The Definition of “Specsmanship” Wikipedia defines Specsmanship as the inappropriate use of specifications or measurement results to establish the putative superiority of one entity over another, generally when no such superiority exists. It is commonly found in high fidelity audio equipment, automobiles and other apparatus where uneducated users identify some numerical value upon which to base their pride or derision, […]
Author Archives | David Mayes
Industry Analysis: The Bigger Picture
Industry Analysis: The Bigger Picture by David Mayes on Jul 19, 2013 Industry analysis is not a well-understood discipline. It sits between macroeconomic analysis and market analysis and uses tools from both. It is most commonly associated with the financial services industry which produces guides for their investors. But there are also large global consultancy firms that specialize in industry […]
Another Silicon Valley Reckoning Is Coming: “Star Entrepreneurs” and Way Too Much Money
Another Silicon Valley reckoning is on the horizon. We have seen cyclical events like this before, the 2001 bubble burst being the most recent memorable reckoning. The talk in 2001 was about too much “dumb money.” The coming reckoning, however, is on a massive, unprecedented scale, fueled by the same excess of global capital that has fueled the bubbles in housing markets in attractive locations around the World. The problems with Uber, Travis Kalanick, and the now obvious difficulty of the Uber Board of Directors to exercise meaningful governance should have been the “canary in the coal mine.” CNBC’s reporting on the excessive Silicon Valley “unicorn” valuations and media reports that New Enterprise Associates would divest $1 Billion in startup investments that cannot be made liquid have made the situation blatantly obvious. After a long silence, the Wall Street Journal has finally joined the reporting on the crisis. What more does one need to take to the exit?
OOPS!! Amazon’s Vancouver expansion tightens local competition for tech talent
SOMEONE FORGOT TO THINK OF THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES Marc-David Seidel, UBC Apologist for the Amazon Deal Predicts Pie In the Sky Bye and Bye Tech workers are already in short supply and Amazon’s increased presence likely to lure workers away from local technology-based startups Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is surrounded by Amazon employees as […]
Big Data, Cloud, Smart Mobile And Even AR Morph Into One Mind Boggling Thing
IEEE Talk: Integrated Big Data, The Cloud, & Smart Mobile: Actually One Big Thing by David Mayes This IEEE Talk discusses the three biggest trends in online technology and proposes that in fact, they represent one huge integrated trend that is already having a major impact on the way we live, work and think. The 2012 […]
The Internet of Things: The Promise Versus the Tower of Hacked Babbling Things
The term “Internet of Things” (IoT) is being loosely tossed around in the media. But what does it mean? It means simply that data communication, like Internet communication, but not necessarily Internet Protocol packets, is emerging for all manner of “things” in the home, in your car, everywhere: light switches, lighting devices, thermostats, door locks, […]
Big Idea Social Entrepreneur: The New 21st Century Career
Late last year I wrote on this blog about my frustration with the lack of Big Ideas driving innovation. My rant was stimulated by a New York Times article on the grim underbelly of the “an app for everything” culture: people who were working on “small ideas,” and losing their shirts in the process. I […]
Management Communication: How Not To Embarrass Yourself
Some years ago, the British comedian and Monty Python member, John Cleese participated in a series of sales and management training videos. To this day, I still laugh remembering one of them, “How Not to Exhibit Yourself.” “How Not to Exhibit Yourself” focuses on trade show behavior and particularly how to effectively connect with potential customers, but in my mind, the humorous lessons offered by Cleese could just as easily apply to networking with people in general. My key point in this post is that regardless whatever field you work, your ability and skill in relating to people and communicating effectively will be crucial to your success.
Catherine Deneuve defends men’s ‘right’ to hit on women and warns of a new “puritanism” – BBC News
Legendary French actress Catherine Deneuve and over 100 other prominent French women have today written a poignant editorial in Le Monde, warning of a new era of “puritanism” in the wake of the current wave of sexual harassment charges against women. It should force all of us serious thinkers to reexamine the current very valid […]
As Trump Tightens Legal Immigration, Canada Woos Tech Firms: But Canada Is Not Silicon Valley
There Is More To High-Tech Immigration to Canada Than Meets The Eye My long-time business partner and I, one of us in Canada and the other in Silicon Valley, earlier this year launched a business targeted at bringing immigrant entrepreneurs to Canada, Vendange Partners. http://www.vendangepartners.com From our years’of experience in Silicon Valley and with technology entrepreneurship […]
David Mayes
