This week, I spent a couple of days up in San Francisco. There was a big trade show, SPIE Optics and Photonics West at the Moscone center. As always, it was YUUUUUUUGE in the colloquialism of The Donald. Three halls, and seemingly a thousand exhibitors. Cameras, Software, Lenses, a LOT of lasers, and everything else that might be related to optics and optical devices. Since I know a lot of people...
Being in the product management / product marketing game a long time, these are some truths that have been constants across my career. Time and time again, there are the same challenges, and I suspect that many of you have similar or related tales. This is by far not a complete list, but it is a start.
Here goes:
Way back in 2008 or 2009, I worked at a place that wanted everybody to use Skype for instant messaging, and for impromptu phone calls. Ostensibly to “save money”. So I was a good doobie, and got me a Skype account. My handle is gander2112. I used it off and on for a year or so, then I left, and frankly, except for when someone insisted upon using it, I didn’t even have it...
Five little words. “That feature doesn’t sell products“. Seems innocuous enough, but it is the death of product development when uttered by engineering. Product Management is tasked with defining what a product should do, what features are needed, and how to compare/differentiate vis-a-vis with the competitors. We write requirements, and guide them into and through the development process. All to...
A couple of weeks ago, I got a “recommendation” from Netflix about a show called “The Story of Maths“, so I tossed it on my list to watch. Last night, I was playing bachelor, so I fired it up. It is a BBC created series, with 4 one hour episodes (57 – 58 minutes each), with an engaging host, Marcus du Sautoy, who provides a lively narration. I watched the first two...
The role of Product Manager is demanding in any organization. The list of what it takes to be successful is long, and daunting. A great product manager is a great communicator, has technical chops, can climb enormous learning curves with ease, and can contribute at all levels in the organization, from the production floor to the C-suite. Often I am asked “Where do you find good product...
As a heart attack survivor, I monitor my blood pressure every day. I wake up, fire up the coffee maker, and then sit down to measure my blood pressure. I take it three times, to make sure that it is consistent. I take a variety of medications, an ACE inhibitor and a Beta blocker for my blood pressure. I also take a statin, and a anticoagulant, as well as an 81mg aspirin. I average a little below...
We are doing some financial things, and needed to send some important documents. As many of my old friends at Open Text would not be surprised by, I needed to Fax these documents. Scan and email is not acceptable, it had to be a fax. Not a big deal, we have Comcast with a voice line, and an old but very serviceable Brother Fax machine. It has served us well for probably 15 years. I printed...
When you wake up in the morning and see that your iPhone is giving you a “No SIM detected” error, you know it is going to be a bad day. My iPhone 5s is well aged, but it has performed quite well for almost 2.5 years. I was hoping to get another year out of it, but alas, it decided to give up the ghost. It worked well, but the “No SIM” error was a harbinger of doom. It is...
As I am looking to create a more formal, shall we say “professional” web presence, I am learning a few things. First, while my personal sites (like here) are self hosted, and currently managed by myself on Digital Ocean, I want something where I know that if I screw up I don’t lose it all. There are plenty of options, but as I am familiar with WordPress, and even got my start on...