Tag Archives: technology
Amazon, Salesforce, and (American History) X
In which I discuss how Salesforce is now a must-avoid company, and ask what we should do about the ultra-rich who are undermining our democracy, and the companies they lead. Continue reading
Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) (and Some Other New Stuff)
New targets! Comet C/2025 A6 (Lemmon) is beautiful, and I get a nice shot of both the Iris and Crab Nebulae. And maybe Ceres? Continue reading
Looking for an elephant, and finding some new clusters
One last try to catch the Elephant’s Trunk nebula, plus some new globular clusters and galaxies. Continue reading
What To Do When Things Go Wrong
People don’t remember what you did when things were going well. People remember what you do when things go wrong. This post explores that idea, and how to make sure you think clearly about the BEST thing to do, and then DO IT. Continue reading
Don’t Be Afraid
In which I discuss how fear is an overweight counterbalance in the risk equation, and how to check yourself whenever you feel afraid. There are a lot of benefits to not being afraid. Continue reading
How To Ask For Help
When you ask for help, the right way to do it is to say: (1) This is what I’ve done; (2) This is what I plan to do next; (3) Am I on the right track? This article discusses the hows and whys of this pattern. Continue reading
New Hires: Gophers vs. My Hair’s On Fire
In which I discuss another spectrum of behaviors, specifically as it pertains to how people approach and solve problems, how they do it wrong, and how good leaders coach them to be better. Continue reading
Fixers vs. Enablers
In which I discuss the difference between “fixers,” who intervene at any sign of trouble, to “enablers,” who encourage and enable their teams to solve the problems themselves. Both extremes are bad, but understanding where you are, and where your boss is, on this spectrum helps manage expectations. Continue reading
A Slightly Wonky Follow-up on Pay, After the “Talent is a Power Curve” Post
Where I compare Amazon’s pay structure against the fact that talent is a power curve. Is it possible that Amazon was trying to model the curve? Or are Amazon’s compensation ranges not adequately reflecting differences in performance? While I don’t have an answer, the question itself has interesting implications. Continue reading
Luck
In which I talk about how I’m very lucky in my life, and because of who I lived with in my sophomore year in college, I am even luckier still. Continue reading
