Tech Guides by Ken Hollow

Every tech question you've been too embarrassed to ask, answered in plain English.

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Nana Wants a Reality Competition Show

Nana Wants a Reality Competition Show

By Ken Hollow, unwilling producer of cursed television Because a late-night talk show wasn’t chaotic enough, Nana now wants a reality competition show. Yes. A…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Nana Wants a Late-Night Talk Show

Nana Wants a Late-Night Talk Show

By Ken Hollow, reluctant stagehand in velvet purgatory Nana has decided she deserves a late-night talk show. Not a podcast. Not a livestream. A full-on…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: KPIs for Life: How Management Wants to Quantify Your Soul

KPIs for Life: How Management Wants to Quantify Your Soul

By Ken Hollow, unwilling data point in HR’s experiment Corporate obsession with Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) has reached a new low: they’re no longer content…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Return-to-Office Is Just Nostalgia for Micromanagement

Return-to-Office Is Just Nostalgia for Micromanagement

By Ken Hollow, reluctant commuter in pajama pants The great promise of remote work was freedom: no commute, no awkward breakroom small talk, no boss…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: OKRs Are Just New Year’s Resolutions With Graphs

OKRs Are Just New Year’s Resolutions With Graphs

By Ken Hollow, reluctant goal-setter and spreadsheet victim Every January, normal people lie to themselves with New Year’s resolutions: “I’ll run every day. I’ll stop…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Office Jargon Is Just a Fantasy Language Pack

Office Jargon Is Just a Fantasy Language Pack

By Ken Hollow, reluctant translator of corporate Elvish Corporate jargon is less communication and more spellcasting. Nobody actually knows what half of it means, but…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Corporate Security Training Is Just a Phishing Simulator

Corporate Security Training Is Just a Phishing Simulator

By Ken Hollow, unwilling trainee in email paranoia Corporate security training is the modern workplace’s favorite pastime. Not because it works, but because it wastes…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Your Home Office Is Just Corporate Squatting

Your Home Office Is Just Corporate Squatting

By Ken Hollow, unwilling landlord to capitalism Remember when remote work was supposed to be freedom? No more commutes, no more office politics, just pajamas…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Performance Reviews Are Just Creative Writing Exercises

Performance Reviews Are Just Creative Writing Exercises

By Ken Hollow, reluctant novelist of corporate fiction Performance reviews are supposed to measure your work. In reality, they’re creative writing assignments where everyone pretends.…

Illustration of Ken and Nana for the article: Brainstorming 2.0: Now With AI

Brainstorming 2.0: Now With AI

By Ken Hollow, unwilling facilitator of algorithmic nonsense Brainstorming was already group procrastination with sticky notes. But now, thanks to AI, we’ve leveled up to…