In Pursuit of Decisive (or Was It Incapable?)

In Pursuit of Decisive (or Was It Incapable?) It has been a while since I read an article that made me laugh several times… people nearby thought I was crazy. Another great one by Andrew Palmer, this time about the relentless journey one has to undertake to identify, lock in on the target, and win the contest for the right to use a meeting room in this “wonder world” called “the office”. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Below you can find a teaser: “…When rooms are in demand, the top of every hour ushers in the same scene. First, lots of people rise from their desks and start to walk around with water bottles. The risk of dehydration is not high if you are sitting in a conference room for an hour. But you never know. Someone asks a colleague which meeting room has been booked, a reminder that rooms should not be given names. “Are we in Decisive?” “What?” “Are we in Decisive?” “Oh. No. We’re in Incapable.” “What?” And so on, until someone reverts to normal speech: “It’s the big one by the lift.” …” (text revised by a llm) The excruciating quest for a meeting room https://www.economist.com/business/2026/02/12/the-excruciating-quest-for-a-meeting-room From The Economist

- Pedro

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¿Leemos más de lo que pensamos?

¿Leemos más de lo que pensamos? Una encuesta muy interesante de El País sobre el lector en España que recomiendo leer :-) Algunos datos son agradablemente sorprendentes: 1- El 25 % de la gente lee un libro todos los días y el 30 % al menos todas las semanas (?); 2- La lectura es más popular que los videojuegos o los pódcasts (??) 3- Las mujeres leen más que los hombres 4- Los jóvenes son más eclécticos en términos de género literario 5- La lectura está pasando del papel al formato digital 6- A todos les gustaría tener más tiempo para leer (¿aspiración o excusa?) Teniendo en consideración el 1 y el 2, que van en contra de mis expectativas —pues pensaba que serían resultados significativamente menos alentadores—, no puedo dejar de pensar que en esta encuesta puede haber un sample bias que sesgue los resultados de una forma positiva (solo la gente que lee contesta y la que contesta, por presión social, amplifica sus hábitos de lectura…). En los últimos años he leído más de 20 libros al año y, dentro del entorno en el que me muevo (familia y amigos), solo mi hermana mediana y mi padre leen más que yo; todos los demás, con mucha diferencia, no lo hacen. Pero, sea como sea, celebremos los resultados positivos y hagámoslo realidad todos los días. El camino se hace caminando. (texto revisado por un llm) https://elpais.com/babelia/2024-11-23/la-gran-encuesta-al-lector-espanol-del-siglo-xxi-que-leemos-quien-lee-que-distingue-a-los-z.html?sma=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2024.11.23&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=lanewsletterdekikollaneras_2024.11.23

- Pedro

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Adding Context: The Hidden Value in Every Chart

Adding Context: The Hidden Value in Every Chart A simple—and because of that, great—example of how to build a graph and how providing clear visualization, along with the right context, can guide users toward useful insights and better decisions. I really like this site because it consistently presents strong examples and ideas on how to communicate key messages through graphs. By going step by step, you can clearly see the added value that context and information bring to each version. (text revised by a llm) https://slowrevealgraphs.com/2026/01/09/highest-paid-athletes-in-the-world-comparing-salary-winnings-with-endorsements/

- Pedro

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Making Space for ‘I’m Sorry’ and owning up to your mistakes

Making Space for ‘I’m Sorry’ A must-see: a balanced, sensible, and well-structured statement on this subject — the best I’ve heard so far. “If he said something as bad as what he said, I would still hope there’s room for someone to apologize and say, ‘I’m sorry — I made a huge mistake.’” (text revised llm) https://youtu.be/fuVMzJBzLhI?si=bCJBKOWc_8cEygX_

- Pedro

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The Art of Noticing Everyday Life

The Art of Noticing Everyday Life The Map of Tiny Perfect Things A good movie to watch with your pre-teen kids. An easy, entertaining storyline — but when you finish it and reflect on it, you realize how many good messages it conveys. The allegory of living the same day is nothing more than an extreme replica of how we live our lives every day — the routine, the inability to see what’s around us, and even to notice the tiny, perfect things we should enjoy and cherish each and every day. We become so inward-looking that we are completely blind to them. Finally, it also touches on the pain and the path you need to go through when you lose someone dear and close to you. A good combo, I would say, to watch with your kids — or with the kid inside you 🙂 (text revised by a llm) https://www.primevideo.com/detail/0OJWTXRLI9TEU0I224FZAIHQBS/ref=atv_dp_share_cu_r

- Pedro

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"It’s hard to compete against someone who’s just there to have fun"

"It’s hard to compete against someone who’s just there to have fun" A great podcast with Peter Steinberger, the creator and mastermind of OpenClaw, that I strongly advise everyone to listen to (>3 hours at normal speed). It really nudged me to take a step forward and embrace agentic AI without looking back. I will invest a significant part of my leisure time (at least for now) in this topic and also try to have fun building tools/models/stuff leveraging my domain expertise and improving them, AND enjoying the journey. https://youtu.be/YFjfBk8HI5o?si=kqSMob780alfWEUW

- Pedro

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13/20… Would You Do Better?

13/20… Would You Do Better? AI videos… can you spot the difference? Are you sure? The latest models really make it hard — almost impossible — to identify what’s real and what isn’t. Have a read and take the test. I did, and I was only able to spot 13/20 (which seems to be better than average). That said, even the ones I got right were, in most cases, 50/50 or just slightly better — but not by much. Next time you see a video, activate your critical thinking. Validate the sources and double-check — what you think you saw might not be real. Imagine what can be done, for good and for bad, with this technology. https://runwayml.com/research/theturingreel

- Pedro

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