Category Archives: Theory

Tech Forecasting: Comments on 6 Years of Forecasts (3 of 7)

Posted on December 23, 2015 by flybrand1976

Over six years of prediction shows, when the hosts were right, they were very right.  When they were wrong, it was usually because they were too early or because of a surprise event in the area they were forecasting.  Most … Continue reading →

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DTNS 2397: Tech Forecasting for 2015 (1 of 7)

Posted on December 20, 2015 by flybrand1976

In the value-for-value world of DTNS, Patreon and Tom Merrit – I might not be the best contributor.  Trying to think of ways to give back, I listened to the 2015 forecast show, DTNS 2397, that was published on December … Continue reading →

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Vendor Selection: What Works

Posted on January 5, 2015 by flybrand1976

The California DOT’s selection of a partnership with Fluor and Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industry Co., Ltd. (“ZPMC”) to build the new section of the Bay Bridge hasn’t gone well.  It isn’t easy to chose the right partner for a unique project, … Continue reading →

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Building the Right Team

Posted on May 9, 2014 by flybrand1976

In our management meetings the other week, we talked about what we want our teams to look like.  Running our commercial organization, my ideal team needs to reflect the needs of the market and be able to help our customers … Continue reading →

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Organizations Want to Live

Posted on May 9, 2014 by flybrand1976

Any organization, once it is created, takes on a life of its own.  It wants to live.  Just as Kevin Kelly describes ‘technology’ as a seventh kingdom of life, in many ways the individual organizations encountered every day also behave … Continue reading →

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Seven Red Lines (3): Anderson the Expert’s Failings

Posted on May 6, 2014 by flybrand1976

Anderson the Expert is in a tough spot, his value as an expert wasn’t well defended, but he doesn’t do very much to help himself out.  Stuck in a meeting with a customer who is uncertain of their goals, a … Continue reading →

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Seven Red Lines (aka “The Expert”): The Transcript

Posted on May 3, 2014 by flybrand1976

[If dealing with absurd situations like those outlined in this hysterical sketch is part of your work life – learn about how to deal with them better following Goldratt’s Major Concepts or by reading this Chapter by Chapter summary of … Continue reading →

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Policy and Innovation History (Radar, Manhattan Project and Apollo)

Posted on April 16, 2014 by flybrand1976

Innovation is a newborn baby that politicians love to kiss – regions and municipalities want more of it, but are uncertain of how to proceed.  Metrics are challenging – for the politician and bureaucrat it isn’t clear whether they should … Continue reading →

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New Products: What We Study

Posted on March 13, 2014 by flybrand1976

I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. My sons ought to study mathematics and philosophy, geography, natural history, naval architecture, navigation, commerce, and agriculture, in order to give their children … Continue reading →

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Define the Mission, then the Vehicle

Posted on March 12, 2014 by flybrand1976

Pat Duggins’ book Final Countdown, which documents NASA’s move to shutdown the Space Shuttle Program repeats an important aviation and aerospace maxim: The mission should define the vehicle, not the vehicle define the mission. Apollo’s mission was to put a … Continue reading →

Posted in Aerospace, History, Industry, Innovation, Invention, Marketing, Materials Science, Theory, VC | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment