This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American
The time is upon us. As I wrote about earlier this week, it is Social Media Week in Los Angeles, and I'm participating, liveblogging (on this post! refresh for updates below the fold), and livetweeting, and streaming a session at USC called Biomimcry: Science and Social Media.
An incomplete list of additional participants (who may or may not be livetweeting and/or blogging):
On supporting science journalism
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Marc Cooper: @marc_cooper
Laura Nelson: @laura_nelson
Jessika Walsten:@JessikaWalsten
Lisa Rau: @LisaRau, Square Syndrome
Krishna Nayak:@krishusc
Raphael Rosen:@raphaelrosen22, Science Happenings
Casey Rentz:@caseyrentz, Noticing Science
Other links:
Several video clips from the event
Jump behind the fold (and refresh the page every once in a while) for liveblogging updates!
4:32pm: Thus concludes "Biomimicry."
4:30pm: Video conference over. And we didn't use anything more complicated than Skype!
4:03pm: Now we're on video conference via Skype with Alan Alda and his peeps at Stony Brook.
3:40pm: A tractor designed by nature? Combination of a bull and a warm. Takes in earth with claws, processes dirt and combines with seeds (the seeds grow internally). As the tail swings back and forth, it spreads the seeds around the land.
A coffee maker designed by nature? Modeled on birds. A large bag filled with lots of rocks, grinds up the coffee beans.
A goat is nature's perfect lawnmower.
3:30pm: The Rules of Biomimicry:
(1) Create within structure.
(2) Recycle everything.
(3) Reward cooperation.
(4) Demand local expertise.
(5) Curb excesses from within.
3:23pm: Three levels of communication: cosmetic, emotional, meta. The emotional level is what connects with audiences - useful to lead and close with meta, use cosmetic to create a platform.
3:13pm: The First Lesson of Improvisation: Agree on a game (but don't talk about it). Give people nothing to do and see what happens.
3:00pm: Bonifer: communication has changed, but behavior has remained remarkably the same. Hierarchies, status-seeking. Why are they the same when we're operating in a fundamentally different environment? We should use this as an opportunity, because journalists don't know what journalism will become - journalists enter the field by making an "agreement with the unknown." "It ain't gonna be writing science for TIME Magazine."
2:58pm: "improvisation" from Latin for "to see ahead" - in provisus - a process for producing consistently positive outcomes from unforeseen circumstances
2:48pm: How did we get here? Intersecting networks. (Jason's note: The Psychology of Chance Encounters, Albert Bandura (PDF)
2:33pm: That was a whole lotta "yes."
2:25pm: Teams 2-by-3 and The A Team are playing "Zip Zap Zop"
2:16pm: Counting down from eight. Room full of USC professors, students, writers, and friends jumping around. And counting down from eight.
2:12: Coming up with team names, and the game - how do you arrive at your team name?
Team names: 2-by-3; The A Team (they all have "A"s in their names); Humanimals (all like, have, or *are* animals)
2:09pm: Getting into teams. For.... something. I'm sure there's a very good reason for this.
2:05pm: Mike Bonifer, founder of Gamechangers introducing himself and the activity to the group.