this week’s letter:
It is Friday morning, already or again. Time flies, as they say and this week has not been any different. Although I plan my weeks in detail and rather obsessively, with beautiful colour blocks first by hand in my agenda and then digitally on my google calendar. This past week, I did not find enough time to read, to think, to be.
Cogito, ergo sum
The philosophical statement by René Descartes, was a steady companion. Usually translated into English as "I think, therefore I am", these last few days I was clearly not, not fully at least.
Descartes's statement is a fundamental element of Western philosophy. It provides a certain foundation for knowledge in the face of radical doubt. While other knowledge could be a figment of imagination, deception, or mistake, Descartes asserted that the very act of doubting one's own existence served as proof of the reality of one's own mind. If there is a thought, there must be an entity who thinks, isn’t there? Applying this paradigm to my last few days, the statement could be translated as follows: "I doubt, therefore I think, therefore I am", so I finally was, and fully so.
These are challenging times, not just because of an umpteenth lockdown starting tonight, not because I have not been allowed to have a healthy glass of wine on a terrace with my clients, peers or friends for too long now; These are challenging times because I have come to understand that this unknown, distant and foggy future of hybrid duality is the new old. I still doubt all of it, but at least I think and therefore I may be. Just be.
this week’s article (click-to-read):
On the homepage you can find another new member in our thoughtleader series. We are trying to give a voice to interesting, sometimes radical thoughts and the individuals to whom they belong.
In this second part I had the pleasure to exchange with Anum Sajjad:
Italian born entrepreneur with Paksitani roots, she talks about Clubhouse, the hot topic or cool thing of the moment. She took the time to elaborate possibilities of the social media’s educational capacities and uses.
In the first interview I chatted with Ksenija Mjasnikova:
Data Analyst, serious Entrepreneur and Academic at heart, Ksenija is known for her forward thinking approach in the Fashion Industry. Her challenging ideas and applications have made her a pioneer in predicting the now existing branch of “Digital Fashion”. She elaborates on where her academic research has brought her, where she wants to take it and what influence gamification could have on education.
last week’s catch-up reading (click-to-read):
Where Brands Are Reaching Gen Z by Sara Wilson
“Gaming” is not just for “gamers” — it represents a new paradigm for interacting online.
Does the disembodied Zoom class boost gender equality? by Kate Eichhorn
“One of the most surprising effects of moving higher education online is that while women may be under less scrutiny in the classroom (at least from the head down), the opposite seems to hold for men: male faculty feel more objectified on Zoom.”
Pushing ‘the uni experience’ has strengthened the case for refunds by Madeleine Davies
Why a business model based on an experience at uni, with its amazing campus as a USP, is backed in a corner.
Dont underestimate the power of a walk by Deborah Riegel
I don’t walk. I run… a lot, far and on my own... for similar reasons.
My Phone Was Spying on Me, so I Tracked Down the Surveillants by Martin Gundersen
I am not a neo-luddit, nor a paranoiac… I like my apps and think to be in control. well, I have changed my mind...
Reset Your Computer Once a Year for a Happier Life by David Nield
Why resetting your laptop is one of the most powerful munitions you've got in your troubleshooting armory.