Part I, “Automation Armageddon: a Legitimate Worry?” reviewed the history of automation, focused on projections of gloom-and-doom. Part II, “Automation: Robots in Real Life” reviewed how robots are ubiquitous and create jobs. My first real job was creating a print estimating and production control system for five print plants scattered around the US. Each had […]
Category Archives: Insights
Archie McCardell Award Winner: Boeing’s Dennis Muilenburg
Archie McCardell is the worst CEO in history. However, we realized Archie’s management talents aren’t unique. Granted, nobody is likely to replicate his success decimating two businesses in entirely separate industries. Archie’s ability to destroy was positively Romanesque in scope, unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. However, their failure to fail, and to flame-out spectacularly, won’t […]
Automation: Robots in Real Life
Part I, “Automation Armageddon: a Legitimate Worry?” reviewed the history of automation, focused on projections of gloom-and-doom. “It smells like death,” is how a friend of mine described a nearby chain grocery store. He tends to exaggerate and visiting France admittedly brings about strong feelings of passion. Anyway, the only reason we go there is […]
Archie McCardell Award Winner: We nee WeWork
Background Archie McCardell is the worst CEO in history. However, we realized Archie’s management talents aren’t unique. Granted, nobody is likely to replicate his success decimating two businesses in entirely separate industries. Archie’s ability to destroy was positively Romanesque in scope, unlikely to be repeated anytime soon. However, their failure to fail, and to flame-out […]
Automation Armageddon: a Legitimate Worry?
Right now, we have 122 major innovations that involve some type of automation. Click here to see the list. Putting it mildly, many of them were not met with enthusiasm. For example, Frenchman Barthélemy Thimonnier invented the sewing machine only to see his factory burnt down by worried tailors. The “American Manufacturing Method” using standardized […]
Calm Booth – The Absolute Stupidest Way to Spend Your Money
TechCrunch has written about a $4200 booth called the “Calm Booth.” You’re supposed to sit inside the cramped cube and meditate. They write: “there are probably worse ways to spend that money.” I think it’s safe to say this article is incorrect: there are no worse ways to spend your money than buying a Calm […]
Archie McCardell: Worst CEO Ever
Archie McCardell is the worst CEO in history. Sure, there are CEO’s who committed crimes, CEO’s who bankrupt their businesses, and CEO’s who looted their businesses. There are crooks, those who hire cronies, people who paid bribes, plenty who demanded sex or servitude, and countless sociopaths. In fairness to him, Archie did none of these […]