Monthly Archives: February 2006

Are Humans Violent By Nature?

When several readers suggested I read Steven Pinker’s book The Blank Slate for a different perspective on human nature and violence, I was glad to oblige. When I discovered that Pinker is a psychology professor, I should have realized I … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 9 Comments

If Your Whole Life Was Filmed, Would You Watch the Re-Runs?

Dale Asberry has been working on a Personal Knowledge Management project that essentially treats your hard drive as an extension of your memory — an easily retrievable ‘aide-mÈmoire’ like speaker’s notes or mnemonics. Dale’s idea is to use tools akin … Continue reading

Posted in Using Weblogs and Technology | 4 Comments

Ten Reasons Young People Are Afraid to Start Their Own Business

As part of my research for my book The Natural Enterprise, I had the chance this weekend to speak informally with a group of young people (in their 20s and 30s) about whether they would ever consider starting their own … Continue reading

Posted in Working Smarter | 16 Comments

Links for the Week – Feb. 25/06

The Environment Critical Supreme Court Case Could Seal Nature’s Fate in the US: The first major case to be judged by the new Bush right-wingers threatens to eviscerate the powers of the EPA and other regulators to do anything to … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 4 Comments

Taking Things Into Our Own Hands

In recent years there have been some interesting experiments in citizen ‘advocacy’ using the Internet to organize ‘meetups’, petitions, programs and campaigns. Most of them, however, seem designed to confront the existing political system: mobilize protests, lobby, or support less … Continue reading

Posted in How the World Really Works | 7 Comments

Environmental ‘Security’: Bridge or Trap?

A new phrase “environmental security” has worked its way into the political vernacular in recent years. Until recently, “security” was considered a political issue: the enemy was always people, and almost always foreign states. Now, with political violence increasingly of … Continue reading

Posted in Collapse Watch | 8 Comments

Does Innovation Really Start With the Customer?

There are two opposing views on the role of the customer in innovation. One school holds that all innovations start with conversation, observation, and understanding of the customer (current or potential) with the goal of surfacing and then filling an … Continue reading

Posted in Working Smarter | 2 Comments

…and where will we hide when it comes from inside?

three am: i’m haunted by a vague sense of dreadso i get up and stare out the back window: the wind is gusting and it’s the coldest night of the year — i wonder how the juncos and chickadees are … Continue reading

Posted in Creative Works | 14 Comments

The Future of the Media

Industries that cannot or will not adapt to changing customer needs die. That has been the case since our economy began. Public opinion about the trustworthiness of the media and their ability to meet customers’ needs is abysmally low (only … Continue reading

Posted in How the World Really Works | 5 Comments

Could We Handle Real Reality on TV?

I have recently written about our responsibility for teaching ‘our’ children, and about the importance of telling them stories, and paying attention to them, instead of giving them instructions. But are there some stories we should not teach them? Are … Continue reading

Posted in Our Culture / Ourselves | 9 Comments