[P2P-F] [P2P-URBANISM WA] Re: WECREATE: 1st Neurochemically Primed Innovation Space NYC

Thu Apr 21 21:14:46 CEST 2011

Dear All,

There is one other interesting dimension of this discussion.  It is the
question of the balance that human technology strikes (or perhaps often
doesn't strike, often) between innovation and "boring old stuff."  And the
comparison we can make to natural systems, and the differences that result.

There is a perception (especially among many of my architect colleagues)
that what we need is stuff that is "exciting and new," "innovative,"
"thinking outside the box," and so on.  Often this is about creating visual
excitement too, and replacing what has become a neurologically uninteresting
perception with one that triggers more excitement because of its salient
differences.  Advertisers know all about this phenomenon, of course, and
they exploit it rather opportunistically.  But among designers, there is a
sophisticated rationale for the same kind of thing, which amounts to an
argument to get "unstuck," "out of a rut," "able to see successful new
approaches," etc.

Of course, what we often see is that much innovation falls flat.  This is
certainly true in nature.  Self-organization is a messy process with a lot
of bumps and pratfalls -- but it progresses by virtue of a kind of editing
process.  At the heart of this editing process is a simple principle:
 keeping what works!

And what works may be infinitely boring, from the above perspective.
 Ho-hum, how many years have we had to look at all these turtles and
crocodiles?  All these horseshoe crabs, these bacteria?  Nature keeps a lot
of very old stuff around, for a very long time...  (And that;s also an
example of "sustainability...")

Nor does nature ever hesitate to shamelessly copy or reproduce what has
already been done successfully before: the dorsal fins of sharks,
recapitulated by the dolphin 300 million years later,  or the boring old
tubular forms of worms, snakes, eels, or varieties of spirals, whorls, etc
etc... Come on, can't we use our imaginations here?  Why not a swoopy tail
sticking out of a head once in a while, or eyes on the belly for once?
 Let's not be reactionary - let's dare to experiment!

I  am being satirical, but with a serious point: nature does experiment, but
as often as not those are the quick fatalities of evolution.  When something
works, it's kept, or repeated, or only slightly modified -- it's adapted and
transformed.

But what do human designers do?  Very often they try to stick the tails on
the heads, or do other things for purely visual, dramatic effects.  Or they
take one variable, and design just to that variable -- in effect, putting a
propeller on the head of a shark to get energy, forgetting what else might
happen to that propeller over time.  (Hint: it won't turn out well!)  This
is not resilience, and tellingly, it is not the way natural "technology:
works.

I think one of the things we all have to get very clear on very soon, is how
resilient technology, sustainable technology, will have to incorporate the
proven, the old, the boring, even.  And use the exciting and the new only
very, very sparingly!   (To do otherwise is to further clutter up an
increasingly unsustainable culture with disorder, and failing systems...and
that ain't sustainability by any definition!)

Best, m

On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 2:39 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com>wrote:

> Araceli
>
> I have the following, intuitive, objection,
>
> The brain doesn't exhaust intelligence, which may be a 'distributed
> function' in our body, our relationships, etc ...
>
> So, is a brain-focused approach, not inherently reductionist?
>
> by the way, I may have misunderstood your list query, if you meant p2p-f
> and not p2p-urb, then this is the link for self-registration,
>
> Michel
>
> On Thu, Apr 21, 2011 at 1:34 AM, Noel Rivas <noel.rivas at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Hello all,
>>
>> The aim of WECREATE is to create an industry-diverse workspace for
>>> entrepreneurs interested in collaborating, serious about growing their
>>> business and testing their brain technology
>>>
>>
>> I don't find the idea *scary*, but I wouldn't expect to see deep change
>> in society or economics arising from a project that seems to strive to do
>> the same things we know, only better or more resourcefully.
>>
>> Studying the brain will, no doubt, give us clues and tools to make better
>> decisions, generate new knowledge and solve problems more efficiently. This
>> is great, but in order to make deep changes, we have to transform the
>> structure, not only the tools. No matter how much innovation we make, how
>> much we learn to use our brain, as long as we have the goal of perpetual
>> economic growth that has been mainstream for a while now, no meaningful,
>> deep, structural, global society change will happen.
>>
>> Now, if WECREATE intended to tackle problems such as collective decision
>> making, collective intelligence, collective sensing, etc. from an applied
>> neurosciences perspective to seek new methods to generate what we humans
>> need, without focus on growth and traditional entrepreneurship, I'd be very,
>> very excited =)
>>
>> Best
>>
>> Noel
>>
>> On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 12:16 PM, Michael Mehaffy <
>> michael.mehaffy at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Dear All,
>>>
>>> I for one welcome the interest, and personally I do not find the proposal
>>> "scary" -- but I do have a concern that it may reflect a fairly linear,
>>> "mechanical" approach to technology.  That's not to single out this
>>> proposal, as such  linear approaches are still common in the design world
>>> today, and I think we still have many hard questions to ask -- so I welcome
>>> such a critical exploration.   What I would say in initial response is that
>>> I think we are really learning from biological sciences that there is a much
>>> more "joined up" approach to achieving resilience than we have yet
>>> considered, and than we are likely to find with narrow mechanical
>>> "wheel-reinventing" approaches. (I cannot judge this proposals specifically,
>>> except to say it seems to have some of those traits.) I think that is always
>>> the danger with explorations of topics such as neuroscience, which can
>>> otherwise be incredibly beneficial.  There is the tool, and then there is
>>> always the question of how we use it!
>>>
>>> Best, m
>>>
>>> On Wed, Apr 20, 2011 at 6:54 AM, Michel Bauwens <michelsub2004 at gmail.com
>>> > wrote:
>>>
>>>> Thanks Araceli,
>>>>
>>>> I'm sharing this with our list, though I can imagine some people may
>>>> find this 'scary' ?
>>>>
>>>> I'm curious as to potential reactions,
>>>>
>>>> Michel
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, Apr 19, 2011 at 11:05 PM, Araceli Camargo <
>>>> thecubelondon at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Hi Michel,
>>>>>
>>>>> We read about your peer to peer foundation and think that our work
>>>>> might be of interest to you, please see our press release below and attached
>>>>> our launch program.
>>>>>
>>>>> We would love to see you at the launch on the 4th of May from 10-6pm.
>>>>>
>>>>> Best
>>>>>
>>>>> Araceli
>>>>>
>>>>> *FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE*
>>>>>
>>>>>  *WECREATE NYC: First Neurochemically-Primed, Innovation Space Opens
>>>>> in Manhattan*
>>>>>
>>>>> *New Workspace Uses Brain Technology to Build New Economy*
>>>>>
>>>>> *WECREATE NYC (wecreatenyc.com) *New York’s first
>>>>> neurochemically-primed, innovation workspace for entrepreneurs, small
>>>>> businesses and thinkers, launches on May 4th 2011 in Greenwich
>>>>> Village. From the American founders of London’s THECUBE, WECREATE NYC
>>>>> combines expertise in neurology and industrial engineering to bring *brain
>>>>> technology* to New York.
>>>>>
>>>>> Co-founder Daniel Gutierrez says “New York has the opportunity and the
>>>>> responsibility to create the model for a new economy, as the city attracts
>>>>> some of the brightest brains in the world. Our vision is to provide a space
>>>>> for this talent, which encourages innovation, industriousness and the
>>>>> sharing of ideas, to create solutions that effect change”.
>>>>>
>>>>> The idea behind WECREATE NYC, *brain technology* involves learning how
>>>>> to use the brain to its full potential. Araceli Camargo-Kilpatrick explains,
>>>>> “understanding how our brain forms ideas, solves problems, and innovates
>>>>> makes all the difference in having a successful business. The aim of
>>>>> WECREATE is to create an industry-diverse workspace for entrepreneurs
>>>>> interested in collaborating, serious about growing their business and
>>>>> testing their brain technology”.
>>>>>
>>>>> Not just another hot house for tech start-ups, WECREATE already has a
>>>>> community of psychologists, photographers, NGOs, economists and architects
>>>>> already involved in the innovation space.
>>>>>
>>>>> Araceli continues, “We will be providing members with a new type of
>>>>> business strategy which combines tools extrapolated from neurology and
>>>>> industrial engineering.  We are also providing our members with a diverse
>>>>> community as research from leading Dr. Keith Sawyer indicates that diversity
>>>>> is key to innovation. WECREATE is here to help make enterprise accessible
>>>>> and viable to all who are thinking about starting their business”.
>>>>>
>>>>> This focus on brain technology also extends to the neurochemically
>>>>> primed design of the WECREATE space. How the light comes into the space, the
>>>>> colours in the space, the materials, and the layout are all for the purpose
>>>>> of creating the best environment for brains to innovate.
>>>>>
>>>>> WECREATE NYC aims to build on the success of THECUBE in London’s
>>>>> Shoreditch <http://www.thecubelondon.com/>, which was established in
>>>>> September 2009 and profitable in its first year. Collaboration between the
>>>>> two innovation spaces will be encouraged, applying brain technology to
>>>>> generate ideas on both sides of the Atlantic
>>>>>
>>>>> *NOTES TO EDITORS*
>>>>>
>>>>> *WECREATE – Launch*
>>>>>
>>>>> When: Press launch May 4, 2011 TIME<http://www.wecreatenyc.com/events/>
>>>>>
>>>>> Where: 58 East 11th Street 10003, 8th floor
>>>>>
>>>>> What: See website for the schedule www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>>
>>>>> **
>>>>>
>>>>> *About WECREATE NYC – New York*
>>>>>
>>>>> WECREATE NYC is a new innovation and collaborative workspace. Our
>>>>> objective is to create a vibrant space for entrepreneurs interested in
>>>>> collaborating with a diverse group of people, serious about growing their
>>>>> business, and wanting to push innovation boundaries.  Our space will house
>>>>> people from diverse backgrounds and explore a wide range of knowledge
>>>>> neighborhoods to help instigate interesting collaborations.
>>>>>
>>>>> Ideas are the fuel of great businesses, without them we wouldn’t have
>>>>> anything. WECREATE will be a space that hosts and facilitates the sparks of
>>>>> strong ideas.
>>>>>
>>>>> The objective of innovation is to create a new economy, WECREATE will
>>>>> focus on getting entrepreneurs to generate sustainable businesses that will
>>>>> have longevity and feed the economy of the future.www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>>
>>>>> The space is founded by Daniel C. Gutierrez and Araceli Camargo.
>>>>>
>>>>> *About THECUBE – London*
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE workspace opened in September 2009 in London’s Spitalfields. We
>>>>> were inspired by the collapse of Lehman Brothers to create a psychical
>>>>> space, that would nourish and house would-be-entrepreneurs, who are now
>>>>> creating sustainable businesses and generating economic value.
>>>>>
>>>>> We have gone through two evolutions and heading towards another. We
>>>>> started as space, moved to co-working, and are now heading towards creating
>>>>> the workspace of a new era.
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE has been mindful to create a bridge between mind space and
>>>>> physical space. The physical space is neurochemically and physiological
>>>>> primed to generate productivity, a welcoming feeling and collaboration
>>>>> between members. www.thecubelondon.com
>>>>>
>>>>> *For further media information about WECREATE NYC or THECUBE please
>>>>> contact:*
>>>>>
>>>>> WECREATE NYC
>>>>>
>>>>> hello at wecreatenyc.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Araceli Camargo
>>>>> Founder
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE London l www.thecubelondon.com
>>>>> WECREATE New York City l www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>> Idea Engineering Agency l www.ideaengineeringagency.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Araceli Camargo
>>>>> Founder
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE London l www.thecubelondon.com
>>>>> WECREATE New York City l www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>> Idea Engineering Agency l www.ideaengineeringagency.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Araceli Camargo
>>>>> Founder
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE London l www.thecubelondon.com
>>>>> WECREATE New York City l www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>> Idea Engineering Agency l www.ideaengineeringagency.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> --
>>>>> Araceli Camargo
>>>>> Founder
>>>>>
>>>>> THECUBE London l www.thecubelondon.com
>>>>> WECREATE New York City l www.wecreatenyc.com
>>>>> Idea Engineering Agency l www.ideaengineeringagency.com
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Michael Mehaffy
>>> Visiting Faculty, ASU
>>> 1019 E. Lemon Street #204
>>> Tempe, AZ 85281
>>>
>>> Permanent Address:
>>> 333 S. State Street, Suite V-440
>>> Lake Oswego, OR 97034
>>> www.tectics.com
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>>
>>
>> --
>> Noel Rivas,
>> noel.rivas [en] gmail.com
>>
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-- 
Michael Mehaffy
Visiting Faculty, ASU
1019 E. Lemon Street #204
Tempe, AZ 85281

Permanent Address:
333 S. State Street, Suite V-440
Lake Oswego, OR 97034
www.tectics.com
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