David Lidsky's Blog, page 2638
September 8, 2016
How Two Companies Hooked Customers On Products They Rarely Use
People rarely buy homes or cars, but even those industries can tap into the power of habit.
People rarely buy homes or cars, but even those industries can tap into the power of habit.
Larry Page, CEO of Alphabet, has a quirky way of deciding which companies he likes. It's called the "toothbrush test." According to the New York Times, when Page looks at a potential company to acquire, he wants to know if the product is, like a toothbrush, "something you will use once or twice a day."
Is Amazon's 30-Hour Workweek Program Good For Workers?
Amazon's pilot part-time-with-full-benefits project aims to correct eroding work-life balance. But staff may not gain much.
Amazon's pilot part-time-with-full-benefits project aims to correct eroding work-life balance. But staff may not gain much.
Amazon announced last week that it's testing out a 30-hour workweek for "a few dozen" employees on some of its technical teams. Those employees, the Washington Post reports, will keep all the same benefits as full-time staff but earn 75% of the pay (Amazon already employs part-time workers with full benefits). Every member on those teams, including managers, will work 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, with the remaining time on the clock made up of flex hours, and they'll have the option to become full-time if they wish.
September 7, 2016
iPhone 7: To Upgrade Or Not? It's A Harder Question Than We Thought
Changes to Apple's new phones were almost all under the hood, but it turns out they're pretty compelling—and tempting.
Changes to Apple's new phones were almost all under the hood, but it turns out they're pretty compelling—and tempting.
Maybe you had to be there. Maybe not. But when I attended Apple's event in San Francisco today, the new iPhone 7 line looked a lot better than the leaked specs had us believing it would—especially the iPhone 7 Plus.
What I Learned (And Didn't Learn) At Apple's Big Event
In a jam-packed event, Apple answered some major questions and left others hanging.
In a jam-packed event, Apple answered some major questions and left others hanging.
Last week, while I got ready to attend Apple's product launch extravaganza in San Francisco, I started asking myself big-picture questions which I hoped the event would answer. Now that the event is over, would you indulge me as I go over the questions I asked and ponder whether Tim Cook, Phil Schiller, and the other Apple execs who presented onstage addressed them?
Apple Watch Nike+ May Be Nike's Reward For Letting FuelBand Die
Nike conveniently discontinued its plans to make future FuelBands in the months leading up to the Apple Watch launch in 2015.
Nike conveniently discontinued its plans to make future FuelBands in the months leading up to the Apple Watch launch in 2015.
Apple announced a special edition of its Apple Watch—the Apple Watch Nike+—today, and it might be Nike's reward for exiting the fitness wearable business just as Apple was preparing to enter it.
Cancer Cures Could Already Exist In Big Data
A panel set up by Obama's Cancer Moonshot program says we should make better use of existing research data.
A panel set up by Obama's Cancer Moonshot program says we should make better use of existing research data.
"Reuse, and recycle" is a famous saying of the environmental movement, but cancer researchers might learn a thing or two from that mantra as well.
Alphabet Is Using Google's Ad Technology To Take On ISIS
An internal incubator is using Google's marketing algorithms to present ISIS sympathizers with different points of view.
An internal incubator is using Google's marketing algorithms to present ISIS sympathizers with different points of view.
An experimental division of Google parent Alphabet is harnessing Google's advertising technology to help stop the spread of ISIS.
Can You Still Unplug At Burning Man When The Cell Signal Is Strong?
For the first time in the event's long run in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, you could count on a cell signal. Progress or a step backward?
For the first time in the event's long run in Nevada's Black Rock Desert, you could count on a cell signal. Progress or a step backward?
Last Friday, as I finished gathering my things for a ride in my friends' Burning Man art car, I realized they had left camp without me.
Communicating In-Person At Work Isn't Dead Yet, Says Gen Z
Generation Z and millennial employees love technology in the workplace, but the digital natives still crave human interaction at work.
Generation Z and millennial employees love technology in the workplace, but the digital natives still crave human interaction at work.
Though they were born and raised with cell phones, internet connectivity, and social media, both millennial and generation Z employees crave in-person communication in the workplace.
Your Next Big Career Move Should Be Smaller Than You Think
Small experiments are better than big leaps when you're not sure exactly what the future holds.
Small experiments are better than big leaps when you're not sure exactly what the future holds.
You're feeling stuck at work. You know you should figure out what you want to be doing with your life, but the idea of changing jobs—let alone careers—seems so overwhelming that it's hard to start.
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