I came downstairs the other morning to find my 10-year old watching TV…on her iPhone. School’s out for summer, and she usually has the telly going with The Disney Channel on first thing in the morning. “Why aren’t you watching that on the TV?” I asked. (look of “Really, Dad?”) “It’s not on there yet,” she replied. “Not even on-demand?” I asked. “Nope. It’s on later, but I don’t want to wait.” Ah. Of course. …
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Jonah Lehrer “Self-Plagiarism” Brouhaha is Crap
They’re doing it again. The bozos. They did it two years ago with Toyota with “sudden acceleration,” when there was nothing there. They’re doing it now with Jonah Lehrer. The “it” is hyping something that is not a real issue. It’s actually a good example of the first law of subtraction–what isn’t there can often trump what is. A couple weeks ago, The New Yorker announced Jonah Lehrer as a new staff writer. That’s a …
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The 3 Best Books for Getting Things Right
Every day, we are bombarded with messages about how to get things done. We hear a lot less, though, about how to get things right. Most waste in business operations come not from doing the right work inefficiently, but simply doing the wrong work in the first place. Here are three books that should be on the reading list of anyone charged with managing and improving business operations. Only one of them is a traditional …
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3 Enduring Ways to Approach Innovation
What is innovation really about? Some believe it is distinct from creativity. Some believe it must go beyond small improvement. Many believe you need deep pockets, because innovation entails seeking and taking big risks with big ideas and radical departures from convention. Others believe it’s the bailiwick of right-brainers only, and “suits” need not apply. Those biases are limiting at best, and only serve to exclude the everyman from innovating. One of the best and simplest …
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Father’s Day Two Weeks Early
I got a pretty nice Father’s Day gift a couple weeks early: my life. I was just starting to warm up for a friendly tennis match Sunday morning, in preparation for this week’s Men’s 45+ National Hardcourt Championships, which start today. I’d played a 90 minute match the day before, and gone on a rigorous 2-hour mountain bike ride right after, no problem. Although, I noticed my heart rate was a lot lower than normal …
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