August 2008
The Archives
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08.29.08
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08.28.08From technology to commodityBelow is a table showing when major technologies were introduced to the public at large and how long it took them to reach 85% of US households. Technology Introduced In 85% US households Time to 85% Telephone 1875 1965 90y Electricity 1903 1945 42y Automobile 1903 1981 78y Radio 1920 1943 23y Refrigerator 1922 1951 29y Clothes Washer 1926 currently ~83% Air Conditioner 1947 2003 56y Clothes Dryer 1950 currently ~80% Dish Washer 1950 currently ~65% Color TV 1960 1981 21y Microwave 1972 ...
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08.25.08The Dip: In BriefI just finished Seth Godin's The Dip. It resonated with me. I would write more but I don't need to. Tom Felker is cogent in his summary that is hidden in the absurdly interesting documentary Hands on a Hard Body. Fast forward to 15:56 for his explanation, then rewind and watch the whole thing. Trust me.
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08.21.08Rethinking customer serviceI had to yell at 3 Time Warner customer service reps yesterday because my Internet service has been awful. Why does customer service have to be so predictably painful? The entire time on the phone I was trying to reconcile two truths: Ideally, I should never have to talk to this company after I initially install the service. This company's marketing department can't think of a better way to tell their boring story than to interrupt me whenever possible. So when I called, I was violating truth number 1. I explicitly demonstrated I have a problem, above and beyond the normal, for this company ...
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08.19.08Where did the oil headlines go?Look at the Google Trends for "oil" in the headlines: Kind of makes you feel like it's not important anymore. Or is it that $3.74 gallon gasoline feels cheap and its mention doesn't sell newspapers? Coming down from $4.00 plus to a relatively cheap $3.74 means that prices are no longer news worthy. Well, sort of. The pressure on our wallets has eased with last month's downward price movement, but we still aren't seeing the bargain-basement prices that we had a year ago of $2.70 per gallon. Thinking of such a price break almost feels selfish when we so easily remember shelling ...
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08.14.08The 3 orders of businessI have a mental framework that groups businesses into three logical units. I call these orders. First order businesses are the foundation of the economy. They satisfy the most basic of needs. These businesses include the agriculture, mining, and the textiles industries. They are very important as they free the majority of the population to create the higher order businesses. Through decades of operation, their logistics are highly efficient and often very complex. The growing global population creates true demand for first order goods meaning that top first order businesses are both very lucrative and secure. Second order ...
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08.09.08The One Thing RuleAfter I sat myself down and threw out my plans to change the world in no time flat, I read The Art of Learning which outlines the techniques and strategies Josh Waitzkin uses to be ultra-successful in everything he does. My take away: focus and concentration. I don't know if it was Baader-Meinhof in action but I then stumbled upon this link: A difficult thing to do, and very few minds can do it. St. Paul gives us the shortest definition of concentration on record when he says, "This one thing I do," short, but tremendously significant. Another Bible definition is excellent: " ...
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08.08.08Dumblust [coinage]Dumblust noun To wish for a return to ignorance Example usage Windows down and music up on the ride home, I forgot that I was fired today, that my dog had died last week, and that my health was failing. Pulling into the driveway and seeing my smiling wife, I snapped back to reality and realized I'd have to break the news to her. I immeditaley had dumblust. Also dumblusted verb dumblusting verb dumbluster noun
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08.04.08Painters and CowsI see a world that is inhabited by two classes of people.* Painters are not happy with the world as it is. Culture as we know it is the collection of ideas from the creators of the past and present. Creators that did and do form the bulk of a our experiences. Painters see that something is missing. From the Ray Krocs that altered our diets and the Thomas Edisons that extended our days, to the Frances Scott Keyes that wrote songs we know by heart and Dave Weiners that realized content should be free, they each realized something could be ...
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- P(recession) = 1, P(American is shopper) = 1
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