rands

The One About Dapper

In our 85th episode, we talk dapper and how it might be armor. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0085.mp3

November 10, 2024

Hold Your Breath

Hi. I’m stressed, too. Here are random thoughts on this from the beginning of November 5th, 2024 — election day: Today, a convicted felon and failed businessman (six bankruptcies!) slash narcissist slash twice impeached politician who does not believe in democracy, who called for and achieved an armed insurrection, and who lies compulsively is the… more

November 5, 2024 1 Comment

Your Writing

Less than 1% of your writing will be life-changing. 3% will be trivial to write. 4% will strongly resonate with others in a way you didn’t expect. 5% will be quite good. 15% probably should’ve never been published. 26% will elicit a reaction you did not expect. Positive or negative. 28% will become vastly better… more

October 19, 2024 2 Comments

“I Am Very Concerned About This Election”

Good, me too. Over on the Rands Leaders Slack, we are almost thirty-four thousand. Fun fact: in the 2020 Presidential Election, three battleground states, Arizona, Georgia, and Wisconsin, the margin of victory was less than 30,000. In Georgia, President Biden won by just over 12,000 votes. It makes you think. It’s an, uh, interesting time… more

October 14, 2024 1 Comment

WP Engine / WordPress, Briefly

In the early days of this weblog, I was on MediaTemple using MoveableType for a good long time. Three things happened during these many years: MoveableType was mostly abandoned during this time. I’m sure well-intentioned folks were working on it (and it appears they still are), but the vibrancy of development had faded from my… more

October 8, 2024 1 Comment

Poets and Police

I was doing this talk, which I’d done dozens of times before. Good, well-practiced deck. I was speaking to CTO-types (current and aspirational) as a favor to a friend. This was a monthly morning coffee chat for this crew, and they invited folks like me to speak. It was on a weekday morning near Slack… more

October 3, 2024 5 Comments

Words on Founder Mode

I’ve worked at three successful start-ups and one failure. I’ve also worked at post-IPO successes such as Borland, Netscape, and Apple, which means I’ve seen a lot of different founders who, if you measure success financially, were quite successful. My backstory aside and with deep respect, most founders fail. You’ve heard of the stories of… more

September 8, 2024 4 Comments

The One About Rabbit Holes

In our 84th episode, we go deep on the idea of why it’s bad to be busy.   Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0084.mp3

August 31, 2024

Late Again

Awkward. Seven of us now. Sitting around the table. Five minutes since the start of the meeting. We’ve used up our chit-chat allowance and wonder if you will show. In the scheme of things relevant to a company’s success, showing up late to a meeting is not the end of the world. When it happens… more

August 19, 2024 2 Comments

Rands Useful App Awards 2024

You’re not going with that title, are you? I might. There are no actual trophies or awards. Correct. There are three Rands Useful App Awards this year, but before I award them, I will define the criteria I used to select these products. The application has substance. This is not a one-shot utility that does… more

July 8, 2024 3 Comments