It's been a while since my last post. Preparations for the trip to the Philippines are underway, and I have just finished my battery of vaccinations to get ready for the trip. I will be traveling first to Hong Kong, then on to Manila, where Al and I will be for about a month - a week for the seminar, and three for follow-up coaching with the participants and sponsoring organization. On the trip back, I will be staying in Hong Kong for about three weeks for more coaching.
While our main focus remains Africa (there are plans for me to head back as early as August), our long-term goals have always included Asia, so it is exciting to get a chance to see what kind of impact our seminar and coaching program can have in a completely different cultural context. I expect everyone this trip will learn quite a lot.
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February 28, 2013
January 31, 2013
Ideas From The Seminar: Generalizations
January’s Insight Seminar was a lot of fun for me (and, I hope, for the participants). During the sessions, we would get into various discussions about some of the concepts and ideas we are exploring. Even relatively simple ideas like generalization can generate some interesting ideas. One such idea was the idea that governments, by necessity, are generalists. That is, at the governmental level, things tend to be handled in terms of “big numbers” as opposed to dealing with individuals. There are a number of implications of this phenomenon, and I recently found one particular article that serves as a good example of the difference between thinking generally and thinking in terms of specific individuals.
Check it out here.
To sum up, the article talks about government efforts to use “crime prediction software” to determine the level of supervision a particular prisoner should have upon probation or parole. By analyzing the prisoner’s environment, history, and other factors the crime-prediction software creates a statistical probability of that person committing a crime.
From the government’s general perspective, this is a great idea—it saves time and expenses by allowing parole officers to focus on the more likely cases of criminal relapse. It is easy to see how a government would love such a system. From the perspective of an individual, however, this can represent a terrible system, as an individual is being judged, not by the type of person he or she is, nor by the actions that person takes, but by environmental and social factors that may be outside of his or her control. Thus, the system becomes, from the perspective of an individual, an example of profiling which demeans the individual by taking the sentence the government has required and adding conditions to it on the word of a computer.
Ultimately, questions regarding the appropriateness of such software focus on finding a balance between the government’s need to manage by numbers (where all citizens are, by necessity, regarded as statistics), and the need to maintain the dignity of the individual. At the heart of this debate is a very simple concept: generalizations are generally true (but by no means universal in application). This is the major struggle we see in many debates about policy—to make governing easier for the government, or to make life more free for the governed.
Check it out here.
To sum up, the article talks about government efforts to use “crime prediction software” to determine the level of supervision a particular prisoner should have upon probation or parole. By analyzing the prisoner’s environment, history, and other factors the crime-prediction software creates a statistical probability of that person committing a crime.
From the government’s general perspective, this is a great idea—it saves time and expenses by allowing parole officers to focus on the more likely cases of criminal relapse. It is easy to see how a government would love such a system. From the perspective of an individual, however, this can represent a terrible system, as an individual is being judged, not by the type of person he or she is, nor by the actions that person takes, but by environmental and social factors that may be outside of his or her control. Thus, the system becomes, from the perspective of an individual, an example of profiling which demeans the individual by taking the sentence the government has required and adding conditions to it on the word of a computer.
Ultimately, questions regarding the appropriateness of such software focus on finding a balance between the government’s need to manage by numbers (where all citizens are, by necessity, regarded as statistics), and the need to maintain the dignity of the individual. At the heart of this debate is a very simple concept: generalizations are generally true (but by no means universal in application). This is the major struggle we see in many debates about policy—to make governing easier for the government, or to make life more free for the governed.
January 9, 2013
New Year: New Ideas
It’s a new year, IRI has a new website, and I am moving some of the content of this blog over to the new IRI blog/news feed. This means I will be changing the content of this blog a little in 2013. Up until now, IRI didn’t have a dedicated blog/news outlet that was really functional, so this site was a kind of not-technically-but-the-best-you-will-get news blog for IRI. Now that our website has its own news blog, I can take blog in a few new directions that I have wanted to explore. I will still be covering personal news – where I am going, what I am up to, etc. What I plan to add are more personal reflections on the impact of the work we do and the theories behind it. Thus, you will see a number of new and perhaps even interesting reflections on how cognition (as understood through perception, reason, and emotion) intersect with various areas of life.
Will this be interesting? Will it be educational? Will it be a good cure for insomnia? I have no idea. This is a new experiment for me, and so your feedback and thoughts about what I might talk about are welcome.
So now you have an idea of what’s coming this year. I hope you will enjoy the blog and the new IRI news feed. Stay tuned for more insights!
Will this be interesting? Will it be educational? Will it be a good cure for insomnia? I have no idea. This is a new experiment for me, and so your feedback and thoughts about what I might talk about are welcome.
So now you have an idea of what’s coming this year. I hope you will enjoy the blog and the new IRI news feed. Stay tuned for more insights!
December 25, 2012
Merry Christmas!
Not much to say here. I only wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy New Year! I hope your holidays are going well for you, and that the new year brings you excitement, opportunities, and peace.
Now go on and celebrate!
Now go on and celebrate!
December 18, 2012
State of the Year Summary
I thought it might be good to wrap up the year with some information on my plans for next year. IRI has been very busy this year, between our work in Africa and several new opportunities opening up in North America and Asia, it has been very exciting. Our perpetual car malfunctions in Africa combined with the typical non-profit lack of funds, however, have also made it very frustrating. This feast-and-famine year means I have to compromise between following up on what's opened up and long-term financial planning.Which leads me to my current plans for next year:
In March I head off to Hong Kong and the Philippines. We will be working with a Hong Kong organization for the first few weeks of the trip, then head over to the Philippines to conduct a seminar and follow-up training. Our departure and return dates are not set yet, but I expect to be overseas for about two months.
May sees me back in the U.S. At this point, if my accounting skills are even remotely reliable, I will be just short of broke and back in Spokane. This will begin what I am tentatively calling the "Jason goes back to work" season. In addition to looking for temporary employment, I will also be promoting our developmental training and consulting to area businesses and organizations. I have found that the tours I have conducted the last few years, while great for keeping in touch, don't really give me much time to follow up and promote our training to local organizations. Part of IRI's long-term financial strategy has always included using our training and consulting in a professional capacity to fund nonprofit work, so I want to start developing a reputation in the business community. I expect to be busy for several months during this phase.
Assuming all goes well in the "Jason goes back to work" season, I should be ready to get back to traveling in the fall. August marks the beginning of a new school year in the U.S. as well as the beginning of many academic conferences. My plan is to hit as many conferences as time (and work) allows in order to meet with like-minded people, develop relationships, and promote our training. This will probably consist of weekend travel, so I plan to remain based in Spokane unless I have found better work elsewhere. This period of work and conferencing will continue until late November, with my final conference being ICOM, which takes place just before Thanksgiving. From there, it is time to meet with my associates and friends in the Midwest over the holidays, review the year's successes and failures, and plan for the next year.
Thanks to everyone who has been following my adventures this year. In addition to my other activities, I intend to change the way I handle these blogs soon. I want to increase my updates and provide more information on both the work I am doing and how the theories I have been working with impact how we can understand our world. I hope you'll all join me for what should be a fun and exciting year!
The Plan
January starts with a seminar in Torrington from the seventh through the eleventh. This seminar is a pilot seminar for our board of directors and various people we've met over the years who have been interested in our seminar work. Once we've wrapped up the seminar, I will head up to Spokane, WA to visit some contacts and to find temporary work until my next major trip. Finances are tight, and temp work will help cover my recurring bills while I'm traveling in March and April.In March I head off to Hong Kong and the Philippines. We will be working with a Hong Kong organization for the first few weeks of the trip, then head over to the Philippines to conduct a seminar and follow-up training. Our departure and return dates are not set yet, but I expect to be overseas for about two months.
May sees me back in the U.S. At this point, if my accounting skills are even remotely reliable, I will be just short of broke and back in Spokane. This will begin what I am tentatively calling the "Jason goes back to work" season. In addition to looking for temporary employment, I will also be promoting our developmental training and consulting to area businesses and organizations. I have found that the tours I have conducted the last few years, while great for keeping in touch, don't really give me much time to follow up and promote our training to local organizations. Part of IRI's long-term financial strategy has always included using our training and consulting in a professional capacity to fund nonprofit work, so I want to start developing a reputation in the business community. I expect to be busy for several months during this phase.
Assuming all goes well in the "Jason goes back to work" season, I should be ready to get back to traveling in the fall. August marks the beginning of a new school year in the U.S. as well as the beginning of many academic conferences. My plan is to hit as many conferences as time (and work) allows in order to meet with like-minded people, develop relationships, and promote our training. This will probably consist of weekend travel, so I plan to remain based in Spokane unless I have found better work elsewhere. This period of work and conferencing will continue until late November, with my final conference being ICOM, which takes place just before Thanksgiving. From there, it is time to meet with my associates and friends in the Midwest over the holidays, review the year's successes and failures, and plan for the next year.
Concluding Thoughts
So that's The Plan in a nutshell. Will the plan work out as stated? I seriously doubt it, but just having a plan helps me manage new opportunities and navigate obstacles. The goal of any year-long plan is not so much to actually do everything you plan, but to give you a foundation that allows you to adapt to changes while still being as productive as possible.Thanks to everyone who has been following my adventures this year. In addition to my other activities, I intend to change the way I handle these blogs soon. I want to increase my updates and provide more information on both the work I am doing and how the theories I have been working with impact how we can understand our world. I hope you'll all join me for what should be a fun and exciting year!
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