Exploring Ideas: A Blog on Technology, Startups, Food, and More
Welcome to my blog where I share thoughts and insights on technology, startups, and life in Atlanta. Browse through the articles below or explore by topic.
Loonshots: Nurturing Crazy Ideas That Transform Industries
May 4, 2025
Loonshots: Where Crazy Ideas Go to Grow Up Look, I’ll be honest - when I first picked up Safi Bahcall’s Loonshots, I was skeptical. Another innovation book? Really? But about 20 pages in, I realized this wasn’t your typical “innovation is important” business book. Instead, it’s a surprisingly fresh take on why some wild ideas survive and others die, told through the lens of physics (yes, physics!)...
Lavender Crème Brûlée: A Floral Twist on a Classic
May 3, 2025
Crème brûlée is a classic dessert that’s surprisingly simple to make at home. This version adds a subtle floral note by infusing the cream with culinary lavender, creating an elegant twist on the traditional vanilla version. The key is letting the lavender steep in the hot cream mixture to extract its delicate flavor without becoming overwhelming. The Recipe This recipe makes 4 servings in standar...
Exploring Dad Lore: Stories That Shape Generations
May 2, 2025
Growing up, my childhood was filled with tales, non sequiturs, and mysteries that baffle and amaze me to this day. My father and grandfathers were the master storytellers in their own unique ways. My grandfathers weaved narratives that were as grand and mythical as the tales in “Big Fish.” As many times as you were sure they were made up some evidence to the contrary would appear to set you straig...
Build-Measure-Learn: Faster Decisions, Smarter Products
May 1, 2025
Remember the traditional product development playbook? Months of market research, detailed requirement documents, lengthy development cycles, a big launch, and then… hope. Hope that customers actually wanted what you meticulously built. Hope that your initial assumptions were correct. Too often, this approach leads to wasted resources, missed market windows, and products nobody uses. The Lean Star...
Glicko-2: Adding Volatility to the Rating Equation
April 30, 2025
In our previous posts, we explored Elo Rating System and Glicko-1 Rating System. Glicko-1 improved on Elo by tracking rating reliability, but it still missed something important: some players are just more consistent than others. Enter Glicko-2, which adds a third dimension to the rating equation: volatility. The Evolution Continues: From Reliability to Volatility Mark Glickman wasn’t done innovat...
The Glicko Rating System: When Confidence Matters
April 29, 2025
In our previous post, we explored the Elo rating system - the grandfather of competitive rankings. While Elo is elegant in its simplicity, it has some limitations. One of the biggest is that it treats all ratings as equally reliable, whether they’re based on thousands of games or just a handful. Enter the Glicko rating system, which addresses this limitation by tracking how confident we should be ...
Handling Deprecation: Gracefully Retiring Features
April 28, 2025
Breaking changes are like going to the dentist - nobody likes them, but sometimes they’re necessary for long-term health. Whether you’re improving your API design, addressing security concerns, or removing features that are causing more trouble than they’re worth, you’ll eventually need to deprecate some part of your library. But here’s the thing: while breaking changes are sometimes necessary, br...
Think Like a CEO: The Family Office Mindset Anyone Can Adopt
April 27, 2025
The most valuable thing to learn from family offices isn’t about complex investment strategies or tax loopholes. It’s about mindset. Ultra-wealthy families approach their finances with the same strategic thinking they bring to their businesses. They don’t just react to financial events; they proactively manage their wealth with clear goals and strategies. The good news? This mindset shift costs ab...
Honey Sriracha Brussels Sprouts
April 26, 2025
These Brussels sprouts transform from bitter to irresistible when cooked in rendered bacon fat until crispy, then finished with a sweet-spicy glaze. The combination of caramelized edges, smoky bacon, and the honey-sriracha finish creates a side dish that’s both sophisticated and addictive. The Recipe This recipe serves 4 as a side dish. Ingredients 4 ounces lardons or thick-cut bacon, diced 1 poun...
Channel Sales vs Affiliate Marketing: What Are You Really Selling?
April 25, 2025
Previously I wrote about how business is fundamentally simple: make something, sell it for more than it costs. Today, let’s use that concept in action to better understand it. We will use it to clear up something that often gets muddled: the difference between channel sales and affiliate marketing. Both of these models help other companies sell their products, but they’re fundamentally different b...
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