T-1 is the moment before lift-off, or a number shy of vast unbounded complexity, or a group of fellow travelers, dreamers, and doers who believe in design science as our best path forward into the unknown. We embrace both the beauty and challenges that complexity brings in a quest to move individuals and hopefully civilization ever upwards. We believe in curiosity, wonder, and serendipity combined with the scientific method and a healthy respect for the unknown and unknowable.
Method
We embrace R. Buckminster Fuller’s conception of “comprehensive anticipatory design science.” We learn by constructing theories of emergence and then simulating years in weeks and weeks in days around that change through piloting, making and doing.
Founder
Mickey McManus is a pioneer in the field of collaborative innovation, pervasive computing, human-centered design and lifelong-learning. He is an executive coach to high-potential leaders, a senior advisor at BCG, and research fellow emeritus at Autodesk’s Office of the CTO. He holds 12 patents in the areas of connected products, vehicles, and services.
Mickey co-authored Trillions: Thriving in the Emerging Information Ecology (Wiley 2012). The book is a field guide to the future, where computing will cease to be confined to any particular “box,” but instead be freely accessible in the ambient environment.
John C. Abell, former New York Bureau Chief of Wired and founding editor of Reuter.com noted that, “With Trillions authors Lucas, Ballay and McManus belly up to the bar alongside futurists Alvin Toffler, Kevin Kelly and Arthur C. Clark, offering a vision so compellingly argued you’ll only be surprised if it doesn’t happen.” David Brin, physicist, futurist, and author of Earth, The Postman, and The Transparent Society said, “Trillions is bold, unabashed, ingenious, and absolutely fizzing with insights about the new-modern process of blending design, high-tech, and commerce.”
Trillions was awarded the Axiom Gold Award in 2013 for best business book about technology and the 2013 Carnegie Science Award in the Science Communicator category.
During Mickey’s tenure as CEO at MAYA the company won numerous Consumer Electronic Association (CEA) awards for product innovation, was selected multiple times as a top 20 “best small company to work for” in America by Fortune, Inc, and Entrepreneur magazines and spun-out, launched, or incubated five new MAYA organizations.
While exploring design science and complex system authoring tools at Autodesk he helped co-create the learning engine initiative where machine learners help human learners thrive over their lifetimes.