Useful Takes
Ideas captured in a distinctly useful and often playful form
Featured: Art & Media Takes
Cool ads like Nike’s are actually kind of creatively easy to make.
This is a useful take on how brand equity and celebrity skew our view of creativity.
On Music Criticism
"Duh," being "stupid and contagious" has always been an intentional quality of youth music.
This is a useful take on how we often forget context and intentions in artistic criticism.
Featured: Society & Science Takes
On Solution Aversion
People are denying problems because of the solutions.
This is a useful take on how we often miss the source of motivated resistance.
On Flight From Facts
When facts threaten people’s beliefs, they do more than just deny facts; they take a flight from the relevance of facts.
This is a useful take on why good, factual persuasion can fail.
These takes are not meant to be hot, controversial, or definitive.
They are just meant to be a bit different and useful for curious and thoughtful people.
Click volume titles to read | Each volume includes five or more extended takes.
Takes on art, movies, media, brands, creativity, criticism, and more, including:
Art is exaggeration and not literal
Nike ads are easy to make
The audience is the problem
Takes on learning, education, academia, skills, and more, including:
You actually can teach that!
Creating a good class is like writing a prestige TV show
Lack of fundamentals makes all the new and advanced stuff harder
Takes on society, science, persuasion, business, politics, and more, including:
The public keeps discovering what academics have always known
Anti-science people aren’t really anti-science
Confirmation bias is a process
Takes on art, movies, media, brands, creativity, criticism, and more, including:
Artistic intent is almost impossible to know
Brands don’t want you to like all they do
Breaking the 5th Wall is art’s future
Takes on society, science, persuasion, business, politics, and more, including:
People are challenged in too many ways at once
Students receive mixed messages every day
Learners need time to be wrong
Takes on society, science, persuasion, business, politics, and more, including:
People don't just deny facts; they take complete flights from facts
Peers prevent progress
Lies are team signals
How to make a useful take: be a professor, not a pundit.
Don't try to be cool, smart, or controversial, or try to prove a point, or grandstand, or repeat what people already know.
Do respect your audience, treat them as smart, and then concisely offer something original or phrased in a helpful new way.
