Smarter Faster: Mythical late bloomers
Katharine Graham was one. Are you also one?
with Stephen Johnson • Thu 26 September, 2024
Hey Big Thinkers,
“I could go to law school,” a friend once told me. He was deep into his 20s and even deeper into an existential rut. I nodded silently. “Or maybe I could start a restaurant.”
Quixotic with a pinch of George Costanza. Still, I didn’t mind the courtroom-to-kitchen brainstorming. I’m a fan of late bloomers and second acts. Why not? Ricky Gervais was 40 when the U.K. version of The Office premiered. Morgan Freeman scored his breakthrough role in his 50s. And, if wild stars align, my friend could be running Manhattan’s finest restaurant (and doing the legal paperwork to boot) by 2052.
So, what’s the recipe for successful late bloomers? It’s not mere luck, as author Henry Oliver explores in his new book, Second Act, but rather the collision of opportunity with several traits that late bloomers tend to be quietly cultivating.
Read on,
Stephen
THE BIG DELAY
3 subtle traits of successful late bloomers
At 45, Katharine Graham had little confidence, a history of dealing with emotional abuse, and zero business training. But, starting in 1963, she would go on to become one of the most successful business leaders of the 20th century as CEO of the Washington Post Company. In Second Act, Henry Oliver explores three key traits of successful late bloomers like Graham, and how you can be more active in cultivating them in yourself.
Fast Stats
$1 trillion — The estimated amount of money consumers lost through online scams in 2023.
5 — The ways business leaders can evolve with the modern workforce.
90% — The approximate share of new cars with automatic emergency braking.
460 — The light-year distance to the closest newborn protostars, forming in the Taurus molecular cloud.
THE BIG BLACK BOX
Big tech fails transparency test: Gary Marcus on what we should demand of AI
F. That was the grade that ten big tech companies — including Microsoft and OpenAI — scored on a recent AI transparency test conducted by researchers from Stanford, MIT, and Princeton. In his new book, Taming Silicon Valley: How We Can Ensure That AI Works for Us, psychologist Gary Marcus argues that citizens should demand greater transparency around AI, specifically in terms of training data, black-box algorithms, and propaganda, to name just a few categories.
3 rules for discussing controversial topics
By Jonny Thomson
Our village had a fête in August. It was a lovely day out — the kind of twee imitation of Hobbiton you’d imagine British village life to be like. As the sun was setting on a good day out, and as I sat around a table with a group of friends, Colin came over.
“So, did you see what Keir Starmer said yesterday? Can you believe anyone will vote for that fool?”
Colin is a nice guy. He makes children laugh and usually has a good story to hand. But when he’s had a beer, he’s an intransigent, belligerent arse. He’s looking for an argument, and an upcoming UK General Election makes it too easy.
The problem with Colin is that he’s not seeking a debate. He’s not there to swap ideas and unpack political philosophy. He’s pawing the ground and huffing the air like a bull in sight of a red rag (red being the color of the British Labour party).
If you have a Colin in your life, you might want to forward them this week’s Everyday Philosophy column.
Got an ethical dilemma for Everyday Philosophy? Submit yours here!
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THE BIG REFLECTION
How suicide warped David Foster Wallace’s legacy
David Foster Wallace ranks among the handful writers who got famous enough not only to have diehard fans but, for better or worse, fans who likely have never finished one of his books. Although well-known in life, his star rose even higher after his suicide in 2008. How did that tragic act shape his legacy? That’s what Tim Brinkhof explores in this fascinating history of the Infinite Jest writer, in which he speaks with David Hering, author of David Foster Wallace: Fiction and Form.
THE BIG SHARE
The rise of the semi-autonomous car
Earth has been heating up over the last century, and this century isn’t looking promising, either. While clean energy is cheaper than ever, greenhouse emissions and global temperatures are still rising. There is a desperate tactic that could buy us more time to get CO2 emissions under control — if it doesn’t destroy the ozone layer. It would only cost a few billion dollars, and there’s already a startup taking the first baby steps toward trying it.