By all rights, Keith Richards should be dead several times over. After decades of abuse and outrageous behavior, he’s still the poster boy for decadence. Keith shrugs it off, “yeah, it’s just me and the roaches now.” But beneath the gnarled, wrinkled façade, there’s deep wisdom. Keith is savors the gifts of life. I can …
I witnessed perfection. I got a last-minute invitation to watch a NASA rocket launch. So, my wife and I drove to Vandenberg Air Force Base, north of Los Angeles. We joined a small group of NASA and SpaceX guests, standing on a bluff, about 6 miles from the launch pad. The Falcon 9 spacecraft was …
I was in New York on September 11th. I watched how first-responders rushed to the scene and were honored for their bravery. True heroes. As I write this, California is on fire. Four million acres have burned, the most in state history. Firefighters are enduring 100-degree heat, packing heavy gear, surrounded by walls of fire. …
Back when facts mattered, I came across an amazing lie detector technology, called Truster. It was a voice-activated machine developed by the Israeli army, used to interrogate spies. Truster analyzed the pitch changes in people’s voices – a signal they’re lying. Apparently, when telling a fib, our throat muscles constrict involuntarily. As a result, the …
Living in isolation is hard enough. But no baseball games? C’mon, that’s just cruel. Those who love the game know that baseball is a metaphor for life. We learn the value of dedication and teamwork. The importance of being a good winner and taking your lumps. The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat…often …
You shuffle into the meeting room and are already dreading it. Here comes another tedious PowerPoint presentation. Objective, Strategy, Bar Chart, Pie Chart, Diagram, Graph…your eyelids are getting heavy. When it comes to presentations, I follow Guy Kawasaki’s “10/20/30 Rule”. As Apple’s Chief Evangelist, he limited PowerPoint decks to 10 slides, in 20 minutes, using …
I wrote this blog last week, before it was announced that the Aunt Jemima brand would be retired. It’s about time. Aunt Jemima pancake mix has been the top-seller since it debuted in 1889. But their success happened by accident. When Quaker Oats bought the company, it did a study to find America’s favorite pancake …
According to a new report from the Infinite Dial, more than half of us are listening to online audio (music, podcasts, etc.). The landscape is shifting – here’s a snapshot: Streaming leaders are Spotify and Pandora, tied as the most popular platforms. Pandora scores best with 35+ fans, while Spotify dominates among 12-34s. Amazon Music …
In a recent blog, I tackled the issue of teleworking, also known as working from home, or WFH. At the time, there was some debate whether the risks outweigh the benefits. Not anymore. The coronavirus ended that debate – teleworking is here to stay. Before the quarantine, working remotely was a back-up plan for most …
When I was in school, if you didn’t believe in science, you got an F. We learned that science is fact-based. It doesn’t care about your opinion, religion or politics. The only thing that can refute science is…better science. Perhaps this coronavirus nightmare will be the tipping point that elevates our respect for science. This …
