Tinkering Makes Comeback Amid Crisis
When we lived in Ireland, the secondary school system had a brilliant sophomore year program called “Transition Year.” Tenth grade was only 50% academic. The rest…
Real Deal Road Trip No. 2 — Maria’s Tree
I’m in New York. Last night I took a little field trip to see the tree in Rockefeller Center. Why? I loved that it came from…
Real Deal Road Trip No. 1: Dave’s Fresh Pasta
At Grommet we get to give a name and face to businesses that would otherwise likely be depersonalized in a “normal” commerce experience. As a companion…
Five examples why “discount culture” is killing our economy
Everyone loves a good deal, right? What’s wrong with that? Alas, if you care about fostering real product innovation, if you care about building vibrant American…
Even a big business can act small: How Zappos knocked my socks off
My mom had some recent, harsh medical treatments which have left her feet numb, and sensitive to pressure. Over the last several months her choice of…
One can only laugh
I love to work with funny people. Patti Purcell, our COO, outdid herself yesterday at the MTLC unConference. Here’s the scene: Venture Capitalist, with British accent,…
What one word would you use to describe your company culture?
I loved this brief, recent article in Xconomy. The author, Gregory T. Huang, asked six CEO’s for one simple word to describe their company culture. And…
Phone a friend? Or not….
Our kitchen is a bit crowded right now. My son and two friends are making french fries. I am making ketchup. (One of those ridiculous things…
Good interview on Xconomy
I had a very long sit-down with the journalist Wade Roush of Xconomy last month. Here’s the interview, just published today. I have to admit, the…
Bringing “place” home in a suitcase
I just spent six blissful, unplugged days in Italy. Too short, but deeply precious to me and my family. We were near Sansepolcro–a fairly untouristed section…
Jules Pieri 