Posts tagged “cpsi”

This Week @ Portigal

Here’s what’s going on for us this week

  • We made rapid progress through our data last week to produce a final deliverable for our client. Due to some scheduling challenges, we won’t actually talk through what this means for them in terms of new opportunities until next week. So this week, the project is in a holding pattern. We lose a bit of momentum this way, but there’s nothing we can do about it.
  • Up next? For the past 6 weeks we’ve been making slow but steady progress on a new project that should take us to some interesting business and industrial environments across the US. The client team is super engaged and understandably taking a lot of time to align on the details, having never done this sort of work before. Meanwhile, we’re crawling our way through the corporate processes, finding ourselves assigned vendor numbers, and other trappings of the way that sourcing works. I hope for this week to be the one that officially moves us towards the next steps, but it’s entirely out of my hands.
  • We’ll be publishing some fieldwork War Stories this week. I’ve got one in hand as of this writing and another promised to me. As this archive continues to grow, we welcome your contribution!
  • We’re gathering applications for our open positions. Interested in working with us? Let us know!
  • Tamara is in Hot’lanta to speak at CPSI, connecting the insights from research to ideation.
  • I’m speaking in Cupertino this Wednesday for the San Francisco ACM, talking about improv, creativity, and design. This event is free, open to the public, and I’m told there is going to be food. Come on out!
  • I’m working with Kelly and Alison at gotomedia to finalize our Barcelona WebVisions workshop (use reg code PORTIGAL to save 40%). It promises to be an interesting synthesis of our complementary approaches and best practices.
  • Early this week, I’ll turn over the next revision of my book manuscript, now with all the figures detailed. It’s been a flurry of activity tracking down original files (in some cases, original paper documents) and numbering and cataloging them.
  • I’m excited about meeting some new people this week, possible colleagues and collaborators that I’ll be having lunches and introductory phone calls with.
  • Check out my pictures from Lisbon and UXLX!
  • Ten Years Gone: On All This ChittahChattah in June, 2002: umbrage over MCI (remember them?) sales scumbaggery, appreciation for an early archive of Internet humor.
  • What we’re consuming: the LEO at Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen, Chum-chum the bored bear, The Other F Word, and Big Train

Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) 2006?

I got a brochure last week for Creative Problem Solving Institute (CPSI) 2006. I’ve had the odd conversation with people about this organization and the event, but I’m posting here in case anyone who reads this blog might have some more info.

Have you been to one of their events? Given what you do and what you were interested in learning, was it valuable?

I’m intrigued by the idea, but if I hadn’t ever heard it mentioned, I’m not sure I would give the brochure more than 30 seconds. It looks too touchy-feeling for me. I don’t need to get in touch with my inner spiritual voice. I need to keep thinking and practicing and expanding my own creative skills. That’s not a dichotomy and there is more breadth to the conference that that, but I’m having trouble finding a place to anchor.

Not to mention the usability of the program is terrible. There is a week-long event, a choice of pre-conferences, a custom program, a half-week program, a choice of several tracks – it’s very overwhelming and confusing and not really giving me a good sense of whether or not this is something I should do.

Appreciate any comments steve AT portigal DOT com – or on this blog.

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