How to Change the World



BlogWorld Expo Special Discount

If you're going to BlogWorld Expo, you can get an additional 20% off even the early-bird prices (they expire on August 22nd) by using this special code: "Alltopvip." This conference is in Las Vegas on September 19-21. Click here to register.

Everyday Uses of Psychology

I found a great article called "10 Practical Uses for Psychological Research in Everyday Life." It explains how to detect lies, make your smile more attractive, persuade people, avoid getting scammed, and reduce your cholesterol level. On example: one person expressing an opinion three times has 90% of the effectiveness as three people expressing it once. I love stuff like this.

How to Frame a Brain

Is your mantra, mission, and/or elevator pitch failing?

The Art of Marketing Wine

My friend Richard Shaffer of Israeli Wine Direct interviewed my other friend Roger Dooley of the Neuromarketing Blog. The interview is called "This is Your Brain on Wine." Ostensibly the interview focuses on wine, but it's applicable to marketing in general. Here's an example of a Dooley answer from the interview:

On the Nightstands of Famous Scientists

Ever wonder what scientists read when they are not mapping the universe or otherwise changing the world with their discoveries? Hint: They're not all geeky science texts. For example, physicist Freeman Dyson has printouts of 165 emails.

Here is a link to the books and other whatnots of a handful of famous scientists like cosmologist Max Tegmark, physicist Freeman Dyson, pediatrician Philip Landrigan, and primatologist Frans de Waal.

By Thomas Kang

More on Persuasiveness

This is a great analysis of how a rug merchant in Turkey applied the principles of Robert Cialdini. Do you think he read Influence or Yes!? You must read this story if you're into persuasiveness. Thanks to Mitch Weisburgh for pointing it out.

How to Be Persuasive

Just posted a book report for Yes! for my buddies at American Express. This is the best business book I've read this year. Please check out my posting here. One of the co-authors is Robert Cialdini; he is The Man when it comes to persuasion and influence. Every entrepreneur, sales, and marketing person should read this book.

A Patently Risky Business

Because patent attorneys charge many thousands of dollars to prepare and file a patent application, some people with the next bright idea opt for the "poor person's patent" (call it the three Ps), which is simply to write up a patent-like description and send it to themselves by registered mail or to pay a notary public to seal it in an envelope.

News Flash: "Young VC Does Something Good"

You know how I feel about young venture capitalists, right? If you don't, read this. Having written this, I still have an open mind, and this morning young Matt Winn told me about a tool he created called the VCDB (venture capital database).

The Art of Visual Thinking

In the venture capital business, many people think that a short pitch is thirty slides and a short business plan is fifty pages. My how they are mistaken.