February 27, 2017

a16z interviews Yuvi Harari

The podcast explores more provocative questions. With all the data that we are giving freely to Facebook and Amazon etc, one day they will be able to predict our tastes better than loved ones and maybe even better than what we can. What happens then?We have to look at the issue of job losses not from one country's perspective but from multiple perspectives. If the technology developed in say US, leads to job losses of factory in Bangladesh, who should compensate whom and by how much? Who will determine the level of compensation? How will AI impact the way schools are designed and structured? And of course, what happens when techno-religions gather more followers?

February 25, 2017

The new language of leadership

The leaders cannot engage employees until they start levelling with them as equals. They have to stop looking at employees as fans who have gathered to watch the leader shake hands or make a brief appearance. The new media is all about two-way communication, conversations and deep engagement. They have no choice but to learn the new rules. That means rethinking the power equation between leaders and followers.

February 18, 2017

Introduction to Storytelling by Pixar

I am a fan of Pixar's storytelling style. I don't know if you have ever read their famous 22 rules of storytelling? If you have not, you must. Some of the tips are really super useful to newbies like me who are fascinated enough by the magic to want to be a magician. But for now one has to be grateful that I am getting to read the magician's book of spells before he returns. I make a quick note of rule number 2 in the Book of Spells.

February 5, 2017

Half Pants Full Pants

If you have read Malgudi Days, you will love reading Half Pants Full Pants. It will make you think of your childhood. In retrospect, those wonder years were truly magical. This book captures the magic of wearing half pants and the exasperation of dealing with adults who wear full pants. He says, “The book is set against a backdrop of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Apart from the excesses of childhood madness and adventures that we indulged in, the book captures nuances of social mores, traditions and mindsets of South Indian Brahmins in a small town.”

February 4, 2017

Can we teach people the way we teach machines?

Affectiva has gathered more than a billion data points to learn how human emotions differ based on the device, the content and of course, the individual viewer. These data points are then analyzed based on inputs from psychologists and experts. The machine tries to identify emotions in real time. The human experts coach the machine and tweak its algorithm and help it improve. Why don't we teach humans with the same rigor.

January 28, 2017

The secret of feeling motivated at work

Mastery is an endless pathway that you can use to stay motivated regardless of the work you do. A barista could build further expertise by learning about different recipes of coffee. Or about the rituals around coffee in different parts of the world. And become a storyteller who tells a new story involving coffee to a customer. Maybe you could have storytelling sessions about all the interesting people who love coffee. The day you can discover that the opportunities for mastery in your field, whatever that might be, is really endless, you will stop dreading the beginning of the work week.