Festive Edition. Scrooge and Innovation. The Next Bug You Catch at Work? Stress. Where Do Cetaceans Xmas Vacation? Plus More! #191
Grüezi! I’m Adrian Monck – welcome! This is my last newsletter of 2023 – see you on the other side of the holidays!
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1️⃣ What Scrooge Tells Us About Tech Innovation
The biggest barrier isn’t indolence – it’s inequality.
Charles Dickens’ Scrooge is famously a miserable, penny-pinching employer.
But if Britain had been filled with Scrooges it would never have kick-started the global technology gold rush that has given us ChatGPT et al.
Because what’s the biggest barrier to technological innovation?
Poorly paid people.
Yes, inequality is the enemy of innovation.
How so? Rewind a couple of centuries to the rapid technological advancement of the first Industrial Revolution.
What drove it was the rising cost of labour and the increased scarcity of workers in Britain (too much emigration). This created strong incentives to develop labour-saving machines and more efficient processes.
The Roman Empire had aqueducts, roads, central heating. It had the rule of law. But it never managed to combine industry and innovation.
Why? It had abundant power through forced labour in the form of slaves.
When human labour is extremely low-cost or even free for slave owners, the motivation to invent and invest in technological innovations to improve productivity is hugely diminished.
Enforcing manual labour was easier than developing and deploying complex machinery.
So inequality isn’t just a moral stain, it’s an anchor on invention, holding back progress and keeping us intellectually poorer.
And Scrooge? Well, when he woke up on Christmas morning and gave his staff a raise, he was also incentivizing innovation!
⏭ History fan? Buy Peter Temin’s The Roman Market Economy this Christmas.
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2️⃣ Stress – The Social Gift That Keeps On Giving
Stressed people pass it on like rabid fruit bats.
A topic that’s highly relevant to our professional lives: the social dimensions of stress. 🧠💼
🌐 A Fascinating Discovery: Stress isn’t just individual. It’s deeply intertwined with our social interactions. Recent research shows that stress can be ‘contagious’ within our networks.
It’s not just that when others are stressed, we get stressed. Stressed people seek out others to ‘infect.’ This ‘stress contagion’ adds a whole new layer to how we understand and manage stress. 🔄
🔬 Insight from the Field: A study involving 300 professionals revealed that we can “catch” stress from our workplace or professional network. 🤝
🌟 Three tips for escaping stress:
Stay Chilled: Don’t get anxious or easily upset. You’ll handle stress better.
Be Conscientious: If you’re good at planning and self-discipline, you’ll manage stress better.
Take Control: If you feel in charge of your own destiny, you’re less likely to let others’ stress affect you.
💭 Final Thoughts: Let’s be more aware of the emotional undercurrents in our networks.
⏭ #MindfulNetworking #StressContagionAwareness #ResilientCommunities
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3️⃣ Countering #AI Climate Doomerism
#AI’s energy needs are not the enemy when it comes to emissions.
Proud to help Eric Xing communicate more about #AI in Fortune this week, building on his speech at #COP28.
As Eric says, when it comes to Artificial Intelligence, the doomerists have it wrong:
“Let’s look at both sides of the equation: yes #AI consumes energy – a lot. But it also saves energy and cuts emissions, by optimizing routes of traffic, supply chains, airports, seaports, factories, agriculture ... everywhere on earth.
“Countless researchers are looking to reduce AI energy footprint with better algorithms, software, and hardware with great results, and increase AI productivity at the same time.”
⏭ Microsoft is looking at nuclear power to drive its AI operations.
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4️⃣ How Does a Robot With Haemorrhoids Walk?
Tesla’s new video has the answer. Just don’t ask it to drive...
I drive a Tesla. And while the car has never found a parking space large enough to park itself, or a European single lane highway that didn’t give its “self-driving” a nervous breakdown, I still like it.
Will I feel the same about the company’s Optimus robot – which is still at the ‘concept’ stage?
The latest video doesn’t exactly make you think it’s ready for the big time.
But – German accent required – unlike Elon Musk, Optimus can pick up X without breaking it. Here all week folks!
⏭ Here’s more robotic skillz from Tesla’s Optimus.
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5️⃣ Where Do Blue Whales Go On Holiday?
The Seychelles are back on the Cetacean vacation hotlist.
⏭ The largest animals on earth are getting back into old habits.
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6️⃣ Need A Hand?
3D Printing has you covered.
⏭ Find out more here.
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7️⃣ A Little Something For Christmas
I like to keep my Yule music classy... I hope you like this.
⏭ If you want a more classical Xmas, try Samuel Barber’s Die Natali.
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If you enjoy this newsletter – please recommend it! See you in 2024!
Best,
Adrian
