Knowledge Obsolescence and the Future of Work

The chapter delves into a range of influencing factors that are governing individual and corporate behavior, driven both by changing human circumstances—economic, social, and environmental—as well as rapid changes to organizational cultures and endeavors—models, markets, governance, customers, competition. A veritable confluence of these factors is impinging into workplaces in a never-before-seen manner, particularly in its inherent complexity and constant change. Jobs are being redefined, created, and eliminated at the same time, putting significant pressure on individuals seeking to pursue careers. Knowledge acquired over a certain period is becoming quickly obsolete, resulting in people having to shift gears quickly. Most fail, with consequences impacting both social structures and organizational cultures. Individual behavior is significantly deteriorating toward colloquialism driven by a sense of victimization. How do we address all these challenges and stay on top of the future? This chapter's aim is to distill the answers to this question.

Programming in Time of Pandemic: The Year Libraries Went Touchless

From virtual storytimes to contactless pickups, libraries truly had a challenge to remain relevant in spring 2020. When COVID-19 fears caused many nationwide libraries to close in March and April, librarians—especially children’s librarians—had to shift gears to reach patrons who could no longer walk through their doors.

Bounded Rationality and Risk Management in Thermal Soaring

Awareness and management of the risk of failing to encounter lift is fundamental to thermal soaring. When the weather changes or a thermal is missed the pilot may be exposed to a greater risk of landing out. In these situations the pilot may need to alter strategies in order to minimize risk exposure at the expense of speed, often referred to as "gear shifting." In this work, we explore several models to explain why small changes in the environment can cause large changes in risk exposure, requiring this shifting. We also examine several flight strategies in simulation to define the relative risk and reward for adopting various levels of risk tolerance and for failing to "shift gears" when the risk of landing out increases.