Technology & Innovation — August 24, 2010

FB Ban for German Bosses

Strange, unworkable, controversial. That's some of the reaction to a German proposal to prevent bosses from checking job candidates' social networking profiles.

bigthinkeditor

Strange, unworkable, controversial. That’s some of the reaction to a German proposal to prevent bosses from checking job candidates’ social networking profiles. While recruiters could still google applicants, the changes would stop them checking them out on social networking sites including Facebook. Business-oriented networking sites like LinkedIn would be fair game. TechCrunch’s Steve O’Hear finds the Google exception “bizarre,” since much of Facebook data is now indexed by search engines. After recent scandals involving German bosses spying on staff, the draft laws also cover employee suveillance. “Online data privacy is increasingly becoming a hot-button issue in Germany.”

Starts With A Bang

The Universe might never run out of hydrogen

The most common element in the Universe, vital for forming new stars, is hydrogen. But there's a finite amount of it; what if we run out?

A woman, embodying the archetype of a wounded healer, is sitting on a couch engrossed in reading a book.

Neuropsych

The Chiron effect: Are “wounded healers” better healers?

Sometimes you just want to hear, "I know what it's like."

Two hands making a pinky promise with a notification icon showing one like against a blue background.

Neuropsych

“Tend and befriend”: The simple relationship hack for burnout resilience

You really can get by with a little help from your friends — if you also look beyond your personal to-do list.

Ancient bust of a bearded man, believed to depict one of history's generous leaders, with detailed facial features, set against a plain turquoise background.

Business

Aristotle plus generosity: How to soften the hard-boiled leader

Tough and cutthroat leaders are celebrated in a results-driven culture — but there is another path to C-suite success.

Starts With A Bang

The unsurprising non-detection of intelligent aliens

Life arose on Earth very early on. After a few billion years, here we are: intelligent and technologically advanced. Where's everyone else?

Up Next

Culture & Religion

Authors Embracing E-Books

Writer and marketing guru Seth Godin is spurning traditionally published books. As Mathew Ingram notes, self-published PDFs and e-books are increasingly attracting such authors.