Unlearning 101

Unlearning the Cold Call

Harvey Mackay, the author of Outswimming the Sharks, has an insightful column on "cold calls." It is his contention that in today's era of hyper-information that there is no reason for a salesperson to ever make a "cold" call. There are plenty of resources, included Google, LinkedIn, and ZoomInfo.com, with which to find pertinent information on a prospective client. It's good advice and just another habit that many of us should unlearn.

Don't Let it Slide

Last night my baseball team, the Minnesota Twins, defeated the Chicago White Sox 7-6 in a stunning come-from-behind victory to grab sole possession of first place in the American Central Division. The player who scored the winning run was Nick Punto.

One of Punto's more interesting habits is that he often slides head-first into first base. This makes sense only if you need to avoid a tag, otherwise it is counterproductive. It is a habit he should unlearn.

On the flip side, according to this new study, when a player does have to slide (say into second base) the head-first slide is superior to the feet-first version. Apparently, it is a matter of the player's center of gravity.

So next time your favorite player is tagged out on a feet-first slide encourage him to unlearn that habit.

You Don't Know As Much As You Think You Know

I recently came across this wonderful 12 minute presentation by Jonathon Druri entitled "Why We Don't Understand as Much As We Think We Do." I'd invite you to watch the full video. If, however, you don't have the time, I'll leave with this quote which I stole from his presentation:

"Be very, very careful what you put into that head, because you will never, ever get it out." -- Thomas Cardinal Wolsey

Unlearning Retail Advertising

To understand how facial recognition technology could require both retailers and marketing executives to unlearn their current advertising techniques, read this post on my other blog, www.jumpthecurve.net.

A Penny for Your Thoughts

Last week, a colleague of mine at Future Blogger, Alvis Brigis, suggested that the coming reign of online video broadcasting as the "most ubiquitous and accessible form of communication" may be short-lived. In its stead, he suggested that brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) may replaced it.

To many people the idea of brain-to-computer or even brain-to-brain communication might seem a little "out there." I disagree and think that Alvis is on the right track. As evidence, I submit this recent article on the U.S. Army's plans to invest in a "Thought Helmut" for voiceless communication. And lest anyone think that voiceless communication is some far-off, fuzzy, futuristic technology just check out this amazing video demonstrating an early prototype of "voiceless communication."

Until I can read your thoughts directly, I'd be interested in reading your reactions to this possibility and how you think it may necessitate that we unlearn some things -- such as, perhaps, how we communicate in the future.

Unlearning Mortgages

Like so many other investors, the past week has my head spinning with the latest news of a massive government bail out of yet another distressed industry. There is, undoubtedly, a great deal of blame to go around but I think most people would agree that at the bottom of the crisis is a boat-load of bad loans.

One strategy, therefore, for averting future crises would be to look for a way to minimize bad loads. To this end, I was intrigued by this recent article, The Mortgages of the Future, which suggests that the banking industry create a new type of mortgage -- "continuous-workout mortgages."

Not being a finance person, I can't speak to the specifics of the idea but given the current state of the housing and banking markets; now  seems like the perfect time to "unlearn" our old way of doing business.

Unlearning from an Electronic Textbook

Although I was a college student some 25 years ago, I can still recall the anger I felt at having to buy expensive new textbooks at the beginning of the semester, as well as the greater anger I felt when I then re-sold those books to the campus bookstore at the end of the semester -- often for a fraction of the original cost. (What little money I did receive back was used to buy beer which, admittedly, made me feel a little better.)

I mention this because in the coming years fewer and fewer college students are going to experience the same angst. This is because I believe more college professors will begin using electronic textbooks. To this end, I'd encourage you to read this recent New York Times article. I especially like this quote from a professor who has already made the transition: "This market [for college textbooks] is not working well -- except for the shareholders in the textbook publishers. We have lots of knowledge, but we are not getting it out."

The transition will occur more quickly if more college instructors can unlearn their reliance on standard textbooks.

Unlearning the Danger of Video Games

Think that video games lead to violence or anti-social behavior? Or that only male teenagers play video games? Or perhaps you are of the opinion that video games have no educational value . Well, think again and prepare yourself to unlearn. I strongly encourage you to read this post which highlights many of the recent findings of Henry Jenkins, the director of comparative studies at MIT.

I especially like the quote from James Gee who describes video gamers as "active problem solvers who do not see mistakes as errors, but as opportunities for improvement." Of all the things that we must "unlearn," one of the greatest is that mistakes are failures. Often they aren't, instead they are a necessary and vital step down the path toward progress.

Unlearning Disease

With all of the information now pulsing around us, it is easy to forget that "we don't know what we don't know." I constantly try to remind my clients in the health care sector of this simple fact. A case-in-point is the extraordinary strides being made in the field of genomics -- which, due to accelerating gene sequencing technologies, are occurring on a daily basis.

One the bigger implications of these cascading discoveries is that they will likely fundamentally alter how we classify disease in the future. As a little historical reference, it is useful to consider that in 1850 there were only 140 categories of disease. In 1993, the last time the World Health Organization undertook the classification of all diseases, there were some 12,000. The next classification isn't expected to occur until 2015, but it is not hard to imagine that the number of diseases -- and how they will be classified -- will increase even more.

For a great primer on this possibility, I'd encourage you to read this article, Redefining Disease, Genes and All. I especially liked this quote at the end of the article. One doctor, responding to the fact that as late as 1909 one of the leading causes of death was listed as "visitation of God," he went on to offer this warning: "Imagine how they are going to to be laughing at us," he said, "not 100 years from now, but even 50 or 20 years now."

As a result of accelerating technological change, it is certain that "we don't know what we don't know" about a wide variety of diseases. To stay open to the possibility that these diseases might soon be both classified and treated differently , it is helpful to keep in mind the possibility that if you don't change your views you will likely be widely mocked at some point in the future -- and it might even be sooner than you expect.

Unlearning Email

As I am writing this post, a small little box on top of my computer screen is telling me that I have 3 e-mail messages waiting. Normally, I'd click on the box to find out if any of the messages are important and require immediate action. Today, however, I made a conscious act not to that. Why? Because of this article suggesting that people who check their email compulsively (every five minutes or so) waste 8.5 hours a week.

Now, I don't check my email every few minutes but I know I check it more than necessary and that this is an unhealthy and counter-productive habit. According to a study conducted by researchers at Loughsborough University in England it takes a person an average of 64 seconds to recover their train their thought after reading an email.

If you're checking your email more than twice a day -- knock it off. It's not making you more productive. It's making you less so. In other words, it's time to unlearn your habit of compulsively checking your email.