-
Technology and the Virtues: Change Yourself, Change the Future
·
3–5 minutes·
2 comments on Technology and the Virtues: Change Yourself, Change the FutureWhy write about the future? I’ve never seriously tried to predict the future, a fool’s game if there ever was one. Most science fiction writers are perfectly aware of the contingent nature of the future, and prefer to think about how new technology, and the new abilities it affords us, might alter our lives and…
-
On Fun, Learning, and Craft
Last week’s show of Thinking Allowed had a solid-gold conversation between Prof. David Gauntlett, author of Making is Connecting, and Prof. Richard Sennett, a sociologist at NYU and LSE, on Craft and Community. It began as an exploration of David Gauntlett’s book about ‘modern craftsmen’ on YouTube and other online venues but quickly flowed into…
-
The Pursuit of Perfection
Not only have the terms of success changed but also the very terms of life. For a person who can live within his illusions, the career has to be perfect, the wife has to be perfect, the children have to be perfect, the home has to be perfect, the car has to be perfect, the…
-
On Justice (2010 Reviews, Part 1)
Since moving into a new flat two months ago, I resolved to demolish my pile of unread books that had been eyeing me reproachfully for far too long. Counting some extra books I tackled after the pile of doom, I read: Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? by Michael Sandel The Lifecycle of Software…
-
Can a Game Save the World?
On December 9th 2007, a curious event took place at the University of South Carolina football stadium. As 29,000 people filed inside, each was given a piece of paper bearing four names and phone numbers. During the event, each person called those names and asked them to vote for Obama in the coming primary election.…
-
Future Selves, Other Selves
There’s a fascinating series of articles at the New York Times Magazine this week about charitable giving. While many of the articles tend to cover the same ground (e.g. the move towards measuring the effectiveness of donations) there are some real gems there: Consider Mr. Improvident, who is just like us except that he is…
-
Great Success = Some Talent + A Lot of Luck
Spotted this wonderful, and very accurate, ‘equation’ by Daniel Kahneman: The Secret of Regression to Mediocrity Success = Some Talent + Luck Great Success = Some Talent + A Lot of Luck The term ‘regression to mediocrity’ (also known as ‘regression to the mean’) was first coined by Francis Galton in 1886. Galton showed that,…
-
On the other side of silence
A little while ago I manage to acquire the last four years worth of In Our Time, a Radio 4 panel discussion that covers every subject under the sun in a very engaging and thoughtful manner. I’ve been working my way through the archives, usually alternating between topics that sound interesting (e.g. Agincourt, Tea) and…
-
Arup’s Key Speech
Lately, I’ve been thinking about the values that companies hold, and how they influence what they do. Many companies have mission statements or tenets or core values; some of them adhere to those values, some ignore them, and some can literally be defined by them. But are they actually helpful, and how do you come…
-
Where’s Adrian? (The Sequel)
Next week, I’m speaking at a couple of conferences on Perplex City in London. Can you guess I didn’t get much notice? Anyway, if you happen to be going to either, please say hi! Tuesday November 28th: BBC Audio Drama Festival. I’m speaking on the Gaming panel, which is at 9:30am and also repeated at…
-
Subscribe
Subscribed
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
mssv 