In the hallway, late on Thursday, someone tells a bit of information about your product that is 100% provably not true. You laugh, wink at the person, and say, “That’s goofy. What reasonable human would believe that?” And that conversation moves on. Two hours later, different locations, different humans, and different contexts. Same exact piece… More
Archives
Ask Questions, Repeat The Hard Parts, and Listen
One of my least favorite moments as a leader, specifically your leader, is when you ask me to make the decision. First, yes, I know it’s my job to make these decisions, especially the complicated and high-risk ones. Second, it’s true I’ve acquired ample experience over the last thirty years, and the chance I can… More
The One About Seven Managers
In our 76th episode, we freestyle a list of the seven types of managers on the planet. There are more, but here are seven. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0076.mp3
The One About Shoes
In our 75th episode, we’re talking shoes. Only 25 episodes left… and we’re talking shoes. Ok. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0075.mp3
The One About Powerful Organizations
In our 74th episode, I swear we are only talking about one Important Thing, but I may be AI hallucinating. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0074.mp3
Generative Fill
Gruber alerted me to the new beta of Photoshop with a compelling name: generative fill. The pitch: ask the robots to fill in parts of your existing photograph with, well, whatever you want. Yes, I am not showing these initial trials deliberately. The first case I tried was inserting an object into a photograph. A… More
The One About Robots
Everyone has AI fever in our 73rd episode where — and you better get used to it — we are talking about those robots again. Enjoy it now, or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0073.mp3
The One About Must-See TV
72 episodes. Speed round. Things we’ve been watching that you must not miss. No spoilers. You’re welcome. Enjoy it now or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0072.mp3
Here Come the Robots
Drinking a glass of Ridge Cabernet on the deck. Night time. Starry night. Mrs. Rands was traveling, so the house was quiet. I was staring at the stars doing what I do best: letting my mind wander. Both good and bad ideas enthusiastically arrive at these moments. This evening, a science fiction story popped into… More
The One About Mastodon Follow-ups
In our 71st episode, we talk about robots again, and then we follow with a Mastodon chaser. Enjoy it now or download for later. Here’s a handy feed or subscribe via Overcast or iTunes. https://traffic.libsyn.com/rands/theimportantthing0071.mp3