Decision-Making, Revisited: Introducing New Speaker Katherine Milkman
Every day, we make decisions that impact our lives for the worse or better—decisions that shape our reality. But too often, we make the wrong one. We skip the treadmill. We pick fries over salad. We spend when we should save. If we know what’s good for us, why do we so often shirk the better choice?... Continue Reading →
What’s on Bill Gates’s Nightstand? Jordan Ellenberg’s How Not to Be Wrong
Every year, Bill Gates releases his summer reading list—the books that influence him, and in turn, shape thought in the wider world. He’s praised books by Lavin speakers in the past (Steven Pinker’s The Better Angels of Our Nature, Jared Diamond’s The World Until Yesterday), and gracing the list... Continue Reading →
First Look: Adam Segal’s New Book, The Hacked World Order
The Internet as libertarian utopia—a boundless source of free information, unimpeded economic exchange, and virtual anonymity—is certainly not the Internet of today (or tomorrow). Or so argues Adam Segal, Director of Cyberspace and Digital Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations, in his upcoming... Continue Reading →
Jer Thorp on Data for More Than Just the Elite in Gorgeous New Video
Check out this new thought-provoking video with data expert Jer Thorp. Thorp uses data to help us understand the human condition. “We’re in this very weird situation where more is known about the human experience than ever before,” he says, “but not by the humans who are experiencing it … Right now,... Continue Reading →
Big Data Vs. "Cool Gurus": Jeremy Gutsche on Market Research for the Digital Age
As the founder of Trendhunter.com, speaker Jeremy Gutsche relentlessly tracks and finds The Next Big Thing—that valuable but elusive commodity—for a global audience that generates millions of views a month. But how can businesses jump on board? In a major article, Profit Magazine features Gutsche... Continue Reading →
The Same Old Songs: Is Big Data Saving (or Destroying) the Music Biz? Derek Thompson
Why do new hit songs sound exactly like old hit songs? Is the music business allergic to artistic innovation—or just savvy about what its customers really want? And why does the top 1 percent of bands now account for nearly 80% of all revenue from recorded music? In a major Atlantic article, Lavin... Continue Reading →
Data on the Delta: Jer Thorp's Experiment in Live-Data Tracking
Data artist and current Lavin speaker-at-large Jer Thorp just let us know that he’s about to take his work off the continent—specifically, exploring the Okavanga Delta in Botswana with a team of scientists, artists, and engineers. The most exciting component of the trip will be the live-data... Continue Reading →
Jer Thorp: We Need a New Bill of Rights for Data Privacy [VIDEO]
According to data artist and big data speaker Jer Thorp, we’re getting a raw deal when it comes to our raw data. With increasing ease, we give up our personal information to sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest without knowing what’s going to happen with it. “Right now it’s like... Continue Reading →