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David Epstein 'Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World' 'The Sports Gene' Author's note: This is the final segment of Techonomics. It's been three years of discovery and I'm so grateful for it. One of the silver threads of coverage for us has been gender diversity in tech companies. There is a ton of work left to do on that, unfortunately. But, I am proud to say that on this show, at least, we had gender parity when it comes to our guests. Almost an even split between men and women experts, authors and analysts. Again, it was not easy to do that in the bro-world of tech, but it's a proof of concept: it can be done.By Jason MiddletonTurns out, being a late bloomer is actually healthier and wealthier than picking your pursuits earlier in life. That's not just anecdotal evidence, the data back it up, too.This week we have author David Epstein on Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World and His New Book is titled RANGE.Plenty of experts argue that anyone who wants to develop a skill, play an instrument, or lead their field should start early, focus intensely, and rack up as many hours of deliberate practice as possible. If you dabble or delay, you'll never catch up to the people who got a head start, they say. But a closer look at research on the world's top performers, from professional athletes to Nobel laureates, shows that early specialization is the exception, not the rule.Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

'Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level'  Leander Khaney CultOfMac.com By Jason Middleton First is a mea culpa. I was not a huge fan of Apple CEO and Steve Jobs' successor Tim Cook. He seems like a nice man, highly capable, et cetera - but he was a Chief Operating Office. Someone who counts beans, watches supply chains and fulfills orders from customers. When Steve died and Tim took over, it was the end of an era, for sure, but Apple was still there. Could it still be Apple the way we were used to?  Turns out, it could get better. I've had former and present employees tell me that though Steve Jobs was like a prophet, let alone genius marketer, the company kind of exhaled when Tim Cook took over.  Not to relax - but to not live in fear, either. Tim Cook also brought some values to the company that were not there before. Steve Jobs? More of a hippie-style libertarian. Tim Cook ... different animal. Leander Khaney's new biography of Tim Cook, 'Tim Cook: The Genius Who Took Apple to the Next Level.' is the first of its kind, but is likely to stay best of breed for quite a while. Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Rich Karlgaard LATE BLOOMERS: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement   By Jason MiddletonThis one is about early-career prodigies versus late bloomers. Let's review the bidding ...Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook at age 19, Taylor Swift released her first album at 16, Malala Yousafzai won the Nobel Prize at 17, and Time Magazine now releases an annual list of “Most Influential Teens.”The stories of success in the media get younger and younger, and we’re pushing our kids harder and harder. So much so that the tutoring and test prep industry generates nearly $1 billion each year. Are our kids being pushed to the brink of breakdown? Is it right to discount any successes achieved after your “30 Under 30” expiration date?Our mounting preoccupation with precocity has created a distorted if not downright dangerous narrative: if we, or our children, aren’t prodigies, we’ve failed?Turns out, late blooming is where it's at. Here's the publisher of Forbes magazine and author of a new book on the late-bloomer theme. Here we go...Here's Rich Karlgaard – publisher of Forbes magazine – who is a self-proclaimed late-bloomer – and his new book is 'LATE BLOOMERS: The Power of Patience in a World Obsessed with Early Achievement.'Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

Jean Chatzky'Women with Money'Bankrate.comhttps://www.bankrate.com/retirement/AARP's Social Security Resource Center By Jason MiddletonRetirement planning - the two most boring words since Featuring Sting. OK, that's a John Oliver joke, but I honestly couldn't think of two more boring words.Anyway, retirement planning is not America's forte, as it turns out.According to a recent report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), 48 percent of Americans 55 and older have no money in either an IRA or 401(k)-style account. Twenty-nine percent have no pension or retirement savings accounts.Here's what's at stake: in retirement one has to live off of one's savings, investments and Social Security benefits.  This week we have Jean Chatzky with us. Jean is an award-winning personal finance journalist, AARP’s personal finance ambassador, best-selling author and host of the podcast HerMoney with Jean Chatzky on iTunes. Jean is also the financial editor of NBC’s TODAY show.Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

Prof. Cathy O'Neill: 'Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy' Her company: ORCAA Prof. Shoshanna Zuboff: 'The Age of Surveillance Capitalism' Prof. Scott Galloway: 'The Four' Chuck Collins: 'Is Inequality in America Irreversible?'By Jason Middleton One interview we aired about 18 months ago was with a professor and provocateur, Cathy O'Neill. She had just published her book Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy. Weapons of Math Destruction went on to win or be shortlisted for several awards. But that's almost beside the point.  Professor O'Neill was once a quant on Wall Street. She was a big data engineer, tasked with helping big corporations make even bigger profits.  She's what another professor, Scott Galloway, calls a 'traitor of her class' - sort of like a 1 percenter saying the rich should be less rich. (And we have a show about that too - the link is in the show notes). We wanted to bring Professor O'Neill back on to check in on any potential progress when it comes to biases in algorithms, and how that algorithmic data is spun into predictive analytics. O'Neill and I also discuss her new company that she built to help corporations analyze their own algorithms to see if they have biases, like race or gender, in them and if they are within legal compliance.  Something referred to as corporate hygiene. Spoiler alert: not one health care company has contracted her team yet.  Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Professor Alex Garvin 'The Heart of the City: Creating Vibrant Downtowns for a New Century'    By Jason Middleton Urban planning fascinates me, the ebb and flow of people, converted spaces and new construction, the range of commutes from nuisance to hellish and the technology needed for this dynamic growth. It ticks all the boxes. So the new book 'The Heart of the City: Creating Vibrant Downtowns for a New Century' was a must-get interview. Professor Alex Garvin wrote The Heart of the City. He's a professor at Yale University, but his experience runs deep. Alex Garvin has combined a career in urban planning and real estate with teaching, architecture, and public service. He is now President and CEO of AGA Public Realm Strategists, Inc., a planning and design firm in New York City.In the months after 9/11 he led the rebuild team. Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

'Stop Doing that S***!' book 'Un (Eff) Yourself' book Gary John Bishop, author By Jason Middleton Alexander Pope dropped An Essay on Criticism back in 1711, and in that essay a quote for the ages: To err is human, to forgive divine. All people commit sins and make mistakes. And, I'd argue, that refers to self-sabotage, choices humans make over and over in a cycle of limiting potential and fomenting crises. So we asked Gary John Bishop to join us. He's the author of the new book Stop Doing that Bleep or Stop Doing that S. -- A Real World Approach to Reducing Negative Behavior and “Waking the Heck Up”  His prior book, a New York Times besteller, is titled Un Eff Yourself.  It's a little off our usual script, but Gary's a great speaker and his approach can be helpful. We also veer into the novel and film Trainspotting toward the end. And he finds a few cautionary tales that translate beyond Scottish drug culture and relates to some of today's drug troubles.  Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Clive Thompson, Wired & New York Times Clive's Twitter 'Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World' By Jason Middleton Software may well in fact eat the world, but somebody has to write it first. All that software code comes from fallible, flawed humans.  We've talked about biases in coding and algorithms several times on this show. We use software nearly every instant we’re awake, and if we want to understand how today’s digital world works, we ought to understand something about the industry building it: computer programmers. So this week we're hosting Clive Thompson, the author of 'Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World.' Clive is a journalist at Wired and the New York Times whose new book Coders is already on digital and physical shelves. We cover sexism in algorithms, basic bias in coding and what drives a computer programmer to do what they do.  Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Jessica Yellin on Instagram 'Savage News' novel By Jason Middleton The author we're talking with next has written a new novel titled Savage News. And boy she nailed that.  She could have gone with News Onslaught, Tsunami News or Daily Shitshow. But Savage News definitely works.  Jessica Yellin is the former chief White House correspondent for CNN and an Emmy and Gracie Award- winning political journalist for CNN, ABC News, and MSNBC. And she's tied together her White House experience with her experience as a woman in the workplace. The novel's protagonist Natalie Savage has transferred to Washington, D.C. on temporary assignment as White House correspondent for a news network. That's a basic setup. Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Erin Lowry'Broke Millennial Takes on Investing: A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up Your Money.' By Jason Middleton Retirement planning - it's the mantra of every financial advisor, planner and fiduciary you'll ever run into. And the sub mantra, and I may have just invented that phrase, the sub mantra is the earlier you start saving, the less you have to sock away later in life.  So, our next guest, wrote the book 'Broke Millennial Takes on Investing:A Beginner’s Guide to Leveling Up Your Money.' Her name is Erin Lowry. It's actually her second and sequential book on investing for younger people.For the record, the oldest millennial is 37 years old this year, so let's disabuse ourselves of the 'young adult in the parent's basement' image.  Side note: Gen X and Gen Z are just lost generations, right? People jump from Boomers to Millennials.  Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

Book: 'Fake: Fake Money; Fake Teachers; Fake Assets''Rich Dad, Poor Dad'Robert Kiyosaki videos By Jason Middleton In 1972, President Richard Nixon decoupled the US dollar from the gold standard - the money was no longer backed by hard-assets of gold and became fiat.  Our next guest would say Fake. And his take on fake goes beyond money. He weaves fake money with fake teachers and fake assets.  Robert Kiyosaki has lived a life. From fighter pilot in Vietnam, to pupil of Buckminster Fuller to real estate magnate and consistent personal finance guru.Kiyosaki ― author of the #1 Personal Finance book of all time titled Rich Dad, Poor Dad ― has built a legacy around simplifying complex and often-confusing subjects like money and investing.  He continues to challenge conventional wisdom and asks the questions that will help readers sift through today's information overload to uncover the truth. Facts and truth are the foundation for taking control of their financial lives. Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Google I/O keynote New Pixel phone review via The Verge By Jason Middleton Software developer conferences - a staple of Silicon Valley and the source of much griping about traffic and parking.  But these conferences are necessary pep rallies and product rollouts - and Google's annual IO conference is always impressive as it is, possibly, the biggest data dump every 12 months. New hardware products. Upgrades to software. New software. New and upgraded services. And new tools and developer packages that will enable the next generation of ... stuff.  This week's IO hardware headliner is the new Pixel 3A and 3AXL smart phones. And we have Justin Barr, a Google Technologist, to help us unpack things. Btw, the price point on this is 399 and I'm not trying to make a Pixel ad here, but every reviewer I trust says this is the phone that may entice iPhone users to step out.  Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher. Have great weeks, everybody.

Dr Susan ShaheenUC-Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research CenterMcKinsey report: “Mobility’s Second Great Inflection Point.”  By Jason Middleton This week is about mobility: angling to find a way to make the infrastructure meet the goals of a more efficient, mobile society.  The economics are clear (see the recent McKinsey report). Socially and politically? Well, that's a tougher nut.  Dr Susan Shaheen and her colleagues at UC-Berkeley's Transportation Sustainability Research Center are keeping the conversation - and the data - lively.  Dr Shaheen is often on Capitol Hill, testifying about the possibilities of increased mobility for the United States. She's our guest this week. Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

McKinsey report: “Mobility’s Second Great Inflection Point.”McKinsey​Stefan Knupfer​ By Jason Middleton If you read the headlines or glance at the trade magazines, it seems like self-driving cars will start landing in our driveways and parking buildings in the next few weeks.  Well, maybe not that quickly, but sooner than we thought. It's somewhere between Tesla CEO Elon Musk's whimsical claim of a million autonomous cars next year and ... never, as a few analysts have written. I land on 20-30 as a date where the tipping point will hit the road, so to speak - when the majority of transport will be autonomous.  That's not a rando year - a new report from McKinsey research taps 20-30 as well.  So this week we host Stefan Knupfer, Senior Partner McKinsey and Company. Their recent research project is titled “Mobility’s Second Great Inflection Point.”Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.Have great weeks, everybody.

NYT Columnist/Author Tyler Kepner K: A History of Baseball in 10 Pitches   By Jason Middleton   Given that baseball has traditionally and habitually invented statistics to apply to game strategy and measuring success, I couldn't pass up the chance to talk with Tyler Kepner this week.    It's still the first month of baseball season, remember, and every team still has a shot at winning. At least, nominally.    Tyler Kepner is a New York Times Baseball Columnist whose new book, K: A History of Baseball in Ten Pitches, traces the development of each pitch as far back as the 19th century.     Kepner discusses the slider, fastball, curveball, knuckleball, splitter, screwball, sinker, changeup, spitball, and cutter.    Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.

IThinkYoureWrongButImListening.com PantsuitPoliticsShow.com By Jason Middleton Toxic political dialogue, hate-filled rants on social media, and agenda-driven news stories have become the new norm. People sitting together in pews every Sunday have started to feel like strangers, loved ones at the dinner table like enemies. It’s exhausting, and it’s too much.   In the new book 'I Think You’re Wrong (But I’m Listening)' two working moms from opposite ends of the political spectrum -- Sarah Stewart Holland (on the political left) and Beth Silvers (on the right) -- contend that there is a better way.    They believe that we can:   --choose to respect the dignity of every person --choose to recognize that issues are nuanced --choose to listen in order to understand   Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.

+ 'Bad Seed' novel + Author Richard Lieberman   By Jason Middleton   CRISPR is relatively new gene editing technology - and it's been in the news quite a bit recently.    In November, a scientist in China modified twin girl embryos so they would be resistant to their father’s HIV.     Moreover, the experiment may have altered their intellectual abilities.    Of course, this has been widely condemned, but the work by this rogue scientist shows the power of CRISPR.   The power of CRISPR gets the agricultural treatment in a new work of fiction from Richard Lieberman. The book is titled Bad Seed.   The gene editing techniques that the protagonist uses for her work in the book is real, and the revolutionary biological tool, CRISPR will enable scientists to bring about miraculous improvements to the health and well-being of humankind.   Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.

+ 'Beyond Corn' environmental report  + National Wildlife Federation + Professor Aaron Smith, UC-Davis   By Jason Middleton   Every time we go the pump, there’s a good chance part of that fuel is made from corn—as in corn ethanol.    A 10-year-old federal mandate requires that plant-based fuels are blended into our gasoline supply. That policy has had several unintended, some might say dire, consequences.   A new research project is the first to prove that the federal policy intended to promote fuel made from corn, soy, and other plants, is harming the environment.   The report is titled BEYOND CORN: The Drive for Better Biofuels.    According to the report sponsored by the National Wildlife Federation, the Renewable Fuel Standard is not working for wildlife. It’s not working for our water resources. And it’s not working for the climate.    Professor Aaron Smith from UC Davis is our guest.    Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.

+ Author Greg Kieser + Book 'Dear Machine' + Music bed: Claude Debussy   By Jason Middleton   Once again this week, we're going to straddle science fiction and science reality with a discussion about Super Aware Intelligent Machines.    We have the author of a new book, titled Dear Machine, who is also an investor and researcher in what he considers a wave of technological advances that will push humanity through whatever this painful paradigm shift is we're going through.    Or, in his words from a post-interview email: "A conversation with Greg Kieser about how we might increase the likelihood that future superintelligent machines will prioritize and optimize human well-being and environmental stability."   Key on 'human well being.'   Greg Kieser. Greg Kieser is founder of Supersystemic dot L-Y,  a company dedicated to increasing humanity’s readiness for the emergence of “SAIMs” (Super-Aware/Intelligent Machines).    Greg's new book is Dear Machine: A Letter to a Super-Aware/Intelligent Machine, which also serves as the operating thesis for the company.   Rather than see super aware machines as merchants of chaos and death, see RoboCop, perhaps we see them as possibly the biggest resources humans will create.    Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.

+ Innovature.com + Coffee Report from Bloomberg + Climate Data Turned Into Sound + Avocado Toast Under Threat   By Jason Middleton   This week we're hammering on a topic familiar to most Americans: brunch.   Well, brunching is the inflection point of a much more serious conversation around climate change and its effects on the crops we, as human consumers, have come to depend on.    I'm talking coffee, orange juice, wine and avocado toast. Told you it was serious.    Dana O’Brien is an Executive Vice President at BIO Food & Agriculture and he's our guest this week.   Bio concentrates on  changing environments and changing food preferences - as well as solutions to climate change that threatens how the planet produces food. You know, just that whole food, air thing.   Please click through on any of these links for more information, as well as our show page, Facebook page or follow me on the Twitter. The podcasts also live on iTunes and Stitcher.   Have great weeks, everybody.