Business Of Theatre

I found www.ebroadwayplays.com interesting (theatrical investment + philanthrophy), in fact, I liked it.

The Phoenix Lander

The animation of the Phoenix lander @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7400375.stm was brilliant.

Useful links:
http://phoenix.lpl.arizona.edu
NASA - Phoenix

Will Self

William Self is an English novelist, reviewer and columnist. His latest novel, The Butt, won the 2008 Wodehouse prize for comic fiction.

Useful links:
www.will-self.com
www.hayfestival.com

Shigeru Miyamoto

(via Wiki) Shigeru Miyamoto is a Japanese video game designer. He is the creator of the Mario, Donkey Kong, The Legend of Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin and F-Zero franchises for Nintendo game systems. He has also supervised many titles published by Nintendo on behalf of other developers, including Metroid Prime and Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games. Miyamoto is a world-renowned game designer, and is often called the 'father of modern video gaming'. Video games designed by him typically feature refined control-mechanics, intuitive gameplay, simplistic story lines, and imaginative worlds in which the players are encouraged to discover things for themselves.

Useful links:
www.miyamotoshrine.com
www.nintendo.com
www.gameinformer.com

I am huge fan!

Dima Bilan

(via Wiki) Dima Bilan is a Russian pop artist of Karachay descent. Dima represented Russia at the Eurovision Song Contest 2006 with 'Never Let You Go', finishing second, and he won the contest in 2008, with the song 'Believe'.

Useful links:
www.eurovision.tv
http://bilandima.ru/enghtm
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDJxR0fsbN8

Entre Les Murs (The Class)

(via Wiki) Entre les murs is a work of contemporary fiction by French writer François Bégaudeau. It is a semi-autobiographical account of Bégaudeau's experiences as a literature teacher in an inner city middle school in Paris. Published in 2006, it won the Prix France Culture/Télérama. In 2008, it was made into a movie by Laurent Cantet, also called 'Entre les murs', this film received the 2008 Palme d'Or at the Cannes film festival, making it the first French film in 21 years to do so.

Useful links:
Festival de Cannes : Film details 2008
Entre les murs (2008)
Festival de Cannes

New Tanzanite Treatment

According to the American Gem Trade Association Gemological Testing Center (AGTA-GTC) + American Gemological Laboratories (AGL), a color-enhancing coating on tanzanite containing cobalt have been detected in faceted samples of tanzanites provided by their clients. Obviously the purpose of the treatement have been to improve the overall appearance of the stones, but with standard gemological testing + advanced analytical tools like X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, the treatments are identifiable. Coatings are not considered permanent.

Useful links:
www.agta.org
www.agta-gtc.org
www.aglgemlab.com
www.ftc.gov

Mobile U.S Dollar + The Diamond Industry

The diamond/jewelry industry are concerned because every level of the pipeline in the industry are being affected by the U.S. dollar’s weakness + calculating diamond/gold prices in the mobile U.S. dollar has become unprofitable for many diamond/jewelry companies worldwide.

Are there any stable currencies in the world? Swiss franc? Who knows!

ArtTactic Update

(via livemint) ArtTactic’s latest survey of the Indian art market shows a 13 percentage point dip in its Indian Art Market Confidence Index, a measure based on the responses of 80 experts to questions on the current and future prospects of the economy and the primary and secondary markets for art. The sample of 80 respondents included a mix of collectors, gallery owners, auction houses, dealers and advisers. It included no artists.

Useful link:
www.arttactic.com

There might be a slowdown in external factors, but Indians still have the money to buy.
- Ganieve Grewal, Christies India

How true!

Jim Collins

Jim Collins has served as a teacher to senior executives and CEOs at over a hundred corporations. He is a well-known author + his work has been featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Harvard Business Review, and Fast Company.

Useful link:
www.jimcollins.com

Cat On A Hot Tin Roof

(via Wiki) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof is a Tony-nominated play by Tennessee Williams. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1955. The big-screen version of the play was made in 1958 by MGM, and starred Paul Newman, Elizabeth Taylor, Judith Anderson, Jack Carson.

Useful links:
www.cat2008onbroadway.com
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

It's a great movie.

African Contemporary Art

I found the article on African contemporary art @ http://www.economist.com/opinion/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11436150 interesting, because I think African art works are wonderfully vibrant and evocative, it will be a matter of time that collectors will be chasing the artists with impressive prices.

Useful links:
www.caacart.com
www.chrisspring.co.uk

Disney + Popley

It has been reported that Popley Group + Disney Consumer Products will be launching Disney fine jewelry across India.

Useful links:
www.popleys.com
www.disney.in

The Diamond Development Initiative

The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) has released standards and guidelines for Sierra Leone's artisanal diamond mining sector @ http://www.ddiglobal.org/login/Upload/Standards%20&%20Guidelines.pdf

Useful link:
www.ddiglobal.org

I hope through proper education and dialogue with artisanal diamond miners and their communities, let diamonds become a catalyst for individual and national development.

New Rough Diamond Regulations

New U.S. regulations governing the import and export of rough diamonds were published on May 21, 2008 in the Federal Register in an effort to strengthen the international Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.

Useful links:
http://www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2008/may/105110.htm
www.state.gov/e/eeb/diamonds
http://www.jvclegal.org/index.php?categoryid=228

I hope the new regulations will improve international implementation of the Kimberley Process.

Grainger McKoy

Grainger McKoy's designs are striking and unique work of art. I liked it.

Useful link:
www.graingermckoy.com

From Mines To Finger

I have always been intrigued by the convergence of technology and diamond quality identification + in my view the interesting thing about isee2 is its authenticity + the experience factor. Brilliant!

Useful link:
www.isee2.com

The Backpacker Company

The Backpacker Company is India's first backpacking company. The story @ http://www.livemint.com/2008/05/23001501/Alternate-Life--Snail-male.html was interesting and informative.

Useful link:
www.thebackpackerco.com

I liked it + when I am in India I will plan a trip for the experience.

How To Be Useful

How to Be Useful: A Beginner's Guide to Not Hating Work by Megan Hustad is a wonderful book with interesting anecdotes from the contemporary workplace.

Useful link:
http://meganhustad.com

Che Guevara Movie

I think Steven Soderbergh's Guerrilla (2008), a movie about Che Guevara, one of the most fascinating lives in the last century + Benicio Del Toro as Che Guevara was a brilliant choice because he has the intensity to portray the revolutionary.

Useful links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyqOByAB76k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_g3BegC67w&feature=related

British Prints 1914-1939

Rhythms of Modern Life: British Prints 1914-1939 examines the impact of Futurism and Cubism on British Modernist printmaking from the beginning of World War I to the beginning of World War II. The fascinating exhibition is @ Torf Gallery, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, till June 1, 2008. A must-visit.

Useful link:
www.mfa.org

Truth And Justice – No Blackmail Or Extortion

Chaim Even Zohar has an interesting update on Julius Klein Diamonds (JKD) + John Stafford + 'Certifigate' information + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

Thomas Moran's Work Of Art

(via Wiki) Thomas Moran was an artist of the Hudson River School. Thomas Moran's vision of the Western landscape was critical to the creation of Yellowstone National Park. His pencil and watercolor field sketches and paintings captured the grandeur and documented the extraordinary terrain and natural features of the Yellowstone region. Moran's artwork was presented to members of Congress by park proponents. These powerful images of Yellowstone fired the imagination and helped inspire Congress to establish the National Park System in 1916. Mount Moran in the Grand Teton National Park is named for Moran.

Useful links:
http://www.nga.gov/feature/moran/moranhome.shtm
http://www.museumsyndicate.com/artist.php?artist=543

Thomas Moran’s 'Green River of Wyoming' was sold at Christie's in New York on May 21, 2008 for $17.7 million. www.christies.com

I think he is one of the finest artist of the mountains!

The Chelsea Flower Show

The RHS Chelsea Flower Show is the ultimate event in the gardening year. It sets the latest gardening trends, features the newest and most desirable gardening products and creates an explosion of colours and scents.

Dates: May 20 - 24, 2008
Venue: Royal Hospital, Chelsea, London.

Useful link:
www.rhs.org.uk/chelsea

Don't miss it!

Design Experience

(via businessweek) For unique consumer experience, visit @ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XXzWeMCTUGo&eurl + http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/429573

Useful links:
http://adaptivepath.com
http://beta.criticalmass.com

I think's it's one of the best videos on design experience (s). I liked it.

Telectroscope

(via Wiki) From May-June 2008, artist Paul St George will exhibit two outdoor interactive video installations linking London and New York City in a simulated 'telectroscope'. Although St George claims that the device works using a transatlantic tunnel started by his great-grandfather, it is actually the product of two high definition cameras connected through a fiberoptic link.

Useful links:
www.paulstgeorge.com
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7415911.stm

It's incredible! I liked the concept.

Post-Doi Moi: Vietnamese Art After 1990

The Singapore Art Museum will be exhibiting, Post-Doi Moi: Vietnamese Art After 1990, until Sept. 28, 2008. It examines what happened to Vietnamese art when the Communist government opened up to a market economy with the Doi Moi, or 'renovation,' policies. A must-visit.

Useful link:
www.nhb.gov.sg/sam

(via Wiki) Hanoi University of Fine Arts is an art school in Hanoi, Vietnam. It was established under the French occupation in 1925. The university has trained many of Vietnam’s leading artists and each year it participates in many cultural exchanges with sister institutions overseas. The long and distinguished history of the Hanoi University of Fine Art may be traced back to the colonial École Supérieure des Beaux Arts de l’Indochine (1925-1945) (the Indochina College of Fine Arts) which trained successive generations of Vietnamese students in the western art tradition, laying the essential groundwork for the development of a distinctive Vietnamese style of modern art. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanoi_College_of_Fine_Arts

Luck: The Essential Guide

Luck: The Essential Guide by Deborah Aaronson + Kevin Kwan is an interesting book on luck, from historical tidbits to more practical tips.

Useful links:
www.societyforfortuitousevents.com
www.theluckguide.com

Michael Specter

Michael Specter is an American journalist who has been a staff writer, focusing on science and technology, at The New Yorker since September 1998. Francesco Vezzoli talks with Michael Specter about cinema, kitsch, celebrity, and democracy @ http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/vezzoli

Useful links:
www.michaelspecter.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKgbO-E_xss

I think Franceso Vezzoli was brilliant!

BIS Standards For Diamonds

The Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) has recently published details of the new Indian Standard (IS) for polished diamonds. The IS – 15766 code covers both classification and testing methods.

Useful link:
www.bis.org.in

I think regulation in the diamond grading sector in India is essential because those consumers in the smaller cities and towns have no knowledge or expertise recognizing international labs and their standards. I hope the BIS Hallmark will prevail.

Prettified Labradorite

I always had my doubts about the new-find labradorite, and now David Federman explains the gemological facts in detail @ http://www.colored-stone.com/stories/may08/sunstone.cfm

A must-read. I think David Federman was spot on.

Jewelers Row

Visit Bangkok, Bombay, Hong Kong, Singapore, New York, Tokyo, London, Paris, Antwerp, Amsterdam etc, it makes an interesting study in the economics of marketing to visit the collection of dozens of jeweler shops all crowded into a couple of blocks. Why?

Read this blog @ http://www.philadelphia-reflections.com/blog/1071.htm

It must be pretty boring to sit all day every day in a little shop that makes one or two sales a week, except at special holidays. One jeweler I know has a portable computer under the counter and spends a lot of time day-trading , which is buying stocks in the morning and selling them in the afternoon. Although competition in the district goes well beyond vigorous, there is an active fraternity of jewelers in the area, steering customers to each other when they don't have a requested item themselves, eating lunch at one of the local bistros, exchanging gossip of the trade, carefully observing the traffic up and down the sidewalks. And then, you can always have your wife, daughter or neighbor sit on a high stool in front of the counter. Trying on jewelry.

How true!

Surrealist Manifesto

(via Wiki) Two Surrealist Manifestos were issued by the Surrealist movement, in 1924 and 1929, respectively. The first Surrealist manifesto was written by the French writer André Breton in 1924 and released to the public 1925.

The document defines Surrealism as:
Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other manner -- the actual functioning of thought. Dictated by the thought, in the absence of any control exercised by reason, exempt from any aesthetic or moral concern.

The second manifesto written in 1929 Breton asked Surrealists to assess their 'degree of moral competence', and along with other theoretical refinements issued the Second manifeste du surréalisme.

Useful links:
http://www.screensite.org/courses/Jbutler/T340/SurManifesto/ManifestoOfSurrealism.htm
http://books.guardian.co.uk/news/articles/0,,2281350,00.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surrealist_Manifesto

After intense bidding war @ Sotheby's Paris auction house, the nine manuscripts were eventually acquired by Gérard Lhéritier, a noted collector and the founder of the Museum of Letters and Manuscripts in Paris, for a total of €3.6m (£2.9m).
www.sothebys.com

Corporate Social Responsibility

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) started as an idea...today big firms are called upon to be good corporate citizens, and they all want to show that they are.....
http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10491077

Useful links:
www.corporatephilanthropy.org
www.unglobalcompact.org
www.mckinseyquarterly.com
www.bcccc.net

Heard On The Street

Good people can set their own price tag, and they want jam tomorrow, not in five years.

The Alchemist

(via Newyorker) Harvey Weinstein will produce a movie version of the novel 'The Alchemist,' by Paulo Coelho, directed by and starring Laurence Fishburne. At a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, Weinstein said that film adaptations of best-sellers—'pre-sold commodities'—were safer box-office bets.

Useful links:
www.weinsteinco.com
www.paulocoelho.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oaybo46kMC8

I liked the book. Paul Coelho is awesome. I love his work.

Art + ASCII

Art and ASCII is intriguing, in fact, I liked it. Detailed review @
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/multimedia/2008/05/mf_hiroyuki_ss?

Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ASCII_art
www.2ch.net (thought to be the largest Internet forum in the world)
http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-06/mf_usfans

The Coffee Trader

The Coffee Trader by David Liss is a brilliant historical thriller. I found myself drinking more coffee than usual while reading this novel.

Useful link:
www.davidliss.com

Transparency In The Colored Gemstone Trade?

I found the article titled, Transparency In The Colored Gemstone Trade? interesting because the trade has been so different and secretive for so long, they abhor the thought of transparency and accountability. The colored stone market has no market control. The routes followed by colored stones to the marketplace are tortuous + far more individuals are involved, each with their own interests.

Useful links:
www.fairjewelry.org
www.madisondialogue.org
http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2008/0804.frank.html

The Pixar Touch

The Pixar Touch: The Making of a Company by David A. Price is a story of technical innovation that revolutionized animation, transforming hand-drawn cel animation to computer-generated 3-D graphics. I think it's an excellent book on a successful entrepreneurial venture. A must-read.

Useful link:
www.pixar.com

Brainstorm Exchange

I found Brainstorm Exchange interesting + I saw it as a unique platform for ideas and solutions. I liked it.

Useful link:
www.brainstormexchange.com

Mobile Marketing Handbook

The Mobile Marketing Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Dynamic Mobile Marketing Campaigns by Kim Dushinski is an interesting book on the new trend in business.

Useful links:
http://kimdushinski.com
www.mobilemarketingprofits.com

Eurovision

(via Wiki) The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual competition held among active member countries of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Each member country submits a song to be performed on live television and then casts votes for the other countries' songs to determine the most popular song in the competition. Each country participates via one of their national EBU-member television stations, whose task it is to select a singer and a song to represent their country in the international competition. The Contest has been broadcast every year since its inauguration in 1956 and is one of the longest-running television programmes in the world. It is also one of the most-watched non-sporting events in the world, with audience figures having been quoted in recent years as anything between 100 million and 600 million internationally.

Useful links:
www.eurovision.tv
www.ebu.ch
http://www.bbc.co.uk/eurovision
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest

What interests me is the special skills performing artists display to sway audiences + their ability to read the house and tune their message to engage listeners. I am always amazed watching the magic combination.

Art + Architecture

David Adjaye is a British architect, who makes buildings as if they were conceptual artworks. There is a certain quality in his work that I like, it becomes an emotional incubator, morphs into new fusions.

Useful links:
www.adjaye.com
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/adjaye

Business Leader = Performance Artist

The article titled, What Rock Stars Can Teach Leaders @ http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/may2008/ca20080515_689576.htm was brilliant and insightful.

Useful link:
www.accenture.com

It's all about practising = rehearsing = performing, it's amazing, it works. I think listening deeply, testing for understanding, and inspiring others = ultimate goal.

Gold Toothpick, Etc

Experts have found a tiny gold combined toothpick and earwax spoon, believed to be more than 385 years old, during the search for a shipwrecked Spanish galleon off the Florida Keys.

Useful links:
www.bluewaterventureskw.com
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080520/ap_on_sc/florida_artifacts

I think the thrill of discovery is always exciting + it's definitely underwater detetive work. Good story with a happy ending.

The Simpsons

(via Wiki) The Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical parody of the middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its titular family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and it lampoons many aspects of the human condition, as well as American culture, society as a whole, and television itself.

Useful links:
www.thesimpsons.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096697
http://www.simpsonsmovie.com

I think The Simpsons is one of the greatest sitcom ever made because it does everything (playful, subversive, funny, intelligent, joyful, etc.), with animated characters. I love it.

Hay Festival

Hay Festival is running a variety of green events from May 22 - June 1, 2008. Don't miss it!

Useful link:
www.hayfestival.com

Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art

(via Wiki) The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art, or mima, is a contemporary art gallery based in the centre of Middlesbrough, in the North East of England. The gallery was formally launched on Sunday 27th January 2007, although it was originally planned to open in late Summer 2006. It is one of three institutions run by the Middlesbrough Museums & Galleries Service, along with the Dorman Museum and Captain Cook Birthplace Museum.

Useful link:
www.visitmima.com

A must-visit. Jeffrey + Ruth Sherwin's art collections will be part of the three-month show @ mima (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2280883,00.html)

Cellscope

CellScope = cell phone microscope
(via Wired) The cell phone microscope, called a CellScope, is designed to uncouple the need for a physician to be in the same place as a patient, allowing those who lack the benefits of health care to be properly diagnosed. A diagnosis is performed by putting a slide containing a blood or tissue sample on the Cell Scope. A ring of bright LEDs illuminates the sample, and if faint blue dots appear, the patient is positive for malaria. The image can then be transmitted to medical experts for analysis and recommendations.

Useful links:
http://fletchlab.berkeley.edu/research_cellscope.htm
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11367989
http://blumcenter.berkeley.edu/telemicroscopy-disease-diagnosis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J_44YIAGpf4

Brilliant! I think the technology is going to help millions, save lives. I am also thinking if cellscope could be modifed for gemological applications/precious metals testing.

The Richest Of The Rich

The rest of the world may be feeling an economic pinch, but for the richest of the rich, the luxury spending spree goes. I found the article, Shining In The Gloom @ www.newsweek.com/id/137480 interesting.

I've been waiting for prices to come down ever since the financial crisis started, but it's not happening. It's bizarre. Logically it should all come falling down, but it isn't.
- Nicholas Berggruen, Berggruen Holdings

How true!

Business Of Creativity

I found the article, Getting Down to the Business of Creativity @ http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5902.html
educational and informative. At the end of the day innovation is a team sport.

An Earth Friendly Home

Impact analysis @ www.time.com/time/2007/green_home

It was a real eye-opener. Try it!

Chandler Burr

Chandler Burr is an American journalist and author + he is the perfume critic for the New York Times. Look at this interview with Chandler Burr for the website parfumessence.

Useful link:
www.chandlerburr.com

The aesthetics of perfume have always intrigued me. A good perfume is a work of art.

The CEO Sheik

I found the article titled, The CEO Sheik @ http://www.newsweek.com/id/32716/page/1 interesting and insightful.

Useful link:
www.sheikhmohammed.co.ae

If the cart is politics and the horse is the economy, then we have to put the horse before the cart and not the other way around.
- Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktum, the ruler of Dubai + the prime minister of the United Arab Emirates
What's good for the merchants is good for Dubai.
- The late Sheik Rashid

Brilliant! I think the story of Dubai is the story of good governance.

Chester Beatty Library

(via Wiki) The Chester Beatty Library was established in Dublin, Ireland in 1950, to house the collections of mining magnate, Sir Alfred Chester Beatty. The present library, on the grounds of Dublin Castle, opened on February 7, 2000, the 125th anniversary of Sir Alfred's birth and was named European Museum of the Year in 2002. The Library's collections are displayed in two collections: "Sacred Traditions" and "Artistic Traditions". Both displays exhibit sacred texts, manuscripts, miniature paintings and art on paper from the world's great oriental and western religions as well as secular items. The Library is one of the premier sources for scholarship in both the Old and New Testaments and is home to one of the most significant collections of Islamic and Far Eastern artefacts. It includes the Gospel of Mani believed to be the last remaining artefact from Manichaeism.

Useful link:
www.cbl.ie

Chester Beatty Library in Dublin has probably the most beautiful collection of rhinoceros-horn carvings in the world. A must-visit!

Neurobotics

I found Yoky Matsuoka's presentation on Neurobotics @ http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/matsuoka educational and insightful.

Useful links:
http://neurobotics.cs.washington.edu
http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/yoky

Van Gogh Update

I found the article, Experts fall out over Van Gogh's 'last painting' @ http://arts.guardian.co.uk/art/news/story/0,,2280882,00.html interesting because anyone who claims to be holding Van Gogh painting (s) will be a target by the media/auction houses/collectors + the provenance issue (s) will have to be sorted out by the experts to weed out fakes + the price!

Useful link:
www.vangoghmuseum.nl

Diamond-encrusted Helmets

Here is what Mclaren's site says about the design:
Woking, United Kingdom, Friday 16th May 2008: In the build up to the 2008 Monaco Grand Prix, Vodafone McLaren Mercedes and Steinmetz, creators of the world’s finest diamonds, are proud to announce the continuation of their long-running partnership. This year Steinmetz has worked closely with the Vodafone McLaren Mercedes drivers, Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen, in creating their own personalised race helmets, which both drivers will use throughout the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. Lewis and Heikki’s helmets have been custom-made to their tastes after working closely with Steinmetz’s in-house designers. Each helmet has the signature of the driver pavéd with a line of hundreds of Steinmetz’s handcrafted diamonds. This also marks the first time that the Steinmetz logo - or any other sponsor’s logo in Formula 1 history - has been incorporated into the design of the helmets through the application of diamonds. In celebrating Steinmetz’s unprecedented attributes of master craftsmanship and integrity, the Steinmetz logo has been pavéd using Forevermark diamonds. Forevermark diamonds are the world’s most preciously selected diamonds. "I really like what Steinmetz has done this year and am looking forward to the Monaco Grand Prix weekend," said Lewis. "As some people might know I am very particular about my helmet but it looks great and will add some extra sparkle to the event." "I’m always really excited about the Monaco Grand Prix - it really is the one that all drivers want to win," said Heikki. "To be able to race at this prestigious event with Steinmetz diamonds on my helmet will bring something special to the occasion." Lewis was presented with his helmet at the McLaren Technology Centre earlier this week whilst Heikki will receive his on Wednesday in Monaco. Steinmetz is renowned for cutting and polishing some of the most important diamonds throughout history. Amongst these are the De Beers Millennium Star, the Steinmetz Pink and The Blue Empress. Steinmetz has a deep-rooted presence in the African sub-continent with four modern factories in South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Through the Forevermark initiative Steinmetz has raised the standard of diamond cutting and polishing to world-class levels, trained and created new talent, whilst embracing the latest technology, as well as providing jobs in these countries. Forevermark diamonds only come from mines, which, attain the highest standards; are beautifully crafted by a select group of diamantaires; and are exclusively available in only a few jewellers worldwide. With less than 1% of the world’s diamonds being eligible for Forevermark status, these diamonds really are precious.

Useful links:
www.mclaren.com
www.steinmetz-group.com

Brilliant! I liked it.

Globality

Globality: Competing with Everyone from Everywhere for Everything by Hal Sirkin + Jim Hemerling + Arindam Bhattacharya is a fascinating book on new emerging market economies and the new rules of competition. The world of business is suddenly different/has changed. A must-read.

Useful link:
www.bcg.com

Sketching User Experiences

Sketching User Experiences: Getting the Design Right and the Right Design by Bill Buxton is a great book on design + design thinking.

Useful link:
www.billbuxton.com

Like any secret society, the design community has its strange rituals and initiation procedures. Bill opens up the mysteries of the magical process of design, taking us through a land in which story telling, orange squeezers, the Wizard of oOz, I-pods, avalanche avoidance, bicycle suspension sketching, and faking it are all points on the design pilgrims journey. There are lots of ideas and techniques in this book to feed good design and transform the way we think about creating useful stuff.
- Peter Gabriel

Shwedagon Pagoda

(via Wiki) The Shwedagon Pagoda, officially titled Shwedagon Zedi Daw, also known as the Golden Pagoda, is a 98-metre (approx. 321.5 feet) gilded stupa located in Yangon, Burma. The pagoda lies to the west of Kandawgyi Lake, on Singuttara Hill, thus dominating the skyline of the city. It is the most sacred Buddhist pagoda for the Burmese with relics of the past four Buddhas enshrined within, namely the staff of Kakusandha, the water filter of Konagamana, a piece of the robe of Kassapa and eight hairs of Gautama, the historical Buddha.

May, 2008. According to Reuters, the Shwedagon Pagoda was also hit by the cyclone's 120 mile-an-hour (190 kilometer-an-hour) winds, stripping gold leaves from the temple's giant 320-foot (98-meter) domed shrine + dislodging thousands of precious stones, including rubies, emeralds, and sapphires from the surface of the structure. I believe the complex is undergoing renovation.

Spring Awakening

Spring Awakening is a Tony Award-winning rock musical with music by Duncan Sheik and book and lyrics by Steven Sater. I think it's great! It makes you think and feel!

Useful links:
www.springawakening.com
www.duncansheik.com
www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/sheik

Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum's Jewelry Gallery

The Victoria & Albert Museum announces the opening of the William and Judith Bollinger Jewellery Gallery on May 24, 2008. Don't miss it!

Useful link:
www.vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion/jewel_archive/index.html

The Powers To Lead

The Powers to Lead by Joseph S. Nye is an interesting book on the theory of leadership + the concept of hard + soft power = smart power. A must-read.

Useful links:
www.hks.harvard.edu/about/faculty-staff-directory/joseph-nye
www.project-syndicate.org/contributor/422

The Transforming Travel Industry

According to the UNWTO, international tourist arrivals grew by 6% last year, to 900m. The total has gone up by almost 100m in two years. Last year the Middle East welcomed 13% more international tourists, or 46m in all. Arrivals in Asia and the Pacific were up by 10%, to 185m—with much of the extra travel coming from elsewhere in the region. Africa saw an increase of 8%, to 44m. This year, the UNWTO predicts, growth of international tourism will be fastest in Asia and the Pacific.
http://www.economist.com/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=11374574

Negative effects: political violence + environment.
Positive effects: emerging economies with more spending power will be unwilling to give up flying or driving.

The amazing thing is many in the emerging economies are more interested in growth than environmental issues. A few companies on the other hand with green conscience are trying to be proactive and I hope to see more companies joining hands to save the environment.

Useful links:
www.world-tourism.org
www.wttc.travel
www.travelport.com/CarbonTracker
www.carlson.com
www.thomascook.com
www.marriott.com
www.mckinsey.com
www.amadeus.com

Climate Solutions

Climate Solutions: A Citizen's Guide by Peter Barnes is an interesting book on global warming + the impact + solutions.

Useful link:
www.capanddividend.org

I think it's a great reference book.

Best Startups In North America For 2008

The best startups in North America for 2008 is listed @
http://www.redherring.com/Home/24253

Marche Du Film

The Marché du Film is the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival and the largest film market (estimated one billion euros) in the world, and Cannes is the place to go to learn the ropes of the trade.

Useful links:
www.marchedufilm.com
www.festival-cannes.fr
www.ifc.com
www.network18online.com
www.emaximmedia.com

Car Talk

Tom and Ray Magliozzi, the stars of public radio's Car Talk make their TV debut in a new cartoon series, Click & Clack's As The Wrench Turns, which debuts in primetime on PBS in July, 2008.

Useful links:
www.cartalk.com
www.pbs.org

Don't miss it!

Blue Diamond Update

A 13.39-carat blue diamond was sold at Christie's Geneva on May 14, 2008 at a world-record price of $8.9 million.

Useful link:
www.christies.com

'This impressive result is due to the scarcity of colored diamonds on the market, and to the great demand from collectors around the world for exceptional artworks and jewels that is currently dominating the auction world.'
- Francois Curiel, Chairman, Christie's Europe

I think he is right.

Predictably Irrational

Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions by Dan Ariely is an excellent book that provides insights into our behavioral traits + the way we make (strange) decisions. I liked it.

Useful links:
www.predictablyirrational.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ5baAOrxXY

Robert Mondavi

(via Wiki) Robert Gerald Mondavi was a leading American vineyard operator whose technical improvements and marketing strategies brought worldwide recognition for the wines of the Napa Valley in California. From an early period, Mondavi aggressively promoted labeling wines varietally rather than generically. This is now the standard for New World wines.

Useful link:
www.robertmondaviwinery.com

The pioneering vintner who helped put California wine country on the map, died at his Napa Valley home on May 16, 2008. He was 94. He was an enthusiastic ambassador for wine — especially California wine — promoting the health, cultural and social benefits of its moderate consumption.

The Forevermark Brand Strategy: Empowering The Retailers

Chaim Even Zohar writes about the launch of the De Beers Forevermark brand + the De Beers Grading Report + the impact + other viewpoints @ http://www.idexonline.com/portal_FullEditorial.asp

I think the article was very useful and informative because of all the branding efforts, the diamond jewelry industry is still one of the most fragmented industries in the world. The world's largest diamond jewelry brand has a circa one percent market share. How true!

Synthetic Quartz Update

The GEMLAB Laboratory based in the Principality of Liechtenstein has an interesting update on synthetic quartz @ http://www.gemlab.net/website/gemlab/fileadmin/user_upload/Research/Gemlab-Newsletter-05-2008.pdf

Useful link:
www.gemlab.net

Uptake

(via budgettravel) UpTake is an interesting theme-based travel search engine with tons of useful information. I liked it.

Useful links:
www.uptake.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxNqDCVvnJk

Restoration Rocks

Restoration Rocks = One-of-a-kind fragments of Frank Lloyd Wright’s modern masterpiece—the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum—gathered during the 2007 restoration and presented in hand-crafted acrylic and sterling silver @ http://www.guggenheimstore.org/rero1.html

Virtual Painter

(via dowloand.com) Try Virtual Painter for Windows. Virtual Painter can create dramatic landscapes like the Renaissance greats + you can choose among 16 artistic styles, like oil, watercolor, and charcoal, and 20 canvases to give your photos a unique artistic look.

International Nitrogen Initiative

The article on reactive nitrogen + the impact on environment @ http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/reactive-nitrog.html was educational. I think it's time that we do something to prevent another 5,800 square mile dead zone.

Useful links:
www.initrogen.org
www.earth.columbia.edu

Techno-Bedouins

I found the article, Nomads at last @ http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?story_id=10950394 brilliant and insightful + the most wonderful thing about mobile technology today is that consumers can increasingly forget about how it works and simply take advantage of it, it's the human connection that matters. How true!

Zero Carbon House

Here is an interesting zero-carbon house concept: Barratt's Green House is packed with the latest technology including solar panels, rain water harvesting and an air-source heat pump. Its new kind of concrete walls and floors, combined with super insulation and triple-glazed windows makes it airtight, meaning the requirement for heating is minimal. Fresh air entering the passes through a heat exchanger, which transfers the heat from the outgoing stale air and puts it back into the house. A rainwater harvesting system collects water for use in flushing toilets.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/may/15/greenbuilding.renewableenergy

Useful links:
www.barratthomes.co.uk
www.bre.co.uk
www.gauntfrancis.co.uk

It's a great idea, but in my view, success depends on affordability.

Vincent Cassel

Vincent Cassel is a French actor + he plays Jacques Mesrine, a true story of France's infamous public enemy during the 70s, the man of a thousand faces, as he was known, in Public Enemy Number One, director by Jean-François Richet.

Useful link:
www.vincentcassel.com

Auction Update

Souren Melikian has an interesting update on contemporary art sales at Sotheby's + other viewpoints @ http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/05/15/arts/melik16.php

It's hard to figure out what drives the bidders to go over the roof, but I think the diversity in style may have inspired the bidders to go the extra mile paying shocking prices. Definitely the Sotheby's sale have taken the market to a new level. It looks like the bubble is still inflating.

Who's Your City?

Who's Your City?: How the Creative Economy Is Making Where to Live the Most Important Decision of Your Life by Richard Florida is an interesting study of how the world is changing + the concept of human geography + the impact. A must-read.

Useful link:
http://creativeclass.com

Comic Relief

I found the article Comic Relief: Comic Books Aren't Just for Entertainment @ http://www.edutopia.org/comic-relief educational and inspiring.

Useful links:
www.edutopia.org
http://www.edutopia.org/animating-dreams

Old Habits Die Hard

(via BBC) The survey of 1,186 executives in 33 countries by Ernst & Young suggests that 18% had lost business to a competitor prepared to pay a bribe. Corrupt practices were perceived to be most prevalent in mining, with fewer instances in energy and banking.

Useful links:
www.ey.com
www.transparency.org

Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Harder than November rain
Old habits die hard
Old soldiers just fade away
Old habits die hard
Hard enough to feel the pain

- Mick Jagger & Dave Stewart
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elutCfvhmzE

How true!

Pearl Treatment Update

(via JNA) Colored Akoya Pearls: I found the new pearl treatment intriguing. According to Tomokazu Tanabe, President, Tanabe Pearl Farm, in Shima in Mie Prefecture, after considerable research, his company have found a unique technique to inject coloring liquid into nucleated akoya oysters, which then secreted colored nacre and produced pearls in a wide range of colors from pink to greenish, bluish and lavender. He claims that the pearls are different from dyed pearls, and the colors are unlikely to change in several years.

According to Ikuo Atsumi, Gem Science Academy of Gemology, Tokyo, pre-harvest color treated akoya pearls can be identified by UV-Vis-NIR spectrometer where the spectra of the color treated akoya pearls were very different from those of non-treated akoya pearls and ordinary akoya pearls due to reaction of the metallic compounds, including iron, injected into the oysters.

All treatments should be disclosed at all levels of the distribution chain. If you are doubtful, consult a reputed gem testing laboratory.

Conspicuous Consumption

I found the article on Conspicuous Consumption @ http://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/1963.cfm interesting + insightful. I think it's status-conscious syndrome that's driving the trend.

Useful link:
www.bls.gov/cex

Young People For Change

Footprintfriends.com is an interesting social networking site set up by young people to share a passion for protecting natural environment.

I think they are good role models. I liked it.

Useful links:
www.footprintfriends.com
www.bsi-global.com

The Voice

I love Frank Sinatra's voice + his innate genius will be found in these songs:
- I Get Along Without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)
- I've Got You Under My Skin
- One For My Baby (And One More For the Road)
- You Make Me Feel So Young
- Theme From New York, New York

Useful links:
http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/05/a_frank_exchange_of_views.html
Frank Sinatra gallery here.

It was once said that he sang not about himself but from himself. How true!

Britain's Bling Capital

I found the article The rocks that Northampton got @ http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/money/2008/05/bling_blog.html very interesting + how many of us actually know how much the jewelry we are wearing is worth? A five carat question!

Heard On The Street

I have told several traders exactly what I do, some made money, some lost…but all of us had the same rules.

The Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch + Jeffrey Zaslow is a great inspirational/insightful book. The lecture is available online.

Useful link:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Imeem No.1

According to Compete.com , Imeem has becoming the No. 1 streaming music site in the United States via on-demand music from all four majors + indies + social networking + blogs + industry analysts believe that the most popular options for listening to music online are free.

Useful links:
www.imeem.com
www.compete.com

WorldWide Telescope

(via BBC) Microsoft has launched WorldWide Telescope, a free tool that stitches together images from some of the best ground- and space-based telescopes. Collections include pictures from the Hubble and Spitzer telescopes, as well as the Chandra X-Ray Observatory. The web-based tool also allows users to pan and zoom around the planets, and trace their locations in the night sky.

Useful link:
www.worldwidetelescope.org

I think the pictures were beautiful.

Too Precious To Wear Campaign

I think SeaWeb’s Too Precious To Wear campaign to create demand for coral conservation is a brilliant idea + I also believe one way to help save it is to reduce coral in fashion.

Useful links:
www.tooprecioustowear.org
www.seaweb.org
www.tiffanyandcofoundation.org
www.coralreef.noaa.gov
www.cites.org

Random Thoughts

Life is risk. Nothing we do that is of any importance carries with it a guarantee of success. Nothing we can do is absolutely sure to secure even our own personal safety or well­being from one hour to the next. Yet we are constantly faced with choices. Lots of decisions, no guarantees. We all, in some way or another, adopt strategies for living, ways of approaching the world, ways of making choices that aim at the attainment of what we consider good. These strate­gies are all, to some extent or another, calculated gambles. We have no compelling proofs that our strategies will work. None of them is a sure thing. But we are used to the risk. We are accustomed to living without many true certainties, to the extent that we ordinarily forget that life is risk.

- Blaise Pascal

Nike Art Project

(via Wired) Claudio Sinatti was commissioned to shoot Italian footballer Marco Materazzi for the Nike 'Art of Football' exhibition. He built a special frame to hang on the player to film from all angles + the mix of high and low tech behind the scenes were brilliant. I liked it.

Useful links:
www.nike.com/nikelab
www.claudiosinatti.com
http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2008/05/nike-art-projec.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwFbQ3sKnsA

Robert Rauschenberg

(via Wiki) Robert Rauschenberg was an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg is perhaps most famous for his 'Combines' of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations. While the 'Combines' are both painting and sculpture, Rauschenberg has also worked with photography, printmaking, papermaking, and performance. Rauschenberg had a tendency to pick up the trash that interested him on the streets of New York City and bringing it back to his studio to use it in this works. He claimed he 'wanted something other than what I could make myself and I wanted to use the surprise and the collectiveness and the generosity of finding surprises. And if it wasn't a surprise at first, by the time I got through with it, it was. So the object itself was changed by its context and therefore it became a new thing.' In 1953, Rauschenberg stunned the art world by erasing a drawing by de Kooning. In 1964 Rauschenberg was the first American artist to win the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale (Mark Tobey and James Whistler had previously won the Painting Prize). Since then he has enjoyed a rare degree of institutional support. Rauschenberg lived and worked in New York City and on Captiva Island, Florida until his death on May 12, 2008, from heart failure.

Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rauschenberg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpCWh3IFtDQ

I am a huge fan of Robert Rauschenberg + I think his life/art + experimentation/innovation will be an inspiration for next-generation artists worldwide. He will be remembered forever.

Benefits Supervisor Sleeping

Finally, the 1995 portrait, entitled Benefits Supervisor Sleeping, a life-sized Lucian Freud painting of a sleeping, naked woman was sold by auction house Christies in New York for $33.6 million (£17.2 million) setting a new world record price for a work by a living artist.

Useful link:
www.christies.com