random links for 2007-10-15

Lots of random stuff is showing on the Intertron today. A random sampling:

• Lessons about failure. Talking about the importance of failing fast. Try and avoid the success bias if you can. Corollary is that the way to succeed is not based on intelligence but is based on how many times you try. Also, luck helps.
• Wal-Mart driving product innovation and sustainability through their entire supply chain. Some interesting things here. I liked this quote from their CEO: We have simply started. We make no claims of being a green company. We’re not saying we’re better than anyone, we’re not saying we’re doing it right. What we’re saying is that we recognize an opportunity to make a difference in this world, make a difference for our customers, for our shareholders, for our associates, and it is worthwhile to do.
• John Maeda talking about leadership and management. The difference between the two is a line that is often blurred and I think that most people fail to understand or explore. Leader and manager are both roles that are most effective when they are blended together in the same person. Not just showing people where to go and how to get there but also how to develop them as people and give them as much responsibility and decision making as they are willing to take and competent to handle. See above: failing faster.
• Automation tools to advance Mozilla’s code base. These guys are crazy. Crazy good, I mean. Investing in static analysis and automation tools that will help move from a reference counting system to a GC system in a way that doesn’t require manual movement of that code, something that would take man-decades to approach. You invest a couple man-years of effort and you end up with tools that not only make it possible to make that move in a short amount of time, but also give you new views into the code that you have and more capabilities down the road in the area of analysis and measurement. This could be pretty damn awesome.