Why we adore the technologies that undo our capacities to think
A client sent me a great article this week on how technology is intentionally designed to capture our attention, interrupt our work, and consume our time. The article is by Tristan Harris, a Google “Design Ethics and Product Philosopher” (whatever the heck that job is, I mean, really…). Anyway, the article served to crystallise a […]
Do we overestimate AI because we underestimate humanity?
On my dark days I’m in the “AI is an existential threat to humanity” camp. That’s a camp with a whole lot of pedigree. Think Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, Bill Gates, and now, perhaps, even Tim Ferriss (if his recent musings on Freakonomics are anything to go by). The Terminator movies and TV series are the […]
Netflix vs Blockbuster and the comforting narrative we tell ourselves
I was working with the board and senior management of a radio station last Friday on their strategy. The inevitable topic of digital disruption came up. It’s clear radio is going to look very different over the next decade, but the question no one can answer is what will it look like and when? Of […]
Will Trump win the General?
Will Donald Trump, now that he is effectively the GOP candidate, win the General Election this November? Well, I’m neither a prophet, nor the son of a prophet. And this blog is not a political blog, far less a prophetic one. But, this blog is a blog about thinking. And especially about critical thinking. And one […]
“Prince’s muse … contained multitudes”
(Photo above – Prince in Brussels in 1986 By Yves Lorson from Kapellen, Belgium – Prince, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4171922) Psychologists describe the years between 15 and 25 as the “reminiscence bulge”. These are the years we will go to when asked to tell stories about ourselves. Between the ages of 1