From ‘saying no’ to ‘hacking the environment’, we have curated five articles that will help get your week started on the right foot

[Inc.] Meet the $21 Million Company That Thinks a New iPhone Is a Total Waste of Money

“Teach everybody how to fix everything”. This is the guiding ideal behind iFixit, a California startup (not Silicon Valley) that wants to educate people on how to solve their own gadget problems (and save them some cash in the meantime).

A particularly interesting feature of this company is that it could be much bigger. The company makes its money by selling the necessary parts to fix an iPhone or computer (or, really, anything). But, it gives away its lessons for free. With the proper gear, iFixit could save people a lot of money without actually spending a dime.

[Fastcompany] How I knew when saying “Yes” was hurting my productivity (and worse)

It is one of the hardest ‘they don’t teach this in school’ learnings that every adult must learn to embrace. Saying no may mean short-term disappointment for the person, but it’s crucial to the overall success of a job or company.

What is better? Saying no at first and moving to ‘hell yes’ projects? Or saying ‘yes’, only to fail in delivery and ruin the relationship for the long-term? Obviously, the former is the better option.

In this article, Neil Pasricha introduces the “No or Hell Yeah” principle and its is a useful guide for making decisions.

[ZDNet] Inside the black box: Understanding AI decision-making

Artificial Intelligence is the future, but how does it make decisions? We all know it CAN make decisions, but do most people really understand the HOW? This article from ZDNet deep-dives into the tech of artificial intelligence.

It also reveals a problem for the industry — at some point, ‘black box’ technology will need to become more transparent. It is far too important for humanity to remain a corporate secret.

[e27] Have we reached the end of the road with autonomous vehicles?

Governments across the world are pushing ahead in the race to develop an autonomous vehicle network. But, they are also simultaneously investing in the improvement and efficiency of public transportation. Can these two public policy drives coalesce?

If autonomous vehicles reduces traffic jams, wouldn’t people stop using metros to get around? The flip side is, if subways become hyper-efficient, can driverless cars become a convenient alternative? And, if neither of these questions are true, is it worth the money to invest in both?

Interesting thought experiments.

[The New York Times] Is It O.K. to Tinker With the Environment to Fight Climate Change?

Fun fact. There is a technology out there that, theoretically, might significantly help in humanity’s fight against climate change. The problem? It MIGHT work; and is one of those grand experiments that, if it does not work, would set off a lot of moral conflicts.

Even if it did work, is hacking the environment ethical?

What makes this story particularly interesting is the man who is leading the technology’s development is also its strongest critic.

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