What makes good ol’ bullshit?

Well the answer is not bulls… Last week I attended a rather academic conference, and as part of one of the keynotes (Jan Dietz) I had to listen to an academic explanation of what is bullshit… Yes, you read correctly: bullshit. So what is bullshit?

Well here is the official slide photographed…

I like the first and third comment very much. Let me repeat them here for the record.

“Bullshit is unavoidable whenever circumstances require someone to talk without knowing what he is talking about”
“Bullshit is a greater enemy of truth than lies are”

The second point makes sincerity sound like bad thing… which i am not sure i agree with, speaking truly about ones feelings, thoughts and desire can be a good thing, provided it is not about you.  However the focus of the sentence on the slide is on the shift from considering facts to personal beliefs certainly is not good…

For a much deeper discussion read Harry Frankfurt on “Bullshit”. Philosophers clearly have too much time on their hands…

Currently I am reading Chris Brogan and Julien Smith‘s Trust Agents. When they discuss “trust signals” they make the following statement (p. 99) “People have very sophisticated bullshit sensors, and your intentions will be exposed, if not immediately, then later.” I could not agree more: a good reason for sincerity in the good sense of the word. So I was just wondering: if we are so good about sensing bullshit, why has it not been eradicated yet…

What characterizes bullshit for you? How do you know when somebody is bullshitting?

[PS. I hope you don't think my blog is bullshitting you!]

Three unexpected events that could happen in your next presentation

Earlier in the week I attended the SAICSIT conference. Three “unexpected” events occurred at the conference which I think is worth thinking about. Afterall, we learn from our experiences and those of others.

Selected thoughts from the CIO of Her Majesty, John Suffolk

The third day at WCC2010 started by a keynote of John Suffolk, CIO for Her Majesty’s Government. He presented some thoughts on shifting the paradigm for Government ICT. Here are some interesting tid bits from his talk:

Bringing the cloud down to earth – WCC2010 Keynote by Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr is of course the infamous author of “IT Does Not Matter” published in the May 2003 edition of the Harvard Business Review. The paper was widely criticized heavily. I generally don’t agree with the criticism against the arguments, but feel that the title deceive.  The paper argues for IT becoming a “utility”, in the same way that electricity became a utility. So the title is equal to saying “Electricity does not matter”, clearly not the case.  What is the case, however, is that IT has lost its benefit as competitive advantage (at least for the average company) and it is more of a necessity than ever before.

The World Computer Congress 2010 kicks off in Brisbane, Australia (Day 1)

The 25th World Computer Congress kicked off at the Brisbane International Convention Center today (WCC2010 program). About 1100 people attend this year’s congress, representing around 50 countries.

Three steps to getting into the right mindset for your research presentations

Presenting an academic paper at a conference?  Congratulations, but don’t think because the paper is written and accepted that your presentation is done. No, not by a long shot. If you think it’s easy, think again: you need to change your mindset. Do this by paying attention to the following three things: