The Daily Reviewer

choices: an exercise

Mar 12, 2010 8:03pm

Consider the following.You live in a neighborhood in a city. Your neighborhood may have three (3) restaurants. No more, no less.When you are tired / hung-over / lazy / inspired / hungry you may visit one (1) of these three (3) restaurants.This is not to say that there...

change: a (new) man bag for (old) man stuff

Feb 8, 2010 6:10pm

It's a shame."What's a shame?"I've come to sense the limitations of my Belstaff Colonial Canvas shoulder bag."Buh-wha...?"I've been on the road an awful lot lately, and it's just not cutting it."I thought that bag did everything but wash your dishes and stop bullets."Don't get me wrong, it's a great bag....

news: my new adventure

Feb 8, 2010 5:51pm

I'm not quite sure how to tell this story, so I'll be brief, start at the end, and leave the beginning for another day.I'm working at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History as the product manager for the Encyclopedia of Life.A few years ago Edward O. Wilson asked...

oh: and by the way

Jan 24, 2010 6:44am

A few unrelated topics:1. After three days in Leiden I'm convinced we'd all be better off if we all rode bikes. I think the Dutch ride bikes in part because being a pedestrian there is a full-contact sport. Curiously enough I didn't see a single person wearing a...

definition: what is a product?

Jan 24, 2010 6:36am

I had the opportunity to "define" what a product is to my steering committee last week. I thought I'd share my definition with you."Brands make promises to people - products keep those promises by delivering value in consistent, meaningful and delightful ways over time."You'll note there are a few...

warning: worst beverage ever

Dec 6, 2009 6:22pm

I'm reluctant to name names, but if you should ever find yourself debating the relative merits of, say, a delicious carbonated fountain beverage and a "plain cappuccino" while waiting on line at a branch of our nation's (perhaps our world's) largest chain restaurant, PLEASE G_D select the delicious carbonated beverage....

song: ashokan farewell

Dec 3, 2009 7:08pm

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discovered: saddleback leather company

Nov 28, 2009 4:51pm

Readers know I'm devoted to my Belstaff Colonial Canvas shoulder bag.But it's. . .made of canvas.Which means it's not as durable as I'd like it to be. It suffers from wearing at friction points. It isn't what I'd characterize as waterproof. It is no friend of pointy...

thanks: giving

Nov 25, 2009 10:24am

I have an awful lot to be thankful for. It has been an "interesting" year. I have had other "interesting" years before, as all of you have. This particular "interesting" year is ending on an up note, with plenty of good things to look forward to.So it's...

considering: what's first UPDATED

Nov 18, 2009 7:48pm

I'm waiting."What are you waiting for? Godot? Mr. Goodbar?"I'm waiting for my new job to begin. And by the way, you look for Mr. Goodbar, you don't wait for him."Woo hoo! Terrific! What are you going to be doing?""Product management.""Where?"Can't say. Yet."Why?"Can't say that...

thinking: about the blessing of mileage

Nov 12, 2009 7:22pm

A friend of mine has just started a new business - a genuine wine and cigar "bar" in Brighton, Michigan. It's already getting some great press. You should go there. But that's not why I'm writing this.I know the guy who owns it. He is, as one...

link: the software maven

Oct 29, 2009 6:51am

If you're a developer or a product manager who has come up through the software development ranks, you probably already know about Travis Jensen's blog The Software Maven.What I really enjoy and value about Travis' writing is his focus on how the product development and product management roles relate (or...

hello: visitors from pragmatic marketing

Oct 14, 2009 12:54pm

If you've just finished reading my article in October's Pragmatic Marketing newsletter and have decided to pay a visit, welcome. You may skip the next line.If you have not read that article, please refer to the link above, then come back.For your amusement and edification I have made it...

idea: the LRD (life requirements document)

Oct 6, 2009 9:53am

In one of my first posts here I wrote about the importance of writing the MRD first. It's amazing to think that was almost four years ago. Gosh I'm long-winded.Recently I've come to appreciate that there's a document that must be written prior to the MRD.It has nothing...

nice: persona-driven demo

Sep 23, 2009 8:35am

If you're one of those folks on the prowl for news about the alleged Apple tablet, you probably saw reports of an equally alleged Microsoft device surface in recent days.Well kids, MSFT beat APPL to the punch today by leaking (releasing?) a concept video that shows the Microsoft "Courier" device...

review: gfeller field notes cover

Sep 21, 2009 1:40pm

Readers of ack/nak know of my great regard for Steve Derricott's wonderful Moleskine covers. Since their debut back in 2007, they've become the must-have cover for serious note-takers who want to protect their moleskine notebooks (both large and small) in the field.A few months ago Steve sent me a...

in the beginning: take inventory

Sep 18, 2009 7:00am

I tweeted about this yesterday and immediately got a bunch of mail asking what I meant by "what's unwritten is dangerous".In any software development or marketing organization, there is certain information that gets written down. We write down requirements, we write down schedules. We have written evidence of...

self-editing: tyranny and transition

Sep 18, 2009 6:58am

If you're a blogger you're familiar with the problem of self-editing. It's the blogger's auto-immune disease - with the realization that more and more people are reading what you write, you find yourself less willing to say what you're Actually Thinking. Is what you write "serious enough"?...

bug: edirol FA-101 crashes handbrake on 10.5.8

Aug 28, 2009 9:35am

Problem: With an Edirol FA-101 firewire interface turned on, attempts to convert a M4V movie (a software demo, if you must ask) to the AVI format using Handbrake 0.9.3 on an iMac running Mac OS X 10.5.8 results in a crash.Solution: Turn off the FA-101 and retry.Reason: Who the heck...

thoughts: duplicating the "Apple Effect"

Aug 27, 2009 6:36pm

You've read about the "Apple Effect" before. It's the ability to turn your customers into a frothy horde of fans who obsess over "what's next", who consider your competition to be morally and intellectually laughable, and who will whip their wallets out to prove it.You've wondered "How can I...

recommended: washimatta

Aug 7, 2009 5:04pm

Washimatta is Karen Satto's blog.She lives in Japan.Her writing style, her photography, and her love of Japanese culture are simply delightful.And she happens to be the best resource on Etsy for MT Masking Tape.Which is made of washi. If you wanted more washi, you might say, "Washi mata!"Which happens...

billy mays: lessons for product managers

Aug 6, 2009 11:15am

Have you heard people don't read anymore?"Ain't that the truth."Which makes it all the more remarkable that you're reading this."I'm not reading - we're having a conversation. It's different."So, Person Who Doesn't Read, have you read the article from Copyblogger on The Billy Mays 5-Step Guide to Easy Selling?"No....

response: der produktmanager

Jul 29, 2009 7:09am

Der Producktmanager has an interesting article today on one of my favorite topics: the agile product manager.PM's challenges with Agile go beyond how to interact with development in "real time" - they now have to translate what comes out of development to the rest of the organization. Odds are...

call for input: the cost of knowing

Jul 28, 2009 6:34pm

Hey team - I'm writing an article on a topic of Great Importance to the #prodmgmt community.No, it's not "Bars with Free Food during Happy Hour" or "Sure-Fire Pick Up Lines for the SDCC Cosplay Show".I'm writing about the cost of knowing."What the &$^$ does that mean? It sounds...

still: alive

Jul 20, 2009 6:05pm

Hey folks - just a quick note to let ya'll know I'm a) still alive but b) traveling like crazy and c) still alive.To stay abreast of my current whereabouts and state of mind, please refer to my Twitter feed. I anticipate returning to a more-or-less normal cycle of...