April 3, 2019

Happy Wednesday BOSLadies!

First off, immense thanks to Andrea and Reiko for hosting at their office last night and for the ridiculously tasty pizza and beverages. A second thank you to everyone who was able to join us and for, as usual, the lively and meaningful discussion. I’d never looked forward to Tuesday nights before BOSLady!

Opinions on The Design of Everyday Things varied widely but we were all on the same page (haha get it?) when it came to the role of empathy in design. As we have discussed with some of our previous books, women generally have a greater capacity for empathy than men do. Kseniia brought up an episode of the podcast 99% Invisible (hosted by the author of our book) about an experiment done in a hospital that demonstrates the gap between intended design and actual human behavior. Attached is a link to the episode as well as a wealth of information about the human brain, empathy and how the sexes differ in relation to both. Her email is a treasure trove so dive in!

Book selection for our May meeting

This month we will be reading the recently released Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West. Thanks to Alexandra’s efforts, the author has agreed to Skype in for our May meeting!! Our first guest speaker!! We figured that in this case, our executive decision making for book selection could be excused Downriver was brought to Alexandra’s attention when she received the below email from a colleague:

Some of you may have heard me mention my daughter’s book that is coming out in a week, Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West. Heather paddled 730 miles, primarily alone, down the Green River to better understand the problems underlying the water crisis and drought  in the West. The previews have been strong. Publishers Weekly wrote, ”In an energizing mix of travelogue and investigative journalism, Hansman, a raft guide and environmental reporter, provides a straightforward elucidation of the mind-bogglingly complicated subject of water rights in the West.”  Amazon’s preview says” Mixing lyrical accounts of quiet paddling through breathtaking beauty with nights spent camping solo and lively discussions with farmers, city officials and other people met along the way, Downriver is the story of that journey, a foray into the present-and future- of water in the west.”

If that’s not enough to intrigue you,  Downriver was featured in Outside magazine’s Everything Our Editors Loved article for March!

Look for News Flash Part II, optimistically, by the end of the day but more realistically, tomorrow. It will be business as usual show notes so stay tuned and have a fantastic rest of your day!

Thanks,

Amber Poirier