I have no intention of waiting another ten years to find out that what I am doing now, in my own home, local school, and church community is actually a poor use of potential resources. Knowledge alone, especially standardized knowledge, means nothing to me, unless I can pass on what is useful and relevant, to the children, parents, and community members for which I prepare outreach materials. My experience with standardization is that it can become its own vortex of hypocrisy. So, I advise multiple alternatives. I am more than curious about what protocols can be coordinated between data, resources and realtime application in homes right now, in island communities like mine. We live with finite resources every day, and may have more motivation to preserve and protect natural resources than urban neighborhoods.

We, the common folk, for whom all education and systems of governance are intended to ultimately serve, are already saturated with information that defines scientific reality. We still struggle to live respectfully and “do no harm” to each other and the planet. Defining isn’t the answer…it is a natural part of the process of learning. Aligning knowledge with current human experience, as a structure of learning for behavioral change, is the course of wisdom, and needs to be a top priority. Like the largest percentage of human intelligence, I am an optional learner. This means that I require a hands-on “Learn it – Do it- Teach it” model. It is time to close the gap between those who may have some answers we can live and those who are willing to be the answer (us).

I cannot be standardized. I represent the constant variable in the research model, the one that cannot be controlled. Continue the necessary conversations with people like me. I have the desire to make smart choices. I want the support to do so. Give me and the other 120 million Americans practical information in a way that we can actually receive it and use it. We are the agents of change our constitution provides for. You’re going to have to appeal to our hearts and the simplicity of ground truth. There will need to be a basis for mutual trust that we will be given all that we need to know, and what we need, to make healthy, responsible patterns our new reality.

Technology is only one partner out of a host of potential partnerships. If it is our tool we have much to gain. Without human contribution, the experiment of life becomes sterile. Earth strives for organic life. Me, too.

Working on a team effort to bring what we know into common understanding: http://www.doebay.net/justright

I had written a blog earlier this from a limited perspective of operations in a cloud computing environment. Please take a look:

http://computingnebula.wordpress.com/2009/11/20/manageability-by-design-a-definition/

Ravi

PS: I am an IBMer as well