Over at HBR, resident blogger Alexandra Samuel — she with the fab wardrobe — kicked up a "shitstorm" (as she calls it) on January 16, 2013 with a post entitled "Dear Colleague, Put the Notebook Down". The central plot in this missive was for people of today’s organizations to drop their reliance on pen and paper and to adopt an entirely digital transcribing practice. Whether through a tablet or laptop, Alexandra argues "you’d make better use of your time if you took your notes in digital form, ideally in an access-anywhere digital notebook like Evernote that makes retrieval a snap." Who am I to argue with that? I haven’t worn a watch since 1982 when I was eleven and the last time I took a pen and paper to a meeting was, well … never. That’s right, I’m 41 years-old and I have never carried a pen and paper to a meeting. I also wrote a 90,000 word book entirely in Evernote … and blogged about it too. Shoot me, HBR commentators. When I started out my career as a high school teacher in 1994, the meetings I attended during those three years were ‘spray and pray’. I sat, I listened, I remembered, and I left. No need to write anything down there. As I ventured over to higher education in 1998, I recall a story involving my Associate Dean. At the first meeting with her and the team when I joined the organization, it took about 5 minutes for her to stop mid-sentence and ask, "Dan, where’s your notebook?" Of course, I didn’t have one. What the hell was a notebook? "I remember everything," I said with a naive grin on my face. Either perplexed, ticked off or nervous that she had hired the wrong guy, she replied, "Oh really? We’ll see about that." At the next meeting, that’s when my all digital note-taking commenced. I arrived with a rather large IBM laptop (no Lenovo sell-off back in 1998) and began my life in the digital world of transcribing. I’ve been clicking — and now tapping — ever since. So, this year is my 15-year anniversary of such a practice. It’s become a habit, a personal discipline, but I honestly don’t think about it anymore. It’s a bit like breathing. Which brings me back to Alexandra and her post. With well over 200 comments and 95% of those vitriolic, negative or condescending, it made me and a few others think twice. Although I may have implemented my practice a decade and a half ago, it seems Alex and I are outliers. I too believe it saves time and it would be so helpful for many to at least try the option for a while and see if it suits their work style. Alex is right, and she had the guts to blog about it — at HBR no less — knowing full well what a "shitstorm" it would cause. I’m in defense of Alexandra Samuel not because she employs the same practice I’ve used for years, nor am I defending her because she had the courage to challenge the reader. I’m defending her because I don’t want to see her reputation suffer. The comments found on the site give me great concern for her reputation, and I’m here to defend it. Does she deserve the vitriol? Absolutely not. Even the Maple Leafs deserve to win the Cup one day again. Could she have delivered her message and sage advice in a more helpful or nurturing manner? In my opinion, yes, she could have … and I’ve said as much to her already. (Disclosure: we’re friends) Where have we landed, however, as an internet society if we stoop to anonymous comments that attack the author, regardless of message or intent? Are we that partisan? Are we that divided? Are we that forgetful of citizenship? What has happened to us when we use terms like ‘ignorant snit’, ‘hack’, ‘obnoxious’, ‘egocentric’, ‘offensive’, ‘unprofessional’, ‘one of the worst pieces of advise (sic) I’ve read on HBR’ and ‘you seem to be an expert in arrogance’. Alexandra cares. Alexandra shares. Alexandra lives her life in the open so others might learn from her advice, experience as well as from her mistakes. Et tu brute? Have we become a society where the difference of opinion — even at a reputable place of collaboration like HBR — is attacked by what I might define as verbal violence? She had the gumption to weigh in on the comments too … well over twenty times. Alexandra Samuel is a digital pioneer; a champion of change in this new found social world order. She might learn about tone and intent from this experience; however, we all can and will always be able to learn from her. She is open, honest and collaborative. She cares. She shares. I am in defense of Alexandra Samuel. You should be too. Related Posts:Let’s Rename Micro-blogging to ChattingI Wrote a 90,000 Word Book Entirely in EvernoteVancouver is Home to Several ‘Social’ Rock StarsAutotelic: The Word of 2013My Network is my Net Worth - Part II

Too many people still think technology and the elderly go together like peas and guacamole. The post White House: We Need More Tech to Handle an Aging America appeared first on WIRED.

The title of Chapter 3 is "The Connected Leader" This 77 second video snippet sees me (Dan Pontefract) describe the background to Chapter 3 of the book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. What does the Arc de Triomphe and General Sherman have to do with being a Connected Leader? Hmmm.   Related Posts:Flat Army: Chapter 4 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 2 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 6 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 5 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 11 Overview

We continued the #maketechhuman conversation on cocktail napkins at the WIRED Business Conference in May. A couple of themes that keep surfacing in the #maketechhuman debate are concerns about (loss of) human connection, as well as technological advances inevitably outpacing regulation, not to mention meaningful global debate around the philosophical and ethical implications. To the […] The post Cocktail Party Conversation: What are you excited/worried about? appeared first on WIRED.

One of my favourite people on the planet is Luis Suarez. Not just an IBMer, a collaborator, an interlocutor or an inhabitant of Gran Canaria Island in Spain — how cool is that — he is one of the foremost outliers pushing our organizations towards a world without email. And who would blame him? No matter what statistic you read or research paper you (hopefully) digest - like this one - email traffic is growing and it doesn’t seem to be stopping. Luis argues "if there is something out there that it’s killing our very own productivity, it’s not email itself, but our abuse of it that’s killing such productivity." I believe him. My problem is not with Luis, his approach or his quest … it’s with the rest of the world. Judging from the current and forecasted state of email, I see no way for email to be completely eviscerated from our collaboration practices. In fact, I don’t think it’s going to go away at all. We must adapt our attitude to email. We must change our habits. So, with email firmly gripping our attention and actions, I thought I might share with you how I handle it on a daily basis. Let’s first start with the definition of email. No, not the one from Wikipedia or PC Magazine, rather my own definition. I think email is any form of direct contact made to you that is done through web or internet enabled services. There are the classic examples such as Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo! and your corporate email or ISP email as well. You may use Outlook or Lotus or whatever messaging system or application is provided to you to send and answer these types of emails. For example, I have three classic email addresses; a corporate account, a Gmail account and an account through this site. But that’s not where electronic mail ends for me. I’m on Twitter, Skype, Google+ and Facebook. Each of these services offers ‘direct mail’ opportunities. This is still a 1-1 (or one to many) electronic mail instance you have to handle. LinkedIn is also on the list. These have to be considered as email types too. Where I work, we also use micro-blogging and IM (instant messaging) applications. Isn’t this another form of email when people can contact me directly through 1-1 means? Of course it is. And what about texts and voicemails? Sure, why not. When someone leaves me a voicemail, I have it transcribed into text and it’s sent to me via email. When it’s a text, it’s merely another form of electronic messaging. And that’s really my point. Email has morphed into electronic messaging; we have to take into consideration all forms of messages that we are responsible to read and even answer. To look simply at the classic definition is naive … and that’s why I don’t think it’s going away. Now, about my system of managing all types of electronic messages; I call it DADDIO. I know what you’re thinking; why have I devised a pneumonic that paints me out to be some sort of caricature in a B-rated film? Fair enough. At least it’s something I can remember. Before I detail each of the DADDIO categories, one thing I do that helps is I’m plugged in most of the time. Whereas 76% of people check their email accounts six times a day, I’m somewhat of an outlier. Whether through my mobile device, tablet or laptop(s), I equip myself to be scanning these electronic messages most of the day. Sure, I exercise without a device (although sometimes I’ll be plugged in when on a spinner) and I hang with the kids, Denise, friends without being rude. But if there are moments during a day - work or play - when I might address the messages in the queue, I do so. I have set times when at work to handle this as well, most notably from 7:30-8:00am and 4:30-5:00pm. The bottom line? I try to achieve inbox zero (in whatever inbox those messages gather) all the time. And with that insight in mind, I employ DADDIO: Delete I am ruthless. After the quick scan, my gut reaction is to delete and for many of the electronic messages - particularly unsolicited ones - they end up in the bin. Action If it can be dealt with immediately, I’ll do it. Perhaps some of my responses are curt, but I’d rather be curt than let it sit there and collect digital dust. If it needs a more thorough response, see the next point. (Twitter only permits 140 characters, right?) Delay After the scan, if I can’t delete it and I can’t act on it immediately - and it needs my direct attention - I delay it to another point in time. It’s ideally the same day, but no promises. Delegate Maybe I can steer the request in another direction. Whether Google+, Twitter, traditional email, etc. if someone asks for me something and I don’t have the answer (or I don’t have the time) I will delegate down, across or up. Interrupt Twice a year, I interrupt my rules for a ‘life without electronic messages’. In particular, I check out from ‘work email’ and relax everything else to a trickle. I firmly believe that for 4-6 weeks a year my brain needs a break from this rigid regime. Optimize Wherever I can, rules are implemented and ways to consolidate messages are optimized. Keywords send certain messages to certain folders, local or on the cloud. (I then proactively delay action) Electronic messages aren’t going away. If you have suggestions to improve my own DADDIO philosophy, I’d be keen to hear them in this space. Related Posts:Hey Microsoft! Why Not Merge Outlook with SharePoint?Email, A Love StoryYear Zero: The Future of Communication Skills in…Why I Love Newsle5 Ways to Become Less Collaborative at Work

The title of Chapter 4 is "Becoming the Connected Leader" This 84 second video snippet sees me (Dan Pontefract) describe the background to Chapter 4 of the book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. There are 5 key attributes leaders should employ in order to demonstrate ‘Becoming a Connected Leader’. What are they? You’ll have to watch the video to find out. Related Posts:Flat Army: Chapter 3 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 2 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 6 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 5 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 11 Overview

These glass luxury pods are the new glamping. The post Cliff-Hanging Sleep Pods Take Glamping to New Heights appeared first on WIRED.

In December of 2012, Twitter announced it had surpassed 200 million users. As TechCrunch noted, it was a 42% increase in their user base in under a year. Wow. Of course it was CEO Dick Costolo who let us know in the summer of 2012 that 400 million tweets were being sent each day. With the increase in users since that time, one can easily surmise we’re well past this number in early 2013. These data points got me thinking. How am I ever going to read 400 million tweets a day? No, not really. I’ll save that for a trip to the Library of Congress where they have already collected 170 billion tweets and are still going strong. What I’m referring to is our (or perhaps my) approach to Twitter. Upon reflection, I think I’m missing out. When I’m on Twitter, I’m scanning streams, hashtags and searches that I make. That part is ok and I’m learning a lot as a result of my usage habit. But what I’m not doing enough of is spending time reviewing the streams of individuals. I’m not putting time in my personal time management system to review what individuals have ‘tweeted’ over a period of time. Because I may check Twitter infrequently, I may be missing out on potentially golden tweets of individuals. Because I may be searching or scanning hashtags for certain topics, I may be missing out on sage advice, links or thoughts because I don’t pick it up during my normal Twitter habits. Those tweets are buried on the profile of a Twitter user. That’s going to change. I’m going to start checking out past tweets of individuals, in case I’ve missed something. I’m not simply going to follow on Twitter anymore, I’m going to spend time reviewing. Related Posts:Learning is Lurking (Part 2 of 2)deets on tweetsTweet Kings & Pretty Things (aka Micro-Blogging Habits)I’m Not Scared of Email; I Developed a System called…I Unfriended You On Facebook. Are We Still Friends?

Here is a numerical model to explore baseball range and density. The post Does the Density of Air Matter in the Home Run Derby? appeared first on WIRED.

The title of Chapter 5 is "Being a Connected Leader" This 75 second video snippet sees me (Dan Pontefract) describe the background to Chapter 5 of the book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. Building off of Chapter 4 (Becoming a Connected Leader), Chapter 5 suggests five additional attributes that help you to become a connected leader. It’s also a chapter that’s about getting things done. What are the 5 attributes? Watch the video to find out. Related Posts:Flat Army: Chapter 6 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 4 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 3 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 11 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 10 Overview

Last Friday night, I sat down at home with the family to watch a film. Group consensus found us selecting "We Bought a Zoo", a brilliant 2011 film by Pearl Jam fan Cameron Crowe based on a true story. Benjamin Mee - rather tragically - loses his wife to illness and subsequently decides to ‘buy a zoo’ which then precipitates him to move his two children from city life to rural zoo life. You can visit Benjamin’s Dartmoor Zoo site to learn more and to find out how you can book tickets to actually visit their zoo. (they even have a European Reindeer) By the closing scene, I was a bucket of tears. And I wasn’t cutting onions. That of course got me thinking. Do you cry at work? In the tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, President Obama wept during his press conference discussing the situation. Who wouldn’t? Who couldn’t? I did, and I was thousands of kilometers away in Europe on holiday. Is it ok to cry amongst your peers and team given difficult situations? Do you feel uncomfortable if someone cries in front of you? If President Obama cried with the entire American nation watching, does that make you think more or less of him? Do ‘real leaders’ cry? Do my current or past peers think more or less of me because I occasionally cry in a given situation? I’ll provide three personal examples for you to contemplate: 1997 - While watching the graduation class of St. Patrick Regional Secondary School march across the stage to collect their degrees, I was tearing up. When the Valedictorian spoke, by this point I was openly weeping. I knew it was the last time I was going to be a part of a high school graduation as I was moving on to other pastures. The students (and staff) didn’t know I was leaving until after they had celebrated their moment. It was tough but I believe they were ok with my waterfall. 2001 - I had to let someone go while working at BCIT. It was a painful decision, but one that had to be made for various reasons. During the discussion with the employee, I welled up. It was the individual who looked at me and said, "Dan, it’s ok. I get it." When I told the rest of the team that the individual was no longer going to be a part of our group, I welled up there as well. I don’t think this affected my leadership or the results of our team. I don’t have empirical proof it affected it negatively or positively, but perhaps I was viewed more humanely in the eyes of everyone. 2008 - I made the painful decision to leave SAP and a culture, team and ‘work family’ that was very dear to me, and my heart. When I informed my direct manager in California about my decision, I wept on the phone. When I gathered the leadership team together, I wept there too. And when I had to tell the entire team of roughly 100 members, I lost it … couldn’t even finish my sentence. After personally opening up in this space and describing a few examples of me weeping in front of various peers in various situations, do you now think less of me? I’m not suggesting, however, that I’m an emotional wreck, watering conference rooms after every difficult situation. That might be coined emotional unintelligence. But rest assured, I don’t think differently of those that cry at work. We’re all humans; get on the bus.   Related Posts:That Decision Is Above My Pay-GradeFlexible Working Worksthe second bookI Don’t Do GolfAutotelic: The Word of 2013

Soon after New Horizons passes closest to Pluto, it could pass through a ring of orbital dust. The post New Horizons’ Finest Moment Could be Its Hour of Destruction appeared first on WIRED.

Dear Employee, Re: your promotion Let me be clear from the onset of this letter; you will never be promoted at our organization in your current role or to another role elsewhere. The reasons why are plentiful. First, let me start with your attitude. In a nutshell, it sucks. You complain a lot about your peers, your workload, your parking spot and your desk location. You sit beside Jimmy who owns a cat. How can you hate someone with a cat? You’ve even complained about changes to the toilet paper in the bathrooms. Might I suggest you start bringing your own? (Please don’t share) You openly criticize organizational direction, not in a constructive manner but in a malicious and condescending way. In the kitchen I once overheard you say "I’ll likely see a new microwave here before I’m promoted." Second, your work ethic is impoverished if not stunted. Arriving at 10:00am, taking 90 minutes for lunch and leaving the office at 3pm seems rather selfish and foolish. Writing emails is a part of the job so stating they are a "time-waster" is nonsensical. Your colleagues complain about your missed deadlines and a lackadaisical attitude whilst in meetings. Your ambivalence and lack of drive is causing others to stress out by virtue of the fact they are carrying your load on top of theirs. This, I must state, is inexcusable. Even tennis players carry their own bags onto the tennis court. Third, although you seem to be disengaged, you also refuse to participate in our efforts as an organization to become more collaborative. Your online employee profile contains a picture of Bart Simpson (versus your own) and it is the only item you’ve managed to edit. In any of our collaborative technologies — backed by our open leadership framework — you refuse to participate. Could it hurt to mark ‘like’ — even once — on a post or comment anywhere? Even the octogenarian Marnie has over 1000 micro-blog posts not to mention over 30 self-made videos. And lastly, insubordination is not only a fancy word, it’s a hallmark of hierarchy. We are urging the organization to share, to openly communicate and to work together to achieve our collective goal of beating the enemy; our competitors … not each other. By going around our teammates, hiding information and purposely setting up roadblocks so others may stumble, you become locked into a path of mediocrity and — quite frankly — will remain magnetized to the metal chair you currently occupy. You will never be promoted. For the record, I placed an order at Costco and a new microwave arrives on Friday. Sincerely, Dad Related Posts:The Question I’m Most Often Asked …IT & HR: Should They Merge?6 Use Cases for Enterprise Micro-BloggingThe Social C-SuiteMicro-blogging can help build your organisational culture

The title of Chapter 6 is "Beyond the Connected Leader" This 91 second video snippet sees me (Dan Pontefract) describe the background to Chapter 6 of the book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. Building off of Chapter 4 (Becoming a Connected Leader) and Chapter 5 (Being a Connected Leader), Chapter 6 concludes the connected leader trilogy by introducing five more attributes that help you to go "Beyond the Connected Leader". Watch the video to find out what those five attributes are. Related Posts:Flat Army: Chapter 5 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 4 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 3 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 10 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 7 Overview

At London's Barbican, the multimedia artist is filming 150 visual artists and musicians getting creative---and posting the results on social media. The post Doug Aitken’s New Project: A Film Made of Instagram Clips appeared first on WIRED.

When I left academia in 2002 I also left the trappings of an office. When I switched organizations in late 2008, I also gave up a singular desk space. I’m like PacMan careening through a corporate game board collecting points at the desks, tables and rooms I occupy. I am a floater. I’m on a quest for the corporate floater high score. There are no ghosts in this game. Wherever the wind takes me — be it the road, various offices, home or coffee shops — I am working. I float. I’m like those bubbles we blew as a kid except I don’t pop when I crash into a wall. Too many childhood childish metaphors? With no office and armed with my laptop, tablet, mobile phone/headset, USB polycom and trusty whiteboard markers, I am good to go. Put me in coach. I’ll work from the moon. Filing cabinet? Please. Stapler? Staple what? Pictures of my family? Ummm, hello cloud? The Globe and Mail recently surfaced an excellent article entitled, "Even in hidebound offices, cubicle walls are falling". In it they profiled several organizations who are making the shift to mobile work environments. One line caught my attention from an example detailing efforts at the TD Bank: Thousands of other TD employees will be working in unassigned workstations in the future, too, as the bank joins a growing number of employers who are deciding that the traditional office - with a desk for every employee and an expectation that everyone will be in their place throughout the work day - is as outdated as teller’s cages and dusty ledger books. For you, the organization that continues to succumb to the false pretense that work only occurs if you physically see your employees, I abhor your archaic if not disengaging methodology of workforce culture. You do not float; you continue to control your culture by your own myopia and fears. There is cement in your shoes. Are you afraid of those ghosts in this game of corporate PacMan? Maybe you believe your bubble may in fact crash into the walls of your assigned cubicle seating plan. Whatever your demons, you’d be wise to wake up to the 21st century and realize work does occur without ‘official’ desks. Other than at a wedding, who does a seating plan these days anyway? Related Posts:Flexible Working WorksGoing Forward to the Past: Management Yahooliganism &…Friday Fun: You Don’t Have an Office?Virtual Worlds in an Organization are not a Time Waster (andThe Collaboration Commons Idea

Mexico’s one-peso-per-liter tax on sugary beverages is a model for its northern neighbor. The post Mexico’s Soda Tax Is Working. The US Should Learn From It appeared first on WIRED.

The title of Chapter 7 is "The Participative Leader Framework" This 86 second video snippet sees me (Dan Pontefract) describe the background to Chapter 7 of the book Flat Army: Creating a Connected and Engaged Organization. I think leaders need to become much more participative. (yes, it’s a mouth-full, but it’s important) I’ve devised a model called PLF - Participative Leader Framework - that depicts how one can become more participative. It has to do with networks, consumption, contribution and CARE. Click the video to find out more. Related Posts:Flat Army: Chapter 6 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 5 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 8 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 9 OverviewFlat Army: Chapter 11 Overview

In her first major speech outlining her economic platform today at New York City's New School, the Democratic presidential candidate vowed to crack down on "bosses misclassifying workers as contractors." The post Hillary Clinton Will Crack Down on the Contractor Economy appeared first on WIRED.

The University off British Columbia has awoken from years of gender pay inequity and decided to grant all 880 tenured or tenured-track female faculty a 2% wage increase effective immediately and retroactive to July 1, 2010. This act — costing more than $2 million — was in response to a study performed by the University’s Equity Office and although one-time in nature, does send a message that pay inequality will no longer be tolerated. One might argue that’s (finally) taking a stand even though it doesn’t fully address the inequality of pay between men and women faculty. Also in Canada, four of the country’s ten provinces are now (finally) led by female Premiers including: Christie Clark, British Columbia Alison Redford, Alberta Kathleen Wynne, Ontario Pauline Marois, Quebec These four provinces account for 83% of the country’s total population, a first for Canada. In the world of high-tech, Boards are (finally) giving the CEO pilot seat to females such as Ginni Rometty (IBM), Meg Whitman (HP) and Marissa Mayer (Yahoo!). Let’s not forget other fabulous women non-CEO leaders in high-tech organizations such as Sheryl Sandberg (Facebook), Padmasree Warrior (Cisco) and Selina Tobaccowala (SurveyMonkey). And on the global political stage, we’re very familiar (finally) with the outstanding work of Angela Merkel (Germany), Hillary Clinton (USA) and Julia Gillard (Australia). Pundits will scoff. Naysayers will assert this is merely a drop in the bucket and that true gender equality across pay, leadership and innovation is a far-fetched dream. But is it? Are we not (finally) witnessing ‘rise of the woman’? Well, not really. (and that is quite sad) Over twenty years ago in an HBR article entitled "Women as a Business Imperative", author Felice Schwartz found that 37% of managers were in fact women. Not great. Fast forward to 2012 in Canada and Statistics Canada reports female managers comprise 35.4% of the working population. Not good at all. Additional fodder. Although the aforementioned CEO’s (Rometty, Whittman and Mayer) may be great examples to highlight, has the actual percentage of Fortune 500 companies employing a female CEO increased over the past twenty years? It has, but only marginally. Whereas female CEO’s made up 4% of the Fortune 500 population twenty years ago, it now sits at a paltry 7%. Further studies by Catalyst indicate F500 Board composition is nothing to be proud of either. Current day female penetration of corporate boards is estimated at a measly 14.5% which is (thankfully) up from 6.2% in 1998. Let’s not mention the debacle that centered around female quotas on corporate boards in the European Union this past year. Personally, I’m pleased to see mainstream media highlight the stories of the women mentioned above. My problem? It’s not enough. We need more of it. Stories provide role models for both men and women to follow in today’s organizations. It also serves as a powerful teaching and inspirational tool for both boys and girls in the K-12 spectrum. Yes, we need more of it. And now I’ll get personal. Our daughters Claire and Cate (aged 9 and 5) need to enter the workforce without this ridiculous level of gender inequality. Our son Cole (aged 7) will grow up - at least in our household - knowing Marissa and Sheryl are as cool as any male counterpart in the high-tech arena. Our organizations should also be highlighting stories of female managers and directors — if they aren’t doing so already — such that a conscious effort is given to internally market and position leaders equally. It may be "The End of Men" but I believe we have a ways to go in the organization if we aspire to true equality. No one wants their work environment to be composed of or to be led by men only. (Unless of course you are a misogynist) It is time to help drive ‘rise of the woman’ inside the organization so that future leaders — like my kids, for example — don’t have to wait for the glacial pace of change as it pertains to an equal footing of female and male Managers, CEO’s and Board members. (finally) Perhaps President Obama’s White House Council on Women and Girls 2012 report says it best: "The success of American women is critical for the success of American families and the American economy. And in order for our nation to keep moving forward, women must be able to help provide for their families and contribute fully to our economy." Related Posts:The Wolf Pack and LearningBosses Should Shift From Scroll to SwipeFlat Army DedicationAutotelic: The Word of 2013Friday Fun: All That Jazz

This morning New Horizons flew by Pluto, and everyone celebrated something that nobody witnessed. The post The Anxiety and Revelry of Flying Past Pluto in the Dark appeared first on WIRED.

Startups like Max Levchin's Affirm are using tech to offer student loans for learn-to-code bootcamps. But some are questioning whether it's just another way to perpetuate the cycle of student loan debt. The post Now You Can Pay for Code Boot Camp With Student Loans appeared first on WIRED.

Some of you know I actually have a ‘real job’ where each and every day I get to work with great people and turn ideas into action. That role sees me employed by TELUS; an organization that was recently inducted into Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate Cultures Hall of Fame. Yes, I’m a lucky lad. My buddy Sameer Patel called me a ‘practicing futurist‘ over lunch a few weeks ago in Palo Alto. At first I laughed, but since then the term has been rattling around in my brain somewhat incessantly. I suppose it’s true. By way of example, at TELUS, we put together an infographic showcasing four years of change as it relates to our learning and collaboration strategy. We’ve released the infographic on our newly minted corporate blog and it’s pasted below for you to view as well. (that’s right, we have an external blog where we write about things like culture, our community efforts, etc.) What does all of this mean? If you and your team are empowered to innovate, to boldly create what others may not, to inspire and to dream … all the while aligning to the corporate goals and objectives, you too may be able to become a ‘practicing futurist’. I know that I’m engaged and it’s because we’ve been able to accomplish the goals you see on the infographic below. Click on the graphic to see it in full-screen. Related Posts:Flexible Working Worksflat army bookWordle Graphic of Flat ArmyI Don’t Do GolfI’m Not Scared of Email; I Developed a System called…

"For far too long these challenges have been dismissed by some as women’s issues," Clinton said. "Well, those days are over." The post Clinton: Women in the Workforce Isn’t a Women’s Issue appeared first on WIRED.