Rob Walker
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notrobwalker.bsky.social
Rob Walker
@notrobwalker.bsky.social
540 followers 86 following 29 posts
The Art of Noticing author, Fast Company columnist. Ex-Workologist, ex-Consumed. Etc.
https://robwalker.substack.com
https://robwalker.net/
Posts Replies Media Videos
Reposted by Rob Walker
bobbieg.bsky.social
Raising Cane's is now bigger than KFC, with one of the smallest menus you'll find at a chain restaurant. If you love good business journalism and good chicken fingers, check out @notrobwalker.bsky.social's great feature on Cane's and founder Todd Graves.

www.inc.com/rob-walker/h...
How Raising Cane's Founder Todd Graves Perfected His Formula and Built a $5 Billion Brand
Graves' recipe for creating a legion of Caniacs and passing KFC to be America's third-largest chicken chain.
www.inc.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:21 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
cstv-uw.bsky.social
Recent moves by #OpenAI seem aimed to leverage Tik-Tok bait (Sora 2) and sexy-talk to produce revenues at the expense of its initial, high-minded ideas about building the economy, etc., explains @notrobwalker.bsky.social

www.fastcompany.com/91428080/its... #AI
It's getting harder to take OpenAI seriously
Introducing slop and sex creates some serious risk to a brand built on world-changing idealism.
www.fastcompany.com
October 27, 2025 at 3:32 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
rozmorris.bsky.social
Where has your curiosity gone? Your joy in making little notes? Let @notrobwalker.bsky.social guide you back to noticing robwalker.substack.com/p/how-do-you... #writingcommunity #writingtips #creativity #writinglife #authorlife #skywriters
How do you reset?
TAoN No. 196: Try something small. Plus Savor of the Month, and more
robwalker.substack.com
October 8, 2025 at 8:05 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
rozmorris.bsky.social
I love these ideas! How to make a crowded place special, how to make a deserted urban walk into a fun mind game. (I do it on Tube trains.) @notrobwalker.bsky.social robwalker.substack.com/p/postcards-... #writingcommunity #writingtips #writinglife #skywriters
Postcards from Wherever
TAoN No. 195: A TAoN mindset takes on the Uninteresting Olympics. Plus a new (Australian!) Icebreaker, and more
robwalker.substack.com
September 24, 2025 at 7:57 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
rozmorris.bsky.social
Mysteries are everywhere. We should always be asking questions. Like this - @notrobwalker.bsky.social robwalker.substack.com/p/mystery-le... #writinglife #authorlife #creativity #writingcommunity #skywriters
Mystery Lessons
TAoN No. 194: A rewarding form of imaginative attention. And more
robwalker.substack.com
September 10, 2025 at 8:25 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
worldbollardassoc.bsky.social
Robot meets bollard. Nothing beats the #WorldBollardAssociation
August 23, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
dogtrax.bsky.social
The first writing prompt - by @mrsablund.bsky.social - as welcome invitation for the coming #writeout in October is all about noticing, and is inspired by Rob Walker's @notrobwalker.bsky.social post: Get Out (robwalker.substack.com/p/get-out)

Learn more about Write Out: writeout.nwp.org
#EduSky
AWAKEN YOUR SENSES WITH US LEADING UP TO OUR BIG WRITE OUT EVENT IN OCTOBER TODAY, INSPIRED BY ROB WALKERS BOOK "THE ART OF NOTICING"... TAKE 5 MINUTES TO LOOK AT YOUR WINDOW EITHER AT WORK, IN YOUR CLASSROOM OR EVEN AT HOME. STUDY THE VIEW AND JOT DOWN ANY MOVEMENT. WRITE DOWN THREE THINGS YOU HAVE NEVER NOTICED BEFORE IN DETAIL. SHARE WITH US YOUR FINDINGS USING #WRITEOUT
August 22, 2025 at 12:19 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
cstv-uw.bsky.social
Some companies, like fast food and airlines, like the idea of #AI dynamic pricing, but it just sounds like gouging to many customers (and voters), explains @notrobwalker.bsky.social

www.fastcompany.com/91382156/why... #commerce
Why we hate dynamic pricing
All sorts of companies seem excited about the potential to use AI to set prices. There’s only one problem—consumers hate it.
www.fastcompany.com
August 8, 2025 at 5:07 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
@jimderogatis.bsky.social Hey there, regarding that terrific Le Snobs track, sounds like their take on The Toys' "Lover's Concerto." Love the show! www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmJ1...
The Toys .......A Lovers Concerto
YouTube video by JansLoveShack
www.youtube.com
August 7, 2025 at 11:44 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
chriscolin3000.bsky.social
I wrote about my car, our collective sanity and the state of Fuck It. www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archiv...
That Dropped Call With Customer Service? It Was on Purpose.
Endless wait times and excessive procedural fuss—it’s all part of a tactic called “sludge.”
www.theatlantic.com
June 29, 2025 at 4:33 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
"AR is at heart a new way of using public spaces by adding digital layers to them, potentially raising questions about how such content (commercial and otherwise) should be overseen or regulated."
New City Tech column for @landpolicy.bsky.social
www.lincolninst.edu/publications...
Augmented Reality Offers a New Perspective on Urban Planning - Lincoln Institute of Land Policy
Emerging technologies are allowing planners to share their ideas in whole new ways, from immersive bus tours to digital libraries.
www.lincolninst.edu
June 20, 2025 at 1:41 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
NONSENSE POLL No. 8: Choose one

1️⃣ <a href="https://poll.blue/p/G3Slyf/1" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">Frodo
2️⃣ <a href="https://poll.blue/p/G3Slyf/2" class="hover:underline text-blue-600 dark:text-sky-400 no-card-link" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-link="bsky">Fredo

📊 Show results
June 17, 2025 at 6:37 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
How are big law firms' responses to Trump orders affecting their brands? This week's Branded for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91350094/big...
Law firms have a new way to attract clients and talent: Stand up to Trump
A showdown with President Trump has turned into a branding moment for some of the largest law firms—whether they like it or not.
www.fastcompany.com
June 14, 2025 at 12:28 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
Spring books roundup out from @placesjournal.bsky.social includes my short review of "A Natural History of Empty Lots," a series of meditations on learning to see, interrogate, and appreciate the undeveloped land that’s tucked into and around urban spaces. placesjournal.org/article/book...
Bookshelf: Spring 2025
Part of a seasonal roundup of book reviews on buildings, landscapes, and cities, featuring titles of interest to Places editors and contributing critics.
placesjournal.org
June 11, 2025 at 5:14 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
placesjournal.bsky.social
“Bookshelf: Spring 2025” includes contributions from an array of critics: Belmont Freeman, Kathryn Firth, Hubert Murray, @i-santoyoorozco.bsky.social, Simon Sadler, @jeremytill.bsky.social, Virginie Drujon-Kippelen, @notrobwalker.bsky.social, Anna Georas Santos, Joshua Mabie, and Regan Good.
June 10, 2025 at 9:44 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
Pride Month is looking very beige this year
Today's Branded column for @fastcompany.com
www.fastcompany.com/91347014/pri...
Pride Month is looking very beige this year
The rainbow-brand logos disappeared from social media this June, as some companies have gotten quieter about support for the LGBTQ+ community.
www.fastcompany.com
June 6, 2025 at 4:24 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
anthropologal.bsky.social
Found a book @notrobwalker.bsky.social would like in Athens
Travelogue: Greek everyday solutions to common problems - an orange book with a postcard of a donkey in a straw hat duct taped to the cover A picture of a window low to the street with two broken car mirrors under it. The opposite page says: Surveilance system Discarded car mirrors The window being at street level requires some precautions to be taken. Whether to protect any passersby from a sudden opening of the window, or to be used as a surveillance device, protecting the housekeeper from unwanted visitors. However, it seems that these mirrors cover both needs.
June 6, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
landpolicy.bsky.social
Senior Fellow Anthony Flint, author of "Mayor’s Desk: 20 Conversations with Local Leaders Solving Global Problems," and @notrobwalker.bsky.social, author of "City Tech: 20 Apps, Ideas, and Innovators Changing the Urban Landscape," co-moderated.
June 5, 2025 at 11:50 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
Why Trump turned on Apple -- and what Tim Cook might do about it.

Branded for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91342820/why...
Why Trump’s ‘little problem’ with Apple could be a big challenge
Apple is caught between a $3,000 iPhone and a hard place. Can Tim Cook negotiate his way out of this tariff mess?
www.fastcompany.com
May 30, 2025 at 8:31 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
This is well done, by @emmagoldberg.bsky.social
Gift link
www.nytimes.com/2025/05/19/s...
Living the Slop Life
www.nytimes.com
May 25, 2025 at 1:56 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
As Trump berates companies to "eat the tariffs," big brands are left to thread the needle of keeping investors informed of risks—while avoiding hostile publicity from the White House.
New Branded column for @fastcompany.com
www.fastcompany.com/91339534/how...
How long can brands like Walmart really 'eat the tariffs'?
Even as Trump lashes out at Walmart, more than half of U.S. companies polled say they will have to raise prices to cope with tariffs.
www.fastcompany.com
May 23, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
choosetobecurious.bsky.social
“I’m not trying to denigrate the scale of our problems. I’m not trying to say they are smaller than we think. I’m saying our capacity to solve problems is much larger than we think.” @kevinkelly.bsky.social

The intersection of curiosity & choosing to be optimistic.

lynnborton.com/2025/05/22/c...
Curiosity & Choosing to Be Optimistic, with Kevin Kelly
I think of choosing to be curious as acting on the idea that there is opportunity in the unknown -- a very optimistic enterprise. Kevin Kelly, a man of many passions and pursuits, is a self-described ...
lynnborton.com
May 22, 2025 at 11:03 AM
Reposted by Rob Walker
choosetobecurious.bsky.social
What a delight to find myself mentioned by the wonderful @notrobwalker.bsky.social , who shares my appreciation on @menkasanghvi.bsky.social's mention of @sophiehowarth.com 's "Sky Before Screen" -- that's a curiosity chain if ever there were one! open.substack.com/pub/robwalke...
Sky Before Screen
An easy (right?) morning ritual. Plus The Heard
open.substack.com
May 18, 2025 at 4:31 PM
notrobwalker.bsky.social
It's the promotional occasion nobody asked for: How trade-war peril became a marketing hook. Latest Branded column for @fastcompany.com

www.fastcompany.com/91329858/com...
Companies are turning Trump's tariffs into a marketing opportunity
Tariffs have left companies reeling. But many are using this moment to tout their brands—and sell as much as possible.
www.fastcompany.com
May 10, 2025 at 3:41 PM
Reposted by Rob Walker
bobbieg.bsky.social
Replacing Elon Musk as CEO of Tesla makes sense for the brand. "...given how singularly the Musk personal brand is intertwined with Tesla’s, the most obvious solution would be to get some daylight between the two," writes @notrobwalker.bsky.social.

www.fastcompany.com/91313599/can...
Can the Tesla brand be saved?
We’re about to see the extent of the damage to Tesla caused by global outrage directed at Elon Musk and DOGE.
www.fastcompany.com
May 1, 2025 at 3:51 PM