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suzanne whitby: archives
The contribution of “childless cat ladies” to society
Do we really need more rich, white, middle-class men with a bunch of offspring making decisions for the whole of a society? I think not.
Protect children from Little Red Riding Hood. Guns are fine, though.
Guns or Little Red Riding Hood. Which of the two should be banned in schools?
Don’t be a dick.
Every wondered about the origin story of this meme?
001: ASK / What I’ve learned about being a freelancer
The start of a new series on what I’ve learned in nearly 20 years of being self-employed. Today: It never hurts to ask.
The legacy of the A23a iceberg
When icebergs fragment, they seed by dropping entrained mineral nutrients. Incredible!
To comma or not to comma, that is the question
I love a good comma. A quick check to make sure that I am using it correctly in a new project.
AI is not the puppet master
AI doesn’t change the world on its own. People who use AI change the world. Tools vs people.
What colour is the most common in flowers?
My guess was wrong. And the answer to the question is blindingly obvious!
Musings of funerals for glaciers
What if we celebrated the nature that we have, and that we have lost, instead of holding funeral ceremonies?
Stories and their ability to transport
Becoming involved in a narrative world can have measurable consequences.
How to quickly insert placeholder text into your academic writing
A quick step-by-step tutorial on how to automatically format text as you are writing in MS Word.
The journey’s start and single steps
When you’re trying to trick yourself out of a moment of procrastination.
Playing with AI: Notes from #FacLab009
I run a regular gathering for facilitators to try out new tools, share knowledge and use our combined views of the world to help each other learn, grow and thrive. In February, a small group came together and I shared what I’ve learned, and they offered some reflections on AI and the future of facilitation.
Playing with AI: Other AI tools that might be of interest
A final note about AI (for now) on my thinking journey around AI and my work. May be helpful to fellow facilitators, trainers and workshop designers interested in how to use emergent and generative AI in their work.
Playing with AI: Dall-e for image creation (and a mention of Midjourney)
My notes on using Dall-e and Midjourney. May be helpful to fellow facilitators, trainers and workshop designers interested in how to use emergent and generative AI in their work.
Speaking: The Hero
I get rather cross about conflict and wars and the middle aged men and women who make the decisions without ever having to leave their comfortable worlds to literally put their lives on the line. This wonderful poem by Felix Pollak spoke to me.
Playing with AI: Jasper and other content-creation tools
My notes on use Jasper.ai and other content creation tools. May be helpful to fellow facilitators, trainers and workshop designers interested in how to use emergent and generative AI in their work.
Playing with AI: ChatGPT and other AI language models
My notes on using ChatGPR and a few other AI language models. May be helpful to fellow facilitators, trainers and workshop designers interested in how to use emergent and generative AI in their work.
Playing with AI: Synthesia (video)
My notes on use Synthesia. May be helpful to fellow facilitators, trainers and workshop designers interested in how to use emergent and generative AI in their work.
How to try out new tools and register for content without getting spammed
A short tip on how to set up accounts and try out new tools without being spammed. TLDR: for a temporary email address, EmailOnDeck is where I go.
Playing with AI: A note on the ethical issues related to AI and to generative AI in particular
A note in my thinking about AI and how it might inform, improve or impact my facilitation work. When I say “a note”, I mean “a note” – stylistically, there is nothing to see here. In this, I am wondering about the ethical issues that are bouncing around in my head. My thinking hardly scratches the surface but that’s okay: it’s not meant to.
Playing with AI: What are the different types of AI out there?
In my quest to understand the world into which ChatGPT has exploded, I thought that understanding more the different types of AI might be interesting. This is my take on the question and its answer.
Playing with AI: A note on using prompts
To use many of the generative AI tools, including ChatGPT, Dall-e, Mid Journey and others – you need to give the AI prompts instead of keywords. Here are some notes from my explorations into prompts from my Playing with AI diversion.
An Austria with less snow: what are the impacts?
Warmer, drier summers. More precipitation and less snowfall in winter. That’s what the experts say. So what?
#divitips Correct the anchor spacing
When you insert an anchor link, DIVI sometimes jumps to the wrong place. This code fixes this problem.
Trailer
The trailer to the brand new Sustainable Futures Shorts podcast premiering in early 2023. Hosted by Suzanne Whitby.
Scientists Warning Europe
A interesting site full of science endorsed solutions which will lead to a just transition for our World to a sustainable and equitable future presented by scientists across Europe.
Let’s have faith in reality and humanity, not the tired hopes of modernity
Radical acceptance about the reality of our sustainability and environmental challenges is important. So, I believe, is hope.
#Read Cop15 essential reading: seven books that explain the biodiversity crisis
Ahead of December’s Cop15 conference, writers at The Guardian have selected titles that explain the issues at stake, from animal extinction to marine degradation and loss of habitat.
CliMate, your climate conversation coach
Created by The Suzuki Foundation, this fun and simple chatbot on Facebook Messenger will teach you how stop arguing and start understanding people through a choose-your-own adventure style practice conversation. You’ll get to choose your responses from a set of options, and your conversation coach will guide you through it, providing insight into the reaction your responses might elicit.
Book recommendation: Storytelling for a Greener World
Sustainability meets heritage: powering heritage buildings with solar electricity is a no-brainer
The “protected status” of heritage buildings means that solar photovoltaic panels are seldom seen on roofs, but does this make sense in our changing world?
Sustainability meets heritage: powering heritage buildings with solar electricity is a no-brainer
If a heritage building has protected status, where does that leave the use of solar panels, insulation and so on, all necessary in our quest for clean, climate-friendly energy?
#Watch How to turn climate anxiety into action (TED)
It’s normal to feel anxious or overwhelmed by climate change, says psychologist Renée Lertzman. Can we turn those feelings into something productive? In an affirming talk, Lertzman discusses the emotional effects of climate change and offers insights on how psychology can help us discover both the creativity and resilience needed to act on environmental issues.
Aligning values with your recruitment process
“We care about our people.” Really? So why do so many companies fail to simply acknowledge receipt of job applications, and send out an automated response when the position is filled?
Lessons learned from the first Deep Time Walk in Innsbruck
Some notes about how I planned my first Deep Time Walk in Innsbruck, what worked, what didn’t, and what lessons I need to apply in the future.
What if we all took small but consistent action to tackle today’s sustainability challenges?
A short thought today about the power of doing something small and consistently versus the results of changing nothing at all. Apt in the context of climate change and how to tackle it.
What if we all took small but consistent action to tackle today’s sustainability challenges?
The “protected status” of heritage buildings means that solar photovoltaic panels are seldom seen on roofs, but does this make sense in our changing world?
Using framing to unlock change
Research into the science of framing and how it can help us to be heard and understood. When we change the story and how we tell it, we can change the world. [Fran mentioned this in Storytell.] #framing #conversations #facilitation #scicomm #climate
Make BIG changes by starting a tiny push
Let’s talk about physics and how one small action (yours) can end up making a significant difference (for yourself or the world).
Make BIG changes by starting a tiny push
Let’s talk about physics and how one small action (yours) can end up making a significant difference (for yourself or the world).
What if public transportation was free & effective?
Michelle Wu, Boston’s new mayor, and her focus on free public transportation prompt some “what if” and “why not” thinking.
What if we cut down on food waste?
Some musings on food waste.
What if?
I am privileged to be able to spend my days working with scientists who want to learn how to turn their academic findings into information that the “general public” can understand and hopefully act upon. Many of the people I coach and train are natural scientists who have an up-close-and-personal view of human-caused climate change and global heating. Not only are they witness to what is happening now, but thanks to modelling, they have insights into what is likely to happen in the future. And frankly, for many of them, the future is at best worrying and at worst terrifying. They are continually perplexed at the disinterest in the problems they are uncovering by politicians, policy makers, the media, and us, the “general public*”.
I mention this because when I watched “Don’t look up” last night, I was overjoyed that someone in Hollywood had finally created a film that captured what scientists tell me that they experience. Sure, it’s a satire, but the basic storyline is one that I’ve heard time and again in my workshops and talks.
tiny mindful: In your hands
A tiny mindful tale about how the choices that we can make if we so wish.
tiny mindful: The joy of being bi-lingual
A tiny mindful tale about how speaking another language can get you out of tricky situations!
tiny mindful: Paradise and hell
A tiny mindful tale about how paradise and hell can exist in us all.
tiny mindful: The three fish
A tiny mindful tale about how our actions and behaviours can change our lives.
tiny mindful: The bag of joy
A tiny mindful tale about the wonderful Nasreddin and his weird but effective way to help a traveller discover joy.
tiny mindful: Half a blanket
A tiny mindful tale about dealing with life’s frustrations, the value of family, and how we view aging.
tiny mindful: Empty your cup
A tiny mindful tale about how full cups and full heads.
tiny mindful: The Lion Makers
A tiny mindful tale about how too much learning can sometimes cloud common sense.
tiny mindful: Truth and Story
A tiny mindful tale about the power of story.
The Work That Reconnects
Interesting for my facilitation work, work with groups, and in helping people think about climate and environmental disruption. The Work that Reconnects helps people discover and experience their innate connections with each other and the self-healing powers of the web of life, transforming despair and overwhelm into inspired, collaborative action.
Look UP! That’s what I am taking from “Don’t look up”.
Some thoughts about the film, “Don’t look up”.
Make accordion closed by default
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Filthy cities with Dan Snow
Historian Dan Snow gets down and dirty the filthy cities of revolutionary...
What if climate change is a hoax?
What do you take away from the inimitable Joel Pett's cartoon? (© Joel...
The Blind Man and the Elephant
As we Walk the Tortoise today, let’s think about John Godfrey Saxe’s poem. What does an elephant look like to YOU?
How can you foster a culture of communication in your organisation?
Could an open-door policy be the answer?
How can you make sure that everyone contributes in a meeting?
Plan the meeting to make sure that you are crystal clear on the purpose. That’s one approach.
How can you diffuse drama in your team?
A quick overview of The Karpman Drama Triangle.
What if there was a process for giving kind but honest feedback?
Liz Lerman’s deceptively simple Critical Response Process or CRP.
What if it was possible to have productive, conflict-free conversations?
How we say things is just as important as what we say.
Re-naming and re-framing
A quick morning ponder on how arrogant humans are in their judgements of fish, and how quickly we change our minds when the communication changes.
Desiderata
The words in this beautiful text always make me feel hopeful. Just right for a pause to Walk the Tortoise!
A thought about small talk
Is cutting out the small talk a problem?
A recipe for cremation
Barlow Bonsall, Cook @ 1700 to 1800 degrees for 2 to 3 hours This is the...
#divitips Make accordions closed by default
A short code snippet to use if you want all accordions to be closed by default in DIVI.
Do you inadvertently turn your statements into questions?
Raising your pitch at the end of a statement makes that statement sound like a question. Whether you’re communicating in person, online, or over the phone, this speech pattern can make you sound less confident, less credible, and uncertain about your content. This article talks about why we do it, and how to stop.
What’s in a name? Why getting people’s names right is part of effective communication.
Remembering someone’s name and pronouncing it correctly is a key part of making a positive impression. It’s also part of being a good communicator. Not bothering to remember someone’s name or continually pronouncing it incorrectly, or worse, using a name that they dislike (nicknames they didn’t choose, for example) tells people that you don’t value or respect them. Here are 9 things that you can do to remember people’s names, along with some information about why names matter, why we mess them up, and why, in a socially-distanced world, remembering names is more important than ever,
Full-length versions of Euripides’ & Seneca’s Trojan Women
A collection of full-length free video recordings of theatre performances of Trojan Women, most based on Euripides’ text, and two based on Seneca’s. Handy for classics scholars.
A beautiful watch
Whilst everyone is diving into the world of smart watches, I’m opting for a dumb watch that does two things: it tells the time and looks gorgeous. And that’s good enough for me!
Rudyard Kipling’s “If”
As we Walk the Tortoise today, let’s enjoy the stoic words of Rudyard Kipling.
O Henry’s “A Strange Story”
As we Walk the Tortoise today, let’s ponder O. Henry’s “A Strange Story”. Short, strange, and perfect for a quick pause!
Being a company owner in the UK: the end of the affair
Who would have thought that so much history, identity, and emotion would be tied into the simple task of filling in a short form on the Companies House website?
Hokusai says… Don’t be afraid (with thanks to Roger Keyes)
Roger Keyes kindly gave me permission to record and share he wonderful poem, “Hokusai Says”, and I am grateful. It’s a great fit for the Walk the Tortoise podcast!
#divitips Side-by-side buttons in Divi
How to use a HTML and CSS tweaks to add two or three or more buttons to a module in Divi, side-by-side. #divitips
The Man in New Orleans
In 2001, I travelled around the US in 30 days and I had an interesting encounter in New Orleans with a homeless gentleman that made me rethink kindness. Enjoy!
Are we just going in circles? Maybe not.
I came across an incredibly inspiring quote today from Lorraine Hansberry’s “A Raisin in the Sun”. If you’ve ever felt despair, convinced that the human race is trapped in an unbreakable circle, then this is for you.
Making presentations “sticky” with stories
I love this story: Christopher Wren was a famous English architect and...
Ponte: Tower of Dreams
Johannesburg’s Ponte City was built in 1975 to be the tallest residential building in Africa, with 55 floors of living space and a cylindrical form that still dominates the skyline. It fascinated me as a child and fascinates me still.
EmailOnDeck: The best way to sign up for stuff without your real email address
My preferred disposable email address provider. Simple, free and it just works.
In Defence of Open-Mindedness
A few thoughts on the closed minds of some people in rural, mostly white, mostly Catholic and mostly relatively well-off in a beautiful part of Austria.
Literacy first, please
Technology is changing and evolving in leaps and bounds. Tech literacy is touted as essential. But what about being able to read?
Is Zero Waste Living Really Zero Waste?
A quick post to lay out the definition of what “zero waste living” means, and a couple of questions about the “out of sight, out of mind” issue.
Can I offer you some plastic with your tea?
I love a good cup of tea and have been a devotee of Tetley teabags for the longest time. Until I discovered that I get a bit of plastic with every cuppa I consume…
Flora and the Flamingo
Beautiful illustrations in this fun, joyful children’s book.
How to host a clothing swap party
A couple of months after moving back to Innsbruck, I decided to organise...