iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

To riff on this metaphor, “there’s a distrurbance in The Force”. But also, “I am one with The Force, and The Force is with me”

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I’m trying to convert that “bad feeling” into something positive, just like the alliance did against the empire in Star Wars. At the same time, they incurred a lot of losses along the way, and maybe that’s what I’m feeling and sensing now.

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But it feels as if we are building small alliances of creators who are in touch with what it means to generate content that comes from a human perspective and is written for other humans, instead of AI written for algorithmic metrics.

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At the same time, I see this enormous swell of artists, designers, writers and creators embrace platforms like this to share their ideas. Is it the Rebel Alliance? The parallels feel oddly similar, and not just because I grew up with Star Wars as a big part of my life.

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The speed at which we’re seeing content swarm through platforms and the increasingly harried response of content creators to try and ‘get ahead’ of something that’s the equivalent of trying to outswim a tsunami is something I see and feel.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

There’s a line repeated in the original Star Wars films and said by multiple characters at different times “I have a bad feeling about this”. That’s how I am feeling as I go through any platform I love.

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This is the kind of changes that our health system needs. By reducing 17 programs down to 3, The Royal in Ottawa made mental health services more accessible by reducing unnecessary and unhelpful segmentation #strategicdesign #designforhealth www.theglobeandmail.com/gift/b3decac...

theglobeandmail.com

Leading mental health hospital cuts wait times by condensing programs, hiring and tracking data

The Royal, in Ottawa, used to run 17 different mental health programs – now it’s just three

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

So much fear and in many forms. Recognize the barriers and the signs if you seek to snap out and innovate better censemaking.com/2020/09/10/i...

Innovation’s Fear Factor Censemaking

Innovation implementation is affected by fears and drawing on the psychology of social games we can overcome them.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Welcome to the artists, designers, and creatives who represent the future of our humanity. And no, I'm not using that ironically or indulgently. Our capacity to connect, create, and make independent of anything artificially-driven will keep us grounded if we don't let it pass.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The whole "elbow-to-elbow" idea of crowds in nature is such a put-off. How is that we've transformed parks, mountaineering, and nature walking into a social media sideshow? (I ask, rhetorically) explore-mag.com/i-went-chasi...

explore-mag.com

I Went Chasing Larches in Alberta. Here’s Why It Wasn’t Worth It – Explore Magazine

Did I get the photo? Yes. Was it worth it? No.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

The Three Future Frames framework is a means to help you imagine the future from close-up and far away, to provide multiple means to envision and explore prospects. Through better framing, you can better future. smithery.com/methods/thre... #foresight #strategicdesign

smithery.com

Three Future Frames

An intuitive futures framework for zooming in and out on a single imagined future. Model, workshop format & teaching tool from John V Willshire of Smithery.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

Canada's first weather station was established at King's College, University of Toronto, on this day in 1840. That led to an entire system of forecasting and informing that's saved lives. www.theweathernetwork.com/en/news/scie...

theweathernetwork.com

Canada’s long journey to 1,000+ weather stations - The Weather Network

Dedicated weather observers began recording conditions across the country in earnest back in the mid-1800s

Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 06/09/2026

I have been an iA Writer user for more than 15 years and continually fall in love with it over and over. It's simple, it's elegant, it's functional, and it focuses on writing; that's it. AND you can own it and not have to pay some subscription fee to maintain it. ia.net/writer

ia.net

iA Writer: The Benchmark of Markdown Writing Apps

Plain text. Total focus. The Industry standard Markdown text editor. Available for Mac, iPhone, iPad, Android, and Windows. Download it now, try it for free

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

This case study on how Nintendo's leaders took voluntary pay cuts to show their commitment to the cause is an example of where values and leadership come together to support innovation. People will follow leaders who lead by example. #leadership gapingvoid.substack.com/p/if-theres-...

gapingvoid.substack.com

If There’s A Wii, There’s A Way

Remember the Nintendo Wii?

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DESIGN THINKING! Comic @designthinking.lol · 31/08/2026

Tell me what you want. #webcomics #comicsky

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MIT Press @mitpress.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Today’s climate movement remains bedeviled by a pervasive sense of nihilism. To counter this way of thinking, @leahstokes.bsky.social encourages us to replace the concept of a carbon footprint with a new idea: the carbon wave. thereader.mitpress.mit.edu/the-climate-...

thereader.mitpress.mit.edu

The Climate Crisis Is Bigger Than Your Footprint

The climate crisis won’t be solved with lifestyle choices but through political pressure and bold collective action.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Thanks exactly it. It was an event and you enjoyed the anticipation, the experience of being part of something, and the debate over the best, worst and how it all fit into a universe.

Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

💯my best friend (who lives in the US) and I made sure we went to the opening weekend together for every film until it just got so… meh. The last one, we never even talked about until about 3 months after the release (which was just over 3 months ago). Sad

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

If we want to create spaces for people to enjoy, we need to give them things to do and places to rest. Benches in public spaces are often an afterthought, yet how can expect seniors, parents of small children, those with injuries or ailments, or just people who are tired use them if they can't sit?

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..and others. If you're leading people and if you've designed an environment that is based on true (earned) performance, craft, and integrity, you'll want to contemplate what this discussion means for your workplace.

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Building Integrity in the Age of Normalized Cheating

Building on my earlier post on the article from @adamgrant.bsky.social, check out the conversation on his pod with Brene Brown. It's all so depressing, yet important for us educators to listen to podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

podcasts.apple.com

Podcast Episode · The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant · August 27 · 1h 3m

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Opinion | There’s Really Only One Way to Stop Students From Cheating

This terribly (and misleading) titled article is nevertheless an important reflection for any educator. A rethink of what we teach, how we assess things, and what kind of moral environment we create is necessary if we wish to foster learning, not gamesmanship. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/o...

nytimes.com

Blue-book exams are fine, but we need to address the issue at its root.

We can’t create a future we want if we can’t envision it and then marshal our energy toward making it so with clarity, intention, craft, and skill. Another reason why design matters — it’s not just about the art of making things attractive. #design #strategicdesign

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Our ability to adapt, shape and respond is shaped by our ability to design well. Design is that conscious creative force that connects our vision, our values, and our desired future together tangibly through thinking, making, and deploying new things into the world. #strategicdesign

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

“The more control you have over your attention, the more control you have over your future.” – James Clear.

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This useful article is designed for non-scientists, but I think many of my colleagues could use the reminder, too. Some tips on what to consider when reviewing research and trusting experts theconversation.com/when-to-trus... @theconversation.com

theconversation.com

When to trust the experts? Follow these guidelines to evaluate science on any topic

Science works through a process of revision. As consumers, we must learn how to evaluate how mature evidence is, and always remain flexible to new findings.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

If it’s about pure content, I don’t see a problem. Many scientific articles aren’t all that creative in their style, formatting, or prose. Many papers are bland reproductions of others. So for that, AI help might not matter. But what comes when we can’t think through authorship anymore?

Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

I’m less concerned with the fact that scientific papers have AI-generated writing and more with 1) whether it’s accurate, 2) what happens when we relax our conventions to the point where people don’t know how author anymore, and 3) whether the entire enterprise is cheapened by this.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

This is surprising only that we’re at 90% in 2026 — I thought it would take a year. We are at an inflection point where the volume of human-authored material is about to (statistically speaking) vanish. I’ve no idea what this means for us.

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Cense @censemaking.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Are you planning for your fall and the convening (or reconvening) of your research or practice network after the summer? The welcome, connection, and curation space for new and old member is a vital part of this process. Be the networking host people want. Need help? www.cense.ca

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

"Unsubscribed successfully" is among the biggest BS statements the Internet offers.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 21/08/2026

The commentary and reflection from Brene Brown on this episode on the psychological and cognitive tasks associated with AI content is spot on. Jump in about 6:30 for the lead into the best bits: podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/t...

podcasts.apple.com

The Curiosity Shop with Brené Brown and Adam Grant

Society & Culture Podcast · Updated Weekly · Research professor Brené Brown and organizational psychologist Adam Grant are partnering on a new weekly podcast grounded in an unflinching commitment to l...

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

The @mitpress.bsky.social is a phenomenal account for staying in touch with creative books on topics like design and innovation. What a great Bluesky feed. It's one of those "feels like old Twitter, back when it was good" kind of accounts.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

What could a country devoted deeply to making, thinking, and shaping things (innovating) look like? Singapore is providing the example with structural shifts and educational support, not just platitudes monocle.com/affairs/soci... #innovation #design

monocle.com

The secret sauce to Singapore’s clever population? A push for creativity and curiosity

The city-state has re-engineered its education system to produce the world’s smartest citizens in everything from science to the arts....

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

Among my biggest (small) pet peeves: the complete lack of regard for "opting in" and "opting out". I'm automatically enrolled when not asked, and the link to unsubscribe is perpetually broken. Gotta wonder what kind of metric distortion is going on in marketing dept's when they look at click rates

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

There’s nothing like watching the YouTube version of a podcast I love and realizing what a wasted amount of energy it all is. As soon as you‘re ‘performing’ with the cameras on, you can’t put it all into creating the same aural atmosphere.

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Erika Hall @erikahall.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

truly bleak when sending sympathy flowers

add a detail name, memory, inside joke

rewrite with AI

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Remember when developing a website that had details about you on it was new and exciting -- like seeing your name in print? Years later, I'm realizing how many places there are for such things (and it's still kind cool, and weird) linktr.ee/censemaking #strategicdesign

linktr.ee

Cameron D. Norman Official: Instagram, Twitter | Linktree

Strategic designer for health and innovation, educator, and coffee lover ☕️🥐

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Cense @censemaking.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

We always need to think and rethink about what we do and that includes design thinking. A rethink of what we mean by it and what it is intended to do has been in the works for a while. What are the ethical questions we need to consider in this effort? #designthinking censemaking.com/2020/08/17/r...

Rethink Design Thinking Censemaking

Design thinking needs rethinking about ethics, tools, and models.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 17/08/2026

A principled performance comes from design. We can't expect to be good, do good, and perform well if we don't design the conditions for it. That requires time and space. As we see the last of August, hopefully you find some of both. #creativity #innovation censemaking.com/2024/08/17/t...

Time and Space for Creation Censemaking

Perspective-taking is the intentional act of changing the frame in which you view things. We can design for it and, if we’re fortunate, we can these perspectives to design us. It’s midsummer …

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Cense @censemaking.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Artificial Intelligence and Creative Human Capacity Generative AI allows us to create content, but it doesn't allow us to become something more. A look at how design and human creation transform us and how AI… censemaking.com/2026/08/14/artifici…

Artificial Intelligence and Creative Human Capacity

Generative AI allows us to create content, but it doesn't allow us to become something more. A look at how design and human creation transform us and how AI is taking that from us if we let it.

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Cameron Norman @cdnorman.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Looking over some older posts and was reminded of how much work I’ve done looking at the power of journalism and communications for health. Another piece comes out tomorrow, but for now, here’s one on the topic that’s still relevant with new issues censemaking.com/2015/02/14/t...