Serendipitous Serendipity

serendipity – noun - the lucky tendency to find interesting or valuable things by chance.

I really felt this blog was leading the zeitgeist last week, when serendipity became Manchester’s ‘word of the week’.

On Tuesday, Malcolm Gladwell was at the Lowry promoting his new book “What the dog saw”.
He talked about three different types of serendipity:
• Columbian serendipity
• Archimedean serendipity
• Galilean serendipity

I know some of my friends really loved the show, but I have mixed feelings, some of which are echoed in this blog review from Edinburgh (different place, same show it seems) and in this post from my co-conspirator Michael Taylor here.

I was more inspired by the ‘Serendipity City Challenge’ discussions at FutureEverything yesterday. As part of the British Council funded ‘GloNet 2010’ project, Manchester innovators were posted around the Globe to work with thinkers and creatives in Sendai, Istanbul, Sao Paulo and Vancouver. Each group prepared a response to the observation from (brilliant) Adam Greenfield that the edge and haphazard character of the city risks being lost in the networked city of tomorrow.

Jon Grant, told us from Sendai, that “there is no creativity without serendipity” and that technology can improve the quality of an encounter, and so improve the output from creative industry.
Does social media encourage you to speak only to like minds, or people within your ‘tribe’ – or does it support broadening of horizons? Can digital networks provide a short cut to face to face, serendipitous meetings at talks and events? What is the role of place and transport in serendipity?  These were the challenges set by Drew Hemment, Festival Director, but what do you think?

A matter of Life or Growth?

On Thursday, Paul Ekins delivered an important public lecture at Manchester Business School, there were a few folk there, but I was surprised that it wasn’t more busy. Maybe there’s just so much going on?!

The lecture was titled: ‘A Nine Billion Strong Consumer Society: Navigating the waters between the consumerist rock and the hard place of sustainability.’ Actually, I’m fibbing – that’s only half of the title, the rest included Titanic and Icebergs, so I was expecting a lecture with a lot of words and a barrow full of metaphors.

I’m not bothered by the metaphors – it’s fair to use the full gamet of the english language to get this message across. That message being – we CAN NOT carry on conspicuously consuming as we are, within our environment’s finite resourses.

A slide titled ‘Safe operating space for humanity’ published in Nature last year shows that the options for our future range from ‘unpleasant to catastrophic’.

If you are interested in any of these concepts, essential and surprisingly accessible and perspective shifting reading is Tim Jackson’s Prosperity without Growth. 

There was a good piece about this in the Guardian a couple of weeks ago, titled Beyond green growth: why we need a world without economic growth

Paul Ekins is Professor of Energy & Environmental Policy at UCL Energy Institute.  Prof. Ekins was speaking as part of the Ken Green Memorial Symposium on Innovation and Sustainable Consumption.

Mandelson in Manchester

We had a surprise visitor in Manchester on Friday.

It seemed as though Lord Peter Mandelson was here to put his arm around the Regions, and give them a little hug after Spellman and  Clarke had described Regional Development Agencies as a “failed experiment” the previous week.

Mandelson put investment in infrastructure centre stage – particularly infrastructure of the high tech and low carbon variety.  Also highlighting connectivity to the Regions, both digital and high speed rail, he doesn’t see this investment as a drain on the public purse, but rather an essential platform for future growth.

He talked of how we had “missed the boat 20 years ago” when Europe was investing in wind power.  “I don’t know where we were looking” he wondered, but insisted that we can’t make that mistake again.   To stand still is to go backward.

He thinks 50p on the price of phone line rental isn’t unreasonable to get broadband to his brother (and everyone else, to be fair) in Cumbria.  Personally, I don’t have an issue with the 50p levy. But what I’d ask is whether the speed that we’ll get for our investment will be enough to help us lead in Europe, or will we still be playing catch up, and need a further whip round?

I saw Lord Mandelson at University of Manchester & UMIC Core Technology Facility – You can find out where else he went here.

Downtown -The lights are much brighter there…

 

It’s the Downtown Manchester in Business Launch, at the Cloud 23 bar of the Hilton hotel .  Sir Howard Bernstein explains that he encouraged Frank to launch DMIB to add to the constructive challenge and debate in the city, between independant businesses and the public sector.   He acknowledges that yes, sadly Frank McKenna is a Scouser, “but he’s a Scouser with a difference”.
“Manchester needs debate and constructive challenge“. That’s what drives this economic engine of growth and acheivement.  Sir Howard describes the commissioning of the MIER report as ‘brave and courageous’ – the MIER invited independant external analysis of the Manchester City Region economy.  The report says that we are on right lines, but we need to do more.  Sir Howard strongly believes that positive debate is part of the package which will make Manchester the World class, premier city that people of Manchester deserve.   That’s where networks like DMIB come in.

Some people have asked ’does Manchester need another network?’. My experience of the Downtown offer (though limited to date) is that it has its own feel, people and approach.  It’s different to the GM Chamber, and it’s different to the Innovation Manchester network of which I am part.  It’s horses for courses I think, and there’s enough conversation and days of the week to go around.  If it helps more business people to get engaged in the life of the city, its all good. It’s up to us to connect and use all the networks at our disposal to find out what businesses need and get positive messages out there.

Soccerex European Forum, Manchester Central

First session of the Soccerex conference is Sport: A Total Entertainment Industry. The secret of sport is it’s unknown quantity- it’s the ultimate reality series on TV. Brian Barwick warns that sport shouldn’t be complacent, as live celebrity shows like Dancing on Ice, are broadcast live and provide much of same interest at less cost. All agree that the future of sport is reliant on live attendance, but sports marketeers need to find new ways to get new audiences into the stadium eg: ground sharing, showcasing different different sports. or half time penalty shoot outs from school kids who will bring the whole family along.

Which sports clubs do you think give you the best live experience?  Do you get involved at the match? Online? or in front of the TV?

Let me have your views on the future of sports entertainment! 

 

The Panel for this event comprised:

• Casey Wasserman, Chairman & CEO, Wasserman Media Group

• John Skipper, Executive Vice President, ESPN

• Brian Barwick, Barwick Media & Sport

• Philip Beard, Non-Executive Director, AEG Europe

• Jeff Mallett, Principal Owner of San Francisco Giants & Former President of Yahoo

• Kevin Roberts, Editorial Director, Soccerex Business (moderator)

 

For more information visit www.soccerex.com

 

 

Happening! 12.02.10 12.30-2.00 “Lost Hulme” Historical Photograph Exhibition

Friday lunchtime sees the launch of a fascinating photographic exhibition, appropriately installed in the Zion Centre, Hulme. A new exhibition of photographs and documents curated by students at Manchester Metropolitan University tells the story of Hulme’s history.

Image from Lost Hulme, MMU

Drawing on collections from the city’s institutions, libraries, archives as well as
private collections, many of the photographs have been rarely seen in public and feature streets and shops, churches, pubs and industry,  sparking memories of a Hulme that is no more.

Undergraduate researcher Claire O’Hanrahan, 22, who was brought up in neighbouring Chorlton, said:   “Hulme is an important and much misunderstood community in Manchester. From the outside, people know all the negative things about Hulme, but for thousands of people Hulme was a great place to live and they never wanted to leave.

As historians we have the duty to show the past and the mistakes of demolition and development so that people can learn lessons for the future.”

The exhibition runs until the 21st of February.
For more information, contact:

Claire O’Hanrahan, Sinead Wynburg or Terry Wyke,  Department of History and Economic History, Manchester Metropolitan University

Walls are Talking at the Whitworth

Maria Balshaw says that this has been a great week for art in Manchester – we had the opening of 2 contemporary exhibitions at Manchester Art Gallery on Wednesday night,  Don McCullin’s show of arresting conflict photography at Imperial War North on Thursday,  and tonight – here we are, at the Whitworth Art Gallery for Walls are Talking.

The background to Maria’s introduction is Ivy by Thomas Demand. On one level, Ivy just works because it brings the outdoors of Whitworth Park in through those large structural windows, but the mass of the spreading vine also belies a darker subtext of Hansel & Gretal. ( Personally, I love it and say keep it up all year!)

This exhibition is inspired by the Whitworth’s existing collection of amazing wallpapers, and I’m looking forward to seeing exciting work when I get through to the main show.

from my iPhone

Sent from my iPhone

January in Manchester… even Mondays are interesting at Madlab!

I should have known it was a mistake to set a blog writing target, even a low one.  For reasons of illness, snow and ‘the impacts of the recession’  I’ve either been tied to the house with little to report, or too busy to type.  But by the miracle of t’inernet I got to hear of the marvellous MadLab’s  Interesting Monday last week.

MadLab, or to give it its full name Manchester Digital Laboratory launched last October in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter

Why?  To confirm Manchester’s rightful place as the home of technical and creative innovation and invention in the North West and beyond; to bring together the various communities of doers and thinkers that make this city brilliant and see what comes of it; to build interesting things that inspire others; and most important of all, because it’s fun.

Brilliant objectives from a brilliant group of people.  The Madlab founding Directors: Asa, Dave, Hwa & Rachel, are generous and ambitious folk who put it all on the line to get Madlab off the ground – but it couldn’t have happened without a supportive community around them.

That community continues to take Madlab from strength to strength both in developing and participating in the programme – but also as tenants who can chip in towards the rent.

Fly the Coop workspace- photo courtesy of FTC

On 4th January, Fly the Coop opened their doors on the 1st floor of the Madlab, to free lancers and free spirits. Flythe Coop is a co-workers cooperative that allows technical and creative folk to rent a desk in their part of Madlab for under £20/day with no ties. This is exactly the kind of  idea the makes Manchester such a great place to live, work and create. Well done guys.

Anyway, back to Monday.  It seems that Interesting Mondays is like Pecha Kucha in a Northern Quarter stylee.  There’s no stopwatch on the slides, but there is a line up of people who want to share their passion, as they describe it “TED for the rest of us”.  Last Monday there was breadmaking, the Left Book Club and the incredible Math of Knots. You can read Adrian Slatcher’s blog about the night ‘first hand’ here.

Asa Talking Knots- photo courtesy of Hwa Young

There’s load’s more events planned at Madlab – from the grown-up legal workshops & bid coaching sessions, to Geek-Girl events and the hack-days which range from Arts & Crafts to Food & Drink.

They’re a welcoming bunch – whether you’re a geek or just hack-curious, why not pop in for a nosey and a natter. Madlab is opposite Common on Edge Street.

Happening! 19.11.2009 12:00 – 13:00 Online NESTA discussion

Social Media – A force for good?

So, this is the first of my Happening posts, and I’m deviating already. This event tomorrow isn’t actually ‘happening’ in Manchester – at least it isn’t at time of writing!

This event happens in London with a small, and probably quite select, audience. I only got the email from NESTA today, but with a bit more notice maybe we could have called some friends, carved out an hour, found a place with a macbook wired up to a plasma, and gathered round with our pack-up lunches. Maybe we still will?

Tomorrow, Stephen Fry (you know who he is) ; Biz Stone, Founder and Chief Executive of Twitter; and Reid Hoffman, Founder and Chief Executive of LinkedIn will discuss the phenomenon of social media and its future impact.

Frankly, I’m getting rather bored of Stephen Fry and his love/hate thing with Twitter – sometimes I worry he will tweet himself (like pop).  That said, when I first opened my account I did follow him and @wossy for a while, until I found my own friends and interests online. So, with others I’m sure, I thank @StephenFry for my introduction to the Twitterverse.  Yes, sorry Stephen, I used you up and spat you out – or unfollowed you to be more precise.

So, in isolation, sat at ones desk with headphones on – this event might class as a ‘learning lunch’ but it’s not much of a cultural experience.  But if you guys want to gather together round a screen and discuss what’s said (with or without me!)  I think it classes as a Happening - so yes, it’s in!

IMPORTANT BIT: You can watch the discussion here on the NESTA website.

Join the conversation by posting a question for any of the speakers – all you need to do is add #svuk to your question on Twitter.

This event forms part of NESTA’s  Silicon Valley comes to the UK event programme.

CoMixed- Remixing thoughts on Science and the Future

An exciting and varied debate about the future at the Manchester CoMixed discussion.

A series of provocations on the scientific challenges of our time including Climate Change, Digital Economy, Ageing, Food Security and Nanotechnology. Thoughts are remixed into a cooperative production by the Manchester Beacon’s network of people, places and knowledge.

The discussion was chaired by Warren Bramley, Creative Director at Four23, and panelist included :

Dr. Martyn Amos (Principle Investigator on Nano-Info-Bio, Manchester Metropolitan University) on the implications of synthetic biology

Professor Remco Polman (Director of Centre for Applied Sport and Exercise Sciences, Principal Investigator Medical Research Council Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Grant) on the aging timebomb

Professor Callum Thomas (Professor of Sustainable Aviation, Centre for Air Transport and the Environment, OMEGA, Manchester Metropolitan University on tackling climate change, and the politics of air travel

Professor John Whittle (Professor of Software Engineering, Lancaster Business School) on opportunities in the Digital Economy

Kate Bailey (Senior Research Associate, Cardiff Business School) on the global threat to food security

John Whittle is currently talking about a vision of the future where we can see into peoples minds, and understand what makes them tick. A previous ‘twitter sceptic’, John now sees twitter as an early indicator of future technology that will increase mutual understanding and relationships in society. In the debate on food futures, the most controversial comment came from John who defended his right to eat a mango in December, the the shock of much of the audience.

My favourite provocation so far came from Martin Amos, and his assertion that “Bio-Hacking already happens in peoples kitchens”

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Sent from my BlackBerry Wireless Handheld Posted via email from coralgrainger’s posterous