Posts tagged learning
Richard Holschuh :: Building with Toothpicks
4June 29, 2010
The building of a house is a series of steps within steps, endlessly broken down into sub procedures and decisions. And these separate parts, such as the building shell, the insulation envelope, the HVAC, the surface finish, the orientation, etc. are all interrelated and in the best examples, fully integrated and cohesive. The systems, each complex in their own right, form a system of systems. This does not happen accidentally or as the result of reading a book. It's the result of awareness, choosing to care, and maintaining focus on the things that matter, all the while keeping peripheral vision scanning the corners. Noticing interactions, relationships, details.From the tree to the toothpick, it's all there, if you look for it. Keep your eyes clear, go beyond the surface, squint a little, see the shape of what lurks within the obvious. Hone this ability - let it become second nature. What lies beneath is a never-ending fascination. [ . . . ]
What do you know? or Minding our Matters
14
Before the age of google, some of my friends and I had a thing called History Club. History Club, often accompanied by cocktails, was basically four or five people sitting around who would pick a random historical event or figure and then discuss the things we knew about it or them. Someone would say Napoleon and someone might add he was the guy who began the tradition of putting ornamental buttons on dress jackets to keep his soldiers from wiping their noses on their sleeves.
