It’s considered high-minded right now to come out railing against patents. Everyone is doing it, from Mark Cuban to Fred Wilson to Twitter. It seems to me that the picture is not quite as black and white as one might think. Cuban talks (albeit a bit tongue in cheek) about a janitor being sued for […]
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So What If vs. What If
There is a big difference in the question of “what if” vs. “so what if.” They are two completely different ways of looking at every decision or circumstance one is faced with. More “so what if.”
Three Hundred
This is my 300th post on this blog. I have been at best inconsistent and at worst negligent. I used to pay attention to all of those “10 steps to a Million Readers” kinds of articles. I have tried doing the thing where you end every post with a question because that’s how you engage […]
The Threat to the Open Internet
I am reading a fascinating book right now called The Master Switch : The Rise and Fall of Information Empires by Tim Wu. The premise of the book is that information empires (the telephone, film, and TV) all undergo a very similar lifecycle as they mature. They start out as open platforms with the introduction of […]
In the Arena
I heard this quote last night while watching a TED talk. Theodore Roosevelt’s “The Man in the Arena.” This should be posted somewhere where you have to walk by it every day. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of […]
A Captcha Alternative
On last week’s 350 Third podcast, Anders and I talked a lot about the evils of Captcha (shameless plug). It’s a technology idea whose time has come and gone. I hate it, as does most of the civilized world. It’s remarkable that we put up with inferior, outdated ideas as long as we do. Anyway, […]
The Discipline of Solving a Real Problem
The question that trumps all other questions when starting out with a new idea: “What is the question you are answering?” If you can’t articulate a concise response in less than 15 seconds, I would submit that it’s time to pause and consider seriously whether to continue. It’s a discipline that flies in the face […]
Shedding
There are times when it’s appropriate to take on new things. Opportunities present themselves that seem like they will lead somewhere, and so time and energy is committed and spent. Opportunity cost is one of the least-valued costs, and yet is probably the most important factor in any decision. Doing one thing means, in most […]
Books to Read – April 2012
After a couple of months away due to laziness, the monthly Books to Read list is back. There are some good ones in this month’s list. I hope you enjoy them. Stop Stealing Dreams by Seth Godin Sorry, no picture for this one. If you have read this blog regularly, you know that I am […]
Call Us, We Won’t Call You
I write a lot on this blog about stupid things that businesses do, not so much to be critical of them but to remind all of us that every single interaction counts. We got a dog a few weeks back and are looking to install an electric fence. There are really only a couple of […]