Archive for 2015
Paperback Writer
Writing a book isn’t hard. Finishing it can be kind of tricky.
Read MoreI.B.S.
Irritable Bore Syndrome – Someone who talks about their angst riddled social network updates in real life.
Read MoreVaulted Ceilings
I will happily do dirty work and dig ditches all day long if it helps build a cathedral. But I won’t stick around at a company because one manager is telling me to dig random holes and another manager is telling me to fill them all back in when I am done. You don’t build…
Read MoreOmnivorous
Reading back issues of Omni – I do not understand how this magazine went out of business. Did anybody else read Omni when it was being published. I so miss that magazine. Wired Magazine – the wannabe Omni.
Read MoreGet A Job Or Be A Success
I am often asked by students “How do I get a job in the industry?” and my response is always “Learn how to create value.” Occasionally a student will ask “How do I become a success in the industry?” and my response is always “Learn how to create value for yourself.”
Read MoreGoodbye My Best Friend
Goodbye to my best friend Cat. The best problem solver and software developer I ever worked with. There are no more adventures to be had. Sunday, 6th September 2015 at 1:13PM PST
Read MoreWho Are You Working For?
Work hard on work that creates value for you. Do precisely the amount of work that you are paid for (and maybe a little more) for the work that creates value for others.
Read MoreWhy? Because…
Never ask “why?” unless something breaks. “Why can we not restore the database on the server?” “Why can we not restore from our backups?” “Why did the automated backup not occur?” “Why was the backup software not able to talk to the remote server?” “Why was the firewall on the remote server blocking that port?”…
Read MoreHanging Tight
Get in, sit down, shut up and hang on. It’s the one lesson I learned in how to be an effective project manager when working alongside amazingly brilliant people.
Read MorePower Not To The People
We accept that power pylons are a necessary evil. We need to get power from here to there. But when do we turn necessary in to unethical opportunity? How long until companies start sponsoring power pylons? A line of advertising billboards marching across the landscape, ugly eyesores marring any semblance of remaining beauty the scenery…
Read MoreDreamers
There are hopeful dreamers. And hopeless dreamers. And some days it can be difficult to distinguish between the two.
Read MoreChandeliers Lighting The Way
Everyone Oohs and Ahhs when they see a beautiful chandelier. But a chandelier has always been a way to ostentatiously light an area in the most unnecessary and inefficient way possible. Once we’ve paid attention to the chandelier, we forget that it exists (until it stops working) and go on with our dance or our…
Read MoreThe Numerous Apathetic
The apathetic are more numerous (and have more money) than your most ardent (but limited) supporters. The trick is to turn the apathetic in to the ardent and to do that, you make them love you. It’s not possible to truly love something and still be apathetic. You cannot convert everyone, and you cannot convert…
Read MoreStories To Include You
You can tell stories about your product (or service). And those stories will help your customers tell stories about your product (or service) But if you don’t tell your own story, your customers will start making up their own stories, and those stories may not include you.
Read MorePrice Signaling
Apples to Apples. A random pair of brand name sneakers at your local neighourhood shoe store costs $200, but if you are willing to travel an hour roundtrip, you can get the exact same brand and model for $80 on the outskirts of town at a big box store. Apples to Oranges. A random software…
Read MoreValidation
People want to be validated. If your product or service can do that for them, you can charge whatever price you feel like. What services are good examples of validating people, and what do they validate? Here’s an easy one. Facebook validates that I’m popular and/or connected to other people – humans need connection and…
Read MoreSEO & SEM
The difference between SEO and SEM is between being found and being sought.
Read MoreRendering Aid
The amount of help rendered and the probability of help being given are both inversely proportional to the size of the request being asked. No matter who does the asking, if your question is too big, it’s going to get ignored.
Read MoreGravitational Centers of Interest
You want to be in advertising? New York. You want to be a film star? Hollywood. You want to create a hot tech start-up? San Francisco. Even with our push towards remote working, these gravitational centers of industry are still relevant today. If you don’t want artificial roadblocks in your path, don’t move to B.F.E.…
Read MoreOverpriced?
The customer that considers you overpriced is not your target audience.
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