Skip to Main Content

The non-obvious blog

banner image

Dedicated To Helping Readers
Be More Interesting
Since 2004.

webby_awards_logo
1200px-AdAge_logo.svg
harward-business-review-logo
wall-street-journal-logo
post thumbnail for The Non-Obvious Future Word of the Week: Fauxstalgia & The Lost Goal of Pelé

23 2026 July

The Non-Obvious Future Word of the Week: Fauxstalgia & The Lost Goal of Pelé

Fauxstalgia – The ache for a memory that was AI-generated and never actually lived through. The most legendary soccer player in history once shared that the best...

Read Now
post thumbnail for Pizza Hut and the Retro Restaurant Movement

28 2026 May

Pizza Hut and the Retro Restaurant Movement

For years, the leader in delivery pizza has been Dominos. For sit down pizzerias, there are plenty of options in most cities. Pizza Hut has...

Read Now
post thumbnail for Solving The Mass Discard Problem on College Campuses

27 2026 May

Solving The Mass Discard Problem on College Campuses

Imagine a day or series of days when people pile up all sorts of stuff on the curb and give it away for free. Unopened...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman

26 2026 May

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Moral Ambition by Rutger Bregman

What if the biggest problem in the world is a lack of moral ambition from those in a position to change the world either through...

Read Now
post thumbnail for Amazon Invents Another Way to Steal Media with AI-Generated Podslop

25 2026 May

Amazon Invents Another Way to Steal Media with AI-Generated Podslop

Amazon just announced Alexa Podcasts, a new Alexa+ feature available to paying Amazon Prime members. The platform allows you to ask for information on any...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Science Is In. AI Is Definitely Making You Dumber, If You Let It

21 2026 May

The Science Is In. AI Is Definitely Making You Dumber, If You Let It

This is a story that will surprise no one who reads my newsletter regularly, but what was surprising to me over the past few weeks...

Read Now
post thumbnail for Meta’s Big Self-Inflicted Problem

20 2026 May

Meta’s Big Self-Inflicted Problem

This past week, Mark Zuckerberg announced that Meta will be offering “completely private” encrypted chat for users. That sounds like great news. The problem is in the...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: China’s 90% Model by Dr. Ram Charan

19 2026 May

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: China’s 90% Model by Dr. Ram Charan

The long-awaited US-China summit is finally happening after weeks of delay and so it’s a perfect time to bring this book up for you, which is an...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Future of Markups and Margins Will Be Harder to Justify

18 2026 May

The Future of Markups and Margins Will Be Harder to Justify

Inside a new retail concept store called The Markup Marche, the “exotic thirst-defying hydration vessel” is the flowery marketing language used to sell a humble coconut....

Read Now
post thumbnail for Everything Looks Cooler with Age

14 2026 May

Everything Looks Cooler with Age

At the recent Met Gala, one of the most non-obvious looks of the night came from rapper Bad Bunny who aged himself 53 years to show up...

Read Now
post thumbnail for Forget “No Kings,” Maybe We Need More MODERN Kings (and Queens)

13 2026 May

Forget “No Kings,” Maybe We Need More MODERN Kings (and Queens)

History has recorded many bad Kings. Kings that have plunged countries into war, prioritized their own glory, unleashed colonialism into the world. In America, the No...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Always Eat Left Handed by Rohit Bhargava

12 2026 May

The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Always Eat Left Handed by Rohit Bhargava

It’s graduation season and this month I have both boys graduating (one from high school and one from college), so it’s an exciting time. Several...

Read Now
post thumbnail for This Bank You Haven’t Heard of May Offer a Blueprint to Winning the AI Race

07 2026 May

This Bank You Haven’t Heard of May Offer a Blueprint to Winning the AI Race

Customers Bank describes itself as “banking built for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs offering a wide range of banking products designed with entrepreneurs like you.” It’s a...

Read Now
post thumbnail for The Best Sports Sponsorship of the Year Is All About Saving Your Nipples?

06 2026 May

The Best Sports Sponsorship of the Year Is All About Saving Your Nipples?

Here’s a metric that more marketers should use for judging a great sponsorship: it is something that no other brand could possibly do. This latest...

Read Now
+
+