29 Jul Zooming

“Goodbye Piccadilly, Farewell Leicester Square” Thank you for the memories.
And hello kitchen, comforter and … air-conditioning.

Hello, fellow Tilters, from the various airports on my way home – London Heathrow LHR (outline and downloading photos), Halifax, Nova Scotia YHZ (draft) and Toronto YYZ (final edit, polish and publish E46).

In this edition I’m going to leave some thoughts out there:

• Mindset – how do you transition from one “state” or place to another?
• Perspective – I discovered how to use the zoom on my smartphone – and a whole new world has opened up to me

Transitions & Touchdowns

“Ummm, what did you say?” It was Monday, but I realized that I’d already started my transitioning process. My body was still in London, but my mind was getting ready to return home. Much as I love London, I’m looking forward to the “familiar” – cooking in my own kitchen and watering the flowering pots and vegetables on my patio. And while I am conflicted about its contribution to global warming, I have a palpable appreciation for the privilege of having air conditioning available to me.

Transitions and transition mindsets are special pillars of interest to me in my work at Tilt the Future. Transitions happen all the time. Sometimes we absorb them seamlessly into our work. Other times they signal a significant shift in our behaviour.

So here are some transitions currently on my mind:

• Crossing the Atlantic – just the physical journey involving boarding passes, packing, suitcases and Covid-related check-in routines
• Returning home to a regular routine and my own desk and screens
• Life transitions. Particularly all the students who will transition from being high school students living at home to being independent young adults over this summer. Leaving behind my do-it-all mother who is struggling with ceding her control, I’m also considering how aging is a different kind of life transition.
• The specific skill sets we need as we straddle working in a world already anticipating the Future of Work, while still living in a world governed by structures and rules that serve the old Industrial Era economy (FYI this transition may last a generation or two)

So, a question to each of you: what do you notice about your own transition mindset? How do you incorporate this knowledge into your behaviour when you have to make a change?

Zoom out. Zoom in.

I’m really excited to share a new skill I learned while in London. I discovered that I can zoom 30x on my Samsung Galaxy S20! (I know. I over-use the ! Charlie Bleecker, but this one REALLY deserves it!)

I discovered the technology by accident. My sister, niece and I were out for a late evening walk in the park, trying to catch some cool air. We were enjoying the moon and recalling the craters that we had seen through the binoculars the previous night. “I wish I could take a photo of the moon,” I started, pointing it at the tiny white orb in the sky, and fiddling with the screen. Suddenly, a little window showed up on my phone screen and I was able to zoom further, and further, … and further in.

“You won’t believe what I did!” I exclaimed to a friend on our return and I shared the technique with her.

Yesterday, as we visited the gardens at Capel Manor she showed me how she’s practicing the skill:

© Sharon Botelho

“Wow. Just WOW!” Look at that detail. All with the 3×6” wonder that seamlessly slips into our back pocket.

Together, we carried on experimenting:

As we were joyfully focused on the abundance of nice fat bumblebees zoom zooming around, an unusual blue butterfly floated onto the scene:

Like this feature? Want to know how? Here is what I found

(From AndroidCentral)

On the Galaxy S21 and S21+, you’ll see this preview starting 20x. On the S21 Ultra, it’ll appear at 30x. Aim the camera at a distinct subject, such as text or a person. The camera will analyze the shot and, after a moment, the preview box will turn yellow to denote that Zoom Lock has automatically turned on

(From Samsung.com)

The 30x zone is only available in Photo mode.

1. Open the Camera app on your Galaxy S20.
2. Tap on the ratio settings at the top of the screen.
3. Select Full. (Some posts suggest 3:4)
4. Zoom in. When you zoom in past 20x, a mapping box will appear on the screen to help indicate where you are zooming in to. (I also advise taking a deep breath to steady yourself)

Inspired by our efforts above, I noticed this windfarm off the coast of Ireland as I was flying home today. So I took a stab at zooming in. From a plane.

A whole new world has just opened up!

Sharon, thank you for embracing what I showed you. I am a peer learner. I absorb new information better via the curiosity and explorative questions of my fellow learners. Your joy and experimentation zoomed my enthusiasm 30x.

Thanks to John Nicholas who inspired this section when he shared his learning journey with Figma via Nate Kadlac in his recent edition of Creator Corner.

What is one skill that you learned recently that surprised you so much that you just had to share it?

Those of you who own my book might recognize Zoom In and Zoom Out as two of the decision techniques. Funny how certain skills and metaphors are transferable. “Contours of Courageous Parenting – Tilting Towards Better Decisions” is based on the Farnam Street mental models, and how we can teach ourselves and our children better decision-making from a young age. Click here for the reviews and buying information.

Is there something in this edition that you want to share forward?