Habits of the Heart

Category: Communications

  • Can Technology Humanize Us?

    Can Technology Humanize Us?

    In his book Team Human, Doug Rushkoff paints a dire picture of our current predicament: “Autonomous technologies, runaway markets, and weaponized media seem to have overturned civil society, paralyzing our ability to think constructively, connect meaningfully, or act purposefully. It feels as if civilization itself were on the brink… It doesn’t have to be this way.”…

  • My Summer Reading List – 2025

    Every summer I share some of the best books I’ve read (or that are on my reading list). This year, I am sharing a list that is a bit different, one based on concepts/ ideas that are relevant, to understand, rather than recency of publication. Here goes: Welfare: book – Arguments for Welfare. Paul Spicker:…

  • Interview with Dr. K.T. Connor on ethics and public life 

    Dr. K.T. Connor was a Senior Adjunct Professor with the MPPA program until recently, for over a decade and brings a wealth of experience in ethics, business as well as public leadership. She served as the Managing Director of Applied Axiometrics. She is the head of a virtual collaboration of consultants using decision-theory-based assessments in…

  • What does it mean to run an “efficient,” government?: Some quick thoughts…: Part 1

    Efficiency is good when you are ordering a pack of batteries on Amazon (which I did, just a few hours ago), but not when you are seeking better social outcomes like greater inclusion, democracy or economic justice/protection. Efficiency has an angle of lean. A direction, a purpose and a vision. When we say we want…

  •  Books you should read this summer, to understand our world…

    If you have been paying attention to what is going on in our world, you will realize that a LOT has changed in the past year. Both domestically as well as internationally, politics, society and social movements have thrown a lot of surprises (and disappointments) that have called into question the role of institutions, individuals…

  • Should local governments get involved in global issues?

    During a recent commute from home to work, I tuned into LAist, and heard a question that prompted me to bring it up, more than once, with several people. It is this: Should local governments get involved or weigh in, on global issues? This was prompted by the City of Pasadena’s resolution of Ceasefire in…

  • Raise and Rise – Funding sources for your startup in the era of digital transformation & blockchain – Victoria Silchenko, Ph.D. (Book Review)

    Raise and Rise is a book that promises to “change your perspective on venture financing and possibly life,” as Victoria Silchenko promises. For those who don’t have the time to read through this review, and want a TLDR version of this review: Yes, she lives up to the promise. She offers a critical view of…

  • Top 6 things you should do, if you travel for adventure

     Ever wondered what you should do, if you travel to an off- the path destination? I had similar thoughts as I planned my trip to Ecuador, a country that actually has pretty good travel infrastructure. However, given that we were going to be hiking and part of the trip was going to be in rural…

  • How does tourism promote development? – Part 2

    Two models of eco-tourism The past ten days have been extremely educational for many reasons, one of them being in increasing my understanding of eco-tourism. I traveled to Ecuador and witnessed first-hand two models of eco-tourism that are markedly different, but offer incredible insights into how this form of tourism can aid in development as…

  • How does tourism promote human development?

    As someone who is new to understanding tourism and its impact on human development, I came across an academic article that asks the question which is quite literally the chicken and egg situation: which comes first, tourism or development and does one lead to the other, even though they may be correlated, at times?    …

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