The Legend of Cyparissus
I was reading the news when I saw that a drug-addicted fool in Florida burned down one of the world’s oldest trees, a 3,500 year old Cypress named “The Senator”.
How to Manage Your Cash Using The Central Collection & Disbursement Account Method
When I was first starting out, I found the world was full of general philosophy articles, essays, and commentary about finance, investing, saving money, and starting a business. Very few people offered nuts-and-bolts here-is-how-we-are-structured explanations, though, which is what I valued more than anything else. As I began to approve my monthly banking transactions this afternoon, I thought it might be useful for some of you to see how I setup our cash management system in the early days. The basic structure stays with us, even though it is necessarily more complex.
We All See, Smell, Hear, Taste, and Feel the World Differently
Unless you have trained yourself to think otherwise, it is a common mistake to assume that everyone sees and experiences the world the same way you do. They don’t. There are significant implications for education, social harmony, and communication when we fail to recognize the basic truism that all external stimuli must be filtered through…
East Coast at Night from Space
NASA has released a new image of the East Coast from space at night. It was taken on February 6th, 2012 and the official description is: Eastern Seaboard at Night An Expedition 30 crew member aboard the International Space Station took this nighttime photograph of much of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Large…
Mental Model: Economies of Scale
Mental Model: Economies of Scale If you ever took an economics course, you are familiar with the concept of economies of scale. In its simplest form, economies of scale is a phenomenon whereby the efficiency of a large scale producer allows it to spread out the high cost basis of its capital expenditures over a…
I’m Working on a Mandarin Orange, Cinnamon, and Vanilla Icing or Filling
I happened to go into the kitchen for something in the middle of working from home tonight when I had an idea … an icing-based filling consisting of mandarin oranges, cinnamon, and vanilla. I threw open the cabinets and began formulating the base. We were so successful with the lemon zest icing for the honey…
Mail Bag – How to Think About Business Problems (Reverse Engineering and Decision Trees)
Today’s mail bag focuses on strategy, decision trees, and reverse engineering problems. Dear Mr.Kennon, I’ve been reading your blog for quite some time and i find it very useful in terms of business and finance knowledge. I’m looking to start a business.I’ve read one of your mail bag responses, the one about taking a small…
The Story of Mr. and Mrs. Andrews
There is a painting from 1750 by artist Thomas Gainsborough called Mr. and Mrs. Andrews. The original hangs in the National Gallery in London, England, where it has been held in collection for more than 50 years. The painting depicts a man, Mr. Robert Andrews, and his wife, Frances Mary Carter. The two were promised…
A Life Lesson from The Girl Next Door
Last night, I was working late and watching the most recent episode of House, M.D. on Hulu Plus. There is a scene where an Amy Grant song plays and one of the doctors goes, “Amy Grant? Really?”. That response mirrored the response of some music critics when she burst onto the music scene decades ago,…
The Dangerous Trap of Bread and Circuses
There is an old latin phrase, panem et circenses, made famous by Juvenal of Ancient Rome. “Already long ago, from when we sold our vote to no man, the People have abdicated our duties; for the People who once upon a time handed out military command, high civil office, legions — everything, now restrains itself and…