Adidas' World Cup Backlash, Bullsh*t Jobs, Haptic Gloves and the Future Of Learning

Backlash On World Cup Jersey Design Surprises Adidas. It Shouldn't.

This week there have been no shortage of World Cup memes. Everything from Senegal manager Aliou Cissé becoming the tournament's coolest man, to the early domination of Ronaldo. Yet the one meme so far that might offer the best business lesson is the justified worldwide ridicule Adidas is earning for their confusingly designed official jerseys. This is the "curse of knowledge." Their team can't see a problem like this because they have read that font many times. It's obvious what the letters are to them. But not to the rest of us. The story is a perfect illustration of why sometimes you need an unbiased opinion from someone outside of your team or your organization to help you decide what to do (or what to change) before it becomes an international embarassment.

How To Learn Piano In An Hour (Without Even Trying)

Imagine learning a new skill such as playing the piano or reading braille in as little as an hour. That may soon be a reality according to this story which introduces a concept called "passive haptic learning" where people were taught the finger patterns to play a song on the piano simply by wearing a glove that vibrated in a set pattern. During experiments, each person who used it was able to actually play the piano after an hour of wearing a special glove without any other instruction, even when being distracted the whole time. The story points to a future of learning where we might be able to acquire new skills much more passively and quickly. While there are several important uses for this technology such as helping victims of brain injuries to regain their skills, the one question I couldn't help wondering was whether we (or others around us) will still value or appreciate skills acquired passively as much as those earned through hard work and practice?

Why Our Economy Still Supports (And Needs) Bullshit Jobs

"A titanic amount of our economy is presently bullshit, and we're working crazy hours to ensure that all the bullshit gets done."

This review of the newly released book Bullshit Jobs by David Graeber looks at some of the themes from the research of the author and why there are so many people doing jobs like "guarding" an empty room at a museum or doing meaningless data entry. One reason stems from the necessity of senior leaders to have many people reporting to them to inflate their salaries and sense of purpose. The problem is that people doing this type of work end up demoralized and miserable. As we consider the role of automation at work, it will be interesting to see how these jobs will be impacted. In the meantime, this book can at least offer you a voyeuristic look at some of the jobs you'll be glad you don't have ... or the empty comfort of knowing you're not alone if you happen to be stuck in a bullshit job right now.