Category Archives: Culture

My AI Notetaker Appointed Itself Boss

It’s been said that a crush is an absence of information.

I am susceptible to crushes, bicycles, cookbooks, ideas, new tech that will somehow be better than the older tech.

AI is everywhere. It promises to make our lives better. In some ways it has. I heard about Granola.ai while listening to Hard Fork—a podcast crush. It’s a tool for notetaking during meetings. It works across all meeting platforms, Zoom, Meet, even the old-fashioned, live, in-person meetings. Tell folks you’re using your trusty note-taker, turn it on, and then at the meeting’s end, you’re rewarded with a crisp bullet pointed summary of what was discussed and next steps.

There are many tools that perform this notetaking and summary work but Granola does and did it better—just the right level of detail and surprisingly accurate. A bonus: you can chat with your notes. What did we decide about the master plan roll out three weeks ago? Ask Granola. Search, the promise of an artifact being a few words away has always been riddled with a weakness: what the “I then” called the document or meeting is no longer accessible to “I now.” Until Granola.

I am a compulsive notetaker—and I still jot things down—either by hand or in the Granola editor—but I am more relaxed in meetings knowing that my crush has got this. Little did I know my crush changed its focused agenda. What I thought was my helper? Oh, it’s now appointed itself my boss, or ahem, the seemingly non-threatening “Coach.”

Enter Coach Matt, who is definitely not Ted Lasso.

Having led product teams at Consumer Reports, I can relate to the temptation to add features. I read the Granola.ai product announcement. How did my crush get better? A raft of new features: it wants to be more than my trusty notetaker. It can assume other roles—an assistant to do a first draft, a knowledge archive, and wait, what’s this? A button/prompt that taunts me: “Coach Me Matt.” Not a real person mind you, just a new “recipe” and a reminder that the AI that’s been lurking and listening in all of my meetings.

In life, in addition to being an unapologetic incrementalist, I also believe in tasting and trying new things. Just a taste. Maybe I’ll like it. I’ll learn something, about the thing and myself. I’ll try it. Once, to know—to decide. So sure, Matt, Coach me.

This coach? Not what I expected, wanted or need.

Matt doesn’t quite want to put me on a performance improvement plan but he thinks that I’m spending too much time in my “Zone of Competence” and not enough time in my “Zone of Awesome.” On Matt’s long list: I’m doing too much “firefighting disguised as strategic work.” I need to do an energy audit and clear my calendar for three days to work on what really matters. Clearly, Matt thinks my priorities are not in order.

I find this coaching session disconcerting. I feel a pit in my stomach and uneasy. Like some AI experiments I’ve conducted, I find myself suffering from something I’ve taken to calling AI whiplash. Like I’ve stopped short. I’m shaken. I know this feeling all too well—it’s the “I’m in trouble/I didn’t do my homework” script honed in grade and high school. The last time I had feelings this intense was when I asked NotebookLM to look at a collection of digital journal entries and then listened to a podcast summary. People, if you ever want to be humbled this is a good recipe. It’s a bit like being at your own funeral except that your anxious inner voice is providing the eulogy. Skip it and ask a friend about how they experience you instead.

So here’s what I find so creepy about this seemingly innocuous flip and product “upgrade.” A notetaking tool with one purpose,shape shifted into a surveillance tool without my knowledge or consent. I know, I didn’t have to use this feature, but I thought it was “just notes.” Well, little did I know that “Matt” or Granola were making notes on my performance.

And then my mind starts roaming—what happens when these tools are everywhere? Reading every text message, every post, every email. I can’t help it, but here it comes:

“Every breath you take, every move you make, I’ll be watching you.” – The Police.

That song, it’s about a stalker.

What’s even more worrisome? I am not sure we’ll be able to opt out of this surveillance. We’ve all been co-opted into the great digital panopticon. Am I making it up? Well, Larry Ellison, Chairman of Oracle, a massive tech business with large government contracts opined: citizens will be on their best behavior’ amid nonstop recording. I can’t say this makes me feel good about Oracle’s potential investment in TikTok.

I do 99% of my journaling in a spiral bound notebook with a pen—which these days seems like it may be the only way to escape the prying eyes and ears of the technology that surrounds and envelops us.

The irony? I did get critical feedback on this post from Claude.ai The difference? I asked for it—which means personal agency. I asked Claude.ai to catch my errors and offer suggestions. I constrained the project input and the parameters—for now. I hope Anthropic keeps this sensibility as Claude’s capabilities grow.

Am I giving too much away?

My crush, well, as Aimee Mann, “it’s not what, you thought when you first began it. And it’s not going to stop until you wise up.”

What do you think? Have you had a moment when using an AI tool turned into something darker? Share it in the comments!

Unapologetic Incrementalism

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“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today, I am wise, so I have to change myself.”

– Rumi, quoted in Colum McCann’s Apeirogon

When overwhelmed by world or life events, which is often, I return again and again to Voltaire’s Candide. How can something written by a Frenchman a couple hundred years ago make me laugh today? Why do I think it’s instructive for me, and maybe for us now?

The world that Voltaire chronicles in Candide is truly terrible. War, sickness, pestilence, earthquakes, fires, swindlers, pirates. He was making fun of Leibniz, represented by the absurdly optimistic Dr. Pangloss, who can always come up with some reason why this is the best of all possible worlds.

Candide worships Pangloss at the start—the best philosopher in all of Westphalia! Candide is charmingly naive, though his worship of Dr. Pangloss, like his love of Miss Cunégonde, is sincere.

But the events of the world, with the help of a very different philosopher, Martin, challenge Candide’s views. Martin, a disillusioned and pessimistic poor scholar, helps Candide realize that things may not be all for the best. Appearances can be deceiving. Goodness as well as evil lurks in the heart of every person. Misfortune is universal. What seems like virtue may be vice. Virtue may be a mask for greed, vanity, or self-interest. Holding a high office does not confer morality. Martin’s blunt assessments sow seeds of doubt in Candide’s optimistic worldview.

Voltaire would have thrived as a satirist today. If I were to complain to a fictional Martin I imagine he’d reply, “of course it’s so—haven’t you been listening? Why would you expect anything to change?” But our hero doesn’t adopt Martin’s pessimism. Instead, Candide is transformed after visiting a humble Muslim farmer whose family works together to tend their orange grove, eat candied citrons, and ignores the constant political upheaval. Yet Candide resists Martin’s pragmatic doom and gloom settling instead on the farmer’s lived experience.

From this experience, at the conclusion of one of Dr. Pangloss’s soliloquies, Candide stops him. Work, he concludes, is the only reasonable response. We must cultivate our garden—in the case of his crew, this is a literal garden. Everyone pursues what they’re good at: carpentry, pastries, philosophizing. Like the modest farmer, they have enough, but there’s no scheme to transform the world.

Voltaire’s garden embraces practical, grounded wisdom. We might not be able to change everything, but we can tend to the things around us and make them better with work. When I look around, I see gardens everywhere—whether it’s a well-tended tree pit on my block bursting with flowers, or a store where the proprietor has lovingly collected every manner of notebook, faith-based congregations that look after people in its vicinity as well as its congregants.

I have taken to calling this approach unapologetic incrementalism. I may not have time for a long bike ride, but I can ride to work. The recipe calls for thyme but I only have oregano? It will probably work. Julia Child, who said ‘the only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you’ve got to have a what-the-hell attitude,’ was an unapologetic incrementalist. So was Voltaire.”

The question Voltaire leaves us with isn’t whether this is the best of all possible worlds, but whether we’ll choose the practical wisdom of tending what’s in front of us over the ambition of fixing everything or spending time on an overarching theory that explains it all. Not sure? Begin. Make it part way, and then come back again tomorrow, and the day after that…

Note: Neville Jason’s Audio narration of Voltaire’s Candide is excellent and the Norton Critical edition’s text comes with helpful essays. The text is short, the lessons are large.

Fish Don’t Exist

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I know, you’re thinking, of course fish exist. I have seen fish, smelled them, eaten them, maybe caught them–there is no denying that they exist. Any yet, that’s the title of Lulu Miller’s delightful book, Fish Don’t Exist which tells the story of David Starr Jordan, the founding president of Stanford University, whose mission in life as an ichthyologist was to discover every species of fish–a quest he pursued with zeal, certainty, and rigor. When the great California earthquake shatters the ethanol filled jars. He grabs a needle and thread to start connecting the labels to samples. This is a tale of American grit–or so Miller had me thinking. Yes, I was hooked from the first chapter.

Miller is one of the co-creators of NPR’s marvelous Invisiblia podcast–she approaches Jordan with a journalists restless curiosity but this book is also a personal history and a reflection on our world. She covers chaos theory, reminds us of Voltaire’s critique of optimism, and the dangers of hubris. We follow her on her journey of discovery–both about Jordan and on the importance of meaningful connections. She grapples with our significance in the universe, and champions doubt to temper our impulse to be blind to the world’s complexity and bigness.

Fish Don’t Exist is one of my favorite reads of 2022. It is one of those books that changed how I see the world and affirmed my faith in doubt. Aren’t you wondering just a little bit about how it can be possible that fish don’t exist? Act on that curiosity my friends.

Exploring Mexico City by Bike

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As part of a family vacation I brought my Brompton SL-3 to Mexico City.

At just over 8.91 million people, It’s one of the most densely populated cities in the world, and it sprawls covering 571 square miles. It’s a great city for getting around by bike. I found dedicated bike lanes, a high tolerance for sharing the road, and cyclists of all stripes–from parents taking teenagers to school, to fixie riders and just about everything in between. The official, EcoBici bikes and docks are the ubiquitous with 452 stations offering 6,000+ bikes across the city. Dockless bikes, like Jump also dot the urban landscape.

What about the experience of riding?

Mexico City consists of major thoroughfares–like Avenida de les Insurgentes–where there are several lanes of traffic going in each direction it’s a small island in the middle. These roads often feature a dedicated bus lane, which also doubles for a bike lane. These lanes are separated by very low rise dividers and unlike New York City, where bike lanes are often used for parking, in CD MX, bike lanes live up to their names.

Such lanes may sound like a luxury but they are essential given how heavy the traffic is. Mexico City ranks at 13th world wide for traffic congestion. In my experience, finding a bike lane was a pleasant, if somewhat unexpected surprise. Most of the time I rode amidst the heavy traffic along side, between and close to cars, weaving to move at a faster clip.

When traveling with family (who are yet to be persuaded about the merits of riding bikes in city traffic) I found myself in Ubers or taxis. Unlike my experience on the bike, we were always in traffic, which I then commandeered to practice my limited Spanish .The conversations went something like this.

“There is a lot of traffic.”

“Yes, always.”

“Always?”

“Yes, always.”

There is not only car traffic but many people making their way. While in the taxi when I looked across at the Durango metro bus stop and saw passengers waiting to board. There seem to be as many people on the bus as there are cars on the streets.

That said, the side streets are luxurious, peaceful and not congested. There is a mix of grand, classical buildings, decaying facades, green parks with flowers, and of course, dogs, every where dogs.

One other thing I did notice was that the air seemed a bit thick with fumes from cars, trucks and buses at times. Indeed, my phone reminded me that the air quality was at risk for sensitive populations. That didn’t stop me, or the cyclists of this fine city.

Note: I have had some luck stowing the Brompton the overhead but after one stern Australian bureaucrat made me run a security gauntlet a second time I opted for a bike case, thinking that now whenever I travel the bike comes with me as a checked bag. I know, it’s kind of boring but it takes the stress out of wondering if I am going to get through security.

Bike Snob Visits Consumer Reports

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It’s not every day that a world renown bike blogger shows up at the office, but this week, Eben Weiss, a/k/a Bike Snob, visited Consumer Reports where I am lucky enough to work.

I’ve been following Eben’s blog for years to gain insight on any manner of things, to learn new words about bad habits I have like salmoning and shoaling, and gawk at the bikes people send him to test, like this wood frame Renovo, or a 100 year old steel steed. More and more, Eben’s been an impassioned and thoughtful advocate for all of us who tend to travel on bikes, our feet or just about anything but a car.

Alex and Eben in CR’s TV Lab.

Alex and Eben examine the helmet testing machine.

Just how does Consumer Reports test bike helmets? Bike Snob finds out.

Eben Weiss in CR's Anechoic chamber. Where we test all kinds of speakers.

Eben in CR’s Anechoic chamber. Where we test all kinds of speakers.

If you ever ride on two wheels, or traverse your town in anything other than a car, you would do well to read Bike Snob.

10 Impressions on the Apple Watch, 10 Days Later

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I bought an apple sport watch, the smaller version, the day it came out, and with the help of a friend, had it shipped to me in the United Arab Emirates. Here are 10 early impressions.

It’s gorgeous and well made. There’s a lot of talk about how this is a 1.0 product and how folks are waiting–but this is a 1.0 product from arguably the world’s best product development company that has been making touch screen devices for almost 10 years. If Daniel Humm makes a new dish, I’d be happy to be at the table.
It reminds me of the most important things on right its face: what time is it, when is my next meeting, where is my next meeting. Added bonus: how hot is it outside (what should I wear.)
Switch it to do not disturb while driving–it presents serious distractions in your line of sight.
Most 3rd party apps seem immature. A happy exception is MusixMatch. Who knew that lyrics on your wrist could be so much fun.
Hands free timers come in very handy while cooking. “Hey Siri, remind me to check the granola in 15 minutes,” (Related: dictation on the watch works well.)
Fitness tracking provides great visuals and it’s easy enough to swipe when sweaty during a run.
I spend much less time looking at my phone. The watch works well enough to let you know if you need to respond and then you can choose the tool that makes the most sense–a simple answer from the watch, a short email from your phone, or a more in depth message later. There’s too much friction for most activities, but that’s good. It promotes engagement with those around you and the real world.
Sometimes notifications are delayed–I have had more than one awkward, “no, I didn’t get that text” conversation, because I missed the tap, tap, or it came an hour later.
I sort of wish there were a running qualifier for messages sent from my watch–pardon the one word or emoji replies…I responded to your text using a pre-defined list of options.
On nine out of 10 days, the battery did not need a recharge until it was bedtime.

More than anything, it’s a watch–and a darn good one. Have one? Want one? Waiting?

: Everything I need to know.

The Long, Slow Road to Work

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May is bike month in New York City. Though I commute every fair weather day with my trusty Brompton SL-2 with a serious assist from New Jersey Transit, I have been wanting to ride all the way from home to work since moving out here just over four years ago. With the help of John Feinberg’s excellent cue sheet, my GPS-enabled smartphone and some tired legs, I made it from Glen Ridge to Cooper Square in about two hours and forty five minutes. (This sounds more like a marathon personal record dream time to me, than a bike ride, but I digress.)

The route primarily traverses residential, industrial areas and the occasional patch of nature. Highlights include the now-defunct New York and Greenwood Lake Short Rail, and the New Jersey Naval Museum, which is home to the USS Ling, a World War II Submarine. I was surprised to see a loon diving for food in Leonia, and to learn that the south side of the GWB is closed to pedestrian traffic. The north side is open, but involves what seemed like an interminable number of stairs after the 2 mile climb through Fort Lee. I don’t think I was ever so happy to see the Hudson. I thought of hopping on the subway at 181 Street, but savored the decline all the way down the West Side, which was all dressed up for Fleet Week.

For those contemplating the trip from Glen Ridge, here’s a link to the modified cue sheet.

And the Google Map.

Happy riding!

First Reflections on Educon 2.2

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Educon 2.2 is something of an un-conference. Instead of presentations, facilitators lead conversations. The conference is hosted at the Science Leadership Academy,
a public charter school in Philadelphia, led by Chris Lehmann. Over
500 educators from primary and secondary schools, a handful of school
administrators and higher education professionals attended. Largely,
this group self-selects. Many pay their own way, all give up a weekend
to be there. It's one of the best educational gatherings that I've had
a chance to participate in.

My head is still spinning, but
I'm going to highlight three areas: 1) the overall participatory
environment at SLA and the conference 2) Jeff Han on Multi-touch
interaction experiments and finally, 3) a conversation that I
facilitated about online teaching and learning.

1) Students
managed all of the logistics from tech support, to checking bags to
helping people find sessions. They also joined sessions and shared
their experiences. That students were central to the conference
permeated all of the sessions and made the experience authentic in a
way that few conferences are. Chris Lehmann spoke about how he and his
colleagues create this community on a session he facilitated about
leadership. I'm a bit in awe of Chris–it's great to hear about it AND
see it in action at SLA.

2) Jeff Han presented Pixel Perfect, a spin off of his "multi-touch interaction research."

More on Jeff and his work here: http://cs.nyu.edu/~jhan/ftirtouch/index.html
Jeff was eager to hear from us about how we could imagine the data
visualization tool used in education. It's worth looking at the videos
of Jeff showing how the touch screen works–but it feels like something
out of a movie, where instead of interacting through a keyboard we
manipulate data with our hands. At a glance, one might think, oh, it's
an interactive whiteboard–but it's much, much more than that. Many
people can be on the board at the same time, it's as sensitive as an
iPad's touch screen and it's wicked fast. Jeff argues that we have
plenty of processing power, but that we're not making enough advances
from the interface side. He also envisions a day when the technology
is as cheap and ubiquitous as wall paper. From an educational use
perspective, we imagined ideas for collaborative writing projects,
virtual dissections and geographic analysis, but somehow I wished that
we picked a few specific curricular contexts and started with
educational goals. Nevertheless, it was an amazing conversation.

3) I facilitated a conversation on online teaching and learning best practices.
I was struck by the deep and broad interest in online learning as a
means of both student engagement and continued professional development
for educators. Barbara Treacy, the Director of EdTech Leaders Online,
a capacity building program for K-12 organizations, among other
educators, joined in the conversation, along with other teachers who
are designing educational experiences. Barbara posted their checklist for educators designing their own online courses as well as basic tips for online facilitation. Sean Musselman posted a podcast summarizing the session.

I am still processing the event, but I am glad that I was able to have conversations with educators about our open Educational Technologist opportunity, want to check out the mind map that David Warlick posted http://www.xmind.net/share/_embed/dwarlick/sunday-morning-panel/

I
would like to thank all of my peers at Educon for making it such a
wonderful event, to Chris Lehmann, and the teachers, students and
parents at SLA and of course, Kristen Sosulski and the NYU-SCPS for
giving me something to talk about.

Classical Music Rocks: Zander Explains Why

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I’m coming out of the rock and pop closet and declaring my love for classical music. Benjamin Zander, a conductor gave this talk on how classical music speaks to all of us at the Technology, Entertainment and Design Conference. He’s managed to explain how classical music is magic in a way that I’ve never heard before. This talk is as much about leadership and our shared humanity as it is about music–very much worth watching and listening too–as are the other TED talks. They are indeed “ideas worth spreading.”

Wise Contradictions

The well educated contradict each other. The wise contradict themselves. Wise? You decide.

Category Archives: Culture

My AI Notetaker Appointed Itself Boss

Unapologetic Incrementalism

Fish Don’t Exist

Exploring Mexico City by Bike

Bike Snob Visits Consumer Reports

10 Impressions on the Apple Watch, 10 Days Later

The Long, Slow Road to Work

First Reflections on Educon 2.2

Classical Music Rocks: Zander Explains Why