Andrew Lark

Bob & Doreen

Thought you might enjoy this.

Seeing Clearly

I'm a big fan of Evernote. If you are too, try out Clearly in the Chrome store. Great way to reduce the clutter and read.

A Time for Angry Nerds

In one of those must read posts over at HBR the case is well made for a few more Angry Nerds. 

Rising numbers of mobile, lightweight, cloud-centric devices don’t merely represent a change in form factor. Rather, we’re seeing an unprecedented shift of power from end users and software developers on the one hand, to operating system vendors on the other—and even those who keep their PCs are being swept along. This is a little for the better, and much for the worse…..

…in 2008, Apple announced a software development kit for the iPhone. Third-party developers would be welcome to write software for the phone, in just the way they’d done for years with Windows and Mac OS. With one epic exception: users could install software on a phone only if it was offered through Apple’s iPhone App Store. Developers were to be accredited by Apple, and then each individual app was to be vetted, at first under standards that could be inferred only through what made it through and what didn’t. For example, apps that emulated or even improved on Apple’s own apps weren’t allowed.

The original sin behind the Microsoft case was made much worse. The issue wasn’t whether it would be possible to buy an iPhone without Apple’s Safari browser. It was that no other browser would be permitted…

….Developers can’t duplicate functionality already on offer in the Store. They can’t license their work as Free Software, because those license terms conflict with Apple’s.

The content restrictions are unexplored territory. At the height of Windows’s market dominance, Microsoft had no role in determining what software would and wouldn’t run on its machines, much less whether the content inside that software was to be allowed to see the light of screen…

…tech companies are in the business of approving, one by one, the text, images, and sounds that we are permitted to find and experience on our most common portals to the networked world. Why would we possibly want this to be how the world of ideas works, and why would we think that merely having competing tech companies—each of which is empowered to censor—solves the problem?

This is especially troubling as governments have come to realize that this framework makes their own censorship vastly easier…

…A flowering of innovation and communication was ignited by the rise of the PC and the Web and their generative characteristics. Software was installed one machine at a time, a relationship among myriad software makers and users. Sites could appear anywhere on the Web, a relationship among myriad webmasters and surfers. Now activity is clumping around a handful of portals: two or three OS makers that are in a position to manage all apps (and content within them) in an ongoing way….

….If we allow ourselves to be lulled into satisfaction with walled gardens, we’ll miss out on innovations to which the gardeners object, and we’ll set ourselves up for censorship of code and content that was previously impossible. We need some angry nerds.

Taking Back Your Attention

Great post from Tony over at The MIX. Key points for taking back your attention include:

1. Let your deepest values become a more powerful guide to your behaviors
   What do you truly stand for? How do you want to behave, no matter what? Keep those commitments front and center through your days, both as a source of energy and direction for your behaviors.
2. Build deliberate practices
   Set up ritualized behaviors you do at specific times until they become automatic. For example, begin by doing the most important thing first in the morning, uninterrupted, for 60 to 90 minutes. Make the start time and the stop time inviolable, so you know exactly how long you're going to have to stay the course.
3. Create "precommitments" to minimize temptation
   Our capacity for self-control gets depleted every time we exercise it. Turn off your email entirely at certain times during the day. Consider working at times on a laptop that isn't hooked up to the Internet. Do this for the same reason you should remove alluring foods from your shelves (or avoid all-you-can-eat buffets) when you're on a diet.
4. Start small
   Attention operates like a muscle. Subject it to stress--but not too much stress--and over time your attention will get stronger. What's your current limit for truly focused concentration? Build it up in increments. And don't go past 90 minutes without a break.

You Versus Sleep

Was reading these amazing stats that compare the average rider with a TDF rider. What was really staggering was the work to sleep ratio. Clear message that we all ignore too much – Performance requires sleep.

During the Tour, the pros average about 2 hours of sleep for every hour of racing.

Site of The Week

The Brander… great collection of brand stories and curation of ideas. Like this story on Mother Denim and this one on Le Pain Quotidien.

Time for Great Espresso

Flat whites, caps, lattes… whatever your taste you are going to need good kit. Let me be clear, those automatic machines with the little capsules make something but it isn’t coffee in the way you should experience and know coffee. Having exposed folks to a good flat white the next question is… “what do I need to make that… I want that… I want that every day…”.

I’m going to skip all the explanations and reasons and cut to the chase. This is a config for a home or small office. And I’ll expand on my thinking over time.

• The Machine matters. Get one with a E61 group-head. My preference is the Vibiemme Domobar Super Automatic. I love this machine and you can’t go better than Stefanos for support. There are a couple of places in Aus to get one, I liked the helpfulness of the team at The Espresso Company. And they have some great coaching videos on their site.
• Next, you need a great grinder. Don’t skimp here. Do not be fooled. All grinders are not created equal. Mazzer or Anfim are the best. I’ve got an Anfim and love it. These little beauties are tall, so measure your counter space to make sure they will fit.
• Steaming pitcher. These are tricky little buggers. Watch all the great videos on how to steam your milk. Study this. Study it hard. My advice is get a larger one to start with and motor through the milk. Remember to fill it to the base of the spout. And get a thermometer so you learn how not to burn the milk.
• Now for the little stuff. And the little stuff matters.
  • Tamper – get a good one.
  • Rubber mat to tamp on. You will ruin your counter without this.
  • A good knock box to get rid of the grounds.
  • A couple of measured shot glasses to get your espresso dose right.

Clearly you are going to need something to put the coffee in. Your average mug isn't going to cut it. Invest here as the size of your pours and doses matters. What they serve at Starbucks isn’t even vaguely in the ballpark for an accurate dose. Here is what I’d start with:

• Get a good glass cup for cupping. This will enable you to see the crema on your espresso form and get a feel for the true color of your coffee.
• As for cups, these are my faves.

Finally, you need good coffee. Really good coffee. In the US, you can’t get better than Blue Bottle, Verve and Sightglass.

Enjoy!

Pure Black Racing

Great piece in today’s NZ Herald on Greg and the team at Pure Black racing. Really terrific to see them doing so well.

Last week on the Tour de Beauce in Quebec, the team took their first international road stage win at a UCI event - the achievement heightened by the fact that there were three Pro-Continental teams in the field.

That followed a series of top 10 finishes and stage wins all around the United States, highlighted by a sixth place in the prestigious Philadelphia Classic in June.

Absolute Huffer

Great to see the Huffer boyz getting some kudos for their work with Absolut. BTW… if you live in Auckland they have opened a cool new store in their offices. Just up Queen street.

 

On the CMO Role

Liked this piece from David on collaboration routes for the CMO. My only issue is as defining these as routes for the troubled CMO when in reality they are perfect for any CMO.

Fourth identify and leverage great ideas. Too often silos are constrained and fail to create brilliant offering or marketing innovations. Or there is the ultimate silo tragedy that an all too rare home run product or marketing program is developed in one silo unit and remains hidden because there is no mechanism to leverage it or even to make it know to the rest of the organization. Three organization capabilities are needed to change this. First the silo groups need to be empowered and motivated to create offerings and marketing programs. Second, there needs to be mechanisms to identify and share the existence of winners either through cross-silo meetings or through staff facilitators. Third, there needs to be a process to test and roll out the winners. Firms with this capability have seen a big payoff. Consider that McDonald’s “I’m lovin it” came from Germany, Pantene’s “Hair So Healthy It Shines” came from Taiwan, and Nestlé’s ice cream sack Dibs came from the US. Consider also the learnings for P&G from the Pampers Baby Car web site and the VISA learnings from promoting the Olympics in the US.