Something odd is going on in the beer industry in Ontario, or somewhere near me. Over the past few years, ok decades, craft beers and microbreweries have erupted in every abandoned warehouse, waterfront, log cabin, or vacation spot. All to the beer lover’s delight. Or to this beer lover’s dismay, because it’s confused a previously mature industry. What’s not to… Read More »Havin’ a Beer. It’s Complicated.
I’m sure you’ve been there: Called the 1-800 number of a large organization and been greeted by the faintly synthesized, almost human, voice of a machine. It wants to direct your call, but babbles relentlessly, spouting information that seems designed to make customers hang up. Most of us don’t need an AI to tell us to check the website/app. Usually,… Read More »When the AI answers the Phone
Peloton decided to offer its products on Amazon.1 Intriguing. Peloton sells high-end home fitness equipment and home fitness classes, often using such equipment. Recent trends in consumer products have been to sell direct to consumer (D2C), which is what the company was doing prior to the Amazon liaison. Adding a layer between the company and the customer, may increase costs, logistics… Read More »THE Distribution Channel
In the not too distant future, all things will be smart. All inanimate objects will have sensors that collect information, and artificial intelligence to analyze and react to the information. A first generation example is motion sensors that have the sense to turn on lights when people, or your rottweiler, enter the room. Getting a little more sophisticated, there are… Read More »How Smart do you want your Smart Things to be?
I walked into a store, with a small tote bag, like the environmentally conscious consumer I am, and was asked to leave my bag at the front desk. I walked back out of the store. There were things I really wanted to buy in that store, but wasn’t in the mood to embrace the our-customers-are-most-likely-criminals or we-trust-no-one vibe. I walked out of the store… Read More »The In-Person Shopping Experience
Turns out, this is a story about the dangers of drawing conclusions by reading headlines without the full story. Despite understanding the importance of getting the details and knowing that journalism favours sensational story titles, I fell prey to scanning the news to keep on top of things. Trying to follow employment trends over the past two years was whiplash… Read More »Unbelievable, the Layoffs in the Tech Industry!
As a scientist who specializes in business strategy, competitive advantage means two things to me: how to succeed in business and how biological species evolve. I’m enjoying the irony that the goal of capitalist pursuits might be mistaken for a fundamental, back-to-nature, biological process. We value nature with an instinctive appreciation that it sustains us. But that isn’t quite right.… Read More »Competitive Advantage or Competitive Advantage? Business or Biology
Seems like a simple concept: my stuff. You point into your purse, house, or phone screen to indicate your belongings. A story about Justin Bieber not being able to paint his car the colour he chose https://www.distractify.com/p/why-is-justin-bieber-blacklisted-ferrari got me riffing on the concept of ownership. It’s complicated, lots of laws and cultural influences modify what it means when you own objects. When we take… Read More »Ownership.
Being right about something that’s wrong isn’t very satisfying. This CBC article reports that the mobile app from my favourite provider of coffee and donuts was collecting personal location data inappropriately. The story, highlighting a report from Canada’s privacy commissioner, supports my ongoing contention that apps, in general, may be evil. The level of detail in the CBC post is wonderful, showing… Read More »Privacy and $2 Will Buy you a Cup of Coffee
Dizzying shifts in the stock market and cryptocurrency values with widespread, nauseating price increases feel like the perfect storm on a same-as-last-year paycheck. It may not make it any easier to pay 25% more for groceries, gas or home maintenance, but my way of coping with an uncontrollable situation is to understand how it works. My analysis of the big… Read More »Inflation. Deflation. Economic Conflagulation.