Scripting is the new typing
When typewriters were new, typing was a marketable skill that could land you a job. If the main difference between candidates was that one could type, »
What not to measure
When you're unsure how to improve a key performance indicator, it's best not to measure it. While metrics are a great way to focus energy on »
The power of shadowing people
It's difficult to take direction from people when they don't fully understand what they're asking for. They tend to underestimate what's hard and what's easy, implicitly »
Learning how to spell is a waste of time
Why do we celebrate English spelling? It's confusing and convoluted. The only thing that good spelling demonstrates is one's proficiency for rote memorization. Instead of wasting »
Olympics coverage killed my interest
News coverage is bound to have political bias. But, with many outlets to choose from, I can usually piece together a story that I'm willing to »
Ending private prisons
Outsourcing the operation of prisons presents more conflicts of interest than other contractual arrangements (e.g. R&D, construction, or IT) between government and private »
Water at airport security
I suspect airline passengers are asked to dispose of water and other liquids at airport security because officials are concerned that they may try to smuggle »
Spam filter for social media
Instead of censoring users' activity, why don't social networks institute the equivalent of an email spam folder. I appreciate that companies are hiring people and writing »
Informative or entertaining
If a television program is neither informative nor interesting, then it's a waste of time. Before I used to think that I had an obligation to »
Asking parents about gun safety
With staggering statistics about accidental shootings by kids, it seems reasonable for parents to ask other parents if they own firearms, and if they do, how »