Whether it be in the office or on the airplane headed to our next program, we’re always talking about the issues and trends that are shaping the way we learn as well as what interests each of us on the team.
Gaming out success
Hasbro’s rising stars are proving their mettle in a high-stakes game of “Toy Tycoon,” a grand strategy simulation where the corner office is earned, not assigned. Players must step into the role of CEO, managing brands like Super Soaker and My Little Pony. Making decisions on product development, licensing, talent acquisition, and financial planning, teams aim to maximize market capitalization. The game emphasizes strategic thinking, risk assessment, and adaptability, offering participants a realistic experience of business leadership. If you want to get serious in the business of play, roll the dice.
AI is leveling up its email game
Google released an AI update to Gmail this week that makes the current auto generated replies feel a bity stale. New features include an improved search that is conversational, the ability to automatically write a full email response, and converting Gmail’s inbox into an AI-powered to-do list. In 5 years, the real question will be whether AI that is clever enough to take over all our email tasks will want to bother trying.
Can it survive reentry?
It’s a familiar tale of industrial disruption and possibly, adaptation. The current owners of Rocketdyne, the once dominant US rocket engine manufacturer (of Saturn V and, Space Shuttle fame) are selling a 60% stake in the propulsion business to private equity. After decades of ownership changes, the company has struggled to compete with vertically integrated newcomers like SpaceX and Blue Origin, which build their own engines rather than buying from suppliers like Rocketdyne. Since the 80s, the company has developed exactly one new large engine. Now the buyer, AE Industrial, hopes to modernize and restore the name of the legendary company.
Did someone just say “eavesdropping dogs?”
According to a recent study in Science, a rare group of canine overachievers known as Gifted Word Learners (GWL) possess a superpower previously believed reserved only for humans. These four-legged geniuses don’t need a formal lesson to expand their vocabulary; they can pick up the name of a new toy just by overhearing their owners chat about it. They absorb information through “incidental learning,” much like an 18-month-old human toddler. While we’re not going make any big pronouncements about human cognition from a study on dogs, it does have us to thinking about the power of listening persistently.
Sparking new interest
In a feat of creative storytelling, the experience design group Digital Panda released Spark, an interactive browser-based experience that functions like a short film that progresses with user input. As the visitor scrolls through the website, they learn about the story of a “spark” of creativity trying to escape a controlled, cyberpunk-inspired city while being pursued by automated drones. It’s a beautiful portfolio and proof of technical concept. But what sets apart the spark is the story-driven approach. Tell a good yarn, and you’ll always have a captivated audience.