The Best Books On Public Speaking
A feature of some of my books is a ranked bibliography. I rank books that I read while doing…
Latest Blog Posts
Your Notebook Fundamentalism Is a Shame
In a recent on HBR article titled Alexandra Samuel explains how she can tell instantly that someone is wasting her…
Liberals vs. Conservatives is a False Dichotomy
Most things we commonly split into two piles fall apart if you think about them: In the U.S. we…
How to get from an idea to a book
Success in the majority of circumstances depends on knowing how long it takes to succeed. » Montesquieu I’m sure…
The Great Big Book of Horrible Things: Book Review
This book, The Great Big Book of Horrible Things, by Matthew White, is a masterpiece. We think thing are…
Is a college degree worth it?
Many of the posts I write are inspired by reader questions and requests. Smaranda Calin, one of my awesome fans, asked: what’s…
The three things you always have
You always have three things. The three things are your answers to these questions: What happened? How you feel…
Next book to be published by Wiley / Jossey-Bass (with FAQ)
My upcoming book on my year at WordPress.com will be published with Jossey-Bass. I signed with agent David Fugate, who helped…
Best of Berkun
I’ve written 1400+ posts, and eight books, on many topics over the 16 years this website has existed. If…
Good Beats Innovative Nearly Every Time
[This post originally published on Bloomberg / BusinessWeek, February, 2010] One troubling phenomenon is the push for everyone to…
The Amazing Invention of Braille
While studying to write the Myths of Innovation I read hundreds of accounts of how world changing inventions were…
Quit your whining
Whatever your excuses are, these guys can’t hear you because they’re busy living. From Sports Illustrated Top 100 Photos (Photo…
We Learn Nothing: Book Review
I love books comprised of essays as they free writers to go in a wide range of directions and…
Nexus: a sci-fi novel of a post-human future
My friend Ramez Naam’s first novel, Nexus, just released and it’s getting great reviews. I haven’t read it yet,…
Great talk: Life on a Möbius Strip
One reason I rarely get excited about TED talks, although I do enjoy many of them, is I’m drawn…
Mind over mind: book review
Why do great players sometimes choke in key games? How do scientists explain the placebo effect, where merely believing…
Quote of the month: Steinbeck on writing
Steinbeck on writing: Writing is a very silly business at best. There is a certain ridiculousness about putting down…
Steinbeck’s advice on getting started
When I’m supposed to be writing but don’t quite have the nerve, I read. I have a special stack…
How to Thank a Customer
Some people just give good thanks. I bought a t-shirt online awhile ago from Sean McCabe, an artist who…
What I learned going back to UX school
Last week I was on an expert panel, giving feedback to final project presentations at the HCDE 518 User…