Start Talking about the Future
Look Ma no more texting and driving:
Show Your True Colors: Fear Commitment
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson Question: What do chameleons do? They do many things but the one thing they don’t do is change color to match their background. Chameleons do, however, change color in response to changes in light and temperature. They also change appearance when frightened or [...]
The Future is No Game
Two new companies, Badgeville and OneTrueFan, are now helping other companies build “game dynamics” into their websites. What they are doing is helping companies keep potential customers on their websites by rewarding them with the equivalent of frequent-flyer miles. But instead of offering free flights, they are offering prizes, access to premium content, and “points” [...]
Driving into the Future with Supercomputers
The idea of self-driving cars still seems a little far-fetched to many people. I, however, believe we are getting closer all the time. For starters, two robotic cars are currently driving from Italy to China. This speaks to how robotics will play in this future, but there is another interesting development going on which I [...]
Unlearning is Like Changing the Oil in Your Car
Once we learn something it is hard to unlearn it. This is especially true if we learned it in our youth. To this end, ever since I began driving in the early 1980's, I was told to change the oil in my car every 3000 miles. While I haven't been a stickler about the rule, [...]
I’ll Drink to a New Approach to Underage Drinking
Like many people, I consumed my fair share of alcohol in college. Now that I'm a parent and my own kids are approaching high school age, I have a decidedly more conservative perspective on the consumption of "adult beverages." The one thing I am convinced won't work is relentless lecturing about the many risks associated [...]
The Grass isn’t Greener on the Other Side
“You don’t understand something until you understand it more than one way.” –Marvin Minsky Question: Are there more words which begin with the letter “K” or which have “K” as their third letter? With words such as kangaroo, kitchen and kite readily springing to mind it is easy to assume there are more words [...]
Clothing’s Intelligent Future
Stain-resistant clothing, clothes that can open garage doors, clothes that can release perfume, and even water-resistant cotton. These are but a few of the advances that coming in the field of clothing and fashion.
Practice Intentional Imperfection
“He who hesitates because he feels inferior is being surpassed by those who are busy making mistakes and becoming superior.” –Henry Link Question: If a poor man can make one cigarette from six butts, how many can he make from thirty-six butts? Seven. He makes six cigarettes, smokes them, and uses the six new [...]
Unlearning Requires Slowing Down
The Wall Street Journal has an informative article on running entitled Why Trainers Say, 'Slow Down.' It does a good job of punching a hole in the "more-is-better" mentality espoused by many in the marathon/distance running community. (Including, I should add, myself -- once upon a time.)From an unlearning perspective, however, I especially enjoyed this [...]