I find yes/no questions incredibly useful as filters to help guide complex decisions. Forcing a decision tree into a series of yes/no questions can help cut through the fog of apples-to-oranges comparisons, bias, or ambiguous data. Recently, with respect to product, I like to ask this one:

Have you created the best answer to somebody’s question?

In this question, “somebody” represents the customer, “question” the need or problem, and together they represent your market. If you can definitively answer “yes”—even for a narrowly-defined market (e.g. San Francisco smartphone owners looking for a ride on demand)—you’ve created the basis for a monopoly.

Similarly, growth means either changing the somebody or changing the question. And retention means making sure the answer to the original question stays “yes.”

Last week I spent a few days unplugged, hiking in the south island of New Zealand. A debt of gratitude to Michael, Allen, Yvonne, and team at Wilderness Lodge for the incredible welcome.

Shiny Hammers, from two talks I gave in October 2013—Optimal Experience in Wellington, New Zealand and the H2O Summit at LinkedIn HQ.

Trans-Pacific flights + love songs for my better half @ 124 BPM.

Download “10,000 Goodnight Kisses” mixtape (120MB / 256kbps AAC)

Track List

1. The Afro-Soultet — Afrodesia
2. Danger Mouse & Daniele Luppi — Two Against One
3. Karmon — Feel It
4. Ultraísta — Smalltalk (Four Tet Remix)
5. Bonobo — Cirrus
6. Foals — Big Big Love (Fig.2)
7. Daft Punk — Giorgio by Moroder
8. Steve Aoki — Heartbreaker (feat. Lovefoxxx)
9. Miike Snow — Silvia
10. The Fort Knox Five — Blowin’ Up The Spot
11. Panthers — Goblin City (Holy Ghost! Disco Dub)
12. Al Green — Let’s Get Married
13. Breakbot — Why (feat. Ruckazoid)
14. DCUP — I’m Corrupt
15. Disclosure — F For You
16. Breakbot — Shades of Black
17. Classix – All You’re Waiting for (feat. Nancy Whang)
18. Yelle – Que veux-tu (Madeon Extended Remix)
19. Flight Facilities – Crave You (Version 2)
20. Lady Danville – Kids
21. Gotye – Easy Way Out
22. Kidnap Kid – Thin Lines (feat. Lotti)
23. John Newman – Love Me Again
24. Peking Duk – The Way You Are
25. Feed Me & Crystal Fighters – Love Is All I Got

Pretty gets you 30 seconds.

Usable gets 5 minutes.

Useful gets a customer.

Last December, I wanted to see if Bonobo could mix with hip-hop (turns out it does), and work outside my 125 BPM comfort zone. Thanks to the guys at Rap Genius for the inspiration (and the help). This is the result:

Download “Honey Junket” mixtape (256kbps MP4 / AAC) (61MB)

Track List

1. Atmosphere — The Woman With The Tattooed Hands
2. KiD CuDi — Maui Wowie
3. Ming + FS — Is There Honey?
4. Rhymefest — Mike The Mentor (feat. Michael Jackson)
5. Common — The People (feat. Dwele)
6. Apollo Brown — Brag Language (feat. Buff 1 & Magestik Legend)
7. DJ Danger Mouse — What More Can I Say
8. Kanye West — Stronger
9. The Hood Internet — Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg) vs Fujiya & Miyagi - The Next Collarbone
10. Kanye West — Flashing Lights (feat. Dwele)
11. ydnar — Good Days Ahead (Bonobo vs Big K.R.I.T.)
12. The Notorious B.I.G. — Ghetto (feat. Akon & 2pac)
13. Bonobo — Light Pattern
14. Dr. Dre — Housewife (feat. Hittman & Kurupt)
15. Anni Rossi — Rude Boy (Rhianna cover)
16. Ratatat — Party And Bullshit (feat. The Notorious B.I.G.)
17. Bonobo — All In Forms
18. Notorious B.I.G. — Big Poppa
19. Lupe Fiasco — Hip-Hop Saved My Life (feat. Nikki Jean)

Chipped away learning to mix hip-hop, I present Bonobo’s “Days to Come” (2006) narrated by Big K.R.I.T. “Good Foot” (2011).

Download “Good Days Ahead” MP4 / AAC Audio (5.5MB)

…I stepped out of John Dory onto Broadway, looked south, and heard a voice behind me “nice hair!” I turned to find two cougars finishing their cigarettes. I thanked them, they smiled and stepped back into the bar.

After which, Sasha introduced me to his friend Tom, who’d taken his first Square transaction earlier in the day—a wholesale batch of his artisanal tonic.

Remarkable territory, this “mid-town.”

40 minutes, 125bpm, island hopping via flight 79 to Honolulu.

Download (256kbps MP3)

Track List

1. The Avalanches — Live at Dominoes
2. 40 Winks — Welcome To Paradise Island (Interlude)
3. Astrud Gilberto, Joao Gilberto & Stan Getz — The Girl from Ipanema
4. Silicone Soul — The All Nite Dub
5. Rodrigo y Gabriela — Buster Voodoo
6. Shwayze — Buzzin (Villains Remix v.2)
7. Michael Jackson — Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough
8. Steed Lord — You,
9. Sufjan Stevens — The Dress Looks Nice On You
10. Yelle — La musique (Tepr Remix)
11. Spoon — Don’t You Evah (DJ Amaze and Alan Astor Mix)
12. Death From Above 1979 — Romantic Rights (Girls Are Short Mix)
13. OH SNAP!! — I’m Too Fat To Be A Hipster
14. Brad Sucks — Dropping out of School
15. Mumford & Sons — Little Lion Man
16. Kid Cudi & Cee-Lo — Scott Mescudi vs. the World
17. The xx — You’ve Got the Love (Theophilus London Remix)
18. Delphic — This Momentary
19. The Presets — This Boy’s In Love
20. I Am Finn — I Love You (Van She Tech Remix)