Nokia’s CEO is an ex MS guy.  And surprise surprise,  he decides to partner with MS for Windows Phone 7.  Nokia had to do something,  their current strategy definitely wasn’t going anywhere.  I think there is more to this than just partnering to make Windows phones however.The mobile computing market (smart phones and tablets etc) is absolutely taking off at the moment.  Microsoft is also currently nowhere to be seen in this segment at the moment.  Apple is doing phenomenal.  Partly due to the fact they control both the hardware and software,  and with a strong understanding of UI can match the two near perfectly to create a silky smooth experience.  Google is doing great too as they have a great OS in Android and many handset makers are happy to work with them as they are treated well by Google.  Some of the handset makers make Windows Phone 7 units but the reality is they are just a side project for these manufacturers.  They are really just paying MS lip service.  MS has a history of not working well with their partners and eventually stabbing most of them in the back so it’s no surprise that nobody is too keen to play seriously with MS here.

Microsoft can have no serious presence in the market under these circumstances.

My prediction is that this partnership will eventually turn Nokia into MS’s hardware division.  MS is already getting it’s tentacles into Nokia.  It started with Elop as CEO and we have just heard that he has replaced Nokia USA President Mark Louison with an ex Microsoft Sales and Marketing veteran.  Over time it wouldn’t surprise me if we see several other top Nokia jobs replaced with ex MS guys.

Nokia makes great hardware and MS’s strategy will be to make sure that it runs only MS software.  In the not too distant future I predict MS will cease allowing other manufacturers to make WP7 units and Nokia will become the only manufacturer.  MS will then work very closely with them to make sure the hardware and software is matched (similar to what Apple does now).  If WP7 only has to work with Nokia hardware and Nokia hardware only has to run WP7 then it becomes easier for them to create a smooth, coherent experience.

Nokia stock is down at the moment.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this also fits well into MS’s plan.  They will buy a lot of this stock while it’s cheap,  giving them more leverage to influence Nokia down the track.

This move also benefits MS in being able to directly attack Apple.  Nokia and Apple are currently in dispute over various patents.  MS has a lot of experience and power when it comes to legal battles.  They also have a lot of patents themselves they could lend to Nokia for the sake of fighting Apple.  I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Nokia suddenly step up it’s legal battles with Apple in a big way soon.  Possibly they will start attacking Android and it’s manufacturers also.

It would seem that this has turned out to be a well planned move on MS’s part.  We’ll just have to wait and see how it plays out for them.

Creative Ideas brought to you care of Random Word Generator

You probably have a routine for starting your day.  Add the webpage below and a few minutes to that routine and notice the difference it makes.

Random word generator

You’ve possibly seen random word generators before but this one’s a little different.

Grab yourself a few random words.  It doesn’t matter how many.  I vary the number I generate daily based on how I feel. You can add more words easily if you get the urge (the blue icon with a +).  Make the words area fullscreen to get rid of distractions and give your mind some room to play about (the gray icon with 4 arrows).  You’ll notice that hovering your mouse over a word changes the cursor.  You can move the words around.  If you double click on a word it will be replaced with a new random word.  If a particular word just isn’t working for you feel free to change it until it does.

Now spend a few minutes moving the words around.  Place them in different orders.  Structure them however your mind fancies. See where your ideas flow.

You may be looking for ideas or inspiration for a particular problem you are facing right now.  You may just let any ideas flow. You may have ideas that are useless now but are very useful later down the track.

Adding this to your routine serves three purposes:

1. It helps you create a bank of ideas that you can later draw upon
2. It helps train your mind to think creatively
3. It’s a fun way to start the day

For me it was Slashdot and Engadget that I gave up.  Now I realised after taking up the challenge that this was potentially bad timing given the impending release of iOS 4.2 and how much my iPad desires it but it was too late,  the challenge was laid down and accepted.  (Besides,  I figured that when it was released I’d hear about it by other means.)

How much time have I saved?  I reckon a good half an hour to an hour each day depending on how interesting the news was.

The first few days were tough.  My normal routine in a morning was to log onto the now banned sites and get a quick update on what’s happening in the industry.  Not anymore.  I was lost,  what would I do.  I soon found a project to keep me going,  Mastermind.  I like projects,  they open up many opportunities to learn and be creative.  I was soon engrossed in this and the two weeks have really flown by.

I spent my time pondering various aspects.  What would the best interface be?  I decided that smart boards and tablets could benefit from an interface taking them into account.  What is the best algorithm for critiquing each attempt?  I have a method that works but am convinced there is a more elegant solution out there.  What is the ideal ratio of peg colours to pegs in the code to attempts you get to crack the code?  I thought about leaving it up to the player to decide and making them all tweakable but eventually decided that too much choice can be bad and it would detract from the experience.

Mastermind is up and running now and I’m currently working on version two of the website.  In a few weeks more time it’s going to have some funky new features.

So,  what are my thoughts on the challenge thus far?  I think I’ve just about weened myself off Slashdot and Engadget and the extra time is definitely being put to productive use.  I don’t know,  at the end of the month I may start looking for other time sinks I can shave out of my life.

Check back in at the end of the month for the second installment.

I use Mastermind in my classes often as a fun way to introduce logical thinking and problem solving but also collaboration.

Mastermind can be used in many different situations:

• Fun game to fill in time at the end of term or semester
• Quick game at the beginning of class to wake them up
• Good way to introduce logical thinking/ problem solving/ collaboration
• Quick competition,  divide the class into teams that will compete
• etc

The typical approach is to bring up a game of Mastermind on the screen and run the participants through a few different games.  You’ll probably find that some people have played the game before but most have not so you’ll need to run through the rules quickly with them (you can find a nice description on the website).

You run the session,  controlling the board (or get a participant to take over that role).  Ask for people to suggest which pegs to place.  Once they are all in place,  get them to discuss that attempt before hitting ‘Accept’.  Get them to discuss if the colours they have picked may need changing or it the pegs need to be shuffled around.  You may need to prompt the participants slightly but they will soon get the hang of using the information given in the previous attempts to craft their current attempt.

You can tie Mastermind into many topics.  For instance you can discuss the approaches they used for problem solving or you can talk about how the contributions of the whole class led to their cracking the code.  You can talk about how at first they had no information but with each successive attempt they got more information that led them to the answer. And so on.

There are several Mastermind implementations out there on the web but the one I prefer is this one:

http://codebreaker.creativitygames.net

It has several advantages such as:

• A clean and bright interface which works well on smartboards and projectors with dimming bulbs
• A strategy guide to help you get the hang of it
• An optional timer if you want to make sure the activity is kept short
• A handy reminder on what the black and white pegs represent
• The option to set your own codes if you want the class to play as teams
• An easy ability to reorganise the pegs for an attempt once they have been placed

I will probably get an iPhone when my current phone dies but for now I have a Motorola Razr.  I quite like the clam shell design because of it’s tactile interaction.  I can answer a call by flipping the phone open and hang up by flipping it closed.  This to me feels more natural than pressing a button (a virtual button at that on most of todays smartphones).  In fact I prefer physical tactile interaction over buttons on all my devices.  I think it creates a stronger connection in our minds between the action we are performing and the outcome it creates.The full touchscreen interface is a brilliant set up and I’m not going to say that it is bad.  I will say though that it lacks that physical interaction.  And so my idea.

A Dual Screen Smartphone

What I envisage is a phone where there is a full touchscreen on each side of the phone.  This I think would offer many advantages.  It will offer many opportunities to interact with the phone by physically rearranging it.  Here are some ideas.

• No matter which way you put the phone down it is the right way up.
• Multitasking by flipping the phone over
• On a call and want to access an app?  Flip the phone over,  speakerphone is automatically engaged and your apps are waiting for you.
• Conference call with two local people
• Games which take advantage of the two screens (a turn based multi player game for example)
• Apps which take advantage of the two screens (browser which turns into tab thumbnails when flipped for example)
• The ability to set a message to show on the outside screen when you are on a call and you have the handset to your ear (set by the user such as “Go away I’m on a call.”)
• Control apps with both touch interaction on both sides simultaneously (this could be really funky).
• Flip an app to access settings.
• etc

And I’m sure you can think of many more.

So Apple, and other smartphone manufacturers,  this is my challenge to you.

Turn this idea into reality or come up with other creative ideas to introduce more physical interaction with your devices.

1. Simple creativity building games – play regularly as an awesome way to exercise your creative thinking.
2. Brainstorming – there are many ways you can incorporate them into your sessions as a stimulus to get you thinking differently.  They are an effective means to spur you to come up with new ideas rather than the same old same old.
3. Cure for Writers block – several ways you can tackle this. eg.  Grab 2 random words and write.  Grab 2 more and write again.  Rinse and repeat until your inspiration is revived.
4. Pictionary – you know the game.  Grab a word and proceed to try and draw it.  For even more challenge,  try 2 or even 3 words at once.  Can you tackle several words with the one picture?
5. Impromptu speeches – Grab 2 random words and that is the topic of your speech.  Will be guaranteed to keep things fresh.
6. Inspiration for a project - several ways to tackle this but if you’re stuck on where to start,  random words may be the ideal place.
7. Basic passwords – you shouldn’t use this approach for anything important obviously but if it’s just something simple you want to protect then this could be an easy and simple way.
8. Party games - generate 2 random words then see who can be the first to get someone else (not part of the challenge) to say the words.
9. Naming things – need to name your team,  or group or something like that?  Why not grab a random word,  see if you can create a name from it.  Grab another one and see what you can do with that.  Repeat until you have created a name you like.
10. Exploring – you can find amazing things when you go exploring.  Alas,  we are creatures of habit and sometimes need a bit of help to find those hidden paths.  Pick a random word then chuck it into Google or search for it on WordPress and see what you find.  When you get bored of that word,  pick another one and try again.  For real interest,  try it with 2 random words.

Now get out there and have fun.

To challenge people to become more creative and to spread creative thinking and then to direct that force towards improving every facet of modern life and solving every problem society faces.

It’s taken a few months to really get this cemented but now we finally have it in words that are succinct and convey our desires in a powerful and direct way.

If you believe,  as we do,  that improved creative thinking is the key ingredient in the prosperous future of our society then join us and get involved today.

To find out more a great place to start is the About Us page.

I am fascinated by creativity and how we may teach people to be more so.  It is fun,  rewarding and goes on to have a definite positive impact on the world.  So two questions arise:

• How may we better teach and foster and unleash creativity?
• Is it possible to measure creativity?

The first question I am answering through practice.  My teaching is centered around this idea,  my website strives to encourage and promote creativity.  I bring it into the spotlight where-ever possible.  This is an evolving process,  a creative process.  Creativity is novel in that to teach creativity more effectively we need to be creative.

The second intrigues me immensely.  While I would be perfectly happy to be able to develop creative ability well and not have any means to measure it,  having the ability to measure it would be beneficial.

The search for a means to measure creativity,  if nothing else,  would lead to a better understanding of what creativity is.  People have been in search of this for a while already.  The Torrance test in one such attempt.  Like other tests,  it can determine if you are particularly creative or not very creative but that is about it.

Here are some questions I’m tossing around at the moment.  Over time they will develop and with any luck will lead to some tangible outcomes.

• Is it in fact possible to put a quantitative value on something that is qualitative?
• Would it do more harm than good to achieve this?
• Would it be more appropriate to categorise creative ability instead?
• How do you accurately measure something where someones performance can vary wildly day to day?
• If you take creativity to be creation that has value then how do you assign value?
• Can we create a test that cannot be gamed (eg.  doing many IQ test has been shown to improve your marks in said tests without necessarily improving your IQ)?
• What motivates someone to be creative?
• If creativity is a frame of mind,  can we improve the ability of people to attain that frame of mind?
• Instead of a 1 dimensional scale would a multi-dimensional scale be more appropriate and what should the dimensions be?
• Can creative ability be harnessed as a motivator?

If you have any thoughts it would be great if you left us a comment.

Strong problem solving ability is important for many professions.  It is a skill however that is somewhat lacking in today’s education systems.  It is easy to incorporate into your classes and the plan below is an effective way to do just that.

Plan of Attack

A solid foundation in problem solving is created through a set of strategies that should become second nature to students.  We can develop this through simple games to promote creativity.  Begin each of your classes with a simple word game and use it to illustrate an important strategy.
You can easily generate sets of random words to use with these games here Random Word Generator.

Odd word out

Game: Select four random words.  Students have to identify as many ways as possible for finding the odd word out.
Strategy: Identifying alternate perspectives.  Better solutions are often found by looking at things from different angles.

Grouping

Game: Select six random words.  Students have to identify as many ways as possible for dividing the group into two sets of three.
Strategy: Pattern finding.  You can find a lot of clues in the unobvious details that will lead you to new ideas.

Problem solving

Game: Identify two unrelated problems.  Select two random words.  Alternate back and forth between creating a solution to one of the problems using the words as stimulus.  For greater focus make the problems related to the topic you are teaching.
Strategy: Finding inspiration elsewhere.  Often you can find great inspiration by looking in other,  seemingly unrelated areas.

Anagrams

Game: Select four random words.  Students have to select one word as the target and find words relating to that word using the letters of the remaining words.
Strategy: Picking an ideal target.  Rearanging resources.  Often we can find gold by rearranging the existing resources we have instead of just taking them for granted.

Values

Game: Select four words at random.  Identify values (eg most expensive,  hottest,  most colourful etc) and which one of those words has the highest of that value.
Strategy: Identifying opportunities.  Problem solving is about creating greatness out of the mundane.  This game shows that everything has value,  you just have to look for it sometimes.

These games are just a taste of what you can do to develop creativity in your students.  Follow the link to find more ideas and resources you can use in your classes.

Spending a few minutes at the beginning of each class playing these games as well as identifying the strategies involved and why they are important is an easy and fun way to develop these important skills in students.  Using the random word generator you can easily create sets of words to play with.  The interface is also such that it is easy to operate on a Smart Board.  For added benefit,  get the students to play these games for homework.  If you have an on-line learning environment such as Moodle you can incorporate these games easily by way of a forum.

If you want to take it a step further the generator allows you to create your own set of words to randomly select from.  Why not create a set of words related to the topic you are teaching?

The tool we are going to take advantage of is random words.  Random words are powerful and flexible.

Let’s say you have to come up with that killer idea for your project.  That idea that is unique and powerful and destined to make you shine.  The idea is already swimming around in your mind (or your teams minds),  we just need the right tool to get it out.  The problem is that we are creatures of habit.  When you ask people to come up with new solutions to a problem they will likely come up with the old solutions they already had and not stray very far from there.  You need to venture out of the comfort zone to find those brilliant pieces of gold. For many this is scary.  You have to realise it is exciting though.

So what you do is grab a random word or list of words and use them as your stimulus.  An ideal tool for generating these random lists of words can be found here:

Creativity Games Random Word Generator

Approaches

You could:

• pick a single word and use this as stimulus
• pick two words and use them both as stimulus
• pick two words and create separate ideas from both then combine those ideas into new ideas
• pick three words and come up with solutions using all three possible pairs of words
• pick four words,  split them into pairs and create solutions using each pair
• pick eight words and force yourself to come up with an idea for each word in order as quickly as possible,  then repeat
• etc

Be creative.  Once you exhaust a particular word or list of words then refresh the list and start again. Or pick a different number of words and try a different approach.  Many of the ideas will not be useful or feasible but don’t fret.  This doesn’t mean they are wasted.  They are all leading you down the path to your great ideas.  Great ideas are like most other items of value,  you have to put in work and effort to attain them.

Another bonus of the Random Word Generator listed above is that it includes a series of creativity improving games that you can play.  Play them regularly and you will improve your creative tendencies.

This technique is simple and easy.  The power lies in the fact that the random words will most likely not be related to the problem at hand (and most likely not to each other either).  Finding solutions will hence force you to be creative and to find those novel connections.

You can use the random word generator for many purposes including:

• brainstorming for new ideas
• improving your creativity
• clearing writers block
• waking up your audience or team
• getting people in an open frame of mind at the beginning of a meeting
• adding interest to your classes
• finding new opportunities
• generating interest in a topic
• many more

Make the random word generator a part of your routine and unleash your creative potential.