Apple iPod Nano and FedEx-Impossibly Fast

In December 2004 I ordered an iPod for my son. The engraved and free shipping marvel traveled from China to NH (click to see that post) in about 6 days from orderSeptember 19th I ordered the new iPod Nano, again with free shipping and engraving. September 22nd at noon the Nano showed up, having been customized and shipped all the way from China in less than 3 days!Clearly a truly amazing

BACKPACKING LIGHT

BACKPACKING LIGHT - The Ultralight Backpacking Magazine and Lightweight Backpacking Gear ShopWhile there is a subscription of $25 per year this specialized site on ultra lightweight outdoor gear combines insightful editorial with an active community of members who analyze, comment, modify, and weigh gear down to the fraction of an ounce. Great example of an authoritative, if somewhat obsessive

Emergency Alert System-Another Relic?

As I was taking a break at noon today I turned on the TV. From the kitchen I heard the squawk of the Emergency Alert System. Looking at the screen on a beautiful sunny day I saw a statewide alert was in progress. A voice came on, completely unintelligle and incomprehensible through the static of what must have been a cold war era connection. Of course usually these are weather alerts and text

Frog Design Mind - Gizmodo- Perception and Product Design

Frog Design Mind - GizmodoVery interesting article which explores the use of conventions in design to change how people perceive products. Among other things why do consumers almost universally perceive the iPod design as "clean" and what associations might consumers have made based on the design to arrive at that perception?

Katrina: Communications, Supply Chains, Hub and Spoke, and Leadership

I have been riveted by the horrors of the last week: the unspeakable destruction and loss of life, the breakdown of planning and response, and the slow to start but increasingly effective effort- voluntary and government.Clearly our internet and technology enabled world is not what the inventors of the internet imagined when they conceived of a mesh of communications to survive a nuclear war. In

The Bakeoff- Software, Cookie, and Product Development

Comments on a New Yorker Article 9/5/05 “The Bakeoff” by Malcolm GladwellMalcolm Gladwell is one of my favorite thinkers and writers; author of The Tipping Point, Blink, and many great articles bridging business, technology, science, and the complex ways humans act individually and in groups. The Bakeoff concerns a top food industry development firm located in Silicon Valley testing three