Dear Ralph,
thank you very much, Ralph, for this interesting hint, it's amasing.
Ingrid Ebeling
EBUS Institut für Entwicklungsberatung und Supervision
Ingrid Ebeling • Am Alten Gehäge 6 • D - 30 657 Hannover
Tel.: +49-511-336 03 30 • Fax: +49-511-336 03 47
e-mail: [email protected] • http://www.institut-ebus.de
Am 18.06.2007 um 15:15 schrieb Ralph Copleman:
Hi,
I was paging through a book the other day called “Biomimicry” by
Janine Benyus, a science journalist. From the back cover: “She
introduces the maverick researchers who are studying proteins to
make blindingly fast computers, discovering new drugs by observing
what animals eat, and more.”
Benyus identifies four “tricks of the trade” that nature employs
when making things. The third one is “self-assembly”. That
sounded to me a lot like self-organization, and since I’m always on
the lookout for analogies to open space, I took a further look...
...nature’s first trick of the trade is that nature manufactures
its materials under life-friendly conditions – in water, at room
temperature, without harsh chemicals or high pressures.” She’s
reflecting on the difference between nature and human industrial
processes, but as I read between these lines with OS in mind, this
was interesting.
...”ordered hierarchical structures” - by this she does NOT mean
organizational pyramids. She’s referring to the added strength
that comes from having multiple, connected bands of materials, as
in steel bridge cables or human muscles and tendons. These items
are extra strong and resilient because they are many similar parts
joined in function rather than one solid piece. Think: humans
sitting in a circle to address the same theme.
...self-assembly – nature “grows its materials from the ground up,
not by building but by self-assembling.” Sounds like every OS
meeting I’ve ever seen.
“...the ability to customize materials through the use of
templates” – She says most human industrial processes are “heat,
beat, and treat” in their primary methodology and produce a lot of
waste material. “...nature makes only what she wants and when she
wants. No waste on the cutting room floor.”
This fourth one intrigues me. It sounds like the community market
place to me and recalls to mind how every posted topic in an OS
gathering contributes something important to the overall collective
consciousness and ultimate sense of the meeting that is a form of
final product. No waste at all.
I’ve always believed OS is the closest thing we have to humans
behaving in harmony with nature and evolution. Now I’m more
convinced then ever.
The only thing is that bit in the first item, where it implies
nature produces everything in water. Does this mean we only open
space in lakes or pools from now on?
Ralph Copleman
* * ==========================================================
[email protected] ------------------------------ To
subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of
[email protected]: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/
archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST
FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
*
*
==========================================================
[email protected]
------------------------------
To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options,
view the archives of [email protected]:
http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html
To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs:
http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
