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21tiger Days
21tiger Days was a fun project where I consolidated about 2 years of my own writing into a full novel/non-fiction book based on the my first year working in a Mainland Chinese office (2007-2008) in...
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China: Books on the Middle Kingdom
After a number of years living and working in China, I put together a collection of posts on my impressions. What were originally my written book reviews of books on China (and related musings) now...
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Learning Languages
I’ve always loved languages. From French at a young age, to Chinese in high school, it’s a pursuit very important to me. Learning Languages is a collection of my essays discussing the psychology of...
View ArticleThe Glass Ceiling
Viktor Frankl once concluded that young people in the mid-20th century suffered from a deep depression, because their lives were devoid of real purpose. In lieu of a real purpose, they were tempted to...
View ArticleBetween Lust and Love
Design isn’t Everything Design can be beautiful and charming; it can be evocative and exciting. But design is ultimately problem solving with constraints. Design is not for fun. Well executed design...
View ArticleAn Optimistic Strategy
Today I asked myself a question: if you’re so smart, then why aren’t you happier? I, like many,often use pessimism as a strategy for security. Many have difficult memories from their early life and...
View ArticleDaily Mastery
Recently I re-read George Leonard’s sublime “Mastery”, and it made me re-consider what I really spend my time on. Do I spend enough time on design? What is ‘enough’? What are my goals anyway? What does...
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Fear: Your Path to Happiness in 2015
With the New Year coming around, we’re all thinking about big goals. While devouring live turkeys and chugging cranberry sauce, I was struck by my perhaps difficult relationship with fear. I’m not the...
View ArticleThe Cure for Escapism
Recently I declared, over Sunday brunch, that I’d probably seen every good movie that’s ever been made. At least twice. That’s a lot of downloading. I’ve also played all the great classic video games...
View ArticleLearning Any Language from Anywhere
We are so incredibly blessed to have access to the following free resources for language learning. While I might not know 18 languages, I enjoy learning languages, meeting new friends from all over the...
View ArticleThe Improv Myth
Whether you’re giving a talk at a big conference, talking to a client about design, or teaching a class, there is a very popular myth going around about improv. The myth goes that if you’re suave and...
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Bushido: Duty vs Ego
Like many reading this, I’m often conflicted by my need to look great. It always takes me away from my craft and my path. Honesty can be awkward and uncomfortable. In fact, even writing this now, I’m a...
View ArticleLearn Anything
Here are some terrific resources for anyone interested in design and self development. Learn to Meditate Yokoji Zen Center’s Video Primer to Meditation Learn to Work Out Elliot Hulse teaches you the...
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The Improv Myth: Reversal
One of my favorite business books in college was “The 48 Laws of Power” where Robert Greene walks us through the magnificent victories and blunders of Eastern and Western History to reveal threads...
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Can Fitbit Survive?
Apologies for the alarmist or sensationalist headline. I know. Fitbit just celebrated their IPO. The founders are totally rich. Customers, for the most part, are ecstatic. If you take a look at their...
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Giving vs “Giving”
A few times a year, we have the opportunity to really tell our friends and family how much we love them. We meet for dinner, and exchange gifts, and good times. But when it comes to gift-giving, we’re...
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Try this Instead of ApplePay
First we had credit cards, then debit cards and bank cards. They seemed to fuel consumption for a good 50 years. Consumer spending went up as the velocity of money exploded with these innovations....
View ArticleIs Design Still a Job?
Web Designers (and perhaps digital designers in general) must ask themselves this question from time to time. Yes, there are tons of restaurant sites to redesign. Yes, there are designers out there...
View ArticleAnother Short Take on Surviving Disruption
Here’s another quick take on the Internet economy and what we as humans can do to work and make money. When I think of disruption I think of Amazon. They killed the bookstore, but not in a dark and...
View ArticleSteve Jobs: Seductive Machinery
So the story of Steve Jobs, as told through “Steve Jobs: The Man in the Machine” starts where it always starts: abandonment. It’s a cliché at this point: youngster is betrayed or rejected (either...
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