Andrew's Digital Domain

Update (04/10/2013) Came across another interesting video on the same subject (thanks to  Stanislav Glozman ) Original Post (12/13/2010) Very interesting video that I found via a reference in one of the Information Technology (IT) online publications that I read on a pretty much daily basis: I liked many things about it - the format, in my opinion, is awesome; the presentation is dynamic; and, of course, the content is quite interesting. This "new theory of motivation" departs sharply from the established practice of monetary incentives and instead emphasizes the following three intrinsic human motivators: Autonomy Mastery Purpose I have first discovered these ideas in the book called  "Cognitive Surplus" by Clay Shirky. The format was not as animated, but the ideas about these intrinsic motivators (and how they sometimes can be canceled by an addition of a monetary incentive) were interesting nonetheless. The book was a good read, though I mus...

What precipitated this post you might ask? I'll tell you what - it was The Kojo Nnamdi show, the segment aired on or around April 9th of 2012 and was titled " Buy American ". It got me so fired up that I had to wait for a month or so before trying to write about it. What was I doing all this time? - Thinking about the subject matter and trying to come down. So, here's a quick synopsis (and I suggest you use the link above to listen to the whole thing online): Despite the popularity of slogans like, "Buy American," our trade deficits continue to soar. One proposal to address the problem is more detailed country-of-origin information on products to help shift American shopping habits. Meanwhile, the United States is pursuing a “NAFTA of the Pacific” trade agreement that would lower trade barriers with several Pacific countries. We explore how these ideas might affect the economy - and prices. Want to dig a little deeper into the views of some the people f...

Years ago I picked up a DVD of BPS documentary called "The Persuaders" at the Boarders bookstore. Well, since then the store went under and the proliferation of the Internet and online services made access to content much easier, and in some cases completely free (unless one chooses to pay for the DVD quality video and an ability to watch it offline). Does one have anything to do with the other? Probably, but it's not what this post is about. It's about the documentary. I found it incredibly interesting and in some ways eye opening. Check it out, see how far the persuasion industry takes its advertising mission (and keep in mind that by now it is probably significantly farther than at the time of the documentary's release in 2004); how it view us, the consumers (roaches being sprayed with ads until developing resistance); how it blends advertising and reality (to the point when one can't tell them apart); etc.  In short, enter The Persuaders   (click on the ...

Today, a colleague has shared the following article with me " University of Florida Eliminates Computer Science Department, Increases Athletic Budgets. Hmm. "  Here's a quick excerpt: “Actually, the real villains here are the Florida state legislators, who have cut the budget for their flagship university by 30% over the past 6 years. Meanwhile, just two days ago, Florida governor Rick Scott approved the creation of a brand-new public university, Florida Polytechnic University, to be located near the city of Tampa.” What do I think about this? Well many things, but most of all: i nstead of looking for the villains or trying to do good with other people money - of course, thinking of the public good in the most objective way, which usually turns out to be somewhat skewed and biased, at best - we should get out of the business of subsidizing education in this fashion and let the market forces work. The education should cost what it costs, and if it is paid by people who...

A while back I have written a post about two popular books by Nobel Prize-winning economist   Milton Freidman . Books that had, through their  undeniable logic, a  profound and lasting effect on my  socioeconomic and political views: Now, through the digital powers of social networking the legendary 10-part PBS TV series "Free to Choose" (1980), based on the book of the same name, is available on YouTube. Yes, one would be committing about 10 hours of one's life to watch through all of these; but, in my opinion, this would be time well spent. So, enjoy -  " Free to Choose ".

I've been going through some of my old notes and decided to pull a couple of them together for another post. Decision making is an interesting subject, something that applies to all spheres of our lives - from everyday decision making, to economics, politics, etc. In some cases it is desirable to delay making decisions as long as possible - " I've learned one thing in politics. You don't make a decision until you have to" ( Margaret Thatcher ); in some we need to make decisions quickly - the rapid-fire decisions that make up our daily lives. Sometimes we need to rely on intuition  and instinct, sometimes it is necessary to carefully consider and weigh a complex set of inputs and variables. But regardless of the circumstances we can benefit from getting rid of myths surrounding decision making and becoming more aware of the inner processes we use to make those decisions. For example, the following article from the  Harvard Magazine:  " The Marketplace of Perc...

4/6/2012:  Came across an interesting article in Harvard Business Review titled " The Magic of Doing One Thing at a Time ". It is just full of information that really resonated with me. To quote the conclusion - " When you're engaged at work, fully engage, for defined periods of time. When you're renewing, truly renew. Make waves. Stop living your life in the gray zone. " There are also a few references there to other great articles: Nearly half of employers say workers are burned out on their jobs Slow Down, Brave Multitasker, and Don’t Read This in Traffic Manage Your Energy, Not Your Time Take Vacation Now, Be More Productive Later Not too long ago I read a book titled "Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams" by Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister. It was a good book and I enjoyed reading it, but I did not find any groundbreaking or truly novel concepts in it. So, I would call the book very commonsensical, but I still find reading abou...