Ep11. John Marzluff – ‘Feathered Apes’ and Their Ability to Behave Like Humans

Posted on | April 28, 2013 | No Comments

Introduction:

Are humans the only species capable of having insights, taking revenge on enemies, and creating culture? Some would say that if there was any other animal aside from humans that had these characteristics, they would have to be our closest relatives — the Great Apes.

Surprisingly enough, however, these are characteristics of a species of bird called Corvids (includes the common crow & raven). These bird have been coined the name “feathered apes” for their human-like traits.

This week, Dr. John Marzluff, Professor of Wildlife Science at the University of Washington, joins me to discuss how these birds use social learning to establish traditions and develop cultural bonds. Dr. Marzluff is the co-author of Gifts of the Crow, where he explains how perception, emotion, and thought allow corvids to behave like humans.

“[Culture] is not something that we invented or something we have sole ownership of,” Marzluff tells me. “but it’s something that is part of our social vertebrate heritage.”

Full Interview:

Click here for the full interview

Additional Resources:

Visit John’s University of Washington Page and Bio.

Visit University of Washington’s Avian Conservation Lab.

Watch John’s experiment in action.

Read John’s (and his co-author Tony) Psychology Today column, Avian Einsteins.

Have questions for me? Send me an email at nadine [at] klevr.org.

* This is my first time using graphics and movie-like features in an interview. It would be greatly appreciated to have your input on it so I may improve.

Ep10. Jonathan Fisher – Planetarium Show Explaining Why Humans Explore

Posted on | April 25, 2013 | No Comments

Introduction:

What sparks curiosity and why do humans explore? Are these traits innate and if so how much is nature versus nurture. Landing on the moon, mapping the human genome, exploring the deepest oceans, at one point all of these ideas were far fetched and yet all were developed by passionately curious individuals. So again I question, what exactly sparks curiosity and why do humans explore?

This week, Dr. Jonathan Fisher, postdoctoral associate at The Rockefeller University, joins me to discuss his planetarium feature NEURODOME. This show examines the human brain and the biological structures that drive us to journey into the unknown.

Fisher’s project is currently seeking funds on Kickstarter in order to generate an animated dome format planetarium sequence which will provide real images (not simulations) of neurons, networks, and regions of the brain responsible for exploratory behavior.

“Exploration is really one of the defining features of human nature”, Fisher tells me. “It’s kind of irrational [to explore]”.

Full Interview:

Click here for the full interview

Additional Resources & Contact:

Watch NEURODOME’s planetarium show trailer.

Visit NEURODOME’s Homepage for more information on the project.

Donate Funds to NEURODOME on Kickstarter.

Visit Jonathan’s Rockefeller University Page and Bio.

Follow NEURODOME on Twitter.

Have questions for me? Send me an email at nadine [at] klevr.org.

Ep9. Cole Nussbaumer – Storytelling With Data

Posted on | April 25, 2013 | No Comments

Introduction:

Miguel continues his series of conversations on information visualization with Cole Nussbaumer. The conversation centers on three keys of effective visual communication:

• knowing your audience
• drawing attention
• telling a story

Guest Background:

Cole Nussbaumer is the founder of StorytellingWithData.com where she aims to teach storytelling with data through examples and practical tips. Her goal is to bring data to life and use it to communicate a story to an audience, with a focus on simplicity and ease of interpretation.

Full Interview:

Navigate By Segment:

Part 1: Introduction & Background

Part 2: Knowing Your Audience

Part 3: Preattention Strategies

Part 4: Case Study & Example

Part 5: Frequently Asked Questions

Part 6: Problems Facing The Field of Data Viz

Part 7: Extra Curriclar Readings & Closing Thoughts

Additional Resources:

Click Here To Follow Cole Nussbaumer at StorytellingWithData.com

Click Here For More Info About Cole Nussbaumer’s Public Workshops

Ep8. Mike Norton – The Last Place Aversion Paradox

Posted on | April 24, 2013 | No Comments

Note: This interview originally appeared on SimoleonSense

Introduction:

Today we talk about why low income individuals often oppose the redistribution of income. In particular, we talk about a situation where individuals getting paid above minimum wage are against minimum wage increases for other people. In other words, low income people punishing others who are making slightly less than them.

Guest Background:

Michael I. Norton is an Associate Professor of Business Administration in the Marketing Unit and Marvin Bower Fellow at the Harvard Business School. He holds a B.A. in Psychology and English from Williams College and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Princeton University. Prior to joining HBS, Professor Norton was a Fellow at the MIT Media Lab and MIT’s Sloan School of Management.

Full Interview:

Click Here For The Full Interview

Ep7. Jeffrey Stevens – How Animals Make Economic Decisions

Posted on | March 20, 2013 | No Comments

Introduction:

Are humans the only animals that make economic decisions? It’s hard to imagine but animals from chimpanzees to scrub jays make economic decisions everyday. What’s even more surprising is that nonhuman animals make these decisions just like we do.

This week, Dr. Jeffrey Stevens, Director of the Adaptive Decision Making Lab at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, joins me to describe the similarities and differences in human and nonhuman economic decision making. Stevens, who specializes in decision making in primates and other animals, makes a case for the importance of understanding the preferences of other species in order to better understand our own.

“This is not some kind of strange unique human bias that violates economic theory,” Stevens tells me. “There’s probably a good evolutionarily rational reason why these types of behaviors exist.”

Full Interview:

Click here for the full interview

Additional Resources:

Want to learn more about Dr. Stevens and his research? Visit him at the Adaptive Decision Making Lab for access to his presentations and research papers.

Have questions for me? Send me an email at nadine [at] klevr.org.

Ep6. Francesca Gino – Sidetracked: Why Our Decisions Get Derailed

Posted on | March 12, 2013 | 1 Comment

Introduction:

In this conversation Miguel talks with Professor Francesca Gino about her latest book Sidetracked – Why Our Decisions Get Derailed and How to Stick To The Plan.

The conversation highlights three forces that derail humans from achieving their goals:

• Forces from within (overconfidence, infectious emotions, & in-attentional blindness).
• Forces from relationships (lack of perspective taking, social bonds, & social comparisons).
• Forces from the outside world (irrelevant framing, subtle changes in frames, & effects of ambiance).

Guest Background:

Francesca Gino is an associate professor of business administration in the Negotiations, Organizations & Markets Unit. She is also formally affiliated with the Program on Negotiation. She teaches Negotiation in the MBA elective curriculum and in Executive Education programs at the School. She also co-teaches a PhD course on Decision Making and Ethics.

Professor Gino’s research focuses on judgment and decision-making, negotiation, ethics, social influence, and creativity. Her work has been published in academic journals including the Academy of Management Journal, Journal of Applied Psychology,Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,Organization Science, and Psychological Science, as well as in numerous book chapters and practitioner outlets. Her studies have been featured in The Economist, The New York Times, Newsweek,Scientific American, and Psychology Today, and her work has been discussed on National Public Radio and CBS Radio. Professor Gino has earned major research awards from the National Science Foundation and the Academy of Management. In addition to teaching, she advises firms and not-for-profit organizations in the areas of negotiation, decision-making, and organizational behavior.

Accessed via HBS

Full Interview:

Click Here For The Full Interview

Additional Resources:

Purchase Francesca’s book  Sidetracked- Why Our Decisions Get Derailed & How We Can Stick To The Plan.

Visit Francesca’s Homepage  for more information about her latest research.

Visit Francesca’s Harvard Business School Page and Bio.

Chat with Francesca on Twitter.

 

Ep5. Samuel Arbesman – The Half Life of Facts

Posted on | February 23, 2013 | 2 Comments

Introduction:

In this conversation Miguel talks with Dr. Arbesman about how facts change, how facts spread, and how humans assimilate information.

Guest Background:

Ep4. Michael Mauboussin – Skill and Luck in Business, Sports, & Investing

Posted on | February 20, 2013 | No Comments

Note: This interview originally appeared on SimoleonSense. 

Introduction:

In this conversation we talk about the role of skill and luck in generating success.

What role, exactly, do skill and luck play in our successes and failures? Some games, like roulette and the lottery, are pure luck. Others, like chess, exist at the other end of the spectrum, relying almost wholly on players’ skill. In his provocative new book, Michael Mauboussin untangles the intricate strands of skill and luck, defines them, and provides useful frameworks for analyzing their relative contributions. He offers concrete suggestions for how to put these insights to work to your advantage in business and other dimensions of life.

Guest Background:

Michael is an adjunct at Columbia Business School and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at The Santa Fe Institute.

Full Interview:

Click Here For The Full Interview

Ep3. Amanda Cox – Information Visualization at The New York Times

Posted on | February 15, 2013 | 3 Comments

Introduction:

In this conversation Miguel talks with Amanda Cox, Graphics Editor at The New York Times about creating information visualizations at the NYT. Amanda is one of the superstars in the field and you can find many of her visualizations here.

Guest Background:

Amanda Cox joined the Times graphics desk in 2005, where she creates charts and maps for the newspaper and its website. With a focus on data visualization, her work with colleagues has won several dozen awards, including top honors at Malofiej, the largest international infographics competition. She has a masters degree in statistics from the University of Washington and received the 2012 Excellence in Statistical Reporting Award from the American Statistical Association

Full Interview:

Note: Here is a link to Amanda’s visualization on unemployment which is mentioned during the interview.

Click here for the full interview

A couple of insights from the conversation include:

1. Keep your objective in mind.

Are you designing something to educate, entertain, enlighten, make decisions.

2. You are only as good as what you throw away.

Iterate, cut fat, and don’t be afraid to leave things out.

3. Distributions are more interesting than averages.

Respect data, understand that averages often disrespect what is truly happening in the world or in your story.

 

Ep2. Brian Hare – Learning About Intelligence By Studying Animals

Posted on | February 7, 2013 | No Comments

Introduction:

In this conversation Nadine Sebai talks with Professor Brian Hare about the intelligence of dogs.

Guest Background:

Brian Hare, dog researcher, evolutionary anthropologist, and founder of the Duke Canine Cognition Center, and Vanessa Woods offer revolutionary new insights into dog intelligence and the interior lives of our smartest pets. In the past decade, we have learned more about how dogs think than in the last century. Breakthroughs in cognitive science, pioneered by Brian Hare have proven dogs have a kind of genius for getting along with people that is unique in the animal kingdom.

Brian Hare’s discovery is that when dogs domesticated themselves as early as 40,000 years ago they became far more like human infants than their wolf ancestors. Domestication gave dogs a whole new kind of social intelligence. This finding will change the way we think about dogs and dog training—indeed, the revolution has already begun.

The Full Interview:

Click Here For The Full Interview

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