Remarkable Reading #18: Richard Watsons DIGITAL VS HUMAN and Catherine S.Adair and Teresa Barker's THE BIG DISCONNECT
The aim of this section Remarkable Reading is pay a tribute to the books that taught, share trends & insights into where our world in the 21st century is heading in a technology enabled world, and ask the right questions.
Bolded and italics quotes and references do not belong to myself and belong directly to the author. The focus is to share valuable insights and teachings from the book to win business for the authors.
Page 142 - “But before self-driving cars become self-fulfilling prophecy, there;s a more dangerous idea coming down the road. The EU has deemed that all new cars sold in Europe by 2017 be fitted with connectivity, most probably in the form of a SIM card, so cars can automatically call for help in the case of an accident”
You can purchase a copy of THE BIG DISCONNECT: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in a Digital Age by Catherine-Steiner Adair and Teresa Barker here, follow Catherine-Steiner Adair on Twitter here, follow Teresa Barker on here.
You can purchase a copy of DIGITAL VS HUMANS: How We’ll Live Love, and Think in the Future here, follow Richard Watson on Twitter here, and connect with him on LinkedIN here.
Two trends topics we’ll be reflecting on are:
- Role of parenting, education and future of the work force in a technological age
- Automation of transport and self-driving cars
On Parenting, education and future of the work force, here are a few topical insights from Richard Watson’s DIGITAL VS HUMAN: How We’ll Live, Love, and Think in The Future and Catherine S.Adair and Teresa Barker's THE BIG DISCONNECT. As mentioned earlier here, both books are impressive and rare in eliciting contemporary insights about the more earnest and thoughtful issues facing us in the 21st century. Watson States:
Page 142 - “But before self-driving cars become self-fulfilling prophecy, there;s a more dangerous idea coming down the road. The EU has deemed that all new cars sold in Europe by 2017 be fitted with connectivity, most probably in the form of a SIM card, so cars can automatically call for help in the case of an accident”
Page 158 - “....one of the largest problems with education is that in many instances, we appear to be teaching people to compete head on with computers. We’re also relying on a system that was designed to produce factory workers, with the nbod to an agrarian past. If education, or work for that matter, is based on capturing, processing, and repeating information then were heading for trouble - or mass unemployment. As technologist Conrad Wolfram argues, computers make rote procedures obsolete”
Page 159 - “The problem, and it’s a big one, is that neither our education system noir our society recognize most of these people are worthwhile, let alone special. Education is tiered, favouring certain subjects or skills over others and pushing as many students as possible towards university education rather than vocational training. Society makes similar judgements, especially in terms of acceptable levels of financial compensation. Broadly, some subjects or professions are deemed more desirable than others, and the education system, along with parental support, conspires to push individuals to pass exams so that they can end up in certain jobs - with the upper echelons of social status and wealth as the ultimate goals”.
Page 171 - “Instead of being employed, we will be set free to work for ourselves. We will work from anywhere, pitching for whatever interests us, much in the same way that freelance actors compete to work in movies. As Microsoft says “Work is a thing you do, not a place you go”.
THE BIG DISCONNECT states:
Page 250 - “It is becoming increasingly clear that schools and parents not only need to help children of all ages resist antisocial cultural norms but to develop the character and humanity to change these norms for the better”
Page 277 - “In both high school and college today, drinking games are some of the most commonly played games, period. A lot of kids don't like it but go along with it rather than look uncool or sit home alone. Others do stay home or hide our in their dorm rooms because it can be difficult to find same-minded friend to hang out with or places to go where drinking isn’t what it’s all about”
Page 291 - “Whether in the sanctuary of the forest, a holy place, or a poem, sustainable families provide opportunities to encounter and engage this part of selves. Instead of plugging in the earbuds, listen to yourself, find your inner GPS, Google search your own life experience, plug in to your soul. Children need time off-line to develop this internal relationship with their selves, with deep reflective thinking, to learn that being alone is not necessarily boring, lonely or scary”
Both books are compulsory in order to better understand the 21st century.
You can purchase a copy of THE BIG DISCONNECT: Protecting Childhood and Family Relationships in a Digital Age by Catherine-Steiner Adair and Teresa Barker here, follow Catherine-Steiner Adair on Twitter here, follow Teresa Barker on here.
You can purchase a copy of DIGITAL VS HUMANS: How We’ll Live Love, and Think in the Future here, follow Richard Watson on Twitter here, and connect with him on LinkedIN here.
Thank you,
Praz
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