Nine Shift

Canada: Everyone is behind

Humboldt, Saskatchewan, is on the prairie, way out, an hour's drive from Saskatoon.  Humboldt only has 5,000 people. And yet,  and yet.....

I was in Humboldt to do a NineShift keynote and sessions for seven regional provincial colleges, hosted by Rosalie Ronellenfitsch and Rob Barber of Carlton Trail Regional College.  The conference is held in a wonderful recreation building with a hockey rink, swimming pool and water park, and curling rink. My first tour of a curling rink.  Photo: Rob and Rosalie

They say that they are behind. I hear this everywhere I go. And if you look around, you could agree. But then everyone in Canada (just about) has high speed Internet access. Canada is like third in the world. And, right next to the recreation center is a freight railroad line.  We get on line, figure out Humboldt is on a straight line between Winnipeg, Saskatoon and Edmonton in Alberta, and all of a sudden, Humboldt does not look so far behind.  That train line, if enhanced to handle passenger trains, would turn Humboldt from 5,000 people to 30,000 people.  Funny thing is, 100 years ago they built a huge courthouse in anticipation of 30,0000 population. That courthouse might just come in handy.

PowerMeter new online energy tracking system

An energy company is testing an online energy monitor so homeowners can see how much energy they use, when, and how to control their energy use.  Here's the story.

Education: Rework a key feature of the 21st century

"Schools aren't "letting" students pass. They're refusing to let them to fail, she and other students said."

That's the great final line of a story about a school that not only allows student to redo work, but encourages it. 

NineShifter Elaine Patterson of Camosun University in British Columbia sent us the link to this story. Check it out.  This is a key principle of learning and teaching in the 21st century. 

"In the real world, if you make a mistake, you get a second chance," teacher Joyce Wagland says. And her principal notes, "You can't give up on them when they're teenagers," says high school principal Renald Cousineau. "I see it as a moral imperative not to give up on students." We agree.

Is Obama a Socialist?

There's been a lot of talk about socialism recently. A recent poll said that only 53% of Americans favored capitalism over socialism (47%). Here's why.

When society goes through a Nine Shift, a transition from one economic age to another, the old infrastructure (banking laws, taxation, highways, suburbs, etc.) becomes obsolete and dysfunctional.
A new social infrastructure, with new rules, has to be constructed.  That involves government, big time.

So are sewers, parks and the Food and Drug Administration socialist ideas? Actually yes.
100 years ago only the socialists advocated for sewers, public parks, and the Food and Drug Administration, for example.  Neither Democrats nor Republicans supported those things.  Today of course everyone supports them.

So, is President Obama a Socialist? And what do you think of so-called socialist proposals for society?

Education: Solution to boys' bad grades works!

We are excited to announce we have the first evidence that the solution to boys' bad grades works.

LERN Board member David Reilly had a high school teacher who does not penalize students for late work send us the GPAs for her students.  The data proves that when there is no penalty for late work, the gender gap disappears.

Male students had the same overall GPA as the female students! The GPA for the male students was 3.02 and for female students 3.08, no significant difference.

Interesting fact: even without a penalty, some 64% of the students turned their work in on time. For boys 59% turned work in on time, and 68% of girls did.  If you know of other teachers who do not penalize students for late work, please tell us. We want to gather additional evidence.

Cars: How to save auto worker jobs

I'm visiting my mother at Easter, staying in the historic wonderful Retlaw Hotel.  Sitting in a hot tub. Start a conversation with another guy.  He worked for Giddings & Lewis, the famous machine tool company the Wall Street Journal often uses as a bellweather sign about the outlook for industry and manufacturing.

So I ask him how long it would take a factory to switch from making cars or car parts to making trains or train parts.  He says 3 months  ! 

Want to save auto jobs?  The government should/could be buying train cars instead of auto cars. The demand for train cars is huge, with train ridership at record levels, trains so crowded people have to stand. The demand for auto cars is in decline. 
Photo:  Me and Julie shopping for a Ford.

New male role model an improvement?

NineShift is suggesting that a new male role model is evolving in the 21st century.

For the last 20 years, the most recognized male in society has been Homer Simpson, the stupid, tasteless, clueless man incapable of simple achievements.

Now we're thinking this is changing.  The new male role model is not perfect, not as perfect as the male role model of the 2020's will be.   But better. A lot better than Homer.

The new male role model is socially awkward, even inept. And he has few talents or skills.
BUT he has at least one outstanding incredible talent. It's his redeeming 21st century quality.
It is some variation of geekdom.

100 years ago, the male role model began to shift at this point in the new century. In 1900, males were weak, passive and dependent on the strong, assertive female (the Gibson Girl). By 1920 both male and female role models were positive. Think Rudolf Valentino, Ernest Hemingway. Think Clara Bow- the IT Girl, etc.

We see the new male role model on television.  After three years of Monk winning awards, a younger Gen Y role model is emerging.  It is Psych and his sidekick Gus.  What do you think?

Babble reflects excitement of new century

Gave a NineShift keynote at a 200 person dinner of young leaders in Saint John, New Brunswick, all from Gen X and Gen Y. They were most gracious and gave it a standing ovation afterwards.

Then on to drinks with them, young adults all under age 40. "I AM the Tenth Shift," declared one energy officer in the provincial government. A young doctor, after saying he thought most of the changes of 100 years ago actually came before the start of the 20th century, then proceeded to say he was homo erectus (as opposed to homo sapien) and forecast another genetic split in the species moving forward.

Yet among all the babble, the non sequiturs, the tangents, the outbursts, there was this twin excitement. One was about their own individual futures, each one poised to make decisions but with their entire careers ahead of them.  The other excitement was clearly about the new century, the new age, and how incredibly different it will be.

I wonder what Gertrude Stein's salon discussions were like; this seemed a good alternative. Photo: Me with young doctor and young businessman in Saint John bar.

Love affair with car fades with Gen Y: Nine Shift Exclusive!

Nine Shift makes another breakthrough exclusive discovery!  Two in two weeks!

The percentage of young people who say an auto is a necessity has plunged in the last 3 years, according to a Pew Research Center study.  While not in the report, Nine Shift contacted Dr. Wendy Wang, lead researcher for the study, who provided us with the data.

In April 2009 some 93% of people aged 50-64 said the auto was a necessity.  However, only 80% of people aged 18-29 said the auto was a necessity.

In 2006, the different generations both agreed the auto was a necessity, both coming in at 92%.  The huge decline in Gen Y's attitude caused the whole population's rating of the auto as a necessity to decline 3 points, down to 88% overall.  

As Gen Y took over the 18-29 age group from Gen X, notice the percent dropped 12% in just 3 years.

Gen Y is pulling down the entire population's rating of the auto. While the auto is still the highest rated necessity by Americans, the 88% rating is the lowest since surveys started in 1973.  Some 12% of Americans say an auto is now a luxury, the highest percentage since 1973.

Stay tuned for the next poll in another few years, watch Gen Y's love affair with the auto fade even more.

Good sign for trains: people are unhappy

It's been a huge sea-change for transportation in the last 12 months.

One year ago few people thought trains had a chance.
Now everyone's upset we do not have more trains, faster trains, on time trains, trains stopping at their house.

Here's one story bemoaning the slow pace of progress in getting a national high speed rail network more quickly.

Another illustration. I was visiting with my cousins about a newspaper story in which people were complaining a proposed train station in Madison, Wisconsin, will stop at the airport outside of town rather than right downtown.  The sea-change:  no one was questioning the train, everyone wanted to ride the train, they just wanted it to stop somewhere else. 

People are going to be very unhappy with trains for a very long time. And that's a good thing.