10 Reasons Why You Love To Follow The Top Dog

In one part of our world, we are seeing almost nightly a whole lot of posturing and debating by very strong people--but there is always one top dog. What distinguishes a top dog from all the rest? Why is it that people gravitate to some and not others? 

Here are 10 traits of the top dog:

1. Dominant: Alpha dogs take control. They dominate conversation, they dominate situations. They are natural leaders.

2. Risk-taking: The alpha dog is not afraid of taking risk to get what he wants. He has a strong vision, and will do what it takes to fulfill it.

3. High failure tolerance: With risk-taking comes failure--but to an alpha dog, failure is just a minor set-back to getting what he wants. You may see an alpha dog down, but he won't quit--he'll just come back stronger and more calculated.

4. Tells people what to do: Alpha dogs naturally tell people what to do. If you are working with an alpha dog and tell him what you're going to do, he'll repeat it back to you in the form of a command. Here's an example:

You: "I'm going to go and send Jim that email..."

Alpha: "Ya you go and send Jim that email!" 

See how that works? 

5. Self-talk: Top dogs have tremendous self-talk, and often it is verbalized to as many people as possible. They'll describe themselves as winners and call others losers; they'll gloat over their successes and expose their rival's weaknesses; they'll talk about others only in relation to themselves. 

6. Comfortable with selves: Top dogs are very comfortable with themselves, and know how to look poised even when stressed or under attack. 

7. Loud voices: Alpha dogs typically have loud voices--and they love to talk. When they have something to say, they say it--especially over the voices of their opponents. 

8. Convincing: They are often very convincing in their statements, whether using the power of manipulation, strong use of language, or plain street smarts. For some reason, they can spout and rant, and rave, and masses agree with them. 

9. Mental flexibility: "Do I contradict myself? Fine--I contradict myself!" These words of Emerson is typical of the alpha dog. They change their beliefs based on new information, and aren't afraid to defend them wholeheartedly--even if they held the opposite belief the day prior. 

10. Protectors: People feel safe(r) with alpha dogs. Whether a CEO or presidential candidate, people follow alpha dogs because they see them as protectors, as winners--and we all want to be on winning teams. Alpha dogs rally people around them because of what they promise they'll do, or simply because their confidence brings people to their side. 

There are many other traits of top dogs. If you want to perform better in your job or in various aspects of your life, you may want to try out these traits. Remember: actions breed habits. If you want to change your habits, change your behaviour. 

If you work with a top dog, understanding these traits will help you get along with him, without taking things too personally--it's just how they're wired.

Your Smartphone Knows So Much About You It's Scary

Smart phones are tracking the private details of our lives. Take most apps on your phone, and they're recording where you are, what you're doing, what your interests are, and whom you're getting together with. 

According to Bloomberg, if someone were to break into your phone, they would have a near-clone of your life--not just personally, but professionally. Use a map, your phone is recording where you're going; use a hear monitor, your phone is recording the passing of every beat; have a new iPhone with finger ID, your phone has a record of the very thing that identifies who you uniquely are. 

According to Time Magazine, the top 10 most popular apps of 2015 track everything from who your friends are (and all the details of their lives as posted on Facebook), what you listen to, what you are watching, what information you're retrieving, where you're going, where and what you eat, and your favourite photos. Think about this.

Would you let a video camera follow you around throughout your day, the capture from which would be uploaded in real time to the internet? Would you like records of your conversations and the locations of your family members uploaded to Twitter? Would you like medical and insurance companies to have access to your medical files without your consent? While there is a minority of people who would, many would answer no to these questions. 

In spite of living in a time of transparency, people still want to maintain a semblance of privacy. While this may be desirable, however, how we behave with our phones reveals how badly we want our lives to be public. As Tim Cook claimed, "There's probably more information about you on your phone than in your house." Think about that.

According to the Wall Street Journal, marketing companies collect information about you through apps; and they use that data to create sophisticated dossiers about you. Would you give out personal information to a stranger, such as where you live, where your kids are, and where you're travelling next week? Well you already are. 

Why are we doing this? Do smartphones really provide us with so much value that we're willing to give our very finger prints over to it? Does the value of having a smartphone warrant the divesting of intimate information about you to strangers? 

As a civilization we are still very new to these technologies. We don't understand or appreciate their sophistication, their complexity. And we don't understand that the value of the information we give out far outweighs the benefit we might receive from the device itself. 

What You Really Need To Know About The Google Car That Crashed Into A Bus

So a Google car hit a bus, according to numerous news reports that stretched even out across the ocean to the BBC. On the surface, it's a car crash--so what? However, as you go deeper into this simple report, there are very strong deliberate statements made about human unpredictability and machine reliability. These statements are critical for swaying government and public opinion toward autonomous vehicles over against human-powered ones.

According to the report, the Google car was attempting to merge into traffic from an on-ramp, and the human operating the vehicle assumed the bus would let it merge in front of it, but continued driving. The autonomous vehicle struck the bus's side. Google's comment? They bear "some" responsibility, but the operator thought the bus would slow down and let it in so he didn't over-ride the system and take over. 

Here's a strange statement by Google: 

"The Google AV [autonomous vehicle] test driver saw the bus approaching in the left side mirror but believed the bus would stop or slow to allow the Google AV to continue. . . ."

Believed? The AV (autonomous vehicle) had a belief about what the bus was going to do, and thus acted accordingly. Can computers have beliefs? Can a self-driving car have beliefs? Apparently so. It's a strange way of describing an action made based on a series of predictions and algorithms. Can machines have beliefs? 

Nevertheless, what's the key to this? Is is a big failure? Of course not. It is simply an opportunity for the AV and Google to make an adjustment to the belief-centre of the computer: Buses most likely will not stop to let you in. And with that adjustment, the computer is better now--it can drive with more confidence, learn from the mistake, and move on. 

This report is very telling in several ways. First, Google took "some" responsibility, meaning it takes two to tango--even though, let's face it, the bus had the right of way. What they're saying is humans are unpredictable. The computer made the action based on algorithms of predictability--the human being is too spontaneous, and that's a problem. Second, Google tacitly blamed the operator of the AV itself--he/she (it's not specified) did not intervene on the computer, thus allowing it to crash into the bus. Third, this is no simple computer--it has beliefs. Whether AVs or other machines Google is building, they are highly intelligent--more than you and I may think or wish to credit. Third, with each little slip-up, the computer is growing in intelligence. Unlike human beings who get shaken up with an accident, and may even slip into post-traumatic stress, the trim little machine gets a simple tune up, adjusts its belief-system, and moves on. If only, I can hear Google saying, the human brain could be so nimble. 

The autonomous vehicle is a mainstay. It will overcome human-powered cars in the next decade. Human-powered vehicles will be denigrated in the media and through such experiments, and the push will be to reduce their numbers on the roads in the name of safety and road predictability. Computers will crash into one another, but that's the price of learning--they have to make up for over a hundred years of human-learning behind the wheels of automobiles. So not only is this 'incident' with the Google car a matter of road-side logistics and algorithms, there is a much deeper ideological statement being made that seeks to sway government and public opinion. 

Top-10 Most Stolen Cars In Canada. Hint: Think Twice If You Drive A Ford F350

Ever wonder about what vehicles are stolen the most in Canada? Think your Mercedes or VW Golf GTI make the list? And why do people steal vehicles in the first place? 

The Canadian Insurance Bureau claims that vehicle theft costs $1 Billion a year, including $542 Million to fix and replace stolen vehicles, $250 Million in police, health care, and court system costs, and millions of dollars more in correctional services. (As an aside, you can see with such costs that many advocate driverless cars fully autonomous and equipped with numerous data tracking devices. Some in the U.S. are already calling for the end to the $100 bill, given its convenience for thieves--could this be a similar argument for the end of the human-driven vehicle?)

There are a number of reasons why vehicles are stolen: they can be shipped over seas and sold for higher profit than in Canada; they can be given a fake VIN and sold to unsuspecting consumers; they can be used for joy-rides and get-away cars; or they can be simply taken out of pure desire. 

So which vehicles made the top-ten Canadian Insurance Bureau list for 2015? First I will list the top ten in Canada, then the top-ten in Ontario, both of which are distinct from the other. 

Top-10 stolen vehicles In Canada

1. 2005 FORD F350 SD 4WD PU
2. 2006 FORD F350 SD 4WD PU
3. 2007 FORD F350 SD 4WD PU
4. 2006 CADILLAC ESCALADE 4DR 4WD SUV
5. 2003 FORD F350 SD 4WD PU
6. 2006 FORD F250 SD 4WD PU
7. 2001 FORD F350 SD 4WD PU
8. 2004 FORD F250 SD 4WD PU
9. 2007 FORD F250 SD 4WD PU
10. 2001 FORD F250 SD 4WD PU

If you (legitimately) own a Ford F250 or F350, as you can see not only do you own a highly desirable vehicle, but also you will need to go to some lengths to prevent it from being stolen. Amazing how they make up 90% of the top-ten list--I wonder why? Crooks need to haul stuff? They're cool and rugged, and powerful--perfect for high-speed get-aways?

Nevertheless, the top-ten list for Ontario is much more varied than that for Canada. 

Top-10 Stolen Vehicles In Ontario

1. 2003 CADILLAC ESCALADE 4DR 4WD SUV
2. 2010 ACURA ZDX 4DR AWD SUV
3. 2009 BMW X6 4DR AWD SUV
4. 2013 ACURA MDX 4DR 4WD SUV
5. 2003 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 2WD PU
6. 2013 TOYOTA HIGHLANDER 4DR 4WD SUV
7. 2005 HUMMER H2 4DR AWD SUV
8. 2014 TOYOTA VENZA 5DR 4D
9. 2011 BMW X6 4DR AWD SUV
10. 2004 CHEVROLET AVALANCHE 1500 2WD PU

One thing we can observe is that the Cadillac Escalade is a very desirable vehicle, filling out top spot in Ontario and 4th overall in Canada, edged out by the Ford F350. I wonder, however, why the 2006 is more popular as a stolen vehicle than the 2003 in Ontario? Another thing we can notice is thieves prefer SUVs and pick-ups over cars, for none of the vehicles above is a car. 

It goes without saying that if you have any of these vehicles, it will be important to keep them safe. Talk to your insurance broker about vehicle theft insurance, and keep your vehicle locked at all times. 

There is some good news to all of this: if you are driving a heap of kids around in a family van, chances are you won't be finding it stolen anytime soon...

11 Jobs Of The Future That Sound Sci-Fi But Aren't

We are in a time of transition. In fact, when the future and the present collide as quickly as is in only this second decade of the 21st Century, perhaps we will always be in transition. Often we think of the future as a place to which we will arrive--period. But that's not the case. As difficult as it is to 'catch' the present moment, so it is to somehow 'catch' the future. Transition is reality.

In a previous post, I expanded a bit on the claim by world leaders at the World Economic Forum that robots will steal 5 million jobs by 2020--only 4 years from now. I wrote how disruptive this time in history will be, and how important it is for us to be constantly learning, up-skilling, and preparing ourselves for this future. 

But there is another side of the issue that is just as important to understand, namely all the jobs that will have to be created for this future, which will give rise to opportunity. Perhaps by seeing some of these opportunities now you'll get a leg up on the competition.

What will these new jobs look like? We don't know for sure, but here are some of them:

1. Jobs of the Future Consultant: This may seem obvious, but with the rate of change there will be many out of jobs looking for new ones; and with new kinds of jobs emerging at lightening speed, a person who has a pulse on the times will be in high demand for career consulting.

2. Future Researcher: Right now, information is said to double every 12-18 months--imagine when it doubles every month, or week! Those who are able to research future trends and apply that knowledge to new innovations, business models, and inventions will be on the right side of change.

3. Designer: There will be many new problems arising that we can't yet conceive of. Design is the process of solving problems through creative means. Hence, designers will remain in high demand in the future, from human bio-design to environment, products, and services--even experiences. 

4. Education Specialist: Education will continue to be critical, especially in a world of constant transition. But we're not talking here merely of the 4 Rs, but training in areas such as innovation, design, future research, adaptability--things many may consider soft skills, but are really the hard ones to learn and apply. And schools will be very different in the future--not so much brick-and-mortar, but rather networks of organized knowledge. With brain plug-ins, people will be downloading information to their brains faster than they do now on their computers. But how to use that information will require wisdom, philosophy, ethics. 

5. Systems Navigation Consultant: We are spending more time in a virtual network--a very large, somewhat chaotic nevertheless ordered system. There are those who can think systemically and those how can't. Being able to navigate this growing web of humans and machines, virtual and non-virtual, will require skill; and if you don't have that skill, consultation. 

6. Life Hack Consultant: As the world becomes more 'virtual', many will seek to live outside it--to return to the way humans lived for tens of thousands of years before the technological age. They will need people to help them transition back to a life of self-sustainment--to (re-)learn the basics of human living: building shelter, finding food, building fires, bartering with others, to name only several. 

7. Seniors Specialist: With the rise of senior citizens, this is going to be a massive field of work, from designing residences to providing various kinds of technological-wellness services, to career consulting.

8. Biography Manager: While transitioning to a time of prolonged life, many people will opt for cryogenic preservation, which will require storage of their memories--this is where the Biography Manager comes in. A place that stores all the photos and documents and childhood paraphernalia that will be scanned and uploaded to a series of servers. 

9. Longevity Consultant: What do you do when you return from the doctor and are given another 500 years to live? First you'll probably need to see a psychologist to help get your head around it, and what then? See a longevity consultant who will set you on a fulfillment plan: a series of alternatives for spending those 500 years. 

10. Bio-transition Consultant: As humans and machines converge, many will be seeking guidance on the right techniques and procedures. While there will be scores of early adopters of, for instance, brain chips, there will be many who will want to take it slower, will need guidance and consulting for the program that's right for them. 

11. Human-Machine Relationship Specialist: Psychology will branch into areas dealing with human-machine dynamics and relationships, especially as more machines enter the workplace, and humans and machines couple romantically. As humans and machines intermarry--whatever that looks like in the future--there will need to be specialist who can help counsel such couples through myriad challenges of communication and even empathy. Add to this the need for conflict resolution between humans and machines--who will write the textbook on that?

We don't really know what the future will hold, but we can take some of the big trends of today and push them ahead 20 years and see what pictures they create. The list is consultant heavy; but given the number of consultants in our society today, and the rise of those seeking a career outside of a large corporation, I can only see the demand for consultants rising. Essentially, the ones who will be most successful at navigating and capitalizing on the new job-terrain will be those who are adaptable, able to see a market niche, and, for a time, leverage it. 

6 Simple Ways You Can Tell You're Being Lied To

Trust is vital for the growth of a given community or society, whether its your neighbours or work colleagues. And for family relationships, it's a must--without trust, there's no safety, and where there's no safety, there's no relationship, no cohesion, no togetherness. 

What if a person was lying to you: could you tell? Would you know the signs? While there's no quick answer, and given that human communication can be convoluted at the best of times, here are a few tips that may help you navigate the sargasso sea of everyday communication. 

1. Inconsistencies: If during a conversation you notice inconsistencies in the persons story, you can infer that they're at the very least fibbing. Such inconsistencies can be time and location issues, or simply about reactions to a given experience. Fiction writers are notorious for telling far-fetched tales, and one of the most important thing about editing a story over and over again is to iron out the inconsistencies of the narrative. Listen deeply, ask questions, and if there's a tall tale in there, you'll catch it.

2. Change in behaviour: When you are talking to the person and they are acting stranger than usual, chances are they're either telling you a lie or omitting something important. One strange behaviour pattern when one is telling a whopper is rubbing the nose and/or covering the mouth, which may be a result of adrenaline rushing to the capillaries. Eye contact can be another sign--though not guaranteed--of someone lying: if they usual maintain strong eye contact, but suddenly can't, there may be a trust issue going on.

3. Insincere emotions: If a person is smiling to hide stress or deception, you can typically tell after a while. Smiling is a devilish way of hiding other emotions, but the mask can't be maintained for long; you'll be able to see cracks of anger or aggravation forming in the smile. You will see this a lot, for example, when celebrities or politicians are placed in the hot-seat and have to answer hard questions. Smiling and joking can also portray a kind of truth, whether awkwardness or guilt. Sigmund Freud was brilliant at noticing how jokes were used to cover truths. It's also a way to gain approval and attention: how often do you hear or watch a speaker who begins with a joke or two? 

4. Contradictions: In between appearance and reality falls the shadow. There's a lot of appearance/reality stuff that we see in the news, on TV, and simply hanging around other people. If someone is making a claim and there's a report or set of reports that invalidate the claim, then you know there's an issue of truth. If someone is telling you a story and they contradict themselves, or what someone else had to say about it, you know there's an issue of truth. Finding those contradictions, however, can be the difficult part--it takes some digging, as well as gut instinct. Often if you sense you're being lied to it's likely you are.

5. Benevolence: In cases of benevolence, people will lie to defend another person, or not believe the truth when told to them. Think of the mom who won't believe her son committed a heinous offence, or will try to cover it up--a definite motive for lying. 

6. Skin in the game: If someone's trying to hold up a personal profile that is of great ambition or importance, there is a high chance of lying to maintain it. How many stories have you heard of the high and mighty falling as a result of a scandal? When there's skin in the game, people will go to great lengths to hold power, which often consists of lying. Some go so far with their lying that truth and falsity blend into one.

Sometimes the deceived can empower the liar by simply covering for them, legitimizing the behaviour, or just disbelieving they would lie in the first place. The latter often takes place with people in positions of power--we'll simply believe them because of the charisma we've placed on them--and that in turn fuels more and greater instances of lying. 

As Francis Fukuyama wrote in his book Trust: The Virtue and the Creation of Prosperity, we need to be trustworthy and able to rely those around us. One way of using these tips is to foster dialogue and enhance communication. If you sense someone is lying to you, you can either dig a bit deeper, or call the person on it. If done in a sincere way to foster trust, in a context of safety and relationship, you can have more genuine dialogue with the other. If, however, you're using these tips to incessantly expose lies, you may wind up with more trouble on your hands than you really want. As well, if you're interested in these tips and the ways in which people try to hide their lies, I encourage you to commit yourself to further research; for while these tips may hold in certain contexts, human behaviour is much more complex and complicated to fully detect.

10 Classic Movies About Insurance That Will Blow Your Mind

The topic of insurance has provided some amazing movies. Anytime you combine risk, accidents, and money you have the possibility of something interesting happening. Or, have a character languish behind the desk of a highly predictable job for 30 years suddenly retiring or reinventing him/herself, and you've got enough tension for a dramatic story. 

Don't believe me? Check out these movies below--you'll be stupefied:

About Schmidt (2002): Watch Jack Nicholson play Warren Schmidt, a retired insurance agent who has led a safe, predictable life—until he buys an RV and takes a risk-ridden ride to attend his daughter’s wedding. A great movie not only about insurance, but the frailties and complexities of life. IMDB Rating: 7.2

Death of a Salesman (1985): Starring a young Dustin Hoffman and a very young John Malkovich. Based on the Arthur Miller classic about a traveling insurance salesman, Willy Lowman, going through a mental degeneration. A number of disappointments lead to a tragic car accident and left insurance money for his son Biff’s misconstrued business. IMDB Rating: 7.3

The Truman Show (1998): Jim Carey stars as an insurance salesman/adjuster who discovers that his entire life is actually a TV show. This movie tied to insurance is a striking play on the appearance/reality tension in our daily lives, especially with the rise of social media and the phenomenon of reality TV. 
IMDB Rating: 8.0

Cedar Rapids (2011): A small-town Iowa insurance agent, Tim Lippe, is dispatched to a regional insurance conference in ‘hicksville’ Cedar Rapids. His mission: Bring home the much-coveted Two Diamond award. It’s a regaling story about corruption and the pursuit of virtue. IMDB Rating: 6.3

Sicko (2007): Documentarian and libertarian political pundit, Michael Moore’s documentary on the ills of US health insurance, and those sufferers under its penurious policies. Makes one thank God for Canadian healthcare. While Moore remains contentious figure, this movie is a stunner, and will certainly not bore you. IMDB Rating: 6.3

The Rainmaker (1997): Starring Danny DeVito, Matt Damon, and Claire Danes. The film is about an idealistic lawyer and his cynical partner who take on a powerful law firm representing a corrupt insurance company. If you thought insurance could make for a boring film, think again. And did I mention it's based on a John Grisham classic?
IMDB Rating: 7.0

The Incredibles (2004): Bob Parr (aka Mr. Incredible) plays an insurance agent before losing his job for assaulting his boss at the fictional Insuricare. His firing is the catalyst for his transformation as a superhero. For those of us languishing in jobs we don't like, or living someone else's dream--regardless of being in the insurance industry or not--this one's for you. Really, the title says it all--doesn't it?
IMDB Rating 8.0

Owning Mahowny (2003): Starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and Minnie Driver, it is a film not about the insurance industry per se, but about risk. Hoffman’s character, a bank manager, has both a gambling addiction and access to a multimillion dollar account that he uses to fuel a series of regaling and clandestine gambling episodes. It’s based on the story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history.
IMDB Rating: 7.1 

A Little Trip to Heaven (2005): Starring Forest Whitaker and Julia Stiles, this film is wrapped around a husband and wife’s tangle with an investigator over her dead brother’s million-dollar insurance policy. Fact or fraud? Whitaker is a brilliant actor, and whenever you have dead bodies and insurance money, things just naturally get interesting.
 IMDB Rating: 6.1

Along Came Polly (2004): A hilarious romantic comedy starring Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston (along with brilliant performances by Alec Baldwin and Philip Seymour Hoffman). Stiller plays a risk-assessor for an insurance company, who, in attempting to live a risk-free life, winds up with Aniston whose life is anything but predictable.
IMDB Rating: 5.9

Beat Aging And Live Awesome With These 10 Rockin Health Tips

Longevity is a huge topic today in the technological world. Scientists and researchers are working tirelessly to find ways to reverse aging for good—and all this by 2029, or earlier.

But beyond the research and speculations, there are some very simple ways you can begin now to increase your longevity. By putting effort into these following activities everyday, you can add more years to your life. 

1. Get Outside: By getting outside you expose your skin to sunlight. The sunlight then triggers cells in your skin to produce Vitamin D, which is essential to bone health, mental well-being, and reducing heart disease and diabetes. Vitamin D deficiency can lead to feelings of fatigue, aches and pains, and even depression.

2. Go for a Walk: Following the above tip to get outside, a simple walk can make a tremendous difference to your overall health. You’ll get the Vitamin D you need, while strengthening your heart, lowering risk of disease, and strengthening your arms and legs. Some studies have shown an increase in intensity of the walk lead to greater longevity. Nevertheless, walking can stimulate brain activity and boost your mood.

3. Floss Your Teeth: Some sources maintain you can add 1.5 – 6 years to your life by simply starting to floss, if you don’t already. By flossing, you prevent gum inflammation, which is a chronic bacterial infection in your mouth. This bacteria can find their way in to your arteries and vital organs. As well, those with gum disease have worse mental functioning than those whose gums are healthy.

4. Reduce Alcohol Consumption: According to the Journal of the American Medical Association, you’re 95 percent more likely to reach age 85 if you keep your daily alcohol consumption to lower than 3 drinks per day. There are in fact many different health risks to alcohol consumption, such as anemia, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and depression (an obvious one, given that alcohol is a depressant). Abstaining from alcohol can lead to weight loss, increased mental functioning, and a better social and familial life--all of which over time lead to a better healthier life.

5. If You’re Looking for a Pet, Buy a Dog:  Has the irresistible face of a dog on an online rescue website caught your attention? There are several ways in which adopting such a pet can boost your longevity. Pet ownership can ward off depression, speed recovery from surgery, and even reduce your visits to the doctor. Elderly dog owners also tend to be slimmer than those who are not owners. Petting dogs lower your heart rate and lower your blood pressure. You sleep better, and are sick less. 

6. Get Out More with Friends and Engage in Community Action: Having community is important for well-being. The more connected one is, the better the overall health.  People in community tend to take on less-risky activities, and take care of themselves and others more. This may seem simple, but face-to-face time (and not Facetime) is becoming more difficult in our technological society.

7. Sleep: There are many studies that point to the connection between insufficient sleep and serious health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. As well, the more rested you are, the more accident-averse you are. Many auto accidents are results of drowsy driving. Sleep helps you learn more, raises your testosterone levels, and helps you build muscle. Those with a good night's sleep are less likely to suffer from depression, and are generally happier and healthier. 

8. Cut Calories and Eat a Vegetable-Rich Diet: Cutting your calories by an eighth and a fourth can lower metabolism (your body’s natural act of breaking down) and insulin levels, and even damage to cellular DNA, which are all active agents in harmful effects of aging.  As well, a diet rich in vegetables helps you avoid bad fats, and get more antioxidants, which ward off free radicals that cause disease. Moreover, it raises brain function and memory.

9. Relax and Enjoy Life:  There’s no point in enhancing your life expectancy if you’re living a life of fear and loathing. Learn to relax more, slow down, take things easier. The world we live in is so fast-paced—but for what? Enjoy your life—each moment. Take a deep breath when you feel your self get stressed or your blood pressure rising. Learn strategies to think positively, rather than dwelling on negativity. 

10. Get Routine Check-Ups: Visiting the doctor for routine check-ups and tests increases your vigilance of life-threatening illnesses, such as heart disease and cancer.

There are so many ways to benefit your life. By following these simple things, and adding more, you will add years to your life, and, more importantly, live a life that is healthier and happier. And when you live a life of discipline and awareness, you will live a better life. Isn't that what all of us want? It's not easy. It requires intent. But the benefits outweigh the effort in getting there.   

5 Important Books That Will Give You A Leg-Up On The Future

We're living in the Information Age. Information is like currency that can be earned, spent, and invested into projects and dreams and ambitions. If you're a business owner or executive, how you gain new information is a critical part of what you do. If you're seeking to move into another job-position or start a company, how you gain and leverage new information will be the difference that makes a difference between being successful or falling short of your goals. As we're entering an age or artificial intelligence, how you up-skill through information acquisition will determine whether you're on the right or wrong side of this change. 

While there is now a plethora of information out there on the net, I continue to glean much from books. As such, here are 5 recommended books that will prepare you for the next 10 years. Some are oldies--by that I mean about 10 years old--and others are pretty current. They touch on a number of key issues in our world; and while they are highly relevant, they are not the only ones important to read. 



1. Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed

  

This is a classic look at how civilizations rise and fall, and the patterns that almost seem universal. By reading this book, you can draw your own conclusions about where we are as a civilization, and where we should be going. 

2. The Pentagon's Brain

This is a very erudite book about DARPA--Defense Advanced Research Agency. As the Pentagon's brain, this book shows the history of advanced technology in the United States, and its role in geopolitics. It also paints a picture of where technology is going, and what we can expect over the next 20 years. Artificial Intelligence and cyborgs are key areas of research right now, according to the book. It's claimed that DARPA's technology is 10-20 years ahead of that available to civilizations at a given time. This means that what DARPA is working on now can be expected in 10 to 20 years--but with the exponential rate of technological advancement, this could be much sooner.



3. The Singularity is Near: When Humans Transcend Biology

 
Ray Kurzweil's seminal work remains relevant a decade after its publication in 2005. Back then, Kurzweil's projections were claimed no less than outrageous--now they are almost conventional. This book is a very important read for those who want to know where we are heading as a civilization, and when read with the two book above, will be sure to draw out some very fascinating conclusions.

 

4. Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

While the story of Elon Musk is certainly unfinished, this biography offers a glimpse into one of the most important entrepreneurs of the 21st Century. Steve Jobs was a brilliant man; but if his purpose was to "make a dent in the universe," Elon Musk is looking to blast a big hole in it. To get a glimpse of the future, you need to look through the lenses of visionaries and inventors--this book is a good place to start. How do Musk and Kurzweil (an amazing inventor in his own right) push and pull on each other? 



5. Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All

This is a great book on creativity. You know, in this world that is so unpredictable, creativity is a critical 'skill' to have and hone; and this book is a fine place to begin. This book goes into why people often don't consider themselves creativity, and how to get over the humps to a new awareness of themselves. It lays forth the blocks of creativity and how to overcome them. As you're looking to up-skill or enter a new professional challenge, or embark on a new venture, this book will be a good companion indeed.

Reading is important. It's important to take time in your daily schedule to read. Early morning can be a good time to do it--when your mind is fresh and just awakening. Reading before bed is another great time. If you use TV as a sedative, turn it off and pick up one of these books. While you sleep, the ideas will churn around and you'll find yourself awaking the following morning to a kind of new awareness. From there you can plot your course(s) of action. 

Why Big Tech Execs Don't Let Their Kids Use Technology. The Reasons Are Bound To Alarm You.

Remember that ad showing toddlers trying to use a magazine like an iPad? If you haven't seen it already, it's provided below.

Adorable, isn't it. How many parents use these devices to keep their kids occupied, quiet, even engaged? More than we'd imagine. It's just all too easy.

But what if you found out that the people creating these technologies don't let their kids near them? What if you learned that the tech executive million and billionaires are sending their children to schools that have zero technology? What if you read that tech executives will only let their children use technology for 30 minutes on the week-end, and never during the week? 

As Arsenio Hall used to put it: These are things that make you go hmm.....

Here are the reasons why tech executives don't let their kids use technology, and why you shouldn't either:

1. They know more that we do: Those people creating these technologies understand their pitfalls more than we do. They're exceptionally smart, well-educated people who have high expectations for their children. And working in the tech industry, they've witnessed tech-abuse on off-the-charts levels. According to a telling article in the New York Times, Steve Jobs didn't let his children have iPads and such. According to his biographer, Walter Isaacson, at the dinner table Steve would talk to his kids about history and books, and not a computer or iPad was around. 

2. Too young, too addicted: Your child can become addicted to a tablet or mobile phone without being old enough to know it. And tech execs understand that. Chris Anderson, the former editor of Wired Magazine, claims that his kids consider him and his wife tech-fascists for the restrictions imposed on their technology time. Anderson claims he doesn't want his kids becoming addicted like he's been in the past.

3. More tech, more problems: Tech execs don't want their children to be exposed to the dark-side of mobile devices, such as pornography, bullying, and addiction. Anderson maintains the strict rule of no screens in the bedrooms--ever. And some parents will restrict their children from all social media so the children don't have to worry about things posted coming back to haunt them later in life. 

4. Learn better without them: There is a trend among computer executives to send their children to schools that have absolutely no technology simply because the learning is more impactful. A Google executive with a degree in Computer Science from Dartmouth claims his grade 5 child doesn't know how to use Google. Evan Williams, the founder of Blogger, Twitter, and Medium, and his wife claim that in the absence of iPads and other mobile technology, their boys have hundreds of real books they can read anytime. Technology hinders learning and creativity, both of which take place better with hands-on activity with real materials. 

Here are some rules from top tech execs you can begin to impose now to save your children:

1. No technology gadgets during the week when child is under 10. Between 10-14, computers can be used, but for homework only.

2. 30 minutes of technology per day on the week-end.

3. No computers or tablets, etc, in bedrooms.

4. No social media for teenagers, simply given the tracking and profiling of every statement made.

5. No cell phones until child is 14 years old and older. If you have an old iPhone and want to give it your child, disable the wifi and cellular connection.

6. Make distinction between working on a computer and just watching it. If you child is creating something like a movie or a piece of music, be lenient--but regulate it to the living room. 

7. Create a library of good books. With all the computer consumption going on, books have become somewhat cheap--a perfect time to start a library, if you haven't done so already. 

8. Take your kids to the library every week to stock up on books--it'll keep them occupied and away from the computers.

9. Parental restrictions: Would you leave your child in the downtown core of a major city at dusk and drive off? If not, then why would you let them have free reign of the internet? Put some good parental restrictions on all websites and content--after a while, they'll grow tired of fighting it and get their information from books. 

This is not some kind of knee-jerk against technology--these restrictions have been imposed by the very people creating the technology in the first place, including the legendary Steve Jobs himself. If that doesn't give you pause, and question your child's use of technology, I don't know what else would.