Hannah Aster, Author at Shortform Books

Why Lithium Is So Crucial (and How the US Is Falling Behind)

What, exactly, is lithium? Who’s in the race for lithium supply chain superiority? Who are the likely winners and losers? The US and other global powers are in a race to lock in lithium supply chains to meet growing electric vehicle needs. But the US faces a long road to becoming a player in the lithium supply chain game, and it’s likely to remain reliant on other countries for the mineral for the foreseeable future. Below we’ll take a look at the US lithium situation compared to other countries.

California Black Reparations: Overdue or Unnecessary?

What is California’s Black reparations proposal all about? How does it compare to past reparations attempts? What does the public think? A task force in California has approved a proposal seeking reparations for Black residents for generations of harm due to the legacy of slavery. This prompted a lot of different responses including approval, confusion, and some have even called it a “scam.” Here we’ll discuss that proposal within the context of the national conversation around reparations.

What Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution & Should You Worry?

What is the fourth industrial revolution? How is this revolution different than the previous three? While previous moves from manual labor to automation left many blue-collar workers jobless, this latest disruption threatens to displace white-collar workers for the first time. Career experts say now is the time to think about your place in this Industrial Revolution. Here’s a look at the AI revolution and how it may affect jobs in the future.

What Title 42’s Expiration Means for Immigration

What was Title 42? Without Title 42, what will the US-Mexico border look like? Will the border be overrun with migrants? Title 42 was a controversial, pandemic-era public health order that banned migrants from claiming asylum at the US-Mexico border. It also allowed US agents to rapidly expel them from the country, claiming a risk to public health. Continue reading to learn how effective Title 42 was and what its expiration means for the future.

Is the Metaverse Dead? The 2 Sides of the Argument

What is the metaverse? Is the metaverse dead or just evolving more quietly than anticipated? When Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg launched the metaverse in October 2021 he called the immersive virtual world “the next chapter for the internet.” But some say the metaverse didn’t just fail to live up to its promise to revolutionize human interactions in the virtual world, it actually died. We’ll take a look at what the metaverse is and the concerns for its welfare.

How the Decline of Religion in America Affects Politics

How is the decline of religion in America affecting the political parties? How do some members of Congress exploit religion? Churches are closing across America and each generation is becoming less religious than the last. Shockingly, the trend isn’t having the effect on politics that most would expect. In this article, we’ll examine what this could mean for the political future of America.

Should AI Be Regulated? (& How It Would Be Done)

Should AI be regulated? What are experts’ concerns about AI? Is AI regulation even possible? A growing number of experts are calling for regulation of advanced AI models, saying the technology poses an existential threat to humanity if left to develop unchecked. However, there’s no clear consensus on who should regulate AI or exactly what the process should look like. Here are some possible approaches in which the US government is involved fully, in part, or not at all.

The Phoenix Project: Book Overview and Lessons

Is the book The Phoenix Project worth reading? What can IT departments learn from the business parable? In The Phoenix Project, Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford present a fictional case study of a business that’s failing because it doesn’t align the work of IT services with the company’s goals. The authors then show how an IT department can turn itself around and get back in the game. Keep reading for a The Phoenix Project book overview, as well as the lessons you can learn from the authors.

The Three Ways From The Phoenix Project—Explained

What are The Three Ways from the book The Phoenix Project? How can you make your IT development teams run more smoothly? None of the problems of IT are insurmountable, but authors Kim, Behr, and Spafford argue that addressing them requires completely rethinking how IT work is done. The Three Ways from The Phoenix Project can be summed up as fast workflow, quick feedback, and continual improvement. Continue reading for a detailed overview of The Three Ways.

What Is Buddhist Meditation? Background & Types

What is Buddhist meditation? What are the two most popular types? What is the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism? Buddhism is a religion often associated with meditation and mindfulness. Buddhism focuses on finding happiness through self-improvement, rather than through understanding God or seeking divine guidance. Here’s a look at the background of Buddhist meditation, including vipassana and metta meditation.