David Lidsky's Blog, page 2628
September 21, 2016
Why Your Backup Plan Is Holding You Back
New research finds that your efforts are more likely to be successful if you get rid of your safety net.
New research finds that your efforts are more likely to be successful if you get rid of your safety net.
Creating a Plan B (and maybe even a C, D, and E) sounds like practical, levelheaded advice. Life happens and success isn't guaranteed. Who wants to be in a situation without any options? Unfortunately, having a backup plan may backfire.
Forget Dash Buttons, This Drinks Company Lets You Reorder By Text
Most of Dirty Lemon's over 50,000 monthly SMS messages are answered by a bot—is this the future of commerce?
Most of Dirty Lemon's over 50,000 monthly SMS messages are answered by a bot—is this the future of commerce?
I recently started drinking a new brand of supplement-infused beverages called Dirty Lemon. One is caffeinated with green tea to give you a jolt of energy as you start the day, another contains magnesium and chamomile to help you go to sleep. But the most interesting thing about the company wasn't how the drinks tasted (a little tart and not too sweet), but how you reorder more once you've run out. You text the startup the way you might text your friend, "Yo, can you hook me up with more Dirty Lemon?" And you get a quick response, "Confirming for you now
"
Investors Are Matching More Billion-Dollar Startups With Buyers Than Funding New Ones
Unicorns' mergers, acquisitions, and initial public offerings are trending up, but remain well behind last year's exit activity.
Unicorns' mergers, acquisitions, and initial public offerings are trending up, but remain well behind last year's exit activity.
For the first time since 2014, there were more VC-backed billion-dollar company exits than there were new private VC-backed companies valued at over $1 billion entering the market. In other words, more of those $1 billion-plus unicorns exited than entered the tech industry during the first half of the year.
Robots Won't Take Your Job--Just Parts Of It
Automation targets tasks first, people second. That's mostly good news for those willing to adapt.
Automation targets tasks first, people second. That's mostly good news for those willing to adapt.
"The problem with new tech is it's really easy to imagine the jobs it will destroy," Andreessen Horowitz's Chris Dixon recently told Product Hunt, "but really hard to imagine the jobs it will create." But it isn't quite that black and white.
Four Reasons Why Gender Equality In The Workplace Is Closer Than You Think
More women are investing in each other's success, writes Sallie Krawcheck, putting gender parity in closer reach than ever before.
More women are investing in each other's success, writes Sallie Krawcheck, putting gender parity in closer reach than ever before.
The "queen bee" is dying. You've heard of her, right? She's that senior businesswoman at the top of her field who didn't help other women get ahead—or, worse yet, actively worked against them. Was she just a natural bitch? It's easy to see her that way. After all, this character is as much a crude stereotype of the modern workplace as a real pattern of behavior tracked by researchers.
September 20, 2016
Doppler Labs And The Quest To Build A Computer For Your Ears
Leveraging everything from advanced hardware engineering to AI, this startup wants to give you control over your world's sounds.
Leveraging everything from advanced hardware engineering to AI, this startup wants to give you control over your world's sounds.
I'm trying to listen as Doppler Labs cofounder and CEO Noah Kraft walks me through his company's new smart earbuds over the din of a crowded restaurant, but the cacophony of chattering diners and clanking silverware is overwhelming. I can't make out a word. Then, all of a sudden, the background noise disappears. Kraft's voice comes in loud and clear.
How To Make Those Emergency Phone Alerts More Useful And Less Terrifying
Monday's alert asked New Yorkers to be on the lookout for suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami with little information. What can be done differently?
Monday's alert asked New Yorkers to be on the lookout for suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami with little information. What can be done differently?
New Yorkers had a particularly rude awakening on Monday morning, when phones across the city , which until now have been reserved for extreme weather notifications and Amber Alerts. But this time, phones displayed the following banner message—the first of its kind—urging people to look out for the suspect behind the bombings in NYC and New Jersey:
AT&T's New San Francisco Flagship Is Rather Grandiose For A Phone Store
A little bit of San Francisco history becomes a setting to get people to think of AT&T as something more than a phone company.
A little bit of San Francisco history becomes a setting to get people to think of AT&T as something more than a phone company.
There's absolutely nothing remarkable about the AT&T store near my office in San Francicso. Once you're inside, it could be any neighborhood AT&T shop, anywhere in the country.
Why A 70-Year-Old Retiree Went Back To Work--As An Intern
Remember that movie where De Niro plays an intern? Paul Critchlow decided to try it.
Remember that movie where De Niro plays an intern? Paul Critchlow decided to try it.
Paul Critchlow had earned his retirement. It was May of 2015, and he'd worked very hard over a long life, and as a young man, he had even fought in Vietnam. He went on to report for the Philadelphia Inquirer and served as spokesman for Pennsylvania's governor. Finally, he'd spent the last 30 years at Merrill Lynch, half of those as its head of communications. Now that he was turning 69, it seemed like time for a rest.
5 Essential Tips For Brands Battling Social Media Trolls
Disgruntled customer or attacker? Here's how to tell and what to do.
Disgruntled customer or attacker? Here's how to tell and what to do.
Despite social media maturing as a platform, online services—mostly Twitter—are plagued more than ever by trolls looking to cause emotional distress in individuals. Yet while we think of trolling as a problem for individuals, brands are increasingly being targeted by trolls, too.
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