There are four different kinds of power in a communication: position power (the CEO talking to her direct reports), emotion power (passion sometimes rules the day), expertise (people often listen to the most knowledgeable person in the room), and conversational power (the subtlest, this is the ability to direct the conversation through body language).

In cyberspace, we get many fewer cues about the emotional states and attitudes of the people we're talking to. That makes it less interesting, easier to mis-communicate, and more likely to destroy trust. So you need to treat cyberspace with care, especially being aware of the fragile nature of trust in the virtual world.

We are communal beings who love to get together in groups and share emotions - like sporting events, rock concerts and political rallies. We crave tribal membership.

A language like Ruby is a toolbox with some really neat little tools that do their job really nicely. JavaScript is a leather sheath with a really really sharp knife inside. That knife can cut anything, and with it you can do anything. You can kill a bear. You can catch fish. You can whittle a piece of wood into a pony. It's even a toothpick.

We all need to be astute in sending and reading power cues, so that we can prevent ourselves - and the world - from being manipulated by evil geniuses like Hitler.

You have to begin by posing questions to your unconscious mind, and then listening very carefully for the answers. If you pose the right kinds of questions, and listen well, you can begin to tap into the power of your unconscious mind.

The key is to become aware of how you are signaling your presence in meetings, conversations, speeches - everywhere you show up. Then you can take charge of them.