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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Reading Question: Business Models, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
Before the popularity of smartphones, I worked for a company that provided a “super 411” service. Consumers could call a service center and ask any question that they could conceive. They could ask for directions, stock prices, weather, traffic, general trivia. A person would search the internet with our proprietary software and come up with…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Reading Question: IT Investments, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
I have worked at places that have both overinvested and underinvested in technology. I think the challenge stems from a difficultly in projecting how technology can impact the business and the rapid changing of technology.
The company that overinvested did so at the turn of this most recent century. They invested heavily in proprietary…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Case Question: Volkswagen – Advice for Matulovic, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
I agree with the comments posted to date. Matulovic simply cannot bend to pressure for special funding of projects. Doing so undermines the credibility of his process and himself. If I were him I would try to explain to his colleagues that by establishing the process he is specifically trying to reduce subjective measures and biases in the…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Case Question: Volkswagen – Critical Unfunded Project, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
A critical project is left unfunded because it originates from the home office in Germany. It may not be considered a critical project to the VWoA team that is working on it. Per Matulovic’s plan, the 10 business units of VWoA were asked to prioritize IT projects. Each unit then focused on what projects would help them to be successful. The…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Case Question: Airbnb — Information Sharing, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
Michael: I totally agree. The renter should indeed have as much access as possible. It protects both the renter and the rentee. By being as transparent as possible, both parties can ensure that they are the right fit for each other. Because that’s essentially what Airbnb provides: a matchmaking service. And like all solid relationships, you need…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Case Question: Airbnb — "EJ" Incident, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
Hi, Andrew: You make a good point. Considering the number of transactions that took place on Airbnb, the number of incidents is miniscule. Of course you feel for the person whose apartment was trashed, but it unfortunately does come with the territory. There is inherent risk in almost everything you do.
The PR hit is really the damaging issue. I…[Read more] -
Chris Lentz commented on the post, Happy Birthday SNL // the typists from the Carol Burnett show, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
Technology has made numerous things in our lives easier, so why not fraud as well? The internet has made it much easier to find the right book or product, find information, get directions, translate languages, and a host of other things. However, I feel that it all comes with a price. 30 years ago I’m sure there were isolated cases of credit card…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Reading Question: Platform Culture, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
I have used Uber as well and my experience has been positive. I agree with the article that the name “Uber” is becoming synonymous with the action of getting a ride. I have heard people say that they will “uber their way home.” There is no doubt that the company has been wildly disruptive to the personal transportation industry. That said, I share…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Progress Report for Week Ending, September 29, on the site 9 years, 5 months ago
Sunny lake experienced a devastating network breach. Hackers targeted the hospital because they understood how much health providers relied on the network to treat patients. The hackers sent a threat on Friday before executing their attack on Monday. The hackers effectively shut the hospital down.
The breach occurred due to two reasons: 1. the…[Read more] -
Chris Lentz commented on the post, Case Question: Airbnb — "EJ" Incident, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
I’m really not sure that there is anything that Airbnb could have done in advance to avoid the EJ incident. They certainly could have anticipated that this type of situation could occur. But I’m not sure that they could have prevented it. Their model essentially creates the marketplace where sellers and buyers come together. It’s like Etsy or…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Progress Report for Week Ending, September 29, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
Hi, Paul: I usually just keep it in my shorts pocket. I’ve found it works just fine. GPS watches are really expensive. The one benefit of them is if you’re training for triathlons, since they can also track your distance in the water. They also offer features where you can upload data into spreadsheets for more advanced tracking. All in all,…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, These are a few of my favorite things…, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
Rachel: If you like SPIBELT, you might really like FlipBelt as well. It’s even more low-profile: http://flipbelt.com.
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, Progress Report for Week Ending, September 22, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
Will: I have some upper back pain I deal with, and I think at times it has to do with poor posture. If you might have similar issues, you could also look into apps that can now track and monitor your posture. The one I found with a quick search is called “Lumo” (http://www.lumobodytech.com/lumoback/). I have not tried this yet myself, but thought…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, ICE 5.1 Telling a Story through Visualization, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
For any endurance athletes out there, the MapMyRun app is a must-have. First, it’s free, which is fantastic. Second, it provides real-time GPS tracking of your workout. Before this, you might go for a long run, and then come home, open up Google Maps, and figure out how far you went. (Or, for those of us who get back further, we would hop in our…[Read more]
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Chris Lentz changed their profile picture 9 years, 6 months ago
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Chris Lentz's profile was updated 9 years, 6 months ago
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Chris Lentz commented on the post, ICE 5.1 Telling a Story through Visualization, on the site 9 years, 6 months ago
Nicholas: I’m also curious to know if you have researched the Nest Learning Thermostat. It’s not exactly controlling lights, but it is related to electronically manipulating your environment. For anyone who doesn’t know, Nest is a device that learns your preferences and then self-programs to adjust your home’s heating and cooling accordingly. The…[Read more]