Links

[Link] Doc Searls on Apple vs Adtech

Doc Searls isn’t convinced that Apple is fully serious about privacy:

If Apple was fully serious, your iPhone would be set to not allow tracking in the first place. All those trackers would come pre-vaporized. And Apple never would have given every iPhone an IDFA—ID For Advertisers—in the first place…

Defaulting the master Tracking setting to ON means Felix has to tap “Ask App Not To Track” for every single one of those hangers-on. Meaning that one click won’t vaporize all those apps at once. Just one at a time. This too is misleading as well as unserious.

[Link] Dave Winer on How Tech Comes into Existence

It’s not uncommon that we complain about the bugs in the technology we use. Dave Winer, who’s been developing software for over 4 decades,  sympathizes:

many people don’t understand why all the bugs don’t disappear at once. Or why I made the software do something they don’t like. Because they don’t see a process. How can you blame them, even if they were here with me, all they would see is someone typing at a keyboard, going for walks, hanging out. How that turns into functionality, they don’t even know that it does turn into functionality.

The Aeon article linked to in his post is worth a read too

[Link] The Untapped Potential Of Personal Narratives

John Hagel draws attention to the possibilities that always show up when we are able to continuously evolve our personal narratives, and acting on those along with others in ways that help us learn faster:

..most of us are pursuing personal narratives today that don’t provide a call to action for others to join us.

..if we’ve found a really exciting opportunity out in the future, we can become very motivated to ask for help from others and, if the opportunity is appropriately framed, it can motivate many to invest time and effort in addressing the opportunity. This helps us to get significant leverage and have far more impact than if we try to do it all by ourselves. If it’s a big opportunity that will take years to achieve, it can also help us to build long-term, trust-based relationships that will play a significant role in overcoming our fear.

[Link] Be A Pro for One Hour

Steven Pressfield inspires:

Even if we’re working a full-time job, waitressing, driving an Uber, juggling kids and ex-husbands and all the other heartaches and the thousand natural shocks that flesh is heir to, we’re in the same boat with many, many full-time, big-name professional artists and entrepreneurs.

 

[Link] 10 Things to Say Besides Yes

‘No’ might be only two letters but it’s often the hardest thing to say. I’ve struggled with this more often than I care to admit.   Scott Eblin has a few suggestions worth considering (& putting to practice).

Lots of folks are headed for a crash if they don’t master the art of answering the next request for their time and attention with something other than an unqualified, “yes.” In the interest of preserving your health, sanity and well-being, I’m offering ten things you can say besides, “Yes,” when someone asks you to attend their meeting, join their project or take on another commitment. Practicing these ten phrases and having them in your hip pocket to use when needed will enable you to collaborate with and support your colleagues without sinking yourself in the process.

[Link] The Right Amount of Time

Seth Godin offers a couple of alternative choices

There are two other choices, worth considering:

  1. Spend significantly more time than anyone else thinks is reasonable. Charge appropriately. Perhaps this will lead to an extraordinary outcome.
  2. Spend far less time than you’re supposed to, and invest that time into processes and alternatives and benefits that everyone else is overlooking.

[Link] HBR: Launching a Career in the COVID Economy

Gorick Ng’s book “The Unspoken Rules” has some advice, excerpt in the HBR’s Working Knowledge:

unlocking the best career opportunities requires job seekers to achieve three Cs:

Competence. Prove that you can do the job well, and people will offer you more responsibility.
Commitment. Demonstrate that you are excited about your job, and people will invest in you.
Compatibility. Prove that you can get along with your teammates and managers, and people will want to work with you.