Category: Philosophy
What happened to the 15-hour workweek? Productivity gains went to the top 1%.
In 1930, the economist John Maynard Keynes predicted that technological change and productivity improvements would eventually lead to a 15-hour workweek. But, despite significant productivity gainsover the past few decades, we still work 40 hours a week on average. Keynes’s reasoning was that by producing more with less (also known as being more productive), all of our needs would be met ...
5 Faults of Modern Universities
Some thoughts on this late at night: 1. The Referencing System: Arguably the most pernicious aspect of modern universities is the referencing system. A system that was not used in any of the major humanities books that are still widely read in university departments worldwide. The fault in the system is two fold. On the ...
The business of addiction: how the video gaming industry is evolving to be like the gambling industry
The video gaming industry has transitioned from a group of backyard innovators to an industry of multi-billion dollar companies, hiring psychologists, neuroscientists and marketing experts to turn customers into addicts. The latest trend is the creation of “whales,” people so addicted to games that they spend their entire life savings to keep playing. But the video gaming industry, today one ...
Paperback Launch: Essays in AI: Automation, Tech and the Future of Work
My book Essays in AI has just released in paperback! Robots, artificial intelligence and automation are going to fundamentally change the way we work, play and live in the 21st Century.
Kindle Launch: Essays in AI: Technology, Automation and the Future of 9-5 Work
Essays in AI looks at how new technology, automation and artificial intelligence might change our lives for the worse. It's a compilation book of various essays and articles I've written on the topic over the years. Although it's quite short, each essay packs a punch!
Book Preview: Essays in AI: Automation, Tech and the Future of 9-5 Work
I've been in the final stages of finishing a new book of essays on AI, Automation and the future of work.
Young People Are Ignored by the Mainstream Media
In 1997, Gangland: cultural elites and the new generationalism dominated Australia’s book scene. Arguing that young people were under-represented in Australia’s mainstream media, subjected to ‘moral panics’ and increasingly demonised by the press, the book painted a picture of youth culture in crisis.
Thomas Jefferson: How Law Should be Part of a Broad Training in the Liberal Arts
I find it interesting sometimes to contrast the narrow, vocational-based education system we have today with the kind of education system envisaged in the late 1700s. Often, the aim back then was to receive a broad-education in what today we understand as the liberal arts and sciences, before advancing onto a broad education as to ...
Automating Job Applications: Should a Robot Apply For a Job on Your Behalf?
An estimated 90% of large companies are using automated software to read and respond to resumes. From tracking software that reads a resume looking for keywords, to automated emails, phone interviews and skills testing – companies are doing less manual processing than ever before. If companies are using automated software in hiring, then job applicants should be able to ...
Expert culture has killed the innovator in workplaces
Over the last few decades, the Western world has had an increasingly specialised workforce, with workers trained in narrow skills, for increasingly narrow positions. However, the more narrow our jobs have become, the less capable we have become in inventing new technologies, products and ideas. Innovative ideas tend to come, not from specialised experts, but ...
