Significant digits Even though it’s possible to design an oral thermometer that measures body temperature to a hundredth of a degree, there’s no reason to do so. In fact, 98.6 is overkill. 98 is enough information. More digits don’t give us more information, they simply distract or confuse us. The same is true for time. Knowing what […]
https://seths.blog/2025/10/significant-digits/

The other backpacks A powerful metaphor from a long hike: Every hiker is intimately aware of their backpack. They picked it out, choosing from dozens of options. They know which straps are loose and which are digging into their skin. They can tell you if it’s lopsided, and what is in each pocket. And yet… Even after days […]
https://seths.blog/2025/10/the-other-backpacks/

Toward obvious Most people do the obvious thing, that’s why we call it obvious. A new product, idea or technology is rarely obvious, at least at first. So the work of scale is to be seen as inevitable. The stepwise process of becoming the obvious choice. Skipping steps requires insisting that we’re the obvious choice, but that […]
https://seths.blog/2025/10/toward-obvious/

Two useful AI tactics Create a document, several pages long, that explains who you are. What sort of learner are you? Do you have degrees or expertise? What sort of change are you making, who works with you, what are your standards? How do you want to engage? Periodically, upload the doc to the chat you’re having with an […]
https://seths.blog/2025/10/two-useful-ai-tactics/

Uncomfortable/unspoken If you want to make a change (or make a living) it might pay to find a topic that people hesitate to talk about. There’s enormous leverage in making the uncomfortable urgent enough to take action on. One of the easiest ways to improve public health and reduce cancer is by increasing the adoption of […]
https://seths.blog/2025/10/uncomfortable-unspoken/