From an early age my parents wanted to teach me how to be helpful to others. Here I am, age 10 months, learning the fine art of carrying a box of cigarettes across the room to my Dad so that he wouldn’t have to get up and get them himself. Hey, …more
The robot felt … the robot felt … the robot felt … wet. Yes, “wet” … or maybe “moist” was a better description — that’s it. The robot felt moist. Walt let a small frown cross his face. His mustache twitched slightly, a nervous tic that resulted when he moved …more
A number of people have asked me, “Do you know that there’s a statue of Copernicus is Warsaw?” Why, yes i do! It’s quite a famous sculpture — the Nicolaus Copernicus Monument in Warsaw is one of the Polish capital’s notable landmarks. It stands before the Staszic Palace, the seat …more
My friend Cory Doctorow is an award-winning, critically-acclaimed, bestselling, literary SF author. He’s one of my great inspirations in life — I first met Cory not long after his short story “Craphound” (now the name of his Web site, here) had appeared in the March 1998 issue of Science Fiction …more
For the first time since e-mail invented, we need to start assuming a mobile audience for our e-mails instead of a desktop audience. Three big ideas: In my experience, here are the top three things we should do to make our e-mails more mobile-friendly: 1. Use a mobile-friendly physical layout. …more
There are so many types of awesome in this photo from 1984 I don’t know where to start. Is it the casual pose? Is it the way I’m rockin’ the Birks with white socks? Or is it the super clean 1978 Honda Civic that I drove for 4 glorious years …more
I had a great time last night at the Health Innovator’s Collaborative event at the University of Washington’s Department of Bioengineering. Titled “IT can make a big difference in health: Why hasn’t it?”, the evening was a talk and reception with Peter Neupert, who was my CVP at Microsoft Health …more
In this episode I talk about the tremendous customer-centric Copernican Shift that the Ford Motor Company made in order to successfully design and market the Mustang — the most successful car in history with 50 years of continuous production and 1MM vehicles manufactured in year 1 of production. Today, the …more
Inline below is a quick primer on Marketing Automation. This post reviews: What is Marketing Automation Benefits of Marketing Automation How Marketing Automation works As well, there are a series of publications from Marketo that are longer, but super interesting, reads. If you review the note below and read the Marketo …more
Have a safe Memorial Day everyone – and remember our troops. In its first 100 years of existence, over 683,000 Americans lost their lives, with the Civil War accounting for 623,026 of that total (91.2%). Comparatively, in the next 100 years, a further 626,000 Americans died through two World Wars …more
In this episode of my continuing YouTube series on marketing I pontificate on the question of “What is a Copernican Shift?” Those …more
Yep, it’s that time of year — the countdown to Christmas is on, and the rush to buy for the season of …more
In most industries, there are “three windows” on your device — your mail client; your Web browser; and your LOB app. Except …more
At Disney’s D23 Expo last summer there was a fantastic exhibit area celebrating 60 years of Imagineering. Inside that exhibit was a …more
I recently had the privilege of hearing Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School professor and bestselling author and business consultant, speak at PRISM. …more
Funny how sometimes companies need to re-learn their own lessons. As I ponder the massive popularity of FROZEN, I can’t help but shake …more
Originally published on Microsoft For Work on April 18, 2014. To execute the most effective marketing strategy for your business, you need …more
As noted by the Seattle Times, Pike Place Market is setting up a new satellite Farmer’s Market on Tuesdays at the Microsoft Commons …more
The New York Times Dialect Survey was the site’s most popular post of 2013. The data behind it is based on the …more
Originally published on March 19, 2014 here: Microsoft News. In March, 2014, Microsoft announced that “Project Spark” beta program is extending onto Xbox One. Microsoft …more
Original article published here. A small, covert team of engineers at Microsoft cast aside suggestions that the company spend US$60 million to …more
Heritage, much-loved and foolproof handset brought back from the ashes with powerful PureView imaging capabilities. Initially released in the year 2000, the …more
I believe that one of the addictive qualities of car ownership is the endless hackability of a vehicle. As proof in point, …more
Original article published on Microsoft for Work on March 17, 2014. Leaders in every industry must pay attention to disruptions. Professor Michio …more
It’s always thought-provoking to see what happens when content catches on and becomes viral. What makes an idea or product so interesting …more
Originally published on Microsoft for Work on March 18, 2014. In his new book, Absolute Value, Stanford Professor Itamar Simonson sets up …more
On this episode of The Downshift, they take a look back at one of the most interesting chapters in automotive history: the …more
My friend and former business partner (dotedu/OpenCola), Cory Doctorow has an audiobook in the latest Humble Ebook Bundle, which includes a collection of …more
Microsoft Research originally published this article on March 18, 2014: Link Leslie Lamport first began dabbling in computers while he was still in …more
I’m excited to be able to experience the Magic of TED at the TED2014 Executive Briefing tomorrow in Vancouver, Canada. WHEN: Thursday, …more
