Yesterday, on my other website, I shared how Google’s new “Project Glass” might soon allow users to receive real-time voice translations of foreign conversations and, thus, render the need to learn a second language unnecessary. Many people–especially pessimists–immediately grasp how the technology might cause some foreign language instructors to lose their jobs. This is overly…

From the category of “turning problems into opportunities” comes this gem from the WSJ, Clean Your Room … or Else, which is about Teenagers messy bedrooms. (Having a 12 year-old daughter this is an issue I have some experience with.) Rather than threaten, badger or nag their messy Teen daughter to clean her room, one…

One of my favorite authors and thinkers, Daniel Pink, has a wonderful post on New Year’s Resolutions. Instead of making a resolution to do something new this year, Pink suggests making a resolution not to change something. Interestingly, by reversing your thinking and asking a different question, you can get human psychology working for you…

Chief Unlearning Officer Jack Uldrich explains how to unlearn–and change your life–without any words.

Let me begin by admitting that it is not easy to smile after losing $25,000. At 3p.m. today, I should be addressing a senior group of utility executives who are part of IBM’s Global Intelligent  “Smart Grid” Network in Campinas, Brazil. Unfortunately, because I failed to secure the necessary visa application I was not allowed…

“One of the most important disciplines in the twenty-first will be no discipline at all,” writes Frank Moss in his new book, The Sorcerers and Their Apprentices—a new book about MIT’s Media Lab. So does this mean the hard disciplines of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and engineering can be abandoned? Absolutely not. Instead, the school—whose stated mission…

Seth Godin has a wonderful post today entitled "Headroom" in which he states, "The only thing worse than being able to say, "my boss won't let me," is having to acknowledge, "my boss will let me." It's a great point. Now what if, as a manager or leader in your organization, you told people your default managerial…

What do you do if you want to sell more carrots? One thing, apparently, is to begin viewing the world from a different perspective. Recently, Fast Company, published this insightful article describing how the creative team at Crispin (an advertising firm) helped BoltHouse Farms increase sales of its pre-cut baby carrots. How did they do…

In yet another example of turning a problem into an opportunity, developers in New Jersey have used fallow land to install a large solar farm on Rutger's Livingston campus. To date, the solar farm has reduced the university's electricity bill by $235,000 and, better yet, earned it $1.4 million in clean energy credits. Related Post…

The Saint Ignatius church in Rome was originally designed to include a cupola. For financial reasons, the feature was never built. In moment, sparked by Divine intervention perhaps, Church officials hired Andrea Pozzo to paint a fake dome on the ceiling over the altar. Today, more than 300 years later, many visitors are shocked to…