Novelty Wear Off – Is bloom off the rose?

When smartphones came out, everyone was installing apps indiscreetly. More, the better. Now, users install an app only if it is something they will use frequently. When the electronic newsletter was a new thing, people subscribed to them by the tens. Now, the newsletters show up unsolicited, and people unsubscribe them by the tens. Until […]

Myopia

Marketing is still about the offer, delivery, price, and promotion. It can have unintended consequences, not always positive. Shrink-wrapped slices of pineapple at the grocery store promote sales. Same with precut watermelon, and chopped onion in a jar. All of them sell better but taste worse. Smartphones with a large number of pre-installed apps mean […]

Listening

My friend, Chris, called to complain about how a homeowner, who has listed her house with him, will not cooperate in staging the home best. He had tried to persuade her with all the logic he could muster. Many negotiators dive into persuasion mode. Skilled negotiators focus on uncovering the real issues. How? With active […]

Simplicity

“Simplicity is the ideal virtue. Oh! how difficult it is to be Simple!” Google placed a simple rectangle for search. Write or ask anything, it will fetch the relevant information. Several other search engines had their websites crammed with everything except search box, placed conspicuously. Google won. Toyota began manufacturing Corolla in the U.S. in […]

Practice Kicks Fear

Anything you are afraid to do, practice doing it. Practice gets rid of fear. With practice, it becomes a habit. If you’re afraid to play the piano, play a little every day. Learn the notes. Begin with simple music. Play when you are alone. Record yourself. Play a bit more. Every day, tick-tock, tick-tock, a […]

Chatter and Intelligence

  Mind chattering is the continuous narrative going on in our heads. Some scholars call it a bug. That may be a hasty assessment. Mind chatter is the raw material for Sci-Fi writers. France wants to hire the creatives to imagine how the future could go wrong so that the nations can stay one step […]