In his book, “The Practice: Shipping Creative Work,” our old friend Seth Godin, talks about how creativity thrives under restraints. He tells the story of how … The post We Have No Money, We’ll Have to Think appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Somebody once asked Scott Adams, the creator of the Dilbert comic, why he was so successful. He must be terribly clever! Adams replied, paraphrasing, that … The post How Much Dumb Tax Are You Paying? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Back in 1988, the shoe company, Nike debuted what is probably the greatest advertising tagline of the last 40 years, “Just Do It.” It’s still … The post What Stands the Test of Time appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Adam Smith, in his famous 1776 book, The Wealth Of Nations, uses the metaphor of an “Invisible Hand” to describe the forces in a market … The post When a Butterfly Flaps Its Wings appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Competition motivates us, focuses us, and demands the best of us. But it can also blind us. Sometimes, we can get so caught up trying … The post Have We Opened Pandora’s Box? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
First there was “Big Media.” Big, publicly owned companies like the New York Times, ABC, and HBO. In 2022, The New York Times reported an … The post Stuck in the Middle With You appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
As we are fond of saying, we humans are meaning-seeking creatures. We project meaning onto everything we can, from star patterns in the sky, to … The post Totemic Power appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
When you think about the world of management theory, names like Peter Drucker, Mike Peters, and Warren Buffet likely come to mind. But the Nineteenth … The post What Darwin Can Teach Us About Business appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Thomas Aquinas famously counseled us to “beware the man of one book.” He meant it in the context of debate: if someone has spent their … The post Beware the Man of One Book appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Imagine you’re a young, creative person with lots of potential. One day you aspire to be a professional “creative” (whatever that means). Artist, playwright, inventor, … The post Do More, Think Less appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Do you remember Uncle Owen’s “Water Harvesters” in Star Wars, Episode IV? Water was so scarce on Luke Skywalker’s home planet, Tatooine, that they built … The post Let’s Farm Some Water appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
If you follow the work of NYU social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, he’ll tell you where he believes the current university system is going wrong and … The post Innovation isn’t Orthodox appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
A while back, one of our favorite entrepreneurs, Ben Chestnut, was interviewed on the How I Built This Podcast with Guy Raz. Ben is the … The post Freaky and I Know It appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
These thoughts were inspired by listening to the technologist, former CTO at Microsoft, Climate Change leader, and investor, Nathan Myhrvold on The Knowledge Project Podcast … The post The Art of Decision Making appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Imagine this: You volunteer for a study at your local university. You walk into the room, along with seven other participants, and you see this … The post The Truth About Yawning appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
In 1882, Nietzsche famously declared, “God is dead, and we have killed him.” To atheists, this might seem like good news. To Nietzsche, it certainly … The post A God-shaped Hole appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Back in August, Philosopher Kieran Setiya of MIT talked about his book, Midlife, with EconTalk podcast host, Russ Roberts. “Discussing the ennui that often comes … The post The Curse of the Best appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
As Vox so eloquently summarized, earlier this month, “Bud Light sent a handful of beers to a trans influencer and all hell broke loose.” It … The post Which Hill Will You Die On? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Back in the 1960s, painter Robert Ryman got famous for painting nothing but large white abstract squares. Just white paint on white canvas. Completely minimalist, … The post What Appears in the Void? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Recently, Justin Pearson, a Black Democratic lawmaker in Memphis, Tennessee, made international news when he delivered a stunning speech that went viral. This was after … The post The Lost Art of Oration appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
This image was inspired by an idea from the Econtalk podcast interview #854 with the economist and blogger, Tyler Cohen, around his recent book, “Talent: … The post What is your practice? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
It’s one thing to learn everything there is to learn about being a surgeon. It’s another thing entirely to actually be one. The same holds true … The post Book Smart or Street Smart appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
There’s one thing we hear repeatedly today, and it’s that “America is more divided than ever.” That’s because much of the Western world is caught … The post Public Enemy #1 appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
The technology industry is like any creative industry. The question is always, always, always, “what’s next?” What will be the new thing after the Internet … The post When Humans Play God appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
The French are at it again. They first had the idea of rioting en masse during the French Revolution back in 1793 (the same year … The post Fancy a riot? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
This thought came from an interview with Author, Amor Towles, about his book, “A Gentleman in Moscow” on the EconTalk podcast, episode #856. There’s an … The post Why You Should Hit Delete More Often appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Back in September, the British author and journalist, Will Storr, appeared on the Infinite Loop Podcast to talk about his new book, “The Status Game.” … The post Which Status Game Are You Playing? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
You wouldn’t know it if you only listened to the headlines, but we’re surrounded by hundreds of miracles. They’re all around us, hidden in plain … The post Why are We so Miserable? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
The first thing you learn when running a business is JUST how hard it is to find good people. This is true whether you’re running … The post Are you the same at work as you are at the pub? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Rory Sutherland, the Co-Chairman of the ad agency, Ogilvy UK, wrote a book called “Alchemy,” a couple of years ago, which we’ve previously written about. While it … The post If You Design for Average, That’s All You’ll Be appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
If you’re looking to find out what all the fuss about Stoicism is about, this podcast is an excellent place to start. Nancy Sherman, The … The post It doesn’t pay to be virtuous: do it anyway appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Social contagion, was the driving force behind Silicon Valley Bank (SVB)’s quick growth but it was also what eventually did them in. As most of … The post Potato Famine 2.0? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Where new people go, new ideas flow. That’s why infrastructure has always influenced culture. In the days of old, it shaped the flow of trade. … The post Trapped in an echo chamber? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
We’ve heard this story many times. The one about the hippy who travels all the way to Bali. Climbs a mountain, sits on top of … The post Happiness: You Get to Decide appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
There are deep reservoirs of wisdom in the old carpentry adage, “measure twice, cut once.” The idea is that it’s easier to ensure you do … The post Measure Twice, Cut Once appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
If you look at a map, New Orleans looks like a natural place to put the Gulf of Mexico’s largest port. It feeds right into … The post How H-town got its Hustle appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Many of us have played the hit board game Monopoly and have basked in the joy of owning the entire board, collecting dues when our … The post When It’s Not Just a Game appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
CS Lewis, JP Sartre, and Nelson Algren all had a similar idea about the nature of evil. How boring and banal it is, and how normal … The post How Evil Spreads appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
Our friend Dr. Benjamin Hardy frequently quotes Robert Brault in Be Your Future Self Now: “We are kept from our goal not by obstacles but … The post What’s Your Latest Bad Idea? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
There’s a famous Cherokee myth about good and evil. As it goes.. An old man was teaching his grandson about life. “There’s a battle going … The post Feed the Wolf? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
The great software question is always, “what’s it for?” Much like the “five-whys” protocol, or Amazon’s “so what?” test, this question is designed to refocus … The post A Solution in Search of a Problem? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
They say leaders eat last. While this is slowly becoming a pithy, overused catchphrase, it’s also a powerful maxim that reminds leaders of their primary … The post What Comes First, Action or Courage? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
If you came of age in say, the late nineties or sooner, there were two rules you had to know: 1. Google is unstoppable, nobody … The post Does Slow and Steady Win the Race? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
The human brain has all sorts of reflexes that shape our judgment. As behavioral economists discovered, we experience a salience effect, judging things that stand … The post Want to be Noticed? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
In 1965, CEOs at the top 350 publicly owned US firms made 20 times as much as their average employee. In 2021, they made 400 … The post How Much is Too Much appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
A myth, once circulated, can last a long time. That’s because our cognitive machines are rife with glitches. (The existence of these glitches is the … The post Fact Vs. Fiction: It’s Not About the Truth appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
If you read The Holy Bible or sacred books like it, what do you find? People struggling away at whatever challenges the Almighty sends them. … The post What Does It Mean to Be Human? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading
In many families, people can say it like it is. You’re more likely to be brutally honest with a family member than Bob from accounting. … The post Kids, What Are They Good For? appeared first on Gapingvoid. | Continue reading