Friends of Dave #24: Winter Is Coming...
It's June, but winter is coming folks. And it is not what you think.
Let me first start by saying this to you Game of Thrones fans: I have never once watched the show. I have never seen any of the Lord of the Rings or Harry Potter movies either. I simply cannot muster the energy to tap into my inner nerd for long enough to get into any of them. I have no interest.
Don't worry though -- I still like you. I just personally don't get the fascination. I surmised I might get a few of you Thronies out there to open this newsletter with that subject line though. I guess that gives me the same cheap thrill that my 16 year old son feels when he gets "likes" on the countless daily pensive selfies he posts on Instagram. I thank you for that.
No, my reference to winter coming is completely opposite: for fans of professional sports like me, we are rapidly approaching the "wintertime" of the year. Both the NBA playoffs and Stanley Cup playoffs will be over by this time next week. Baseball season does not get remotely exciting (let alone watchable for me) until after Labor Day. No matter hard the NFL tries, there is really nothing to see until mid to late August. And if you attempt to expand your horizons globally, you realize that the British Premier League is over, and we don't even have an Olympics or World Cup this year.
Okay, we do have tennis and golf, but please. Most people put those on the TV when they want to take a nap on the couch. It's like when you were a kid and you asked your mom for ice cream and she told you she only had strawberry flavor. Sure, you begrudgingly took it (hey, ice cream is ice cream, right?), but you really wanted chocolate and would have probably settled for vanilla.
So Thronies contingent of Friends of Dave, while you are celebrating the spring of your nerdom, please remember that winter will truly be upon your sports loving friends. Show some compassion and throw some love our way. Just don't try to explain the whole deal about Hodor getting his name or anything like that. We simply don't care and will likely tune you out to search for stories about future President Tim Tebow playing minor league baseball instead. That's just how cold the winter gets.
Enjoy the newsletter this week. Good cross section of stuff I picked with you in mind. Have a great weekend.
XOXO
Dave
Think on This...
Being open-minded literally changes the way you see the world — qz.com
Recent studies suggest that personality traits don’t simply affect your outlook on life, but the way you perceive reality.
The Illusion of Competence — aeon.co
Instead of being confused, perplexed or thoughtful about their erroneous ways, incompetent people insist that their ways are correct.
Turns out that the enemy of the know-it-all is their own incompetence. But you knew that already, right?
Should algorithms be regulated for safety like cars, banks, and drugs? — qz.com
It's convenient when Facebook can tag your friends in photos for you, and it's fun when Snapchat can apply a filter to your face. When these apps are imprecise, it's merely annoying. But as we increasingly rely on AI to make our lives easier, mistakes can have much harsher consequences. Food for thought here -- also recommend reading the embedded source paper as well.
For Your Day Job...
The world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data — www.economist.com
A NEW commodity spawns a lucrative, fast-growing industry, prompting antitrust regulators to step in to restrain those who control its flow. A century ago, the resource in question was oil. Now similar concerns are being raised by the giants that deal in data, the oil of the digital era.
Sales Ramp Rate: The Key to a Successful Company — www.insightsquared.com
Onboarding and propelling your new salespeople is key for success. Interesting look at how to measure and optimize the process of making new salespeople productive.
Online Shopping and Data Is Making Suckers of Us All (long read) — www.theatlantic.com
We live in the age of the variable airfare, the surge-priced ride, the pay-what-you-want Radiohead album, and other novel price developments. But what was this? Some weird computer glitch? More like a deliberate glitch, it seems. “It’s most likely a strategy to get more data and test the right price."
The biggest driver behind this variable pricing phenomenon? You guessed it: the data you create.
Banks should NOT invest in FinTech startups – they should acquire them — fintech.global
Make no mistake: the old behemoths of the banking world are now transforming into technology companies. That means they can no longer afford to just simply invest in innovation -- they need to acquire it.
Your Weekly Dose of Randomness...
When Michigan State Used Ruined Mayonnaise for Power — www.atlasobscura.com
First it was fidget spinners, and now this? Next thing you will be telling me is that there is a black market for used cooking oil....
Beware: Ravens Carry a Grudge Like No Other — qz.com
Word to the wise: this means DO NOT leave the toilet seat up when you visit a raven's house...or forget her birthday...
And The Last Word....
How “Check Your Head” Invented the Beastie Boys
Their audience didn't understand them. Their label didn't want to talk to them. Not to worry: for the Beastie Boys, it was a brand-new morning. Here’s a little story that must be told...for you hardcore music folks out there.
Got feedback? Questions? Suggestions? Email me: dave@slingstonegroup.com