I really like Harrison's viewpoint on things... very interesting... -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Harrison Owen Sent: August-04-09 9:15 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Re: [OSLIST] Why is a grid sometimes useful?
Actually the "grid" is a late arrival inflicted upon us by those with an orderly mind. Personally I never use one (grid) which probably says an enormous amount about my mental state. It is true that participants will occasionally offer to straighten out the mess (put everything in time slots, etc.) and I rarely object, knowing full well the lately imposed order will shortly dissipate. But the real reason I do not use a grid is that I find things work better with out it. Odd I know, but true. To be fair, I do indicate separate days -- but beyond that it all goes on the wall. A delightful mess! Sometimes people will remark that with the mess it might be hard to find what you are looking for. But if you watch people, that doesn't seem to be the case. And the very act of searching, along with the conversations with colleagues is a positive. In truth the space is open and the conversation is begun as soon as the folks go to the wall. There is another positive, I find. When everything is in a grid, participants search by time -- sort of like filling out a dance card. On the other hand when the wall is a mess, people search for meaning -- and then work out the time later. I think this is really great, and also a marvelous lesson for life. Seems like a lot of folks run their lives by the clock. I think they might find that things work better when you organize around what is meaningful for you -- grabs your passion. True new comers may be a little mystified -- but that quickly settles when they do the wonderful thing of "asking." Inevitably they will get an "answer" and a conversation has begun. In the old days we used to call this Inclusion, and even had special exercises to get it started. Truthfully, I just love a mess. When everything is all in order, the possibility of innovation, creativity, mind busting new thinking is minimal. When things start to bubble -- it does get messy and wonderful. I think. Harrison Harrison Owen 189 Beaucaire Ave Camden, ME 04843 207-763-3261 (Summer) 301-365-2093 (Winter) Website www.openspaceworld.com Personal Website www.ho-image.com OSLIST To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html -----Original Message----- From: OSLIST [mailto:osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu] On Behalf Of Erik Fabian Sent: Tuesday, August 04, 2009 12:08 AM To: osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu Subject: Why is a grid sometimes useful? Hello, I have been thinking about the bulletin board and the debate that happened a while back on this list about whether a totally free collage of session postings is somehow better than OS style events that use a grid layout that notes time/locations. I agree that the complete free flowing collage approach has an elegant appeal but I have been asking myself a different question...why do some OS style events even use a grid? I wonder how did the use of the grid evolve at these events? What is their value? I can only speculate on how these event evolved into using a grid (or if that is how they started out perhaps) but I have realize one advantage...they allow new participants to easily to join in with an event that is already in progress. When someone shows up late to a public event and encounters a messy session board it is hard, without further explanation, for them to understand what is going on, where it is happening, if it is happening, and if so when. The original OS literature I have read usually emphasizes that participants are present start to finish. There are many obvious benefits to this but the relevant one here is that everyone is present during the original board making. They have some sense of how it evolved into whatever mess that it becomes and how it changes as people go about the experience. It makes sense if the original OS literature isn't accounting late arrivals that it doesn't need something like a grid to help late arrivals get oriented quickly. Thoughts? Cheerio, Erik * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist * * ========================================================== osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu ------------------------------ To subscribe, unsubscribe, change your options, view the archives of osl...@listserv.boisestate.edu: http://listserv.boisestate.edu/archives/oslist.html To learn about OpenSpaceEmailLists and OSLIST FAQs: http://www.openspaceworld.org/oslist
