How to Land Your Kid in Therapy -
By trying to spare our children the discomfort of failure and unhappiness by artificially propping up their self-esteem and self-worth, are we doing more harm than good? A very interesting article.
“The clinical focus had always been on how the lack of parental attunement affects the child. It never occurred to any of us to ask, what if the parents are too attuned? What happens to those kids?”
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I talked with Nancy Pelosi about SOPA the other day, and she said that the experience with piracy is different for people in the movie industry. Maybe — I’m not a movie producer. But I do know that right now the entire content industry is facing massive systemic changes, and to claim that declining sales are because of piracy is so over the top. Any company that is providing great content online in a way that’s easy to use with a fair price has a booming business right now. The people who don’t are trying to fight that future.
So here we have this legislation, with all of these possible harms, to solve a problem that only exists in the minds of people who are afraid of the future. Why should the government be intervening on behalf of the people who aren’t getting with the program?
Which is better for users, scrolling or clicking?
“Nowadays, a candidate must believe not just some but all of the following things: that abortion should be illegal in all cases; that gay marriage must be banned even in states that want it; that the 12m illegal immigrants, even those who have lived in America for decades, must all be sent home; that the 46m people who lack health insurance have only themselves to blame; that global warming is a conspiracy; that any form of gun control is unconstitutional; that any form of tax increase must be vetoed, even if the increase is only the cancelling of an expensive and market-distorting perk; that Israel can do no wrong and the “so-called Palestinians”, to use Mr Gingrich’s term, can do no right; that the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and others whose names you do not have to remember should be abolished.” — American politics: The right Republican | The Economist (via fillup)
(via fillup)
For all the beer drinkers out there, I normally don’t ever post memes, but this image macro totally killed me.
“This latest episode over the Cordray appointment may be the most extreme example. But it’s surely not the final example.
It is instead an ominous milestone in the deterioration of the US political system into ever more intense acrimony and paralysis.”
“Taking vacation at Red Frog is encouraged (and even celebrated). And it’s not abused. Ever. By anyone. Simply make sure your work is getting done and make sure you’re covered while you’re away and that’s it—no questions asked.” —
Give Your Employees Unlimited Vacation Days
Some look at business management techniques like this and think they are pipe dreams or flat out silly. I disagree: I think it’s a shift in our culture and a necessary one. Just as sales commissions train salespeople to focus on the wrong results, so do strict 9-5 environments and time-tracking. Productivity, skill, and value do not relate to minutes, hours, or days. One day I hope to lead an office with unrestricted vacation time, transparent salaries, and proper 15% time.
(via 9-bits)
(via 9-bits)
Since it’s newly 2012, I felt it was time to revisit my 2011 resolutions (found here: http://johanlieu.com/post/2548438695/my-new-years-resolutions-for-2011), see if I kept them and grade myself like I said I would (I said I would do it on a monthly basis, but I didn’t, so you can probably guess how well this going to go for me):
Resolution #1:
1. I am going to commit to writing one long form blog post a week about product management, the web, the Internet industry, or anything else that I might find interesting to write about. I’ve been too lazy about developing a voice for my blog on the web, settling just for small commentary on things I share that I found interesting. It’s time to start creating ideas instead of just rehashing them.
Well, considering I wanted to post once a week and I only, by my count, got to 6 well written posts, resulting in a 11.5% completion rate, I think it’s safe to grade this one a big fat F. I think I set my expectations bar too high with the whole “long form” blog post requirement and then coupled with the once a week mandate, it gave me just long enough to procrastinate and not post anything since I had enough time to talk myself out of posting anything because I didn’t think it met the “long form” requirement. Too much bullshit on my part there. I’m going to post more frequently and not worry about meeting some arbitrary standard. I am just going to post more frequently and keep at it. I think Om Malik and MG Siegler had it right, you just need to do it regularly to actually do it.
Onward to resolution #2:
2. I am going to try and consciously be a nicer/better/positive person. I’ve found my negativity influencing one too many decisions I’ve made previously and need to change that. I normally don’t believe in “intangibles” but I think being a nicer, better person will be meaningful, even if it is on the intangible level.
I know it’s odd to grade this one, especially since I totally and miserably failed the previous resolution, but I believe I followed through on this one. You’re just going to have to trust me on this one; I was way more positive this year than I had been previously. If you want some proof, I guess you’re going to have to talk to my wife, brothers, and my other close friends. For those of you too lazy to check my sources, I got an A.
Now for resolution #3:
3. I will learn the skills needed to develop, launch, and maintain a simple web app this year. It doesn’t matter what technology I will learn, it matters that I just do it. It’s going to suck at first (actually it’s going to suck a lot) but I need to power through and get it done.
This is a two parter. I learned the needed skills, but I didn’t launch or maintain my simple web app. I could use the fact that I quit my job to start my own company as an excuse, but really, that should have been more of a catalyst. I will get my product out soon, so for now, I am going to grade this as an Incomplete.
As for 2012, I have some simple ones:
1. Follow through and release a web app/release my company’s app. Two for one here, but so intertwined that I combined them.
2. Write more and post more on this blog. I’m shooting for at least once a week again, but this time I won’t allow the arbitrary and vague level of quality hinder my flow.
3. Exercise 3 times a week for 52 weeks straight (I actually started this one back in October, but that was for momentum more than anything). This one is personal; this may come as a surprise to some of you (not really) but I was never in organized sports and never really was athletic (other than skateboarding) so this is something I’ve really never done. I’ve never exercised regularly in my life, so I want to see if I can do it. Seems like something I should be able to do, so we’ll see how that goes.
Well, there is nothing quite like calling yourself out on your own blog, but there it is. How did you do in keeping your 2011 resolutions?
P.S. If you talk to me, ask me how it’s coming along. Keep me accountable, I’ll appreciate it.
How Fox News is helping Barack Obama's re-election bid -
Frum: “Republicans originally thought that Fox worked for us – and now we’re discovering we work for Fox.”
The Big Lie: Wall Street has destroyed the wonder that was America. -
“I have lived what now, at 75, is starting to feel like a long life. If anyone asks me what has been the great American story of my lifetime, I have a ready answer. It is the corruption, money-based, that has settled like some all-enveloping excremental mist on the landscape of our hopes, that has permeated every nook of any institution or being that has real influence on the way we live now.”
National Geographic: The Bible of King James -
Fascinating history of the influence, both good and bad, of the King James Bible.
How to Actually Make Text Look Interesting -
Nice intro to text design.
When Did the GOP Lose Touch With Reality? -
“It’s fine to be unconcerned that the rich are getting richer, but blind to deny that middle-class wages have stagnated or worse over the past dozen years. In the aftershock of 2008, large numbers of Americans feel exploited and abused. Rather than workable solutions, my party is offering low taxes for the currently rich and high spending for the currently old, to be followed by who-knows-what and who-the-hell-cares. This isn’t conservatism; it’s a going-out-of-business sale for the baby-boom generation.”
David Frum brings the truth.
The Dumbest Idea In The World: Maximizing Shareholder Value -
Must read.
“It is not healthy for companies to trade at prices well beyond what they are worth. It puts incredible pressure on the team to deliver results that can’t be delivered. And when the stock inevitably comes back to reality, the team feels like they somehow failed. Morale is impacted. The whole things is madness. And who benefits from that first day pop? Only the best customers of the banks who led the offerings. Why should they get a windfall when they did nothing to build the company and when they will be out of the stock so fast it will make your head spin?” —
Another great post from Fred.
(via dpstyles)
(via dpstyles)