I recently completed my first major woodworking project: a new outdoor dining table. Aside from a major staining mishap (too orange!), the project went well, with one glaring exception: It took way longer than promised. I followed the plans outlined by a DIY website—even paying a couple bucks for them!—based on the premise that it … Continue reading On how experts don’t know how long anything takes
Category: Thinking Hat
On cleaning cat litter
For the first five years that my wife and I had cats, I cleaned the litter a grand total of—I don't know, let's say about 100 times. That sounds like a lot until you consider that cleaning the cat litter is one of those nasty little chores that you have to do every single day. … Continue reading On cleaning cat litter
On the content of the lesson
Yesterday, I mentioned one takeaway from Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. Here is another, though really it is a nod toward John Dewey: John Dewey wrote in Experience and Education, "Perhaps the greatest of all pedagogical fallacies is the notion that a person learns only what he is studying at the time. Collateral learning … Continue reading On the content of the lesson
On the information-action ratio
Perhaps my most important takeaway from Neil Portman's Amusing Ourselves to Death is the information-action ratio: How often does it occur that information provided you on morning radio or television, or in the morning newspaper, causes you to alter your plans for the day, or to take some action you would not otherwise have taken, … Continue reading On the information-action ratio
On maximizing vs. satisficing
Recently, I’ve been pondering this distinction, having read a great opinion piece (that I now cannot locate) about one of modern society’s ailments: our obsession with “the best.” Aside from the corporate interests involved—being “best budget coffee maker” in a Wirecutter piece means guaranteed sales—there’s a troubling philosophy here. “Good” is never good enough. Only … Continue reading On maximizing vs. satisficing
On quests (and Mrs. Davis)
Only two episodes in, and I’m loving Mrs. Davis, the mind-bending comedy/drama on Peacock about a world effectively ruled by an AI. What comes up in the second episode—on the heels of the almost eye-rolling revelation that the AI wants Simone, the main character, to locate the Holy Grail—is the notion of quests. (Another character … Continue reading On quests (and Mrs. Davis)
On how to win
People like humility—until they give you an award. Once you win an award, they don’t want to hear about it: humility is boring when you’re holding an award in hand. No one really wants to tell you that you’re deserving and then have you bashfully stare at the floor and tell them “Oh, well, I … Continue reading On how to win
On generating content and enjoyment of an experience
The results of a recent article in the Journal of Marketing should not surprise. The authors claim to observe a connection between generating “content” during an experience and the perceived enjoyment of that experience. The takeaway—given that this is in the Journal of Marketing—is that smart shrines (in their “content generative” possibilities—offer an opportunity for … Continue reading On generating content and enjoyment of an experience
On reinventing the wheel (of project marketing)
The question of how to market architectural projects for my firm has left me feeling cynical. Here's the cycle I have wrestled with: Realize that I'm neglecting the work of project marketing—narratives, photography, project data. Develop a system to manage this work, defining deliverables, schedule, etc. Activate the system—actually doing the work. Neglect the system … Continue reading On reinventing the wheel (of project marketing)
On not practicing
One reason I challenged myself to blog every day of 2023 was to practice my writing. I write for work—but not every day. And certainly not like I used to write for work, when I worked for Oxford Dictionaries, and was constantly developing new blog content. When I write for work, it's usually project narratives … Continue reading On not practicing
Taylor Coe 