Ideas from HBR

I’ve started listening to podcasts recently, and one that seems to work really well for me is the Harvard Business Review Ideacast. Ok, it’s a little bit B-School, a little bit world-of-work, but it’s surprisingly interesting despite the apparently staid context in which it exists. Here’s some interesting episodes I’ve listened to recently, along with ideas in them: [The “Jobs to be Done” theory of innovation ](https://hbr.org/ideacast/2016/12/the-jobs-to-be-done-theory-of-innovation.html)It's an idea that’s come up on my radar recently, but I had assumed it was a new spin on the Getting Things Done productivity method. Turns out, it’s a different way of looking at how people interact with things and companies. In brief, when you’re buying a product (or a service) from a company, it’s not because you want the product, it’s because there’s a proverbial “job” to be done - whether that “job” is satisfying your hunger, or getting to a place; framing it that way rather than buying a burger or jumping in a cab lets you identify better what the actual activity being performed is, and this helps identify areas and ideas for innovation. ...

February 8, 2017 · 3 min · karan

The New Devil's Dictionary

A guide to the terms of modern living: tab (n.): Something opened, then closed, then opened again, then closed again, for eternity. social (n.): An app or website that simulates what it might be like to interact with other people. Instagram (n.): A persistent reminder that people you know can afford more expensive restaurants and better vacations than you. So much to cringe and nod at.

September 10, 2015 · 1 min · karan

Tim Bray on Blogging

This article prompted me to remember that I had a neglected blog: Blogging is Healthy: It’s no longer the white-hot center of controversy it was in 2005; now it’s part of the establishment, and if you look at the numbers from the popular platform providers like WordPress and Blogger, still growing quite nicely thank you. Freshness Matters: When you don’t update a blog, it gets stale fast. The natural tendency of the human mind to favor what’s fresh is reinforced by search engines leaning the same way. ...

March 22, 2011 · 1 min · karan

Tuesday Afternoon

It’s only Tuesday and it’s already a slow week. Here’s a couple of links for you: Somali Cruises - the hot new cruise/adventure holiday destination! We sail up and down the coast of Somalia waiting to get hijacked by pirates. We encourage you to bring your ‘High powered weapons’ along on the cruise. If you don’t have weapons of your own, you can rent them on the boat. We guarantee that you will experience at least two hijacking attempts by pirates or we will refund half your money back, including gun rental charges and any unused ammo (mini gun charges not included). ...

July 14, 2009 · 2 min · karan