Group Decision-Making: The Good, The Bad, and How to Do It Right

Group decision-making is a double-edged sword. When managed well, it leads to better ideas, stronger buy-in, and fewer blind spots. When done poorly, it results in endless debates, analysis paralysis, and wasted time. As more people get involved, decision quality initially improves—until a tipping point where diminishing returns and inefficiencies kick in. So how do we strike the right balance? Let’s explore the good, the bad, and the practical solutions to improve decision-making in everyday …

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Why You Shouldn’t Query Raw Data—And When It Makes Sense

I was recently asked why it’s not advisable to query raw data directly. The question caught me off guard at first, but it made me think deeply. Raw data is often viewed as the foundation of analytics, yet querying it without proper processing can lead to inefficiencies, inconsistencies, and potential misinterpretations. In this post, I’ll attempt to explain why querying raw data should generally be avoided, when it’s necessary to do so, and best practices …

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Evolving Passwords: Transitioning from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords

You can tell 2025 is shaping up to be a year of change for me—first transitioning from Quicken Desktop to Simplifi, and now moving from Bitwarden to Apple Passwords. Our family’s password management journey started over a decade ago. Back then, my wife and I used a password-protected Excel spreadsheet to store all our credentials. While rudimentary by today’s standards, it worked effectively at the time. Over time, I decided to self-host Bitwarden in my …

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From Quicken Desktop to Simplifi: My Migration Experience

I recently made the leap from Quicken Desktop to Quicken’s Simplifi app. Transitioning from a traditional desktop-based tool to a sleek, web-based app has been a BIG change. While both products are under the Quicken brand, there isn’t a built-in migration path between them. This means starting fresh, which can be daunting for longtime Quicken Desktop users. Why I Switched to Simplifi I’ve been a loyal user of Quicken Desktop’s Deluxe version for several years. …

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Create an Airplay 2 Player

Our house came with outdoor speakers installed but there wasn’t a way to play music on those because there wasn’t any audio receiver connected. These are passive speakers so would require an amplifier (or full blown audio receiver) to power them. Buying a receive is an overkill so I was looking for amps. While looking for amps, wanted to get one that has Airplay capabilities, but unfortunately those seem very pricey. Therefore, I decided to …

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