The Deal Desk (blog)

February 20,2025: Asymmetrical B2C (business-to-customer) relationships occur when a business holds significantly more power, information, or resources than the customer. It’s not hard to come up with B2C examples: In some areas, telecommunications companies still enjoy a monopoly or limited competition and can impose long-term contracts and complex pricing structures that are difficult to understand.…

February 2, 2025: The recent advancements in open source Artificial Intelligence (AI)  might be compared to a spectacular 15th-century invention. The Gutenberg press forever changed the way information was shared by the affordable mass production of books. The rapid spread of ideas and knowledge that followed led to the Renaissance, the Reformation and inevitably the scientific…

January 20, 2025: During World War II, approximately 1.2 million African Americans served in the U.S. military. This was about 10-11% of the total armed forces and was in line with the African American population at the time, which was 15 million individuals out of a total national population of 132 million. Despite their significant…

January 13, 2025: In Buddhist teachings, the term “monkey mind” is used to describe the restless and chaotic nature of our thoughts, particularly the incessant mental commentary that often leads to stress and anxiety. Our minds can become overwhelmed with distractions, like monkeys jumping from branch to branch. The erratic and playful nature of monkeys…

January 1, 2025: The Latin phrase “Otium cum dignitate,” which translates to “leisure with dignity,” is often attributed to Cicero. In his discussion of a balanced life, “otium” (leisure) is best pursued with a sense of dignity and purpose, rather than idleness or mere pleasure-seeking. Otium cum dignitate refers to leisure activities that are meaningful…

December 25, 2024: “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year.” – Ebenezer Scrooge  This is Water is a remarkable essay and a commencement speech given to a  graduating college class by David Foster Wallace on the real value of education. It has almost nothing to do with knowledge…

December 14, 2024: A New Jersey map reveals an interesting detail from the early colonial history of America. The state has three natural water boundaries: the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean to the east, the Delaware Bay to the south, and the Delaware River to the west. Then there is the northern border with New…

December 4,2024: I asked my thought partner if there is a a connection between the Oxford Dictionary 2024 word of the year “brain rot” and the Merriam-Webster’s 2024 word of the year “authentic”.   The answer (paraphrased): there is a growing interest on mental engagement and the quality of information consumed.  “Brain rot” highlights concerns about…

November 27, 2024: We spend a lot of time wondering what other people are thinking. Our brains evolved to understand the thoughts and feelings of others, essential for social relationships. We have become so skilled at thinking that we worry what other people are thinking. In essence, we put ourselves in someone else’s mind and…

November 19, 2024: The Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias in which a person lacking knowledge or ability in a particular area tends to overestimate their understanding or competence. In essence, people affected by the Dunning-Kruger effect have an inflated perception of their knowledge or expertise in a subject or domain. They are unable to…