Conversation Agent - Valeria Maltoni

Why we need cinema

Stories continue to ignite our imagination. I used to love going to the movies. From the black and w... Read more →

How 'Revenge' Ruined Travel

We closed down just as the world started reopening up. ‘Revenge travel’ is a media buzzword we can trace back to 2021. Just when the world began to reopen. It was than that people decided to make up for lost time. The thought of avenging or punishing goes with the idea that the virus was the enemy. It fit the metaphor. Indeed, many past mistakes and misdeeds came to the fore during the critical period of the pandemic. But ‘revenge’ is not, as some pundits said, another way of saying ‘life’s short, I want to connect with humanity and nature.’... Read more →

The Summer of Lore

How Eras, Renaissance, and Barbie are signaling the desire to find a personal way out of the morass of the 'data-driven' perspective of our own making. I haven’t gone to see “Barbie.” I don’t know if I will. Cinema theaters are not a favorite space. Though I do love open theaters, like the one in Piazza Maggiore in Bologna in June. Somehow people hush and get still better when everyone can see them. My hair stylist loved the movie. She went with friends. They enjoyed the sing-along, and got the puns. When Barbie blurts out, “You guys ever think about... Read more →

It turns out aliens speak English (almost exclusively)

What language should the world speak? There are enough “unidentified anomalous phenomena” wreaking havoc with climate here on earth right now without adding those in outer space allegedly investigated by government agencies. Yes, I’m talking about UFOs. After retired Maj. David Grusch’s testimony in January and the subsequent denials by the Pentagon, a congressional subcommittee met to hear from others. We’re in 2023, but these conversations have been going on since 2017 (the 3 Navy videos leaked to The New York Times.) A NASA panel is reviewing hundreds of sightings over 27 years. Given all the activity here in America,... Read more →

Public Truths, Private Lies

How we cannot help our nature―but we can improve our culture. A man in the semi-distance looks inside the apartment across and the yard below. From the activities taking place in view, he develops a narrative piecing together body language and action clues. Third party observational narrative feels real to the moviegoer who becomes immersed in the sequence of events ‘as seen or described’ by someone else. Hitchcock’s 1954 Rear Window was way ahead in describing the view behind a lens. We’ve always been fascinated by the lives of others. Social media and search engines took advantage of the social... Read more →

The Glue that Holds all of our Relationships Together

We all have the desire to be seen, heard, listened to, and treated fairly; to be recognized, understood, and feel safe in the world. Some time ago I worked with a company to help build a narrative to diminish turnover and create lasting impact. It’s the kind of work I love to do—help a team and company flourish. And in this company, I came to realize that what they needed for that to happen was dignity. I did what I could to begin the process of many shifts in perception, talking, and sharing stories among the people in the team,... Read more →

The Economic Value of Culture and Creativity

Arts and culture add value beyond economics—how do we value those benefits? With all this talk and excitement around AI, we overlook the role of the arts and creative industries and their positive impact to human health and well-being. Two decades of research found that the arts and creative activities provide direct and indirect benefits to health and well-being. More than 3000 studies say exposure to the arts prevents diseases, promotes health, and can treat and manage disorders. Specifically, Daisy Fancourt, Saoirse Finn found that the arts can: help people with mental illness support care for people with acute conditions... Read more →

How Seemingly Senseless Acts Make Life Worth Living

The value of rituals in life… and in commerce. Carrie walked into her mother’s home to find her sitting on the floor, surrounded by relatives and friends. She was wailing after having just buried her son. Nobody seemed to be able to offer any consolation—in fact, any attempt had her cry harder. “Why don’t you make us tea, mom?” It took an instant. All of a sudden, her mother stood up, composed herself, and went into the kitchen. Several minutes later in she walked with a tray filled with a hot teapot steeping, lovely china cups and biscuits. Hot tea... Read more →

Get Ready to Face Resistance for Your Originality

Most people embrace new ideas only after they’ve become widely accepted. There’s a reason why you keep seeing the same posts throughout social media. Different avatars and logos, similar stories. If you’re a student of history, you’ll see the phenomenon more clearly with the benefit of distance. Paradigm-shifting ideas have always encountered resistance. Because they challenge our thinking. As individuals—and culture—we get into grooves. People say they want creativity, but deep down they don’t. What they want is acceptance and belonging. And that means going with the flow. Hence the sea of sameness. We love the work of original artists... Read more →

Humans’ Tool to Make the Infinite Comprehensible

Saints, armies, medicinal plants, treasures, book titles, nature collections, survival kits—the essential nature of lists. Swiss businessman Jean Henri Dunant was traveling in northern Italy when he spotted the aftermath of what became the decisive battle between Franco-Sardinian and Austrian forces. 40,000 troops dead, wounded or missing near the small village of Solferino. On June 24, 1859, Dunant became a stretcher-bearer. Alongside others who were equally ill-equipped to deal with the situation, he took on the unpleasant task of retrieving broken bodies from the battlefield. It was triage at its worst. A terrible start for one of the most useful... Read more →