Talks at Google

Dr. Gabija Toleikyte is a neuroscientist, lecturer, and performance and wellbeing coach. She is currently a lecturer in psychology at Sheffield Hallam University. In this talk Dr. Toleikyte discusses "Why the F*ck Can’t I Change", her ground-breaking new book that gets straight to the root cause of why we form certain habits and behaviors, and shows how we can realistically stop ourselves from repeating the same mistakes. Gabija takes us on an eye-opening journey through the extraordinary human brain, exploring how it deals with the everyday changes that we all face. With relatable case studies and practical strategies and tools, she will demonstrate how you can rethink changing habits, productivity, leadership, and decision-making. From Feb. 2021, please enjoy Dr. Gabija Toleikyte | Habits, Behaviors, and Change Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

While the "national debt" has been the concern du jour of many economists, commentators and politicians, little attention is ever paid to the historical significance of debt. For thousands of years, the struggle between rich and poor has largely taken the form of conflicts between creditors and debtors—of arguments about the rights and wrongs of interest payments, debt peonage, amnesty, repossession, restitution, the sequestering of sheep, the seizing of vineyards, and the selling of debtors' children into slavery. By the same token, for the past five thousand years, popular insurrections have begun the same way: with the ritual destruction of debt records—tablets, papyri, ledgers; whatever form they might have taken in any particular time and place. Enter anthropologist David Graeber's Debt: The First 5,000 Years, which uses these struggles to show that the history of debt is also a history of morality and culture. In the throes of the recent economic crisis, with the very defining institutions of capitalism crumbling, surveys showed that an overwhelming majority of Americans felt that the country's banks should not be rescued—whatever the economic consequences—but that ordinary citizens stuck with bad mortgages should be bailed out. The notion of morality as a matter of paying one's debts runs deeper in the United States than in almost any other country. Beginning with a sharp critique of economics (which since Adam Smith has erroneously argued that all human economies evolved out of barter), Graeber carefully shows that everything from the ancient work of law and religion to human notions like "guilt," "sin," and "redemption," are deeply influenced by ancients debates about credit and debt. It is no accident that debt continues to fuel political debate, from the crippling debt crises that have gripped Greece and Ireland, to our own debate over whether to raise the debt ceiling. Debt, an incredibly captivating narrative spanning 5,000 years, puts these crises into their full context and illuminates one of the thorniest subjects in all of history. ABOUT THE AUTHOR David Graeber teaches anthropology at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He is the author of Towards an Anthropological Theory of Value, Lost People, and Possibilities: Essays on Hierarchy, Rebellion, and Desire. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Author Walter Isaacson discusses his recent book "The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race", a gripping account of how Nobel Prize winner Jennifer Doudna and her colleagues launched a revolution that will allow us to cure diseases, fend off viruses, and have healthier babies. Bestselling author of "Steve Jobs" (2011), "Einstein: His Life and Universe" (2007) and more, Walter Isaacson has established himself as the biographer of creativity, innovation, and genius. Einstein was the genius of the revolution in physics, and Steve Jobs was the genius of the revolution in digital technology. We are now on the cusp of a third revolution in science, a revolution in biochemistry that is capable of curing diseases, fending off viruses, and improving the Human species itself. The genius at the center of his newest book "The Code Breaker" is American biochemist Jennifer Doudna, who is considered one of the prime inventors of CRISPR, a system that can edit DNA. Moderated by Leigh Gallagher. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Cheap suit. Cheap date. Cheap shot. It's a dirty word, laden with negative meanings. It is also the story of author Lauren Weber's life. As a child, she resented her father for keeping the heat at 50 degrees through the frigid New England winters, and for rarely using his car's turn signals-to keep them from burning out. But as an adult, when she found herself walking 30 blocks to save $2 on subway fare, she realized that she had turned into him. What does it mean to be cheap? When is it mature to stow money away and when is it miserly, or even Scrooge-like? And how might Americans navigate economic downturns in an era when everything seems disposable and when credit has felt dangerously unlimited? In answering these questions, In Cheap We Trust combines a consideration of cheapness as it relates to personality, lifestyle, and philosophy with a colorful ride through the history of thrift in America, from Ben Franklin and his famous maxims to Hetty Green, the 19th-century millionaire named by Guinness as "the world's most miserly person," to the branding of Jews, Chinese, and other ethnic groups as cheap in order to neutralize the economic competition they represented. Weber also explores contemporary expressions and dilemmas of thrift, from Dumpster-diving to Keynes's "Paradox of Thrift" to today's recession-driven enthusiasm for frugal living. Originally recorded in October 2009 as part of the Authors at Google series. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

This episode features authors Kyle Newman, Mike Witwer, & Jon Peterson discussing Heroes' Feast: The Official Dungeons and Dragons Cookbook. The cookbook invites fantasy lovers to celebrate the unique culinary creations and traditions of their favorite fictional cultures of Dungeons and Dragons. The book includes an array of dishes delicate enough to dine like elves and their drow cousins or hearty enough to feast like a dwarven clan or an orcish horde. All eighty dishes—developed by a professional chef—are delicious, easy to prepare, and composed of wholesome ingredients readily found in our world. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Moderated by Program Director Heather Ramsey, the following panel discussion highlights the work of the Institute of International Education’s “Women in Technology program” focused on the regions of the Middle East and North Africa. The program, known by its acronym WIT, provides women in the MENA region access and opportunity to enhance their marketable skills and gain economic independence thru careers in technology. Since its launch in 2005, WIT has trained tens of thousands of women and supported hundreds of local women’s organizations with the goals of increasing women’s participation in tech as well as building pluralistic, democratic societies thru civil society strengthening activities. Originally published on Sept. 6th, 2008, please enjoy this discussion from the Institute of International Education: “Empowering Women thru Technology in the Middle East and North Africa.”   Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

From the earth’s tallest peaks to the ocean floor, no part of the world is spared of climate change. Right now we are facing a disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years - climate change. In an effort to inspire change, we sat down with experts who have built sustainable organizations and are making revolutionary efforts to combat climate change by doing everyday activities in a more sustainable way. Collectively, we can make a world of difference. About the Panelists: Arielle Crawford -- is the founder and designer of ARIELLE, a sustainable apparel label committed to regenerative materials, fair-trade labor, supply chain integrity and consumer education. Her clean and timeless aesthetic encourages a “less, but better” approach to fashion, reflecting both legacy craftsmanship and modern versatility. She draws upon her resourceful upbringing in West Texas, her experience in the NYC fashion industry, her studies with indigenous communities in South America, and low-footprint living for the inspiration of her mission-driven brand. Gene Baur -- has been hailed as “the conscience of the food movement” by Time magazine. Since the mid-1980s, he has traveled extensively, campaigning to raise awareness about factory farming and the urgent need to fix our broken food system. His most important achievements include winning the first-ever cruelty conviction at a U.S. stockyard and introducing the first U.S. laws to prohibit cruel farming confinement methods in Florida, Arizona, and California. His efforts have been covered by top news organizations, including The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, and The Wall Street Journal. Gene has published two bestsellers, Farm Sanctuary: Changing Hearts and Minds About Animals and Food and Living the Farm Sanctuary Life (Rodale, 2015), which he co-authored with Forks Over Knives author Gene Stone. He was recently named one of Oprah Winfrey’s SuperSoul 100 Givers. Jodi Monelle -- is the founder and CEO of global plant-based media company, LIVEKINDLY. With the highest engagement rate of any plant-based media publisher, LIVEKINDLY is focused on empowering people to make positive changes - big or small - in their own lives, and to show how daily actions make a difference in the world. Liz Dee -- is Co-President of Smarties Candy Company, makers of Smarties candy rolls. She is CEO of Baleine & Bjorn Capital, a venture capital fund that invests in businesses creating solutions to outdated animal products, and founder of Vegan Ladyboss, a global community of organized, connected and empowered vegan women. Moderated by Deepika Phakke. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.

Israeli-American lawyer and novelist Ayelet Waldman came to public attention with the publication of her essay “Truly, Madly, Guiltily”, in which she describes the complex & sometimes conflicting feelings she has for both her husband & her four children. This essay provoked so much public controversy that Waldman decided to write a collection of essays about parenting and motherhood, entitled “Bad Mother: A Chronicle of Maternal Crimes, Minor Calamities, and Occasional Moments of Grace.” This New York Times bestselling book says that no woman can be a perfect mother - it argues that competitive, neurotic parenting & having unrealistic expectations may be damaging to our children, and that society is too hard on other women's parenting skills. The book includes chapters on feminism, motherhood, and all its associated anxieties, including anxieties about breastfeeding, marriage, postpartum sexuality, teenagers, homework, and the loss of an unborn child. Originally published on April 15th, 2010. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

This episode is with Emmanuel Acho, who discusses his book and YouTube Channel series of the same name: "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man", which offers conversations about race in an effort to drive open dialogue. Emmanuel is a Fox Sports analyst and co-host of "Speak for Yourself". After earning his undergraduate degree in sports management in 2012, Emmanuel was drafted by the Cleveland Browns. He was then traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013, where he spent most of his career. While in the NFL, Emmanuel spent off seasons at the University of Texas to earn his master’s degree in Sports Psychology. Emmanuel left the football field and picked up the microphone to begin his broadcast career. He served as the youngest national football analyst and was named a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Selection. Due to the success of his web series, with over 70 million views across social media platforms, he wrote the book "Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man", and it became an instant New York Times Best Seller. Moderated by Brandon Boone. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.  

Acclaimed writer and scientist Leonard Mlodinow discusses his book, "The Drunkard's Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives". Mlodinow received his doctorate in physics from the University of California, Berkeley, was an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at the Max Planck Institute, and now teaches about randomness to future scientists at Caltech. Along the way, he also wrote for the television series MacGyver and Star Trek: The Next Generation. In "The Drunkard's Walk," Leonard Mlodinow shows us how randomness, chance, and probability reveal a tremendous amount about our daily lives, and how we misunderstand the significance of everything from a casual conversation to a major financial setback. As a result, successes and failures in life are often attributed to clear and obvious cases, when in actuality they are more profoundly influenced by chance. Originally published on May 28th, 2008 as part of the Authors at Google series. Visit YouTube.com/TalksatGoogle to watch the video.