Habits in the Headlines

No this is not a news story on inappropriate behavior in a religious institution. Rather about mass marketing. I wonder why people are so taken by reading about others' habits - mostly about so called successful people. Harvard, Linkedin and certain (authors) others gain a lot of publicity by continuosly publishing these apparent behavioral traits. What exactly are the outcomes of these articles? Are people then actually emulating these in their work life and coming ahead? I have strongly suspected that since the circumstance to every person's immediate circle of influence is unique. These so called success stories tend to be also one of those lucky accidents that propels someone into being a stand out. Malcolm Gladwell has tried to approach this subject scientifically and shares his ideas in a book called the Tipping Point. It shows how a series of events leads to a perceived big event but that there is always a underlying theme to who will pop and who will not. Equally important is that one event that defines or destroys. Also important is his view that change comes about by only a select few people endowed with special gifts. Another accident of genetics. Having said all this I would like for someone to compile a list of highly weird people or habits of very successful lazy people. Wearing black turtlenecks and jeans does not solve anything as much as reading Harvard papers or making Covey rich.

Comments

Back in DC

This time for a tech conference in the realm of what else? AI. But applied to an oft neglected space called Knowledge Management. The latter is a community of practice that focuses on analyzing, organizing and making available reams of data that have been gathered over time by various functions within an organization for anyone in the company to utilize. This function or process is ripe for applying AI agents (or agentic AI framework) and optimize for better outcomes. It was informative. More rewarding was getting acquainted with folks who practice this craft as well as learning of what they see in the corporate or public sectors. Since the venue was Washington DC it also afforded me the chance to take evening strolls albeit the weather was trying. With wind chill in the single digit it still is a glamorous place to perambulate through history absorbing what this country has been through since its founding days. I was able to visit the place Lincoln was killed along with his monument t...

Costa Rica

Our first foray into Central America. That elongated isthmus that forms the geographic boundary between two vast continents of North and South America. Specifically landing for NYE 2026 in San Jose, Costa Rica. Capital city for this region that does not have its own army, instead relying on its big bro the Estados Unidos to the north is a metropolis of approx. 500K people. Largely wilderness and with both a Pacific and Carribean/Atlantic coast the country is rich in bio diversity. In Spanish it means the rich coast so named by Columbus landing in early 16th century and being mesmerized by the local tribes sporting gold jewelry. Our stay included visiting the foothills of a large strato volcano called Arenal and enjoying the naturally heated thermal baths for a while. Lunching amidst lush forest and watching indigenous species of avian noise makers fly overhead. Toucans, some sort of pea hens, multiple song bird species completed the spectacle. Iguanas and a lonel...

A few good books

On an informal mission to read one book a week as long as the eyes allow for such ambition. Fiction or non is not important as long as it entertains and /or educates. To that end the past few weeks have brought a bounty in the form of some wonderful and then not so engaging literature. Among the notables are - Non fiction category: 1. Good arguments by Bo Seo (how to handle a dispute or debate the most efficient way possible) 2. Genesis by Eric Schmidt (and former US Secy of State Henry Kissinger, who recently passed) - how AI might affect our lives as we know it 3. One in a billion - Zarna Garg (an autobiographical look at an Indian born American woman with a bindi narrated in a standup format - yes it is at times cliched but still funny) Fiction: 1. Personal by Lee Child (a vigilante story with Jack Reacher the giant, nomad protagonist of Child's novels goes hunting for a sniper) 2. Ramayana unraveled by Ami Ganatra (she might disagree about it being a work of fiction but oh wel...

Brown Motion

Search This Blog