David Gurteen's Knowledge Letter

GURTEEN View: Gurteen Knowledge Letter

I have been a member of David Gurteen's on-line Knowledge Community for about a year now. His website is a tremendous resource comprising web links, book details, people profiles and event summaries. It is well worth a look. I also subscribed to David's newsletter. There are a lot of sites offering regular newsletters, many of them are a bit feeble. David's newsletter is full of great information and links. As a rough guide, I usually spend anything up to an hour exploring the various links and sources of information which he cites in each issue. The link takes you to the archive of newsletters - why don't you sign up to the newsletter too? It goes to over 12,000 people in over 130 countries. David sees himself as a knowledge management specialist, but you don't have to be into KM to find his information useful.

On the subject of newsletters, I'm experimenting with the idea of a newsletter. I have put together a pilot issue for June. It would contain the blog entries for the previous month and any other internet stuff that I thought might be interesting. I'm aware that not everyone wants to check a blog regularly (although you can use useful services like Bloglines to make it easier - see subscribe button to the right). So I thought a newsletter might help. Comments welcome on this.

WikidPad - wiki notebook/outliner for windows

WikidPad - wiki notebook/outliner for windows

I've spent some time over the last few days experimenting with a new piece of Open Source software called wikidPad. It's an amazing piece of software based on wiki technology. I think it might be really useful for managing to do lists in a more flexible way than mainstream software like Microsoft Outlook. There is also a really helpful discussion group to support the software. It has recently become open source so I guess there will be a lot of development from the group over coming months.

It also looks like a really good outliner, and space for keeping notes. I've copied the book manuscript over to it, so that I can try it out. It has the ability to create hyperlinks between pages 'on the fly'. You just type in a WikiWord, which is a word with capitals in the middle, like WikkiWord itself.

Another great thing which it can do, is to export the wiki as html, so it is possible to put together a series of linked pages and then export it as webpages, all without the need to know any html.

One to explore some more.

Current listening

After a huge influx of new music, the following have bubbled to the top:

1. Jon Hassell - Maarifa Street (Miles Davis meets the 21st Century with 4th world sensbilities)
2. Coldplay - X&Y (played it twice, rationed to avoid overplay, think it is beautiful)
3. Keith Jarrett - Radiance (double CD of solo concert performances, completely improvised, a musician back in the zone)
4. Charles Lloyd / Billy Higgins - Which way is East (two musicians, a heap of instruments, inspiration flooding across another double CD)
5. Robert Fripp & Brian Eno - The Equatorial Stars (celestial music that eases the mind into a workful state)
6. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing (prog rock meets its contemporary match)
7. Van Morrison - Magic Time (makes you want to dance, sing and swing)
8. Thomas Dolby - Astronauts and Heretics (is it true the earth is flat?)
9. Brian Eno - Textures (rare album of early workings and ideas, serene and troubling by turns)
10. David Sylvian - Alchemy / An Index of Possibilities (instrumental bliss)

Has anyone heard Brian Eno's new album - the man is singing again! It is getting good reviews too.

Coming through Change

I promised recently that I would post some information about the book which I am writing. It is a book about change, particularly about the whole issue of surviving organisational change. A lot of the techniques and tools that I set out in the book are applicable to change in whatever context we encounter it.

I cover issues like:

o networking
o using a network map
o objective setting
o biography working
o self-actualisation
o archetypal casting (a concept I developed as part of my PhD thesis)
o energy mapping
o applying creativity
o journaling
o channelling synchronicity

As the manuscript develops, I may post extracts here if there is sufficient interest. It will be useful to get feedback as the ideas fuse together.

New book by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Mahamudra Tantra

Mahamudra Tantra: The supreme heart jewel nectar
An Introduction to Meditation on Tantra
This is a new book written by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, who is the Spiritual Leader of the New Tradition of Kadampa Buddhism. He is based at the Manjushri Buddhist Centre in Ulverston, Cumbria UK. I attended a weekend meditation course there a few years ago, which was amazing. The centre is located on the shores of Morecambe Bay, and has a beautiful Buddhist Temple built in its grounds. It is well worth a visit. The books I have read by Kelsang Gyatso are beautifully written, in a clear prose and take you through the principles of buddhism in a succinct way. This new book, which I haven't got hold of yet, looks at meditation on the tantra. From the website:

"This exciting book introduces a new world of meditation.
It explains how we can use our imagination as a powerful tool in our spiritual practice
Mahamudra is a Sanskrit word that means union of bliss and emptiness, the very essence of Buddhist Tantric meditation.
Mahamudra Tantra is a practical manual for gaining deep experience of meditation and discovering the peace and happiness that lies within."

Ewloe Castle - Wales

Ewloe Castle - Wales
Originally uploaded by Stuart Eglin.

I took the boys to Ewloe Castle in Wales this weekend. It's a crumbling remains within woods overlooking a river valley. I was moved to photograph this window, built in the 1200s, look at the stone work in this construction, and look at the harmony of the shape, the window on the universe beyond.

The castle was built by Llywelyn. There are enough remains to make out two circular towers, one of which it is possible to climb up and stand on the top of. There is a ditch which would have been a moat, and a low wall running around the two towers.

I last visited this castle a few years ago. I was impressed this time to find that the whole area of woodland has been turned into a nature reserve.

If you want to see more photos of the castle, and an excellent impression of what the castle would have looked like when it was intact, go to the following website

http://www.castlewales.com/ewloe.html
It's full of photos and details of history.

Mike Snider cleans his closet!

Mike Snider's Formal Blog and Sonnetarium

The link above takes you to Mike Snider's Formal Blog and Sonnetarium, a place I visit regularly to read his comments, poems etc. It seems that Mike has been doing a little late spring cleaning, and come across some poetry booklets which I sent him a while back. I still have a stack of his sonnets to read too - looking forward to doing this. I will post some comments when I have read them.

I can relate to the whole issue of spring cleaning as I look with dismay at the chaos around my desk, on my desk, under my desk and everywhere around the house. I am on the brink of a change of jobs, so need to get the paper chaos under control as soon as I can.

Bob Dylan - Chronicles Volume One

I've been reading Bob Dylan's first volume of autobiography recently. I have just a few pages to go. Dylan is an artist who I have better understood as I got older. I remember first hearing so many songs that I thought were preferable as cover versions by other people - 'All Along the Watchtower' by Jimi Hendrix for example.

I had read a couple of reviews of this book, which encouraged me to read it. It was rated as top book to read by Mojo magazine at the end of last year.

Well I agree with the comments that the style of prose is good. Dylan's style is unusual, reminds me a bit of the Beat writers. It takes a few pages to feel comfortable with it, and the narrative technique he uses is unusual too. Unlike many autobiographies by stars there is very little detail of dates, times, contexts etc. I'm not a huge fan of Dylan, so a lot of the subtle references were probably lost on me. As a result I often felt like the text jumped from one time to another without any clues to orientate the reader.

I did enjoy reading the book - it had a lot of interesting facts in it and some great anecdotes. I particularly liked the bit about Woody Guthrie, where Dylan visits him in the mental hospital for the last time, is offered some songs that Guthrie wrote if he goes to the family house. Dylan goes in search of the songs, but is unsuccessful. As an almost throwaway comment, he points out that these were the songs which would later be recorded by Billy Bragg and Wilco. What an amazing story!

But I wouldn't rate this book at the top of my list, because it was just too confusing. It felt like it needed a good editing job from someone with the nerve to say to Dylan 'this is great stuff, but it needs to be put into context so that the reader can follow where you are going'.

Ultimately the problems might be down to my lack of knowledge of the subject. I'd be really interested to hear what real Dylan fans made of the book. Feel free to post a comment and let me know.

I suppose the final test rests with the fact that I will still be keen to read the next volume when it comes out.

What is a blog when it is silent?

A blog is only as good as its frequency of posts. I have not been very active over recent weeks - so the hit rate has fallen on this site. It's a case of the rest of my life filling the spaces.

I've been reading some interesting articles on Steve Pavlina's weblog about self-discipline which are really inspiring. I'm going to try some of the techniques and see whether I can get the flow moving again here.

Watch this space...

Busy writing a book

The frequency of posts to the weblog has fallen away over the last few weeks. The explanation - I have been pouring my energies into the planning of a book. The book, working title "Coming through Change", is about organisational change. Its subtitle is "A practical guidebook for personal survival and success during times of organisational change". I have nearly finished putting together the outline and am about to move to the writing stage. I will post extracts and thought-pieces here to keep it alive, and to keep this blog from freezing to a standstill.
Comments, observations, ideas and feedback are welcome.

Maarifa Street - Translucence / Drift Music

Typing away on the computer, 'Carolyn's Fingers' by the Cocteau Twins gently warbling in the background. The UK is caught in an atypical spell of hot sunny weather.

I bought two great albums earlier this week - the new album by Jon Hassell "Maarifa Street: magic realism 2" and Harold Budd & John Foxx's "Translucence / Drift Music". First impressions - Jon Hassell's new album builds the ideas and theories of his work over the last few decades to produce an album which blends live and studio sounds, electronic and acoustic, west and east. The result is a beautiful work - one that melts over you, offers up new turns at each listen. I am very impressed. The album by Budd & Eno which was released in 2003 is a marvellous double album of ambience. Mesmerising. It is one of those albums to play when I need deep thought for some extended writing.

I have been struggling to write regularly here for a couple of weeks now, as I work away outside the world of the web, to ensure that I have meaningful employment to pay the bills. A resolution is nearly in sight.

... and then there was a blog post

There's a natural law at work here. If a few days pass without an entry to the blog, it gets harder and harder to break the pause. It's like trying to resume anything after taking a break. The longer the break the more effort is needed to break through the barrier.

I find this with physical exercise too. If I miss a couple of sessions of exercise, getting back to it gets harder and harder.

Once I break through the hiatus and get moving again - whether posting to the blog or running a few miles - it feels easier than I thought it would. And the flow begins again.

Helpful points to remember:

- the barrier is never as enormous as it feels
- it is OK to have a break and get back to it, the flow soon returns

So ... I'm back.

New listening

Over recent weeks I have been collecting a new heap of music to listen to. Here's a list of ten:

1. U2 - How to dismantle an atomic bomb
2. Talking Heads - The Best of
3. Porcupine Tree - Deadwing
4. Rufus Wainwright - Want Two
5. Gomez - Split the Difference
6. Can - Tago Mago
7. Bjork - Medulla
8. Brian Eno - Apollo
9. Led Zeppelin - Presence
10. Chrome - Half Machine Lip Moves

Comments on some of these to follow soon. And I'll be posting more book reviews too. Promises promises!

Google's AdSense

I set up AdSense a few days ago. The change that regular readers will notice, is that adverts appear at the top of the page. I'd appreciate feedback on this. I'm not sure that I have tweaked the template for the page correctly. Does this affect your ability to read the posts on the weblog? Let me know. If it needs adjusting - and you know how to do it - please let me know.

AdSense looks like a good scheme. Apparently readers who click adverts generate revenue for the blogger. An interesting idea. I'm intrigued to see how this develops.

US Court secures classical copyright

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Music | Court secures classical copyright: "A major change to US music copyright practices could be in the offing after a court ruled a record label broke the law by reissuing old recordings. New York's highest court said Naxos was wrong to release classical recordings by Yehudi Menuhin and others - even though they were out of copyright. The court said such recordings were still covered by common law. The victorious Capitol label, which owns the rights, said the decision had 'enormous importance'. "

Regular readers will know that I am really interested in the whole issue of copyright, and the importance of balancing the rights of the artist with those of the wider creative process and the public. I'm a big fan of Naxos records - they have reworked the world of the classical music labels. They have also re-worked the whole idea of a budget label, producing work of a high standard, and often producing world premieres. They also release difficult music, not just keeping to the safety of popular classics.

It is astounding that the US courts are undermining the fundamental principle that copyright has a time limit to it. This is really important if we are to see work coming into the public domain for wider dissemination, and for broader use by the creative community.

The article which I quote above, also points out that the early recordings for the pop and rock scene are approaching the 50 year threshhold for copyright - there are implications in this ruling for the work of The Beatles and others.

Let's not forget that court actions like this one were not taken to protect the work of an artist and their family. This is about large corporations protecting what they see as their property. It is important that the legal system sets a clear time-limit to this, so that the public domain can work as it should. For a great example of the public domain, and the power of the internet, take a look at the growing archive of early movies which are now out of copyright at the internet archive.