September 25 Future of Work Blog repost from 9/25/2006 The new O'Toole and Lawler book, The New American Workplace, points out clearly that too many organizations treat people as an expense. We spend too much time looking through the lens of the industrial age and believe at the deepest level reducing the expenses associated with people and replacing them with automation will … [Read more...] about Human Capital and Other Investments
Archives for 2010
Science, Uncertainty and Being Right
The October 2010 Scientific American reports on an exclusive poll about trust in science. For the most part, people trust scientists, but not at the highest level, especially when it comes to things that non-scientists have personal experience with. At the low end of the trust rung were food safety, vitamins and supplements, genetically modified crops, pesticides, … [Read more...] about Science, Uncertainty and Being Right
Learning Pathways: Grand Challenges, Small Venues
When I was in sixth grade, my teacher, Mr. Lovejoy (at Broad Ave Elementary School), had me tested using the Stanford-Binet IQ test. I did pretty well. He decided that his classroom was not the place for me but that he, as a mentor, would work well. So he started giving me college textbooks and free rein to create science experiments for other students. I spent most of my … [Read more...] about Learning Pathways: Grand Challenges, Small Venues
First Pass: What’s Wrong with the Grand Challenges for Engineering
At the risk of committing more overthinking of the Grand Challenges for Engineering, I want to take a first pass at discussing what I think is wrong with them in a very specific way, and honing the list into something more grand. Here is the current list: Make solar energy economical Provide energy from fusion Develop carbon sequestration methods Manage the nitrogen … [Read more...] about First Pass: What’s Wrong with the Grand Challenges for Engineering
STEM: Abstraction is the Problem with US Lag In Science, Engineering and Math
I am listening to To the Point from Warren Olney. The discussion is on science, technology, engineering and math or STEM and why America is falling behind. I think the big issue is abstraction. We are suffering from a cult of knowledge. We talk about the knowledge economy. The knowledge economy may well be a STEM issue, but it is an abstraction. When I hear about the Grand … [Read more...] about STEM: Abstraction is the Problem with US Lag In Science, Engineering and Math