Skills acquisition

• “Zap your brain into the zone: Fast track to pure focus” by Sally Adee (New Scinetist; 2012.02.06) – http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328501.600-zap-your-brain-into-the-zone-fast-track-to-pure-focus.html

Books

• book: “Bounce: Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success” by Matthew Syed – http://www.amazon.com/Bounce-Federer-Picasso-Beckham-Science/dp/0061723754/

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Related: On importance of practice – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/on-importance-of-practice/

Issue mapping, Dialog mapping

• Dialogue mapping – http://blueoxen.net/wiki/Dialogue_Mapping
• “Rearchitecting a Software Platform – A Beginner’s Case Study with Dialog Mapping” by Eugene Eric Kim (2002.07.11) – http://www.eekim.com/papers/2002/acmht/index.html
• CogNexus Institute – http://www.cognexus.org/
  “… Dialogue Mapping™ is a proven method for building shared understanding and shared commitment. If you deal with wicked problems, that’s a capability you are going to need….”
  
• Recent Dialog Mapping Lessons – http://eekim.com/blog/2006/04/recent-dialog-mapping-lessons/
• Eight to Late blog has several detailed postings on IBIS and issue&dialogue mapping:
  • Visualising arguments using issue maps – an example and some general comments – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/06/25/visualising-arguments-using-issue-maps-an-example-and-some-general-comments/
  • The what and whence of issue-based information systems – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/the-what-and-whence-of-issue-based-information-systems/
  • Issues, Ideas and Arguments: A communication-centric approach to tackling project complexity – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/04/07/issues-ideas-and-arguments-a-communication-centric-approach-to-tackling-project-complexity/
  • Beyond words: visualising arguments using issue maps – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/05/01/beyond-words-visualising-arguments-using-issue-maps/
  • Capturing project knowledge using issue maps – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2009/04/15/capturing-project-knowledge-using-issue-maps/
  • What should I do now? A bedtime story about dialogue mapping – http://eight2late.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/what-should-i-do-now-a-bedtime-story-about-dialogue-mapping/
• “New Tools For Resolving Wicked Problems (Mess Mapping and Resolution Mapping Processes)” by Rober E. Horn and Rober P. Weber – http://www.strategykinetics.com/files/New_Tools_For_Resolving_Wicked_Problems.pdf
• related blogrolls at WordPress.com: Dialogue mapping – http://en.wordpress.com/tag/dialogue-mapping/ | Issue mapping – http://en.wordpress.com/tag/issue-mapping/ | Wicked problems – http://en.wordpress.com/tag/wicked-problem/.

Tools

• Compendium – http://compendium.open.ac.uk/institute/about.htm [FREE, requires registration]
  • “Why I Love Compendium And You Should Too” – http://eekim.com/blog/2005/11/why-i-love-compendium-and-you-should-too/: … a conversation mapping (or Dialogue Mapping) tool that, simply put, makes meetings better…. (HUH?)
• perlIBIS – http://eekim.com/software/perlIBIS/ – a suite of Perl modules for processing IBIS dialog maps.
  “… Issue-Based Information System (IBIS) is a methodology for discussing and exploring “wicked problems,” problems that are not well understood and that have no straightforward answers. Invented by Horst Rittel and colleagues in the 1970s, IBIS provides a simple grammar for mapping conversations. The grammar consists of questions (issues), possible solutions (ideas), and arguments (pros and cons) for and against an idea.
  
  In the 1980s, Jeff Conklin and others developed software for graphically mapping and representing IBIS conversations. This software eventually evolved into a Windows program called QuestMap….”
  

Definitions and other blurbs

• Collective Memory = Also known as group memory. (Source: [1])
• Deep Structure – http://www.cognexus.org/deep_structure.htm
• Dialog mapping
• Knowledge is information that has been internalized. (Source: [2])
• Information is a knowledge artifact (Source: [2])
• IBIS = Issue Based Information System(s)
• Issue mapping: … the process of crafting an issue map, a way of making critical thinking visible. An issue map is a graphical network that integrates many problems, solutions, and points of view and shows the deep structure of an issue… (Source: [4])
  • Video introduction – http://cognexus.org/videos/ConversationVsIssueStructure_V4/ConversationVsIssueStructure%20V4.html
• Issue Mapping and Dialogue Mapping: … Issue Mapping is Dialogue Mapping minus group facilitation. (Source: [4])
• Knowledge vs. Information: People often confuse “knowledge” with “information,” but there is an importance distinction between the two. Knowledge is information that has been internalized. If you have a physics textbook on your shelf, then you have information (or a knowledge artifact). If you are capable of doing the problems in the textbook, then you have knowledge. (Source: [2])
• Dynamic Knowledge Repository [DKR] = (Source: [2])
• Shared Understanding = An important pattern where the group has achieved a unity … of goal/mission/vision such that the question “what are we trying to do” doesn’t really come up. (Source: [3])
• Wicked problem – … describe a problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Moreover, because of complex interdependencies, the effort to solve one aspect of a wicked problem may reveal or create other problems…. (Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wicked_problem)

Sources

• [1] http://blueoxen.net/wiki/Collective_Memory
• [2] http://blueoxen.net/wiki/Dynamic_Knowledge_Repository
• [3] http://blueoxen.net/wiki/Shared_Understanding
• [4] Issue Mapping (CogNexus) – http://www.cognexus.org/issue_mapping.htm

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Related here: Knowledge management – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/05/15/knowledge-management/

Skills

Success and Productivity

• Wikihow – http://www.wikihow.com/Main-Page
• SuccessSoul blog – http://www.successsoul.com
• The blog of Tim Ferris (author of “4-Hour Workweek”) – fourhourworkweek.com/blog
• LearnThis blog – learnthis.ca
• Practice This blog – practicethis.com
• WebWorkerDaily blog – webworkerdaily.com – knowledge worker tools
• GRS (Get Rich Slowly) blog – getrichslowly.org/blog
• LifeHacks – lifehacker.com | lifehack.org | http://wiki.43folders.com/index.php/Unsorted_life_hacks | lifehacks.org | lifehacks.alltop.com
• 43Folders – 43folders.com | blog – 43folders.com/blog
• DumbLittleMan – dumblittleman.com
• ZenHabits – zenhabits.net
• Stev Pavlina – stevepavlina.com
• 7P Productions blog – 7pproductions.com/blog/
• Put Things Off – putthingsoff.com
• Tips About Anything – tipsaboutanything.com/page/2/
• HowTo’s: MakeUseOf: makeuseof.com/

Articles:

• Book “Bounce (Mozart, Federer, Picasso, Beckham, and the Science of Success)” by Matthew Syed; (HarperCollins Publishers 2010.04.20; ISBN13: 9780061723759; ISBN: 0061723754)
  • http://www.harpercollins.com/books/Bounce-Matthew-Syed/?isbn=9780061723759 | Borders – http://www.borders.com/online/store/TitleDetail?sku=0061723754 | Amazon – http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061723754?creativeASIN=0061723754 | barnes & Noble – http://search.barnesandnoble.com/books/product.aspx?isbn=9780061723759
  • Book review at Times – http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/non-fiction/article7118260.ece
  • “Sweating Your Way to Success” by Peter Orszag (NY Times’ Opinionator blog; 2010.09.08) – http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/08/sweating-your-way-to-success/

Writing

• Write to Done – http://writetodone.com/

Clutter control

• “Uncluttering Your Office” by George Williams (2010.10.25) – http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/uncluttering-your-office/28059
• at other Worpress.com blogs: Clutter – http://en.wordpress.com/tag/clutter/ | Uncluttering – http://en.wordpress.com/tag/uncluttering/

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Related here: Knowledge Management – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/?s=knowledge+management | GTD (Getting things Done) – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/08/05/gtd/ | Schmoozing – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/09/29/schmoozing/

GTD

General information

• David Alen’s web site – http://www.davidco.com/
• GTD description at Wikipedia – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Getting_Things_Done
• Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity (at WikiSummaries) – wikisummaries.org/Getting_Things_Done:_The_Art_of_Stress-Free_Productivity
• Time Management, GTD and Life Hacking – http://www.isaacbowman.com/time-management-gtd-and-life-hacking
• GTD collections on WordPress blogs: http://en.wordpress.com/tag/getting-things-done/, http://en.wordpress.com/tag/gtd/
• “Why An Empty Inbox is Fresh Air” by Sunny Lam (August 3, 2010.08.03) – http://sunnylam.ca/2010/08/03/why-an-empty-inbox-is-fresh-air/
• “Why I gave up on Remember The Milk” (technology-zero blog) – http://technologyzero.wordpress.com/2010/08/03/why-i-gave-up-on-remember-the-milk/
• “Did you try making a list first?” (2010.08.04) – http://veraciousarts.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/did-you-try-making-a-list-first/
• Having a to-do list (even if you hate it) – http://gregmeyer.wordpress.com/2010/08/04/having-a-to-do-list-even-if-you-hate-it/
• Neat is not a Four Letter Word – http://jonhildebrand.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/neat-is-not-a-four-letter-word/
• GTD section at LifeHacker – http://lifehacker.com/tag/gtd/
• What Is Wrong with GTD? – whakate.com/lead-articles/what-is-wrong-with-gtd/
• Implementing Getting Things Done with your Blackberry – blackberryinsight.com/2006/05/13/implementing-getting-things-done-with-your-blackberry/
  
• GTD Dictionary: organizeit.co.uk/category/gtd-dictionary
• A Primer on Getting Things Done – 7pproductions.com/blog/2008/02/18/a-primer-on-getting-things-done
• How David Allen mastered getting things done – money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2007/07/01/100117066

GTD Blogs

• gtdtimes.com
• davidco.com/blogs
• DidIGetThingsDone.com
• Gearfire – the-getting-things-done.blogspot.com
• How to be an Original – blog.lodewijkvdb.com/category/productivity-gtd/
• The Ultimate GTD Blogs Index: gtd.marvelz.com/blog/gtd-index

GTD tools

• TiddlyWikies: MonkeyGTD | GTDTiddlyWiki Plus | d-cubed
• GTD-Free – gtd-free.sourceforge.net – personal TODO/action manager inspired by GTD

GTD for BlackBerry

• GTD with your Blackberry – “World’s Easiest & Free Blackberry GTD Solution” – http://www.isaacbowman.com/gtd-blackberry-productivity
• GTD & BlackBerry – http://www.gtdtimes.com/2009/05/29/gtd-blackberry/
• http://blackberrygtd.com/
• Viira GTD application – http://www.kartamobile.com/ – not free

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Related at this blog: Skills – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/skils/.

Knowledge management

Knowledge bases: Wikies, etc.

• WikiPatterns – http://www.wikipatterns.com/display/wikipatterns/Wikipatterns

Tools:

• wxWikiServer = WikiServer – http://sourceforge.net/projects/wikiserver/ – win32-based; unzip it and run it – it is that easy. Great portable application. Limited in features, but ease of installation makes it my current favorite.:
  • Point you browser to the URL http://localhost:80/ and start working.
  • to customize/change the port number, edit the wikiserver.ini file
  • to change the pages layout edit the PageTemplate.html file in the Pages subdirectory.
  • to change the default icon, place the desired image in the images/ directory, and change the PageTemplate.html file to include following:

    <img style="border:0;" src="images/FILENAME.png" alt="WIKINAME">...

• TiddlyWiki – http://www.tiddlywiki.com/ – all-in-one-HTML file Javascript-based wiki engine. Wonder in itself. Great portable application.:
  • many variations:
    • GTDtiddlywiki – http://shared.snapgrid.com/gtd_tiddlywiki.html
    • LaTeX (-enabled) Tiddly Wiki – http://bob.mcelrath.org/tiddlyjsmath-2.0.3.html
  • More info: http://tiddlywiki.org/wiki/Main_Page | at WikiPedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TiddlyWiki | TiddlyWiki Guides – http://tiddlywikiguides.org/
• Kwiki – http://cpan.uwinnipeg.ca/dist/Kwiki
  • free Perl based. Requires Apache and Perl. Paint to set up (although nithing compared to various PHP-based or Java-based monsters like MediaWiki or Confluence). I do not use it anymore.
• WikiTaxi – http://www.yunqa.de/delphi/doku.php/products/wikitaxi/index; [win32; Delphi] – an offline wiki engine to be used as the mirror of WikiPedia.
  • WikiPedia dumps – http://dumps.wikimedia.org/simplewiki/latest/
  • WikiPedia backups – ,a href=”http://dumps.wikimedia.org/backup-index.html”>http://dumps.wikimedia.org/backup-index.html
• NoteStudio, by DogMelon Studio – http://www.dogmelon.com.au/ns/index.shtm – a personal wiki. Has templates for GtD. Encryption, network sharing, XML for input/export, and free upgrades. $50US.

Mind maps, Concept maps, Concept networks

General:

• at WikiPedai:
  • Mind Maps – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_maps
  • “List of concept mapping and mind mapping software” (WikiPedia) – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_concept_mapping_and_mind_mapping_software | http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_mind_mapping_software
  • Ishikawa diagram – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishikawa_diagrams
  • Tree diagram – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tree_diagram
  • Organizational chart – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organization_chart
• a website dedicated to mindmapping and information organisation – http://www.mind-mapping.org/
• MichaelOnMindMapping – http://www.michaelonmindmapping.com/
• The Mindmap Blog – http://mindmapblog.com/
• The BiggerPlate mind map library – http://www.biggerplate.com/mindmap-library
• The MidMapSoftwareBlog – http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/
• Mindmapping everywhere (blog) – http://mindmappingeverywhere.blogspot.com/

Mind-mapping tools:

• FreeMind – http://freemind.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Main_Page – free, Java-based concept-mapping desktop tool [FREE, OSS]
  • at WikiPedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FreeMind
• Freeplane – an fork of Freemind – http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/ [FREE] | SurceForge – http://sourceforge.net/projects/freeplane/ | Relation to Freemind – http://freeplane.sourceforge.net/wiki/index.php/Relationship_to_FreeMind
  • “Freeplane pushing for visibility” – http://www.mind-mapping.org/blog/2009/06/freeplane-pushing-for-visibility/
  • “New open-source mind mapping program Freeplane off to a promising start” by Chuck Frey (The MindMappingSoftwareBlog; 2009.09.04) – http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/freeplane/
  • “New Mind Mapping App Freeplane Promises Great Features, Rapid Release Cycle” by Lisa Hoover (OSTATIC; 2009.09.04) – http://ostatic.com/blog/new-mind-mapping-app-freeplane-promises-great-features-rapid-release-cycle
  • at WikiPedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freeplane
• XMind – http://www.xmind.net/ – another free mind maps tool [FREE]
  • Project pages at SourceForge – http://sourceforge.net/projects/xmind3/
  • Project pages at Google source – http://code.google.com/p/xmind3/
  • WikiPedia page – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XMIND
  • XMind User Forum – http://groups.google.com/group/xmind
  • XMind blog – http://blog.xmind.net/en/
• iMindMap – http://www.thinkbuzan.com/us/ [COMMERCIAL]
  • iMindMap Basic – a free basic version –
  • iMindMap Online –
  • “iMindMap Version 4 – Why I Insulted The Buzan Online CEO?” (MichaelOnMindMapping.com) – http://www.michaelonmindmapping.com/blog/mind-maps/imindmap-version-4-is-it-any-good-and-should-you-bother/
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buzan%27s_iMindMap
  • “iMindmap 5 Takes It to the Next Level” (The Mindmap Blog; 2011.02.04) – http://mindmapblog.com/?tag=imindmap-5
  • “iMindMap 5, new online collaboration tool announced by ThinkBuzan” by Chuck Frey (2011.01.14) – http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/imindmap-5/
  • iMindMap 5 (Mindmapping everywhere) – http://mindmappingeverywhere.blogspot.com/2011/03/imindmap-5.html
  • “iMindMap 5 launches with a goal of taking care of business” by Chuck Frey (The MindMappingSoftwareBlog.com; 2011.04.15) – http://mindmappingsoftwareblog.com/imindmap-5-launched/
• WiseMapping – http://www.wisemapping.com/ – online service holding your mind maps [FREE]
• VUE (Visual Understanding Environment) – http://vue.tufts.edu/index.cfm
• Gallery of VUE maps – http://vue.tufts.edu/gallery/index.cfm
• Mind Mapping With VUE – http://poelcat.wordpress.com/2010/06/16/mind-mapping-with-vue/
• VUE: mind mapping software that combines data visualization, semantic analysis, and a full-fledged Powerpoint-style presentation engine in one – http://www.freewaregenius.com/2010/01/11/vue-mind-mapping-software-that-combines-data-visualization-semantic-analysis-and-a-full-fledged-powerpoint-style-presentation-engine-in-one/
• SciPlore – http://www.sciplore.org/software/sciplore_mindmapping/ – a fork of FreeMind;
  • “How to write a thesis (Bachelor, Master, or PhD) and which software tools to use” – http://sciplore.org/blog/2010/03/02/how-to-write-a-phd-thesis/
  • at WikiPedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SciPlore_MindMapping
• MindManager – http://www.mindjet.com/us/; [COMMERCIAL] – (expensive) concept-mapping desktop tool
• MindMeister – http://www.mindmeister.com/ – online concept-mapper. Has a basic/free offer.
• MindOmo – http://www.mindomo.com/ – online concept-mapper. Has a basic/free offer.
• Bubbl.Us – http://bubbl.us/ – online concept-mapper. Free.

The only concept networking tool that I know about is:

• Brain – http://www.thebrain.com/ – commercial concept-networking desktop tool. Has “personal” (free), “core”, “pro” and “enterprise” editions. | blog: http://blog.thebrain.com/ | http://sociate.thebrain.com/brainekp/
  • at WikiPedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PersonalBrain

Brainstorming

• BrainStorm – http://www.brainstormsw.com/ – commercial (£20)

Misc:

• Article “Do’s and don’ts for managing IT projects with wikis” by Ephraim Schwartz (InfoWorld; 2008.09.03) – http://www.infoworld.com/article/08/09/03/36NF-wiki-enterprise-tips_1.html

Process management

• GTD (Getting Things Done) – http://www.davidco.com/ – a very popular (probably more popular that it deserves) time management system:
  • Wikipedia article – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GTD
  • GTD Times blog – http://www.gtdtimes.com/

Tools

• ThinkingRock – http://www.thinkingrock.com.au/ – free Java-based desktop tool implementing GTD
• AutoHotkey – http://www.autohotkey.com/ – an open-source utility can automate almost anything by sending keystrokes and mouse clicks. You can write macros by hand or use the macro recorder.:
  • Forums – http://www.autohotkey.com/forum/.
  • “Hack Attack: Knock down repetitive email with AutoHotKey” – http://lifehacker.com/software/keyboard-shortcuts/hack-attack-knock-down-repetitive-email-with-autohotkey-159785.php
  • “10 Ways to Use AutoHotKey to Rock Your Keyboard” – http://www.lifehack.org/articles/technology/10-ways-to-use-autohotkey-to-rock-your-keyboard.html
  • “Automating Windows with AutoHotkey” – http://www.nothickmanuals.info/doku.php/articles:autohotkey/ [GONE] –> http://web.archive.org/web/20080617142012/http://nothickmanuals.info/doku.php/articles:autohotkey
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autohotkey/
  • an online repository for AutoHotkey scripts – http://www.autohotkey.net/
• ClickWhen –
  • “Automate timed mouse clicks with ClickWhen” (LifeHacker)- http://lifehacker.com/software/exclusive-lifehacker-download/automate-timed-mouse-clicks-with-clickwhen-260445.php
• Rocker –
  • “Navigate backward and forward with Rocker” (LifeHacker)- http://lifehacker.com/software/exclusive-lifehacker-download-for-windows/navigate-backward-and-forward-with-rocker-257609.php – …Rocker is a mouse navigation tool that lets you perform common tasks, like moving forward and backward in your browser, by simply rocking your fingers across your left and right mouse buttons.…
• Texter –
  • “Lifehacker Code: Texter (Windows)” (LifeHacker) – http://lifehacker.com/238306/lifehacker-code-texter-windows – a text substitution tool [WIN32 only]
• ActiveWords – http://activewords.com/
  • “Save time with text substitution” (LifeHacker) – http://lifehacker.com/software/feature/save-time-with-text-substitution-162484.php
• KeyBreeze – http://www.keybreeze.com/ – personal use is free, commercial use requires purchasing
• TaksJuggler – http://taskjuggler.org/ – an open-source project management tool. Free. For *nix platforms only.
• Gantt project – http://www.ganttproject.biz/ – a cross-platform desktop tool for project scheduling and management. Allows work with Gantt charts, PERT charts, etc. [FREE, OSS]

Blogs

After years of trying various blog-like tools, in my opinion, the blogs are not a good tool for knowledge management. A blog-like interface may be useful as an additional “view” of the knowledge bases (e.g. wikies), for example to keep users informed on the changes to the knowledge base.

Tagging, Labeling, Categorizing, etc.

Nothing to see here ….

PIMs (Personal Information Managers)

• Zoot – http://www.zootsoftware.com/

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Related here at this blog: Issue mapping, Dialog mapping – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/10/29/issue-mapping-dialog-mapping/ | Productivity – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2011/05/31/productivity/ | Skills – http://eikonal.wordpress.com/2010/09/09/skils/