Occasionally, I’m going to write a post here about the things I’m reading this week, if anything just to have a personal catalogue of what I’m reading sometimes. So, without further ado, here’s This Week in My Brain:
Was Marx Right?
From: Harvard Business Review Blog Network
By: Umair Haque
One-Sentence Summary
Maybe Marx was right: capitalism’s flaws are, in some ways, reflecting the dire predictions Marx espoused, including immoderation, crisis, stagnation, alienation, false consciousness, and commodity fetishism.
My Thoughts
The author has a lot of good points, and so did Marx. Just because he got some things right doesn’t mean that socialism or capitalism is the answer, however. We can all analyze a situation the same way and come to different conclusions because there are always unsaid assumptions and biases that influence our decision-making and problem-solving. Commodity fetishism was one of my favorite concepts from my brief study of Marx during an undergrad political philosophy class (or wherever I learned about his theories). I would hope the genesis of this discussion comes from the desire for us to correct these problems – especially the structural problems inherent in mass-consumption. I only wish we all would participate in a conversation about the global effects of our purchase habits and consumer desires.
What if the Secret to Success Is Failure?
From: New York Times Magazine
By: Paul Tough (an awesome name for a writer, for the record)
One-Sentence Summary
Looking through the lens of cutting-edge education reform, the best thing for students might be instilling character traits (some of the 24 from this group), which would engender success in school and later in life, through challenge and even failure.
My Thoughts
This was a great article, and I love the application to education. The character traits are fascinating and not at all connected to the “character education” trends of the last two decades. I want to buy the book so I can read more about the research and depth of those 24 traits. One of my favorite things was also the KIPP report card that measures these character traits. In five of the areas on the report card, I would do extremely well now: zest, curiosity, grit, optimism, and gratitude. In two areas, I am just not capable of judging for myself or would be mixed for me: self control – interpersonal, self control – school work, and social intelligence. But am I really surprised at that, considering my background and particular limitations? No, I guess not. But I know those are my areas of weakness so I am constantly focused on them. For example, in “self control – school work,” applied to my job I am fantastic in that area, but I have not always been so. My independent work with SLHI was a big part of developing those strengths.
Tipping the Balance for Kitchen Scales
From: New York Times
By: Farhad Manjoo
One-Sentence Summary
We should all be using kitchen scales for cooking and backing because they make cooking easier, faster, cleaner, and more efficient.
My Thoughts
The dream of a one-bowl recipe is magic. I’m investigating this further and I dream of the day when I can find a ton of recipes with weights instead of volume measurements. Do you know of a good cookbook that uses a kitchen scale? Let me know.
Do Happier People Work Harder?
From: New York Times
By: Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer, authors of The Progress Principle
One-Sentence Summary
Happy employees are ones that have “managers who constantly supplied the catalysts — worker autonomy, sufficient resources and learning from problems — that enabled progress.”
My Thoughts
This is, not surprisingly, not that far off from Drive by Daniel Pink, one of my favorite books. Pink posits that the best motivators for employees are autonomy, mastery, and purpose. (A slightly more minor point for Pink is that the baseline must be sufficient resources.) Either way, it just reinforces those seemingly-universal points, but they are far too-often ignored by managers everywhere.
The Town Squeezed Between Giant Boulders
From: My Modern Metropolis, via Jad Abumrad
By: Eugune
One-Sentence Summary
The town of Monsanto in Portugal is truly an exhibit of arcology: a town built beautifully among the boulders.
My Thoughts
You just have to see the photos for yourself, it’s amazing and someplace I would actually want to visit someday.
How Dan Harmon Drives Himself Crazy Making Community
From: Wired Magazine
By: Brian Raftery
One-Sentence Summary
Dan Harmon, the creator and source for Community, reflects the completely fresh show he creates 22 weeks per year: too passionate, difficult to understand, and too endearing not to love.
My Thoughts
This was a fantastic profile of the guy behind one of absolute favorite shows. I was worried before watching the first episode of season 3 that it wasn’t going to be able to launch a new year of the silliness and surrealism of the past two years. But it was spectacular, from the opening musical number to the final words of the characters. I watched it three times last night. Embarrassing, I know.
