipe, créer une dynamique, dépasser nos individualités. Il y a plusieurs façons d’atteindre ce résultat, mais dans le cadre du jeu vidéo, ça demande souvent du leadership, une direction franche et une vision solide. Ca parait simple et évident dit comme ça, mais ça n’est franchement pas facile ! Will Wright a récemment donné une interview au New York Times sur ce sujet. A lot of the people I’ve managed — artists, programmers, producers — they don’t want to know just if they are doing a good job or not. For a lot of people, their job and their position are not the relevant part of how they see themselves. La première chose à considérer quand on travaille en équipe, c’est les motivations personnelles de chacun des membres. Parmi les motivations les plus fréquentes, et sans ordre particulier, on trouve : Q. A. Mais c’est une situation exceptionnelle. C’est devenu un lieu commun: apprendre de ses échecs.