Hosts Phil Bowermaster and Stephen Gordon explore ways technology can improve our efforts to improve ourselves as individuals and as a society as a whole.

Rediscovering the Value of “Old” From Mark Zuckerberg saying that young people are “smarter” to so many Silicon Valley companies wearing their discriminatory hiring practices as a badge of honor (“We’re a young company!”), ageism has a lot of social and institutional support.

Reinforcing Novelty As we get older, it’s a good idea to continue to try new things. We need to meet new people, read new books and new kinds of books, listen to new kinds of music, acquire and use new skills. There should be an app that reminds us to try new things and tracks our new experiences.  

Reinforcing Empathy We all need help and encouragement in showing empathy towards others, in particular towards those for whom we may be least inclined to give it. How about an empathy app? 

Numbers-Driven Improvements via Benchmarks We need a site that pools benchmarks for everything that people attempt in this life.  

Random Social Encouragement How about a social site / service wherein people state their goals and aspirations and ask for encouragement from others in carrying them out. Not help. Not advice. Just encouragement. In return, those asking for encouragement will agree to give it to others in the network. 

OTHER GEEK

The Great Indoors

Tower of Babylon

The Menagerie

WT 240-549