Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
27 August 2008
A good friend, Allan MacKinnon, has been going crazy for the last week about a new device that’s not targeted at him at all; the Peek, a mobile device which looks like a smart phone but is strictly dedicated to serving up e-mail. Check out this post for a quick summary about how the Peek “is targeted strictly at non-techies that don’t have e-mail on their phones and don’t care to figure it out, either. It even says ‘not for hardcore techies’ right on the box.”
Though Allan’s a hardcore techie, he has a history of seeing things before others do so I decided to check this thing out.
When he mentioned the Peek, my first reaction: Why do I need a second device? My “Upon Further Reflection” reaction: There is something to be said for… (more…)
Posted in Allan MacKinnon, Blackberry, Business, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Eink, Email, Frost & Sullivan, Gadling, Gerry Purdy, GetPeek, Kindle, Labor Day, Mobile Devices, Mobiles, Peek, Scott Carmichael, Smartphone, Target, Text, Texting, iPhone | 4 Comments »
15 June 2008
Thursday night was crazed in our house. Two sons were preparing for their last day of finals, followed by packing their trunks for summer camp, in turn followed by packing their suitcases for a pre-camp vacation week in Maine. My wife and I each had piles of unfinished work, followed by our getting packed for vacation. And we both needed to be out of the house before the boys awoke for early morning business meetings. Late at night, I turned on the Boston Celtics game fully expecting it to be over, having forgotten the ridiculously late tip off time. When I saw The Green down by over 20 points I shut it off immediately; Sunday would be another day.
As I headed up to join my wife in bed, I caught site of the huge pile of ironing which I had planed to get through during last Sunday’s game. Knowing that I needed some of these clothes for next week, I reluctantly headed to the basement to iron away. I first turned to a rebroadcast of the last inning of the 2007 Red Sox Mothers’ Day Miracle game; though I’ve seen it a dozen times, it never looses it’s appeal. I switched back to the Celtics only to discover them down by only 11. Wait; could they really pull this off? The rest, as they say, is history. The more I ironed, the more the Celtics scored. When I got through the pile, I didn’t dare stop ironing, my Irish superstition taking over. I ironed everything in sight — dishtowels, hankies, anything that allowed me, and the Celtics, to keep going.
So on Friday, listening to sports talk radio during my early morning drive to my 7:15 meeting, when caller after caller lamented not having stayed up to see what was being dubbed by many the greatest comeback game in NBA Final history, I was pleased that a pile of ironing allowed me to be one of the few people I knew who actually saw the game live!
Posted in Boston Celtics, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Greatest Comeback Game in NBA History, Irish, Ironing, Red Sox, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
13 March 2008
The recent MIT Enterprise Forum ‘Interactive Entertainment SIG’ event was another example of a side benefit of doing interim CEO / COO assignments – when each assignment is over I get time to ‘network’ at events like this (or the recent MIT / Polaris Venture event.)
This particular SIG is the brainchild of Michael Cavaretta member of the business-only law firm Morse Barnes-Brown Pendleton. Last summer The Boston Globe’s Hiawatha Bray wrote about how Boston has emerged as a video gaming hub, challenging similar regional hubs in Seattle and Austin. In his work, Michael sees many of the deals – both investment deals and development / publishing deals – being made by local game companies. Since the Boston-based game industry has historically operated in stealth mode, Michael formed this SIG as a way to promote the success of these local companies.
This meeting’s subject ‘Getting Started and Succeeding’ was addressed by a stellar panel of successful local game company CEOs including: (more…)
Posted in Blue Fang Games, Business, Cecropia, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Hiawatha Bray, Interactive Entertainment SIG, Jeff Anderson, MIT, MIT Enterpirse Forum, MIT Stata Center, Michael Cavaretta, Morse Barnes-Brown Pendleton, Omar Khudari, Polaris Venture Partners, Rob Sebastian, Startups, Video Game, Zeemote | No Comments »
8 October 2007
In an earlier post I related how the Irish enjoy three-day holiday weekends so much better than we Americans. In America, if you’re involved in retail – either as a retailer or as a customer – these weekends are not a holiday.
When I described the Irish way to a friend, he suggested I try to change America one family at a time. So we started with our family – a retail-free weekend spent with family and friends. Very enjoyable. Give it a try come Veterans Day this November.
Posted in A Better Way?, Bank Holiday Weekend, Change Agent, Friends, Holiday, Ireland, Irish, Life in Ireland, Uncategorized | No Comments »
16 September 2007
Having completed a dozen turn-arounds – usually in the role of Interim CEO / COO / GM – I’m often asked, “Are there consistent actions you take the first week at each company?” to which I answer, “Yes…and no.” ‘No’ because each company is unique, with it’s own set of problems, strengths, and market constraints; therefore each company requires a unique set of actions. But ‘Yes’ because I have settled on a consistent process for the first week, a process that helps me determine the real problems and possible solutions.
That said, there is one action I always take the first day; although the companies I’ve helped turn around have been in very different industries – from electronic ink to wireless mesh to software (of many types) to heart defibrillators to video games – each company needed cash to survive. So the one action I always take the first day is… (more…)
Posted in Business, Change Agent, Des Pieri, Desmond Pieri, Dublin, Interim, Interim Management, Turnaround, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
A good friend, Allan MacKinnon, has been going crazy for the last week about a new device that’s not targeted at him at all; the Peek, a mobile device which looks like a smart phone but is strictly dedicated to serving up e-mail. Check out this post for a quick summary about how the Peek “is targeted strictly at non-techies that don’t have e-mail on their phones and don’t care to figure it out, either. It even says ‘not for hardcore techies’ right on the box.”
