Kind-of-Lost

The 6 W’s explained: who, what, when, where, why and how

The Six W’s is a technique used in continuous improvement projects (posts about six sigma) to gather essential information and improve problem-solving capabilities. This approach is rooted in the principles of journalism and is commonly used in project management and marketing to gather information.

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the Six W’s, explain the theory behind this technique, discuss each of the six questions, give examples of each, and provide an example of use in the context of continuous improvement work.

What is mathematical programming

Mathematical programming is a field of mathematics that deals with the optimization of complex systems and processes. It has a rich history that dates back to the 1940s when George Dantzig, an American mathematician, developed the simplex method for solving linear programming problems. Since then, it has grown into a vast and dynamic discipline that has found applications in various fields such as finance, transportation, engineering, and operations research.

In this blog post, I will explore the origins of mathematical programming, provide an example of a problem that can be tackled and list some classical problems. I will also discuss some of the software products used in mathematical programming, both open-source and commercial.

“Early Retirement Extreme” review

Are you tired of working for the man and dreaming of an early retirement? Look no further than “Early Retirement Extreme” by Jacob Lund Fisker. This book is not your typical personal finance guide. It’s an unconventional approach to achieving financial independence and retiring early.

I drive a Pareto

Not an Italian luxury car.
No. Pareto was the Italian economist that came up with the 80/20 rule. He figured out 20% of the richest families held 80% of the wealth (this is probably worse nowadays). More generally stated, the 80/20 rule says that 80% of the results come from 20% of the inputs, you spend 80% of your time doing 20% of your tasks, etc, etc.

The (book in the) 2020 letter from Warren Buffett to Berkshire Hathaway investors

I’ve already blogged about Buffet’s annual letters twice: in 2018 I wrote about a few quotes, and in 2019 I wrote about some lessons learned.

Now I have to confess that after some six or seven years of reading them they are getting a bit repetitive, although there is always something new. This year the new thing is some interesting idea Buffett shares from a quasi-obscure book from 1924 I had never heard about before: “Common stocks as Long Term Investments” by Edgar Lawrence Smith.