KACHARAGADLA

A computer inspired by a desk lamp M icrosoft’s Surface PCs are known for their hinges. From the first, launched alongside Windows 8, to the new Surface Studio, each device has a hinge system that has evolved over time. That’s no accident, as the designers behind the scenes have been tweaking the Surface formula for years now. This latest creation, the Surface Studio, is designed to create an illusion of floating pixels. I met with the Surface Team last week to hear the history of the Surface and its latest Surface Studio hinge. “There is a tradition of us getting funding with pretty crappy prototypes,” admits Ralf Groene, Microsoft's head of industrial design, as he sits proudly next to the Surface Studio during its launch event in New York City last week. Those “crappy prototypes” include the original Surface RT concept, that was an acrylic sheet with a piece of string attached. Microsoft started with the basic concept of propping up a tablet on a table and typing, an

I’ve been a fan of financier Anthony Scaramucci for a while now, ever since I began watching Wall Street Week on Fox every Friday. While I don’t know him personally, aside from a few Twitter interactions, I jumped at the opportunity to pick up his new book, “ Hopping Over the Rabbit Hole .” In it, Mr. Scaramucci delves deep into his extensive experience as an entrepreneur to share the most valuable lessons he has learned. One such lesson struck a chord with me on a personal level: when negotiating, leave money on the table. I was intrigued to learn more, because it’s a philosophy I have long-since subscribed to as the CEO of  BodeTree . More often than not, I’ve caught heat from fellow entrepreneurs and stakeholders for my willingness to pursue mutually beneficial deals with our partners. Now, I had a story from someone I respected and admired who could validate my approach. In “Jumping Over the Rabbit Hole,” Mr. Scaramucci reflects on the first time he met one of the wealthi

Now that we’re well into the fourth quarter of 2016, time is beginning to run out for sales organizations looking to hit their year-end goals. During this October/November crunch, it is all-too-easy for business owners and sales professionals alike to grow frustrated and impatient while waiting for clients to sign. I’m currently experiencing this firsthand. As of writing this, I have well over 20 large contracts that are pending final signature. Playing the waiting game can be excruciating, but I’ve found that it is possible to stay productive and positive throughout the process. Define the experience for your customers When you’re forced to wait for customers and partners, it’s easy to become paralyzed when making decisions. After all, you don’t know precisely how they will react to a situation, so the temptation to simply postpone important decisions can be strong. Unfortunately, this decision paralysis is often incredibly damaging for two reasons. First, it causes your

Recent interest in economics returns to the Adam Smith's understanding of prosperity and growth The first modern book in economics was called Wealth of Nations because its writer, Adam Smith, understood (and transmuted the idea) that the key to prosperity and growth was the generation and distribution of wealth — not just the flow of income. Recent interest in economics has started to return to this question, especially in the context of today’s rich countries. The academic attention on the metamorphosis and concentration of wealth has so far excluded poor countries. In fact, the study of the wealth of poor nations should be a core question in development economics (over income growth) because wealth tends to cumulate all past prosperity or disparity. I found it notable that despite the detailed historical analysis in Thomas Piketty’s book Capital in the 21st Century, there was no mention of Indian wealth (although Mr Piketty is responsible for a top Indian income s

Happiness is synthetic—you either create it, or you don’t. Happiness that lasts is earned through your habits. Supremely happy people have honed habits that maintain their happiness day in, day out. Permanently adopting new habits is hard, but breaking the habits that make you unhappy is much easier. There are numerous bad habits that tend to make us unhappy. Eradicating the following bad habits can improve your happiness in short order: 1. Hanging Around Negative People Complainers and negative people are bad news because they wallow in their problems and fail to focus on solutions. They want people to join their pity party so that they can feel better about themselves. People often feel pressure to listen to complainers because they don’t want to be seen as callous or rude, but there’s a fine line between lending a sympathetic ear and getting sucked into their negative emotional spirals. You can avoid getting drawn in only by setting limits and distancing yourself whe