Author, Investor, Speaker, Mentor
This past Saturday, my wife and daughter traveled to Santa Rosa (home of the Charles M. Schultz museum!) for a fencing tournament (FYI: Marissa won her first medal, and everyone is very proud). Since it was a two-day tournament, and since Santa Rosa is about two hours from Palo Alto, they and most of the … Continue reading Extended Stay America – Santa Rosa – South Is A Dumpster Fire
One of the comments on my post on conservative comedy made an argument that I’ve seen a lot: “Someone (can’t remember who) said that comedy is about kicking up, not kicking down. Republicans kick down. It’s not funny.” I generally see it referred to as punching up, rather than punching down (I think my reader … Continue reading Punching Down Is A Matter Of Perspective
Very few people would characterize me as shy. Based on the classic “Big Five” personality factor model, I score heavily on the extroversion scale. Yet there are definitely times in my life when I have felt shy, or a reasonable facsimile thereof, and I’ve concluded that there is a pattern. First, I’m more likely to … Continue reading Situational Shyness
The week of April 23-27, I’ll be working with the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP) in Doha to run an all-expense-paid program for entrepreneurs. The QSTP has a host of promising technologies in its labs around which entrepreneurs can build startups. The “Research To Startup Program” lets entrepreneurs from anywhere in the world apply to … Continue reading Come with me to Doha in April (all expenses paid)
An oft-made observation is that comedy in the United States tends to be overwhelmingly liberal in its politics. Despite the existence of a small number of Republican funny men and women (and most of those are more in the Libertarian bent anyway, e.g. Adam Carolla, Larry Miller, Vince Vaughn), there is no conservative equivalent of … Continue reading Conservative Comedy
I know that many people are frightened and angry because of the actions of the Trump administration, and rightly so. It’s very tempting to express that fear and anger by insulting or verbally abusing those who voted for and/or support Trump. But doing so, while it might make you feel better in the moment, is … Continue reading How To Change The Minds Of People Who Voted For Trump
If failure is more likely than success, what is the formula for success? If you’re really lucky, you might succeed right away. In that case, you could retire immediately and rest on your laurels. But this seems unsatisfying. Very few people have the willpower to walk away from the roulette wheel right after they win, … Continue reading The Mathematical Formula for Success
This year, we’ve continued our practice of using Palm Springs as a convenient getaway during our standard winter vacation in LA. Despite Palm Springs being a small town (population 43,000), we’re still finding new places to visit. The highlight of the trip was our visit to the Palm Springs Air Museum. For an aviation and … Continue reading (Yet More) Things To Do In Palm Springs
Little known fact: I am the Michael Jordan of family game nights. Over decades of gameplay, I am undefeated across a variety of games, ranging from Trivial Pursuit to Cranium. And like Michael Jordan, I play to win with a ruthlessness that borders on the pathological. (This, by the way, is why I’ve vowed never … Continue reading Are you doing everything in your power to win the game you’ve chosen to play?
When it comes to telling the story behind their success, most people will either tout the value of hard work, or tell the story of how a single decisive moment changed their life forever. In reality, you have to do both. If you focus solely on hard work, you overlook the importance of being ready … Continue reading Hard Work AND Decisive Moments