Culture & Religion — October 6, 2011

Farewell to the Man who Reframed IT’s Frontiers

The man who changed the world: Apple founder Steve Jobs dies weeks after quitting as boss of firm he started in his garage. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg praises his "mentor and friend."

bigthinkeditor

What’s the Latest Development?

Apple founder Steve Jobs’ death after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer has many reflecting on the mastermind’s legacy and his singularity as a tech trailblazer. Apple’s board of directors issued a statement saying his brilliance, passion and energy were the source of countless innovations that enrich and improve all of our lives. “The world is immeasurably better because of Steve.”

What’s the Big Idea?

Jobs succeeded in creating an atmosphere of teamwork and togetherness, while also demanding nothing but the best. “His employees notoriously followed him like a messiah, while also cowering from him in fear.” His demand for perfection, however, seems to have inspired the best—with job satisfaction ratings among staff at Apple the highest in the industry.

A pixelated image of a person in a white hoodie walking in the woods, with the person's face obscured by pixelation. The background features reddish handwritten text overlay.

Neuropsych

25 years since Columbine: We’re closer to decoding mass-shooter psychology

Public mass shooters almost always have worldviews shaped by the "3 Rs": rage, resentment, and revenge.

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Thinking

Everyday Philosophy: “Is there anything wrong with trauma dumping?”

When does "oversharing" become an issue?

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Leadership

Adam Grant on how to identify and develop high-potential leaders

The ability to toggle between abstract and concrete thinking is a key differentiator of high-potential leaders.

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Business

Want true success? Be more philosophical about “good” and “bad” failure.

Bob Dylan gave us the paradoxical gem "there's no success like failure, and failure's no success at all." He had a point.

Starts With A Bang

The idea that matter is mostly empty space is mostly wrong

Practically all of the matter we see and interact with is made of atoms, which are mostly empty space. Then why is reality so... solid?

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