January 2011
38 posts
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Brent Crude tops $100 Bucks...
…are we ready for 150? Market factors + geopolitical instability resulting from bolder populations may not be priced in yet.
Today Brent Crude futures topped $100 bucks on the open market due to Egypt uncertainty. Normally oil futures stay pretty timid in times like this - it’s the middle of Winter in the Northern hemisphere and we’re recovering slowly from a recession.
If...
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Carlton Cuse on Life after Lost and his new VA... →
A nice little op-ed from Carlton Cuse, the “show-runner” of Lost on how your work continues to keep up with you and how to approach the next project. I’m very excited about his next endeavor especially considering the 150th anniversary of the civil war approaching soon and its focus on a Virginia family.
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Listen through Telekinesis' New Album on NPR →
So far sounds good, but haven’t hit anything that sounds a lot different than the first. That said, I’m only on the first or second track so I’m expecting good things.
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Russian Parliament Passes New START Treaty →
A long journey to negotiate strategic arms reduction is one step closer to the finish line. Good on both our congress and their parliament for recognizing that, regardless of how they viewed specifics, the treaty is still a worthwhile idea overall and critical to the future discourse and interaction between our countries.
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gatm:
Audio report from BBC’s Jack Shenker from...
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China Pulls an Iran - Uses Top Gun clip in place... →
Iran’s Far news agency posted pictures of the F-22 and F-35 awhile back when talking about their new jet programs. This one may top it though - on China’s government-run channel China Central Television (CCTV) they used footage from Top Gun (not the school, but the 1980s classic film) when talking about air to air combat. Priceless. Even better, perhaps, is that a Chinese netizen...
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Egyptian Government Disrupts SMS, Phone, and... →
So it begins… I wonder how long it will take for the majority of Egyptians to start moving into the streets.
Some thoughts at this newfound “Arabist” blog (linked here) as well as great perspective on Jonathan Wright’s blog.
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DHS to Get Rid of Color Coded Terror Meter by... →
It’s funny… after awhile you kind of stop even daring to hope for rational decisions to be made in certain areas. There’s obviously no clear incentive for a government civilian to lower a threat-level meter because we always need to be vigilant and no matter what if something happens after a “lowering” it’s always just a blame game.
That said, this decision to...
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U.S. Egypt Policy Takes a Turn →
Today in Jordan, Secretary Clinton had some strong words for the Mubarak government. Not sure if the reaction from Egypt will be to crack down harder and faster or to yield to citizens demands more than they planned. Or perhaps we’re engaged in a backroom “don’t worry about it” wink while we come out in support of democratic protesters? Only time will tell. Ah, the...
Un-Manage Your Employees →
Another article by David Heinemeier Hansson at 37 Signalsthat speaks to the power of creative worker’s autonomy when granted. What he fails to address I think is how he might deal with mis-management of the resources he’s providing. Has 37 Signals ever had to fire somebody? What do they think makes that the case for their company? I’d be interested to hear what they think about...
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Michele Bachmann to Give the "Tea Party Rebuttal"... →
Interesting. I’m really hoping this doesn’t divert attention from one of (perhaps) the more intelligent Republicans in congress, Paul Ryan, chairman of the Budget Committee.
What we really need is complete focus on a sane rebuttal person with rational policies for deficit reduction and an ear to compromise. What we don’t need is an [intellectually estranged] person to divert...
The Tunisia Effect? Counter-government day of... →
As some international affairs experts predicted, the so-far peaceful transition in Tunisia that resulted from civil protests could have a significant impact across the Middle East as citizens attempt to assert their role in each country. I will be watching and waiting to see the results as time goes on. Personal plea to riot police: please don’t bring regular ammunition when attempting crowd...
Protests and Property Destruction in Lebanon as... →
As always my hope is for calm and rational heads in matters like these. Fingers crossed they can get it together.
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WatchAnother masterpiece from Luca Brenta - the Brenta 100. I dig the interior design a lot, and the sailing pictures in the video are excellent. Excited for the season to resume again a bit further North in the US. : )
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FedEx Outlines Our Changing World in Data Form →
Great diagrams of how our geography changes when country size is pivoted over all different kinds of data. Not only do I appreciate the fresh look at a number of different statistics (look at the US deficiency in mobile web access, for instance) but I also appreciate that the site is architected quite well and allows you to go back and hit each chart and diagram using a URL call to the interface....
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Comparing US States With Countries (InfoGraphic) →
Great infographic comparing GDP and population of US States to their closest analog in the globe. Quite informative.
(Via TES, The Economist)
Samsung OLED - The flexible television has arrived →
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Either the first step on a long road to... →
Illinois hikes both income and corporate tax rates in the state to 5% and 7% respectively to try and get budget deficits under control. Responsible governance, or a signal to businesses and workers to get out of dodge?
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Charlie Rose interviews Warren Buffett - The Three... →
At one point, Rose asked the question that scholars, pundits, and plaintiffs attorneys will be debating for years: “Should wise people have known better?” Of course they should have, Buffet replied, but there’s a “natural progression” to how good new ideas go badly wrong. He called this progression the “three Is.” First come the innovators, who see...
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DARPA Asks for Math that Generates A Priori... →
Seems meant to unify data stream elements from sensor platform information (assume so it can be more easily filtered and interpreted by secondary software), this ambitious BAA from DARPA called Mathematics of Sensing, Exploitation, and Execution looks really cool. If they execute to spec, the ramifications for military, intelligence, and commercial communities are pretty awesome - think XBoX...
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Verizon iPhone set for 2/10/11 →
Verizon subscribers will get first crack at the new supply of phones. I don’t expect people will run out in droves to ditch their Android machines if they already have them, but this might encourage those that have not yet switch to a smart phone to do so. Not sure what all the fuss is about - AT&T network has improved quite a bit lately so this announcement seems overly dramatic. ...
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“Few people notice this, but for IT groups respect is the currency of the realm....”
– In case we needed a reminder - ”It’s all about respect.” Second time I’ve posted a quote from this great ComputerWorld article on managing Geeks, but it’s still ringing true.
Dick Winters, Inspirational Leader in the Band of... →
Having read the book it is obvious that Dick Winters’ caliber of leadership was rare and we all need more. What an incredible life to have led.
An intensely private and humble man, Winters had asked that news of his death be withheld until after his funeral
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Pentagon to Cut Spending by $78 Billion over 5... →
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The Gold Standard?
I just watched a DVR’d Colbert Report with Ron Paul that was pretty shocking. I know, “seriously, Seph, you should not be shocked by members of congress anymore!” but I can’t control these things.
Mr. Paul made an appearance to back up his past opinions on the gold standard as a reasonable basis for finance. That’s not insane, but then Colbert stated that Ron Paul...
The new "Private" IPO Phenomenon →
Interesting commentary on what has been an increasingly private offering of new technology companies to institutional and VC investors.
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