Propaganda: Crystallizing Public Opinion

Crystallizing Public Opinion: Shaping Modern Public RelationsIn 1923, Edward Bernays published Crystallizing Public Opinion, a book that would forever alter the way organizations, governments, and individuals interact with the public. It wasn’t just a guide to publicity—it was a philosophical and psychological blueprint for engineering consent in a democratic society.Bernays, often called the “father of […]

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Advertising, Business, ethics, Influence, Media, Philosophy, Propaganda

Pascal’s Wager: The Pragmatic Bet on Belief in God

Debatable / By Joe Hummel III

Pascal’s Wager: The Pragmatic Bet on Belief in GodIn the 17th century, French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal proposed a curious argument: Even if you can’t prove that God exists, you should still live as if He does—because the potential upside is infinite, and the downside is negligible.This idea became known as Pascal’s Wager. While

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Business, ethics, Philosophy, Religion, Risk Analysis

The Sword & Mind

Debatable / By Joe Hummel III

The Sword & Mind: Harmony in Martial Arts and PhilosophyTwo warriors, two philosophies, one unshakable principle: true mastery lies in the unity of thought and action.The Sword & Mind isn’t a single work—it’s the pairing of two influential Japanese texts: The Sword (Heihō Kadensho) by Yagyū Munenori, a legendary samurai and martial strategist, and The

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Business, Philosophy, Strategy, Zen

Fun On Purpose Podcast by the fun dept.

News, Podcasts / By Joe Hummel III

Fun On Purpose Podcast Hosts Christopher Bruce and Nick Gianoulis, Godfather of Fun, lead thoughtful conversations with industry experts and thought leaders, helping us all become happier, healthier, and more connected. Welcome to the fun dept. podcast, where workplace culture meets innovation, and fun becomes the driving force behind engagement, training, and development. Whether

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Business, Christopher Bruce, Education, fun dept, Nick Gianoulis, workplace

The Art of War by Sun Tsu

Debatable / By Joe Hummel III

The Art of War: Timeless Strategies for Success“To win without fighting is best.” — Sun TzuMore than 2,500 years ago, a Chinese general named Sun Tzu wrote a short military treatise that would outlive empires. The Art of War is concise, poetic, and startlingly modern. Though written for warfare, its lessons have shaped business, politics,

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Business, Leadership, Philosophy, Styrategy

The Osborne Effect

Debatable / By Joe Hummel III

The Osborne Effect: When Announcing Too Soon Sinks the ShipIn the early 1980s, the Osborne Computer Corporation was riding high. Its flagship product, the Osborne 1, was one of the first truly portable computers—a luggable briefcase of computing power that had business users excited and competitors scrambling. But in 1983, the company made a fateful

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Advertising, Business, PR

Miyamoto Musashi’s A Book of Five Rings

Debatable / By Joe Hummel III

A Book of Five Rings: Mastering Strategy and Life More than 350 years ago, a legendary swordsman named Miyamoto Musashi sat down to write his life’s philosophy—not just on combat, but on thinking strategically. The result was A Book of Five Rings (Go Rin no Sho), a compact but profound guide to discipline, focus, and

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Business, Martial Arts, Philosophy, Strategy

History of the Shopping Cart

Fixed It For You / By Joe Hummel III

Chronological Outline of the Evolution of Shopping Carts and SupermarketsOn June 4, 1937, Sylvan Goldman revolutionized the shopping experience with an innovation that seems almost mundane today but was transformative at the time—the shopping cart. Goldman, who owned the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma City, observed that customers often struggled to carry their purchases

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1937, Business, Inventions