“For the only way in which a durable peace can be created is by world-wide restoration of economic activity and international trade.” – James Forrestal A recent article reviewed games that might be akin to the international trading process, chess, poker and bridge. That author argues that so much of our rhetoric is militaristic. We
According to the economist, Paul Craig Roberts, “Tariffs protect ill-considered government policies, such as costly regulations and high taxes on labor and capital that make our goods uncompetitive in international markets.” Young and emerging countries may want tariffs to protect nascent industries and other local protections to help assure employment and rise of a strong
Are we doing this again with Artificial Intelligence? On March 10, 2000, a five-year dotcom bubble bursts on the Nasdaq Index. Even blue-chip tech companies lost more than 80% of their market value and it would be 15 years before Nasdaq would see that peak again. “The dotcom bubble, also known as the Internet bubble,
“The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.” –Alexandra K. Trenfor As a sales manager, executive and now independent advisor, I am often asked to go on sales calls. Sounds like what every sales executive should to, support the representative, interact with the client and
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” – Winston Churchill I recently watched a documentary about Three Mile Island. I did not fact check it or try to assess bias but if much of what went wrong were correctly portrayed, leadership was missing in action. The father of the US Nuclear Navy, Admiral Hyman G. Rickover
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett It is fascinating how many accident videos get posted to social media. Guess we all go to NASCAR races to see car wrecks. In some cases, videos are personal
“If the ratio is high, you’re an idiot.” – Elon Musk “Musk developed the ‘idiot index,’ which calculated how much more costly a finished product was than the cost of its basic materials. If a product had a high idiot index, its cost could be reduced significantly by devising more efficient manufacturing techniques.” Effectively, what
“Auditing is defined as the on-site verification activity, such as inspection or examination, of a process or quality system, to ensure compliance to requirements.” Elon Musk has just changed the Auditing Game! Most readers are aware that Elon Musk is leading a small task force of developers to assess the processes and spend of various federal government
In 1950, the mathematician Alan Turing put forth this question. Rather than attempt to answer it using conventional logic, he proposed a new disruptive model–the Imitation Game. The Problem One can look at Alan Turing (1912-1954) as the “father of theoretical computer science and artificial intelligence.” His contributions to modern computer science cannot be understated. He
Disclaimer: The author is not an attorney, and this document is not meant to be a legal opinion in any sense. Interested readers should contact their legal counsel for any Intellectual Property (IP) determination. This blog simply raises a question that is generally not addressed regarding ownership rights of the content and products developed using
Is outsourcing software development strategic or simply a cost saving method? It Depends The most infamous words in software development. Yes, it depends on the task at hand, but this cop out has long been a way to forego the development of a robust economic value and risk assessment. According to one vendor, “Engineering started
“Many processes are repeatable and only data inputs change.”
The Day the Congress Stood Still On December 18, 2024, Elon Musk delivered on the social media site, 𝕏 the death knell of a 1500+ page so called Continuing Resolution that was to stave off a Federal Government shutdown. Later it was replaced with a much shorter (100+ page) bill that passed largely intact. This
Eagles Soar, others flock. Post the US election, it seems that many on the losing side are circling the wagons and pointing to the ‘other guy’ to blame for a series of political sins. Like fish in a school, the belief seems to be that the crowd provides an element of protection. But is this belief
This Blog is dedicated to the memory of Eugene Lindsay, 1931-2015. For many years, Gene was one of my sales representatives, confidant and a friend. The title of this piece is attributed to him. The United States is still in the throes of the election aftermath and the President just pardoned his son; something he
“The only rules are the ones dictated by the laws of physics. Everything else is a recommendation.” — Walter Isaacson/Elon Musk We live in a spreadsheet society. Columns of Categories of People and Rows of Wants, Needs, and Desires. This model is too simplistic. What is needed, and Big Data can provide, is a more sophisticated approach.
In 2025, our new book, Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making will be released by CRC Press. This is an accompanying book to our 2023 book, Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability. Both books focus on the use of advanced information technologies to attain and sustain Operational Excellence. Today,
This author is working on a book to be published in early 2025 that addresses issues about the decision to procure and implement today’s exploding technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI). So, for this edition, we wanted to try something new. We are going to ask Chat GPT how to sell Artificial Intelligence and glean knowledge
The world is abuzz, not with the US presidential election, but with Artificial Intelligence (AI). How do you feel about this game changing suite of technologies? Whether we agree or not, the AI tsunami is coming ashore. What we, as individuals do about this phenomenon will dictate the remainder of our career and even quality
In the current calendar year, I have personally not been negatively impacted by hurricane Beryl and other extreme weather events that have hit the Houston metropolitans area. Friends and colleagues have not been so lucky with several enduring power failures multiple times. So why have I been so lucky? We usually ask the title question
Creative destruction is the dismantling of long-standing practices in order to make way for innovation and is seen as a driving force of capitalism. We live in an era of hyper-change. Technology to be sure, but all social constructs are under duress. The question is, how will all of us at an individual level deal with
We all rely on Apps for most of our decision making. But, how do we know the app is providing the correct answer? The stories about spreadsheet errors are legendary and are usually the result of human ‘data entry’ or ‘calculation’ errors. However, software can be the root cause for problems. Software bugs are classified into
Some still believe that an individual’s word is his/her bond. Or that the Marquess of Queensberry Rules still apply. Sadly, for many, these statements are outdated. Blockchain is a, “decentralized digital ledger that securely stores records across a network of computers in a way that is transparent, immutable, and resistant to tampering.” This is the
Oh My, I am Swamped by this Firehose of New Technologies. How can I Understand, Much Less Use These Tools? Like most of us, our job is not about new bigger, better, faster IT. We have the daily grind to attend to and quarterly metrics to make. What we need from IT providers (internal and
Call Center robotic humans and/or maybe AI reading their scripts and/or sending stupid texts. We a get them everyday. The opportunity of a lifetime. Since your D&B rating has recently increased, we are please to announce that you can borrow a ridiculous amount of money at a low interest. This blogger has never responded but
“Cognitive dissonance is the mental discomfort that results from holding two conflicting beliefs, values, or attitudes.” — Verywellmind Typically, we associate this behavioral issue with individual humans. Yet, aren’t organization comprised of human beings? Well at least until the AI robots take over. There can be many issues causing individual and collective angst and some
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” – Richard Feynman “I am the science.” You have got to be kidding me Mr. Fauci. Clearly, you have no training in the Scientific Method or maybe your just plan arrogant. Home many lives have you and you colleagues destroyed,
With a Big Smile and a hand stretched out, customers are greeted as if they are long lost cousins. Sound like the used car sales guy of the 1950″s? Perhaps, but still fairly typical today in many cases. So how does one assess the honesty of a business executive, sales representative, customer service or anyone
The days of the so-called gentlemen’s/gentlewoman’s handshake agreement are over if they ever truly existed. One of the most famous handshake deals was the 1983 acquisition of Getty Oil by Pennzoil. Texaco sought to sweeten the deal with a superior offer that Getty accepted. The original deal made in New York was later upheld in the
The word Systemic is tossed around quite loosely these days. Especially when discussing social issues and politics. But what does it really mean when we say something is systemic by nature? By one definition it is, “Of or relating to a system or a system and other relating to or affecting the entire body or
