better doing
Planning is guessing.
Planning is guessing. Jason Fried suggests a way to get past the psychological roadblock to planning by taking it for what it is. | learn more
big ideas
The future is autonomous and electric.
The future is autonomous and electric. Cars are changing. Not all at once, but over the next 20-30 years. When most of the fleet is self-driving and powered by electricity, there will be huge direct impacts on oil consumption and human […]
big ideas
Evidence of the robot takeover.
Evidence of the robot takeover. Economists from MIT and Boston University examine the impact of industrial automation on the US labor market from 1990 to 2007. They conclude that each additional robot reduced employment in a given commuting area by 3-6 […]
retail therapy
Too much retail.
Too much retail. “Last summer, Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren called the situation ‘ridiculous,’ noting that the U.S. has 7.3 square feet of retail space per capita, versus 1.7 square feet per capita in Japan and France.” | learn more
retail therapy
Wal-Mart does the internet.
Wal-Mart does the internet. Now that Marc Lore of Quidsi (diapers.com + soap.com) and Jet.com fame is in charge of e-commerce at Wal-Mart, they’ve started a shopping spree with the acquisitions of ModCloth and Moosejaw. These are culturally pretty far from […]
tech, startups, internet
Building the “Berkshire Hathaway of The Internet”.
Building the “Berkshire Hathaway of The Internet”. Andrew Wilkinson is building an investment firm called tiny. His team is moving quickly on acquisitions to make them seller-friendly, then leaving management teams in place and staying out of their way. | learn more
tech, startups, internet
In search of the new “internet”.
In search of the new “internet”. What’s the next innovation that will change the world? It could be any one or more of these. | learn more
oh, chicago
Love food trucks? Politicians don’t.
Love food trucks? Politicians don’t. “You get somebody sick in Chicago, it’s a $200 fine,” Geller says. “You park too close to a restaurant, it’s $1,000. Those restaurants’ profits are more important than public health? The city of Chicago has […]
fun facts
Maps are lying to you.
Maps are lying to you. I still remember when it sunk in that our typical world map is one big lie. When a tour guide in Colombia told us that the country is bigger than Texas and California combined, I didn’t […]
book recommendations
Disrupting Class: How Disruptive Innovation Will Change the Way the World Learns
Clayton Christensen applies his innovation framework to the education industry, an effective monopoly that’s resistant to true disruption. With examples galore, he builds a case for how we can expect disruptive innovation to change mass market education. While his timing […]