creativity toolbox post part 7

content/post/2021/10/collective-creativity.md

@@ -35,4 +35,4 @@ Conclusion? Heterogeneous communicating geniuses are better than a bunch of indi
 
 _Dream Work Makes The Team Work_. Or was it the other way around?
 
-This is part one of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+This is part one of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).

content/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity.md

@@ -46,4 +46,4 @@ The end result of a process influenced by constraints is always very progressive
 Remember that next time you're forced to work with legacy Visual Basic code. 
 
 
-This is part two of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+This is part two of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).

content/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking.md

@@ -42,4 +42,4 @@ Grove Street Games' reliance on creative but imperfect AI tech, probably combine
 Creative thinking alone is not enough: both _creative_ and _critical_ thinking are requirements to be genuinely creative. Critical thinking to validate or reject ideas, to make timely adjustments to the creative process, to ask for and correctly interpret feedback, and to overcome the many cognitive biases formed in our heads. 
 
 
-This is part three of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/), [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+This is part three of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/), [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).

content/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity.md

@@ -44,5 +44,5 @@ Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's interviewed geniuses attribute _curiosity_ and _persev
 As Charles Darwin proved: the best kind of curiosity is an all-encompassing curiosity. Don't limit the intent to the domains you're very familiar with! 
 
 
-This is part four of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+This is part four of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).
 

content/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind.md

@@ -47,5 +47,5 @@ By locking themselves up in their bedroom turned office space, the Oliver twins
 Creativity cannot happen without getting into the right state of mind. Running around naked, crying _eureka!_, requires conscious effort---not because running consumes energy, but because that _aha!_ moment will not pop up without previous intentional work and preparing your mind to be receptive for it.  
 
 
-This is part five of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+This is part five of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).
 

content/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity.md

@@ -42,5 +42,5 @@ But what exactly is _extensive_ knowledge? What is the best way to gain, retain,
 Welcome to the wonderful world of cognitive psychology. 
 
 
-This is part six of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), and [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind).
+This is part six of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 7: the creative techniques toolbox](/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox/).
 

content/post/2022/01/dark-age-of-camelot-in-2022.md

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ tags:
   - games
 ---
 
-This week triggered memories of yore. Memories from 2002, twenty years ago, where a much younger version of myself was holding two small cardboard boxes and struck in awe. Those boxes were decorated with a front flap, shiny screenshots, and the letters _Dark Age of Camelot_ (DAoC) and its first expansion _Shrouded Isles_. After carefully prying open the box and installing the game, I had my first difficult set of decisions to make: which "realm" to play in, and which class? 
+This week triggered memories of yore. Memories from 2002, twenty years ago, when a much younger version of myself was holding two small cardboard boxes and struck in awe. Those boxes were decorated with a front flap, shiny screenshots, and the letters _Dark Age of Camelot_ (DAoC) and its first expansion _Shrouded Isles_. After carefully prying open the box and installing the game, I had my first difficult set of decisions to make: which "realm" to play in, and which class? 
 
 DAoC, being a knight-themed Camelot game, takes place in three realms, which are of course at war with each other: Albion (based on Arthurian mythology), Hibernia (Celtic folklore), and Midgard (Norse mythology). You had your knights, horsemen, elves, champions, rangers, but also the less usual vampires, necromancers, trolls, runemasters, and infiltrators. Based on the realm you picked, a unique set of races and classes can be selected to play as, one that grew to [six races and sixteen classes](https://www.darkageofcamelot.com/content/classes-races) for each realm!
 
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ DAoC is _still online_! This game still has its faithful player base, albeit it
 
 {{< youtube GPRdQSHuWR0 >}}
 
-Five years after its initial release, the developers Mythic Entertainment were bought by EA. As you might have guessed, things went downhill pretty quickly. EA Mythic focused on Warhammer Online, but at least decided not to permanently close down the servers. A few years later, EA wanted to merge the Mythic brand under BioWare to create one big MMO/RPG "division". As BioWare Mythic, Dragon Age II was released. In 2014, Mytic BioWare was shut down by EA, and rights were transferred to Broadsword Online Games, together with Ultima Online. Since then, Broadsword has kept things flowing, although [their player service is apparently not top-notch](https://www.mmorpg.com/editorials/shareholder-or-chump-developer-player-relations-for-mmos-2000122580). 
+Five years after its initial release, the developers Mythic Entertainment were bought by EA. As you might have guessed, things went downhill pretty quickly. EA Mythic focused on Warhammer Online, but at least decided not to permanently close down the servers. A few years later, EA wanted to merge the Mythic brand under BioWare to create one big MMO/RPG "division". As BioWare Mythic, Dragon Age II was released. In 2014, BioWare Mytic was shut down by EA, and rights were transferred to Broadsword Online Games, together with Ultima Online. Since then, Broadsword has kept things flowing, although [their player service is apparently not top-notch](https://www.mmorpg.com/editorials/shareholder-or-chump-developer-player-relations-for-mmos-2000122580). 
 
 I'd say they're still trying their best to keep the spirit of a twenty year old MMO alive. There's an official Twitch channel with regular streaming and giveaway sessions. I'm amazed that still (on average) five thousand faithful players log in daily. Or perhaps, not so much. In an article on [why people still play DAoC](https://www.mmorpg.com/columns/dark-age-of-camelot-turns-20-why-do-people-still-play-it-2000123240), this paragraph pretty much sums it up:
 

content/post/2022/01/the-creative-techniques-toolbox.md

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+---
+title: The Creative Techniques Toolbox
+date: 2022-01-10T09:19:00+01:00
+categories:
+  - education
+  - learning
+tags:
+  - creativity
+  - history
+---
+
+The stench of rotten corpses fills the streets of collapsing Rome. The Antonine Plague, the first pandemic known to hit the Roman Empire in 170 AD, eradicated fifteen percent of the population within fifteen years. A global state of panic caused most survivors to either ransack or flee the city. Yet its emperor at that time, Marcus Aurelius, chose to stay and brave the crisis, reassuring the people that his life wasn't worth more than anyone else's, in stark contrast to so many of his predecessors. When faced with a life-threatening problem such as the plague, instead of zooming in on his own situation, Aurelius' Stoic training taught him to look at the whole. 
+
+During and after the ravages of the plague, more bad news kept pouring in. The Roman borders were constantly under attack and slowly but surely exhausted both its soldiers and its finances. Instead of taking the narrow-minded approach to solve the gaping hole in the treasury, for example by raising taxes and plundering neighbors, Aurelius did the opposite. He zoomed out and looked at all aspects of the problem. It occurred to him that his predecessors amassed a lot of shiny trinkets that did nothing but gather dust. Thus, Marcus made a bold decision: to keep on funding the war against the German tribe, he sold all imperial ornaments at the Forum. According to Roman historian Dio Cassius, after the emperor's triumph over Rome's enemies, Aurelius returned the gold to those who brought back the ornaments, without forcing anyone unwilling to do so. 
+
+His motto was simple, humbling even: "Do the right thing. The rest doesn't matter. Waste no more time talking about what a good man is like. Be one". This statement came from a man that lost nine out of fourteen children, faced constant war, and due to recurring health problems presumably succumbed to the plague himself, thereby ending the 200-year long Roman Golden Age.
+
+Eighteen centuries later, the squeaking bed springs fill an otherwise peacefully silent hotel room somewhere in the western United States. A middle-aged balding man scribbles notes on a small piece of paper. Many hotel visits later, the ever-increasing stack of paper pieces would form the basis of the twentieth century classic novel _Lolita_ that Vladimir Nabokov wrote during his butterfly-collection travels as an entomologist. 
+
+Nabokov didn't approach writing like many others do. Instead, after forming a picture in his head, he gradually maps out the entire structure on index cards. This allowed him to overcome the infamous fear of the blank page or writer's block. New cards get filled as he felt inspiration bubbling up, sometimes even during butterfly hunts. "I do not begin my novel at the beginning. I do not reach chapter three before I reach chapter four, I do not go dutifully from one page to the next, in consecutive order; no, I pick out a bit here and a bit there, till I have filled all the gaps on paper" he tells us in an interview. 
+
+When Nabokov got stuck, or when a part of the story somehow didn't appeal to him, he simply placed the related index cards on the floor[^incar] to rearrange, add, or remove bits and pieces. After many rearrangements (and reiterations), Nabokov would join the cards by numbering them, and dictate everything to his wife who acted as typist, proofreader, and sometimes savior of discarded index cards. Nabokov's jigsaw puzzle-like approach to novel writing earned him a lot of flexibility and efficiency. 
+
+[^incar]: Rearranging also happened in a box in the back of the car en route to his beloved butterfly-hunting locations. 
+
+_The Original of Laura_, Nabokov's final novel, was never completed. Thirty-two years later, Penguin published it as "a novel in fragments". The 138 present index cards that are faithfully reproduced, complete with smudges and crossed-out words, can be cut out and organized---and reorganized---as the reader sees fit, in true Nabokov-style. It sheds light on how Nabokov structured his work and how he selected the best words to describe characters. 
+
+![](../laura.jpg "The original index cards of Nabokov's final book fetched for 78k pounds at Christie's!")
+
+At the beginning of our current twenty-first century, a _Manifesto for Agile Software Development_ was formed by a team of dedicated human-oriented software professionals, stating that "At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly"[^agilm]. The manifesto was authored by one of the most influential software engineers of our time: Robert C. Martin, Jeff Sutherland, Alistair Cockburn, Martin Fowler, Andy Hunt, Kent Beck, Ken Schwaber, ...
+
+Two years later, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland compressed their "advanced product development method" ideas in a single word called Scrum. Regular reflections were also baked into the core of Scrum: "After the Sprint Review and prior to the next Sprint Planning meeting, the ScrumMaster holds a Sprint Retrospective meeting with the Team". The Sprint Retrospective was born. 
+
+[^agilm]: See http://agilemanifesto.org/. 
+
+How do you conduct a sprint retrospective? According to the Scrum Guide, it should be a both enjoyable and effective way to look back at the work done and inspect what could be improved with regards to people, relationships, processes, and tools---depending on the team's Definition of "Done". Over the years, several inventive techniques have surfaced to set the stage, gather data, generate insights, decide what to do, and close the reflection. The _Check-In_, _Mad Sad Glad_, _Five Whys_, _Circle of Questions_, _Temperature Reading_, and many other methods provide helpful guidelines to conduct an enjoyable and efficient retro. 
+
+---
+
+What is the greatest common divisor between Marcus Aurelius' Bird's-eye view approach to ruling an empire during troubled times, Vladimir Nabokov's flexible index card system that allowed him to easily change the entire structure of a novel, and various agile retrospective techniques? All three examples showcase the use of creative techniques to overcome roadblocks and generate novel insights. 
+
+Without a firm background in Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius might not be considered today as the last of the Five Good Roman Emperors. He could have ruled as ruthlessly as Nero and Caesar, but he chose not to: he had been given the tools to deny malice and hypocrisy. "Take care not to be Caesarified, or dyed in purple, it happens. Keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, unpretentious, a friend of justice, god-fearing, kind, full of affection, strong for your proper work. Strive hard to remain the same man that philosophy wished to make you" he wrote in his _Meditations_ when he was older. 
+
+Without index cards, Nabokov might never have recovered from writer's block. Just like Niklas Luhmann's [Zettelkasten system](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/), Nabokov's cards boosted both creativity and productivity. Just like Luhmann, Nabokov was another great polymath or "multipotentialite" as a novelist, poet, translator, professor of literature, and entomologist. 
+
+Without the creative tools to facilitate an agile retrospective, the fortnightly meeting ends up like any other meeting: a boring and useless waste of time. Knowing one or more of the aforementioned methods will keep things enjoyable and effective, something all professional gatherings should aim for. 
+
+
+This is part seven of my creativity story. Be sure to also read [part 1: collective creativity](/post/2021/10/collective-creativity/),  [part 2: constraint-based creativity](/post/2021/11/constraint-based-creativity/), [part 3: creative critical thinking](/post/2021/11/creative-critical-thinking/), [part 4: from curiosity to creativity](/post/2021/11/from-curiosity-to-creativity/), [part 5: a creative state of mind](/post/2021/12/a-creative-state-of-mind), and [part 6: technical knowledge brews creativity](/post/2021/12/technical-knowledge-brews-creativity/).
+