Episodes

  • A New Episode Format!
    Sep 11 2024

    We introduce a new, shorter, more off-the-cuff format focused on recommendations that we hope you’ll enjoy. Also, our apologies for the audio getting a bit crunchy in spots—we’re working hard to improve our audio quality. Please do let us know what you think of this new format at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    ONE MILLION CHECKBOXES – 03:20
    Are You a Checker or an Unchecker? (paywall)
    The Secret Inside One Million Checkboxes
    Nolan Royalty on X
    ‘Infinity Blade II: ClashMob’ Uses the Cloud, Crowd-Sourcing for Group-Based Gaming

    ON KITCHEN FAUCETS & BRAND VALUES – 12:09
    Generative AI x Product with Anmol Anubhai
    That Much-Despised Apple Ad (paywall)
    Design Thinking: Failure or Fall Guy?
    Toolbox: How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Help You Make, Better
    Touch vs Touchless Faucets
    Are touchless faucets for the kitchen worth it?
    Hansgrohe Select Technology
    Axor Citterio Kitchen Faucet with Select Technology
    Why is my LG Washing Machine using 3.6GB of data/day?

    STEVE JOBS, CORNING & BEING UNREASONABLE – 29:07
    The Science and History of the iPhone Screen
    Founder Mode

    NEUTRON JACK – 33:45
    The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America―and How to Undo His Legacy
    How Jack Welch’s Reign at G.E. Gave Us Elon Musk’s Twitter Feed

    CLOSING – 39:14

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    40 mins
  • Generative AI x Product with Anmol Anubhai
    Jul 18 2024

    Generative AI: step change or snake oil du jour? We enter this mire with Anmol Anubhai as our guide & insight into the future of GenAI x product creation as our destination. Join us for a refreshingly grounded conversation on a topic that’s typically full of hype.

    FOLLOW-UPS – 01:42
    The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N Manual Mode Changes Performance EVs Forever
    WTF is a Product Manager?
    Dare Obasanjo on Product Management at Figma Config 2024
    Dare Obasanjo on Threads
    Shreyas Doshi on Threads
    Shreyas on why product management is hard

    GenAI x PRODUCT WITH ANMOL ANUBHAI – 07:45
    Anmol on LinkedIn
    Meet Figma AI
    Shane Allen on Figma AI
    Mira Murati: Conversation with Dartmouth Engineering
    Why Apple’s iPad Ad Fell Flat
    Figma’s AI app creator accused of ripping off Apple weather app
    Adobe’s new terms of service say it won’t use your work to train AI
    Instagram is training AI on your data
    CHI 2024: Evaluating Human-AI Partnership for LLM-based Code Migration
    Why companies are turning to ‘citizen developers’

    ANMOL’S ADVICE TO COMPANIES – 32:08

    AI INTERFACES BEYOND THE BOT – 34:45
    Google: People + AI Guidebook

    CULTIVATING MENTAL MODELS – 42:37

    WHO’S DOING THIS WELL & WHERE’S IT HEADED? – 48:12
    AI brings soaring emissions for Google and Microsoft

    WEEKLY RECS – 56:44
    Anmol: Andrew Ng’s Machine Learning Collection & Amazon PartyRock
    Joachim: BOOX Palma
    Ernest: Earthworks Audio ETHOS microphone

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:08:48

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    1 hr and 10 mins
  • The Weight of History
    Jun 7 2024

    The pressure to repeat history, as in the previous year’s sales for a given product, can be pernicious. We share ideas for unshackling yourself from this weight so that you can avoid, as Marshall McLuhan put it, marching backwards into the future.

    FOLLOW-UPS – 00:43
    Humane is looking for a buyer
    Coffeezilla on the Rabbit R1
    NOMOS at Watches & Wonders
    NOMOS: The icon in 31 color compositions
    Noel Gallagher on Jimi Hendrix
    The Panic Over Smartphones Doesn’t Help Teens (paywall)

    THE WEIGHT OF HISTORY – 21:57
    Reuters: Retailers slash prices on more Nike sneakers
    Porsche 914, 924 & 944
    The Failure of ‘New Coke’ Is a Lesson for Engineers
    BMW’s EV success: learning from past failures
    The Athlete’s Voice
    An Interview with Nike’s Phil Knight
    Steve Jobs Explained the Best Decision He Ever Made
    Prevent Defense
    Why Reed Hastings Should be Applauded for Netflix Split
    Volvo Spins Off Combustion Engines
    BMW 2002
    Hoffmeister Kink

    WEEKLY RECS – 58:19
    Read: Starbucks’ Digital Dilemna
    Avoid: Yoto
    Pentagram on Yoto
    Watch: The First Omen
    A Battle With The Devil And An NC-17 Rating

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:15:50

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    1 hr and 17 mins
  • The Perils of Fan Service
    May 23 2024

    The concept of fan service, which originated in anime and is now common across media, has pervaded the world of product creation as well. We discuss what it is & why it’s vital to serve your customers without pandering to them.

    FOLLOW-UPS – 01:11
    Progressive Complexity (aka Progressive Disclosure)

    THE PERILS OF FAN SERVICE – 03:50
    Star Wars: Fired Solo Directors Didn't Want Movie To Just Be Fan Service
    BlackBerry’s Future in Doubt
    Clicks is a BlackBerry-style iPhone keyboard case
    Janet Jackson Goes Sneaker Shopping With Complex

    THE “YES, AND” APPROACH – 12:57
    Why Porsche announced an SUV in 1998
    Engineering guru Albert Biermann on making the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N

    IT’S ABOUT THE VIBE OF THE THING – 19:01
    The Homer Simpson car is a great lesson in building products
    What everyone gets wrong about this famous Steve Jobs quote

    THE VALUE OF PROTOTYPES – 23:38
    IDEO: The Secret Power of Prototyping
    On IDEO’s early days and the importance of prototypes

    WE’RE NOT SAYING IGNORE YOUR FANS– 25:31
    Reddit’s IPO is its own decline
    Vollebak: The Dyneema Ultralight Jacket
    The End of Social Media: An Interview With Jack Dorsey
    Overheard: Steven Soderbergh

    KEEP YOUR PROTOTYPES FUZZY – 39:36
    UX Prototypes: Lo-Fi vs. Hi-Fi

    IT CAN BE GOOD TO BE NICHE – 44:28

    WEEKLY RECOMMENDATIONS – 47:15
    Secret Galaxy
    The efficacy of duct tape vs cryotherapy in the treatment of the common wart
    Does One Line Fix Google?
    Vivaldi Browser

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:00:59

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    1 hr and 2 mins
  • Enough *Is* Enough
    May 3 2024

    When it comes to products and product innovation, in our new era of higher-for-longer interest rates, enough *is* enough.

    FOLLOW-UPS – 01:23
    iOS spacebar meme
    Windup Watch Fair San Francisco
    Steven Pinker is wrong about violence and war

    ERA OF EASY MONEY IS OVER – 12:02
    The Era of Easy Money Is Over. That’s a Good Thing.
    The Price of Time

    CASE STUDIES: BAD & GOOD — 18:34
    The Worst Product I've Ever Reviewed... For Now
    Killed by Google
    Rabbit R1: Barely Reviewable
    Tesla’s Stainless Steel Cybertrucks Rusting
    For tech giants, AI poses billion-dollar search problem
    The Perils of Crossing Over from Niche to Mainstream
    Volvo EX30 may be America's next hit EV
    Volvo’s low-cost EX30 EV is already delivering profits
    Ray-Ban Smart Glasses are a surprise success

    THE PARADOX OF ZERO – 33:46
    Historic Ad Fraud at Uber with Kevin Frisch

    HOW TO NAVIGATE THIS SHIFT – 39:50
    Japanese consumer sentiment (slide 29)
    Toolbox: How “Jobs To Be Done” Can Help You Make, Better
    The Premium Mediocre Life of Maya Millennial
    Six months in, 404 Media is profitable

    WEEKLY RECS – 57:29
    Stewart Hicks
    Birkenstock Birmingham Boot
    Are Birkenstock boots bullsh!t?

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:07:55

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • Daniel Kahneman: Lessons & Critiques
    Apr 25 2024

    Daniel Kahneman, credited as a grandfather of behavioral economics, passed away in March, and we devote this episode to an unfiltered discussion of his legacy through a product lens.

    KAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BULL CASE – 01:55
    NY Times obituary of Daniel Kahneman

    KAHNEMAN’S LEGACY: THE BEAR CASE – 03:40
    The “Nudge” of the Obama Era Was Always Neoliberal Nonsense
    Nudge economics: has push come to shove for a fashionable theory?

    JOACHIM’S PERSPECTIVE – 05:27
    A Quick Excursion into Behavioral Economics

    ERNEST’S PERSPECTIVE – 10:56
    Netflix to stop reporting subscriber numbers
    Pronation in runners. Implications for injuries
    There’s a New Way to Choose the Right Running Shoe
    Nobel Prize winner admits mistakes

    RELEVANCE FOR PRODUCT CREATION – 19:43
    Decision Support System

    GAMING AS A MODEL – 21:57

    INDIE CONTENT CREATORS AS A MODEL – 23:15
    Beyond the Trailer
    On the Success of Xiaomi

    DON’T PATRONIZE YOUR CUSTOMER – 27:11
    Edward Tufte
    Pop Culture Pulsar
    1010music Blackbox
    Elektron Octatrack
    8-bit processor built in Minecraft

    KAHNEMAN ON CHANGING HIS MIND – 39:16
    Remembering Daniel Kahneman

    WEEKLY RECS – 42:27
    If Books Could Kill
    Masuda Kiribako Rice Bin
    Kiyosi Seike: The Art of Japanese Joinery
    The Joinery on X

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 50:43

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    52 mins
  • Design Thinking: Failure or Fall Guy?
    Apr 18 2024

    A decade ago, design thinking was all the rage across the corporate world. But, today, it's widely derided as a failed experiment. Is there still a place for design thinking or is it an idea whose time has passed?

    FOLLOW-UPS – 01:56
    Time to Learn
    Hublot at Watches & Wonders 2024
    Cartier Santos-Dumont Rewind
    JLC at Watches & Wonders 2024
    Should Products be Political?
    Bobbie
    Bobbie for Change
    Byron Sharp: How Brands Grow

    DESIGN THINKING – 08:37
    IDEO Design Thinking
    Design thinking: Where did it go wrong?
    Tim Brown: Change By Design
    The ‘Nudge’ of the Obama Era Was Always Neoliberal Nonsense
    IDEO: Field Guide to Human-Centered Design
    Brian Collins: Resilient Futures
    Kevin Slavin: Design as Participation
    37signals: Contingency Design
    Steve Jobs on consultants
    Start-Stop-Continue Exercise
    Scenius or Genius
    Double Diamond Framework
    Amazon’s AI Store Seemed to Magical. And They Were.

    WEEKLY RECS – 45:26
    “Your Name,” the Most Popular Anime of All Time, Comes to America
    The Criterion Channel: Your Name.
    Shōgun on Hulu
    ‘Tokyo Vice’ in a More Expansive Season 2

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 57:33

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    59 mins
  • Time to Learn
    Apr 6 2024

    Apologies for our delay this week! In this episode, with the Watches & Wonders show around the corner, we talk watches & the broader lessons we can draw from a product category rooted entirely in emotion.

    WRIST CHECK – 02:16
    IWC Pilot’s Watch Chrono Top Gun
    Ming 37.07
    Halios
    Raven
    In-House vs. Off-the-Shelf Movements
    Idris Elba Wears a $500 Watch

    JOACHIM’S 👍 – 11:39
    IWC
    IWC and Carl Jung
    “The IWC Colors” with Pantone

    ERNEST’S 👍 – 19:05
    Cartier
    Cartier Watches: A Brief History
    How Cartier Changed Its Fate

    JOACHIM’S 👎 – 26:40
    Richard Mille
    Michelle Yeoh has a killer watch collection

    ERNEST’S 👎 – 30:52
    Audemars Piguet
    History of the Royal Oak
    CODE 11:59: How to Fail at Marketing
    AP Surprises Us All With the Newest Marvel Collab

    JOACHIM’S 🤡 – 43:10
    Hublot

    ERNEST’S 🤡 – 46:46
    Parmigiani Fleurier Won 2022
    OT Podcast: Oris’ Rolf Studer
    Oris ProPilot X Kermit
    Bulgari Octo Finissimo Tadao Ando LE
    Understanding the PF Minute Rattrapante

    WEEKLY RECS – 55:58
    Jenni Elle
    Britt Pearce
    Dead Simple Sites
    Joachim’s new site

    CLOSING & PREVIEW – 01:00:59

    ****

    Rant, rave or otherwise via email at LearnMakeLearn@gmail.com or on Threads @LearnMakeLearnShow.

    CREDITS
    Theme: Vendla / Today Is a Good Day / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com
    Drum hit: PREL / Musical Element 85 / courtesy of www.epidemicsound.com

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    1 hr and 3 mins