Feature style articles often start with an anecdotal lead. It is usually followed by some numbers from seemingly respectful sources and one or more pundit opinions. The writer then goes back to the anecdote, finally telling the reader how it ended. … Read More →
Accuracy can easily be mistaken for usefulness. If you hire a consultant and pay them a hefty sum to come up with a detailed analysis of some key business function, the results may be impressively accurate but can also be utterly useless. … Read More →
Management is the art of creating order in situations that would otherwise become chaotic. Managers do this in various ways, most of which (at the lower rungs, at least) fall in the spectrum between micromanaging and letting employees manage themselves. … Read More →
Last year I wrote about Science Olympiad, an amazing science-focused competition for middle and high school kids. I was surprised by the fact that the vast majority of participants were Asian, and was quite happy to see that this population group cares about their children’s future and is connected to the global reality, in which engineers and scientists drive innovation. … Read More →
This better species had now reached a critical mass in the technology ecosystem and is rapidly eliminating inferior variants or transferring it’s genes to them. How long will it take for this superior species to kill off all the others? It might take a while, but the evolution is unstoppable. … Read More →
In late December I was awarded US Patent 7,860,673 – Distance Measuring Device. I essentially patented the use of a parallax to measure distances from the user to a nearby object using a simple device that can be manufactured for a very low cost. … Read More →
Nokia’s new Silicon Valley headquarters in Sunnyvale are equidistant from Google and Apple’s headquarters. It’s just a coincidence, of course, but I’m sure the Finnish giant wishes some of the success these local companies enjoy in the smart phone market will rub off on it. … Read More →
In a job interview a while back, I mentioned the one word you don’t want to say in a job interview (especially when the interviewer is an ex-Googler): “intuition”. Interviewers want to hear about your analytical and well-reasoned thinking skills, not about nebulous concepts like intuition. Was mentioning “intuition” a mistake? yes. Does intuition have a place in the workplace? absolutely. … Read More →
I was “commissioned” by my wife and her business partner to design a new logo for their business. … Read More →
I blog because it’s the best (and arguably the cheapest) way to gain practice in productizing nebulous concepts, turning them into products that people may actually want to consume. … Read More →