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• 05.16.08
  I saw a Black Swan today books, dougw | (0)

  Paul Kedrosky was talking about this today as well so I'm going to blame him for what happened... I needed to sweat tonight.  My legs were sore but felt like they had more to give.  I set out to make up for the poor workout I had yesterday.  So I biked to the track and ended up punishing my legs.  Realized I was in the zone when I pulled myself away after 50 sprints up 42 stairs (no walking).  Easily the best workout I've had in a year.  Never heard no in my head, all ...
• 12.11.07
  Rant: Why I read non-fiction books, rant | (0)

  One of the things that has changed while living alone is the abundance of time I spend alone.  Sometimes it's creepy because of all the time I spend talking into the mirror.  Although the majority of the conversations I have with myself I enjoy because I tend to learn something. Tonight is the first night I've been home recently and I got to talking.  I was pursing for a book when my ego decided to be inquisitive and question why I primarily read non-fiction.  I have always pegged it as a preference for real world knowledge.  It ...
• 12.07.07
  Two surprising facts in one quote bookread, books, mobile, quote | (0)

  Six of the seven presidential tickets between 1980 and 2004 have included a Bush, and five of those six [have] won. American Theocracy Striking not only for illustrating one family's dominance of modern American leadership, but also because it shows (disappointingly) the fixed national mindset on one thing: oil.
• 09.27.07
  Why companies change product packaging books, starbucks | (1)

  The obvious reason is to increase sales. The surprising thing is how large the sales jump is for goods such as groceries. Jim Donald, CEO of Starbucks, explains why the company changed the packaging (read: as in printed a different design on the bag) of their whole bean offerings after stagnant sales in 2005: "It just creates awareness that wasn't there before," he said. "we used to say when you changed packaging, particularly private-label packaging, that you'd see a 10 to 15 percent spike just off the packaging change," and the bump would last for about six months. p186, Grande Expectations That ...
• 09.26.07
  Winnie-the-Pooh bearish? books, shorts, wall street | (0)

  I found this metaphor unexpected -- given the book -- but apt none-the-less: By nature, short sellers are an odd lot.  Given their investment bent, they tend to see the world as permanently out of whack and in need of adjustment.  In a stock market full of Winni-the-Pooh optimists, they are the Eeyores. p112, Grande Expectations
• 09.09.07
  Why we have those American Idol audition outtakes books, mobile | (1)

  From The Black Swan: We humans are the victims of an asymmetry in the perception of random events. We attribute our successes to our skills, and our failures to external events outside of our control, namely to randomness. We feel responsible for the good stuff, but not for the bad. This causes us to think that we are better than others at whatever we do for a living. Ninety-four percent of Swedes believe their driving skills put them in the top 50 percent of Swedish drivers; 84 percent of Frenchmen feel that their lovemaking abilities put them in the ...
• 08.29.07
  The Internet works again books, marketing, oprah | (0)

  Take a look at how Chris Rose's fortune changes (again) regarding his interesting experience with Oprah's show in As not read by Oprah. It's a classic let-my-horrible-personal-experience-scream-about-my-new-book marketing play. It was pure linkbait (hell, I took it). Now all the search engines will see his name and title near Oprah's name on top of thousands of incoming links -- in other words, he'll still sell millions. That's all it takes these days.
• 08.04.07
  Money Quote from The Wizard of Menlo Park books, mobile, thomas edison | (0)

  A candid glimpse into the drive of many entrepreneurs: Having one's own shop, working on projects of one's own choosing, making enough money today so one could do the same tomorrow: These were the modest goals of Thomas Edison when he struck out on his own as full-time inventor and manufacturer. The grand goal was nothing other than enjoying the autonomy of entrepreneur and forestalling a return to the servitude of employee (emphasis mine). The Wizard of Menlo Park: How Thomas Alva Edison Invented the Modern World
• 07.09.07
  Startup Weekend story sounds fimiliar books, startup weekend | (0)

  I have been closely following the story evolving out of Startup Weekend. I did in fact stay up until 4AM in anticipation of the launch that never came.  They are promising a release shortly available at VoSnap.com. I would look to participate in an event like this given an opportunity within close proximity. A recent post on the Startup Weekend blog discusses the failure to launch in a candid and cogent post. It sounds very familiar with the oft quoted software development problems such as those found in Dreaming in Code.

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