Social Media is our Perpetual, Virtual, Living Room
Our social media accounts are like our living rooms. Everyone is in your living room always, talking to each other, talking to you. If you start calling other guests in my living room names, insulting or demeaning them, or repeatedly making inappropriate outbursts in the corner of the room, I’m going to invite you to…
Read MoreBook Review: Physics for Future Presidents by Richard Muller
“Physics for Future Presidents” should be required reading for every candidate for Federal office. Professor Richard A. Muller, past recipient of a MacArthur grant and professor of physics as University of California, Berkeley, provides the basic physics knowledge necessary for a President to make informed and responsible policy decisions. As a scientist, Muller refrains from…
Read MoreBook Review: Subscribed by Tien Tzuo
People don’t want stuff, they want experiences. They don’t want products, they want services. This core shift in our society is the underlying theme of Tien Tzuo‘s new book, “Subscribed: Why the Subscription Model Will Be Your Company’s Future – and What to Do About It.” It’s probably not a coincidence that Tzuo is the…
Read MoreReplatforming
Many people are leaving Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other social media services. Some are being forced off for their controversial views. Others are leaving because they are tired of being a product for an advertising company and at the whims of mysterious algorithms. Social media and its relative anonymity also brings out the worst in…
Read MoreBecause
“Because” is one of the most powerful words in the English language. In Robert Cialdini‘s classic book, “Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion,” he gives a great overview of the science behind persuading people. One of the most interesting experiments has to do with the effect of “because” on people. In a study, they had a…
Read MoreBook Review: Deep Work by Cal Newport
Now that my campaign for Mayor of Phoenix is over, I’ve had a chance to read a few books and wanted to jot down my notes on the main themes for my future reference and for anyone who might be considering the book. The first one I read on vacation in Flagstaff, Cal Newport‘s “Deep…
Read More“You can never buy a decent used car”?
It was the subtitle that got me to read Tim Harford’s book, “The Undercover Economist: Exposing Why the Rich are Rich, the Poor are Poor – and Why You Can Never Buy a Decent Used Car!” Our family owns the oldest independent car dealership in Phoenix and has sold thousands of decent used cars over…
Read MoreMarketing to a small minority without a massive budget
If 1 out of 100 people are potential buyers for your product, you still have a target market of approximately 3,227,000 people. The challenge is reaching them. Mass media would work, if you saturate all 322MM people with your message, some fraction of that 1 in 100 would respond, but you’d be broke from the…
Read MoreOn taking your ball and going home…
Threatening to leave an organization if you don’t get your demands met is an inherently risky strategy. The best case scenario is that your demands are met and you gain a reputation as the sort of person who delivers ultimatums. If you don’t get your demands met, you must follow through with your threat to…
Read MoreBook Review: “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power”
It’s not often anymore that I have time for a full-length book, but I recently read Jon Meacham’s biography of Jefferson, “Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power.” It took a few weeks taking it on long flights and reading before bed, but it’s very worth the time. Meacham covers the entire arc of Jefferson’s life,…
Read More