Assorted Reads (October 2024)

Hi folks, and happy Halloween! I can't believe October is already over 😱

I was bracing myself for the notorious polar vortex that Chicago is known for while at GOTO Chicago last week, but was lucky enough to experience some ridiculously nice weather instead, which gave me a chance to walk around some of the city and enjoy the sights.

Now, let's get into some reads!

The Double-Edge Sword of AI

JP van Oosten of n8n sent me this article after we had a conversation about AI and the sustainability/environmental aspects of it as it continues to grow in usage.

The energy required for AI is enormous and more articles raising the alarm on this are coming out by the week.

The quote that stood out for me in this piece:

The burgeoning power demands of AI necessitate a concerted effort from businesses and society at large to forge a path toward sustainable usage. Addressing the environmental impacts of AI is not just a corporate responsibility; it is crucial for the wellbeing of the planet. Leading companies already recognize that sustainable practices are integral to their long-term success and societal license to operate.

Likable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve

Focusing on the role status plays in our lives, the author, Dr. Alison Fragale, talks about how cultivating it can help us achieve the goals we have for ourselves, particularly in our careers.

One of the more valuable takeaways for me is that underrepresented groups in various industries seem to have over-indexed on ways to achieve power (i.e. more senior positions and titles) at the expense of cultivating status (i.e. how people view and respect you).

While targeted towards women, I think there's advice that's useful to everyone in this book.

The Progress Network

Not a specific article, but if you're feeling down about the way things are in the world from what you're reading in mainstream news outlets, this is a great place for a pick-me-up.

This site highlights positive things happening around the world that often get drowned out.