Janet Echelman's TED talk touched me at many levels. As an artist and an engineer seeking to reconcile my passions. As an entrepreneur and art advocate seeking to expand art appeal to new audiences. And as a human being seeking inspiration and awe. I was particularly stirred by the tale of the Phoenix lawyer who … Continue reading TED Weekends: Art Inspires
Can Music Predict Voter Behavior?
As the country awaits the presidential election, suspense and tension hover like thick fog blankets over San Francisco bay. Voters from both sides are seeking reassuring signs. Campaign teams feverishly look for ways to secure additional votes and lure undecided voters. Online polls proliferate, bringing comfort or alarm to those who read them repeatedly. The … Continue reading Can Music Predict Voter Behavior?
What Scientists Can Learn From Ballet
Let's first establish that dance and science are not so alien disciplines as one may think. As a ballerina and scientist, I've experienced many commonalities. Dr. Root-Bernstein (who co-authored this article) also gathered a wealth of data on the topic. Scientists attending a dance performance will undoubtedly relate to the physicality and geometry of dance. The movement … Continue reading What Scientists Can Learn From Ballet
Portrait of a Scientist as a Jazz Musician
After dance and science, we turn to the soul-feeding realm of jazz. This article will introduce a jazz-scientist, and explore parallels and commonalities between the creative worlds of jazz and science, in the context of creativity and innovation. Portrait of a Jazz-Scientist Rob Schneiderman came to mathematics from jazz. It was not a straight line. He spent … Continue reading Portrait of a Scientist as a Jazz Musician
What Entrepreneurs can Learn from Dostoevsky
A decade ago I embarked in a round-the-world literary adventure, reading classics from top authors around the globe. The Russians kept me in rapture for a while, and in particular Dostoevsky. Crime and Punishment impressed me deeply. I was mesmerized by the author's phenomenal ability to delve into the human psyche and into the brain of … Continue reading What Entrepreneurs can Learn from Dostoevsky
Silicon Valley Tech Frontier and Art Desert
In the past decade, the world has come to recognize the need for, and importance of, cross-discipline collaboration to solve the thorny problems that plague our planet today. There has been much ink and books on the subject. I wholeheartedly embrace the movement. One discipline has been missing from the mix however, that is the … Continue reading Silicon Valley Tech Frontier and Art Desert
Shazam’s 10-Yr Road to 100 Million Users
We’ve all heard songs on the radio that get stuck in our heads. We wish we'd caught the name or the artist, but missed. That was B.S. (Before Shazam). Today, thanks to Shazam’s music discovery service, we can discover and purchase songs on the spot, by simply pointing our phone towards the music source. The … Continue reading Shazam’s 10-Yr Road to 100 Million Users
Powerful Listening Drills for Entrepreneurs
There is a long debate amidst technology entrepreneurs about whether or not, when and how they should listen to customers. The truth is, listening is not a binary activity. Contrary to common belief research has shown that there are 4 modes of listening. Fluent listeners masterly tap into those 4 modes to best suit any situation. This post aims … Continue reading Powerful Listening Drills for Entrepreneurs
Interview with CEO of BioMarin
If you could build a product that had a total worldwide addressable market of 3,000 people, would take an estimated 8-10 years to build, and cost around $70K per year per customer to manufacture, would you go after this business? That’s what Jean-Jacques Bienaime set out to do when he took the helm of BioMarin … Continue reading Interview with CEO of BioMarin
Basquiat and the Art of Innovation
I had a conversation with Ron Martinez of Invention Arts following his thoughtful comment on my post (thank you, Ron). As we both share a background in technology and the arts, I was eager to delve deeper on the topic with him. Specifically, since winning products need a combination of internal inspiration and external validation, how … Continue reading Basquiat and the Art of Innovation
