Garr Reynolds

It doesn’t matter how advanced technology gets, presentation skills are about connecting with an audience and making a memorable, valuable contribution in that moment. amazon.com/gp/product/013…

I kept this copy of a Feb, 1996 Business Week all these years. This was a few years before I worked for Apple. I remember driving from SFO to Palo Alto around that time and hearing "experts" on KGO radio saying things like "Apple surely only has a year or so before going the way of the dodo bird. Nothing can save them…." Steve Jobs came back the next year after NeXT was acquired at the end of 1996. In those days I was still a huge fan of the company, its history and products, but no one could have predicted that Apple would have turned it around. Still, the Apple user group community here in Japan never gave up on the Mac.

There are many important reasons for the comeback, but Steve's early decision to ruthlessly simplify the product offerings in 1997 was one of the early key decisions. Simplicity is not a panacea, but its often a necessary and foundational aspect of a successful turnaround (and not just in business).

Bill Evans on the Art of Creativity and Self-Teaching — Presentation Zen presentationzen.com/blog/lessons-f…

Powerful earthquake hits Kumamoto area of Japan. Very scary. Prayers.

Trains stopped near Ikoma due to severe flooding.