The Fallacy of Not Voting
Author: laurahaleywalker
$20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part III-The Outcome)
(2-minute read) . . . This is a continuation from Part II. Or go back and start with Part I. PART III The Outcome (May 2016) After I discover the launch timeline error and then the imminent loss of CableCo’s marketing claim, it takes three months to get CableCo executives to accept the new information:… Read More $20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part III-The Outcome)
$20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part II-The Solution)
(5-minute read) . . . This is a continuation from Part I PART II The Solution (March-June 2015) Creative problem-solving Diplomatically communicating the router launch timing error and its competitive ramifications is my priority. CableCo executives have long been axiomatically reciting the “Q3 2015” launch date both internally and with suppliers. As a result, they… Read More $20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part II-The Solution)
$20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part I-The Problem)
(15-minute read) PART I The Problem (February 2015) Unwelcome discovery As of February 2015, CableCo projects that it will launch its next-generation WiFi router product in Q3 2015. The multi-billion-dollar company expects to be first to market with a device using the latest wireless networking standard, beating out all other internet service providers (ISPs) in… Read More $20 Million Error: Case study in technology product development (Part I-The Problem)
Vail Ski Instructor Journal
I began this journal when I got hired as a Spanish-language ski instructor at Vail – an unexpected, undreamed experience for someone who didn’t try the ski bum experience post-college, but was fortunate to try it two decades later! It was a fun and rewarding experience, in which I had the joy of sharing my… Read More Vail Ski Instructor Journal
Euler’s Identity
(2-minute read) It’s 2004, and two elderly Russian brothers have just finished explaining how they famously they generated the 1 billionth digit of pi (and then later the 2 billionth and later the 4 billionth). The critical path issue had been a pragmatic one: how to cool that many homemade 1990-vintage parallel computers in a cramped… Read More Euler’s Identity
The Alleged Dog Poo Problem
Bias in the perception of poo pile concentration in dog parks (6-minute read) Non-dog people like to complain about how much dog poo they encounter all over creation—and how they feel it reflects dog people’s sloppy, or even willful, disregard of public health and aesthetics. As an ardent dog person, I believe that compliance rates… Read More The Alleged Dog Poo Problem
Bingo Card Generator
At a party where people don’t know each other very well, it’s fun to use a Bingo game to incite introductions and mingling. (1) In advance of the event, ask each guest to provide a couple of fun facts about her/himself.(2) Then, use the nifty tool below to create as many Bingo cards are there… Read More Bingo Card Generator
Kiting Into Thin Air
The effect of altitude and temperature on kite performance (4-minute read) As a kiteboarder unfurling and inflating a kite for my first snowkiting experience, I wondered: Is there anything materially different about kite flying dynamics in cold weather or high altitude? Lift is proportional to the mass of air displaced by a wing. (Though kiters… Read More Kiting Into Thin Air
Helium-Filled Kites
The effect of gas content on lift equilibrium of an inflatable wing It is an oft-heard jest in a kiteboard launch zone: “Hey, dude, the wind’s too light—too bad we can’t pump our kites up with helium!” Conversely, when the wind is blowing hard and someone is stuck with a too-large kite for the situation,… Read More Helium-Filled Kites