 |
|
|
|||||
It really is mind-blowing how much incredible stuff we can do with images these days.Twasnt long ago, after all, that advanced image adjustments required pricey desktop-computer software and super-specific knowledge.These days, weve got an endless array of awesome options at our fingertips for making practically any image look amazingwithout investing a single dime or ounce of energy.And whats especially cool is when you encounter a new image-enhancing power tool that transforms old photos in a way you never dreamed possible.Unearth all sorts of transformative tech treasures with my free Cool Tools newsletter from The Intelligence. A new useful discovery in your inbox every Wednesday!Your new image unblurring superpowerAllow me to introduce you to a supremely simple and surreal-seeming web app called Unblur Image Onlineor just Unblur Image for short.Dont let its unimaginative name fool you: This tool works wonders. And its laughably easy to use. Unblur Image lets you upload any photo free, and with the click or tap of a single button, it sharpens it andwell, yknow, unblurs it almost instantly. No exaggeration: Youll need maybe 20 seconds, start to finish, for the service to work its magic.All you do is open up the site, smack the big Upload Image button, and select any photo on your device.Then, a mere blink or two latervoil: Youve got your result, unblurred and also upsized to look as crisp, clear, and contemporary as possible, even if the original photo was fairly ancient (like this old picture of my desk from back in my TV news daysjust look at that monitor!).A before-and-after view of my blurry old image on the Unblur Image website.The difference can really be astounding. Heres an old blurry concert photo I found in my personal librarybefore and after its near-instant unblurring:You can see how much difference the unblurring process makes in this sliding-line comparison.Pretty wild, no?While some phones do now come with their own built-in image-unblurring equivalents, Unblur Image really does give em a run for their money when it comes to qualityand its available to use on any device, phone or computer, right within whatever browser you prefer. Ive already had several readers comment to me that the quality is almost indistinguishable from the universally praised image-editing tools provided on Googles top-of-the-line Pixel devices.Add in the fact that its free, and this is one Cool Tool well worth embracing. Unblur Image is available on the webno downloads or installations needed. Its completely free for an unspecified number of uses per day, which the site says should suffice for most regular needs. Ive yet to run into a limit when trying several within a single day. If you do need more, Unblur Image offers paid credits for purchase. But really, how many images are you gonna be unblurring?! The services privacy policy says it doesnt store or share any manner of personal data. My special thanks to Android Intelligence reader Michelle T. for bringing this one to my attention!Ready for more tantalizing tech treasures? Check out my free Cool Tools newsletter for an instant introduction to an incredible audio app thatll tune up your days in some truly delightful waysand a new off-the-beaten-path gen in your inbox every Wednesday!
Category:
E-Commerce
Almost 23 years ago, an employee at Apple described Steve Jobs to me as one of the worlds few rock star CEOs. At the time, I didnt understand why anyone would talk about the head of a company in that way. A rock star was an artist who defined the cultural moment and attracted a legion of rabid fans. A CEO was just a CEO, right? In my defense, I was young. I knew little about Jobss personal background or his impact on tech sectorthis was just over a year after Apple had introduced the original iPod, and the device hadnt yet completely taken over the world. Still, I smiled and nodded appropriately. After all, the rockstar CEOs company had just hired me in a sales role. However, over the next five years that I worked for Apple, I came to understand what that person meant. My job at Apple was low-level and non-technicalnothing anyone would find too interesting. Yet when someone discovered that I worked for the company, their eyes lit up, and one of their first questions was, inevitably, So, what is Steve Jobs like? I never met Jobs personally, but I once saw him inside Caffe MacsApples employee cafeteria at 1 Infinite Loop. I recall relaying this mere fact to someone who had asked me if I met him, and to this day, I remember their reply: Count yourself lucky. Very few people will ever be in the same room with a historical figure. They went on to explain that listening to their iPod mini was often the best part of their dayand asked me to tell Jobs, if I ever did meet him, that they were thankful there was someone like him inventing such cool devices. That’s when I realized that Jobs really was a rock starrevered even by complete strangers. Now, 20 years after that encounter, having witnessed how technology has infiltrated every facet of our lives in ways even he probably couldnt have foreseen, I have come to believe Steve Jobs will likely be the last nearly universally beloved tech leader the world will ever have. And thats probably a good thing. The Musk Factor This realization didnt just come out of the blue. Id been thinking about tech CEOs a lot latelyone in particular: Elon Musk. Ill fully admit that back in the early 2010s, I was a big fan of Musk. I admired how he was bringing electric vehicles to the masses and popularizing more climate-friendly means of transportation and energy distribution. It seemed that his products could genuinely change the world for the better. It also struck me that he was, in my then-opinion, the most charismatic tech leader since Jobs. When he spoke, people listened. Like Jobs, he appeared to be a visionaryand that was inspiring. During the early 2010s, I was convinced that he would be the worlds next Steve Jobsa tech luminary who would change the world just as Jobs did and, like Jobs, be nearly universally beloved for it. Boy, was I wrong. Ive never been in the same room as Musk, much less met him, so I wont try to explain what has seemingly happenedwhy he changed so much over the past few years (or decided to reveal his true self). However, seeing furious people across the world picketing at his stores, I am certain that he will never be the next Steve Jobs. And there is no other tech CEO in the running, either. And I believe there are two main reasons for this. Big Techand its role in the worldhas changed For one thing, Big Tech has become fairly toxic since Steve Jobs died in 2011. Silicon Valley used to inspire the general public. Every month in the early 2000s, it seemed like some new product or service was launched that truly improved our lives. However, in the last 15 years, many people feel that Big Tech has begun to cause more harm than good For all their convenience, e-commerce giants like Amazon undermine small businesses, which can be a contributing factor in their closure. When that happens, local communities become more barren, and people struggle to pay the bills. That breeds resentment towards Big Technot love of their billionaire CEOs. Similarly, while social media was once touted as a democratizing force that would unite people and facilitate the sharing of ideas, it is now widely recognized to have negative implications for individuals mental health, serve as a breeding ground for bullying, and is today a significant way misinformation and political polarization spreads. As Pew Research noted, most people also think social media giants have too much influence in politics. Again, none of this is going to endear the CEOs of these companies to the population at large. And the latest tech revolutionartificial intelligenceisnt generating a lot of love from the general public, either. AI is likely to eliminate millions of jobs over the next three years alone. Its also taking the humanity out of art. No wonder a YouGov poll last year found that the majority of Americans were cautious, concerned, and skeptical of AI. If youre the CEO of a company that works on a technology that most people are leery of, youre not going to find a lot of universal adoration. Yet theres another reason why todays tech leaders will likely never achieve Jobsian status. Big Tech is now inextricably entwined with politics and power in a way it never was in Jobss time. Elections are fought and won on social media, wars are carried out with the help of the hardware and software Silicon Valley builds, and Big Tech is spending tens of millions of dollars a year in political contributions and lobbying efforts in an attempt to influence government policy on everything from taxes to regulationsnot to mention curry favor with politicians. Politics and power are, by their very nature, divisive. And America is more polarized today by orders of magnitude than during Jobss early-2000’s professional prime. If you love that Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg were honored guests at President Trump latest inauguration, you can bet that at least half the nation hates it. The Steve Jobs legacy All this is not to suggest that Steve Jobs was a saint, of course. Its been well-documented that he could be difficult to work with and short-tempered in his pursuit of creative perfection. He was beloved as much as he was because he operated in a world before Big Tech was viewed as a Big Villain. And, unlike many of todays tech leaders, Jobs chose toor could afford tokeep his politics private. And he was beloved because nearly all of the products he helped unleash seemed to bring joy to the majority of their users, like the individual I met two decades ago who was grateful to Jobs for the simple everyday pleasure he derived from using his iPod mini. Given how the worldand Big Techs role in ithas changed since Jobss passing, I dont believe well ever have another tech leader as beloved as he was. And, again, I think that is probably a good thing. As much of a fan as I was of Jobs, the deification of any one individual is dangerousespecially in todays environment, where modern tech leaders already wield significant influence over the platforms we use, the narratives we encounter, and even public policy itself. But in Jobs’ time, it was much more palatableand harmless. The person who explained to me that Steve Jobs was a historical figure is now correct. Jobs was a product of a bygone era: a beloved leader in tech.
Category:
E-Commerce
Rasmus Hougaard is the founder and managing partner of Potential Project. In 2019 he was nominated by Thinkers50 as one of the eight most important leadership thinkers in the world. He writes for Harvard Business Review, Forbes, Fast Company, and Fortune and is the coauthor, with Jacqueline Carter, of Compassionate Leadership and The Mind of the Leader. Jacqueline Carter is a senior partner at Potential Project. She has more than 20 years of experience working with leaders in large global companies to unlock potential. She writes regularly for Harvard Business Review and Fast Company and is a sought-after keynote speaker and facilitator. She is the coauthor, with Rasmus Hougaard, of Compassionate Leadership and The Mind of the Leader. Whats the big idea? AI has the power to transform leadership and work, but whether it enhances or erodes the human experience depends on how we use it. In More Human, Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter argue that AI, when harnessed wisely, can strengthen leadership by enhancing awareness, wisdom, and compassion. Drawing on insights from top executives, AI experts, and global research, they reveal how leaders can delegate tasks to AI while amplifying human connection and performance. With deep insight and practical strategies, this book offers a road map for making AI a force for more meaningful and human-centered work. Below, Hougaard and Carter share five key insights from their new book, More Human: How the Power of AI Can Transform the Way You Lead. Listen to the audio versionread by Hougaardin the Next Big Idea App. 1. AI wont replace leadersbut AI-augmented leaders will replace those who dont adapt. In essence, AI is reshaping leadership, but not in many ways that people fear. Its not that machines will replace humansits that leaders who use AI will replace those who dont. Take Ellyn Shook, the chief leadership and human resources Officer of Accenture, as an example. When AI started generating performance reviews, some leaders worried it would dehumanize the process. But Shook saw the real opportunity: Instead of spending 45 minutes compiling feedback, AI did the heavy lifting in seconds, freeing her up to have more meaningful, human-centered conversations with employees. This is what it means to be an AI-augmented leader. AI can automate repetitive tasks, analyze vast amounts of data, and offer insight that leaders might not have time to find on their own. But the best leaders will use AI to elevate their human leadershipnot replace it. Imagine having AI summarize your teams well-being trends, highlight potential burnout risks, or even suggest how to tailor your leadership approach to different individuals. These insights dont diminish leadershipthey enhance it. The future of leadership really belongs to those who can blend the best of AI and human strengths. The choice is clear: Leaders who embrace AI will thrive. Those who ignore it will be left behind. 2. AI generates answers. Wisdom asks the right questions. In todays world, leaders arent struggling to find answerstheyre drowning in them. AI can analyze billions of data points, generate instant insights, and predict trends with incredible accuracy. But heres the catch: It cant ask the right questions. Thats where wisdom comes in. Take Cameron Hedrick, Citibanks chief learning officer. He wanted to understand his own blind spots, so he created an AI-powered version of himselfa digital model that analyzed his leadership approach. The AI provided feedback without bias, fear, or hesitationsomething many human colleagues might hesitate to do. But AI alone wasnt enough. Cameron had to use wisdomto ask deeper questions, interpret the insights, and apply them in a way that made sense. AI provided the data. He provided the discernment. This is what AI-augmented wisdom looks like. AI is a powerful thought partner, but its up to leaders to challenge its outputs, explore whats missing, and ensure decisions are grounded in both data and human judgment. 3. Awareness is the antidote to AIs blind spots. AI can see patterns, but it cant see the bigger picture. It can process billions of data points, but it doesnt understand meaning. Thats where human awareness comes in. Many of our clients leaders use AI-powered tools to analyze employee well-being. AI helps identify stress patterns, flagging teams that may be at risk of burnout. But heres the catch: AI cant understand why employees feel the way they do. It lacks context. For example, imagine AI detects that a team has had a 15% drop in engagement. Without awareness, a leader might assume their employees are losing motivation. But a truly aware leader asks: What else is happening here? Maybe the drop is due to a company-wide restructuring. Or a major project deadline. AI might flag the problem, but only human awareness can interpret it correctly. Thats why AI-augmented leaders develop deep awarenessso they dont just act on AIs insights blindly. Instead, they combine AIs speed with human perspective. AI can provide content, but only humans can provide context. AI can highlight patterns, but only leaders can apply meaning, ethics, and judgment. The leaders who thrive in an AI-powered world wont just accept AIs answers at face valuetheyll bring the bigger picture into focus. 4. Compassion is leaderships greatest differentiator in an AI-driven world. Some people believe AI will eventually replace human leadership. But heres what AI will never do: truly care. AI can simulate empathyit can recognize emotional cues, adjust its tone, and even predict human responses. But it doesnt actually feel anything. It doesnt experience human emotions. And it doesnt understand the weight of its actions. True compassion isnt just about responding to emotions; its about genuinely understanding and caring about people. Thats why AI cant replace human leadership. But it can help make compassionate leaders even more effective. Imagine a leader who uses AI to analyze employee well-being data, but instead of just reviewing the numbers, they use those insights to have deeper, more meaningful conversations. Imagine a leader who lets AI flag burnout risks but then personally checks in with their team to see how theyre feeling. Compassion is what makes leadership human. AI can assist in making decisions, but it takes a human leader to make people feel seen, valued, and understood. The best leaders will leverage AI to enhance, not replace, their ability to care. In a world increasingly shaped by technology, compassion is the ultimate competitive advantage. 5. The future of leadership isnt either/or. Its both/and. For too long, leadership has been framed as an either/or choice. Either data or intuition. Either efficiency or empathy. Either technology or human wisdom. But the truth is,the best leaders will embrace both/and thinking. Take Sage, a fictional leader in More Human, who finds herself drowning in information, moving too fast, and unable to see clearly. Her breakthrough comes at a leadership retreat called Mountain Wisdom, where she learns the power of awareness and reflection. She realizes AI can offer answers, but she must provide clarity, meaning, and vision. The best leaders wont choose between AI and human leadershiptheyll combine them. Theyll use AI to process vast amounts of informationbut theyll apply human wisdom to interpret it. Theyll let AI enhance efficiencybut theyll bring compassion to decision-making. Theyll trust AI to challenge their thinkingbut theyll have the awareness to question its conclusions. The future belongs to leaders who can toggle between AIs intelligence and human intuition, leveraging both to lead in a way thats more human than ever before. This article originally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.
Category:
E-Commerce
All news |
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||