January 2013 Travel Log
January 2013 is in the books. Here’s a recap of my travel during the month: 8 airports (IAD, LAS, MUC, HEL, FRA, DCA, DFW, SLC) 10 flight segments 18,774 total miles 1 red-eye 10 nights in a hotel
Engineering Doesn’t Necessarily Win in the End
There is a misconception that engineering wins in the end. It doesn’t. Perhaps it once did. Certainly over the last 60 years of technology engineering won out more than it does today. But today, pure engineering is simply less powerful in influencing adoption and consumer use. This has become acutely evident over the last 24 […]
Thinking about Travel Writings
I love the idea of travel logs and I’ve always been attracted to well written travel logs. In the late 1990s, after studying in the Middle East, I spend several months in Europe on a long layover back to the U.S. I had my own On the Road moment if you will. During this wander I also […]
Global Competitiveness: Why the U.S. Still Has an Edge
I just returned from a four-day trip to Helsinki, and as always, reading the news outside the U.S. offers a powerful change in perspective. Local stories gain relevancy, and American news is seen through a different lens. At the heart of these differing viewpoints lies a single, powerful theme: global competitiveness. The conversation consistently revolves […]
Scaling Disruption: How Innovations Go from Niche to Mainstream
On my flight over to Helsinki, I read the December issue of the Harvard Business Review, which had several articles focused on disruption. This is a topic I want to explore, especially the critical element that is often overlooked: the process of scaling disruption. Disruption is a fickle influence. While we often talk about it […]
The Rise of Chinese-based Consumer Tech Companies and How They Successfully Enter the U.S. Market
There’s been a lot written in the last few weeks about the rise of Chinese-based tech companies (see: CES coverage, showing up in major motion picture placements, and today’s coverage of Huawei in the FT). In many ways, this is nothing more than Clay Christensen’s Innovator’s Dilemma at work. Secondary brands in every segment of the economy are continuously attempting […]
2013 CES Trends to Watch
Here my is presentation on trends to watch at this year’s International CES and in the months/years to come.
Kids with Phones
Greg Hoffman wanted an iPhone from his parents. He received one together with a contract from his mother, Janell Hoffman. Here are the contract terms: 1. It is my phone. I bought it. I pay for it. I am loaning it to you. Aren’t I the greatest? 2. I will always know the password. 3. […]
Will Interest in the Fiscal Cliff Wain
Since the election, the Fiscal Cliff as dominated the media cycle. Here is Google Trend data depicting web search interest for the term “Fiscal Cliff” over the last twelve months in the United States. Unsurprisingly, web searches have spiked significantly. This has been true not only in the United States, but also in the rest of […]
Web Technologies – Things to Look for in 2013
Earlier this week, CNET wrote about 5 Web Technologies to Watch in 2013. I completely agree with the 4th one listed: High-res images on the Web. Prevalent at CES next week will be what I’m referring to as “HD Everywhere.” We’ve already seen the resolution on mobile phones increase and we are now seeing that spread […]