Good education should lead to improvements in the arts and in business. But this is not like the law of gravity. We need to make sure we nurture the arts and support local businesses. Today we will look more at computer animation and its impact on business and the arts in Texas.
The July 2008 issue of IEEE Spectrum ran an article, Machinima's Movie Moguls By David Kushner, describing a company in Austin named Rooster Teeth Productions.
Rooster Teeth publishes a show called Red vs. Blue (RvB). The type of show is called Machinima, a blend of Machine and animation.
This is an example of what Texas needs to cultivate in pursuit of a Texas Business and Arts Renaissance (TBAR).
Robert
PS: here is more about Machination.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Thursday, July 3, 2008
TBAR, Venture Capital and Economic Growth
TBAR, the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance, is not just about the arts. We should expect a renaissance in business as a result of our investments in education. But what we want and what we expect will not fall into our laps, we need to reach out and get it. A renewed focus in venture capital can help the Texas economy grow.
The New York Times, on Sunday June 1, 2008, ran an article, Venture Capital, Before High Tech, by Stephen Kotkin. The article is about a book, Creative Capital by Spencer E. Ante, that is about Georges F. Doriot.
There are books and articles, to be sure, about venture capital, but this quote from Doriot is why I mention this book: "I am building men and companies." Building something that lasts is what is missing in today's economy. If we increase the prosperity of Texas, it should be a lasting achievement, not a fly-by-night boom and bust like Enron.
There are several things we might surmise from the sub-prime mortgage meltdown on Wall Street. (1) There are a lot of investors who have trouble finding good investments for their money. (2) There appears to be a shortage of startups: Texas and America need more growing businesses that can blossom with investment. (3) If there is not a shortage of businesses that could benefit from investment, then perhaps there is a shortage of wise men, like Doriot, who know what businesses and people are worth backing.
Texas needs to work harder at encouraging its citizens to start businesses. Texas needs better ways to connect wealth to promising businesses.
Texas can have a renaissance in business, and a better venture capital infrastructure might be part of our success story.
Robert
PS: I have heard the theory that the lack of good investments was due to the presence of too much money in the system after Alan Greenspan drove the interest rate from the Federal Reserve down to essentially zero. Nevertheless, the money was there, but good investments were not.
The New York Times, on Sunday June 1, 2008, ran an article, Venture Capital, Before High Tech, by Stephen Kotkin. The article is about a book, Creative Capital by Spencer E. Ante, that is about Georges F. Doriot.
There are books and articles, to be sure, about venture capital, but this quote from Doriot is why I mention this book: "I am building men and companies." Building something that lasts is what is missing in today's economy. If we increase the prosperity of Texas, it should be a lasting achievement, not a fly-by-night boom and bust like Enron.
There are several things we might surmise from the sub-prime mortgage meltdown on Wall Street. (1) There are a lot of investors who have trouble finding good investments for their money. (2) There appears to be a shortage of startups: Texas and America need more growing businesses that can blossom with investment. (3) If there is not a shortage of businesses that could benefit from investment, then perhaps there is a shortage of wise men, like Doriot, who know what businesses and people are worth backing.
Texas needs to work harder at encouraging its citizens to start businesses. Texas needs better ways to connect wealth to promising businesses.
Texas can have a renaissance in business, and a better venture capital infrastructure might be part of our success story.
Robert
PS: I have heard the theory that the lack of good investments was due to the presence of too much money in the system after Alan Greenspan drove the interest rate from the Federal Reserve down to essentially zero. Nevertheless, the money was there, but good investments were not.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Moral Instruction and Story Telling
Stories are an excellent way to convey moral lessons. Movies are a good way to tell stories. I have shown The Keys of the Kingdom with Gregory Peck and The Inn of the Sixth Happiness with Ingrid Bergman in my home for moral instruction.
Upon a friend's recommendation I bought The Emperors Club in DVD. Because I was not personally familiar with it, I was watching it without requesting my son to join me. He wandered into the room, found the story interesting and stayed to watch it. I'm glad he did because it was a movie that conveyed moral instruction while entertaining us.
A good show or story is captivating and has full bodied, complex characters in challenging circumstances. They make an impression.
When I ran for the local school board I recommended Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans be incorporated into the curriculum, particularly in history. Plutarch's biographies are like stories, bringing to life famous and important people and giving insight into their characters. My 4th grade boy and I are presently going through the life of Alexander the Great. I ran for the school board because I wanted all the children of Plano, Texas, to have the same quality education as the Plano children whose parents provide tutoring.
The philosopher Richard Rorty has said that moral education is best taught by works of fiction that help us understand and sympathize with other people. The philosopher David Hume, in his work, Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, has also said that stories are a good way to provide moral instruction. But if we use stories for moral instruction in the schools we must be very careful.
A friend brought to my attention an article, Little Manchurian Candidates by Matt James, that describes a badly botched attempt by a school to provide moral instruction for the students through stories.
I have for a long time felt that moral education is the purview of the parents and the schools should stay away from that topic. Yet, the staggering amount of corruption in contemporary society indicates a lack of moral instruction in many households.
Education is an important ingredient in the glue that holds society together, so moral instruction should be included in education. Yet, we cannot depend on professional educators to assemble that part of the curriculum. Only the involvement of the parents will provide a system of moral instruction with community support and representative of community standards.
We parents must be more involved in the school curriculum.
Robert
Upon a friend's recommendation I bought The Emperors Club in DVD. Because I was not personally familiar with it, I was watching it without requesting my son to join me. He wandered into the room, found the story interesting and stayed to watch it. I'm glad he did because it was a movie that conveyed moral instruction while entertaining us.
A good show or story is captivating and has full bodied, complex characters in challenging circumstances. They make an impression.
When I ran for the local school board I recommended Plutarch's Lives of the Noble Greeks and Romans be incorporated into the curriculum, particularly in history. Plutarch's biographies are like stories, bringing to life famous and important people and giving insight into their characters. My 4th grade boy and I are presently going through the life of Alexander the Great. I ran for the school board because I wanted all the children of Plano, Texas, to have the same quality education as the Plano children whose parents provide tutoring.
The philosopher Richard Rorty has said that moral education is best taught by works of fiction that help us understand and sympathize with other people. The philosopher David Hume, in his work, Inquiry Concerning the Principles of Morals, has also said that stories are a good way to provide moral instruction. But if we use stories for moral instruction in the schools we must be very careful.
A friend brought to my attention an article, Little Manchurian Candidates by Matt James, that describes a badly botched attempt by a school to provide moral instruction for the students through stories.
I have for a long time felt that moral education is the purview of the parents and the schools should stay away from that topic. Yet, the staggering amount of corruption in contemporary society indicates a lack of moral instruction in many households.
Education is an important ingredient in the glue that holds society together, so moral instruction should be included in education. Yet, we cannot depend on professional educators to assemble that part of the curriculum. Only the involvement of the parents will provide a system of moral instruction with community support and representative of community standards.
We parents must be more involved in the school curriculum.
Robert
Saturday, June 14, 2008
TBAR, Virtual Reality, the Arts, and the Public Schools
TBAR, the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance, is very much related to the public schools. We have forgotten that education is not all about standardized testing. We forget there are real benefits to education. I believe education can ignite a renaissance in business and in the arts.
Here is a proposal for a project that can tie together education, business, and the arts: multi-media / virtual reality projects for students that are based on the classics of literature.
The epic poems of Homer: the Iliad and the Odyssey are fabulous when you hear them spoken. These are crying to be turned into animated films. This is something high school students can do. There are translations old enough to be in the public domain, so students have a script. It is also good for students to learn about copyrights and the public domain. Intellectual property is an important part of business in a knowledge based economy.
Students can plan and manage the production of animated films of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Theater students can do the voices. Orchestra students can write and perform the sound track. The techies and the artists can both work on the animation.
There is a 3D programming tool, free from Carnegie Mellon University, called Alice. It is intended for high school students. They have a program for middle school students called Storytelling Alice. Money for software is not a problem.
Plano (my home town) can teach high quality animation in its public schools. Lack of will power and vision are the only obstacles.
Animation is an important part of the new economy. Texas can have an important part in the business of animated movies, and we can start with our public schools.
The works of Shakespeare are in the public domain. Besides learning animation, our theater students would have more opportunities to perform. The orchestra students would understand soundtracks and see how they can be opportunities for creativity. When the projects are finished, the animated versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey can be used for instruction, along with works by Shakespeare.
Students can learn the classics.
Students can learn hi-tech skills.
Students can learn important business skills.
Our children have great opportunities. Texas needs visionary leadership to enable our children to excel. This is a great opportunity for all the children of Texas, not just Plano.
Robert Canright
Here is a proposal for a project that can tie together education, business, and the arts: multi-media / virtual reality projects for students that are based on the classics of literature.
The epic poems of Homer: the Iliad and the Odyssey are fabulous when you hear them spoken. These are crying to be turned into animated films. This is something high school students can do. There are translations old enough to be in the public domain, so students have a script. It is also good for students to learn about copyrights and the public domain. Intellectual property is an important part of business in a knowledge based economy.
Students can plan and manage the production of animated films of the Iliad and the Odyssey. Theater students can do the voices. Orchestra students can write and perform the sound track. The techies and the artists can both work on the animation.
There is a 3D programming tool, free from Carnegie Mellon University, called Alice. It is intended for high school students. They have a program for middle school students called Storytelling Alice. Money for software is not a problem.
Plano (my home town) can teach high quality animation in its public schools. Lack of will power and vision are the only obstacles.
Animation is an important part of the new economy. Texas can have an important part in the business of animated movies, and we can start with our public schools.
The works of Shakespeare are in the public domain. Besides learning animation, our theater students would have more opportunities to perform. The orchestra students would understand soundtracks and see how they can be opportunities for creativity. When the projects are finished, the animated versions of the Iliad and the Odyssey can be used for instruction, along with works by Shakespeare.
Students can learn the classics.
Students can learn hi-tech skills.
Students can learn important business skills.
Our children have great opportunities. Texas needs visionary leadership to enable our children to excel. This is a great opportunity for all the children of Texas, not just Plano.
Robert Canright
Monday, June 2, 2008
TBAR and Summer Festivals
I mentioned earlier the goal of a Texas Business and Arts Renaissance, TBAR. The New York Times, Sunday May 11, 2008, had a series of articles on arts festivals. Texas was mentioned in "Summer Stages Pop/Jazz" by Ben Sasario. This article mentioned the Austin City Limits Music Festival.
A related article, "Summer Stages" by Vivien Schweitzer, looking at classical music, mentioned the International Festival at Round Top. This is great.
It's great to see the arts in Texas being mentioned in a national newspaper. That series of articles did not mention any dance or theater festivals in Texas, so there is room for improvement, or maybe there are dance and theater festivals this Summer in Texas and the NY Times did not mention them.
We need to support the arts in Texas, so one day the arts in Texas can help support our children!
The arts are ennobling and uplifting, but if done right they can increase prosperity in Texas.
Robert
A related article, "Summer Stages" by Vivien Schweitzer, looking at classical music, mentioned the International Festival at Round Top. This is great.
It's great to see the arts in Texas being mentioned in a national newspaper. That series of articles did not mention any dance or theater festivals in Texas, so there is room for improvement, or maybe there are dance and theater festivals this Summer in Texas and the NY Times did not mention them.
We need to support the arts in Texas, so one day the arts in Texas can help support our children!
The arts are ennobling and uplifting, but if done right they can increase prosperity in Texas.
Robert
Saturday, May 24, 2008
TBAR, the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance
Texas needs a renaissance in business and the arts, and the two are related. A renaissance in the arts will be most successful if it is self-sustaining, which makes it a business. I've said this before, both in this blog and when I campaigned for the local school board.
Dallas, in March and April, 2008, had an AFI Dallas International Film Festival. It is important that we have events like this, that we support them, and that we build upon them.
The Texas needs to become a new center for film, publishing, and news production. Texas already has a toe-hold in the film industry. There is nothing magical about New York city or the West coast for publishing. No one really knows how to predict the next best-seller. Texans have the same capabilities as New Yorkers or Californians, but we lack the interest.
If you go a book fair in Texas, the books people buy most frequently are about Texas or the Old West. As Texans become better educated, there will be a natural progression to better quality books and films, but we can hasten the pace of progress. The Texas Film Commission, a government office, already promotes films. We also need to promote book publishing, script writing, and play writing.
There is money to be made in publishing, not just in film making. This is part of the business renaissance in Texas (yes, there is much more, but that is for another day).
I'm using the name "TBAR, the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance," because if you google "Texas Renaissance" you will flooded with hits related to the renaissance festival. There are a number of organizations and websites with "TBAR", but not too many to hide this idea.
I've also said that Texas needs a renaissance in politics, and I still believe that, but will have to be a separate thread, which I plan to call the "Texas Leadership Revolution."
Let's aim high for our children's sake. They deserve the best we can do for them.
Robert Canright
Here are subsequent posts on this topic
Summer Festivals
Virtual Reality, the Arts, and the Public Schools
Venture Capital and Economic Growth
Rooster Teeth in Austin, Machinima
Dallas, in March and April, 2008, had an AFI Dallas International Film Festival. It is important that we have events like this, that we support them, and that we build upon them.
The Texas needs to become a new center for film, publishing, and news production. Texas already has a toe-hold in the film industry. There is nothing magical about New York city or the West coast for publishing. No one really knows how to predict the next best-seller. Texans have the same capabilities as New Yorkers or Californians, but we lack the interest.
If you go a book fair in Texas, the books people buy most frequently are about Texas or the Old West. As Texans become better educated, there will be a natural progression to better quality books and films, but we can hasten the pace of progress. The Texas Film Commission, a government office, already promotes films. We also need to promote book publishing, script writing, and play writing.
There is money to be made in publishing, not just in film making. This is part of the business renaissance in Texas (yes, there is much more, but that is for another day).
I'm using the name "TBAR, the Texas Business and Arts Renaissance," because if you google "Texas Renaissance" you will flooded with hits related to the renaissance festival. There are a number of organizations and websites with "TBAR", but not too many to hide this idea.
I've also said that Texas needs a renaissance in politics, and I still believe that, but will have to be a separate thread, which I plan to call the "Texas Leadership Revolution."
Let's aim high for our children's sake. They deserve the best we can do for them.
Robert Canright
Here are subsequent posts on this topic
Summer Festivals
Virtual Reality, the Arts, and the Public Schools
Venture Capital and Economic Growth
Rooster Teeth in Austin, Machinima
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Character Education, the Love of Learning, and the Five Virtues
A lot has been said about character education. Schools and parents need to work together to teach good character. Here is a link to a nice article from the Mercury News in San Jose, "For success in schools, teach character first, then content," by Robert Freeman, March 3, 2008.
One thing missed in contemporary efforts to teach character in the schools is identifying the love of learning as a virtue. This is a Confucian virtue, which helps explain why the Chinese are so successful in scholarship.
Here is how James Legge translated Book XVII, Chapter VIII, of the Analects of Confucius:
1. The Master said, 'Yu, have you heard the six words to which are attached six becloudings?' Yu replied, 'I have not.'
2. 'Sit down, and I will tell them to you.
3. 'There is the love of being benevolent without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to a foolish simplicity. There is the love of knowing without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to dissipation of mind. There is the love of being sincere without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to an injurious disregard of consequences. There is the love of straightforwardness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to rudeness. There is the love of boldness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to insubordination. There is the love of firmness without the love of learning;-- the
beclouding here leads to extravagant conduct.'
Obviously, newer translations read more smoothly, but you can see that the love of learning is important in Confucianism, yet missing from the lists of virtues used to teach character.
This link will lead you to the Six Pillars of Character. See how the Six Pillars compare to the Five Virtues of Confucianism.
Confucius -> 6 Pillars
---------------------------
Respectfulness -> Respect
Generosity -> Fairness
Sincerity -> Trustworthiness
Earnestness -> Responsibility
Kindness -> Caring
The 6 Pillars of Character includes Citizenship, but that is such a big deal to Confucians that they have lists of relationships and principles relating the individual to society.
The love of learning was not in Confucius' short list of virtues, but he spoke often about learning. To better understand the importance of learning in the Confucian tradition, contrast how the Christian Bible starts to how the Analects of Confucius starts.
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Analect 1:1 "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?"
If our children are to become successful students, it would help to inculcate the love of learning.
Robert
One thing missed in contemporary efforts to teach character in the schools is identifying the love of learning as a virtue. This is a Confucian virtue, which helps explain why the Chinese are so successful in scholarship.
Here is how James Legge translated Book XVII, Chapter VIII, of the Analects of Confucius:
1. The Master said, 'Yu, have you heard the six words to which are attached six becloudings?' Yu replied, 'I have not.'
2. 'Sit down, and I will tell them to you.
3. 'There is the love of being benevolent without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to a foolish simplicity. There is the love of knowing without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to dissipation of mind. There is the love of being sincere without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to an injurious disregard of consequences. There is the love of straightforwardness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to rudeness. There is the love of boldness without the love of learning;-- the beclouding here leads to insubordination. There is the love of firmness without the love of learning;-- the
beclouding here leads to extravagant conduct.'
Obviously, newer translations read more smoothly, but you can see that the love of learning is important in Confucianism, yet missing from the lists of virtues used to teach character.
This link will lead you to the Six Pillars of Character. See how the Six Pillars compare to the Five Virtues of Confucianism.
Confucius -> 6 Pillars
---------------------------
Respectfulness -> Respect
Generosity -> Fairness
Sincerity -> Trustworthiness
Earnestness -> Responsibility
Kindness -> Caring
The 6 Pillars of Character includes Citizenship, but that is such a big deal to Confucians that they have lists of relationships and principles relating the individual to society.
The love of learning was not in Confucius' short list of virtues, but he spoke often about learning. To better understand the importance of learning in the Confucian tradition, contrast how the Christian Bible starts to how the Analects of Confucius starts.
Genesis 1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."
Analect 1:1 "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application?"
If our children are to become successful students, it would help to inculcate the love of learning.
Robert
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)