Getting Smarter : Ceres vs Ceres Power

Having spotted a little mention on Andy Piper's blog, it got me thinking beyond the 'tech green' recognition on Ceres.org to IBM (survey "Corporate Governance and Climate Change for Consumer and Technology Companies").

Whilst Ceres.org is a coalition formed around sustainability - it reminded me of another group contributing to the quest for smarter energy use : CeresPower.com - fuel cell technology.

I was impressed by this company, having attended two presentations at Imperial College - the first several years ago, when it was still a fledgling venture with entrepreneurial pretensions; the second in early 2008, now with impressive content. Ceres Power has benefited from Design Council resources...

Indeed, their pitch is ever more compelling. The company is now able to articulate their offering in terms of a shared vision of deployment, which starts with the visual comparison with a standard domestic boiler - helping the 'user' comprehend the usage and benefits. This story draws good attention to the technology, before extending this with a wow-factor through modifications to suit different lifestyles. It makes the technology both accessible - yet also brings an element of fun {wish I could link to a public promotional video...}

The DesignLondon resources have been well deployed, this is a great example where British Engineering and Entrepreneurship is benefiting from British Design know-how. It won a Carbon Trust award (see Google Tech Talks for Carbon Trust - via youtube.com). It gave me pleasure to observe the evolution of this entrepreneurial enterprise, and I hope to trace their developments as they progress the R&D to fruition -

Naish Equilibrium in Belgium

"Can divided Belgium hold together?" (news.bbc.co.uk)

It amazes me that a country with a population the size of Greater London can show such divisive facets. It also surprised me that it has three governments... 4 if you include EU!

I lived in Belgium for most of my youth, and during my very early days I recall stories of terrorist activities in local supermarkets, with separatists shooting in 'opposite territories'.

Whilst my family lived in the French-speaking zone, with hindsight my parents would have liked us to have lived in the Flemish-speaking zone... as their insight would suggest a greater community spirit amongst the Flemish, which would have been favourable for family support. This is not to suggest that we did not benefit from some great neighbours (we also encountered some rather deplorable characters, threatening our pets or damaging property - but you can get such people anywhere!).

Let's hope that peace can be brokered, and that focus can be placed on creating excellent chocolates and brilliant diamonds! oops, there goes the lack of stereotyping!

update from December 2009:
the first 'president of Europe'
...is a Belgian

Career goals...

Following an article about Michael Diekmann, CEO of Allianz, I am now tempted to add a new one to my list...

- to take leadership responsibilities on each continent

...ok, I might forego the option in the deepest South of the Globe - although that is not to suggest that I do not wish to explore the region!

Why? the exploration of new cultural, the learning that will result - together with the application of experiences from one zone into another, with all the necessary twists and modifications... This is what I do with technology problems already -

All about perspectives...

mindblowing 3d image interaction... with consideration of user interaction.

I was most interested in the elements of collaboration to achieve 3d rendering, and then also the application of their 'stable planar' tool for viewing a photographed object (seen in the last section of the video). Smart, useful and usable.



...for those wanting a simple solution to improve the quality of your DIY videos? using high quality static images to complement video footage of the same area.
For who are tempted, here is a download location

Other interesting tools:
- VideoTrace: scene modelling from video source
- Unwrap Mosaics: video editing

x5 French Driving Habits I won't miss...

Observations formed after a lifetime on the roads: either as a kid passenger as we wore down the tyres across European motorways - or as a licensed road-hazard in the making. Naturally, it would be wrong to stereotype a whole nation based on biased observations. Equally, I recognise that I am no road-angel - although I do try to learn from my wicked ways...

---

1. indicators (any) : is it just laziness or arrogance? it seems many French drivers think we can read their minds and fail to indicate their intentions on roundabouts, motorway exits, and other junctions

2. joining a motorway: you clearly were granted a birth right to join a fast-flowing major road, without a care in the World for whoever else is present - just like your other compatriots. Oh, the give-way sign was not intended for you...?

3. exiting a motorway: if you are going to indicate after you have started to move off the motorway (onto the exit gangway), then to be honest I would prefer you do not indicate at all. Your mind is evidently not focused on driving correctly, so I would rather whatever part of your mind is aware that your are driving be focused on road safety. Indicators serve to communicate your driving intentions, it helps the other drivers accommodate your change of speed and/or change of lane/position. On some roads you can use your position in the road to communicate this - but on a motorway, with the higher speeds, it is generally a better habit to indicate some 300 metres before you actually make a move.

4. indicators (overtaking) : ok, you want to overtake - I saw you a long way off and already 'read' your driving style, save yourself the 'tick-tick-tick' sound of your constant indicator. I am at the maximum speed (more, rather than less) and already overtaking, you just have to wait your turn.

5. overtaking (bis) : no, driving up the edge of my bumper will not make me shift out of your way any faster (if anything it might tempt the opposite). I understand very well why your Citroen, Peugeot, and Renault vehicles have so many damaged front wings + why a few drivers might be tempted to touch their brakes (so as to show their brake lights) to frighten you into receding to a safer distance... {such driving habits should not to be condoned, just a shame the road-cops are focused on speeding tickets rather than overall road safely}

---

...and I am not suggesting for a moment that these driving habits only exist in France. There are different tendencies that can be observed on the roads across Europe, some better than others... some comical, many downright dangerous.

(I should perhaps add that I am a member of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, which includes a minimum 90 minute road exam, in the company of an advanced traffic cop examiner...)

Minimum Power - Please

a new home can only mean new projects...

...the shower curtain is installed (it was strange to realise that it was the first time I had installed wall-plugs - a widget that I found rather smart when a little kid)
...get to drill more holes to put up pictures, including our little pleasure from Kenya (await image link)...

surprisingly, we are still awaiting our first bill!
these have tended to be amongst the first items to arrive in the post in previous residences - but not this time, we have a post-redirect service in place - so the first items were actually from our old address. Guess there is still time for the first directly addressed item to be a bill!

Anyway, bills to services - and in particular energy. We only have electricity to pay for in our new home - this is a good thing in light of all the price increases. The budgeted monthly cost for electricity alone is 45 Euros. We will see if we can sustain a lower usage rate...

Now to the gadget/tech part! a few months ago some friends at Hursley included me in a collective initiative to deploy a monitoring tool: Current Cost. Eventually data may be published online (and form part of a wider home automation project), but for now we wish to see if the accurate recording and displaying of usage can influence our behaviour in our use of electronic devices at home.

A few initial remarks. The monitor has two parts, a display and a current meter. The data exchange between the two is achieved via wireless communication. Configuration is simple, and we soon had the device displaying Euro/cent values (instead of Pounds Sterling/pence), plus had entered peak/off-peak values. The meter itself was a little more tricky to install, but only because the electrician who set-up the mains electricity box (and mains meter unit) had protected the cables - and the space to introduce the clip/jaw was rather limited. Perhaps there will be a need to review this 'jaw point' : as it does not quite surround the live wire (this explains the slightly erratic data feed). It would seem that our energy supplier permits us to select the hours we wish as our designated '8 hours of off-peak use' (yet more info here). Perhaps this will be more obvious once I spend more time on the EDF.fr website!

...we have already changed the light bulbs for ones which are more energy efficient. We don't have a TV, but do have a small washing machine - the usage will most likely be timed to coincide with the off-peak hours. The hot water also needs to be configured to match the off-peak hours. The end game: reduce our energy cost - both financial and our personal footprint.

Time to open up...

...and let the tide rush in

Well, for a number of months I have been a 'blogger in hiding' - allowing only authorised readership. There was a justification for this. Indeed, at first I used the entries to record private&confidential TODO lists! these lists have been re-written or removed, together with other incriminating data, so that I now wish to liberate access - and return to the way it should be... just me, and whoever cares to pop by

I seem to recall that when I last had 'open access', the track map feature indicated that within a few hours people in Holland, Thailand - and two well known corporate locations in the USA, had viewed the site. From a message received the next day, it was clear that one of those hits was from a bot - which did an impressively fast job at context assessment. Now to see what happens...


...and to also allow comments from OpenID users

YouTube : the ones you should not miss

Top spot for YoutTube views, plus top spot for being marked as 'favourite'...

#1 - The Evolution of Dance, by comedian Judson Laipply


#2 and #3 are professional productions for singers, you can find out about them here - I don't care to offer more publicity for them...

#4 - great guitar work... with Queen-like moments

Good on you William : of LBS credentials

Sometimes it is good to hear from 'the London competition'
Valuable lessons outside the classroom (ft.com)

William McKenzie has expressed sentiments that I not only strongly agree with, but which also reflect my experience, albeit from my 1-year MBA at Imperial College (Tanaka)...

Yes, the course did deplete my financial resources; it took over my waking & sleeping hours; and it tickled my brain cells into activity. Although, to be honest - the real physical and mental drain took place in the months leading up to starting the course, when I was working 18 hour days for BigBlue (sometimes more) to complete a project on time... and allow me to head off to business school with a feeling of satisfaction of a job completed as requested

I did not hold the MBA as a key to success. It was more about strengthening my existing thoughts and capabilities, and learning how to articulate ideas more succinctly. Most of all, to learn methods to understand and communicate risk. My career objectives are not financially motivated - I seek positions of responsibility which expose me to the front-end strategy, dialogue with the customers - for long term trust-forming, and (maybe) for hi-tech delivery. Upon completion of my MBA studies I was quite prepared to make a move into another industry, to continue to forge my competencies and to deploy & hone my business acumen. This is what I was expecting -

The delivered results did not match. At least not yet, as I continue to seek new deployment roles.
However, I did take away experiences in mentoring, leading and consulting around new business ventures - these are fantastic for me personally, but also valued by those I touched during the year. The most poignant moment of the year may well be when a MSci student approached me on graduation day - thanking me in front of all present, and asked if he could have his photo taken with me. It is amazing what a 'thank-you' can do to your spirit - I am still smiling as I write about this...

It would be great to think that these network forming activities might return to reward me at later times too. Indeed, it was only last month that I had the experience of someone offering to use their network of contacts to help me in my quest for a new job. Previously I had been the one to offer such help - so to receive this comment was a tonic to the soul -

William, I wish you well at your new post at Bechtel - enjoy the new environment, no doubt quite different to that which you experienced during your 2-year MBA studies!

Time : how do you value it?

During my MBA year I came across a new venture that I deemed of interest: match-making service for short-term employment (per hour/per task). I offered my help as I had previously considered this field...

The team obtained a runner-up prize in an internal business school competition, they did a great job at portraying the business model. Whilst I did not get involved in their business plan, I see now that there is competition already out there: peopleperhour.com (amongst others). It will be interesting to keep track of how the team progresses their idea in the rather busy marketplace of recruitment!

To more fun. Do you know Clay Shirky?
well perhaps I can offer a brief introduction to you via his ideas of 'cognitive surplus' and 'collective bender'? take a peak at the recorded presentation at a Web2.0 conference.

- - -

as for hacker stuff, I think it is time I modded the Canon digital camera as per these instructions: The Canon Hacker's Development Kit, aka CHDK

Because Women Play too

It is fantastic to see that this market segment is now being more dutifully addressed. Games is a fantastic platform from which to offer a ready audience with more targeted resources, including greater freedom of educational resources. There remain large groups of women, distributed throughout the World, who are not granted equal access to Education. It is well overdue to change this situation.

link: womengamers.com

...and whilst mentioning handy websites, take a peak at :
the Telegraph Top101 websites

smile, it is only a 'new paradigm'

With a year of hearing this ever so frequently at b-school, it made me smile when I read the title of a Financial Times article: "When you hear ‘new paradigm’ head for the hills" (ft.com). The content was a little different, which lent onto the lending problems in the financial markets. The expression, though, has become one of those over-used "sentence-stretchers".
Back to basics please: KISS = Keep It Simple, Stupid!

Business School Businesses

When it comes to one of the most prestigious public services, the railways often comes high on the list. It is also one that creates resentment in the user community (cost, poor service, delays...) which is particularly evident in the face of increased fuel costs and government gobbledygook about the need to become more green.

Additionally, following my London Underground experiences (mainly 1998-2002, 2006-2007), I often found myself contemplating a model to enhance the various functional and stakeholder requirements. For example, building additional track with a backup locomotive might ease problems when a train breaks down. The options should be quite feasible to model, taking into account resource deployment and costs.

So it was with considerable joy that I learned about a logistics project at RSM Erasmus University in Rotterdam, supervised by Professor Leo Kroon, a specialist in Quantitative Logistics. The project sought to offer an enhanced scheduling rota for the Dutch railways!

The results? Passenger demand up 15% on some lines. Passenger satisfaction up. More trains arrive on time. Netherlands Railways profits rose by €40m ($61.8m, £31.6m) in the first year of the timetable, with more profit growth expected down the line.

Read the article on ft.com

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Talking of smart business school activities. I pleaded with Tanaka Business School (Imperial College, London) to establish a consulting arm of their MBA activities, with idea of creating a pipeline of projects on which students could contribute but also one which they could, in turn, use to obtain (cheaper) consulting when alumni establish their own businesses.

One particular idea was quite different. To create a company that the students would run, not just to learn the theory in the MBA classes - but to apply it and act as custodians of a real operating business. This might be a fund management, or even a niche management consulting group. At Imperial College there already exists an external company for knowledge transfer for start-up companies and licensing (Imperial Innovations), and there is a project management/resource hiring company too (Imperial Consultants); so a distinction would be needed between this MBA-student activity and that which already exists.

...so again, it was not a surprise to read that the School of Finance and Management in Frankfurt, Germany, has established a novel financial company spun out of academia. It is positioning itself as a niche player in "the esoteric but growing world of microfinance to speed economic development in eastern Europe". So it is benefiting from the opening up of eastern Europe, together with access to special funds for East and South-East Europe. Smart people: they get funded research, train their paying students, deploy the students to manage assets, prepare the students to take on roles in developing zones... and the cycle might continue through re-investment options. Smart people - yes, I already wrote that. Shame Tanaka could not stomach the concept.

again, their exists an Ft.com article for you to read

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...then again, there exists the loan system "by Alumni for Alumni" : prodigy finance
Insead showing how to instil alumni networking and profit sharing!
They claim to have methods of determining risk associated with future income, perhaps significantly influenced by the data collection from the rather large volume of students who pass through the Insead system each year... something that works in their favour, but is still remains an easily replicated venture - particularly when coupled with an institution with a risk management research group (such as Tanaka, hint hint - perhaps protègé-finance will be coming to a business school establishment near you...)

Noise Maps

Thanks to one of those EU decisions (EU Directive on Environmental Noise) you can now get a visual view of the noise in your neighbourhood : http://noisemapping.defra.gov.uk

Nb: UK only

Technology brought to you by IBM - who else?
...using Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) - what else?
...delivered in line with the Common Architectural Approach (CARA) infrastructure - what?

CARA is a Defra methodology for sharing common components to achieve economies of scale

- - -

Desire something different?
Wimbledon starts soon. The relationship between IBM and All England Lawn Tennis Club dates back to 1990. Take a peak at the official website, www.wimbledon.org
There is a little application you can install on your computer to help you keep track of live scores, this year it comes with an interactive map widget...

No regrets, but IESE strikes a chord once more

Why is it that there are interesting events going on at IESE, seemingly all the time?

most recently I read of their Entrepreneurship discussion with well-presented attendees, each reinforced my perspective that I do not strike to make money - indeed my MBA was not intended to be point for salary negotiations. Far from it! instead I am seeking the roles and responsibilities that engage me on my personality and capabilities. It may well be the case that such roles will be remunerated well - but it is not my focal point.

New Entrepreneurship Forum, in Evian ?

To contend with the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland - it would appear that some smart alecs in Lyon business school (EMLyon) have tabled a new annual meeting, this time taking place in the French Alps...

To be honest what I like about this idea is the coupling with the Junior World Entrepreneurship Forum earlier in the year (location: Shanghai, in July) - this offers the opportunity for fledgling new thinking to be percolated up the younger group before being thrown at the elders!

...what I don't like is that their website is in French and US ENGLISH!
(on the positive, the US English version is still being developed)

www.world-entrepreneurship-forum.com

- - -

For those seeking a special mix of entrepreneurial MBA education:
I bring you the tripartate of EM Lyon in France, Babson College in the US and Zhejiang University in China. Starts Fall 2008 for a Masters in Global Entrepreneurship.

read about it here

Ethics in the b-schools

It was not long ago that I was considering my options for MBA studies. At least it does not seem that long ago, and yet I graduated last week from Imperial College (Tanaka Business School) - London, so clearly it has been over a year!

Prior to embarking on my full-time MBA studies I had to gather information and make several choices. Some simple ones were to undertake these studies within Europe, and to do it as a full-time student. Top candidates includes INSEAD, IESE, ESADE, IMD, SDA Bocconi... curiously London Business School, together with other schools in UK, were initially put to one side - as I had spent sufficient time in UK already (and in London in particular) whilst also holding a desire to emerse myself into a new culture and environment.

From all the knowledge gathered, IESE was top institution in my mind. This might relate also to it holding an early advantage - as I had kept a FT newspaper cutting from years ago, which described the ethical behaviour that was well recognised within this institution (a student rejected a business deal as it would have reversed a personal pledge made earlier in the negotiations). I cannot help it, it is my nature to bring technology and business needs together - it is also in my nature to do so in an ethical manner (or at least seek to be ethically upstanding). Therefore it was appealing to consider a leading business school, and for it to match on additional attributes which I hold dear. I certainly did not find the competitive characteristics that I heard from feedback on LSB. Sadly the 2 years at IESE was too costly for my personal circumstances - and could not be justified (I was not able to secure a scholarship within the timeframe of my application).

It is therefore with some humour that I read during my MBA year that certain students in business schools had been found to have cheated or acted in dishonest manner (see ft.com article). It was also with some sadness that I heard last week that there was at least one case of plagiarism within my cohort. There will be justifications for which I am not privy to, just like the reasons for positively recognising certain students for academic achievement -when during the year they hardly indicated particular merit. The difference is that what might appear to be misplaced meritocracy can generate mild humour, it can also create spite and resentment. There are other battles to fight that these wobbles must be put to one side. This is not to forget, but rather to operate within the sphere of influence so as to create the feeling of satisfaction and positive contribution.

Back to business schools. If I were placed in same situation I suspect I would make same choices in many situations. In selecting the business school, Imperial College appeared as a good choice. Within budget, application timing/course length, anticipated quality of cohort, match with future career pathways, and good institutional reputation. It would have been highly relevant to have investigated HEC Paris, particularly given my subsequent relocation to France (post MBA studies) together with a closer look at ESADE. Time was of the essense at time of gathering data and making choices - with work commitments sucking 17hrs per day out of me, this was hard to come by... Perhaps this is one of the reasons why I have accepted to mentor a number of future MBA students - to help make the decisions and to help ask the candidate ask the key questions to themselves.

During my MBA studies I had the joy of attending a short course run by Prof Anand Narasimhan "Leadership" (Anand is now at IMD). This was perhaps the closest that Tanaka got to offering a personal insight/ethics course (the Public Policy course didn't get anywhere close). Evidently there is a place for such content within a MBA programme - but few have shown the initiative to communicated this to the market. An exception in London might be observed in the visiting professor of organisational ethics at Cass : Roger Steare (see brief ft.com article)

Recommended B&B near Manchester Airport

Rylands Farm : located close to Manchester Airport, yet appears to be within rural Cheshire countryside. Cute outbuildings offer comfortable accommodation.

Breakfast is served in the conservatory, looking out onto paddocks with ponies or horses. It has won a handful of guest house awards, albeit in 1994-1996 period.

2008 prices :

• £49.50 for single occupancy (twin/double)
• £56.50 for two (twin/double)
• from £80 for family
• car parking £29 per week, £45 per two weeks

Located: Wilmslow on the Altrincham Road
Motorway waypoints: Junction 20/19 of M6, and junction 6 of M60

Tel: +44 1625 535 646
Website: www.rylandsfarm.com

International SMS : free

These are my short-cuts for accounts that are set-up and ready to use:

twitter : UK, Belgium
voipcheap : Italy

voipcheap allows user to write the sms directly into the browser URL, using the format : https://myaccount.VoipCheap.com/clx/sendsms.php?username=xxxxx &password=xxxxxx&from=xxxxx&to=xxxxx&text=xxxxx

As for voice, in order of increasing call costs (see comment for cost table):
VoipCheap < Gizmo < Skype

Call cost is not the only decision factor, quality of service and ease-of-use also play a role too. I tend to launch Skype only when I intend to make a call - using GTalk as my preferred instant messaging client. Skype's unlimited EU landline calls require ~200 mins of calls each month to pay-off (vs PAYG).

Arbitrage & Substitution in the Metals Market

Did you know:
161,000 tonnes = amount of gold that has ever been mined
161,000 tonnes = amount of steel created every 60 minutes

83,000 tonnes = amount of gold that goes into jewellery, each year
29,000 tonnes (18% of total stocks) = currently held by the world’s central banks

oh, read about arbitrage and substitution impact on the metals market here (ft.com)

...and why farmland might be a good idea, if you don't mind lack of portability - and it things go pear-shape, you can always grow your own crops!

Underground Reading

For those who still suffer the pleasure of Transport for London services... this one is for you: london-underground.blogspot.com - it is up for a bloggie award!

Examples of freeconomics

The Rise Of Freeconomics. Why $0.00 Is the Future of Business (March 2008) : core argument is that the fixed IT costs are spread over a wider audience, thus the marginal cost tends to zero (there are a few economic notions that are embedded within this document). Offers examples of Gillette's cross-subsidy, Ryanair as a travel agent - not just an airline, Google advertising and processing capabilities; together with Freemium (Fred Wilson, VC) for subscription model to acquire additional 'pro' services, Banda Calypso in Brazil allowing their music to be copied and sold on the street ahead of their concerts, value creation through labour exchange (I suspect the value is most likely from advertising and possible click-through sales, but could also be from demographic data collection, sadly the comment lacks examples to backup the argument), and zero distribution cost - where your junk has value for someone else, who will come and collect it from you...

Freeconomics: The Danger of Free (January 2008) : the implications of not having to pay for something. Examples include IBM giving away an enterprise programming tool (an IDE), Eclipse; the Google sphere of influence that arose from an esteemed search facility; and the high expectations on free services and for free services. The author states there there is no free lunch and that the cost is recovered elsewhere. Personally, I don't find the content that well presented - the Eclipse/IBM example fails to realise the implications of Open Source and the benefits that are realised from accessing more contributors outside of IBM. It is not as simple as offering a free tool. The article has good comments, so I enter it here as food for thought so as to provoke additional consideration.

Beware of Freeconomics (February 2008) : assesses the economic model for monopolistic markets and complex transactions. The story goes that Yahoo offered a good free email, with extra storage for a fee, and that Google (with Gmail) entered with free email and loads of storage so as to disturb the market. Whilst certainly competitive, it is not necessarily monopolistic - both services are supported by advertising streams, they share some similarities in their business models, and therefore could replicate the services. There does exist the sticky issue that new entrants to the market for email now cannot compete on price alone - it is free, and one could argue that this has an impact on innovation - as sources of funding are tricky when you don't charge the users a rental fee. This is also an opportunity for more entrepreneurship - to find ways to offer a service that meets the needs a certain user groups. In the mean time I think we can expect more consolidation, whereby competitors are acquired for their complementary services and revenue streams - thus positioning for an upturn in the market and also erecting more barriers to market entry. There is an interesting impact on the free/almost-free services, often this service is offered at cost (or perhaps illegally below cost!) but that it is the additional paid services that bring the profit. A studious user might take a snack on a Ryanair flight, thus avoiding the high cost of an in-flight sandwich. The article remarks that the cost complexity is increased in such situations and raises the number of small revenue channels. Those who desire all inclusive can purchase the services of other companies, but if you are astute you can reap the advantage of the cheaper no-frills opportunities - just set your expectations at the right level before buckling your seat belt!

Free to be Commie: "Freeconomics" as Market Communism (February 2008) : the economic theory of Communism in the Freeconomics world. A good read that relates the Freeconomics perspective with the Communist Theory: free goods, public ownership, and consumption that matches needs/desires. Public ownership is not advocated, instead private enterprise distributes the services at (almost) zero cost to the consumer. The article then explains how Freeconomics circumvents the 3 problems that Sherman presented against pure communism:

1. Zero price, infinite demand, therefore lack of supply
2. Zero wages, Man is lazy, therefore lack of incentive to work
3. No rational prices, inability to plan, therefore inefficient system

1) Human psychology will lead free services to be taken for granted. Wasted services do not hurt the supplier (how many use the complete Gmail storage? how many have uploaded files into drafted emails for easy access at a later time?)
2) Creative products appear not to suffer from the indolence factor. How many bloggers are paid to create content?
3) Market corrections can occur more rapidly in the Internet World

The author then goes on to relate freeconomics with partial communism, and that the difference between the original Sherman proposal is an exchange of ratios. Partial communism offered mostly free services, whereas freeconomics expects more services to be priced by the market - and that a smaller percentage will be free. The article ends with a quoteffrom the original Communist Manifesto: "The feudal relations of property became no longer compatible with the already developed productive forces; they became so many fetters. They had to be burst asunder; they were burst asunder".
A good article, certainly worth the read; the comments less so.

LoveMarks : Future Beyong Brands

for all those softie marketing folks out there, I bring you lovemarks.com







well, actually saatchi & saatchi bring it to you
think of it as the web2.0 for marketing, or at least an online community that cares about communication and branding



read more about it in the big book by Kevin Roberts & Co

“The Inspirational Consumer has started a revolution - and only companies that have reached Lovemark status will survive.”
- Kevin Roberts

or perhaps you need something more British? try Sir Paul Smith

Futurologist/Analyst Principles, according to Intel guys (CIA)

• Analysts must have a “duty of curiosity,” and the analytic process must encourage and reward a deep and meaningful understanding of the phenomena under investigation;
• Analysts must be responsible for defining knowledge needs and, therefore, collection requirements; to do this effectively, they must understand
collection capabilities and be sensitive to their limitations;
• Analysts must be active participants in developing integrated strategies for collection and analysis, seeking information instead of being merely
passive recipients;
• The primary purpose of analytic effort is “sensemaking” and understanding, not producing reports; the objective of analysis is to provide information in a meaningful context, not individual factoids;
• The knowledge discovered and the expertise created when an analyst researches a problem is at least as important as “finished intelligence” products that may result;
• Learning is an activity that is valued highly by both analysts and the organization;
• Not all forecasts need be immediately “actionable;” informing decisionmakers and enhancing the quality of the decision process is a critical objective;
• Intuition and creative thinking, including positing hypotheses to be tested, are as important to analysis as evidence-based inductive approaches.

Extract from Cooper, cia.gov: Chapter Four: A Program for Transforming Analysis. "Pathways to Improved Intelligence Analysis," 2005

espresso accessibility in the home

Practical technology finds personal favour with me.
Perhaps it was the geek in me that was curious to read about the espresso machine hack, but it was the application and implications of such modifications (mods) that grew my interest. Consider coffee addicts who suffer from Parkinson's disease, impaired dexterity or indeed vision, people with amputations or disabilities...



There are many ways homes can be made more friendly, where thoughtful design can facilitate access. Perhaps it is time for such a service to be made available for technology gadgets. There might be two channels for such a service offering, gaining knowledge (moving down the learning curve) through the early adopters - the geeks who desire additional wow and ease of use; whilst also consulting on services suited for those with impairments.

Would this be a line of activity I would pursue as a career? yes
...I have a wonderful physio to advise on the ergonomics, and a plethora of technology advocates to work on novel and inspiring projects...

Primates at Business Education : Harvard

MBA - Mediocre But Arrogant
MBA - Master of Brainless Axioms

HBS continues to do well, but it seems they at least get their well-paid (and academically acclaimed) members together to work hard at keeping their international standing (read full article on ft.com).

In the year that sees HBS reach the centenary mark it is good that they are looking to deploy their $2.8bn endowment (£1.4bn, €1.8bn) to position themselves for more years of b-school dominance. They might find it increasingly difficult, with the top schools in USA and Europe rapidly catching up on various elements of FT ranking. It is also interesting to see how the various schools are responding to the "but how do you measure your success" - and have sought to write case-studies in true academic fashion (sadly our access is no longer valid for academic journals - a real shame).

The car analogy of a car: in their previous jobs, incoming students had concentrated on one aspect of the business – the windscreen wipers or the tyres. An MBA opens the bonnet and shows how the whole engine fits together. Yet the MBA does not teach implementation. You don’t come out as a mechanic.
Neil Courtis, INSEAD Graduate of December 2007

All this, yet companies still queue up at certain business schools to hire...
Once I get a fixed abode, I intend to subscribe the the HBS Business Review - as they at least manage to include some practical concepts for once - to keep in touch with the useful academic rigour/content/thinking

Read the second ft.com article here

too serious, need some R&R : take a venture into go-karting within SecondLife

In need of Shades?

Recommended online source: www.opticbytel.com

The family that run this site also own many opticians throughout north-west France. Their physical stores have done well, the online presence is run by their son - Aymeric, who is a personal friend. Prices are competitive.

Whilst I have no experience in purchasing via this site, I am told that the service is rapid. My confidence is high and would welcome any feedback. No, the sunglassses are not like those pictured - the snap is used for humour alone.

don't take the stairs

...if your name is David Belle

Parkour (aka freerunning) has been on my visor for many years, yet it has sprung up once again due to recent marketing activities (typical you might think, having just completed MBA studies!).

Toshiba advert - to with to lead requires a passion, an insatiable appetite to go into the unknown, to find new space to go beyond yourself

ubisoft included it in Assassin's Creed on Playstation

Maurice Lacroix has recently downgraded Federer, the tennis player, for their preferred ambassador Mr Belle (see ft.com article). This got me thinking about how marketing may have altered the way we perceive not only our purchases (clearly for luxury goods the air of prestige, limited availability/affordability, and excellence all comes together) but also the way we are willing to receive the marketing and the impact it can have on us as individuals and within our social groups. Aspirational are one thing, aspirational activities quite another... The uptake of parkour, an extreme sport which requires no specific tools - only an inventive mind and perhaps an urban environment -



the scene from the District B13 film can be found here
...some might prefer the Nike love advert : on youtube.com

read more about parkour on the official blog of David Belle : sportmediaconcept.com/parkour
or the Parkour TV channel
those keen to start should join the foucan forum (who can? you can?)
statistics are sparse, but here are some stats for parkour uptake in the USA

The best part of falling is getting straight back up again
David Belle, 2006

May Be in London

Monsieur Steven Vandamme, this one is for you too:

Travel

• Steven : Eurostar?
  - Nectar points for Eurostar
  - IBM Employee Rewards (UK) rewardgateway.co.uk
  - saynoto0870.co.uk - to get international number, instead of special rate number
• Alexis : Ryanair on 13 May into Stansted (from Pau) arriving 10.30
  Easybus to Baker St for roughly 12.30

Accommodation

Holiday Inn Regent's Park
Carburton St, London W1 W5EE

Eating Ideas

1. Lunch @ Belgo Restaurant (the one next to Covent Garden)

What's On

1. Graduation, Royal Albert Hall : Wednesday 11am onwards
2. London Design Museum - because it is simply far too interesting
   This is what will be on over the summer (Richard Rogers). He was involved in the Pompidou Centre (see image)
   Take a look at this online expo
   (Tate Modern too, and a walk along the South Bank of the Thames)
3. Thames Ferry-link to docklands?
4. Thursday evening : Southall for clothes : Sari : Marilyne with Nimisha (for wedding in Kenya)

Venture Capital & Wine

As budding entrepreneurs you are not doubt feeling dumbstruck by the exit of 3i from the early investment market!

The recent report by Lord Sainsbury, Race to the Top (pdf), refers to the need to make UK companies the best in the world, but many will now find it hard to get out of the starting blocks.

Fear not, public-money should be used instead (ft.com)! (edit: there is a new ft.com article on the topic that links with Nesta) no doubt Tanaka will come to the rescue too, although not necessarily through Design London (google-search "Nick Leon" if you don't know the story yet), but rather the Rajiv Ghandhi Centre - this centre seeks to help Indian companies step up to the plate (and may finally bridge the gap that spans across Imperial College departments). Unlocking the thought-process to take an fledgling idea from concept to market leadership is surely what this story is all about!

...just leaves me to ponder, would any of the folks at Tanaka Entrepreneurship have had the courage to support the novel wine-making developments in India? (read about it on ft.com) I would think that this story would make an excellent case for Marketing, Strategy (even Breakout Strategy!), Public Policy - and Entrepreneurship! (which course have I left out?) ;o)

Indians drink about 10ml of wine per capita each year
compared with 400ml in China and 50 litres in France

coffee art

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/88475/coffee_art/ - just needs to be saved for future reference!

delayed voice of the short-haul passenger

Following over 2 hour delay with Ryanair it might be useful to register a complaint. Then again, it might not... it might simply be a waste of time.

The delay was in part due to weather conditions (heavy winds), complimented by the need to replace a navigation device that had failed.

The process described online is as follows:

• Send snail-mail to specified address
• Include booking reference, flight details (date/route) and passenger names

For EU Cancellation and Delay Complaints
EU Passenger Compensation Dept
Ryanair Head Office
Dublin Airport
Co Dublin – Fax +353 1 8121230

I see that the low-fare airlines have ganged together to create an association... (elfaa.com) - although something tells me that I could get a lot more handy information from a consumer support organisation, or indeed from the Air Transport Portal of the European Commission

kwari : cash 'n shoot-em

So you think money cannot be made in the virtual worlds? some people are proving this view quite wrong, with first SecondLife millionaires... and now there is the first-person shooter game kwari.

Gives a new meaning to:

"You're Fired" - Alan Sugar

something related, yet different - to get in touch with your feminine side Mr Norgate : TeamEstrogen.com

something un-related : one with special mention for those who undertook the Tesco IMP project... you can now get a laptop encased in bamboo - perhaps suitable for you, Matt?

tech corner : ruby on eclipse

ibm-dev-works : ruby on eclipse

something different : ft.com subs

More or Less interesting numbers

Some intriguing reading from Time Harford of the FinancialTime, he has his Economist Undercover blog and a complimentary podcast "More or Less" on BBC Radio4

Even Tanaka gets a mention, with old Bill Perraudin getting in on the quants story... Shame I didn't read/listen to this before we got our guest lecture at the start of our MBA year... it might have provoked even more interesting Q&A

sex sells - here are the economists comments regarding the rise of oral sex

something a little different: financial management meets strategic investment decisions



and very different, Goodwood & The Experience of Business?

More or Less interesting numbers

Some intriguing reading from Time Harford of the FinancialTime, he has his Economist Undercover blog and a complimentary podcast "More or Less" on BBC Radio4

Even Tanaka gets a mention, with old Bill Perraudin getting in on the quants story... Shame I didn't read/listen to this before we got our guest lecture at the start of our MBA year... it might have provoked even more interesting Q&A

Google : myLocation (beta)

Now the irony is that back in the period 2000-2001, I proposed such an idea to Imperial College Entrepreneurship Challenge... We were cut down because the judges did not believe in our numbers - namely that SMS use would increase significantly on mobile phones. Uses include finding local amenities, tracking your kids, tourist resources, or simply vicinity info to help your chance meetings with friends whilst out-and-about in town!

The funny thing is that I got to remind one of the judges about this when we started our MBA. It briefly took the smug look off his face when I told him how much money had been invested in this technology. My lesson was to run the distance with the ideas I believe in.



something very different: do you chumby?

on the geek topic, news from Japan just in

IBM releases game to teach math, science & ecology?

A new multiplayer video game from IBM Corp. encourages teenagers to save the planet by playing a video game - and learn science at the same time. The online game, called PowerUp, is part of IBM's TryScience initiative. It will be rolled out at high schools around the USA as part of National Engineer's Week 2008 [this week].

It is all about boosting recruitment. The aim is to enhance the interest among teens in pursuing maths and science careers...
Additionally, it helps keep the story moving around 3D Internet - where many people know of SecondLife (but there are others). I had my first interview in SecondLife last week - quite a strange experience... anyway some links for you:

Download it from the PowerUp Website: powerupthegame.org
Watch it on YouTube

Beware of the Force : The Tool of Satan

If you believe in the Force, you will go to Hell.

God help all those British citizens who claimed to be members of the Jedi religious community in the last national censor...

to save your souls, use the finger-force to walk on over to ToolOfSatan.org

disclaimer: members of this forum are free to hold their own beliefs
but they can still have the mickey taken out of them for it...

Tool to Evaluate your Fruit

open the kimono (v. phr.) to reveal something new and bold, usually to a client

some more serious comment regarding "outside the box thinking"

MBA Lounge Hogs

Some tools for your travels

For those of you who find yourselves on the move far too often....
tripit.com - for managing your WW itineraries

...and for those not travelling business class
kayak.com - for finding cost efficient travel options (plus hotels if you desire)

- - - -

and if you need something to read whilst waiting in the airport lounge:
Purple Cow : Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable (Paperback)

and another flight finding service : farecompare.com

Falling in love with a business

In regards to new business startups, according to business consultant Marguerite Moore Callaway, from her 2006 book The Energetics of Business, for example:

"in business, as with any intimate relationship that is genuinely satisfying, great chemistry is vital. To have an affinity for an idea, a strong match must exist between a business owner's built-in aptitude, personality, learned skills and the underlying business purpose."

To succeed in business, according to Callaway, one must fall in love with its potential. I don't recall us receiving any lectures on 'falling in love' during our MBA ...

unrelated link: something different for those who care about time

The Return of the Apprenticeship

It gives me pleasure to read that UK Plc is again returning to the positive view regarding industrial placement schemes. As a participant in the Year in Industry Scheme (Royal Academy of Engineering) I continue to voice my support for such interactions with young people...

It is also a super way for the students to seek financial sponsorship during their studies. This is something seen far more often in other Continental European countries, whereby a degree is undertaken that is inter-woven with real work. Yes, it takes longer, but the reward is skilled workforce that is applying the education in a constant learning cycle, a rapid loop that should benefit both the education curriculum and the industrial sector. Note that care needs to be taken that this doesn't become a replacement for job-specific training - this might also reduce the university degree to only offer skills that address the current role requirements, and not those for the near future...

Read the article on Ft.com

Tech Update

Things sometimes evolve. After a cute walk along the waterfront in Bordeaux (Hangars 18 to 14) we popped into see the Tourism Expo. On the tram we had been completing the 50% discount form when a fellow passenger offered us tickets for free entry... Thank you Mr Sitting-Opposite-Us-On-Tram (his wife had a stand at the show, hence free tickets).
We passed on our second free ticket to some friends... so these little acts can continue their cycle.

Anyway, nice walk around show followed by a little exercise on the climbing rock that the mountain rescue police had erected just outside. They seemed to be fiddling their thumbs, so I asked to go up - and this seemed to set the necessary precedence for others to follow - there was a queue when I completed my second level climb! We purchased two items from the SEB factory-outlet, that was located almost next door (and which we stumbled upon by chance as we took the tram 1 stop too far earlier in the day) - so took home an electric grill (that my dear lady took a HUGE fancy too at first sight) and an electric hair-cutter - which got first use that evening! I think I got away with a reasonable first attempt with both the new gadget + first hairdresser experience (and no, she is not standing over me watching what I am typing). ;o)

Now for the technology. I mentioned that the opening times of the local cable-telephone shop was now until 7pm, which had result of us jumping into the car with our old cable modem and shifting gear to get there in good time. As chance would have it they were showing Liverpool vs Sunderland on Canal+, so I really didn't mind waiting (the score when we left was 0-0, the game ended 3-0 to Liverpool). We wanted to know if we could have the telephone number associated with our cable set-up, so that we could receive call. Answer = no. We would have to pay 10 euro extra each month for phone to be added, and this would also renew contract for 1 year. Also asked if we could have wireless modem. This was not just to have wireless, but rather to have router capable of sharing the internet connection with several devices (we currently have 1xpc, 1xlaptop - and desire adding more). Were told that there is fixed extra costs of 40 euro for the wireless, which we were not expecting. Given that the unit is on loan against a deposit, this did not seem attractive. However, when I quized my network setup the sales rep (a nice chap we had seen on previous visit) chatted with the other 2 chaps - as he didn't think my setup was feasible (cable modem, single ethernet - attached to basic switch that then shared internet access with other devices, but curiously didn't allow local devices to interact)... and the end of which his boss authorised us to have wireless for only 15 euros. This was more acceptable - even if "free" would have been better. We accepted.

Gadget : NetGear Wireless Cable Voice Gateway CVG834G

So the Tech Update is only to say that now we have encrypted wireless in the small flat. Honestly, we didn't need wireless - I have a long enough ethernet cable to do me. The local network though was more annoying, any time we had a problem it required a reboot of the cable modem - and a prayer. I am much happier with this technology deployment - as it allows me to play

With the new modem setup, thought I might test the Internet speed we are observing:


With the IT complexity reduced, seemingly in conformity with the CIO strategy article, I am set to respond with greater agility to my IT growth...

What next? well I just learned about Dvorak keyboard - thanks to an ubuntu blogger : ubuntu-tutorials.com/dvorak, dvzine.org, The story of the Curse of Qwerty

Blogging elsewhere...time to stop

For those with access, you can see my contributions on this restricted blog : imperialftmba2006-7 @blogspot
(access for MBA class only)

But, there are personal tasks that I have set aside for far too long now - so time to get on and complete them!

VirtualBox on Win XP, guest Ubuntu
- handy forums : forums.virtualbox.org, ubuntu-tutorials.com, help.ubuntu.com (VBox)

...and from here the unbit resources for various web domains to create

Mind maps - taken a step beyond

During our MBA year some of us might have spotted a young doctor amongst us taking his first steps into mindmapping...
note: a free version is available on sourceforge.net



Now, take a peak at this 3d mind mapping tool for use in virtual words (e.g. SecondLife) : spatialmap.org



for more whacky virtual-world thinking, take a peak here

Disruptive Innovation : zipping nano

No, nothing to do with software nor Apple iPod Nano...

“Gandhian engineering” combining irreverence for conventional ways of thinking with a frugality born of scarcity.
Or, as Indian auto executive Ashok K. Taneja describes the philosophy, “When I need silver, why am I investing in gold?”

check it out, it will be on the syllabus shortly :
Tata Motor unveils 1 lakh vehicle read about it here (innosight.com)

for matters closer to home, Streetcar and Zipcar seems to have flying under the visor of the incumbent rental car firms - that said EasyCarRentals did a u-turn with their A-class Mercs in cities, and then partnered with a larger car rental firm... (innosight article/posting)

anyone keen to sign up to streetcar? get a special discount by mentioning my name and "Blue Car" in your sign-up, simple
(I believe you get weekend drive, and I get a few hours for free)

Gaming technology helps Medicine

3d Medical imaging has leaped forward in recent years... now take a look at some of the recent news where a new computer processor, designed for the computing industry, has shown x100 performance increase on CT scan images (looking at changes between 3d images).

Report on Mayo Clinic & IBM collaboration here ... and an IBM press release here.

But I guess you prefer to see your news...




although for a little more fun - take a look at the blu-ray / HD video:



- - - -

something different : Deadly Cute : worth1000 Photoshop Contest

HBR Video - Transforming Giants with Prof Rosabeth Moss Kanter

The video might appear rather formal, perhaps this is an indicator of the presentation style at HBS - not like Tanaka...

Summary:
Changing internal processes based on corporate social responsibility - and making money as they do it... and getting the marketing points as they do it.
Values-driven approach, with defined processes, that instil innovation on behalf of communities, acting to generate new products that are sold for profit.

Business values that trigger innovation achieved through:

• common purpose
• flexible HR teams
• motivating individuals across extended groups and lifetime of employee

>video link

Lordy Connections

Using the New Year as a signal to re-establish contacts and my own presence in the minds of those I know (and those I don't via online resources), I took it upon myself to have a look for new connections... a look for St John Ambulance on Spock produced a startling family link : a lady (Moyra Brown) I chatted with when undertaking volunteer work at the London District HQ of SJA is no other than the sister of Eric Bessborough, a friend of my father - and with whom my parents made a business excursion to China some 30 years ago! Moyra came over as a delightful individual, with whom one could chat endlessly... and someone who cared about the mission and members of the organisation.

If only I had realised this when I shared her office (I spent somewhere near 100 hours undertaking administrative tasks for Links, the student wing of SJA)... it would have been delightful to complete the circle of friends, and recount stories of exploring their stupendous family home (perhaps the first to have an automated lift). Time to re-establish this missing link!

related link : Alexis on Spock

Finding things on-line...

Recent tech news reports that Yahoo have greatly enhanced their web-search tool. This may have something to do with their collaboration with a large tech consulting firm like IBM...

That said, Google continues to offer handy resources... gmail, blogger, maps, i-google that help keep users returning to Google search. This is clever business strategy, creating free tools for their users - and always gathering personal data.

Did you know that Google now offers a blog search tool? blogsearch.google.co.uk
with option to search for pages updated within a certain time-frame. Neat idea...

advanced awareness of upcoming search tech, just maybe - track: cuill

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- - -
for those keen on productivity tools here is a quick list of handy links for free resources (for personal use):

• Virtual Windows (open source)


• GIMP for Windows (open source) - for those who cannot afford PaintShop or PhotoShop, and wish for a legal option


• 7-zip for unzipping - another free option that is well built

Need for speed? take a look at the free primer for speed-reading

Building on a innovative platform technology

Smart design can make a real difference (businessweek.com).
Those who liked Annabelle's platform technology strategy might see that one way Apple has enhanced its profit is through the accessory market for the Apple products, for iPods there exists a plethora of add-ons. Yes, it sells music through iTunes - but it is the sale of the units and the accessories which I believe will really help enhance the annual figures for Apple...

For a little humour, what would have happened if Microsoft designed the Ipod?