The non-obvious blog
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Be More Interesting Since 2004.
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18 2025 July
7 Tips for Making Your Website Non-Obvious (and Interesting)
Updating a website is one of my least favorite things to do as an entrepreneur. It just takes so much time. But if you’ve ever...
Read Now28 2025 March
Why the EPA Fighting Back Matters
The EPA has a marketing problem and it’s a basic one that has existed for decades. Despite being largely effective in its mission to protect American air...
Read Now27 2025 March
Adobe Acrobat AI Assistant Is Exactly What Anyone in Business Really Needs
This past month Adobe launched a super useful enhancement that I’ve been testing it for a bit. The Adobe AI Assistant has a number of...
Read Now26 2025 March
The Quest to Prevent Scalpers and the Rise of the Freebie Bots
There is a word for people who buy a child’s game when it first comes out and then immediately try to sell it online for...
Read Now25 2025 March
The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: Look Again by Tali Sharot & Cass R. Sunstein
Humans are great at habituation. We can get used to it when things are great, and we can get used to it when they aren’t...
Read Now24 2025 March
Astronauts Are Leading the Quest to Prevent Space Advertising from Filling the Sky
The Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS), is a beautifully imagined group within the United Nations that aims to make sure space...
Read Now21 2025 March
Can Brand America Be Destroyed?
Diplomats and trading partners don’t trust the word of America anymore. Countries are hosting summits and meetings to discuss alliances specifically omitting the US. Politicians...
Read Now20 2025 March
Unnecessary Enhancement and the Upscaling Backlash Against Netflix
What if everything doesn’t need to be better? A series of 80s shows originally released at a 4:3 aspect ratio and with non-HD level filming have been...
Read Now19 2025 March
The Tesla Resistance Is Real. Here’s What It Means …
Tesla owners are disguising their cars as a sign of resistance. There are plenty of YouTube videos with tips on how to hide the evidence that you’re...
Read Now18 2025 March
The Non-Obvious Book of the Week: The Secret Lives of Colour by Kassia St. Clair
There are colors that you may have heard of, and more than a few that you haven’t. This highly original book takes a look at...
Read Now17 2025 March
The Talking Tree and How AI Can Give a Voice to the Voiceless
How can you get young people to reconnect with nature? Let them talk to a tree. That’s the creative premise behind a new campaign that features...
Read Now14 2025 March
The 7 Non-Obvious Secrets of Understanding People to Predict the Future
This past week, I debuted a new keynote talk at SXSW, and it was all about understanding people. I will share the full video when...
Read Now13 2025 March
What Entitlement Looks Like? Adrien Brody’s Oscars Award Acceptance Speech
When the Best Actor award was announced and Adrien Brody took the top honor for the second time, he headed toward stage and abruptly stopped....
Read Now12 2025 March
The Ultimate Movie Brand Partnership: Kleenex and IMDB Launch “The Kleenex Score”
There aren’t many brands that define their entire category so much that people literally use the brand name interchangeably to describe the product. Kleenex has...
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