On 2 May 2006, one of the Synergetics Collaborative'ss (www.synergeticists.org) co-founders, CJ Fearnley (www.CJFearnley.com), presented a model of Buckminster Fuller'ss 12 Degrees of Freedom Tensegrity Tetrahedron to the Philadelphia Business Journal'ss 40
Under 40 time capsule.
As part of the Philadelphia Business Journal'ss 40 Under 40 award banquet, each winner was asked to present an object for the time capsule and say a few sentences about why they selected
it. The time capsule will be opened on the 25th anniversary of the 40 Under 40 event in 2015.
The 40 Under 40 program gives us an opportunity to put a spotlight on some of the young and increasingly influential leaders in our region, said Bernard Dagenais, editor of the
Philadelphia Business Journal. These individuals have established themselves as leaders through their professional and volunteer achievements. They have made a difference and can be
expected to continue to do so in the years to come.
The text of CJ Fearnley'ss speech explaining why he chose to contribute a 12 Degrees of Freedom Tensegrity Tetrahedron model to the time capsule follows:
This is one of Buckminster Fuller'ss 12 degrees of freedom
tensegrity structures which I assembled with the help of my
non-profit, the Synergetics Collaborative. The key idea
of a tensegrity is a system held together by a continuous
sea of pull-force strings (the nylon thread) while its
push-force struts (the knitting needles) do not touch.
I selected a tensegrity model because my business and
engineering philosophy has been inspired by Buckminster
Fuller'ss Synergetics, his Geometry of Thinking. For me,
it models our inter-dependent responsibilities and the
nature of dynamical stability. It represents the Linux
and Debian communities, my company, LinuxForce'ss
workforce teams, our market economy, our ecology,
and much, much more.
A photo of CJ delivering the speech is on-line at
http://www.cjfearnley.com/pbj.40u40.jpg
Buckminster Fuller'ss 12 Degrees of Freedom Tensegrity Tetrahedron is on-line at
http://www.rwgrayprojects.com/synergetics/s04/figs/f0100.html
Synergetics Collaborative
The Synergetics Collaborative (SNEC) was initiated in August 2002 in a meeting between Russell Chu, Joe Clinton, CJ Fearnley, John Kirk, and Jeannie Moberly. SNEC organizes face-to-face
workshops, symposia, seminars and other meetings to help explain and expand on Buckminster Fuller'ss Synergetics. The Synergetics Collaborative is dedicated to educate and support
research and understanding of the principles of Synergetics. SNEC is in the process of applying to be a non-profit educational organization. For more information refer to www.synergeticists.org.