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Vermont Says Court Can’t Force Defendant To Start the Arbitration
August 1, 2017
I declare this the Summer of Arbitration. It’s not as sexy as the Summer of Love (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, btw http://www.sftravel.com/summer-love-2017), but there has to be some recognition of the avalanche of arbitration cases on my desk (to say nothing of the regulation changes). Today, I focus on the state supreme courts. In the last few months, ten separate state high courts have issued arbitration decisions. Many of those have addressed whether arbitrators properly...
August 1, 2017
I declare this the Summer of Arbitration. It’s not as sexy as the Summer of Love (which is celebrating its 50th anniversary, btw http://www.sftravel.com/summer-love-2017), but there has to be some recognition of the avalanche of arbitration cases on my desk (to say nothing of the regulation changes). Today, I focus on the state supreme courts. In the last few months, ten separate state high courts have issued arbitration decisions. Many of those have addressed whether arbitrators properly...
People Have an Irrational Need to Complete ‘Sets’ of Things
July 31, 2017
New research reveals that people are irrationally but effectively motivated by the idea of completing a set, even if it means working harder or spending more money—with no additional reward other than the satisfaction of completion and the relief of avoiding an incomplete set. Imagine arriving at your boss’s summer BBQ and presenting her with five beers in a box designed to hold six. No matter that your favorite craft beer store permits you buy bottles one at a time. Chances are you’d still...
July 31, 2017
New research reveals that people are irrationally but effectively motivated by the idea of completing a set, even if it means working harder or spending more money—with no additional reward other than the satisfaction of completion and the relief of avoiding an incomplete set. Imagine arriving at your boss’s summer BBQ and presenting her with five beers in a box designed to hold six. No matter that your favorite craft beer store permits you buy bottles one at a time. Chances are you’d still...
Hurrah for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: Consumer Arbitration As a Poster Child for Regulation
July 31, 2017
Drawing on economic, psychological and philosophical considerations, this Essay considers whether consumers should be "free"...
July 31, 2017
Drawing on economic, psychological and philosophical considerations, this Essay considers whether consumers should be "free"...
Workplace Plaintiffs Face Long Odds According to Lex Machina Data
July 31, 2017
Only 1 percent of plaintiffs who file federal job discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims win on the merits at trial, according to an analysis by the Lex Machina legal analytics firm. Lex Machina last week launched an employment litigation search and analysis module that covers findings of hostile work environment, retaliation and Title VII issues such as race bias, as well as discrimination based on age, equal rights, military, pregnancy and rehabilitation. Lex Machina reviewed nearly...
July 31, 2017
Only 1 percent of plaintiffs who file federal job discrimination, harassment and retaliation claims win on the merits at trial, according to an analysis by the Lex Machina legal analytics firm. Lex Machina last week launched an employment litigation search and analysis module that covers findings of hostile work environment, retaliation and Title VII issues such as race bias, as well as discrimination based on age, equal rights, military, pregnancy and rehabilitation. Lex Machina reviewed nearly...
Google’s DeepMind creates an AI with ‘imagination’
July 30, 2017
Google's DeepMind is developing an AI capable of 'imagination', enabling machines to see the consequences of their actions before they make them. In two new research papers, the British AI firm, which was acquired by Google in 2014, describes new developments for "imagination-based planning" to AI. Its attempt to create algorithms that simulate the distinctly human ability to construct a plan could eventually help to produce software and hardware capable of solving complex tasks more efficiently.
July 30, 2017
Google's DeepMind is developing an AI capable of 'imagination', enabling machines to see the consequences of their actions before they make them. In two new research papers, the British AI firm, which was acquired by Google in 2014, describes new developments for "imagination-based planning" to AI. Its attempt to create algorithms that simulate the distinctly human ability to construct a plan could eventually help to produce software and hardware capable of solving complex tasks more efficiently.
The Personality Trait That Makes People Happier
July 30, 2017
Brain scans reveal that just a little of this personality trait boosts happiness. Even a small amount of generosity towards others makes people happier, psychological research finds. In fact, merely promising to be more generous is enough to trigger changes in our brain that lead to greater happiness. People in the study did not need to be extremely generous to see the benefits to happiness levels.
July 30, 2017
Brain scans reveal that just a little of this personality trait boosts happiness. Even a small amount of generosity towards others makes people happier, psychological research finds. In fact, merely promising to be more generous is enough to trigger changes in our brain that lead to greater happiness. People in the study did not need to be extremely generous to see the benefits to happiness levels.
Careers and Divorce Rate
July 30, 2017
From Marketwatch: Marriage problems are more likely for people in some career paths than others. Workers in certain fields are seeing higher divorce rates by age 30, a new analysis of U.S. Census Data from career website Zippia found. The highest divorce rate was for first-line enlisted military supervisors, its analysis of Census Bureau’s Public Use Microdata Sample, or PUMS, data found. They had a divorce rate of 30%. The occupation involves leading operations and coordinating the activities...
July 30, 2017
From Marketwatch: Marriage problems are more likely for people in some career paths than others. Workers in certain fields are seeing higher divorce rates by age 30, a new analysis of U.S. Census Data from career website Zippia found. The highest divorce rate was for first-line enlisted military supervisors, its analysis of Census Bureau’s Public Use Microdata Sample, or PUMS, data found. They had a divorce rate of 30%. The occupation involves leading operations and coordinating the activities...
Artificial Intelligence Is Stuck. Here’s How to Move It Forward
July 29, 2017
Artificial Intelligence is colossally hyped these days, but the dirty little secret is that it still has a long, long way to go. Sure, A.I. systems have mastered an array of games, from chess and Go to “Jeopardy” and poker, but the technology continues to struggle in the real world. Robots fall over while opening doors, prototype driverless cars frequently need human intervention, and nobody has yet designed a machine that can read reliably at the level of a sixth grader, let alone a college...
July 29, 2017
Artificial Intelligence is colossally hyped these days, but the dirty little secret is that it still has a long, long way to go. Sure, A.I. systems have mastered an array of games, from chess and Go to “Jeopardy” and poker, but the technology continues to struggle in the real world. Robots fall over while opening doors, prototype driverless cars frequently need human intervention, and nobody has yet designed a machine that can read reliably at the level of a sixth grader, let alone a college...
Teaching Robots to Understand Semantic Concepts
July 29, 2017
Machine learning can allow robots to acquire complex skills, such as grasping and opening doors. However, learning these skills requires us to manually program reward functions that the robots then attempt to optimize. In contrast, people can understand the goal of a task just from watching someone else do it, or simply by being told what the goal is. We can do this because we draw on our own prior knowledge about the world: when we see someone cut an apple, we understand that the goal is to produce...
July 29, 2017
Machine learning can allow robots to acquire complex skills, such as grasping and opening doors. However, learning these skills requires us to manually program reward functions that the robots then attempt to optimize. In contrast, people can understand the goal of a task just from watching someone else do it, or simply by being told what the goal is. We can do this because we draw on our own prior knowledge about the world: when we see someone cut an apple, we understand that the goal is to produce...
AI May Soon Replace Even the Most Elite Consultants
July 29, 2017
Although many strategic leaders tout their keen intuition, hard work, and years of industry experience, much of this intuition...
July 29, 2017
Although many strategic leaders tout their keen intuition, hard work, and years of industry experience, much of this intuition...
