Millions of Jobs Are Going Away, But Universal Basic Income Isn’t the Answer

Jobs Lost Universal Basic Income

The idea behind universal basic income (UBI), in which one’s government would provide every citizen in a country with a set amount of cash each month, is thought by some to be a potential panacea to our global inequality and under/unemployment woes.

But to many others the idea is ludicrous and utterly unsustainable. So which is it?

Some countries and cities have run or are running pilot tests, and while it’s still quite early, it seems unlikely that UBI is going to work exactly as planned. Of course, it’s not that UBI isn’t helpful or beneficial to the people receiving it…it is, more or less across the board.

Rather, it’s the seemingly insurmountable hurdle of figuring out how to make UBI happen, effectively and sustainably for everyone over the long-term (particularly in well developed countries), without breaking the bank or collapsing consumption driven economies.

For better or worse, the idea of UBI has been gaining traction rapidly in the minds of the people in recent years.

Why? Automation. And fear. Continue reading…

Hacking Humanity

Hacked Binary CodeIn the world of computer security, there’s a term known as pentesting (short for penetration testing). Pentesting is the process of testing a computer system or network (or a building) for weaknesses that can be exploited.

Companies will hire a hacker or a team of hackers to attempt to break into their physical and/or digital properties preemptively. Talk about fascinating! Considering how many massive computer security breaches we’ve seen in the last few years, perhaps a few more companies should be investing in pentests.

When a hacker conducts a penetration test, they typically start with the most common weaknesses: people, default passwords on servers and software, easy to guess user passwords, well known and unpatched vulnerabilities, etc. They start with the low hanging fruit, and in far too many cases, that’s sufficient to break into a system. As Einstein said, “Two things are infinite, the Universe, and human stupidity.” Continue reading…

Spoken Like a True Gentleman

Barack Obama Speaking Gentleman

The pen may be mightier than the sword, but neither holds a candle to the power of the spoken word. From commanding armies to captivating audiences, what you say, and how you say it, can become one of the most powerful weapons at your disposal.

To speak effectively, you need to master the three E’s: elocution, eloquence, and economy.

1 – Elocution is the skill of speaking clearly and expressively, pronouncing and articulating your words with care and precision. No umms or hmms, no awkward pauses or mindless filler, no provincial pronunciations, nor linguistic faux pas.

Even if English is your first language, you’ll benefit from some polishing up in this department. Continue reading…

A Deeper Look at Trump

 

Donald Trump

Photo by Gage Skidmore

A few weeks ago I read a blog post written by Scott Adams, the creator of Dilbert, that prompted me to take a much closer look at Donald Trump. Scott has been blogging frequently regarding something he calls the Master Wizard Hypothesis, which is essentially the premise that Trump is far, far more than he appears, and that his success in this race shouldn’t be surprising. Seriously, whether you love Trump or hate him, those blog posts are worth reading.

After digging in to Scott’s posts, and doing a ton of research of my own, I felt like I’d seen and heard enough to buy into the theory, so I wrote a post for Entrepreneur exploring some of the psychological tactics that Trump seems to be using to get ahead.

Thanks to that post, I was invited to hop on the radio this afternoon with Dr. Drew to talk a bit more about Trump and his tactics (or lack thereof, depending on your point of view). You can listen to that conversation below, or download it here (my bit starts at 1m 55s).

After chatting with Dr. Drew and his guest Dr. Ramani Durvasula, I noodled a bit more on some of the topics covered on the call, and wanted to dive into those thoughts in more depth.

Continue reading…

Becoming Telepathic

Becoming Telepathic

Before you learn to change the perceptions of others, first you need to master your own perceptions. Alas, I can’t actually make you telepathic (sorry!), but I can get you closer than 99% of the population.

First and foremost, you need to become aware of your surroundings. The average Joe spends 9-10 hours per day glued to a digital device of one kind or another (TV, phone, etc.). Unfortunately, since less than 2% of the population is actually neurologically capable of multi-tasking, this poses a bit of a problem when it comes to our awareness of our surroundings.

Now, don’t go having a heart attack or anything just yet…I’m not telling you to get rid of your digital devices! But, at least for a period of time, you’re going to need to spend more time with your eyes on the world, instead of on a screen. Continue reading…