Welcome to Ben's Blog

Guide for First Time Readers: Ben Casnocha's Blog

Thanks for reading my blog at http://ben.casnocha.com

What is this blog about? This blog is about entrepreneurship, business, books, current affairs, writing, philosophy, psychology, and my personal life. My own intellectual curiosity serves as the compass for what I write about.

How frequently do you post? About once a day.

How can I subscribe to your blog? You can subscribe either by RSS or via email. See links below.

How do I contact you? Feel free to email me with any comments or questions. ben@casnocha.com

Who are you again? Here's my bio and background personal web site. Here's the link to my book My Start-Up Life: What a (Very) Young CEO Learned on His Journey Through Silicon Valley.

BEST OF BEN BLOG POSTS BY CATEGORY

ENTREPRENEURSHIP / BUSINESS

Easier to learn in big or small company? - Should a college grad work for a start-up or big corp?
What separates a talker and doer? - I outline what doers do that talkers don't.
Is killer instinct necessary in business? - And if so, how much is too much?
Is business intellectually stimulating? - If not, does overwhelming focus preclude non-business exploration?
My personal finance infrastructure - How I manage my money
Can You Imagine If You Needed an MBA to Be in Business? - In praise of the de-credentialization of society
Can Companies Accelerate the Adoption Curve? - It's harder than executing well.
The Expected Value of Being a Hedgehog vs. Fox - Some of us do one big thing really well, some of us do many things well.
The Myth of One Giant Eureka Moment - We don't need to have a groundbreaking idea on day 1.
Are you an ambitious person who doesn't set long term goals? - I am. 20% of amibitous people are like me, I think.
Essay on Entrepreneurial Capitalism - And a review of the book "Good Capitalism, Bad Capitalism"

All my Entrepreneurship posts. All my Business posts..

BOOKS

Formal Book Review: Ghost Wars - A review of the CIA's role in Afghanistan
2005 Book Roundup - My 2005 reading
2006 Book Roundup - My 2006 reading
2007 Book Roundup - My 2007 reading.
Book Review and Notes: The Blank Slate - A wonderful book
Formal book review: I Am Charlotte Simmons - Tom Wolfe's novel about a brilliant girl corrupted by Ivy League school
The culture of independent bookstores - A long debate between me and several others over the value of independent bookstores in our culture
How I Think About Books - How I pick what books to read and how I read them
Optimize Activity for Location - Where to read (planes, at home, trains, etc).
Formal Book Review: Who Are We? by Sam Huntington - America's future in a world of Hispanic immigration

Check out Book Outlines to see some notes friend and I have taken on business books. Check out the full list of books I've read the past few years.

PERSONAL

18th birthday responses - Dozens of friends tell me what they regret not doing when they were 18
Video Interviews with Me - We cover a range of topics.
Childfree By Choice an Unpopular Sentiment - Is there a stigma against those who choose not to have children?

PSYCHOLOGY

Constructing our preferred narrative - We tell stories to ourselves about our life to make ourselves feel good
Do wealthy people consume high culture to signal? - Fine art and opera.
How do you develop self-confidence? - A few tips for building this critical capacity.
Is original thinking orthogonal to cognitive speed? - Would you rather be swift/derivative or slow/original?
Real World Reality: No One Cares What You Think - You have to make people give a shit.

TECHNOLOGY

When you're going to blog something, you want it to be positive - Can blogging improve your life?
The "Do You Blog?" Litmus Test - And other microtests to figure out whether you'll have rapport with someone.
It's a Transparent Society, So Get Naked - Privacy is an antiquated concept. My commentary for NPR.
All posts under Web/Tech category.

EDUCATION

The emergence of kids as kings - Why do kids run parents' lives?
Five Things Wrong With Universities Today - A laundry list.
Three Things to Unlearn From School - The importance of opinion, the importance of solving given problems, the importance of earning the approval of others.
Privilaged Post-College Grads: Selling Out to Stay Afloat? - "Having" to work in i-banking.
Thinking Like an Entrepreneur in College - My commentary on NPR.
One Difference Btwn College and Real World - College is an information-rich environment that makes it easy to track progress.
The Children of Overbearing High Stress Parents Hit Singles - Singles and doubles, but not homeruns (and not a strike out).
What Teachers Everywhere Can Learn from Prof Pitney - Teaching lessons from a professor of mine.
Those Late Night Dorm Conversations! - The romantization of education.
Three Observations about Western European Higher Ed - Key differences from European education philosophy and U.S.

GLOBALIZATION

Globalization's Impact on Culture- It's positive
Life's Interesting at the Intersections - The intersection of ideas and cultures
What does it mean for something to be culturally "authentic"?
All posts under category Globalization

PHILOSOPHY

What Does Society Overcomplicate? - Just because something is hard doesn't mean it's complicated.
The stability/stimulation tradeoff - The most stimulating jobs are also the least stable
The myth of moment driven lives - We overvalue "moments" -- key events in our life happen over a continuum
Our obsession with consistency and hypocrisy - What's wrong with changing your mind?
Getting the lowest A possible - Settle for "good enough"
When can you generalize from a specific experience? - This is a BIG question.
Would you rather be rich or influential? - I'm not sure.
Slinkily Dressed Women = Empowerment? - Why do strippers think their profession is empowering?
Do Only Negative Emotions Count for Depth? - Does saddness stretch you more than happiness?
Should Everyone Go Through Therapy? - A therapist is the one person in the world who can be totally honest.
Were I Stand on "The Issues" - A laundry list of political beliefs.

RANDOM

Our Obsession Over Memories - When does the process of creating memories overtake the importance of the memory itself?
Are Motherhood and Feminism Mutually Exclusive? - If you don't work to raise kids, are you helping the feminist cause?
Making and keeping commitments for yourself - Don't let yourself down!
Are you smartest guy in the room? - Probably not, so how do you add value?
How to build resilience - A transferable quotient. If you're resilient on the treadmill, it can transfer to the board room.
Capturing the fringe thoughts of your life - Essential for new ideas
In Praise of No Names - Sometimes the best mentors/teachers are folks you've never heard of.
Questions About Being a Foodie - Are some foodies fakes?
Collective Generational Consciousness is Overrated - Gen Y bullshit
Obviousness Hinders Your Persuasion Ability - The more expert you are the harder it is to explain things to non-experts.
Being the Doer vs. Analyzer - Some professions are about doing, some about observing/analyzing. Which are you?
All posts under category "Random"

RELATIONSHIPS

Do you have deal breakers in relationships?
Mutual investment in relationships - Do both parties in a relationship need to invest the same amount of energy?
Girl on girl hookups - A new, performative lesbianism in teenage circles
Seeing your parents as pals - Being friends with your parents
Is love the killer app? - Do nice guys in business win?
Can a best friend be a composite? - Can a best friend be pieces of several different people?
Sex-ed in college: Yes means No.
What Does "Mature" Mean? - The definition of intellectual and emotional maturity.
Six Habits of Highly Effective Mentees - How to be a good mentee (protege).
The Giving and Receiving of Advice - Assorted wisdom.

CURRENT AFFAIRS / PUBLIC POLICY

Who's Benefiting from National Service? - NPR commentary against national service.
Analysis: H-1B Visa Issue - The controversial immigration law.
The Role of Speechwriters on Public Policy - They do more than just communicate policy. They create it.
Notes from Speakers at Claremont Spring '08 - Notes from many think tankers.

TRAVEL

Reflections on 3 months of international travel - A roundup of my international travel
What I learned in China - Lessons and reflections from 2.5 weeks in the country
The psychological beating of the third world - A reflection after day 1 in India

See my travel blog for lots of on-the-ground travel posts

QUOTES