Yesterday I continued my annual ritual of attending the Dallas Symphony Christmas concert. This year it was called Cheer. As usual, the performance showed exceptional quality and broad variety that included the orchestra, full chorus, children's choir, narration, guest artist and guest conductor.
The concert started with a mind-blowing arrangement and performance of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel". The chorus started out in the first level balcony level surrounding the concert hall and the children's choir processed down the aisles to their positions on stage. The composition was so rich and inspiring that I'd have been satisfied if the entire concert was that one performance. I was lucky to be sitting very close to the stage on the orchestra floor so that I had a very good view of the faces of the children in the choir.
Another notable performance was Hodie by Ralph Vaughan Williams. This piece opened the second half of the concert and, again, was on the level of the concert opener for satisfaction level.
Other memorable parts of the concert included Christmas Time is Here, which featured the children's choir. Also, a John Rutter choral piece was chilling and moving at the same time. Of course the usual rendition of The Christmas Song (Chestnuts) was great.
Even though a few of the principal players in the orchestra appeared to be missing, the level of professionalism of the orchestra and everything else was not compromised. I will definitely continue to make this an annual tradition and ritual for myself and any friends/family that want to participate.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Microtrends in Technology
Apparently two Microtrends in the technology are Social Geeks and New Luddites. A Microtrend is defined as something that shows a strong growth trend and has reached a participation level of at least 1% of the population (3 million people in the US population). This 1% infiltration is seen as a minor tipping point that may predict a major trend or Tipping Point in the future.
Social Geeks are a group that buck the old-school interpretation of the Geek definition. Rather than being anti-social or socially challenged, this group is very confident and proficient in the use of technology as well as being socially adept. Skill and proactive usage of technology combined with social participation has moved up to the microtrend level.
This change is enhanced by the proliferation of social networking tools and rich internet applications that have exploded over the last 5-10 years. From social communities like Facebook and MySpace to professional networking like LinkedIn to dating sites such as Match, Chemistry and eHarmony, proficiency in the use of technology has grown into a fundamental literacy for the social realm.
On the other hand, New Luddites are a group that purposely chooses to avoid technology to escape information overload. Many New Luddites have used the internet but chose to stop because they found it uninteresting, not useful, or a bad way to spend time. This group does not include a much larger group of people who do not use the internet or other technologies due to unfamiliarity or intimidation.
Interestingly enough, studies also show that this group of New Luddites tends to be less trusting, more isolated and anti-social than the population as a whole. While we might relate to someone wanting to minimize their use and dependence on the internet or other relevant technology such as cell phones, we may have trouble understanding how someone would be willing to give up the convenience that normal usage gives us.
Getting in, getting/doing what you need and getting out seems to be a reasonable way to use technology that most of us need to master to remain literate in today's world.
Social Geeks are a group that buck the old-school interpretation of the Geek definition. Rather than being anti-social or socially challenged, this group is very confident and proficient in the use of technology as well as being socially adept. Skill and proactive usage of technology combined with social participation has moved up to the microtrend level.
This change is enhanced by the proliferation of social networking tools and rich internet applications that have exploded over the last 5-10 years. From social communities like Facebook and MySpace to professional networking like LinkedIn to dating sites such as Match, Chemistry and eHarmony, proficiency in the use of technology has grown into a fundamental literacy for the social realm.
On the other hand, New Luddites are a group that purposely chooses to avoid technology to escape information overload. Many New Luddites have used the internet but chose to stop because they found it uninteresting, not useful, or a bad way to spend time. This group does not include a much larger group of people who do not use the internet or other technologies due to unfamiliarity or intimidation.
Interestingly enough, studies also show that this group of New Luddites tends to be less trusting, more isolated and anti-social than the population as a whole. While we might relate to someone wanting to minimize their use and dependence on the internet or other relevant technology such as cell phones, we may have trouble understanding how someone would be willing to give up the convenience that normal usage gives us.
Getting in, getting/doing what you need and getting out seems to be a reasonable way to use technology that most of us need to master to remain literate in today's world.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
The Enneagram
The Enneagram is a psychological profiling system that characterizes 9 distinct primary personality types. Each primary personality type is modified to some degree by a secondary type that is one of the adjacent types to the primary.
For example, a type 2 could have either a 1-wing or a 3-wing. Depending on which of these wings is dominant, the type 2 would be known as a 2 with a 1 wing or a 2 with a 3 wing. The secondary type can be strong or weak. This creates the potential for a large number of variations even within one primary type when degree of influence of one or more wings can vary from 1 to 99 percent.
The nine primary types each have a name that characterizes the pure essence of the type. For example:
For example, a type 2 could have either a 1-wing or a 3-wing. Depending on which of these wings is dominant, the type 2 would be known as a 2 with a 1 wing or a 2 with a 3 wing. The secondary type can be strong or weak. This creates the potential for a large number of variations even within one primary type when degree of influence of one or more wings can vary from 1 to 99 percent.
The nine primary types each have a name that characterizes the pure essence of the type. For example:
- Reformer
- Helper
- Motivator
- Individualist
- Investigator
- Loyalist
- Enthusiast
- Leader
- Peacemaker
Each primary type has 9 different levels of development ranging from self-actualization (1) down to complete disintegration (9). When a person is moving toward growth and self-actualization they move in their direction of integration. When this happens the type begins to display some of the healthy characteristics of the type in the direction of integration. For example, when a type 9 is moving to growth, characteristics of a healthy type 3 may become apparent.
There is also a direction of disintegration. When a type is deteriorating and moving away from growth toward extreme neuroticism or psychosis, tendencies of an unhealthy type in the direction of disintegration may become apparent. For example, a type 9 will begin to show behavior of an unhealthy type 6 when moving toward disintegration and away from integration.
The Enneagram theory has a long, rich history of development extending back into ancient Greece and including Jewish mystics and Jesuits. The direction of integration corresponds to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs in that the act of moving toward growth and integration is analogous to moving toward self-actualization.
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