Following My first public open mike stand-up comedy performance, I went back for a second try, this time trying for more than one long joke. I have a long way to go to get good at it, but I’m starting to see what goes into a performance. It doesn’t come naturally, but expect practice will help. I’m not sure I want to put the resources into it, but the appeal[…] Keep reading →

I’ve quoted Martha Graham many times. At last I got the video of her saying the words. She describes how a performer achieves freedom through conforming and discipline better than anyone, in my opinion. I believe what she says holds for any active, emotional, expressive, social, performance-based field, including leadership and entrepreneurship. The dancer is realistic. His craft teaches him to be. Either the foot is pointed or it is[…] Keep reading →

I’m sharing thoughts on reading The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World by Andrea Wulf, one of the New York Times’ 10 best books of 2017. Andrea Wulf’s the Invention of Nature Who is Alexander von Humboldt? The New York Times review of the book explains: Alexander von Humboldt was the pre-eminent scientist of his time. Contemporaries spoke of him as second in fame only to Napoleon. All[…] Keep reading →

My latest Inc. article, “A Contrarian View of Invention,” begins A Contrarian View of Invention We put innovation and invention on pedestals. Should we? I’ll start by pointing out that I have several patents to my name. I conceived of the inventions and wrote the patents. I have advanced degrees in science. I started several ventures. I’m not writing to brag or put patents or innovation down, just that I think I hold my own on innovation[…] Keep reading →

My response to the question “How do I improve my storytelling?” on a forum got upvoted a lot: Practice, practice, practice. The best advice in the world only works in the context of practice. Practicing makes advice meaningful. Practice and then practice more. Then practice more. Get feedback. Seek advice. Iterate. But practice. Name anyone who mastered a performance art who didn’t practice more than most. Even if you can,[…] Keep reading →

Taste is a matter of taste, so you may not enjoy my food as much as I do, but I’ve grown confident enough in it to invite people more, including for business meetings and podcasts, including a Nobel laureate, titans of industry, and more. Some probably have walk-in closets bigger than my apartment. I’ve asked people to write reviews so you know what to expect. (EDIT: Here are pictures from[…] Keep reading →

Park Howell hosts the Business of Storytelling podcast. Today he released our interview about storytelling and how to improve your storytelling for business. Everybody agrees on the value of storytelling in all human communications. All the more in business. Listen to the conversation! Bonus that I missed saying in the interview By the way, when you listen, there’s one part where Park said, “You don’t want to know what’s in[…] Keep reading →

I’ve done a lot of podcasts lately. The latest is unique and more personal. Here’s why… As a guy who got a PhD in physics became an entrepreneur got passionate about improving in business, and teaches experiential project-based learning, I was pleased to find a guy who got a PhD in physics became an entrepreneur got passionate about improving in business, and teaches experiential project-based learning. This other guy is[…] Keep reading →

I finally watched Gone With the Wind. People routinely rate it one of the top movies. Watching it, you automatically rate it by the standards of its time. But watch the acting these iconic scenes. The morning after watching the movie, I woke up realizing how ungenuine and inauthentic the acting was. Sure, by the standards of its time, the acting was probably great. But watch this scene, the opening[…] Keep reading →