Technology

Gut feelings override critical thinking.

The brain’s emotional systems can function independently from the cortex, the seat of consciousness. Therefore memories and response repertoires can be formed without us ever knowing.

We see with our brains not just our eyes.

Our unconscious minds have learned to associate the color with a feeling. This is why Coke Clear and Crystal Pepsi failed in the early 1990s. People didn’t prefer clear cola, because the rich brown hue of cola is steeped in fond memories that color our beliefs not just the drink.

The evolutionary psychologist Geoffrey Miller believes that humans display brands like proud peacocks exhibit their tail feathers, as "fitness indicators" that advertise their potential as mates. Peacocks spread their intricate plumage to imply their natural beauty.

When associations shift so do market shares because we learn and make decisions through vast neural networks of associative memory.

Many industry experts consider the most brilliantly successful ad campaign of all time: the revered and reviled Marlboro Man.

Marketers must identify sometimes illogical traits we unknowingly aspire to have as people and communicate those in advertising.

A company will say they want to improve customer service, for example — but no one ever bothers to say what that looks like. Shorter call times? Fewer calls? Higher customer satisfaction? How will you know when you’ve succeeded? Without a goal a project is doomed.

Too often, technology projects are deemed “IT” projects and relegated to the IT department, regardless of what the project actually is.

Without leadership it is difficult to get employees on board and who to look to for guidance.

When projects are dubbed “IT projects” and left to the IT department, there’s also a lack of accountability that can develop.

It’s important for someone on the team to communicate clearly and regularly what’s happening with the project to others.

A clear plan and someone to keep track of it is vital for keeping projects moving forward.

Technology projects are made for people, not machines. A lack of real-world user testing before launching is a common problem.

Before embarking on any IT project determine the answer these five essential questions:

1. What business problem that needs to be solved?
2. What data or tools will be needed to solve the problem?
3. How will success be measured?
4. How will the insights and knowledge learned be presented?
5. How to test and implement the solution?
6. What business problem is being solved?

Examine the processes encoded in the software. If you can agree to model your company’s best practices based on those processes, you’re choosing the right solution. If you can’t, continue looking.

The most successful ERP projects are led by a member of the management team who has actively participated in the both the software selection and implementation efforts.

The most significant cost of the ERP implementation is not the software, but the cost of the implementation. Budget accordingly.

The project schedule is the foundation of a successful ERP implementation; it should be developed and monitored carefully. The schedule should be updated weekly to reflect real-time activity and progress, and regularly reviewed by both the project manager and senior management.

Find outside help if necessary.

Successful ERP implementations stress staff training. They provide training sessions regularly throughout the project, with special concentration during the weeks just prior to implementation.

Education is different than training and provides staff with the knowledge of the methodology behind their activities. Members of the management team, master production schedulers, shop foremen or even cost accountants won’t be effective unless they understand the concepts required to do their jobs in an ERP environment.

The leading complaint about CMSs among non-technical end users is the complexity of routine tasks.

Another point that makes people dislike the CMS in use is a huge discrepancy between the system they expected and the real one.

Its really hard to ecide what featurs might be useful in the future.

An examination of the available plug-ins and architecture of a CMS is a good indicator of whats important.

Wordpress is great if the only types of pages you need are prmarily a single Blog.

Drupal's Multiple Content Types and allows for blogs and and still has the flexibility to add other content types in the future.

There are over 29,000 plug-ins for Wordpress. There are over 30,000 free modules available for Drupal.

Sony and AMD chose AMD microprocessor chips for their game boxes.

AMD had the lowest price

MIPS has a small developer ecosystem.

MIPS had lower processing power.

64-bit was important because it maximizes memory addressability.

They just didn’t have the experience or the IP required to put five to seven billion transistorson one piece of silicon. 

Being Green is Always Good

You can use the time you would use commuting for other purposes it is no longer wasted.

In the last 10 years I have saved 5,200 hours by telecommuting.

My minimum commute time was 2 hours per work day.

Thats 10 hours in a 40 hour week. Or 520 Hours a year.

Home has my Fridge, Stove and Microwave.

Lots of variety.

Eliminates Road Rage.

Commuting is an uneeded stress in ones life.

Free Coffee at home

Allows One To Multitask and intersperse Child or Pet Care with work.

Way more productive at home than in a cube.

Lowered Vehicle Expenses

Eliminate Vehicle Expenses for Some

Google Glass is a breakthrough concept, but it involves wearing a camera on your face, saying things like “OK, Google,” out loud, and walking around like it’s cool to do those things in public.

But, of course, it’s not cool. In fact, wearing Google Glass out in the world makes everyone else uncomfortable.

The early adopters for a new technology don’t have to be the same people that spend time on Techmeme, Product Hunt, Reddit, and Hacker News.

It would have been wise  to carefully figure out who, exactly, your best early adopters would be.

Ask Important Questions:

Is this something consumers can or will want to wear on their faces all day?

Find Some Niche that Loves it like Surgeons and Mechanics and explore all the features and needs.

Develop a compelling User Interface.

They dont want people to switch carriers.

Carriers are selling smartphones with MSRP of $599 - $799.

There would normally be a 33% - 40% markeup for the reseller of electronic equiptment. The carrier forgoes this profit and also kicks in some more subsidy in order to sell you a smart phone for a very low price of around $199.