Show what you mean
“Saying what you mean” may be a great way to build a strong friendship. It is not, however, a great way to build website navigation, or a presentation visual.
It is not that words are lame. They are wonderful, precise, meaningful. But they do not provide the immediate understanding visuals carry. Reading is a complex, fairly lengthy process. It involves a sequence of steps: seeing + pattern matching + pattern interpretation. Reading is also linear in nature. is perfect this of example a sentence fact this (This sentence is a perfect example of this fact). Finally, reading requires focus, attention. One cannot read a book, and drive in busy traffic (this kind learning cost me $2600, enjoy your savings).
Seeing, however, is simpler and quasi-immediate. immediate grasp of the metric; meaning of the metric conveyed at the same time as its value; low attention requirement to observe the figure. Watching is also more parallel, and requires less attention.
These differences are the reasons why maps are visual and not long-winded tales of all the ways to go to all the places. These are also the reasons why fighter jets, military helicopters and most civil airplanes have kept analog displays in the cockpit in the Digital Age. And these are the reasons why I really liked a nice little feature in the otherwise fairly modest North Arizona University website:
Now, millions of websites have a map link. But most still link to maps through words like “map” or all-times-favorite “directions” or the ever-so-dreadful “click here”. Some will have a picture of a map linking to the full-fledge picture map or its Google, Yahoo, or Live mashup bread. But few personalize it to the point of making the link a tidbit of the real map. Anyway, this one triggered the thought, and hence deserved the credit. So there you go. Thanks to North Arizona University 
Now, there is a limit to the power of images, and it is the meaning people put on them. If you show a knife to a cook, it is full of possibilities. It is a tool. It evokes to do’s, etc. Now, if you show the same knife to students, they may think “Scream” trilogy. So as you can see, images may be powerful ways to convey simple messages, within the confines of agreed upon context, amongst known viewers. But images are also a wonderful way to convey the wrong message, very powerfully
This is a funny and interesting topic, which we will keep for next time. In the meantime, to make a point of living by what we just told, let’s summarize our point visually:
Deeper than the ocean - The world that lives in us: the ingredients of the ‘champion mindset’
I found this book when I was in Singapore with Ting and Tara. Once back in the US, I could not find it, even on Amazon. It seems that it was released only in Asia, Australia and Europe, but not in the US. Nothing astonishing here. In the US, trying to “breed a champion” from a child would get laughs or on the contrary, very animated push backs. Such is not the case in Singapore.
Looking at this simple fact reminds me the bewilderment that filled me when I saw how busy these kids were, there. From direct experience in the US, Europe and Singapore, I feel that the US are the more lenient with, with less hours, shorter classes, less pressure to perform. Even more serious of consequences, the range of attitudes includes dedication as an exception to the general disinterest and the other peer pressures that come in the way. This probably comes from the fact that education is not seen as an element of success. People succeed without it, all around their eyes. And be it a Paris Hilton, who keeps “talking stupid” and making millions (at this point, her inheritance will probably not even matter), or the drug dealer around the corner, there is a certain disillusion in our kids minds, and this might waste a generation. To some extent, this despair has propagated to Europe, with the disappearance of the middle class and the consternation that even the kings highways like engineering schools only lead you at the bottom of ladder.
Such is not what I saw in Singapore.
at least till the bachelor (after there is competitive pressure from foreign students). My personal experience of school in France would set Europe as second, as I clearly remember longer days, longer classes, more homework, more abstraction, more demands in general (but less creativity and pragmatic discovery as a flip side). Now comes Singapore, heavy weight champion of education. I felt they bred champions like chicken lay eggs when I met Ting and her brother. She was accepted at Wellesley College after completing high school in Singapore, and decided to go to Brown for her MS, and her brother finished his MBA at MIT in a year or so… But now I understand. Kids are literally driven from school to after school, to artistic activities, to sport, to… well, that was a tad too much for me.
I guess this book aligns with this trend of intensity. but adds a dimension of humanity to this frenzy, which, in all honesty, does not seem to freak out the kids, because all these activities are made fun, entertaining, and as engaging as could be.
In a nutshell, I need to read this book, and you might want to as well. It covers not only the intellectual, but also moral and emotional development of a kid, inspires through great quotes, is well illustrated. I regret not buying it after reading it at the Singapore National Library.
On my search, I found MindChamps, which refers to the book, and could be full of good ideas for Tara. I also found a link at Singapore Polytechnic Library. It gives the publisher and ISBN 10 (9812613854) and 13 (9789812613851), which should be enough to place an order on Amazon Australia or something.