ContrariLand

Every few weeks I need to go through my notes and summarize interesting thoughts from what I’ve been reading.    Otherwise, other people’s good ideas just slip away!  Below are a few notes on a handful of interesting books about cities I have read recently. The books “>“Startup Communities””, Brad Feld “>“Who’s Your City”, and Continue reading

A lot of people hav offered some really interesting and humorous takes on the WeWork S-1.  My personal favorites: Most humorous: Scott Galloway Most bullish (even then, only a couple of paragraphs are bullish): Ben Thompson Most even-handed: Antony Slumbers There is not a lot to add on top of these thinkers, but I have 5 insights thoughts Continue reading

Have you ever seen a Komodo dragon eat?   He finds prey and bites it.  But the venom is slow-acting and won’t kill for a few weeks.  So the komodo dragon follows the prey around until it finally collapses, and the group of dragons feast.  This slow-acting venom is a useful advantage because unlike other poisonous Continue reading

I was watching an episode of Mad Men the other day.  Don was looking at taking Howard Johnson as a client (the hotel, not the Mets 1980s-era third baseman).  He and his wife stayed at the hotel and were awed by the cool colors and the service. The hotel is shown below.  We can call this Continue reading

Rise of the Rest partner Mary Grove recently sponsored her 5thannual Silicon North Stars, a great program where 20 emerging high school students are given the opportunity to spend a week in the Bay Area, learning from VCs and entrepreneurs.  These kids then return to Minneapolis to deliver a Demo Day presentation. One notable moment Continue reading

The question in real estate (always and forever) is “Where are we in the cycle?”  And the common answer is some non-sensical baseball inning analogy.  In the following I will offer an approach that is analytical and hopefully interesting.  At the very least it is better than guessing which inning we are in!   Warren Continue reading

My company had Gillian Tett as a guest speaker. She had a nice casual style, walking onto the stage one hand with a Starbucks and the other holding an Oprah for President t-shirt she found at the airport. In reviewing my notes, a couple of her moments stood out. Her mnemonic for navigating the world Continue reading