System Error and Masters of Scale

Our students and social workers have been enthralled by The Wall Street Journal investigative project titled “The Facebook Files,” particularly sections about the known negative impact of Instagram on teenage girls. If you are, too, then look for SYSTEM ERROR by Rob Reich, Mehran Sahami, and Jeremy M. Weinstein which outlines “Where Big Tech Went Wrong and How We Can Reboot.” The text is divided into three sections: Decoding the Technologists, Disaggregating the Technologies, and Recoding the Future. The authors, three professors from Stanford, have kept the last section the shortest and most broad. But, as the Wall Street Journal review explains, “the book’s contribution … is to spell out what needs to be fixed” and there are numerous references to digital surveillance, biased algorithms, toxic content, and impact on democracy. Containing illustrative examples of unethical practices and misplaced values, SYSTEM ERROR offers extensive notes and a helpful index for researchers; it received a starred review from Publishers Weekly.

MASTERS OF SCALE by Reid Hoffman (with June Cohen and Deron Triff) will certainly interest our Business students. Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn, offers “Surprising Truths from the World's Most Successful Entrepreneurs,” based on interviews with seventy entrepreneurs including the inventor of Spanx, founders of Shake Shack, Airbnb, and Canva, plus Bill Gates, Howard Schultz, and Arianna Huffington, to name just a few.  Hoffman references the Masters of Scale podcast and notes “we believe scaling is not just a science but also a mindset – a journey that requires equal measures of faith and a willingness to fail.”  There are ten key themes related to the entrepreneurial journey and Hoffman devotes an entire chapter to the value of hearing “no” and learning from feedback.  Other themes he discusses include finding the big idea and learning to unlearn, with each chapter ending in a boxed summary section. Our students do a project each year involving business leaders and these stories and insights offer valuable information and discussion prompts for them. 

Mother of Invention by Katrine Marçal

MOTHER OF INVENTION by Katrine Marçal is a thought-provoking look at “How Good Ideas Get Ignored in an Economy Built for Men.” Marçal, an award-winning writer and journalist, begins her text in 1970 with the adoption of wheels on suitcases, noting “the ‘blindingly obvious’ can stare us expectantly in the face for an eternity before it occurs to us to make something of it.” She further argues that the “we don’t imagine the ‘soft’ (notions of femininity and masculinity) as being capable of holding back the ‘hard’ (constant technological advance),” observing that it was not until the 1970s when more women began travelling alone that suitcases with wheels were more widely used. Marçal shares other stories:  a woman (Bertha Benz) was the first to make a long-distance car trip and the surprising origin of NASA’s spacesuits. There is discussion of disparity in pay (in the 1950s, IBM in the UK calculated salary costs based on “girl hours” due to the abundance of female programmers) and witchhunts due to bad weather hundreds of years earlier. Marçal’s work is entertaining and informative; she includes roughly forty pages of notes and bibliography. She convincingly points out that “when we consider a factor like gender, it becomes clear how technology is constantly being shaped within our preconceived ideas of the world, the economy and ourselves.” MOTHER OF INVENTION received a starred review from Library Journal. And, for an interesting aside to stretch your brain further, consider a question that’s been popular lately on the internet: Are there more wheels or doors in the world? 

School desegregation - a case study

YOUR CHILDREN ARE VERY GREATLY IN DANGER by Justin Murphy deals with School Segregation in Rochester, New York. Murphy, the education reporter for the local paper named Democrat and Chronicle, explores the history of school segregation from the time (mid 1800s) when Frederick Douglass lived there to the present day, describing Rochester as a test case with state and national implications. He identifies three main themes: “persistent white opposition to racial integration… [which] tended to soften only where it would benefit white families in some way … [and] victories were earned through the long advocacy of Black parents.” Although he presents quotes and arguments from all sides, Murphy states, “the consensus … is clear; desegregation and integration offer the greatest opportunity to improve population-level educational and economic outcomes for children of color in the United States.” YOUR CHILDREN ARE VERY GREATLY IN DANGER is a fascinating read which concludes with ambitious recommendations for direct, concrete action: a comprehensive report assessing the viability of a unified countywide school system; written policies for greater equity relative to the Urban-Suburban program; and “intensive antiracism education for children and adults in all Rochester-area school districts.” I agree that there is application in other areas and I know of several Junior Theme students who will be interested in the material which Murphy so eloquently presents.

Keep Your Wits about You; From Strength to Strength

KEEP YOUR WITS ABOUT YOU by Vonetta M. Dotson is a primer focused on “The Science of Brain Maintenance as You Age.” Dotson, an Associate Professor affiliated with the University of Florida, begins by describing a healthy brain and moves on to suggests for activities (physical, mental, and social) to maintain that health. She also stresses the importance of nutrition (especially Mediterranean, DASH, and MIND diets) and sleep and says, “people who practice those behaviors tend to have not only sharper minds but also better moods, and they are less likely to develop cognitive impairment.” Each chapter concludes with a summary of key points, resources and suggested readings, and selected references. While Dotson says that everyone can benefit from reading this book, she includes charts – like ones that describe numerous ideas for moderate and vigorous physical activity – that will be especially beneficial for those age 50 and older.  Throughout, she encourages readers to brainstorm options for future (e.g., new hobbies or resuming old ones) and to note potential barriers and resources. She suggests investigating AARP Learning Academy, FutureLearn, and Coursera. And, Dotson keeps it simple – advocating even ten minutes of exercise or investigating a novel activity to stimulate the brain. Listing six key pillars (Get Moving! Engage your Brain! Get Connected! Nourish your Brain! Sleep Well! And Be Well!), much of her information comes from The Global Council on Brain Health which parallels information available through AARP’s Staying Sharp portal. 

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH by Arthur C. Brooks should be of interest to anyone forty years of age and older. Brooks, a prolific writer and professor at Harvard, writes about “Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life.” He deftly employs a conversational tone, personal examples, and memorable phrases (e.g., the strivers’ curse) to share insights about how our brains and capabilities change as we age. Noting that aging achievers often fall into a “vicious cycle: … hooked on successes that are increasingly of the past and isolated from others,” Brooks explains the differences between fluid intelligence (ability to solve abstract problems) that is strongest early in adulthood and crystallized intelligence (application of accrued knowledge) that increases as we age and contrasts the life work and satisfaction of Darwin and Bach. He also references Robert Waldinger’s TedTalk, “What makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness:”

Brooks lists factors we can influence - not smoking or drinking, body weight, exercise, adaptive coping style and education, and especially the impact of loneliness and the importance of healthy relationships with family and friends. He offers a call to action even though “sometimes, we must fight our natural instincts if we want to be happy.” Highly recommended.