Lawrence Wilkinson @lhwilkinson@refactorcamp.org
- roughlydaily.com
- hemingeandcondell.com
Have helped start lots of orgs (e.g., GBN, Wired, Oxygen); of late, mostly NGOs. Still practice scenario planning, mostly with not-for-profits.
Joined Jul 2018
Whose laughter? Which comedy? "The Politics of Humor
(Plus- Voltaire imprisoned)
“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious”*…
The surprisingly surprising history of the pronoun "you"
(Plus- Omar Khayyam)
“If thou thou’st him some thrice, it will not be amiss”*…
Muse on modes of address: http://bit.ly/2JIOQxZ
How exploitation and predatory pricing drove the transformation of the US meat industry – and created the model for modern agribusiness: "The price of plenty: how beef changed America."
(Plus- the table knife)
“The great packing machine ground on remorselessly, without thinking of green fields; and the men and women and children who were part of it never saw any green thing, not even a flower”*…
Muse on meat: http://bit.ly/2JjFtW6
Philip K. Dick describes our current situation... writing in 1976. (Plus- "The Chaser")
“This may be the most important proposition revealed by history: ‘At the time, no one knew what was coming’.”*…
Ponder prescience: http://bit.ly/2WBbpIG
Capitalism as a system-- and how to address its all-too-manifest faults: "History of the Capital AI & Market Failures in the Attention Economy."
(Plus- the Agricultural Adjustment Act)
“Thus did a handful of rapacious citizens come to control all that was worth controlling in America”*…
Wonder about the water in which we swim: http://bit.ly/309DyZH
Matthew Butterick's witty and wise observations on the design choices made by presidential candidates (so far): "Typography 2020: a listicle for America"
(Plus- the oldest book)
“You cannot bore people into buying your product”*…
Face up to face-value:
http://bit.ly/2HkOydR
Carol Kaye, the unsung bassist who played (with the Wrecking Crew) on more hits than you can name
(Plus- The Turtles play the White House)
“In our world of big names, curiously, our true heroes tend to be anonymous”*…
Credit where credit is due: http://bit.ly/30cIexG
Disney writes down its investment in Vice...
“We tend to overestimate the effect of a technology in the short run and underestimate the effect in the long run.”
- Roy Amara
Nine scientists-- geologists, paleontologists, and evolutionary biologists-- provide some fascinating "alternative history": "What If the Asteroid Never Killed the Dinosaurs?"
(Plus- the Museum of Natural History)
“When the world changes faster than species can adapt, many fall out”*…
Explore the road not taken: http://bit.ly/2VNZXMM
Outsider artists and their work: "Finding Jesus on the Front Yard"
(Plus- Coca Cola)
“The vitality of the ordinary members of society is dependent on its Outsiders. Many Outsiders unify themselves, realize themselves as poets or saints.”*…
See through different eyes: http://bit.ly/2vMKmOY
From dark living rooms to dark ecology-- a meditation on the humble, but crucial light switch: "Let there be light switches
(Plus- Beethoven's Ninth)
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that”*…
Shine on at: http://bit.ly/2DULAfz
Examples of the kinds of tricks that charts can try to pull, explained: "Five Ways to Lie with Charts"
(Plus- the Flash Crash)
“There are three types of lies — lies, damn lies, and statistics”*…
Stack the deck at http://bit.ly/2Y4KNju
A consideration of construction (and on-going maintenance) as a way of being: "Building a Cathedral"
(Plus- Carnegie Hall)
“Cathedrals are unfinished. It is just the nature of the beast.”*…
Take the long view: http://bit.ly/2Yd2Sw5
The remarkably impactful design movement founded by Walter Gropius 100 years ago: The Bauhaus
(Plus- Mel Edwards)
“Design came into being in 1919, when Walter Gropius founded the Bauhaus at Weimar”*…
Integrate form and function: http://bit.ly/2Vdp2RH
How to reduce digital distractions: advice from medieval monks
(Plus- the longest-running musical)
“At times the whole world seems to be in conspiracy to importune you with emphatic trifles”*…
Focus on focusing: http://bit.ly/2Ja8X82
The Case of the Gone Girls (and what it might mean): "First big survey of births shows millions of missing women"
(Plus- Dr. Spock)
“Demography is destiny”*…
Be a booster for balance: http://bit.ly/2GQvK69
The Case of the Gone Girls (and what it might mean): "First big survey of births shows millions of missing women"
(Plus- Dr. Spock)
“Demography is destiny”*…
Be a booster for balance: http://bit.ly/2GQvK69
People want to believe a powerful and charismatic leader is on their side in an unjust world: "The age of the elected despot is here."
(Plus- Goebbels)
“Authoritarian populism can be seen as a pushback of elements of human nature—tribalism, authoritarianism, demonization, zero-sum thinking—against the Enlightenment institutions that were designed to circumvent them”*…
Think for oneself: http://bit.ly/2DJ30eK
The story of Claude Shannon, his colorful life-- and the birth of the Information Age: "How Information Got Re-Invented"
(Plus- more on Claude, as it's his birthday)
“Information is a difference that makes a difference”*…
Separate signal from noise: http://bit.ly/2UMEeQQ
Political polls: A cautionary research roundup
(Plus- Coxey's Army-- the inspiration for The Wonderful Wizard of Oz?)
“A public-opinion poll is no substitute for thought”*…
Stock up on grains of salt: http://bit.ly/2ZKfbkP
- roughlydaily.com
- hemingeandcondell.com
Have helped start lots of orgs (e.g., GBN, Wired, Oxygen); of late, mostly NGOs. Still practice scenario planning, mostly with not-for-profits.
Joined Jul 2018
