Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

How to Subscribe to this Blog

It's been two years since Google discontinued its Reader and while many new readers of this blog follow links from Twitter, Facebook, and Google+, others still prefer to see posts when I publish them. You can still continue reading this blog using feedly, the old reader, or a variety of other options, including following the RSS on Twitter. I moved the RSS to the top navigation menu. Many of you subscribe by email. Recently, I added the option of getting the links to recent posts in one place. If you like to catch up on your reading once a week,... Read more →

Finding a Valid Hypothesis for "What is the Meaning of Life?"

“No one can live happily who has regard to himself alone and transforms everything into a question of his own utility; you must live for your neighbor, if you would live for yourself.” [Seneca] This bit of wisdom is from a member of a group of ancient philosophers -- Plato, Cicero, Seneca. The Stoics, as they called themselves because they used to discuss their subjects on the porch (Stoa in Greek), or the public square, debated the question of what constitutes a good person. A philosopher, statesman, and dramatist, and tutor and then adviser to the emperor Nero, Seneca wrote... Read more →

The Difference Between Knowing the Name of Something and Knowing Something

Knowing the name of something is not the same as knowing it. What Richard Feynman said should not be taken too literally, rather it is a good reminder that comprehension is beyond words: “You can know the name of that bird in all the languages of the world, but when you’re finished, you’ll know absolutely nothing whatever about the bird. You’ll only know about humans in different places, and what they call the bird. So let’s look at the bird and see what it’s doing—that’s what counts. I learned very early the difference between knowing the name of something and... Read more →

Stories Change Hearts and Brains

Louis Zamperini was born and raised in an Italian family with modest means. During the arc of his life he grew from rebel to running champion, and then survivor. Unbroken is Laura Hillenbrand's tribute to his story of resilience and redemption, as in the book subtitle. See his journey here. Hillenbrand has first person familiarity with resilience. In the conversation at the back of the book she explains how she came about and became enthralled with Louis Zamperini's story while conducting research for her previous novel, Seabiscuit. She also expands on the condition that gripped her throughout the writing of... Read more →

Why Explicit Language is an Excellent Way of Creating Mutual Knowledge

Language reveals and subtly shapes the ways the human mind makes sense of the world. This is true of body language, which affects how others see us and how we see ourselves as social psychologist Amy Cuddy's research demonstrates. When it comes to what we say, things become a little more complex. A leading authority on language and the mind, Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker says language is a window into human nature, and thus into social relations. In the RSA animate below, Steven Pinker shows us how the mind turns the finite building blocks of language into infinite meanings.... Read more →

Joi Ito Says to Innovate Become a "now-ist" instead of a Futurist

On March 10, 2011, I was en route to Austin, TX where I was planning to speak at two events -- Ignite Austin on the topic of technology and humanism, and SxSWi for a solo talk on influence (an updated version of that talk.) That night, at midnight, a magnitude 9 earthquake hit off of the Pacific coast of Japan. My cousin, his wife and three daughters live there. Like Joi Ito, I was: ... looking at the news streams and listening to the press conferences of the government officials and the Tokyo Power Company, and hearing about this explosion... Read more →

Four Things You can do to Sort Luck from Skill and Avoid Mistakes in Determining Outcomes

The business literature is filled with many instances in which lunch and skill are lumped together. Learning to sort luck from skill will not only help you make better bets, it will also help you analyze you work and that of your team from a fresh perspective. In Think Twice, Michael J. Mauboussin says: “we have difficulty sorting skill and luck in lots of fields, including business and investing. As a result, we make a host of predictable and natural mistakes, such as failing to appreciate the team's and the individual's inevitable reversion to the mean.” [...] “the idea is... Read more →

What new Digital Skills will we Need in the Future?

“The question for brands, agencies and media owners alike is what do you need to be able to do to continue to flourish in the world described by these future scenarios. Are some more relevant to you than others? Which areas present real opportunities for your business and how can you best futureproof your current offer to make sure that you adapt fast enough to lead rather than play catch up over the coming decade?” [Melanie Howard, Chair, Future Foundation] In my view, we will need many of the same skills we need today, including a stronger focus on understanding... Read more →

Namit Arora on What we Deserve for our Talents

In this talk Namit Arora gave at Thinkfest 2015 he explores the concepts of “merit” and “success”, and what we can take credit for or not. He presents three models of economic justice by which a society might allocate its rewards—libertarian, meritocratic, and egalitarian—and considers the pros and cons of each model using examples from both India and abroad. The opening inquiry: A pivotal question in market-based societies is “What do we deserve?” For our learning, natural talents, and labor, what rewards and entitlements can we fairly claim? This question is particularly relevant in market-based societies in which people tend... Read more →

Tina Seelig: The 6 Characteristics of Truly Creative People

Really creative people look at problems through a different lens, they often reframe the problem says Tina Seelig, executive director of Stanford University’s Technology Ventures Program. For example, instead of asking for a conclusion -- what is the sum of 5 + 5? They would look at the equation by asking what two numbers add up to 10? She says: Often the answer is baked into the question you ask, so if you don't question the questions you ask, you're not going to come up with innovative solutions. Framing and reframing problems is a good way to increase our imagination,... Read more →