Wrote
- Email, the once and future king (2018-12-11)
- Facing outwards, on a self-imposed schedule (2018-12-12)
- Venture Cafe, 2 (2018-12-13)
Read
- Daniel Cossins, We thought the Incas couldn’t write. These knots change everything, New Scientist (2018-09-26). De la Vega was among many chroniclers who hinted as much, writing in one passage that the Incas “recorded on knots everything that could be counted, even mentioning battles and fights, all the embassies that had come to visit the Inca, and all the speeches and arguments they had uttered”. True, he was prone to ambiguity and contradictions. But about a third of the khipus in collections seem to have a more elaborate construction than the others, as if they contain a different sort of information. For decades the point was moot, however, because no one could read any of them.
- Richard M. Roberts and Roger J. Kreuz, Becoming Fluent: How Cognitive Science Can Help Adults Learn a Foreign Language (2017). (notes) In a mental simulation, focusing on the process of what it will take to reach a goal results in better planning than focusing on the outcome of what will happen once the goal is achieved. Not only does such process-focused planning result in a greater probability of actually reaching the goal, it also reduces stress along the way. In other words, in deciding whether or not to study French, think about how each day must be structured in order to find the time to study, rather than how great it will be to toss off witty bons mots at the café Les Deux Magots.
- W. Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne, Fair Process: Managing in the Knowledge Economy, Harvard Business Review 75:4 (July-August 1997). (notes) Notice that fair process is not decision by consensus. Fair process does not set out to achieve harmony or to win people’s support through compromises that accommodate every individual’s opinions, needs, or interests. While fair process gives every idea a chance, the merit of the ideas—and not consensus—is what drives the decision making.
Listened
- Tim Ferriss: depression, psychedelics, and emotional resilience (EP.01), The Peter Attia Drive (2018-07-02). [...] Paul Conti, made this point to me, which was, "The way you treat yourself is ultimately how you will treat those you love most." And, you know, when he really pushed me to think about that, which is, "Do you want to be the guy who treats his kids the way you treat yourself?" It had to be put that way for me to think, "No." I mean, if I'm going to be brutally honest, I would not want to watch my kids get treated by another human the way I treat myself, even though I think it's good for me to treat myself this way. So again, I think the challenge is, by far the hardest part is getting people to accept that maybe what they're doing isn't the right thing [...]
- 660: Why It’s So Hard to Sell New Products, HBR IdeaCast (2018-12-11). (notes) In general, I'd say the best reps focus really on the client side, in understanding what the client's challenges might be in buying a new product. Whereas, the lower performing reps, when it comes to selling new products, focus almost exclusively on the product.
- Played on repeat: Rancid, Old Friend, ...And Out Come the Wolves (1995).
Photo
Wedding officiated by Cthulhu himself
Upcoming
- 2018-12-22: St. Louis Illini Club, Braggin' Rights 2018 pregame party, Tin Roof St. Louis
- 2019-01-26/2019-01-29: INCOSE International Workshop, Torrance, California