A friend once asked why I wanted a PhD in physics, or to become a professor. I told him I wanted to stay in academia because I wanted to keep learning. He responded, “I learn something new every day!” He worked at a bank. I presumed banks didn’t care about employees except that the did their work. My dad taught as a tenured professor since I was born. I grew[…] Keep reading →

Someone mentioned the idea of a failure resume a month or two ago. You know as much about them as I do now. I haven’t looked up the idea but the name describes enough to go on. I’ve thought about it long enough. Time to start it. I expect I’ll add to it and refine. Date Event Lessons 1970s and 80s Mugged 5 times growing up, three bikes stolen, etc,[…] Keep reading →

I prefer blackboards to whiteboards, which are plastic and chintzy, their markers plastic and chemically. Blackboards, on the other hand, are made of rock. Chalk is made of chalk. They’re from the Earth. But my big issue is that markers are nearly always out of ink, which I find out too late, by using them. With chalk, you can tell by looking, as this bar chart I made shows: Try[…] Keep reading →

I spoke at Google on starting a podcast, specifically on the environment. I wish I could bring you the whole thing, but here are a few unretouched clips. The audience was very receptive, stayed late, and asked lots of questions. I hope to bring you future stories of them starting podcasts from this event. (EDIT: I posted the audio of the full event on the podcast, episode 263.) and and[…] Keep reading →

This month is the twenty year anniversary of the big month of November 1999. Long enough has passed that I may mis-remember, but in November 1999, I Defended my PhD thesis Bought the Greenwich Village apartment I still live in Secured, with my co-founder, my first company’s first investment of $200,000 In other words, I finished the top degree in one of the most challenging fields, severed my ties with[…] Keep reading →

On Monday I spoke on Initiative at Google in Chelsea, Manhattan. (EDIT: here are video clips from a future talk there) It was my first time speaking with them (here’s my speaking page, by the way, for those looking to book an amazing speaker who will get them promoted for hiring me). It reminded me that I started using Google in graduate school because they used GNU/Linux before anyone else[…] Keep reading →

I wrote an in-depth piece answering why we as a culture and as individuals tend to lack initiative, as developed in my book, and how to develop more initiative. It presents more from my book than most reviews or excerpts I’ve posted. The piece is called Initiative: Why We Lack It and How to Develop It and appears in a community site for coaches and people getting coached called The[…] Keep reading →

Want to lead people so they want you to lead them again? To take initiative effectively? Many people ask counterproductive questions, like “How should I do X?”, “How do I convince someone to do Y?”, or “What do I need to know to become a leader?” The most effective question is “How do I learn to lead?“, or in entrepreneurship and taking initiative, “How do I learn to take initiative?“[…] Keep reading →

I wanted to share the story behind Initiative‘s cover. Layout The designer first sent a few cover designs. They were contemporary and appropriate for 2019, but they didn’t feel right. I couldn’t point to anything wrong with them, but they didn’t resonate. When we spoke to review his first designs, I told him that they felt “now,” but I considered my book timeless. It’s not about making apps, blockchain, or[…] Keep reading →