Scott Adams' Blog

Success Without Testosterone

Posted April 17th, 2015 @ 10:11am in #gender bias

Confession: I am a serial interrupter.

If I don’t like what you are saying, I might start start talking over you while hoping my rudeness makes you stop. If I am in a hurry, and you are taking too long to form a thought, I will cut you off just to get on with my life. If you are saying something vague to a third-party, I might cut you off to add my clarification. And if you are saying something illogical, off topic, or in any way unpleasant, I might start talking over you just because I prefer the sound of my own voice.

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There Ought to be a Law

Posted April 16th, 2015 @ 10:51am

By Diana Wales - Special Guest Blogger

There Ought to be a Law

I’m a law and order kind of gal, and I often imagine new ways to catch or punish criminals. For example, when some punk spray-paints his initials or gang symbol all over someone else’s property, I think every item of clothing he owns should be stenciled with something not of his choosing - like Hello Kitty or Tinkerbell – which he’d be required to wear during any probationary period. Besides bringing home the point of how annoying it is to have your stuff defaced by someone else, he’d be laughed out of any gang, which is a bonus.

That’s a low-tech, easy fix. But we live in an age where more high-tech options are available to law enforcement. I had a stalker who worked at my company. He was put on a psychiatric disability leave, but immediately after his return he threatened to “kick in my f*ing teeth,” so apparently the meds didn’t work quite as planned. He was dismissed, but I was still afraid to walk through the parking lot afterward.

 I want to see anyone under a restraining order required to wear a special tracking anklet linked to an app that their victim can load on a phone. If the two devices are within a minimum distance, the anklet alarms, the phone alarms, and the police are alerted. This technology already exists, we just need the laws to catch up. Frankly, I’d also like the anklet to taser the bastard if he comes too close, but that could pose a public safety issue if he happens to be driving. 

A more sophisticated tool I’d like developed is a lie detector that is at least 99.99% accurate. Considering recent advances in brain mapping, this should be possible, and I think the government should fund it. Assuming anyone innocent of a crime will volunteer for the test, it would greatly reduce investigative costs and wrongful convictions. Plus it could come in darned handy during terrorist interrogations, elections, and dating.

On the rehabilitation front, we should be studying hormone balancing for criminals.  For example, studies indicate that oxytocin can enhance empathy. Let’s try giving parolees with low levels of oxytocin some implants with a time-released supplement to see if it reduces recidivism, or if just makes them feel really, really bad about their next drive-by shooting.

That’s just a small sample of the ideas that run through my head every time I watch a Dateline episode. How would you improve our system of justice?

(Note: I’ve used the pronoun “he” in a couple examples, but the concepts apply equally to female scumbags.)

————– On Top Tech Blog —————–

Thanks to non-Newtonian Shear Thickening Fluid, super-villains will soon be able to build bullet-proof suits. I hope the villains are still vulnerable to spider webs shot from wrists.

A new technology might turn every window into an energy source. I believe it was invented by ants who were looking for revenge. If the view looking out the window seems larger than usual, don’t stand there when the sun is out.

And how about a tiny camera powered by daylight? Sounds perfect for drones. 

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Scott Adams’ book on success: “Scott Adams shared some surprisingly practical advice in a very entertaining way.” - Oliver Johnston, 5-Star Amazon review 4/8/15

Huge Gender Bias Found in Hiring - New Study

Posted April 15th, 2015 @ 9:09am in #gender inequality

CNN reports on a new study showing there is a HUGE gender bias in hiring decisions in the United States and it has been this way in some fields since the eighties. You already knew there was gender bias in hiring (duh) but you probably did not know how bad it was. Check this out: The gender preference in hiring decisions was 2-to-1 in some areas for candidates with equal qualifications. 

That is an embarrassing number for a country that prides itself on equal opportunity. A 2-to-1 advantage is not even within driving distance of equal rights.

By the way, this study matches my personal observations over a lifetime. I have been in countless meetings in which a strong gender preference in hiring was discussed behind closed doors. Now I feel terrible about all those conversations. I am officially part of the problem because I did nothing to stop it.

I’m not sure if I mentioned that the study shows the gender advantage in hiring favors women by 2-to-1. That matches my experience in business. I have been in lots of closed-door meeting with other men discussing a preference for hiring women. I have never heard a man express a preference for hiring another man. Nor have I heard it in a private conversation. It makes me wonder how common my situation is.

Here’s the study.

Two questions for you:

1. Have you ever been in a business meeting in which you or co-workers discussed a preference for hiring women?

2. Have you ever been in a business meeting in which you or your coworkers discussed a preference for hiring a man?

Scott

@ScottAdamsSays

——- Over on the Top Tech Blog —————-

Drones that hunt other drones in the sky and identify the human operator based on radio signals. I need that drone-hunter for defending my home from drones! Every celebrity should have one. How the hell does Madonna keep the camera drones from hovering outside her bedroom window?

And now there are drones that do the hard part of lining up your perfect photograph for you while you concentrate on taking the picture.

Also coming soon, artificial limbs that can feel what they touch. How long before people voluntarily give up their weak human limbs for powerful robot arms that feel the same? We are in The Age of Cyborgs. The human reign is pretty much over.

Robots Read News - About Music Streaming

Posted April 14th, 2015 @ 9:03am in #RobotsReadNews

If your firewall is blocking these images, see them on Twitter here.

Predicted Sharing: High. Popular topic in the news. Gentle humor and a clear target audience. Weed reference will inhibit sharing a bit.

Humor Dimensions: recognition, cruelty, bizarre (talking robot)

Over at Top Tech Blog:

A gyroscope smaller than a human hair moves humankind one step closer to spreading our DNA to far-off words on millions of tiny, inexpensive rockets launched at the end of Earth’s run. But I might be reading too much into it.

If you think self-driving cars are scary, wait until your doctor is software. Every new medical device seems to move us in that direction. Here’s a new one for eye exams.

In other news, a researcher says,  “A highly coherent qubit, like the spin of a single phosphorus atom in isotopically enriched silicon, can be controlled using electric fields, instead of using pulses of oscillating magnetic fields.” And thank God for that, I say.

That is all for today.

Scott

My book on success: “Brilliant, Useful, Funny. Way up there with the very best self-help books I’ve encountered….Highly recommended. (Amazon 5-star review by Chris Weekly on April 6, 2015)

Human Rights for Robots

Posted April 13th, 2015 @ 9:33am

What will happen when computers can simulate human thinking well enough to fool us every time? Will the machines appear “alive” but somehow soulless to us? 

The major religions of the world believe humans have souls. What happens to those belief systems when we see robots that think and act exactly like real humans while possessing no soul? The age of robotics could replace religion, at least for the young. We will come to see our bodies as moist robots working according to the rules of physics, not magical beings with invisible souls that guide our actions. In other words, when robots start acting exactly like humans, humans will feel more like robots at the same time. It probably works both ways.

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Robots Read News - $17,000 Apple Watch

Posted April 10th, 2015 @ 8:47am

I posted this comic on Twitter a few minutes ago and already I can tell it will be the most retweeted content I have ever created.

If your firewall is blocking the image, see it on Twitter here.

Humor Dimensions: Cruel, clever, recognizable, bizarre (talking robot)

Predicted Virality: High (already obvious). Reference to drinking games might inhibit sharing but only slightly because drinking is legal. Apple watch topic is in the headlines and top-of-mind this morning. And the comic probably says what folks are thinking, but says it better than they were thinking it (which is a key to sharing).

My Twitter followers are 95% male, so a drinking games theme plus technology should be popular.

———— Today’s Top Tech Blog ————

A computer so small you can inject it into your body and it will take photos. The ultimate selfie because, as Mom told you, it is what you have on the inside that counts.

Lasers replace WiFi (within a room).

Holographs you can “feel” with your hands. Holy crap.

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Scott

Twitter: @scottadamssays

My book on success: “Brilliant, Useful, Funny. Way up there with the very best self-help books I’ve encountered….Highly recommended. (Amazon 5-star review by Chris Weekly on April 6, 2015)

Women in Tech

Posted April 9th, 2015 @ 11:48am

On the list of most influential tweeters on the issue of women in tech, number four is … me?

Raise your hand if you saw that coming.

Scott

Slave Parents

Posted April 9th, 2015 @ 9:25am

A few years ago my parents came for a visit. My mother had terminal lung cancer but she was keeping it a secret. I was host for the week, and it was hard to come up with ideas to keep my parents entertained because they had limited mobility. I asked my mother if she wanted to watch me play tennis.

Before you hear my mother’s answer, you need some background.

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Humor From Headlines

Posted April 8th, 2015 @ 12:52pm

I explain to Business Insider how to get Dilbert office humor from the Iranian nuclear deal.

Wheelchairs in Space

Posted April 8th, 2015 @ 7:40am in #wheelchairs

The other day a friend suggested building orbiting space stations for folks with mobility problems. Wheelchairs and walkers are optional in zero gravity. Grandma could fly around the space station all day long.

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