It seemed like a great idea, so we brought it up with the filmmaking-types in the design department. “We need something awesome! Explosions! Police cars, ambulances!”

I guess they didn’t have the budget for all that. But I’m pretty happy with what they did come up with.

I want it to record on a continuous loop. If I press the steering-wheel mounted trigger, I want it to store 10 seconds before and after that moment so that I can choose the perfect still, or capture something I just saw.

I want to offload images via WiFi or Bluetooth or the SD slots or USB ports new cars already have for music import.

Another obvious feature would be to store video immediately before an accident, though I imagine this kind of “black-box” recording (and the likelihood of it being subpoenaed in an accident or crime investigation) would be a concern to some people.

There appear to be plenty options as after-market accessories, but I don’t want wires and suction cups. I just want it built in and working ‘automagically.’

Line the tray. Scraping melted cheese off a dish or tray is no way to end an evening. Line your tray with heavy duty aluminum foil.

Thin chips. The heavy-gut-guilt of a bad tray of nachos comes from thick corn chips. Remember, we’re not here for the corn. It’s just a light, crunchy base for cheese.

2 year-old cheddar. Medium, sharp, or extra sharp? No. Buy cheddar graded 2 years, 3 years, or ‘weaponized.’

Pro-tip: Grate cheddar onto a paper towel or, better yet, pre-sliced wax paper. Easy to dump on the chips, easy to clean up.

Chili con limon. Or “chile lime seasoning.” This is the secret; shake it liberally over the cheese and chips.

Jalepenos. Lots of them.

Broil. Don’t let me hear that you are microwaving nachos…

Hire experienced professionals. Staff every project completely. Get the best tools. Use the highest quality materials. Have independent consultants and auditors verify everything. Take the time to do things right, and never settle for second-best.

If leadership is the art of delegation, then everyone can lead a product launch, a construction project, or a rocket launch.

All you need to succeed is a pile of clichés (“Never settle for second best,” “Quality is job one,” “If it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well,” etc.) and an even bigger pile of cash.

Fast Company had a great article years ago about software development for the Space Shuttle. There are some interesting and even useful lessons about the process that kept software errors to 1 in 420,000 lines of code.

The problem with applying these lessons to my business: at that point they’d been working on the code for 22 years and were still spending $35 million a year on maintaining it. I can’t afford government-level quality. (And I mean that in every way it can be interpreted…)

Business is triage. Resources are limited and competition is intense, and the never-ending job of a business leader is deciding what we can get along without and how good something has to be before we ship it.

Sometimes a well-meaning employee asks when we’re going to “get through this phase” — stop changing direction quickly, stop taking on big projects with small teams, stop shipping things as soon as they are market-viable, etc.

The answer is “never, I hope.” Because a business that isn’t in triage mode is a business on its way out of business.

It is easy to fall into the trap of labeling things “strategic” as an excuse for unprofitable work. I know, I have done it.

Chapter 10 of Fire Someone Today is now online, and summarized in these slides:

Honor God. Love others.

When we started Logos Bible Software twenty years ago, I used a software program to generate a boilerplate “attorney approved” employee handbook. When employees asked “What’s our policy on…?” I might refer them to the handbook, since I couldn’t always remember what it said. But more often I would just approve their special request, or tell them to use their best judgment.

Then I took the Zappos tour, and read the Netflix culture slides. And I realized that we already employed awesome, smart people who trust each other. What did we need a butt-covering book of legalese for?

So that’s it: Honor God. Love others. Our new employee handbook in a nutshell, and the primary measure we weigh decisions against.

To complement the nutshell-handbook we developed a set of slides that expound on the theme, meet the letter of the law, introduce our corporate values, and explain the culture. We even decided on two actual rules: no smoking, and no open flames.

It can be scary to work with so few guidelines. Managers wonder if employees will abuse the un-tracked vacation time; employees wonder if they’re embracing too much or too little freedom. It requires trust and openness and conversation. But after 18 months it is working well.

This is the blunt, direct advice I give employees one-on-one, and what I’m sharing with my kids as they head off to college.

This isn’t a high-concept book full of abstractions; it’s a detailed explanation of the people and vocabulary you’ll encounter in the VC world. And it’s more than definitions: it also explains the reasoning and motivations.

I have been building a startup for twenty years, have been involved in several acquisitions and funding events, and I learned a lot from this book. It got me thinking about my business in a new way. If you’re at all interested in raising money for a business, or even if you just want to understand how this important part of our economy works, I highly recommend it.

Nota bene: This isn’t any kind of coded message about Logos. It’s just a book I read and really liked.

I understand learning about English composition in a class on that subject, or even picking up some physics in Physics 101. But learning about the subject you’re majoring in, and the field in which you hope to make a living, in a classroom? There is a better way.

You only get a few hours a week in the classroom. Don’t waste them trying to understand something new. You have the textbook, the syllabus, the library, and the Internet. Read ahead! Use the precious little time with a professor to have something explained a second way and to ask the questions that remain after you’ve already absorbed the basics. Understand the big picture, be familiar with the vocabulary, and impress your instructor with your advanced comprehension and thirst for knowledge.

Better yet, skip the first batch of classes in your major. The first few classes are designed for people who know nothing about the subject. They’re easy to test out of, and a waste of your tuition dollars to take. Every slot you free up at the front end is a more advanced class or elective you can take on the back end, increasing the value of your tuition and distinguishing your otherwise predictable transcript.

“Everything in software changes every three years,” the student told me in the course of our conversation.

True. So why would I hire someone whose primary education was in a classroom? Three years out of school they’ll be out of date. I want to hire people who have demonstrated that they can learn and grow on their own, who used their classroom time not to be introduced to new subjects, but to consult an expert and to supplement their self-education.

The Maxwell Hotel is exactly what I want in a hotel.

First, it’s new: spotlessly clean (solid surface floors — no grimy carpet!), everything works, modern fixtures, appliances, flat-screen TV, DVD player, iPod-dock alarm clock, etc. (I hate old hotels.)

Second, no nickel-and-diming: parking and Internet are included; there aren’t lots of extra fees. You can’t beat the value.

Third, it’s got a Keurig coffee machine, a microwave, and a fridge. And the fridge isn’t full of expensive mini-bar junk, it’s just got cold half-and-half for coffee. (There are snacks and beverages at the front desk, and a 24 hour full grocery store just two blocks up the street.)

I’m a frequent traveler, and I generally stay in chains. They’re boring, but safe and predictable. The Maxwell Hotel is a boutique hotel, and the interior decorating is more whimsical than you’ll find in a chain. But feature-wise it’s almost exactly like the best, newest Hilton Garden Inn. Only much cooler.

(Okay, this isn’t the perfect Seattle hotel. To be perfect, it should be in the center of downtown with spectacular water views from the 30th floor. But then it would be $600/night. The Maxwell is on the north side of Seattle Center. But the price and the easy free parking makes up for that, and you’re about 2-3 minutes from anywhere downtown by car/taxi. Or better yet, walk into Seattle Center and take the monorail right downtown for $2. This is probably the only hotel in the city for which the monorail is a useful bit of public transportation instead of just an amusement ride!)