Who Decides What’s Symbolic?

Who decided that this sparkle symbol means “A.I.”? The sparkle symbol has been around for a long time, but it’s never had a clear, stand-out … The post Who Decides What’s Symbolic? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

Why Loneliness Can Kill Us

During the Battle of the Bulge, the U.S. Army had an onboarding problem. According to the renowned WWII historian Stephen Ambrose, their process for recruiting … The post Why Loneliness Can Kill Us appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

The Internet is Iteration

Even though he’s as rich and famous as a movie star, and never has to work ever again, the standup comedian and podcaster, Joe Rogan … The post The Internet is Iteration appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

How Many Volts?

Nothing happens until someone feels something. In the critically acclaimed show Mad Men, Jon Hamm plays Don Draper, a creative director on 1960s Madison Avenue. … The post How Many Volts? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

The Sweetest Most Important Sound

“What’s in a name?” Shakespeare asks in Romeo and Juliet. Not much. He says: “That which we call a rose by any other name would … The post The Sweetest Most Important Sound appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

Simple is Beautiful

There is a common phenomenon among people starting their own business to overplan. People will spend months crafting the perfect integrated marketing strategy, designing the … The post Simple is Beautiful appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

The Power of Situationships

Remember Sweethearts, those popular heart-shaped fruit flavored candies that appear every year around Valentine’s Day, with those corny wee messages printed on the front of … The post The Power of Situationships appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

The Right Way is the Hard Way

  Jerry Seinfeld was once interviewed by HBR’s Daniel McGinn:  McGinn: You and Larry David wrote Seinfeld together, without a traditional writers’ room, and burnout … The post The Right Way is the Hard Way appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

What’s Your Gift?

“The artist appeals to that part of our being which is a gift, and not an acquisition, and therefore more permanently enduring.” – Joseph Conrad. … The post What’s Your Gift? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

Buckle Up

Build back _ _ _ _ _ _ Yes, _ _  _ _ _ Make _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _ _ Just _ _   _ _ The _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ driving _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ lovin’ | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

Don’t Roll the Dice

Napoleon had a paradoxical leadership style. Instead of organizing his army into one huge mass, he organized his army into semi-autonomous divisions of 20-30K men, … The post Don’t Roll the Dice appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 9 months ago

The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions

In Seth Godin’s “Tribes” book, he shares a story about a nonprofit who conducted a vaccination campaign in Rwanda. It spent its resources creating beautiful, … The post The Road to Hell is Paved with Good Intentions appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

The Geek Way

Back in November, Econtalk’s Russ Roberts did a great podcast interview with the MIT Research Head, Andrew McAfee, to talk about his new book, “The … The post The Geek Way appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

Life is Not Like Formula Fiction

One of the filmmaker Woody Allen’s most critically acclaimed movies is the late-1970s masterpiece, “Manhattan.” It’s a film about a bunch of fairly successful Manhattanites … The post Life is Not Like Formula Fiction appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

Don’t Hold the Drama

As anyone who follows British current affairs will know, the people are REALLY angry at the moment. It turns out hundreds of UK sub-postmasters were wrongly … The post Don’t Hold the Drama appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

Life Lessons from a Hot Dog

Will Guidara made his name as the former manager, then former co-owner of Eleven Madison Park, which has boasted three Michelin Stars since 2012, and … The post Life Lessons from a Hot Dog appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

Stop Telling People What To Do

Once you send a memo, it takes a life of its own. As Wayfair CEO, Niraj Shah, is currently finding out. Was this his intention … The post Stop Telling People What To Do appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

Humanity isn’t a Hack

Oliver Burkeman had a successful column in The Guardian for years titled “This Column Will Change Your Life.” It was all about lifestyle and productivity hacks, … The post Humanity isn’t a Hack appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

The Oppressive Culture of Air Travel

Put it into perspective: Back in the 1930s, you’d spend tens of thousands in today’s money crossing the Atlantic from New York to the UK. … The post The Oppressive Culture of Air Travel appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

The Secret Behind Successful New Year’s Resolutions

Only 16% of people manage to keep their New Year’s Resolutions, according to the Washington Post and the Economic Times India. That’s pretty low, and a host … The post The Secret Behind Successful New Year’s Resolutions appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 10 months ago

A Life Lesson from the Grinch & Charlie Brown

Most of us know the wonderful 1966 TV Christmas special, “How The Grinch Stole Christmas,” based on the 1957 children’s book by Dr Seuss. It’s the … The post A Life Lesson from the Grinch & Charlie Brown appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

The Message is the Message

Advertising is killing advertising, and it’s all because of the law of supply and demand. When advertising works, companies buy more advertising. When companies buy … The post The Message is the Message appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Show Me the Incentives

As the great Charlie Munger said in 1995 in his famous Psychology of Human Misjudgment speech at Harvard: “Show me the incentives, and I’ll show … The post Show Me the Incentives appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

The Power of Changing Your Mind

As Emperor Palpatine said in a galaxy far far away, “your arrogance blinds you.” While it may be odd to hear the Dark Lord of … The post The Power of Changing Your Mind appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Today’s Hottest Job

They say that the most sought-after job title from Gen-Z is not nurse, fireman or astronaut, but online “Influencer.” This explains why places like the … The post Today’s Hottest Job appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Must We Hate Our Jobs?

“The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.” -Mark Twain. So are the reports of everyone hating their jobs, apparently. It turns out “The Great … The post Must We Hate Our Jobs? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Charlie Munger’s Greatest Lesson

Quick, hands up. Without Googling, who knows what “Financial Factoring” is? For those who don’t know, it’s when somebody lends a manufacturer money to make … The post Charlie Munger’s Greatest Lesson appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Charlie Munger’s Greatest Lesson

Charlie Munger passed away last week. He was the less famous part of Berkshire Hathaway, but gained great prominence over the last 20 years. At … The post Charlie Munger’s Greatest Lesson appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

Nobody Likes Playing Tennis with the Net Down

In advertising, “The Brief” is the written marching orders that an agency gives to its creative department for an assignment. Usually it’s only one or … The post Nobody Likes Playing Tennis with the Net Down appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

The Silent Killer

The word on the street is the latest Disney animated movie, “Wish” is a box office disaster. And it was by no means the first, … The post The Silent Killer appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

You Can’t Fake It

Most of us know about the recent brouhaha of Sam Altman and OpenAI. [TLDR: Since 2019, he’s been the CEO of OpenAI, the group behind … The post You Can’t Fake It appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 11 months ago

The Psychology of Scaling Culture

Smoked Brisket tastes better in Texas. Bagels taste better in New York. Haggis tastes better in Scotland. Coffee tastes better in Santo Domingo. Yes, a … The post The Psychology of Scaling Culture appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 12 months ago

A Case Study on Innovation

Today’s post was written by our Advisor, General E. John “Dragon” Teichert (Ret). When I took command of legendary Edwards Air Force Base, it was … The post A Case Study on Innovation appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 12 months ago

A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas

Re. Thanksgiving week. Every time the last week of November rolls by, there’s a predictable collective wail online from people who don’t like Thanksgiving. They … The post A Dog is for Life, Not Just for Christmas appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Control is an Illusion

In the lead up to the D-Day invasion, Allied forces would fly surveillance planes over the mainland of France to scope out the territory. They … The post Control is an Illusion appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Get Off the Hamster Wheel

They say that the “Golden Age of TV” began in 1999 with the premiere of HBO’s gritty drama about mob life, “The Sopranos.” TV had never … The post Get Off the Hamster Wheel appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

The Secret to Happiness

We’re in Italy this week for a client engagement. Walking around the piazza at the center of town has us thinking surely this must be … The post The Secret to Happiness appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Work Hard, Play Harder

They say one does their best work when they’re actually not working, but in a state of play, or as the clever folk like to … The post Work Hard, Play Harder appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

What Samurai Teach Us About Service

Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai is known as one of the greatest movies of all time. It’s usually found in most serious film critics’ top-ten lists. … The post What Samurai Teach Us About Service appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

If It Sounds Too Good To Be True

The big business news of late is that Sam Bankman-Fried (SBM) was convicted in Federal Court on all seven counts of fraud and faces up … The post If It Sounds Too Good To Be True appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Are Their Eyes Shining

In the late 1990s, Havas, the large marketing multinational bought the independent ad agency, Jordan McGrath in New York. The CEO, Bob Schmetterer gave an all-hands … The post Are Their Eyes Shining appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Do It for the Plot

In Book IX of Homer’s Iliad, Western Civilization’s first great epic, the hero of the book, Achilles has to make a choice. He can choose … The post Do It for the Plot appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

You Don’t Need More Money

Crafting the earliest planes and nurturing remarkable cultures have more in common than you might think. In the “air-race,” the Wright Brothers had a lot … The post You Don’t Need More Money appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Engineers Beef with Advertising

There’s an old saying on how “Advertising is the tax you pay for being unremarkable.” The idea being, if you make a product good enough, you … The post Engineers Beef with Advertising appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Culture Got Us Into This Mess

There’s been a lot of big stuff happening in the news recently, most of it bad. And it is all a big deal. However, one … The post Culture Got Us Into This Mess appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Go Ahead, Embrace Vulnerability

Netflix has been in the news lately with its new plans to open two Netflix retail stores, where people can “interact with their favorite shows” … The post Go Ahead, Embrace Vulnerability appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Symbols: Your Secret Leverage

Archimedes of Syracuse, an Ancient Greek mathematician, engineer, and inventor, was obsessed with the idea of leverage. “If you give me a lever and a … The post Symbols: Your Secret Leverage appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago

Symbols: Your Secret Leverage

Archimedes of Syracuse, an Ancient Greek mathematician, engineer, and inventor, was obsessed with the idea of leverage. “If you give me a lever and a … The post Symbols: Your Secret Leverage appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading


@gapingvoid.com | 1 year ago