In "Where Do Good Ideas Come From? - the natural history of innovation" Steven Johnson looks at how patterns of creativity and innovation occur. He describes leaps in ideas in terms of the environments that cultivate connections, that coalesce thoughts into movements - it's a good, entertaining, thought-provoking read. Those creative environments include the "liquid networks" and "coffee shops" where people can exchange ideas across disciplines and applications, make new connections with people and their thoughts and stories, use solutions in lateral ways, or chill out in ways that re-energise the mind and soul that then bring breakthrough moments in professional life.
I love gliding! I was hooked when I started in 1970. It has enriched my life in many ways. Some of my best personal and professional decisions and insights have come about after the recharge and reflection that gliding brings - and many gliding experiences, metaphors, challenges and insights have helped. George Moffat's "Winning on the wind" has helped me in my cross country flying, my enjoyment of going outside gliding range of home, and also, for example, in my professional negotiation and influencing activities in the context of "winning by winning AND by not losing!". There have been hundreds of crossover benefits and insights from gliding. I am a better trainer for being a gliding instructor, a better engineer, mariner, communicator, family man, life partner... That awareness gives me a buzz. I get a huge buzz from training gliding instructors too. The satisfaction that comes from building the right developmental relationship, the skills and knowledge, the right safety awareness and thresholds of intervention, the insights into the psychology or learning and training, a solid approach to instilling airmanship - well that's a buzz. Plus playing Ding Duck or Uncle Drew, the challenging student or passenger. Wave flying is a huge buzz, when you can get into it, on the right day, well prepared, with the right glider and equipment. The feeling we get when flying that lovely laminar lift, a smooth surging airmass with a slight lemonade fizz, like flying upon a fountain, that is sheer magic! To be honest, one of the best buzzes in gliding is just fanging along in a single seater, in company with another, along the face of a seabreeze front or convergence cloud, late in the day, with the afternoon sun casting brilliant circular rainbows aound your shadow on the clouds below. This is the quotation I use on my posts in the club forum: "Our souls are connected by the joyous, timeless experience of soaring flight, the contentment of communing with nature at its most majestic and powerful, and the insight that comes from seeing ourselves as a privileged visitor to a magnificent aerial world." What gives you a buzz? gliderdrew email sent from my iPad _______________________________________________ Aus-soaring mailing list Aus-soaring@lists.internode.on.net To check or change subscription details, visit: http://lists.internode.on.net/mailman/listinfo/aus-soaring
