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In 2020, Lainy Hedaya Hoffstein was assembling an Ikea table in her driveway when it dawned on her: tools in her hands didnt reflect her identity as a designer. I felt like the tools I was using from these very big brands were very clunky, she recalls, likening them to old machismo tools that belong in a workshop. Five years later, the designer-turned-entrepreneur has transformed that eureka moment into a new tool brand called Tinkr. Launching today, online and in Target nationwide, Tinkr bills itself as a brand for the average DIY-er. There’s a hanging kit, a wall patch kit, and a painting kit, all priced around the $20 mark. But the real star is a stylish $80 toolbox that comes in navy and the now-obligatory sage, and wouldn’t look out of place in your living spacenext to your sexy dumbbells and your sexy broom. [Photo: Tinkr] Inside, Hoffstein has outfitted every tool with the kind of soft-grip thermoplastic rubber (TPR) you would find on a smart phone case, and tweaked some tools so they fit more comfortably in smaller hands. The hammer, for example, has a divet to guide the placement of your thumb, while the shaft grows thicker towards the end of the handle for better control. There’s even a rest for your phone or tablet inside the box, because lets be honest, most people follow DIY tutorials on a screen these days, says Hoffstein. Skeptics might write off Tinkr as aesthetics posturingthe level comes with a blue mineral spirit instead of a yellow one because it didn’t really vibe. But for Hoffstein, the design upgrades were necessary to make DIY projects seem more approachable. Her message: If you can cook, you can DIY. [Photo: Tinkr] A booming market with a gap The DIY movement has come a long way over the past decade. Fueled by the global pandemic and lockdowns that kept us stuck at home, staring at the imperfections on our walls, the global market for DIY home improvement today is worth about $861 billion. The trend is expected to keep growing, with the market reaching $1.2 trillion by 2031. Hoffstein declined to share projected revenue, but she has done market research and surveyed enough DIY influencers to know there is a gaping hole waiting to be filled. The problem, it seems, is rooted in both design and marketing mistakes. She says the tools that populate home improvement stores today are overly engineered, aggressively masculine, and uncomfortably bulky in ways that can drive people away from DIY projects. Historically, these tools have been geared towards contractors and professionals, alienating the home DIY persona that was born during the pandemic. [Photo: Tinkr] She might be onto something. According to a survey by AtomRadar for Fast Company, 35% of the 500-plus people surveyed said they have felt uncomfortable, intimidated, or excluded while shopping for DIY tools. Men were as likely to feel intimidated as women. Overall, a lack of approachable information was the biggest contributor to feelings of exclusion or discomfort, with 54% of people identifying this as a factor. But 30% of participants said that product design specifically contributed to a feeling of exclusion, while while 29% chalked it up to marketing or branding. (Tinkr is launching with a library of how-to videos on its socials, as well as on Target’s website. All you have to do is scan the QR code that comes on the paper sleeve the toolbox comes in.) [Photo: Tinkr] Of course, the team runs the risk that a new DIYer, who has no idea where to start, would look to established brands that have already built trust with consumers. Some, like Dremel, recently began catering to the home DIYer, too. But Hoffstein believes that people would choose Tinkr instead becauseestablished or notthese brands are still making tools that look inaccessible. “[DYI] is a lot easier than people think and because of the way the tool industry has presented itself, it makes everything look intimidating,” says Hoffstein. “I want to break that.”
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Artificial intelligence is shaking the intellectual, emotional, and economic foundations of the world. A glance at mainstream or social media confirms that the world ahead will look nothing like the one were leaving behind. Technological disruption is nothing new. From bronze smelting in Benin and steel forging in Japan to Themistocless naval buildup in ancient Greece, history shows that transformative technologies spark societal shifts and national urgency. Todays urgency is AI. The White Houses recent executive order (EO) on AI education echoes past anxietiesthis time, about Chinas rapid advancement. You may have missed this EO amid the recent flood of them. But it’s a pivotal moment. Though well-intentioned, the EO lacks the depth needed for a truly informed AI educational policy. The EO defines its mission as providing opportunities to cultivate the skills and understanding necessary to use and create the next generation of AI technology. It outlines three imperatives: Expose our students to AI at an early age. Train teachers to effectively incorporate AI into their teaching methods. Promote AI literacy to develop an AI-ready workforce. These steps are necessary. AI is a profound shift, one that exposes long-standing deficiencies in our educational systemparticularly our neglect of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Still, the EO falls short in three key areas. Speaking as president and CEO of the Center of Science and Industry, a board member of the National Academies, and a lifelong STEM advocate, I say this: You cannot teach AI without also teaching critical thinking, ethics, and wisdom. Our national conversation must expand beyond technical training. As AI (and eventually artificial general intelligence) integrates into every part of life, we face a stark choice: Do we become passive consumers of knowledge, or do we intentionally cultivate wisdom? Technical proficiency alone turns us into carbon versions of AI. Instead, we need a cultural shiftone that champions critical thinking, ethical reasoning, and curiosity in classrooms, workplaces, and homes. The goal isnt just to understand AI, but to navigate the world it creates. Techno-optimism must be balanced with rigorous intellectual and moral interrogationor the doomers may be right. Though the EO doesnt address the human-AI relationship, Ill give it the benefit of the doubtits not a full policy, but a starting point. I hope future policy goes further, confronting AIs risks and outlining how education and society should respondboth philosophically and practically. For what it’s worth, my ideal AI curriculum would include more than practical skills. It would explore: Martin Heideggers insights on how technology shapes experience Nick Bostroms paper clip thought experiment Shoshana Zuboffs critique of surveillance capitalism Soon, AI wont need to be taughtit will be omnipresent. In the 1990s, we trained students to use a mouse and browse the web. But intuitive design soon made that obsolete. The same is happening with AIonly faster. Rather than focus on todays tools, AI education should teach how to understand technologys evolution. Computer scientist Alan Kay once said, Technology is anything that was invented after you were born. Maintaining global leadership requires more than technical prowessit demands cultural vision. After Sputnik, America feared falling behind in the space race. In the 1990s, it was Japan. Now, it’s China. But the true question is: Which nation will use AI to become the better society? French philosopher and diplomat Alexis de Tocqueville once said, America is great because it is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great. That quote echoes as I reflect on the EO and our future. To lead in AI, we must prioritize wisdom over raw intelligence. That greatness wont come from executive ordersbut from the strength of our social order.
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The United States ranks 24th out of 100 on the list of happiest countries, according to the latest World Happiness Report. Being in the top 25% seems fair when you consider everything thats happening in the world, but the stats arent great when you look at the happiness of people aged 30 and younger. In this demographic, the U.S. falls to number 62 on the list. Its unsettling, because it was always youth that pulled the happiness levels up on these scales, says Jennifer Moss, author of Unlocking Happiness at Work: How a Data-driven Happiness Strategy Fuels Purpose, Passion and Performance. They’re the ones that are supposed to be the hopeful, pushing-back-against-the-status-quo generation. Right now, they’re struggling, and I think this is the canary in the coal mine. Still, the report found a lot of good in the world. Participants were asked Have you helped a stranger or someone you didnt know who needed help in the past month? Seventy-one percent of Americans said yes. That seems like a reason for hope, right? In reality, we’re actually more prosocial than we’ve ever been, says Moss. We just hear about how awful and terrible and unhappy the world is. Happiness is ultimately a choice, says Moss. If you are feeling unhappy, its possible to rewire your brain for more positivity. Here are five things you can do today. 1. Surround Yourself with Happy Friends Ever walk into a room after two people are fighting and immediately feel awkward or tense? Or maybe you hear laughter down the hall, start smiling yourself, and get up to see whats going on? Absorbing the emotions of others around you is called the contagion effect, and it can be beneficial. A study published in the British Medical Journal found that proximity and time spent with a happy friend, sibling, parent, or neighbor increases your own happiness by as much as 34%. We have a relational energy with other people, says Moss. We can use the contagion effect for ourselves [by spending more time with people who are happy]. 2. Look for Abundance Henry Ford once said, Whether you think you can or you think you cantyoure right. In other words, what you expect is often what you get. This attitude trickles over into happiness, as well. Instead of being disappointed by what you dont have, focus on what you do. Shifting your mindset from scarcity to abundance can rewire your brain, says Moss. It’s called attention retraining, says Moss. It’s an exercise for your prefrontal cortex. The more you use it, the stronger it becomes. When you’re going through stress or feeling low, this exercise can pull you out of the feeling that everything is hopeless. Take it one step further by keeping a gratitude journal, recording three things youre thankful for each day. Research published in the Taiwanese Journal of Psychiatry found that happiness and gratitude are interconnected. Thankfulness for even small blessings is associated with an improved mood and a greater sense of happiness. 3. Choose Happiness for Others Another way to boost your happiness is to make someone else happy. For example, grab a coffee for a coworker, pay a genuine compliment, or simply let someone merge in front of you on the way into work. Acts of altruism or kindness stimulate the feel-good chemicals in our bodies, such as serotonin and oxytocin, which regulate our mood, says Moss. It also increases the connectivity we have with people, she says. It makes us more trusting. And when we are engaging in altruism, it lowers our cortisol, which is the stress hormone. A study published in the Review of General Psychology found that performing five acts of kindness in a single day increases your own happiness beyond that timeframe. It has a half-life, says Moss. It’s like taking medication and having it last for a month. 4. Seek Out Brief Positive Interactions Another way to boost your happiness is as simple as acknowledging strangers. Research by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill professor Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D., published in the Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin found that brief positive interactions, like eye contact or a smile, activates the Vagus nerve, which impacts your nervous system. She calls it the positivity resonance, explains Moss. It activates a part of the brain that calms you down. Consider this as you navigate the office hallways, step onto an elevator, or encounter people on a walk or in the grocery store line. Those minimal relationships you have in passing can help boost happiness and reduce loneliness. 5. Slow Down Finally, make a point to slow down and savor positive experiences. We’re all going really fast right now, trying to keep up, says Moss. Stopping along the way, though, can increase your brain’s capacity to notice and retain positive emotion. For example, take time to look at an unusual cloud shape or smell the blooming flowers. Reflecting on it can give you joy and appreciation, says Moss. Were in a state of chronic digital distraction, which is weakening the prefrontal cortexthe part of the brain that helps us manage our emotional regulation. Making Happiness a Habit Knowing how to rewire your brain is the first step. he second is to put the actions into play, which can be challenging if youre feeling unhappy and stressed out. Moss recommends putting reminders on your calendar that nudge you to take a walk in nature, record an entry in your gratitude journal, or make plans with a friend or family member who always boosts your mood. Make it a habit or ritual, she says. Knowing you have something to do or report to at a certain time can trigger those feel-good chemicals to start before the alarm goes off. Youll create preemptive healthy emotions, knowing youre going to do something that makes you happier. Dont be frustrated if in a month you haven’t completely rewired your brain, adds Moss. Rewiring is about consistency and frequency and fluency, she says. Celebrating small wins will provide the positive reinforcement our brains love. The more we do it, the more it becomes easy to practice.
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