This is a collection of numerous emails in writing the Visioning Concept Paper.
What is in this Email:
-- Larry's reference to NEBRASKA INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY COMMISSION, meeting agenda for May 1st, 2006
-- What is Net Neutrality all about and how could it impact us in Norfolk, NE.
-- Feedback from Larry on the Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan (VAP) -- (4) (abbreviated see attached)
-- Larry's references and explanations on RSS and how it can help our Norfolk Visioning 2026 project
-- Mark's suggested "call to action" quotes for the Norfolk Visioning 2026 Concept Paper (NEW MATERIAL)
-- Larry's dialogue and questions regarding Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (3)
-- Jennifer's dialogue and questions regarding Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (2)
-- Mark's dialogue, two in sequence, on Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (1)
-- Attached Hillsboro Vision and Action Plan (abbreviated)
-- Attached Rick Symre's draft concept paper -- Dave Cooley, Rethinking A Process of Community-Based Transformation
-- Attached Visioning Process Outline -- Proposed for Powerpoint presentation to Senior Advisors
If this is the first time you have seen these topics then I suggest you start reading from the bottom up at the associated heading breaks. Reading both the attached Hillsboro VAP and Smyre's draft concept paper will help you understand the dialogue. Much of this a dialogue is based on our teleconference with Rick Smyre on Friday afternoon, April 28th. Rick challenged us to develop a Concept Paper that describes the what, why, and how of Norfolk Visioning 2026. We are basically taking the proposed Powerpoint outline and putting explanations in a narrative format.
We need everyone's help to complete a 15-20 page concept paper. What portion of the Visioning Process outline are you willing to help with? We would like to discuss this at the Monday 4 PM meeting (Jennifer will help remind us of the location).
Mark
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Jennifer, thanks for continuing the dialogue. Some how we need to get this dialogue uploaded onto the wiki site. See my comments on the "call to action" quotes.
I took a quick review of the agenda and my interested gravitated toward,
LB 645 Broadband Task Force - would prohibit political subdivisions from offering telecommunications services
The question I would ask is how will this proposed bill change the City's operating business plan and how this could impact us as a community? What Northeast Nebraska area senators are aware of this particular bill and the potential restrictions (or benefit) to our communications growth capability? The other question is why isn't the Northeast Nebraska Life Long Learning Center hosting a video teleconferencing link and how in the future we can become part of this network?
Here's another link that better describes this bill.
From my prespective this is another way of impacting us along the lines of Net Neutrality, restricting public entities to reap some benefits in their communications infrastructure investments. I guess it would be like saying you can build an administrative building but you can't sublease space or occupy it for other purposes than city business operations. This is not different in my mind than Omaha taxpayers paying for the Quest Center through bonds and then turning around and commercializing the operations to raise revenue and improve economic development for downtown Omaha.
Please refer to Ray Kurzweil's quote below concerning economic theory (under "call to action" quotes) to better understand my point on this issue.
Mark
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Net Neutrality
Larry, Thanks for the links on Net Neutrality issue based on Friday's teleconference with Rick.
Also Larry, some great references and explanations on RSS. Thanks for taking the initiative and contacting with the Jim McKenzie at the City concerning implementing RSS fields.
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Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan (4)
I see Hillsboro's 20-20 Vision as exactly that, perfect vision... from today's viewpoint. But to look further down the road, Norfolk expects to get more of a 30-20 Vision, don't we? ... more flexibility, and framed in a future's context. Hillsboro may have a few good ideas we can borrow, but you are exactly right, very little appears to be future flexible. Very sad, because Hillsboro is a home to Intel.
I actually stumbled across the Hillsboro Vision while researching how many cities actually use Really Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds to spread their news. I sent an email to Norfolk's Network Guru, Jim McKenzie, planting a seed, asking if informed/involved citizens could be developed/conditioned if the City of Norfolk used RSS feeds. I told him I would love to add a Norfolk City feed to my two RSS Readers - so I would instantly be alerted as city documents were posted or updated.
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RSS
The nice thing about RSS, is that you read the headlines, and then choose to click on the hyperlink only if you are interested... whereas an email sits in your Inbox 'til you process it! RSS feeds go away after a few days. If particular headlines are descriptive enough, you may only need to click on 10 to 25% of them, instead of opening them all (as in the case of emails).
Currently, about 5% of the computer-literate internet population currently uses RSS in an effective way. RSS is an incredibly effective tool for processing information very quickly. You can visually scan all new developments in every are of interest to you in a matter of seconds! - then choose to get more info on the topics you deem to be higher in priority. RSS is still evolving, and I fully expect most email information to be replaced with RSS-fed headlines, or its successor - for SPEED. RSS will make your life simpler. If you can't make the days longer, you can at least process more in a shorter timeframe!
Print these instructions to make RSS work for you:
To get started with RSS, the simplest might be to go to www.yahoo.com and click on "My Yahoo" at the top. Set up an account, and then configure My Yahoo to be your homepage. Choose the initial RSS content you want, and then open another window of Internet Explorer and check out a site such as www.feedster.com to locate sites that transmit RSS feeds. Yahoo also has a more extensive list of sites, beyond the My Yahoo homepage. Once on a website with RSS content, click on the RSS or XML orange boxes (that's how you know it has RSS content!) to get to the RSS feed page. Highlight the URL of the feed page (which looks like programming language) in the address area, and then right click and copy the URL; then go back to the My Yahoo homepage... click on one of the "Add content" links, it will open up another page, and then select the option to the right of the search box so you can then paste the URL onto the page that opens up; approve the selection, and voila! you have an RSS feed on your "My Yahoo" page! Organize them the way you want. Make sure to click on the box near the top of the main page that says "Hide read items" so you it leaves room for the newest/latest info. Feel free to call me if I can help.
There are many RSS readers out there. "My Yahoo" is only one of them.
I would recommend that we put any new ideas on the wiki.
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Call to Action
Yes we need to contact both Hillsboro, OR and Yuma, AZ on their processes. I haven't thought of what questions to ask them though.
Jennifer, some of your points need to be included in the Concept Paper where we are identifying resouces and tasks for the associated processes (in some cases for the overall process). How about a potluck with a theme when we have a community townhall meeting or focus group?
I recommend we add some quotes to the Concept Paper to generate a "call to action". This is similar to what Rick's latest project draft paper highlighted. I have a couple of examples to offer. What do others have to offer? And how do they relate to our mega trends and possible impacts to Norfolk, NE?
"...change has accelerated...volatile events are of a greater magnitude and occur more frequently is creating the imperative to adapt." Chistopher Meyer and Stan Davis, It's Alive
- In 1991, the number of new household, health, beauty, food, and beverage products totaled 15,400. In 2001, the number had more than double to a record 32,025.
- From 1950 to 2000, variability in S&P 500 stock prices increased more than tenfold. Through the decades of the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s, days on which the market fluctuated by three percent or more were rare--it happened less than twice a year. For the past two years in happened almost twice a month (Q1 2000 - Q3 2002).
- In just ten years, employment in the biotech sector has more than doubled, rising to 191,000 in 2001.
"The law of accelerating returns is fundamentally an economic theory. Contemporary economic theory and policy are based on outdated models that emphasize energy costs, commodity prices, and capital investment in plant and equipment as key driving factors, while largely overlooking computational capacity, memory, bandwidth, the size of technology, intellectual property, knowledge, and other increasingly vital (and increaslingly increasing) constituents that are driving economy." Ray Kurzweil, The Singularity Is Near (bolding is my anotation, MDH)
- "Biologist and engineers recently discovered the properties that enable the gecko's unsurpassed sticking power. This breakthrough opens the door to synthesizing "dry adhesive microstructures that can function underwater or even in a vacuum." (How will microbiology and nanotechnology impact our daily lives and our professional careers?)
- Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM, began his campaign to accelerate IBM's growth by bringing the diversity of employee opinion into play, opening communications by e-mail to every individual. (How can we as a community use communications technology and parallel processes to bring about change?)
- A detailed understanding of the full biochemical network within the cell promises to eliminate the guesswork. With knowledge of the precise wiring diagram of the cell and diagnostic tools capable capturing the strength of the various cellular interactions, doctors in the future could test the response of your cells to drug before you even take it.
"The molecular economy, a greater understanding of the molecules that control chemical and biological functions and the super-miniaturization of manufacturing, is converging to give us the ability to see, simulate, and manipulate matter at the molecular level." Chistopher Meyer and Stan Davis, It's Alive
Richard Rashid, Director of Research for Microsoft, "Because it takes fifteen years to create a scientist or advanced engineer, starting from when that young man or woman first gets hooked on science and math in elementary school, we should be embarking on an all-hands-on-deck, no-holds-barred, no-budget-too-large crash program for science and engineering education immediately. The fact that we are not doing so is our quiet crisis. ... They have to be educated through a long process, because ladies and gentlemen, this really is rocket science." Thomas L. Friedman, The World Is Flat
Judy Estrin, former Chief Technology officer for Cisco, stated, "More of the problem lack of of science and engineering studentscan be solved by good parenting than can be solved from a regulatory or funding move. Everyone wants to fund more of this and that, but where it starts is with the parents. Ambition comes from parents. People have to get it. It will probably take a crisis to get us refocussed." Thomas L. Friedman, The World Is Flat
- "The Program for International Student Assessment showed that American fifteen-year-olds are below the international average when it comes to applying math skills to real-life tasks." Thomas L. Friedman, The World Is Flat
Mark Hall
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Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (3)
From Larry in earlier email: The abbreviated piece (Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan) gives us a clearer perspective to work with. I hear you saying we could flavor Hillsboro's Plan with Rick's work and futurist context emphasizing good tools (such as T-bar charts, etc) that will help to educate, inform, and gain interest/input from our citizens. And we should look into connecting more at-large and civic leaders from various groups.
What things are important for us to do to maintain a future perspective when we draw many others "into the fold?"
-----Original Message-----
From: Jennifer Adams
Sent: Saturday, April 29, 2006 3:23 PM
To: 'Larry Wenzl'; Jennifer Adams
Subject: RE: Vision
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Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (2)
Hey Larry! Some great finds - I really like the website on the www.communitypeople.net. I think both of these could be used in our concept paper. How did you find these resources? And how late do you sleep in? How do you see them fitting in with our processes? Do you think we should contact the Hillsboro group? If so what would be some access points? What are some questions we could ask?
I was unfamiliar with (R)eal (S)imple (S)???, but Mark filled me in - a way to update whoever registers on the site of new articles, developments, decisions etc. automatically? I likened it to what they do with the news services - you put in key words and when articles or whatever comes up an alert is sent to your e-mail with a link? Something like that? It would be great to have that feature with our website and would be a great add on with the community people stuff. J
Mark and I spoke a bit this afternoon about the community people software and we will both be doing some more digging into that - we both felt it would be a great tool for our process. We also discussed the Hillsboro visioning plan and saw that they were "starting with the end it mind" - how they defined it - In 2020 Hillsboro blah blah blah. Where it differs for us is that we do not know what the end will be and that we want to build capacities and a culture to allow emergence of our future. They also did not seem to include any future trends or globalization of any kind - just in the introduction that I read at any rate. They looked at community trends and activities, but not national or world-wide trends. I wonder how they will adapt to an energy crisis or pandemic situation? I wonder if that was part of their dialogue or if they had dialogue?
An aspect that they did use was fun - they had a Town Hall meeting on April 19 with displays, entertainment etc. perhaps we could use some of that with our symposium idea - we don't want to take away from the message, but we also want people to come. . .Perhaps we can balance that to tie it in with LaVitsef - and a celebration type atmosphere?
These were just some off the top thoughts that I had - would like to know what your thinking was and Mark if you have something to add from our conversation, please do so - Oh yeah we also discussed what we were going to call our groups -since we don't like steering committee or advisory board. . .
Warmest Wishes,
Jennifer
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Hillsboro 2020 Vision and Action Plan -- (1)
Read my earlier email (below) before reading this latest input.
I like the concept that Rick presented in his draft paper and integrate the
framework (two parallel processes) into the format laid out by Hillsborough.
Hillsborough doesn't have the parallel transformational process for what
we need to do. Hillsborough process needs the LNAA piece, possibly a
separate committee that is at the same level as the Vision Committee
and/or at the same level as the many different Action Groups. The
transformational piece of the process is what Rick's process uses to seeds
the mega trends, provides the access points for futures thinking, generative
dialogue, 2nd enlightenment groups, and transformational learning.
How can we help ourselves elevate the LNAA to a more visible and influential body
within the community and provide an incentive to join the Leadership Norfolk class
and recruit membership for LNAA?
One of the issues with our current advisory board is whether they would accept
a proposal similar to the Hillsborough implementation where the Norfolk City Council would be the "chartering" entity for the framework and process. How else can we create some legitimacy yet still by "unbiased" yet have a sustaining process?
Please take a look and who makes up their Vision Implementation Committee (Five Action
Groups) for Hillsborough. Should we recommend similar representation?
I've attached an abbreviated version of their vision and action plan (removed the 49 tasks). I put it into a column format so it reads more like a newspaper (easier on my eyes :-) and generates less paper when printed).
Excellent example of a web site for our Norfolk Visioning 2006.
Hillsborough started this process in 1997. City Council "chartered" the effort in 1998, their first vision and action plan was published in 2000 and now they have updated it 2005.
I read their 2020 Vision and Action Plan. I like some of the structure to the plan. We should be able to use some of their format.
They have an enormous number of actions that they are working on which indicates
they have a lot of people wanting to engage, e.g., Vision Committee, Vision Advisory Board,
Action committees. See all the workgroups and committee members at the end of
Although we have developed a vision and purpose, and draft mission
statement we may want the Norfolk citizens to add their inputs as well as part of the overall process??!!
Their process seems very linear. Here's a possible exercise for the LNAA or Leadership Norfolk class to convert Hillsborough mission and purpose statements to reflect transformational learning concepts. This is just what Rick was helping us with on our mission and trend statements Friday night.
With Rick's draft paper just recently released, our vision, purpose and mission statements, our different processes and timeline, mega trends, and this Hillsborough vision and action plan I can see the light at the end of tunnel.
As far as I know the City is not using RSS. When we get our web site up and running this should be an important capability. Citizens can "register" for the RSS and then they'll get automatic update notices when ever the web site is updated.
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