Comments for The Bucky-Gandhi Design Institution

Comment on Comments Page on The Hexayurt Project homepage by Tom

Tom — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 17:22:50 +0000

Living in Haiti – been thinking along the same lines. Tarps and tents way too short term and expensive. Concrete block homes too expensive and takes too long. We need something fast.

Our village of about 5,000 took in an additional 700 I figure. All living with relatives or friends. Based on there being another 700,000+ people living outside I figure we need to take at least another 1,000. No room left in homes.

Am looking into the spray concrete products to do ferro-cement. If you want to come and try some things out let me know.

Comment on Plywood Hexayurt construction details by JRDegan

JRDegan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 16:04:01 +0000

Posted this on another site, here goes again:
Couple of questions:
- Have you made metric versions of the plans?
- Have you translated the instructions into French?
- Have you investigated what sized plywood sheets are typical in that part of the world (metric) and adapted the plans accordingly?
- I have not read through the plans yet, but have you thought about using a “stitch and glue” method for assembling these? This is used in assembling small boats and might be well adapted to Haiti (think of your yurt as an upside down boat!). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue

Comment on About Me by JRDegan

JRDegan — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:58:13 +0000

I like the idea. Couple of questions:
- Have you made metric versions of the plans? Inches and feet are Greek to them.
- Have you translated the instructions into French?
- Have you investigated what sized plywood sheets are typical in that part of the world (metric) and adapted the plans accordingly?
- I have not read through the plans yet, but have you thought about using a “stitch and glue” method for assembling these? This is used in assembling small boats and might be well adapted to Haiti (think of your yurt as an upside down boat!). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stitch_and_glue

Comment on The Hexayurt in Haiti – a technical description by Jim

Jim — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 02:27:39 +0000

How waterproof is it in a windy rain?
Is the hole at the top for smoke to get out (thus there would be indoor smoke)?
How much did it cost and what was the construction time?

Thanks!

Comment on Pirates of the Future by The Bucky-Gandhi Design Institution » On information overload

The Bucky-Gandhi Design Institution » On information overload — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:28:11 +0000

[...] why this is an increasing problem for organizational navigators. If there a billion people with access to publication online or in print, there are one thousand [...]

Comment on Beyond Resilience: Visionary Adaptation by LucasG

LucasG — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:46:55 +0000

http://news.noahraford.com/?p=206

“resilient, durable or agile”

Comment on Revising Boyd for Bureaucracy: OODA 2×2 by John Boyd and the OODA Loop « Automatic Ballpoint

John Boyd and the OODA Loop « Automatic Ballpoint — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:17:12 +0000

[...] course, the delay was between orientation and decision, which as Vinay Gupta points out, is the same place corporate change sputters out. The difference between thinkers/doers and [...]

Comment on Revising Boyd for Bureaucracy: OODA 2×2 by gmoke

gmoke — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 05:52:23 +0000

How the Pentagon Works: John Boyd’s Lessons on Bureaucratic Warfare
http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/21/01144/9875

Comment on Permaculture in India by Marie Roulleau

Marie Roulleau — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 00:14:07 +0000

I will be in India from January to April 2010. I would like to volunteer in a permaculture farm to participate in something positive and meet local people in another way than a touristy way.
I am a gardener at home (Canada)and a (French) language instructor.
Any suggestions?
Marie

Comment on Revising Boyd for Bureaucracy: OODA 2×2 by Reinout van Rees

Reinout van Rees — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 11:00:17 +0000

Two comments.

First: the juniors also observe and orient. They have observation and insight where the rubber meets the road. When they decide (”make up their mind”) what would be best to improve, they still have to act on it. And “act” often means feedback to senior management. There’s often breakage here, too.

The OODA loop is really more of a loop than linear. You present it like a pipeline from senior management to the juniors. “They don’t listen”. But seniors need to act on the signals they get from the juniors, too.

Actually, I don’t think you can split it like this. Seniors deciding to delegate to juniors: that’s acting. Juniors getting orders: that’s observing. And they’ve got to orient themselves in their environment: what does the order mean? How to implement/integrate it?

Etc.

Suggestion: try to apply the OODA at the organisation-as-a-whole level. The organisation needs to become better at every step. Improve the way the observations of the whole organisation are used, from senior to junior. And make sure acting happens quickly and decisively. Etc.