It’s not that I dislike hotels really; I mean we couldn’t get along without them. They’re an unfortunate necessity, kinda like dentists. But do they have to try so hard to piss you off? “Let’s see…once we have charged them $200 for the room, what else could we do to…
This is a true story…….. “OK….it’s gonna go down one of two ways, and you ain’t gonna like either one of them”, barked the Deputy Sheriff in his light green uniform. (Research has shown that when a law enforcement officer wears a light colored uniform, they tend to be less…
Not Gene Simmons and friends, I am talking about the way overused cliché: “Keep it Simple, Stupid” • Instructions • Quick start guides • Checklists • Commander’s Intent in the military Yes there are many places where simple is better, like cooking instructions for a Pop Tart. (if you are receiving this via…
“There is no way they haven’t rented this room for 6 days.” That is the 1st thing I said to Barbara when we opened the door to the hotel room. There were six restaurant menus spread on the floor. You know those paper flyers folks slide under the…
Freedom is actually a bigger game than power. Power is about what you can control, but freedom is about what you can unleash. But what about the Power of Play? What good could possible come from all this screwing around? Brooks Lambert and friends were lounging in the back yard…
With a title like “Everything Men know about Women”, you would expect it to be a short book. Really short. In fact, when you flip it open, it’s nothing but blank pages. LOL! Everything Men know about…
I wonder is Seth has ever heard of a Fractal. As most of you know, I almost never post articles one day right after another on Tangent Time. I am always trying to be respectful of your time. But I want to make an exception today because I think this…
I’m kinda new to Facebook and learning about social media the way most of us are; diving in and skinning our knees along the way. I think it is really interesting the way such a simple concept like Facebook can be so viral. You start out by simply signing up…
“Always be on the lookout for opportunities” We have all heard some version of that more than the name Michael Jackson since June 25th, 2009. Yeah we get it. We all understand the basic concept: keep your eyes and ears open. (I wonder why “nose” never made it into that…
“QUIET PLEASE” When Tiger’s on the tee box, why do the fans have to be quiet as a church mouse? The ball’s just sitting there. It’s not rolling, flying, spinning, or dribbling. Why do we have to be so quiet? Who came up with this crazy rule? One peep outta…
Communication is a funny thing; it requires both a sender and a receiver. And both ends have flaws. Both lack clarity. In the case of human communication the flaws are countless; more flaws than a Microsoft product. They’re almost always there, even though we don’t realize them. Going to the…
Can a gay cowboy really be an expert in computer stuff? I use Skype every day to make calls for my business. I don’t even have a landline anymore. I have used Skype from time to time for video conferencing, but I have never used it with my wife. I…
“Why does every woman have to talk on her cell phone while driving?” “That’s pretty chauvinistic, don’t you think?” “Why do you say that?” “Because just as many men talk on their cell phones as women do.” I thought I was right, but I have been known to be wrong…
The backend of the Jeep Cherokee hydroplaned 45 degrees to the right. Despite our driver’s severe height challenge, my friend “Corn” managed to keep his cool and recover our 4-wheel coffin from extinction. This tragedy would have resulted in holding up traffic for minimum of 2-1/2 hours. However from his…
Most salesmen do not know how to sell. Steve Clark does. In his new book Profitable Persuasion, Steve has condensed nearly 30 years of selling experience into one simple, easy to read “How To” book. He has distilled down all of the successful strategies and tactics and thrown out everything…
My colleagues have been after me to read Blue Ocean Strategy for some time now. Yesterday was the 14th day in a row of steady rain, so I spent the day getting to know this International Bestseller. It is a good book, but it would have been just as good as…
It is the most beautiful thing in the world and at the same time the most horrid. Nuclear energy. Have you ever tried to think about something that sparks two infinitely different emotions at the same time? The fact that mankind found a way to take a shovel-full of dirt…
Warning – This post contains nudity, but it’s the story highlights you won’t want to miss. Mark Laurie was a recent student in my Da Vinci and the 40 Answers course. Mark is the world’s foremost in Nude Female Photography. Talk about a niche. Now before you go all “Reverend…
This ad is about as exciting as filing dental records, on back-to-back shifts. Alone. If anyone driving down the freeway actually read this billboard they would lapse into a coma. Hands frozen to the wheel at 10:00 and 2:00. The scene of a 30…
I am not sure Malcolm Gladwell got it completely right this time. I have always enjoyed his books and his unique perspective on things. But his latest book makes the following argument; There is a story that is told about extremely successful people, a story that focuses on intelligence and…
Four words that can make you a lot of money. These are two simple questions you need to ask yourself when you are developing or improving your products and services. When you have a pending sale with a customer, what else besides the basic product or service can your offer?…
The gentle winds have blessed us The sun has welcomed us with its warm hands We have flown so high and so far, God has joined us in our laughter And sent us gently back to the loving arms of mother earth Amen This is the Hot Air Balloonist’s prayer.…
One of the TRIZ lens in my book “Da Vinci and the 40 Answers” is called Merging. It is where you take multiple products, services, and entities and merge them together to make something new. The Internet is ripe with examples of merging. “Mashups” are the merging of two existing…
“If you don’t want to be average, why do you insist on being normal?” My friend and colleague Roy Williams made that statement to me about 6 years ago. It is one of the most powerful, thought provoking statements I have ever heard. I use the principle behind it everyday…
“The human body is only comfortable when contorted” Yeah…you read that right. That’s kinda a weird statement isn’t it? And that’s the point. If you want to get someone’s attention in your advertising and marketing you can’t serve them vanilla every time or just a plain old “black” Model T.…
Headline – April 17th, 2013 – RE/MAX Grounded RE/Max International based in Denver, Colorado closed its doors today. The real estate giant, who once boasted a workforce of 100,000 agents spanning 65 countries, is calling it quits. “It is with great regret that we have elected to close the last…
Last week in my “Da Vinci and the 40 Answers” class we stressed the importance of play. Being a stuffed shirt 24/7 helps no one, especially you. It is unhealthy. You need to give your self time to play. Why? Well for one reason it has been shown that historically…
The TRIZ methodology has an arsenal of innovation and creativity tools you can use, and we recently used one with a client of mine that I wanted to share. The F35 Joint Strike Fighter is the most advanced fighter aircraft that we have. The Air Force recently put out a…
In business there are really only 4 questions you need to ask yourself. This is especially true when you are considering launching a new product or service. The 4 questions are; What problem are you trying to solve? How many people have that problem? Why is your solution better than…
How Autism can Improve your Bottom Line? Temple Grandin’s book, Animals in Translation: Using the Mysteries of Autism to Decode Animal Behavior, explores the idea that autistic individuals can better relate to and understand the way animals think and feel because of similarities in their brain development. She argues that…
“This letter has been pre-crumpled to assist you with a more efficient disposal process” This is the opening line of a recent letter I wrote to some of the top business book publishers in the country; • Barron’s • Bloomberg • Doubleday • Gotham • McGraw-Hill • Penguin I know they get tens of thousands of…
Over 500 years ago Leonardo da Vinci designed a parachute. He was certain it would fly, though he had no way to prove it. This was true of most of his designs. The cliché – “He was way ahead of his time” came into existence because of Lenny. In fact…
It doesn’t happen by accident, it happens by design. What people, places, and activities do you indulge in to stimulate your creativity? Your current hobbies don’t count. You need to experience things that are foreign to you and you need to do it on a regular basis. It won’t just…
“Look straight ahead Tommy. He will be coming right up the hill any second. He’ll be just 10 feet in front of you. Can you believe it? Do you see him yet? Wait……. any second now.” It’s the 2nd day of the Bayhill Classic Golf Tournament. Standing on the west…
Why did it take so long for American Idol to add a 4th judge? What were they thinking? By not doing so, the producers were not capitalizing on a proven selling method that has been around since Julius Caesar. In “How to Win…
A Few Good Men. They’re still out there. It seems like it is hard to find them these days with the likes of Bernie Madoff, AIG Morons, and the bunch. But I sure talked to a Good Man last night. Roger Von Oech has been the leading pioneer in Creativity…
When someone says…. “Is it safe?” What does that mean ? Webster defines safe as; 1. Secure from harm, danger, or evil 2. Free from injury or danger 3. Free from riskEvery one of these definitions are horribly wrong. When you say to someone, “Yes it is safe”, it…
Did this country secretly assassinate all of the business leaders? The ones with balls I mean. Obviously something happened. I am not sure what. I don’t remember hearing about it on the news. Paula Cole’s hit song my never have been intended to be targeted at the spineless corporate leaders…
“Brains times Beauty equals a constant” (B X b = K) In college, I was actually brave enough to say that to two ladies in a bar one night. One was good looking and the other one was not. The not so good looking one said; “That’s not funny….asshole” The…
Being a rocket scientist isn’t always the glory and glamour you might think. Like all jobs there are times you get assigned to tasks that just are not that sexy. The Space Shuttle External Tank is the big brown tank in the middle of the vehicle. It is covered in…