Who’s Ted

I recently ran across the ted.com website based on a blog entry from Thinking and Making. The TED site is opening (through video casting) a window to an “exclusive” or maybe better an “inclusive” group of some thinkers and achievers on TEDTalks. Other presenters of interest: if you’re a lefty then you’d like Al Gore’s talk, if you’re a righty Rick Warren from saddleback speaks about having a purpose filled life, and if you need some motivation (or better: inspiration) Tim Robbins presents. Personally I enjoyed some of the Architect’s presentations.

Not many disagree that the IT Software industry needs some self regulation and that we don’t have to reinvent things. For instance Architects have been around for a while and are better regulated than their software counterparts. So, when I can, I read about and research non IT architect related architecture items and design principles.

An impressive presenter and architect named Joshua Prince-Ramus, I guess he is the “lead” architect on the Seattle Public Library building. If you are a software architect, or for that matter, any type of IT Architect, you should review the video. Joshua shows with simplicity how to find large project requirements and get developers to build the requirements. Although he talks about concrete and physical structures, an IT Architect should definitely understand how it relates to code and silicon.

• Hyper rational process
• Loose the baggage of “rational” thinking to come to a better conclusion.
• Think about design as typical requirements, in against the grain patterns.
• Architecture by team
• Everyone on an architecture team owns the authorship as no one person owns the architectural artifacts.
• Design to Compartmentalized Flexibility
• Keep requirements distinct in the design.

Take a look at the Louisville project. The architect actually explained how the developer can build the architecture cheaper by utilizing an unconventional building development pattern.

Another, architects (presentation) at the TED site is Cameron Sinclair. He discusses an open source model of architecting and designing for times of humanity crisis. IT architects can take away a few items of interest and apply them in architecture practices.

• Getting the “Community” (read: owners) to accept and own the design.
• Design is to improve the community and not to design a jewel.
• Starting/Growing/Cultivating an architecture community of practice.
• Promoting good design practices.
• Working with governance and be a good governor.
• Architects are more like conduits.

Bill Joy spoke at TED as well, and I sent an email off to the TEDTalks people to see when they’ll cut the video for his presentation. Hope to see it soon.