Don't Be Late, You
I go to a dentist that is very much in touch with newer technology. I get reminders about my upcoming appointments by phone call, SMS text message, and email. Personally, I don't mind this, because I opted in to have these alerts send to me, and it's convenient for me because I don't have to worry about forgetting when I have an appointment. All of the reminders I get say the same thing: "Don't be...
Say What You Will...
It's odd how many blogs you come across where the writer starts, ends, or both starts and ends his post with something like this: "I know I'm not a real writer, but I'm trying." -or- "Don't feel you have to read this." Those are pretty short, but sometimes, the explanation is very long-winded and can be an entire paragraph. I don't think there's a single better way to make people want to stop reading than...
A Hybrid Requirement
We need sociologists and business people to start having sex with each other. We need their offspring. Okay, maybe the sex part isn't something we literally need, but we do need a fusion of the two. We need people who have the conscience and socially responsible attitude of sociologists as well as the vision and strategy of entrepreneurs. The people who think in the overlap between sociology's idealism and business' pragmatism are the ones who...
Ask the Right Question
During my first year of college, Napster broke onto the scene. Suddenly, every single student with a computer (which, I think, was everyone except me) was able to get their hands on just about any song or album just by typing it into a program and downloading it. Soon thereafter, Lars Ulrich, the drummer in Metallica, spoke up, claiming that Napster was a threat to the control that musician's should be able to retain over...
The Cookie Cutter Solution
Here's the sign you always read in parking lots: "These spots are reserved for [business name] only. All others will be ticketed and towed." I don't think people even give these signs a second thought anymore. That's the standard, default wording you see on signs all over the place. If you've got a parking lot and want to tell people they shouldn't park in your spots to go into the business next door, this is...
Squeak Squeak Squeak
There's an old expression about how the squeaky wheel gets the grease. That is, the person who complains the loudest, or the most, gets the attention and catered to. It has a negative connotation, because generally the squeaky wheel is given the most attention even at the expense of serving the other, quieter wheels. If there's any lesson we learn repeatedly in grade school, it's not to squeak. Avoid making any squeaky sound at all...
Don't Kill Your TV
"Kill your TV" is a slogan you see on bumper stickers and spray-painted on sidewalks. It's intended to influence people and get them to do something other than passively consume entertainment and mass media, blah blah. It's more than a little extreme, and it's off-putting. You don't have to kill your TV. I don't think you even have to get off the couch. Just put a project in front of you that you can work...
We Reserve the Right to Put You Off
There's a small Greek hole-in-the-wall takeout place just off main street in Santa Barbara. It's not a very comfortable place. I'm six foot three, and I had to stretch to communicate with the purveyor over the very tall counter. How do shorter people do it? Right in plain sight when you walk in the door is a big sign reading "We reserve the right to refuse service to anyone." What's the point of this sign?...
Find the Coincidentals
I often hear someone talk about how they spent their lunch hour at work. "I went to get my tires rotated at this place a few miles away. I always go there because while they're doing it, I go hit golf balls at the driving range next door." That's a happy coincidence, isn't it? While you're waiting for some mechanics to rotate your tires, there's something nearby that you can kill time doing, something you...
Everything That Can Be Invented
Take the following quote: "Everything that can be invented has been invented." -Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. Patent Office, 1899. Now, if you Google the quote itself, you'll find that a lot of people are pointing out that it cannot be confirmed that Charles H. Duell, or anyone else at the U.S. Patent Office, ever said this. They mention that it's a cute quote when you consider the source, but the attribution is either mistaken...