Eric Barker, Motto, March 9, 2016

Good writing is often looked at as an art and, frankly, that can be intimidating. No need to worry. There are rules — even science — behind writing well. This article's author talked to Steven Pinker, a cognitive scientist and linguist at Harvard, who shares six tips on how to be a better writer. [...read more]

Bryan Lufkin, Gizmodo, March 3, 2016

Apple launched a tech support Twitter account. And people are already taking Apple up on its offer in droves. In between the warm welcomes and suspicious lack of jerks, Apple users are taking the opportunity to dump all tech questions and photos of frayed charging cables—with thousands of new followers by the hour. [...read more]

Ray A. Smith, The Wall Street Journal, February 21, 2016

A number of recent studies suggest that dressing up for work in a suit or blazer could do wonders for an employee's productivity, whether going into a negotiation, making a sales call or even participating in a videoconference with business associates. Using a number of measures, including simulated business meetings at which subjects wore formal and more casual clothing, the studies offer indications that wearing nicer clothes may raise one's confidence level, affect how others perceive the wearer, and in some cases even boost the level of one's abstract thinking, the type in which leaders and executives engage. [...read more]

Eric Barker, Motto, February 16, 2016

You get all kinds of happiness advice on the Internet from people who don't know what they're talking about. Don't trust them. Trust neuroscientists. They study that gray blob in your head all day and have learned a lot about what truly will make you happy. [...read more]

The Economist, November 7, 2015

The average time between an attacker breaching a network and its owner noticing the intrusion is 205 days. Like most statistics touted by the cyber-security industry, it is little more than a guesstimate. But there is no doubt that criminals and pranksters are thriving by attacking computers and networks, that companies are struggling to cope and that businesses offering answers are charging fat fees. The penalties for getting cyber-security wrong are steep. Unsurprisingly, then, the cyber-security industry is booming. [...read more]

John Knefel, Inverse, November 6, 2015

Like self-driving vehicles, automated flying robots carry amazing promise - and serious ethical questions. This article takes a look at the pros and cons of fully automated weaponized and non-weaponized aircraft that require no human input. [...read more]

Chad Bray, The New York Times, November 4, 2015

The annual bonuses of financial services executives in Britain should be tied to targets to bring more women into senior roles, according to the preliminary findings of a government commission's review of gender diversity in the sector. The preliminary findings also recommend that banks and other financial services firms in the City of London publicly report their gender diversity and that each business appoint an executive responsible for gender, diversity and inclusion. [...read more]

The Financial Times, November 3, 2015

Banks are racing to harness the power of blockchain technology, in a belief that it could cut up to $20bn off costs and transform the way the industry works. Banks, insurers and companies ranging from IBM to PwC are trying to work out how they can adapt the technology that, in its simplest form, allows consumers and suppliers to connect directly and form online networks, removing the need for middlemen. For the financial services sector it offers the opportunity to overhaul existing banking infrastructure, speed settlements and streamline stock exchanges, although regulators will want to be assured that it can be done securely. [...read more]

Daniel Geiger, Crain's New York Business, November 2, 2015

Google has abandoned plans to open its first-ever retail store in New York City. The company is trying to sublease a 5,442-square-foot SoHo space it leased last year, and wants $2.25 million annually in rent for it, according to sources. The decision to abandon its retail store came after the Internet giant spent $6 million renovating the 131 Greene St. location. [...read more]

Eric Barker, Barking Up the Wrong Tree, November 1, 2015

Do you want to stop procrastinating? What if the solution is fun and lets you do the thing you love most in the world, no willpower or discipline necessary? Wharton's Katherine Milkman found that "temptation bundling" - a method for simultaneously tackling two types of self-control problems by harnessing consumption complementarities - is a simple and effective way to tackle the problem. [...read more]