In this interview with Claudia Cragg for KGNU Denver/Boulder, Daniel Levitin explains how the information age is now drowning us with an unprecedented deluge of data. At the same time, we’re expected to make more—and faster—decisions about our lives than ever before. No wonder, then, that the average American reports frequently losing car keys or reading glasses, missing appointments, and feeling worn out by the effort required just to keep up.

But somehow some people become quite accomplished at managing information flow. In The Organized Mind, Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, uses the latest brain science to demonstrate how those people excel—and how readers can use their methods to regain a sense of mastery over the way they organize their homes, workplaces, and time.

With lively, entertaining chapters on everything from the kitchen junk drawer to health care to executive office workflow, Levitin reveals how new research into the cognitive neuroscience of attention and memory can be applied to the challenges of our daily lives. This Is Your Brain on Musicshowed how to better play and appreciate music through an understanding of how the brain works. The Organized Mind shows how to navigate the churning flood of information in the twenty-first century with the same neuroscientific perspective.

In this interview for KGNU's 'It's The Economy' Claudia Cragg speaks with Vann Alexandra Daly who is renowned as the “crowdsorceress” for her expertise in crowdfunding. Over the course of a year, Alex has raised millions of dollars for clients including Oscar and Emmy-nominated filmmakers and Neil Young (for the 'Pono'). She has served on panels at distinguished film festivals, universities, and is now on a national tour with the Knight Foundation offering her expertise on the subject. In addition to her crowdfunding successes, Alex is a producer for the feature length documentary "Cocaine Prison", which has received support from the Macarthur Foundation, Cannes Film Festival’s Fonds Sud Cinema, the Tribeca Latin America Fund, Bertha BritDoc Journalism Award, and more. Her other films have been selected by the world’s most prestigious festivals including Sundance and Tribeca.

Before transitioning into film Alex was a journalist for numerous publications, including New York magazine and SPIN, as well as the sole researcher for WSJ. magazine. Alex graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she double majored in Spanish and Philosophy, minored in film, and earned her honors thesis on 'Existentialism in Contemporary Drug Cinema'.

KGNU's Claudia Cragg speaks here with Aidan White, Director of the Ethical Journalism Network. The network is a coalition of media professionals and support groups committed to building a global campaign in support of ethics, good governance and self-regulation in journalism and media. He is committed to new and innovative ways to support independent journalism and promotion of journalists' rights. He is an expert with deep understanding of issues related to media policy and journalism standards and has helped launch major international groups in support of press freedom and journalists' safety. Over a period of 30 years he has initiated programmes of support for journalists including professional training, association and union building and humanitarian support and raising awareness of the dangers facing media and journalists across the world. You can read his blog here and his Twitter handle is @aidanpwhite.

White is an inspiring communicator and speaker, writer, negotiator and presenter with experience in building coalitions and encouraging social dialogue between employers and unions.

He was the General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists from 1987 until April 2011. He previously worked for several newspapers in the United Kingdom. He was with The Guardian in London prior to joining the IFJ. He is a long-time campaigner for journalists' rights and is a former activist with the National Union of Journalists in Great Britain and Ireland.

(To listen, click on 'Pod' icon above left)

"Fool me once, shame on you Fool me twice, shame on you."

Orig: "He that deceives me once; shame fall him; if he deceives me twice, shame fall me". James Kelly, Scottish Proverbs (1720).

In May 2009, Claudia Cragg interviewed the FT's Gillian Tett for then KGNU News co-Director, Joel Edelstein, on the 'It's The Economy' show. This was shortly after publication of Tett's then brand new book, "Fool's Gold, the Inside Story of J P Morgan and How Wall St. Greed Corrupted Its Bold Dream and Created a Financial Catastrophe."

The so-called 'never again' safeguards may or may not be in place to prevent a new worldwide even more serious catastrophe. By the time their efficacy is tested, it may be too late. And given the surfeit of new financial instruments and derivative games created since 2008, there is no sensible reason to presume it cannot or won't happen again and the fallout, while unimaginable, could be even worse than the prolonged 'Great Recession' that so many ordinary working lives have been subjected to.

Recently Gillian Tett has been calling attention to a relatively new problem, the 'Dark Pools' and their potential for causing global financial instability.

Relying on caveat emptor to keep the trading system from becoming too murky is naive

Few are taking heed.

Having ignored this proven financial Cassandra once before, are the Powers That Be so obdurate and greedy that they will wilfully ignore her once again?

When you listen to her analysis here of 2008, you will concur that as of July 1st 2014, very little indeed has changed.