This web site breaks almost every rule there is...

My apologies.

This is a biography and a part time work in progress.

It is, at this point, less than 25% of anything approaching a comprehensive statement - beware premature conclusions.

It is also a working site... for myself and for many of those that choose to come into my life.

The reason that this is organized this way is to establish and hold context.

It would be much more efficient to do it in a conventional manner.

However...

If done that way, the central message would be lost: everything here has to be taken in context with everything here - and everything it is linked to.

Else...

Too much is stripped away.

One of the problems with modern life is too much is stripped away. Too often, in our rush to be efficient, we lose meaning.

Life becomes mechanical. I reject this.

Architecture is the blending of art, engineering and building with living and work processes... and business - not one of these can succumb to the other.

In the end, great Architecture fuses spirit into stone and facilitates life.

Architecture is my passion. Everything I do springs from this well.

 

This site is updated almost daily - sometimes several times a day. It is a Notebook of my past, present and future. It is the story of what I have learned. It contains what I most want to pass on to others. It helps me organize for what I want to learn and do in the future.

Go here to see recent updates.

Go here to see list of Anchors.

If you want to do business with me, and do not make use of the material within this site, you may be in for some surprises.

Think of this as a Manual to
Matt Taylor.

I have provided it, please be polite enough to use it. We will both save time and avoid future collisions.

 

My way-of-working is building things. These may be mental models, virtual process spaces or physical environments for people to work and live in. I am a designer but I do not like to leave it “on paper” - I want to make it real, use it, test it, redo it. To me, an unbuilt/not-used design is just something waiting to be done.

I have, of course, a lot of unbuilt designs. This is why I am going to live a long time.

 

 

There is a season for everything. And, with each period of time, an appropriate mode of thinking and work.

What is appropriate is unique to each of us.

How we, individually, treat time-space, or do not, is a critical design-strategy issue for everyone.

It has great impact on our quality of life and how we approach work.

It also makes the context that frames our personal, creative mental space.

Creative work is perhaps the single greatest, sustainable source of joy possible to a human - it is the one thing that can never be taken away from you.

This is a documentation of my approach to this subject.

It is a documentation of my practice of making places of work.

 

 

The following “places” house original materials and documents related to work methods I use, organizations I work with and activities with some clients that I directly work with.

The materials are linked to each other and to various places inside and out of this web site. Over time, this grows a rich archive of my work engagements.

This material is proprietary and access is provided, personally, my me.

I do this on a need-to-know basis and with permission of those whose interests are involved.

 

 

Below, the conceptual basis of my work is explored - along with a few rants on various subjects.

This acts as a conceptual index to the many articles in this site and elsewhere.

 

 

This concept, process and tool-kit is what makes ValueWebs possible. It is the sum of what we at MG Taylor have learned in a quarter of a century of facilitating the creative process of intelligent agents.

It is the output of our journey and intellectual profit for our effort. It is also the path to our own organizational renewal.

We are beginning to learn how to make and use the kind of organization we set out to create: a powerful ad-hoc, self-managed, network organization that is is a fun and financially rewarding place to be.

Now, we can do the work that we set out to do. Now, we can address systemic issues.

We have been building a base - the really interesting work is ahead.

The interesting problems are systemic.

Traditional process cannot deal with the complexity inherent in systemic situations. They default to parts fixing and (the resulting) sub-optimization.

The PatchWorks process is the first, systematic, comprehensive, transferable disciple designed from the beginning to deal with complexity.

It took over 40 years to create since the first question about complex issues was asked.

It took 25 years to build an organization that can begin to deliver the goods.

It rests on a new way of working that does not fit into the 20th Century mold.

Everything changes when you go here.

Beware!

 

 

Complex works cannot be accomplished on one’s own or in a vacuum. By their nature, they require collaboration - the push and pull between different vantage points.

Collaboration does not mean agreement or everybody sharing the same position or ownership.

Collaboration means everyone is engaged in the process and everyone has access to everything necessary to the work.

Partnership is a rare and different model.

Partnership does, however, require collaboration.

True partners have to “own” an enterprise or project together - and then, in time, pass it on to others to be recreated.

Partnership is mutual risk, effort and mutual gain.

True collaboration and partnership requires integrity and integrity is the most scarce commodity in our society today.

Our society is one of circumstantial everything...
convenience ethics...
no risk integrity...
honesty when it serves...
truth when it proves my point.

 

CAMELOT'S Home

Gail's Home

 

Really interesting works are outside the scope of a single human perspective, capability - or working lifetime.

Because of this we form organizations of various kinds.

The purpose of an enterprise is to create and share wealth. Wealth can be expressed in many forms in addition to money. In time, every viable organization takes on a life of its own, emerges its own culture and goes its own way - in time, organizations die.

Like any life form.

People pass through organizations and leave their gifts - the organizations, if well designed, evolve and persist. If well managed, even in death they seed the future.

You don’t work for organizations, they work for you.

Likewise, you do not distort them for you own singular purpose - they have a life of their own.

 

MG Taylor News

AI Home Page

KnOwhere store

Where is CAMELOT?

 

iterations is the private venture of Gail, myself, Todd and Jeff.
It is a vehicle whereby we will take the harvest form our first years of work and focus our efforts
on the next phase.

It the principle vehical by which we will manage,
in a socially responsible way, whatever wealth is generated by our work.

 

ITERATIONS HOME

 

These are organizations - founded by others - that have attracted my
energy and participation.

I expect there will be many more in the future.

 

 

Everyday I have the choice of about 20 places to work that, in some way, I had a hand in creating. In fact, I spend time only a few days a year in a space that was not derived from our work. This has some interesting implications.

One is that I have “gone native” - when I am in a conventional environment, I do not know what to do.

This lead to a couple of disastrous sessions until I realized what was happening.

I thought about adapting then decided I really didn't give a damn about working in, to me, non-fuctioning environments based on old ways of working.

This, of course, imposes a cost.

We invested millions to create our environments - compared to this what is the (lost opportunity) costs of staying out of ones I don’t like?

Everybody has to choose...
This might be the main point of this whole web site.

 

 

Gail and I, presently, home base in two places: a 1150 square foot Eichler home in Palo Alto, California and CAMELOT, our 22 ton gaff rigged sailing vessel.

We just sold, in February 2000, our our 800 square foot “electronic cottage” built on the intersection of a pine forest and a wet lands in Hilton Head South Carolina.

These are working, as well as, living environments - they exemplify the practice of building small, compact, high quality but modest places that place design and craftsmanship higher than size and show.

They are more comfortable with nature than typical buildings of today.

This is a practice that I intend to bring back to a greater level of recognition and reality.

 

Our Past Sealoft

Tour CAMELOT

 

I will build a Studio for my reentry into a broader practice of Architecture.

This project will be under design between now and then.

I am already “working” there in my mind.

It is the sum of my 44 years of study of the architectural art and the place where I will explore the architecture of this new Century.

I expect architecture to go through a profound transformation over the next 25 years.

 

Bay Area Studio

Hilton Head 1996

Cambridge 1997

Palo Alto 1997

 

In total, since 1979, we have built six environments for our own use. We sold the Cambridge Environment to EY in the Fall of 1998. Today, we operate facilities in Hilton Head, Boulder and Palo Alto.

These are our places of business and our Labs for advancing the Art.

In addition, we share usage with several of our client NavCenters.

 

AI 1998

 

Building and transferring the practice of NavCenters is a major focus of MG Taylor Corporation today. This is done by the KnOwhere Stores.

There are several operating and more on the drawing boards. The goal is to build and global network of NavCenters that can share non-proprietary information and resources
- and in doing so -
facilitate the transformation of the organizations that they serve.

We are just beginning to see sufficient critical mass and the expected synergy between these ValueWeb nodes.

Enough to know that a significant network will yield remarkable results..

 

CNL 1985

AEDC 1992

NASA 1994

CHP 1997

Borgess 1999

 

From 1982 to now, we built a handful of client Nav Centers. Now, more are on the boards than have been accomplished in the last 18 years.

This is accelerating both the experience-base, the useful outcome and the opportunities to create more NavCenters. We are starting on a positive return path.

We have found many who have dreamed of, defined and conceived of wonderful alternative environments - our focus has been on building them... on doing it.

Practice is what counts.

 

 

From the Fall of 1995 to the Fall of 1998 MG Taylor’s main work was to License, support and transfer our DesignShop process to Ernst and Young Consulting.

This was an exciting, sometimes difficult and, ultimately, rewarding experience.

Today, EY operates several ASEs (Accelerated Solution Environments™) globally and is building more.

They use the DesignShop process to support the delivery of a wide variety of consulting engagements.

They do a very good job of it and have enjoyed outstanding success in adapting the method to their market opportunities.

EY did a remarkable job of going to scale with the ASE concept - not an easy thing to do.

This was the first large-scale transfer of a segment of our IP and we learned a great deal in the process.

MG Taylor is working several more Licenses of similar scope.

 

EY CHICAGO

EY ATLANTA

EY LUTON

EY NEW YORK

EY CAMBRIDGE

Much has been accomplished. Much remains to be done.

Is the glass half full - or empty?

The dream was built long ago - reality takes a little longer.

Today, the physical environments we are building are accomplishing what was on the drawing boards in the 50s and very early 60s. Some new projects, now on the drawing boards, are beginning to reflect concepts of the 1970s - - this is a long lag time..

The technology tool kit is what was conceived in the 60s. Yolke Incorporated is just begiining to code these software concepts.

Processes that were envisioned in the 70s are now firmly established and we are inventing new ones based on these 20 years of experience.

Bringing it all together, into a complete system is just starting to happen.

We have a Patent pending on the integration of all these methods, systems and processes.

The purpose of the Patent and other IP is not to keep it too ourselves - the purpose is to accomplish ubiquity in a just way.

In this society, those that create are not always rewarded for their efforts even to the point of being able to continue their work - this is not a functional situation.

We believe that ValueWebs will deal with this.

IP is becoming the great battle ground of this era - it is ignored with peril.

If you have IP, you can always give it away - if you do not have it, it is almost impossible to get.

Beware!

SEALAND - 1996

CAPITAL HOLDING - ’92

ACACIA - 1982

MENTOR CORP - 1981

BOULDER AMC - 1980

RENASCENSE - 1976

LEARNING EXCHANGE

PERSONAL ENVIRONS

 

It takes great effort to build a different kind of environment - and too often, too great a risk.

After awhile, these projects start to feel like children. It seems a sad moment when one ends its service and goes away. But, in reality, It is all part of a natural cycle.

People, environments, planets - everything - change and evolve.

The issue is how this is done - not if.

Being a Transition Manager is about facilitating these shifts.

To keep an environment viable requires constant attention - and reinvention.

To think of them in the first place - to figure out how to build them, and run them - takes imagination and persistent hard work. It takes many iterations of design, build, use to create an environment and maintain its life.

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

So, after four decades, the ideas developed in the 50s, 60s, 70, 80s & 90s are beginning to find a market.

This has been a slow process for many reasons. Part of the purpose of this web site is to document the process and discover why this is so.

Perhaps, something can be learned from this review.

At least, those that would take a similar journey can know what they are getting into.

Is is worth it?

YES!

Over the years, certain ideas keep hanging on - demanding to be done. No matter what field is plowed they keep turning up. Some of these fall into the scope of my present work, some are for the “the future” - All persist.

Many of these projects are part of the ongoing work of developing the tool-kit.

Some are applying the capacity we have created to “new” interesting opportunities.

The list will probably get longer...

IP

REMOTE PRESENCE

EARTHSHIPS

CYBERCONN

USONIAN REVISIT

TRAVEL KIT

2020 PROJECT

GAIA PROJECT

CAMELOT II

RENASCENSE III

The most important thing to remember about all this is that it is the ART that matters - engineering supports the art.

The why is as important as the doing.

Everyone’s body of knowledge is unique to them. It is the sum of what they have experienced. How it is organized, however, sets the future utility of it - for them and for others. The frame, structure, system and content of a life’s experience is, perhaps, the most important artifact that any of us can build.

How we archive this experience determines much of its availability to others.

How often we churn it determines its freshness, and in many circumstances, range of applicability.

“Knowledge” cannot be static and be knowledge. Knowledge is only in action.

Knowledge exists when there is an intellectual formwork that integrates memory, experience, intent, purpose and action into one moment - this is when you know.

This is the “sweet” spot in sports and the “state-of-grace” in spiritual practices.

A KnowledgeBase, therefore, must be interactive - it is not what is in the media, it is what happens when this engages in a dialog with what you are.

It is in what happens because of that interaction.

FUTURE CURRICULUM

READING LIST

I have had many teachers. They “live” in me every day. They argue a great deal because they are widely divergent in their world views and interests. It is my task to bring them to harmony and action in the work of building a new world.

If you add up Frank Lloyd Wright, Ayn Rand, Bruce Goff, Bucky Fuller, Gail Taylor and the others you will not get Matt Taylor. However, if you removed them from my experience you would get a very different Matt Taylor.

Each of us passes the gift of some part of ourselves to someone else. In this way we never die. The truly important things you do, play out for centuries.

Consequences - there are always consequences.

I think that living a good life is leaving better consequences.

Frank Lloyd Wright

Ayn Rand

Bruce Goff

Budd Gilmore

Bucky Fuller

Gail Taylor

Another thought about teachers.

Because someone is your teacher does not mean you have to agree with everything they are - nor that they would “endorse” what you are...
or do.

You do not have to defend them - nor they you.

For someone to be your teacher means that they could teach you - nothing more.

For this to happen, in a primary way, means that you have to respect them - and love them. Else, there is no power in the relationship.

Your have to be able to first submit and later become independent.

This is a process.

We really don’t remember - we recreate the past. We see the past from the experience of all that has happened in between then and now. We remember in anticipation of a preferred future. We recreate ourselves first in our minds - and then by action.

Many people have one years experience 40 times - they don’t think about their lives, they don’t challenge themselves. They don’t re-member.

The idea is to have 40 years experience 40 times (or more) - to build a body of knowledge.

One’s story is a creation - first, by the life lived; second, by what was learned; third, by how it was remembered and told.

1947

1956

1963

1974

What is out there? A key question. We are becoming a global society of knowledge-worker hunter-gathers that live in affinity-based tribes.

We see opportunities, and - augmented by technology and organization - we form enterprises, design, build, ship product, learn, profit, celebrate and disband. We then wait the next season.

Seeking and learning what’s next is a critical skill in this new society. Weak Signal Research is essential to success. Waiting to read about it in Fortune or The Wall Street Journal is too late.

How often you are surprised by news is a measure of your unnecessary risk.