Archive
Specialization is for Insects
[starbox] The sports world was abuzz recently over a girl pitching her Little League team into the World Championship Tournament. For some this was another sign of the looming apocalypse,
Disneyland for Engineers
[starbox] After living in the Chicago area for 10 years I have made peace with the congestion, high prices, long commute times and crazy sports fans. There are even some
The Pitfalls of Quoting
[starbox] “What will this cost?” is often the most important question in whether a project can move forward. And it is a question every custom manufacturer and job shop hates
The Challenge of Maintaining Excellence
[starbox] I blogged earlier about best-selling business books trumpeting rapid growth schemes rather than sustainable performance. Building a successful business is a real challenge; growing it is another, different challenge.
The Problem of Certainty
[starbox] In writing about unforeseen consequences there is a risk of inspiring such conservatism in design that the resulting product is no longer competitive. Henry Ford, for example hung on
Unforeseen Consequences
[starbox] For something that causes so much trouble for so many people, you would think there would be lots of consideration given to the unforeseen consequences of decisions. This topic
Calmness Under Fire
[starbox] So far, I expect my ideal “leader” to have commitment and vision. A third requirement is calmness under fire. While my life has been blessedly free of actual life
Make No Small Plans
[starbox] “Make no small plans” has been attributed to a variety of people over the years, but that doesn’t undermine its importance to fledgling leaders. The argument is that small
