One of the things I like about reading is discovering words and ideas that are new to me. Today, while reading the laugh-out loud book, "Disrupted: My Misadventure in the Start-Up Bubble", by Dan Lyons (which I highly recommend), he mentioned the Dunning-Kruger effect. I had never heard of this, and while Dan offered a description … Continue reading The Dunning–Kruger Effect
Category: Uncategorized
The Ultimate in Customer Service
Companies, and consultants, constantly talk about the importance of knowing your customers. The usual reason given for doing so is that it is more profitable for the business when you know their habits and their preferences. But the employees at a Domino's Pizza restaurant in Salem, OR showed that knowing your customers could save their … Continue reading The Ultimate in Customer Service
Is It Live, or Is It Memorex?
Memorex had a series of TV commercial in the 1970s that challenged the viewer to determine whether what they were watching was live or whether it was a recording, captured on Memorex tape. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3sXpPLFXRw Those commercials came back to me today while reading a story about robo-journalism. Consider the opening sentences of these two sports … Continue reading Is It Live, or Is It Memorex?
The Magic of Everything Disney
My wife, son, and I had the chance to see Jungle Book this past week, and as I expected, it was great. After it was over, it got me thinking about all the great animated Disney/Pixar movies we've watched over the years. Oliver and Company (probably my favorite; starring Billy Joel) Toy Story (all of … Continue reading The Magic of Everything Disney
Optimizing Your Blog for SEO, Courtesy of Donald Trump
It's been a while since I've shared some of my online marketing tips. In a previous post I had written about how I had dramatically increased my Twitter followers (How My Twitter Following Went from 250 to 253 in Just One Week!) . The post was a huge hit, going viral and increasing my Twitter … Continue reading Optimizing Your Blog for SEO, Courtesy of Donald Trump
Politician, Comedian, Brilliant Academic
In response to a reporter's question about his previous comments about abortion, Donald Trump gave the following response: He was asking me a theoretical, or just a question in theory, and I talked about it only from that standpoint. Of course not. And that was done, he said, you know, I guess it was theoretically, … Continue reading Politician, Comedian, Brilliant Academic
Who Would Ever Buy Bottled Water… Oops, I Mean Bottled Air?
Thirty years ago the idea of getting your drinking water out of a bottle instead of the faucet in your home seemed preposterous. Today, bottled water is a $13 billion industry. It is the second largest commercial beverage category by volume in the United States, second only to carbonated soft drinks, with an average consumption of 34 … Continue reading Who Would Ever Buy Bottled Water… Oops, I Mean Bottled Air?
The Evian Babies Are Back!
I've written before about how I am a fan of good TV commercials, and one of my all-time favorites is an Evian commercial with rollerskating babies. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PHnRIn74Ag That commercial is now six years old, and I haven't seen a new Evian commercial featuring the babies since then (but apparently there have been a couple). Well … Continue reading The Evian Babies Are Back!
A Chronology of My Failures
Johannes Haushofer, a Princeton professor of Psychology and Public Affairs, posted a CV of failures in an attempt to “balance the record” and “provide some perspective”. He was inspired by a 2010 Nature article by Melanie Stefan, a lecturer at the School of Biomedical Sciences at the University of Edinburgh. She suggested that keeping a … Continue reading A Chronology of My Failures
How a Bachman-Turner Overdrive Song Led to My Most Famous Twitter Follower
My son and I were driving back from the gym (well, OK, Planet Fitness) and listening to the radio (WMGK) and the song "Takin' Care of Business" by BTO came on the radio. After my shouting out the refrain over and over, the song finally came to an end, and the DJ, Andre Gardner, shared … Continue reading How a Bachman-Turner Overdrive Song Led to My Most Famous Twitter Follower
Borden's Blather 