The Art and Science of Connections

While reviewing my posts, I began thinking of connections and how seemingly unconnected events can provide meaningful and sometimes surprising connections, which can then further enhance our understanding of the subject. Every Friday, I read Simon Fodden's Friday Fillip blog and yesterday he too was discussing connections in his Degrees Of Connections posting. As opposed to Steven Johnson's concept of mentally connecting ideas for innovation, Fodden offered a mechanical option through Wikipedia's Xefer site. This search engine, using Wikipedia articles, can connect any three words to come up with a search list of articles connecting those concepts through a visual "tree of knowledge."

I plugged in three concepts from my previous blogs, not obviously connected: inherit the wind, redemption, discrimination. The results are fascinating as Art and Science truly come together. 

Of course, this mechanical connecting encouraged a mental one and I started making connections between my blogs. Here is my first "six degrees of connections": October 12 Law, Literature, And Inherit The Wind to November 9 Freedom Of Expression In The Classroom to November 8 The Pridgen Case and Freedom Of Expression On Campus to October 18 Wristbands Are In Effect: The Keep A Breast Campaign to October 25 On The Road To The Supreme Court Of Canada to October 22 The Road Taken By The Supreme Court Of Canada which leads back to the October 12 blog. Whew.

How did they connect? I went from Inherit The Wind, the play involving the prosecution of Mr. Scopes, a teacher who taught evolution in the classroom which connects to freedom of speech in the classroom and the PEI case of Mr. Morin showing a controversial documentary in his grade 9 class which connects to freedom of expression by students on campus involving the Prigden case just heard before the Alberta Court of Appeal which connects to freedom of expression of students wearing breast cancer wristbands which connects to what cases have been heard before the Supreme Court of Canada and the Whatcott case involving freedom of expression issues intersecting with freedom of religion issues which connects to the case the SCC should hear on freedom to be free of religion in the classrooms as a result of Morinville, Alberta school and the Lord's Prayer which connects back to Inherit The Wind and the freedom to be free of religion.

How was that for a weekend brain twister? Try it and make either mechanical or mental connections. Who know where they might lead? 

Thirty Day Review

Under s. 525 of the Criminal Code, there is provision for an automatic bail review for those accused who have been detained in custody pending trial. If the matter is a more serious indictable offence, the review occurs within ninety days. If it is a less serious summary conviction matter, the review is within thirty days.

This review acts as a procedural safeguard by keeping track of those in custody. It is also an important aspect of the presumption of innocence as the judge determines whether the further restriction of liberty of those merely accused of a crime is justified. Additionally, the review reinforces the Charter right to reasonable bail.

Borrowing the nomenclature of the Criminal Code, but not the analogy, this is ideablawg's thirty day review. Ideablawg has been in operation since October 10 and the weekend postings will offer updates on the issues discussed. As part of this thirty day review, I invite you to send me an email with your favourite post or even with ideas for future posts. As the creative thinker Steven Johnson said:

We are often better served by connecting ideas than we are by protecting them... Environments that build walls around good ideas tend to be less innovative in the long run than more open-ended environments. Good ideas may not want to be free, but they want to connect, fuse, and recombine... They want to complete each other as much as they want to compete.

Update on Thursday, November 10, 2011 at 6:25AM by Lisa A. Silver

FYI, a list of the blogs can be found on the "home" page.