Alphachimp Studio Inc. Newsletter, vol 1, issue 1 :: May 2006

THIS ISSUE:
-- Evolutions at Alphachimp
-- Shout Outs
-- Articles
-- Cool Tools
-- Upcoming Events
-- Monkey Stuff

Hi there.

Below is our first newsletter, The Sedulous Ape.

Following news from Alphachimp Studio, there is a summary of articles from The Center for Graphic Facilitation. They touch on everything from earthquakes and pandemics, to an essay on doodling for dollars and cool tools for visual learners.

We also list some upcoming events and--of course!--we have some fun monkey stuff thrown in as well. Blow off the rest of the work day and read every word, or skim for whatever gins your cotton. Have a great day, and please let us know what you're up to!

Until we meet again... Make stuff. Make stuff happen.

Peter Durand, Creative Director
Alphachimp Studio Inc.
work: +412-322-1418
mobile: +412-478-1827

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Evolutions at Alphachimp Studio Inc.

With Spring here and Summer close behind, we are looking forward to many fun and creative activities: a massive canoe trip into Canada, celebrating the 100th anniversary of my grandmother's birthday with a family reunion, and keeping up with a very active two-year-old.

New Baby!

Now that we have your attention, we have some more exciting news. No, we are not pregnant, if that is what you're thinking. But we are giving birth to our new software for visual learners and meeting facilitators: MissingLink!

We will launch this tool at the International Association of Facilitators this June in Baltimore.

Our partners at GradientLabs have been working overtime to build a phenomenal browser-based service to help people like us manage the ideas and images generated during brainstorming sessions. Essentially, MissingLink builds a web site that documents your events with pictures, video, audio and text without needing any software or downloads.

It's way cool.

GradientLabs founder, Jason Simmons, has lead an international team (shout out to the Russians!) to develop a simple, elegant interface with the capability to track agendas, teams, activities, topics, photos, flipcharts and scribing. To do so, his team has taken the best lessons from blogging, tagging, search capabilities and podcasting to launch a really wonderful tool.

In fact, we're already using it full-time at all Alphachimp events for clients such as Disney, Nissan and Google, and we plan to make it available to the rest of the facilitation community.

For a sneak peek at the Beta, visit http://www.alphachimp.com/missinglink/

Mattress Factory's Summer ArtLab

In July, we will be collaborating with the Mattress Factory, a world-renowned installation art gallery, to lead a group of neighborhood kids in painting a poet's house. But this isn't just any house, nor is it just any poet. This project is part of City of Asylum, providing a safe haven for foreign dissidents to create poetry and art.

The first house belonged to Huang Xiang, one of the greatest poets of 20th-century China, was severely persecuted and spent nearly two decades of his life in re-education through labor camps and communist-operated factories and prisons in China. Check out what he did to his house (it's incredible).

Co-active Coaching

In April, our managing director Diane Durand (who is also my beautiful and talented wife) wrapped up training in leadership coaching, through the Coaches Training Institute.

In this new line of work she is passionate about serving "women-in-transition". Be they professionals moving up the ladder, executives becoming first-time moms, or young women entering the workforce, Diane is sharing her insight as a healing, creative soul and her experience as a business owner, mother and smart cookie.

To learn more deeply what she's up to, visit: http://www.alphachimp.com/coaching/

Shout Outs

Here's to graphic facilitator, Sita Magnusan, who had the honor last month of scribing for Afghan President Harmid Karzai!

New faces on the Graphic Facilitation World Atlas

Anthony Weeks | San Francisco, California USA
Timothy Corey | Seattle, Washington USA
Barry Brady | Johannesburg, South Africa
Mark Pinto | Brecksville, Ohio USA
Charlie McAllister | Birmingham, England UK
Christine Valenza | Sausalito, California USA
Bryan Coffman | Orlando, Florida USA

Articles

This is a visual learner's digest from The Center for Graphic Facilitation
Images + Ideas + Methods + Tools = Visual Learning
http://www.graphicfacilitation.com

Surfing the Pandemic
Sterling Insight publishes a new book "Preparing for Pandemic Avian Flu - A Family & Neighborhood Workbook for Emergency Readiness."A second workbook focused on pandemic issues affecting business continuity is in the works. Sterling Insights is a graphic facilitation firm outside San Diego that specializes in facilitating corporate and municipal sustainability.
http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/04/sterling_insigh.html

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100 Years of Seismic Safety in California
New time line chart from Disaster Timelines was prepared for the California Seismic Safety Commission as part of the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. It provides an Interesting example of innovative and sustained state level actions regarding earthquake hazards.
http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/03/100_years_of_se.html

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Marumushi's News Map
This on-line application visually reflects the constantly changing landscape of the Google News news aggregator. A treemap visualization algorithm helps display the enormous amount of information gathered by the aggregator. Treemaps are traditionally space-constrained visualizations of information.

http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/03/marumushis_news.html

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Jay Smethurst & Bryan Coffman, Sente Co.
Located in Orlando, Florida, they have positioned their firm as applying visualization to conference services and producing not only captivating graphics during presentations, but also constructing complex animated story maps, web sites and book-length conference summaries. They are accomplished consultants and facilitators as well, helping organizations through strategic modeling. They are the house scribes for the Sante Fe Institute, a scientific research community emphasizing multidisciplinary collaboration in pursuit of understanding the common themes that arise in natural, artificial, and social systems.

http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/02/sente_co.html

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Doodling My Life Away - Pen, Paper and Plentitude
The principal of my High School was a large, serious man named Mr. Snodgrass. And, no, I am not making that up. As I was nearing graduation, Mr. Snodgrass tried to give me some helpful advice. "Perhaps," he said with gravitas, "you should go into Accounting. You know, to have something to fall back on if this whole art thing doesn't work out." [an essay by Peter Durand]

http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/03/doodling_my_lif.html

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31 Days in Iraq
In January more than 800 people — soldiers, security officers and civilians — were killed as a result of the insurgency in Iraq. While the daily toll is noted in the newspapers and on TV, it is hard for many Americans to see these isolated reports in a broader context. The map, based on data from the American, British and Iraqi governments and news reports, shows the dates, locations and circumstances of deaths for the first month of the year. [Submitted by Bo Maupin]

http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/02/31_days_in_iraq.html

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Visual Complexity
If Edward Tufte is the master teacher of visualizing data, then VisualComplexity.com is the treasure trove of data-driven visuals. "Complexity is a challenge by itself," writes Portugal native, Manuel Lima. This project to map the maps that illuminate intricate networks has grown out of Manuel's work at the Design+Technology program at Parsons School of Design, where he earned an MFA. [Thanks to Jason Simmons of GradientLabs, who sent in this site in an email titled, "Yowza!"]

http://graphicfacilitation.blogs.com/pages/2006/02/visual_complexi.html

Cool Tools

Submitted by readers. Let us know about cool tools you use and peruse.
cooltools@alphachimp.com

http://jemimap.ficml.org/style/color/wheel.htm

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FontBrowser 2.0
This browser-based tool for previewing every font on your whole dang
system. Turns out, I have 337!

http://www.stcassociates.com/lab/fontbrowser.html

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Montage-A-Google
A simple web-based app that uses Google's image search to generate a
large gridded montage of images based on keywords (search terms)
entered by the user. Not only an interesting way of browsing the net,
it can also be used to create desktop pictures or even posters.

http://grant.robinson.name/projects/montage-a-google/

Upcoming Events

Do you know about a great event coming up? Let us know!
events@alphachimp.com

2006 Visual Practitioners Conference
October 27-29, 2006 in Granlibakken
http://www.visualpractitioner.org/

Pop!Tech X
October 18-21 2006 in Camden, Maine
http://www.poptech.com/

Monkey Business

Monk-E-Mail
Finally someone has invented a useful and productive tool for the modern
work environment! Careerbuilder.com has taken it's current chimp-focused
ad campaign and built Monk-E-Mail. This allows you to send animated
chimp emails to very busy friends and co-workers. This is bound to raise
productivity levels of the US economy easily by ten-fold or more!
[Thanks to Andrea Pokrzywinski]

http://www.alphachimp.com/clients/2006/04/monk-e-mail.html

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Dance, Monkey, Dance
From Studio 360, Kurt Andersen actually looks at some of the weird
little videos that people forward to their friends. And he's surprised
at what he finds: a foul-mouthed riff and bad Flash animation that
together approach greatness.

http://www.alphachimp.com/clients/2006/04/dance-monkey-dance.html

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On Being Roddy
After sending Monkey Cards (see above) to everybody he has ever
met, Jarrell McAlister received this wonderful childhood story from a
friend...

http://www.alphachimp.com/clients/2006/04/on-being-roddy.html

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A Sharper Chimp
Our friend and fellow monkey fan, Jarrell McAlister, has threatened to
purchase this for us: the Sharper Image "Alive" Chimp. This android
chimp can see, hear and feel in ways that allow him to interact
intelligently with you, your family, your guests...and with baffled
strangers. You have to see the video to believe it!

http://www.alphachimp.com/clients/2006/03/sharper-chimp.html

Contact Us

We'd be honored to brag about any of your accomplishments or promote
any of your upcoming workshops or public appearances.

Drop us a line!

Peter Durand, Creative Director
peter@alphachimp.com | ph: 412-478-1827

Diane Durand, Managing Director
diane@alphachimp.com | ph: 412-478-1829

Alphachimp Studio Inc.
414 South Craig St. #275
Pittsburgh, PA 15213 USA
Studio: 412-322-1418

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