June 2008
26 posts
On Obamamania
an email on obama’s appeal from a good friend of mine who is dialed in in DC:
—-
obama reminds me of a counselor facilitating a discussion among groups by asking intelligent questions that make the participants consider different ways of looking at things, different possibilities for what could be than what is right now. his book definitely has that quality to it, although it...
The Value of Not Overthinking a Decision →
“The idea that conscious deliberation before making a decision is always good is simply one of those illusions consciousness creates for us.”
“People don’t like change. But make the change happen fast enough and you...”
– Terry Pratchett, Making Money
Bill Gates rants about a poor Microsoft customer... →
Dear BillG: You don’t fix these problems by ranting in an email; you fix them by tying compensation to customer happiness metrics.
Obama's fundraising machine is unlike anything the... →
Two choice quotes:
I asked [WSGR CEO] John Roos, the personification of a buttoned-down corporate attorney, if there had been concerns about Obama’s limited CV, and for a moment he looked as if he might burst out laughing. “No one in Silicon Valley sits here and thinks, ‘You need massive inside-the-Beltway experience,’” he explained, after a diplomatic pause. “Sergey and Larry were in their early...
Is Obama an enlightened being? →
“it’s not even about Obama, per se. There’s a vast amount of positive energy swirling about that’s been held back by the armies of BushCo darkness, and this energy has now found a conduit, a lightning rod, is now effortlessly self-organizing around Obama’s candidacy. People and emotions and ideas of high and positive vibration are automatically drawn to him.”
“When you’re not sure what to do, default to doing what someone older than...”
– Jonathan’s Law of Defaults
Dance Dance Dance by Lykke Li.
Am feeling kinda...
Building a local community through sleepovers with... →
I love this idea!
Seth's Blog: Four words →
Make big promises; overdeliver.
If you can define great marketing in fewer words than that, you win.
How to use default options to make lazy people's... →
Fewer Traffic Signs, Better Safety?
→
A nice follow up to the Tehran traffic video, this describes how several towns have removed traffic signs from their roads and the resulting outcomes.
WatchAn awesome video of traffic in Tehran. Amazing how people can self-organize without top-down controls to rely on.
Watchwhy i’m living in vancouver right now (my balcony view on flickr)
Time is More Valuable than Money →
and people are catching on:
Forty-one per cent of flexible workers would forgo a 100 per cent pay rise if it meant giving up control of the way they work, according to the results of a new survey by Workology, an online community that supports flexible workers, freelancers, portfolio workers, and self-employed professionals. (via Timedesk Inspiration)
"You have to treat your employees like customers"... →
via soxiam:
this post reminded me of a story about lance armstrong. when he was diagnosed with cancer and his team and sponsors were bailing out on him, the ceo of oakley took it upon himself to cover lance’s medical bills by getting him on the company health plan. the insurance company obviously laughed at the idea telling the ceo that he’s just a sponsored athlete with no rights to the company...
How to Write (in a thousand words or less) →
Good Entrepreneurship Lessons →
#2 is good: “You want to know why you grow, how you grow, and you want to understand how change in the system is impacting this process. Focus on what’s going to move the needle, and than attack it determinedly. Again, the value is in the data — the more data one collects the better. A basic package like Google Analytics works possibly at launch, but a more robust analytics engine is...
“We have the ability to identify our mistakes eventually better than average;...”
– Nassim Nicholas Taleb explains why it’s important to rely only on what happens in the real world (i.e. predictions are bunk).
Why I Travel →
“When I land in a foreign city, suddenly, every ounce of my being is alert. Talking is a challenge. Flushing the toilet is an adventure. Buying a package of gum can become a 30-minute ordeal in which I must pay total attention. Foreign travel is a full-body workout, and I love the rush.”
Obama uses viral marketing to raise money and love →
The Obama campaign is putting a human face on fundraising and connecting like-minded supporters around the country. Brilliant. (via ericds)
Southwest if Profitable Because it Takes Care of... →
“We’ve never had layoffs… We could have made more money if we furloughed people. But we don’t do that. And we honor them constantly. Our people know that if they are sick, we will take care of them. If there are occasions or grief or joy, we will be there with them. They know that we value them as people, not just cogs in a machine.”