Even though we try to solve them with analytic, divide-and-conquer approaches, diseases and well-being are multi-scale phenomena. They operate at genomic, cellular, immune system, body/mind, family, community and global scales simultaneously. Tom Munnecke has been wrestling with these issues for a long time, from his years helping architect what is now WorldVistA to current efforts to define a Health Space that integrates these issues. He’s inspired by the Eames’ famous Powers of Ten short, which is now almost in everyone’s hands as the zoomable magic of Google Earth. Aeronautical engineers talk about “simplicating and adding lightness” to their designs. Have we reached a complexity catastrophe? And if so, how do we simplicate and add lightness to our health care system? With Tom, let’s discuss: What is a Health Space? How is it different from today’s frameworks? How might we jump from today’s siloed approaches to an integrated space? What could each of us do to further this effort?…

The Recovery Act of 2009 (ARRA) brought with it some new health information regulations that extend HIPAA. The new rules have many implications for US health care delivery. As a result, the health care industry is likely to undergo traumas and transformations. Feisal Nanji of Techumen has been pondering these outcomes. With Feisal, let’s discuss: What changes does the HITECH Act bring; how will they affect the industry? What opportunities does the Act open? For whom? Where might health care go, given this new information? Is this positive?…

Picture the many waves of immigration that constitute the United States. Put yourself in their shoes for a moment. When do they feel that they’ve “arrived”? What achievements or signifiers help them feel this way? What obstacles are in their way? That’s what got José Quiñones to found the Fondo Popular de la Misión, also known as the Mission Asset Fund . With José, let’s discuss: What’s do newcomers experience? desire? have? How is MAF set up to help them? Where are such support services headed? What’s their evolution?…

The advertising business has come a long way online since the first online banners back in 1993. Simulmedia CMO Brian Wieser is just back from an annual ad festival in Cannes . With Brian, let’s discuss: What’s happened to advertising since the Net and mobile phones showed up? How are ad-industry players positioning themselves? Who has the most leverage now? Where is the industry headed? Who are the harbingers? Some of Brian’s articles as background: The Ad-Supported Video Industry : A Consumer Evolution, Not a Revolution Marketers, Agencies Enjoy Symbiotic Relationship Frequency-Capping Linear TV Understanding the Upfront Paradox Better TV Metrics Can Up Ad Creativity…

Between new service launches , IPOs , country IPOs (Initial Public Outcries?) and a bit of voicemail hacking, there’s been plenty going on lately. Surely all this raises some questions for you. We’d love to know what they are. Together, let’s discuss: What questions would you love to have answered these days? How are you endeavoring to answer them? Where are your best sources of insight now?…

Last week we talked about Google+ , which with Facebook and a torrent of other sites is raising the volume of unstructured data in the world. At the opposite end, for highly structured data, we have databases. What about what’s in between, especially when communities of practice are collaborating to curate it? One nifty answer is Wagn , a platform that is more structured than wikis and less structured than straight-up databases. We’ve been migrating Yi-Tan onto Wagn. (You can see the list of all calls on Wagn here . Check out the tags!) With lead Wagoneer Ethan McCutchen and frequent Yi-Tan contributor John Abbe , let’s discuss: How did Wagn come about? How does it handle semi-structured data? What are wikis, databases, newsfeeds and Wagn-like platforms best for? How might we all collaborate to create better shared assets using Wagn?…

A UFO landed in everyone’s yard this week: a social web-thing with Circles, Hangouts, Sparks and Huddles. It’s like Facebook, but not like Facebook . Though invites aren’t openly available yet, Google+ (or GooglePlus, if you prefer to write it out) got a great reception this week. Dan Gillmor gave it a B+ ; the Journal seems to like it . Together (and perhaps a special guest), let’s discuss: What is Google+? How does it fit in the platform firmament? How are users finding it useful so far? Please check in. Where would you take G+ if you were Google?…

Few cities are as iconic of America’s industrial and civic fall as Detroit . Dewayne Hendricks grew up in Detroit and left. Recently he returned, to see where and how he might help revive his city. If we can sort out what’s wrong in Detroit, he figures, we may sort out larger issues, too. To start, as part of the upcoming Maker Faire Detroit , Dewayne is bringing James Burke’s Connections notions to the vast collections of The Henry Ford Museum . With Dewayne, let’s discuss: What kinds of initiatives have traction now in Detroit? What models and words work? How do local citizens address rebuilding? Where is Detroit headed? Will it be a city farm, a cluster of inburbs or something else? Here are some more resources of interest for our call: Detroit Works Project Hacking Metro Detroit Ford Rotunda by Bucky Fuller Creative Detroiters quietly rebuild… Detroit Memory Project All these links and more in my Brain online. Yi-Tan Tech Community Call 334 – Rebuilding Detroit –…

To help US fighter pilots win the Korean War in the air (and to help US fighter plane developers design fighters that weren’t inferior to their opponents), Air Force colonel John Boyd invented the OODA Loop : Observe, Orient, Decide and Act (more here and here ). Whoever gets through this loop the fastest wins. It’s called getting inside the opponent’s OODA Loop. This turns out to be a useful analytic framework for assessing who’s ahead in business competition, too. Just think of Apple’s position in the tablet market today with the iPad. Together, let’s discuss: What do OODA dynamics look like in business? Who is great at this? How can you use OODA to assess potential winners and losers? Where is this analytic approach most useful? At what stage in an industry is it apparent?…

Brazil has had its ups and downs, including dictatorships and hyperinflation. Now, though, it seems to be in a solid upward cycle. I’m just back from a trip to Brazil, with stops in Sao Paulo and Curitiba , a city that has become a popular case study of urban reinvention (my photos and videos are on Flickr here and here ). It was an eye-opening trip. With Ricardo Doria , co-founder of Aldeia Coworking in Curitiba, let’s discuss: What did Curitiba do that got so much attention? How has Brazil faced change and fostered innovation? How are the tech and entrepreneurial communities doing in Brazil? Where is Brazil headed, relative to the other BRICS members?…