
Strategy in the Digital Age: Mastering Digital Transformation by Michael Lenox – A Review
Technological progress is rapid and accelerating. Biologist Paul Ehrlich reassures us that as long as the human brain is setting the pace, we needn’t fear – basic human intelligence has remained the same for thousands of years. On the other hand, Singularity Theory (e.g., I. J. Good 1965) warns that Artificial Intelligence could beget machines […]

Best If Used By 12-25-1995
When you consider the dreadful truth about food poisoning, you would expect a government-mandate for labeling the stuff we eat. There isn’t one. The FDA does require that baby formula have a “Use by…” date, but once you’re off the bottle, you’re on your own. The lack of a legal requirement hasn’t kept food manufacturers […]

Review: Target Funding by Kedma Ough
The cover image of Target Funding by Kedma Ough – an arrow hitting a conventional target – makes sense but doesn’t do justice to the vast array of funding sources that she is about to reveal; perhaps a needle in a haystack would be more accurate. Although there are multitudes of funding opportunities out there, […]

Startup Dreams
Book Review: Straight Talk for Startups by Randy Komisar and Jantoon Reigersman I confess that I play air guitar in the shower and I fantasize about hitting the winning basket at the buzzer. I suspect that I am not the only one who does this. For most of us, such dreams leading to wealth and […]

Just Build Something
The mention of Thomas Edison may provoke thoughts of creative energy and invention, but his real contribution to America’s emergence as a world superpower stems from manufacturing. In 1892, he founded General Electric, which today is the last of the original industrial firms to remain listed on the Dow Jones Index. During its storied history, […]

Dreams, Up In Smoke
Sometimes I daydream about what it might be like when I “retire,” whatever that will mean. For me, it always involves some sort of part-time job with less stress. I’ve enjoyed the times in my life when I was a teacher, and a part-time, non-tenure-track university position sounds appealing. I’m afraid that by the time […]

Our Heart Isn’t In It
When I was in high school, the cool thing was to cruise Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena. Although cruising was technically illegal, there was a Bob’s Big Boy hamburger joint at each end of the route, so you could always safely tell a cop you were on your way to Bob’s. One of the first items […]

How to Stimulate the Economy
Halloween will soon be upon us. It is called a “holiday”, although I don’t know of anyone who gets the day off – not even the Post Office. We will spend $11.3 Billion to celebrate, although we’re not exactly sure why. Around $350 Million of that will go for costumes for pets, who […]

Weed Entrepreneurs
During the last major election, there was a lot of talk about getting the economy kick-started. Words like “innovation”, “education” and “entrepreneur” were tossed about with reckless abandon. By a rather narrow margin of the popular vote, the American people felt that Barack Obama was the best equipped to turn things around. Another result of […]

Alexander Hamilton
History tends to repeat itself, especially if, like America’s, it spans some 200-plus years. Politicians study history when they are trying to get re-elected, but it also has some lessons for the next fiscal cliff. None other than the Revolutionary War left our newborn country with an overwhelming deficit, along with looming tax hikes and […]