LATEST BLOG POSTS

People ask what the effects of artificial intelligence will be. In most of the talk I come across, people tend to ask what AI will do for them. Will using it help them? Will others using it lead them to miss out? Sometimes they wonder if it will help them directly, as opposed to helping them do their jobs. They wonder if it help them in their loneliness like a[…] Keep reading →

When people become corrupted—that is, when they act against their values—they come up with what I call cockamamie schemes. They create elaborate plans that a moment’s reflection would show are impossible. Before the Civil War, for example, people created schemes to colonize Liberia, Nova Scotia, and other places with freed slaves as a way to solve the problem of slavery. People then also came up with the “Diffusion Argument,” which[…] Keep reading →

You may remember me posting about Two personal bests in a week: Freedom, in which I jumped 8.4 pounds (3.8 kilograms) in my Turkish get-up to 70 pounds, plus lifted more in my presses. I think I commented that part of why I tried it when I did was because it was the end of a month with 31 days. I do a six-day exercise cycle starting on the first[…] Keep reading →

This week I finished: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton: I’m sure I’ve written about this book before. I first read it when I was CEO of Submedia, so over twenty years ago. I’ve given away more copies of this book than any other that I didn’t write. I reread it now because it’s the choice for the book club[…] Keep reading →

I joined a group trying to find ways to fly less. One of the themes of the group was to show that “taking the train is just as good as flying.” I found this approach counterproductive. It set flying as the norm and other ways of traveling as alternatives. I think some people saw flying as the best and other ways of traveling as trying to measure up as best[…] Keep reading →

I’ve written and recorded a bunch lately on the peaches and heirloom tomatoes I’ve been eating tons of lately because people don’t take them. Here are those posts: I took a picture of the tomatoes so people could see how some are bruised and the skin broken. Maybe many people would find them unacceptable. In the picture below, the one in the upper left is pretty bruised, but didn’t lose[…] Keep reading →

I wrote last month about how I love recognition for my work and friendships that others pay for, like going on the field for batting practice. This time I can’t help sharing about access to another big New York City institution. A friend works at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It turns out that since Wednesday is their maintenance day, it’s closed to the public but open to staff and[…] Keep reading →

I’m deep into writing my next book. It takes a lot of work, and I don’t just mean time and attention. As part of the process, I went to the Metropolitan Museum of Art today. I wanted to see finished great works of art to inspire me, but I also hoped to see something in particular, and I found some examples. I wanted to see sketches and studies. Sometimes a[…] Keep reading →

I’d been thinking about pets. When most people lived on farms or hunted, they played a functional role, at least I think. Today, they’re more of a self-indulgence. Yes, we love them. We don’t know if they have consciousness or can love, but we believe they love us back. They seem to enjoy life, which is an end to itself, even if they don’t serve any function for us. Still,[…] Keep reading →