Thoughts

Is it really free if I have to give my email address? Nope. Not Free According to Donald Miller, the marketing pundit behind the trendy StoryBrand framework, a customer email address is worth $10–$15. So, the next time he asks for yours, charge him $20. Sources

What the hell is Hobson’s Choice? Ask Google. What is Hobson’s Choice? Hobson’s Choice refers to a scenario where the illusion of choice is presented, but there is actually only one viable option. Take that, or none. The term originates with Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), an English stable owner who hired out horses. He gave his […]

Ever wonder why they call it artificial intelligence? Me too. The Constitutional Convention of AI The term artificial intelligence was coined by mathematics professor John McCarthy in 1956. He introduced it during the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence, a workshop that is considered the founding event of AI as a field. Sort of […]

“80% of the experts selling SEO services are scammers.” At least. Did SEO experts ruin the internet? Probably. At least a lot of well-respected people in the search engine optimization (SEO) industry seem to think so — including Peter Kent, the best-selling author of SEO for Dummies. For years, he’s been telling people that part […]

Will I go to jail if my website isn’t accessible? Unlikely. But you could wind up in court We’re not aware of anyone being imprisoned for having an inaccessible website. But you could get sued and suffer a stiff financial penalty. What is web accessibility? Over a billion people in the world (15%) experience some […]

What’s the difference between AI agents and AI assistants? Autonomy. TL;DR Artificial intelligence (AI) agents and assistants are both helpful little applications that can interact with users and perform complex tasks. AI agents are more autonomous and goal-oriented than assistants, often working in the background without direct user involvement. AI assistants, on the other hand, […]

Who the hell is Ern Berck? A blacksmith. Making stuff with fire and iron Ern Berck is the blacksmith at an anonymous town shown in the opening scenes of the 1960 film The Magnificent Seven. You never see him, he never speaks. But somehow you know he’s there — with fire and iron — making […]

Couldn’t I build a website myself? Sure. You could build your own refrigerator too. I double dog dare you Just kidding. Fortunately, there are dozens of “page-building” tools available to help you create a great website on your own. But like a lot of projects, sometimes it’s not a matter of “can you,” but more […]

Websites built by humans in Chico, California. Do you know who or what built your website? Or where? You may not know it, but a lot of marketing agencies outsource most of their web design work to cheap overseas freelancers. That’s okay, I guess. But when you hire someone to build a website, we think […]

Why do we think better in the shower? DMN Our brains love showers The phenomenon of feeling more creative or having clearer thoughts in the shower is tied to a combination of psychological, physiological, and environmental factors. This can happen for a few reasons. Default mode network activation When you’re doing something relatively automatic and […]