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Lumberland Diaries, Fall 2011: Sharpening the Axe

“Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.” - Abraham Lincoln

An axe requires care and delicacy, not power and speed, and that’s why the sharper the axe, the better and the safer the axe. A sharp axe not only insures for much greater efficiency but also more control. A dull axe requires more effort and energy, it has a greater tendency to glance off its intended target, and is therefore unpredictable and dangerous. A little practice is required in order to become proficient at sharpening your axe, and it should be done before every use. Do not be fooled: wood will dull and or damage steel—knots in wood can be hard as rock, and certain grain patterns in the “root swell” area of the trunk can wreak havoc on an axe bit. 

Above: Ben puts the edge back on his Hudson Bay at the Lumberland out-camp. Photograph by Nate Bressler

I’ve just found this awesome picture on VisualizeUs: http://vi.sualize.us/view/e63df7001e0a5e804976ca8b17d19b8a/

The article is a reflection on how the talent acquistion, transfromatin and retention strategies of organizations are not completely in sync with the business strategy. A number of heavyweights listed Mobile as their key strategy this year andf the every one expects to just hire people from the open market.

One very effective way to address this is to tap into the global talent pool by setting up engineering centers in places like India, China, South America and Eastern Europe.

Silicon valley becoming Bangalore. How are small businesses and startups responding to this intense war for talent. Some will inevitably turn to outsourcing, will others have courage to move to other tech hubs like Austin, Boston, Carolina or New York.

The report says “31% of publishers expect their revenue to increase by 100% or more, ” .. Would be interesting to find out if any one platform provides a better revenue potential over another.