My Eye Now Has Its Own Horizon Indicator

Another day, another update from the ongoing adventure known as my left eye.

The good news? My vision is changing.

The strange news? Apparently, my eye now thinks it’s an airplane.

When I look through my left eye today, there is a very distinct horizontal line across my vision. It reminds me of the horizon indicator in an airplane cockpit—the instrument that shows the pilot where the horizon is.

Except I'm not flying a plane.

I'm sitting here trying to see.

Above my personal horizon, things are blurry and out of focus.

Below the horizon?

We’re still serving vinaigrette.

That lower half of my vision still looks like I'm staring through cloudy salad dressing. So apparently my eye has divided the world into two viewing options:

Top half: blurry television.

Bottom half: vinaigrette.

At least there’s variety.

Meanwhile, my arm from last week's disagreement with my prosthetic, gravity, and the carpet continues to look far more dramatic than it feels. It's scabbing over and healing, although judging strictly by the photo, it appears my arm has been through considerably more than I remember.

So the recovery continues.

The eye is still red. The arm is still ugly. The steroid drops have still failed to turn me into the Hulk.

But every day, something changes.

And today, apparently, Captain Niel has a horizon indicator.

Please return your tray tables to their upright and locked position. ✈️👁️🥗

Day 78: Blocked Again — While the Stock Does the Slide

Today is Day 78 of my continuing Nextdoor case study.

And apparently we're doing two kinds of sliding:

The NXDR stock price is sliding.

And I've apparently slid right back onto Nirav Tolia's LinkedIn blocked list.

Well, that didn't take long.

On August 29, I was once again able to comment on Nirav's LinkedIn posts.

So I did.

I surfaced the same questions I've been raising publicly about how Nextdoor is being run: leadership decisions, communication, accountability, transparency, customer experience, and what I believe are some very questionable strategic choices.

And now?

I'm blocked again.

I have to admit, this one really gets me.

I'm one guy.

I'm not running a public company.

I'm not a Silicon Valley CEO.

I'm not appearing on podcasts discussing leadership, entrepreneurship, community, and human connection.

I've never sat in one of those big chairs on Shark Tank deciding whether somebody else's company deserves an investment.

I'm just a small shareholder with a website, a LinkedIn account, questions—and apparently a remarkable ability to locate Nirav Tolia's block button.

Meanwhile, Let's Talk About the Stock

NXDR has been doing a little slide of its own.

The stock closed at $2.68 on August 10.

By August 28, it closed at $2.27.

Stocks go up. Stocks go down. Eighteen days certainly don't determine the future of a company.

But shareholders are allowed to ask questions when the direction isn't the one we'd like to see.

And Nextdoor's latest quarterly results still included a net loss of $2 million.

Yes, that's a significant improvement from the $15 million loss during the same quarter a year earlier. Nextdoor also reported positive adjusted EBITDA.

I acknowledge progress when it's there.

But a loss is still a loss.

And here's what gets me:

The CEO of a public company can receive compensation worth millions while shareholders watch the stock struggle and the company continues reporting a GAAP net loss—and somehow my LinkedIn comments are enough to get me blocked again?

That's fascinating to me.

I'm not the person running the company.

I'm one of the people invested in it.

Imagine This on Shark Tank

An entrepreneur walks into the Tank.

The Shark starts asking uncomfortable questions:

Why are you losing money?

Why is the stock struggling?

Why isn't the strategy producing better results?

What are customers saying?

Why should investors believe in the turnaround?

The entrepreneur doesn't like the questions.

So instead of answering...

they block the Shark.

🦈 “And for that reason, you're blocked.”

I'd watch that episode.

Leadership Isn't Tested by Compliments

It's easy to talk about transparency when everyone agrees.

It's easy to talk about community when everyone is applauding.

It's easy to talk about listening when the message is flattering.

Leadership gets more interesting when someone says:

I don't think you're doing this well. Explain why I'm wrong.

Maybe I am wrong.

Show me.

Challenge my argument.

Explain the strategy.

Tell me why the decisions I'm criticizing make sense.

I'd welcome that conversation.

Blocking is easier.

And apparently we've chosen easier again.

Day 78 — And the Questions Haven't Been Blocked

I'm still waiting for the detailed Insights data that started this entire counter.

I'm still documenting what happens.

And I'm still a shareholder who wants Nextdoor to succeed.

That's precisely why I'm asking questions.

Nirav can block my LinkedIn account.

He can prevent my comments from appearing underneath his posts.

But here's the problem:

Blocking the shareholder doesn't block the questions.

It doesn't change the earnings report.

It doesn't move the stock price.

It doesn't improve communication.

And it doesn't end this case study.

So here we are.

Day 78.

The stock has been sliding.

I'm blocked again.

The detailed data still hasn't arrived.

And somehow, one guy with a blog keeps being worth blocking.

That's becoming a story all by itself.

Read the complete continuing Nextdoor case study at NielFlamm.com/blog and subscribe at NielFlamm.com to see what happens on Day 79.

I Watched It So You Can Decide If You Should: My Latest Movie Review

There are movies I walk out of thinking, “Wow. I need to tell everyone to see that.”

Then there are movies where I walk out thinking:

“What the hell did I just watch?”

And sometimes those are much more fun to review.

My latest movie review is up, and rather than give away everything I thought about the movie here, I'm going to do something simple:

I'm inviting everyone to watch the review.

Why?

Because I've learned that a Rotten Tomatoes score doesn't necessarily mean I’ll love a movie.

A great cast doesn't guarantee a great movie.

An interesting premise doesn't guarantee the story will work.

And critics and audiences can sometimes watch the same movie and seemingly experience two completely different films.

That's one of the reasons I started doing these reviews.

I'm Not a Professional Movie Critic

I don't have a film degree.

I'm not analyzing whether the director properly paid homage to some obscure French film from 1962.

And I'm probably not going to explain the metaphorical significance of a lamp sitting in the corner of the room.

I'm a guy who likes movies.

I have Regal Unlimited. I go to the theater. I buy my popcorn. I get my Pepsi Zero. I sit down, watch the movie, and decide whether those two hours of my life were well spent.

That's my highly sophisticated rating system.

And when something doesn't work?

I'm going to say it.

When something surprises me?

I'll say that too.

And occasionally, a movie gives me so much material that reviewing it becomes almost as entertaining as watching it.

So, Was This Movie Worth Watching?

I'm not answering that here.

That's the bait.

🎬 In my full movie review, I break down what worked, what didn't, what made absolutely no sense to me, and whether I think the movie was worth my money—and my time.

I'm sure some people will completely disagree with me.

Actually, I hope they do.

Because that's half the fun.

After watching the review, I'm curious whether everyone thinks:

Did Niel get it right, or has he completely lost his mind?

👉 My full movie review is at NielFlamm.com

While there, my other movie reviews are available too, along with an option to subscribe so the next one doesn't get missed.

Because I'm going to keep watching them.

The good ones. The bad ones. And especially the ones that make me wonder who approved the script.

Day 77: Congratulations, Nextdoor — You’ve Earned a Certificate

Today is Day 77.

I've tried serious analysis.

I've discussed corporate communications, leadership, customer experience, marketing, transparency, process improvement, hearing versus listening, and even issued my Two-Minute Challenge on Nextdoor.

So today, I'm trying something completely different.

I'm handing out an award.

🏆 The 2026 Nextdoor Certificate of Achievement in Keeping One Simple Question Alive for 77 Consecutive Days

Congratulations!

That's commitment.

The Assignment

Imagine this is a corporate training exercise.

The learner receives the following scenario:

Your company publishes research and tells readers that if they'd like “detailed data, additional audience segments, and strategic recommendations,” they should contact a specific employee.

Someone follows those instructions and requests the detailed data.

What should you do?

A. Send the requested information.

B. Explain that the information isn't available and why.

C. Explain any requirements necessary to receive it.

D. Send links to the summaries the person already read.

E. Allow the request to continue for 77 days until it becomes an ongoing public case study.

I'm going with A, B, or C.

Apparently E has entered the chat.

Let's Add a Bonus Question

Your Communications team eventually responds.

The person explains again that they're not requesting the public summaries.

They provide the exact wording from your website.

They send another email.

They even attach a screenshot highlighting what they're requesting.

What should happen next?

This one isn't multiple choice.

Answer the question.

The L&D Guy in Me Can't Help Himself

I've spent more than 20 years in Learning & Development—as a facilitator, instructional designer, and manager.

One of the most important parts of designing effective training is distinguishing between a knowledge problem and a performance problem.

If someone doesn't know what they're supposed to do, training might help.

But what if the instructions are clear?

What if the request is documented?

What if the appropriate people have received it?

What if the person requesting the information has clarified it repeatedly?

At that point, I'm not sure another training module will solve the problem.

Maybe the issue isn't knowledge.

Maybe it's execution.

Or ownership.

Or accountability.

That's something leadership should probably want to understand.

So Here's Your Day 77 Homework, Nextdoor

No essay required.

No PowerPoint presentation.

No breakout groups.

No role-play exercise.

Please avoid a 45-minute eLearning module with a “Next” button you have to click 37 times.

Just complete this sentence:

“The detailed data referenced in our Insights posts __________.”

Is available.

Isn't available.

Requires certain qualifications.

Can be obtained by doing X.

Pick one.

Explain it.

Course complete.

And Here's the Funny Part

I started this 77 days ago while looking for research on Nextdoor.

Instead, Nextdoor has provided enough material for an entirely different kind of research project.

Communication.

Customer experience.

Leadership.

Marketing.

Process.

Accountability.

At this rate, I may finish my Nextdoor case study before I ever receive Nextdoor's.

Now that deserves a certificate.

Day 77.

Still waiting for the detailed data.

Still documenting the experience.

And Nextdoor remains enrolled in the course.

This is the condensed LinkedIn version. Read the entire Day 77 post and follow my continuing Nextdoor case study at NielFlamm.com/blog. Subscribe at NielFlamm.com so you don't miss Day 78—or, preferably, the post announcing that the counter can finally stop.

Healing… Or at Least That’s What We’re Calling It

Today’s medical update comes with two exhibits: the eye and the arm.

Let’s start with the eye.

The silicone oil was removed a few days ago, and somehow my eye looks more bruised now than it did on Day 1. Apparently, healing sometimes likes to make things look worse before making them look better.

And the view through that eye?

Previously, I described it as looking through a glass of cloudy liquid.

I’ve decided that description needs an upgrade.

It’s like looking through salad dressing.

Not ranch. Not Thousand Island. I’m thinking vinaigrette—something slightly cloudy where the oil and liquid are separating, and gravity keeps moving everything around.

Basically, my eyeball has become a condiment bottle.

Meanwhile, we also have The Arm.

That’s the rug burn from Friday’s unfortunate disagreement between my prosthetic leg, gravity, and a large Dutch Bros passion fruit soda.

It looks horrible.

It feels… surprisingly fine.

It hardly hurts at all.

Maybe I’m just tough.

Or maybe it’s those steroid eye drops.

I keep putting steroids in my eye four times a day, so surely at some point they travel down to my arm and turn me into the Hulk. That’s how medicine works, right?

So today’s scorecard:

👁️ Eye: Looks worse. Vision by vinaigrette.

💪 Arm: Looks terrible. Barely hurts.

🟢 Hulk transformation: Still pending.

I’ll keep documenting this highly scientific healing process as both my eye and arm figure out what they’re doing.

At this rate, I’m just happy nothing else has started leaking, bleeding, bruising, or falling off.

Recovery continues.