I was just reading the blog of my friend Chuc Barnes, who has a great post in support of the iPhone4 and Apple in general. 

You’ve probably heard by now about the reception problems some users have experienced with their new generation phones, and I was fascinated by something Chuc had in his post:  The complaint rate is just .55%!  So this got me to thinking…

Consider this:  Whether it’s a fist-fight, a political scandal, or a problem with a new product, he who is first to the draw has the advantage.  In this case, the news of the iPhone4 problems came fast and furious through media reports, blogs, and top-of-the-hour news spots.  Buried deep in stories like this one was the truth of the infinitesimal fail rate.

And let me ask you this:  What would have been the result if Apple (more…)

Sure, I’m in:  Dirt sells, and nothing’s better than a celebrity in crisis, right? 

So I read about the impending financial ruin of Annie Leibovitz with some interest.   But I’m always considering the less obvious side of things, so when I was finished, something else hit me that I think is a lot more fascinating:  Her status as a “famous photographer”. 

Hmmm… pretty rare title, huh?  

In the first few pages of Conquering Deception© you’ll see a quote by my alter-ego, Calvin L. Hutton:  ”Persistence is more powerful than talent”.  But considering Leibovitz’ (more…)

One is never mentioned without the other; it’s always been “Bonnie & Clyde”, household names for nearly eight decades now.  Immortalized in book, movie, and song, their names have become the most repeated and recognizable of all the infamous bank robbers who freely roamed the Midwest in the early 1930s. 

Have you ever considered this:  Being known is a big part of being successful.

That’s what advertising and—even more importantly, branding—is all about. 

Now this criminal duo never planned to become famous, but Bonnie & Clyde had some things working for them that you’ll want to have working for you.  If you want to become successful and famous, that is. 

We’ll get to Bonnie in just a bit, but for now let’s consider Clyde and the lessons he can (more…)

If you’ve shopped for eggs lately, maybe you’ve noticed it’s not as simple as it used to be. 

When I was a kid, eggs were eggs.  They were all white, the cartons were pretty non-descript, and eggs didn’t have ‘features’.  I’m not sure, either, that there were actual brands of eggs.  In fact, I’m sure there weren’t.  Eggs were eggs.

All that’s changed. 

I was at the supermarket tonight picking up a few last minute things for our dinner, and the oblong things were on the list my wife had given me.  She usually tries to keep it short—I think she doesn’t want me to have a bad grocery shopping experience for some reason. 

If you read enough stuff I’ve written, it might gradually occur to you that I’m a creature of (more…)