eating my words
I was in a hurry. I had company coming any minute and realized that I was out of a few things. So I dashed out to the closest grocery store, had the car door open before I’d even turned off the ignition, and made a beeline for the entrance. However, once I’d traversed the crosswalk and arrived at the outdoor gourd display, I was stopped short by an elderly couple who shuffled, a quarter-step at a time, toward the automatic door, which opened, then closed, then opened … The man seemed to be the…
brand you
This past Wednesday, I was invited to be a guest lecturer at Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology in Boston, where I taught a group of opticians-in-the-making about branding and marketing. I love teaching. And by all indications, I'm good at it. But as a rule, I’m more interested in people than I am in imparting information. As such, I found myself naturally sliding into the role of mentor throughout the two-and-a-half-hour class. Whether these students ever wound up becoming opticians or…
why we do: part three
I first came across the term “curse of knowledge” during my reading of Made To Stick by Chip and Dan Heath. (Incidentally, it seems the Heath brothers delivered on the promise implicit in this particular title, since a lot of what they covered in this book … well, stuck.) curse of knowledge: a cognitive bias that inhibits communication This definition seems ironic to me, since whoever wrote it apparently had a curse of knowledge going on. Let me give it another go here. curse of knowledge:…
fake: part two
The week before last, I shared with you a post containing a bit of uncharacteristic rambling about fake things I like as well as a few I don’t personally care for. The central premise was that just because something is fake … doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad. Thing is, as I got toward the end of that post, some deeper thoughts began to tickle the fringe of my sleep-deprived mind. But they would have taken the post in a completely different direction (if I could have even managed to grab hold…
the best people
Today is a special day! Kevin Cooper at KC Books & Music invited me over to his site as a guest on "Book Talk," and I happily accepted. I've decided to take this opportunity for something a bit different. You know all those photographs that appear on the various covers of The Best Advice So Far? Well, I'm excited to be able to introduce you to each of those very real people and to tell you about the influence each has had on me and on the writing of the book. So, without further ado ...…
fake: part one
Due to a lack of sound sleep over the past couple of days, my brain is in a strange, swishy sort of place. Rather than fight it, I figure I’ll just ride the wave of weirdness and see where we land. By and large, the word “fake” has a negative connotation: Lucio’s new girlfriend is so fake. The masterpiece was somehow stolen and replaced with a fake. The newscast was decried as fake news when it suggested that the news about fake news was fake. But I’d like to suggest that being “fake” isn't…
puzzles
Many of you know that I just returned from the longest vacation of my life — a full five weeks on Florida’s West Coast. Prior to the trip, I began concocting plans for all I wanted to do, see and accomplish while away: Get the audiobook up and available online. Visit Captiva and Sanibel Islands. Spot a wild dolphin. Start writing my next book. The list went on. And I’m happy to say that most of my goals were achieved, including each of the above. But among my aspirations was one that may seem…
happy sad
I’m writing mid-flight, on my way back from the longest vacation of my life — five weeks in Southwest Florida. After so long away, it feels more like a move than merely returning from someplace I’d been visiting. Late last night, I drove to the beach for one last walk. The main street downtown was still aglow, lit up like Christmas. I’d strolled the strip often during my stay, this year and during the five years of previous visits. I’d eaten at that Persian restaurant on the right. I’d sat…