intelligent.information.integration

Spring has sprung, and the worst could be behind us | Rich Karlgaard 04/03/2009

I had the good fortune to hear Rich Kaarlgard speak in January 2009 at the Grand Rapids Chameber of Commerce annual lunch. Rich is not only a very smart guy but an optimistic smart guy. I like what he is saying abou the the possibility that the recovery may be starting already. Check out this comment in his blog post:

“Scott Grannis, who writes in “The Recession Is Over”:

I see lots of signs showing up that could well mark the end of the recession. Weekly unemployment claims have been flat for the past five weeks. Banks are still lending increasing amounts of money. Commodity prices, particularly energy and copper, are moving higher. Equities have been up for over two weeks from incredibly distressed levels. Leading indicators of financial stress, such as swap spreads and the VIX index, improved months ago.”

via Forbes.com: Digital Rules By Rich Karlgaard.

What Will Life Be Like in the Year 2008? 03/26/2008

What Will Life Be Like in the Year 2008? | Mechanix Illustrated, Nov 1968 

Wow, these predictions made in 1968 actually panned out! James Berry got a lot of things remarkably right 40 years ago. Click the link above to read all his predictions.

Here’s a sample:

“The single most important item in 2008 households is the computer. These electronic brains govern everything from meal preparation and waking up the household to assembling shopping lists and keeping track of the bank balance. Sensors in kitchen appliances, climatizing units, communicators, power supply and other household utilities warn the computer when the item is likely to fail. A repairman will show up even before any obvious breakdown occurs.

“Computers also handle travel reservations, relay telephone messages, keep track of birthdays and anniversaries, compute taxes and even figure the monthly bills for electricity, water, telephone and other utilities. Not every family has its private computer. Many families reserve time on a city or regional computer to serve their needs. The machine tallies up its own services and submits a bill, just as it does with other utilities.

Money has all but disappeared. Employers deposit salary checks directly into their employees’ accounts. Credit cards are used for paying all bills. Each time you buy something, the card’s number is fed into the store’s computer station. A master computer then deducts the charge from your bank balance.”

Astrobiology | The Living Worlds Hypothesis 09/26/2005

What’s really new in our paper is that we go into the question of energy sources. If there’s life there, what’s it going to eat? What kind of food is there? And it turns out there’s abundant food because of all this photochemistry in the upper atmosphere, where methane is being turned into other organic molecules. Some of those organic molecules are very energy-rich, and one that we consider in the paper is acetylene. We know it’s being made in the atmosphere, we know it’s raining down on the surface, and it’s been detected at the surface with the Huygens probe. We calculated that, if acetylene is reacting with the hydrogen gas to turn it back into methane, quite a bit of energy is being released. So that’s our basis for saying there is something to eat on Titan. We don’t know if there are any customers, but there’s something on the menu. “>The Living Worlds Hypothesis :: Astrobiology Magazine :: Search for Life in the Universe: “I think the most basic requirements for life come down to needing a source of energy of some kind, needing liquids, and needing some basis for complex chemistry. And we conclude that Titan has all three. Obviously it has liquids – if you’ve got cryovolcanism, you’ve got liquid reservoirs of water, or water with ammonia antifreeze, near the surface that occasionally is erupting to form those flows. There are also liquid hydrocarbons silting the surface in places.

What’s really new in our paper is that we go into the question of energy sources. If there’s life there, what’s it going to eat? What kind of food is there? And it turns out there’s abundant food because of all this photochemistry in the upper atmosphere, where methane is being turned into other organic molecules. Some of those organic molecules are very energy-rich, and one that we consider in the paper is acetylene. We know it’s being made in the atmosphere, we know it’s raining down on the surface, and it’s been detected at the surface with the Huygens probe. We calculated that, if acetylene is reacting with the hydrogen gas to turn it back into methane, quite a bit of energy is being released. So that’s our basis for saying there is something to eat on Titan. We don’t know if there are any customers, but there’s something on the menu. “

Another question for you: Threat or opportunity? … 07/26/2005

Another question for you: Threat or opportunity?

Does Globalization of the Scientific/Engineering Workforce Threaten U.S. Economic Leadership?: “This paper develops four propositions that show that changes in the global job market for science and engineering (S&E) workers are eroding US dominance in S&E, which diminishes comparative advantage in high tech production and creates problems for American industry and workers”

Nicholas Carr’s Blog: top-performing companies… 05/24/2005

Rough Type: Nicholas Carr’s Blog: “are the seven characteristics of Brynjolfsson’s top-performing firms: (1) they aggressively adopt digital (i.e., paper-free) processes, (2) they give employees easy and open access to information, (3) they empower employees to make decisions, (4) they tie employee pay to performance, (5) they invest heavily in corporate culture (values statements and the like), (6) they recruit top-quality people, and (7) they invest in their human capital (e.g., training). These characteristics aren�t particularly surprising. In fact, they could pretty much be summed up as Good Management 101.

But in a way that�s what makes them interesting. When you boil it all down, the keys to business success in the Information Age look pretty much the same as they always have: good management, streamlined processes, thoughtful incentives, smart people and an aversion to mindless bureaucracy. “

Hmmm… got plenty of both! Business 2.0 :: Magaz… 05/10/2005

Hmmm… got plenty of both!

Business 2.0 :: Magazine Article :: Features :: The World According to Clark: “WHAT TRAITS SHOULD EVERY GOOD ENTREPRENEUR POSSESS?

Discontent and anxiety. Most entrepreneurs are not content with the way things are. But if they’re smart, they are extremely anxious too. Most ideas are going to happen whether you do them or someone else does. It’s the person who feels most anxious about it and builds the prototype who is likely to win. The best entrepreneurs tend to move quickly and efficiently. They don’t waste a lot of time making decisions.”

Telegraph | News | The Earl of Shaftesbury: "It wa… 04/25/2005

Telegraph | News | The Earl of Shaftesbury: “It was said, after his mysterious disappearance from a Cannes nightclub, that the 10th Earl, like Gladstone, had been devoting himself to helping vulnerable young girls working in nightspots on the French Riviera to start new lives. But as the mystery deepened, it seemed that his interest was more than merely philanthropic.

Indeed, Lord Shaftesbury had always exhibited a weakness for exotic women. At Eton he had famously penned an article for the college magazine in which he described English debutantes as ’round-shouldered, unsophisticated garglers of pink champagne’. His subsequent amorous career was notable for his avoidance of the species.”

AEI | Short Publications | Banks: The New HMOs 04/10/2005

AEI | Short Publications | Banks: The New HMOs: “A transformation is under way in health care that will displace the entrenched giants among the ranks of America’s HMOs and pharmacy benefit managers. In their place will be millions of consumers linked by their financial services companies to accounts. These new accounts will allow them to manage their full range of medical benefits in the same fashion that they direct their 401(k)s.

The impetus for this change is a Trojan horse buried inside the new Medicare law. Explicit language in the new law enables a health plan and drug plan to be offered by any well-capitalized outfit adept at marketing and able to bare some financial risk. “