Glimmer

Glimmer: How Design Can Transform Your Life, and Maybe Even the World by Warren Berger is a great book about design thinking. A must read.

Useful links:

http://glimmersite.com

www.warrenberger.com

Random Thoughts

Africa has done a lot better coming out of this recession than in past economic downturns. That's primarily because it went into it in a strong position. We think that bodes well for 2010. The past eight to nine years have been good, and when the global economy (rebounds) next year, Africa will return to relatively high rates of growth.

- Idris Mohammed
www.dpi-llp.com

All the best.

Where Three Dreams Cross

Where Three Dreams Cross: 150 Years of Photography from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh. Don't miss. www.whitechapelgallery.org

Kepler Mission

Just watching the new exoplanets was as a delight by itself.

Useful links:
http://kepler.nasa.gov
http://aas.org

Renzo Piano + Vulcano Buono

Renzo Piano's Vulcano Buono is a stunningly beautiful architecture. I really liked the green volcano landscape. Awesome design! Inspiring, really.

Useful links:
http://rpbw.r.ui-pro.com
www.vulcanobuono.it

Bruce High Quality Foundation

Art world up close. www.thebrucehighqualityfoundation.com

Art Market Update

The Economist was spot on. Potential sellers, discouraged by low prices and high bought-in rates, will hold on to their treasures and wait for confidence to return to the market. So a weak sale today often means an uninteresting sale tomorrow, benefiting neither sellers nor buyers.

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com
www.bonhams.com

Mondo Mundo Festival 2010

Mark your calendar! The third annual Mondo Mundo Festival will take place on January 9, 2010 in New York City. Don't miss. www.mondomundo.com

Vivek Wadhwa Viewpoint

Vivek Wadhwa's opinion piece in BusinessWeek about the entrepreneurs of Rajasthan was interesting and inspiring. Thanks Vivek.

Useful links:
www.globalizationresearch.com
www.tie.org
www.wadhwa.com

Olivia Judson Viewpoint

Olivia Judson's opinion piece in the New York Times about flagellas was educational and insightful. I didn't know that they made coral reefs possible. Thanks Olivia.

Useful link:
http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/author/olivia-judson

Independent Games Festival 2010

The Independent Games Festival has announced the finalists for this year’s competition. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.igf.com
www.gdconf.com

10 MPH

10 MPH is a comical documentary that follows a pair of aspiring filmmakers as they quit their jobs and turn a friend's ludicrous idea into a movie. Watch it.

Useful link:
www.10mph.com

Ken Gassman Viewpoint

Ken was spot on. Rough diamond prices, polished diamond prices, and retail prices for diamond jewelry do not move in unison. The diamond and jewelry business is a very peculiar business, but it is a business.

Useful links:
www.kennethgassman.com
www.idexonline.com

SCANNEX X-ray Body Scanner

According to the Engineering News Online report, DebTech, the research and development arm of De Beers, will make its body-scanning technology available to airports, in the wake of the attempted Christmas Day terrorist attack. Wow! What a spin-off!

Useful links:
www.debtech.com
www.engineeringnews.co.za

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's interview with Mark Anderson, CEO of Strategic News Service (SNS) was brilliant. Check out Mark's prediction for 2010.

Useful link:
www.tapsns.com

Best Album Art 2009

In Pictures: The best album art of 2009. I loved it. Thanks BBC.

A Good Talk

A Good Talk: The Story and Skill of Conversation by Daniel Menaker is a fascinating book about the art of conversation. If you think that you might be no fun to talk to, you should then read the book, really.

Art Market Update

Carolina Miranda's viewpoints in ARTnews about artworks by Jennifer Angus, Maria Fernanda Cardoso, Damien Hirst, Mark Cockram, and Tomáš Gabzdil Libertíny was interesting. Thanks Carolina.

Useful links:
www.jenniferangus.com
www.mariafernandacardoso.com
www.madmuseum.org
www.studiolibertiny.com
www.moma.org
www.vam.ac.uk
www.markcockrambooks.co.uk

Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle

Dennis Overbye was spot on. If you don’t have your own Hubble Space Telescope, Michael Benson's Far Out: A Space-Time Chronicle, is the best picture guide to the universe. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.kinetikonpictures.com
http://hubblesite.org
http://hubble.nasa.gov

Consumer Electronics Show 2010

The annual Consumer Electronics Show (CES) will be held in Las Vegas from January 7-10, 2010. Expect to see new products/more old ones. Don't miss. www.cesweb.org

Refresh Project

Refresh Project = online cause marketing campaign. I thought Pepsi's initiative was brilliant. Get the idea toolkit. http://refresheverything.com

Best Of HBS Working Knowledge 2009

Here are the Top 10 articles and Top 5 working papers that appeared in HBS Working Knowledge in 2009. Thanks HBS.

- Understanding Users of Social Networks
- Social Network Marketing: What Works?
- Uncompromising Leadership in Tough Times
- Sharpening Your Skills: Managing Teams
- When Goal Setting Goes Bad
- Sharpening Your Skills: Career & Life Balance
- 10 Reasons to Design a Better Corporate Culture
- Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting (Working Paper)
- High Commitment, High Performance Management
- Can Entrepreneurs Drive 'People Movers' to Success?
- Goals Gone Wild: The Systematic Side Effects of Over-Prescribing Goal Setting
- Do Friends Influence Purchases in a Social Network?
- 'I read Playboy for the articles': Justifying and Rationalizing Questionable Preferences
- Corporate Social Entrepreneurship
- The Devil Wears Prada? Effects of Exposure to Luxury Goods on Cognition and Decision Making

Burj Khalifa

Burj Khalifa, formerly known as Burj Dubai, has been officially opened on 4 January 2010. It is the tallest man-made structure ever built in the world. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.burjdubai.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burj_Khalifa
www.emaar.com

Costa Book Awards 2009

Costa, the UK's fastest-growing coffee shop chain, has announced the Costa Book Awards 2009 winners in the Novel, First Novel, Biography, Poetry and Children's Book categories. www.costabookawards.com

Spotting Art Fakes

Daniel Rockmore of Dartmouth College in the US and his colleagues have shown a straightforward method known as sparse coding to distinguish artistic fakes and imitations. The work was reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. I wonder whether this technique could be applied in other fields such gem identification and gem treatments.

Useful links:
www.pnas.org
www.dartmouth.edu

Random Thoughts

Increasingly as people's relationships migrate online, your interactions occur there. That makes it more natural for those acknowledgements of how important someone is to us to occur there also. Buying something like virtual champagne or a birthday card is telling someone they are important to you. We have found tens of millions, hundreds of millions of people playing these social games and many would never consider themselves as gamers. Yet they spend real money to play these games and in some cases really meaningful amounts of money. That is what makes the expansion of this market so exciting.

- Jeremy Liew
www.lightspeedvp.com

So true!

Metro40 Collection

Metro40 = BMW DesignworksUSA + Landscape Forms = Quality experience ++++

Useful links:
www.landscapeforms.com
www.designworksusa.com

Student ≠ Customer

Should students be regarded as customers in higher education? A great question indeed. The New York Times article on issues in higher education (January 4, 2010) was really eye-opening.

The Optimist

The Financial Times’s graphic story was brilliant. It was a unique total internal reflection, really.

A History Of The World In 100 Objects

The BBC and the British Museum have joined forces in an original and unprecedented public service partnership, focusing on world history. At its heart is a landmark series on BBC Radio 4, 'A History of the World in 100 Objects' which will broadcast from 18 January 2010. Mark your calendar.

Useful links:
www.britishmuseum.org
www.bbc.co.uk

Random Thoughts

While modern man is no longer surprised by the changing seasons, he does have problems accepting the economic climate. We rationally adjust to the cycles of the sun but are unable to accept the empirical fact that economic activity also follows a natural cycle. In summer, we are too hot and in winter, too cold. So, too, do our economies overheat as they attract irrational exuberance and speculation. And then, inevitably, the booms go bust. Economies decline and even freeze, providing us with economic versions of fall and winter. Finally, as our greatest fears of gloom and doom emerge, the season changes. Emotional darkness declines as rational light increases. The economic climate warms up. New ideas and opportunities take root and the economy springs forward.

- Martin Rapaport
www.diamonds.net

Spot on.

The New Normal Consumer

What will the new normal consumer look like in 2010? They will focus on savings, really. Check out the NRF and IDEX Online Research viewpoints for 2010.

Useful links:
www.nrf.com
www.idexonline.com

Visual

Visual, the arts centre in Carlow, Ireland, is a must see. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.visualcarlow.ie

Random Thoughts

If it's not profitable, it's not microlending — it's charity.

- Muhammad Yunus
www.grameen-info.org
www.grameenfoundation.org
www.grameenamerica.com

Spot on.

10 Ideas

Bono's opinion piece in the New York Times about the ideas that could change our world was interesting. Let's look forward, not backward, and do the right thing.

Useful links:
www.u2.com
www.one.org
www.joinred.com

Art Market Update

Milton Esterow's viewpoints in ARTnews about the drawing known as La Bella Principessa was an intriguing story. Art business is a very peculiar business, but it is a business.

Useful links:
www.akbild.ac.at
www.ottonaumannltd.com
www.museoleonardo.com
www.metmuseum.org
www.christies.com
www.sothebys.com
www.nga.gov

Jancis Robinson Viewpoint

Thanks Jancis for the brilliant advice. Your stories are a joy to read and to savor. Keep up the good work.

Useful links:
www.jancisrobinson.com
www.ft.com/arts/columnists/robinson
www.crownwinecellars.com

Disruptive Technologies

Forbes's BreakOut! video series profiling the entrepreneurs, inventors and thinkers behind the very kinds of disruptive technologies that could change the world was educational and insightful. I loved it. Thanks.

Useful links:
www.moobella.com
www.emolabs.com
www.activeion.com
www.ideapaint.com
www.apopo.org

Mobile Applications 2012

Gartner's list was interesting. I think the already known common technologies will morph and converge, and this will have a huge impact in the developing world where mobile technology has become a way of life. Stay tuned.

Useful link:
www.gartner.com

Wall Street Journal's Best Photos 2009

Bold, brilliant, beautiful. Thanks WSJ.

Maira Kalman Viewpoint

What a beautiful installment and series! I loved it. Thank You, Maira. All the best.

Useful links:
www.mairakalman.com
http://kalman.blogs.nytimes.com

Bill Cunningham Viewpoint

On the Street Snowy. What a beautiful way to end the year 2009. I loved it. Thanks Bill.

10:10

What has the 10:10 campaign achieved to date? Check it out. www.1010uk.org

Documenting The Decade

Read on for a recap of the decade's most worthy moments. Thanks NYT.

Fazle Hasan Abed

Fazle Hasan Abed, Founder and Chairperson of BRAC, is to be knighted by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for his brilliant services in tackling poverty/empowering the poor in Bangladesh and more globally. Congratulations!

Useful link:
www.brac.net

Doctor Who

Life needs big events. Doctor Who is fun. Don't miss.

Cheryl Kremkow Viewpoint

Cheryl Kremkow's opinion piece in Rapaport about tanzanite prices/market was interesting. I believe because of its rarity, tanzanite will have nowhere to go but up. Stay tuned.

Useful links:
http://cherylkremkow.com
www.diamonds.net
www.tanzaniteone.com
www.tanzanitefoundation.com

Random Thoughts

The nuthatch and brown creeper are different bird species that look a lot alike and eat insects in the same wooded areas in North America. You might think they compete, but they don't. In accordance with a common arrangement in nature that ecologists call the competitive-exclusion principle, the brown creeper starts searching for insects at the bottom of a tree while the nuthatch starts from the top. Entrepreneurs can learn from this evolutionary process, which unfortunately isn't very common in the business world. Business competitors will normally compete in a death match unless one finds a new market niche or a new process to address the existing market. The best strategy is to invest a modest amount of energy into an innovation, as the nuthatches did in moving to the higher branches.

- Richard Mammone
www.ece.rutgers.edu
http://best.rutgers.edu

I really liked the analogies. Spot on.

Azim Premji Viewpoint

This was a brilliant interview. As promised, Azim Premji is bringing change to India. I wish him all the best.

Useful links:
www.azimpremjifoundation.org
www.wipro.com

Art Review 2009

A great way to end a memorable 2009, and I hope 2010 will be an exciting and event-filled year.

Uluru

(via Guardian) 22 February 2000: Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, turns an unusual colour as waterfalls cascade down it during the worst flooding for two decades. That's the color of iolite/amethyst/tanzanite. Amazing, really.

Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uluru
www.environment.gov.au/parks/uluru

Book Cover Archive

Great covers indeed. I loved them. http://bookcoverarchive.com

Mahesh Murthy Viewpoint

Mahesh was spot on. Entrepreneurs aren’t wild risk-lovers. They are calculated risk-takers in a different way, really.

Useful links:
www.pinstorm.com
www.seedfund.in

Notable Opinion Art 2009

The selection of artwork (opinion section) in New York Times was refreshing/thoughtful. Great visuals. I loved it. Thanks NYT.

Random Thoughts

We were in an extravagant period then. It was a unique bubble market, a fantasy market. There were mega-billionaires from the Middle East and Russia interested in about eight names they were told to be interested in.

- Howard Rachofsky
www.rachofskyhouse.org

Spot on.

Lemonade

Lemonade tells the story of 16 folks from the advertising industry who lost their livelihoods, but found their lives. Watch it. www.lemonademovie.com

World Of Innovation Showroom

Mary Tripsas's opinion piece in the New York Times about 3M Company’s customer innovation center was interesting. I thought it was the place theorists and practitioners could discuss trends, the pros/cons, offer feedback, and turn good managerial intentions into concrete, valuable products. Thanks Mary.

Useful links:
www.hbs.edu/research
www.3m.com
www.reorganizeforresilience.com

Dan Fogelberg

Close your eyes and listen to Dan's music. www.danfogelberg.com

David Hockney Viewpoint

Audio slideshow: Through Hockney's eyes. www.hockneypictures.com

iDiamonds

iDiamonds = a brilliant tool to purchase a diamond. Click here iPhone App Store

Useful link:
www.idiamondsmobile.com

Global Business BBC

Peter Day was back this week with an interesting program about the Salvation Army. Peter Drucker called the Salvation Army by far the most effective organization in the U.S. No one even comes close to it in respect to clarity of mission, ability to innovate, measurable results, dedication and putting money to maximum use. They qualified on all ground. And when it came to measuring results, it had one of the highest performance rates at the lowest cost. I loved it. Thanks Peter.

Useful links:
www2.salvationarmy.org.uk/sandwichpeople
www.salvationarmyusa.org
www.safurniture.org.uk
www.cass.city.ac.uk
www.crisis.org.uk

Carbon Disclosure Project

The Carbon Disclosure Project is a global experiment. The voluntary project persuades/helps companies to change their energy practices and offers the right path toward reining in emissions. I hope more people would read it and do the right thing.

Useful link:
www.cdproject.net

Good Riddance Day

Say goodbye to bad memories from 2009 by doing the right thing. Good Riddance Day

Random Thoughts

A 12 bottle case of 1982 Lafite Rothschild has jumped in price by 857 per cent in the past 10 years from £2,613 to £25,000. It means the investment return on the red wine from Bordeaux is greater than that achieved by investors in the stock market, property, oil, stamps and fine art.

- London International Vintners Exchange
www.liv-ex.com

Amazing, really.

50 Trends 2010

As 2009 is drawing to a close, TimesOnline reviews what's going to define us in the decade ahead. Trends start, develop, and come to an end.

Useful links:
www.trendcentral.com
http://trendwatching.com
www.mintel.com

Lie-Detection

Po Bronson/Ashley Merryman's post in Newsweek about lie detection was a brilliant piece. The scientific research on lie detection will be an ongoing event. Experienced liars are brilliant actors. Observing microexpressions to catch a liar can be a Catch-22 situation. Simply put, there is no perfect, foolproof way to catch liars, period.

Useful links:
www.talwarresearch.com
www.paulekman.com
http://deception.crimepsychblog.com

FT 50

FT’s choice of the 50 people who most shaped the last 10 years was indeed a diverse group. Check it out. www.ft.com

Geoengineering Issues

Kevin Bullis's opinion piece in Technology Review about the practical modes of geoengineering was interesting. It's a controversial and complicated topic. I agree with the scientists. I think carbon capture from air is the ultimate solution, but how do you capture CO2 that is very diffuse, covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometers to make a significant dent in CO2?

Useful links:
http://intellectualventureslab.com
www.technologyreview.com

Random Thoughts

In the past a leader was a boss. Today’s leaders must be partners with their people. They no longer can lead solely based on positional power.

- Ken Blanchard
www.kenblanchard.com

Spot on.

Power Of 2

Power of 2: How to Make the Most of Your Partnerships at Work and in Life by Rodd Wagner + Gale Muller is a wonderful book about building/improving meaninful partnerships in business/life. A must read.

Useful link:

www.gallup.com

Eva Hesse

Eva Hesse was an artist's artist. Period.

Useful links:
www.evahesse.com
www.camdenartscentre.org
www.hauserwirth.com

Commodity Of The Year

Without a doubt gold was the commodity of 2009. It still remains a hedge against inflation and a falling dollar. I guess 2010 should be good for gold.

Useful link:
www.gold.org

Timo Vuorensola

Chris Anderson's theory works. It's really amazing how Timo Vuorensola released Star Wreck in 2005 online for free, generating $430,000 on a film that only cost $21,500 to make. The rest as they say is history. Hats off to Timo!

Releasing it for free is just good marketing. Whether it's through piracy or distribution your film is out there on the Internet, so we decided to harness this.
- Timo Vuorensola

Useful links:
http://blog.starwreck.com
www.starwreck.com
www.longtail.com
www.ninapaley.com
www.sitasingstheblues.com
www.indiescreenings.net

Gabriel Orozco

A one-stop chance to catch up with Gabriel Orozco, one of the most influential artists of this decade, and probably the next one too, at the Museum of Modern Art. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.whitecube.com/artists/orozco
www.moma.org

Art Market Update

Elliot Wilson's viewpoints in the Financial Times about the global demand for antique medals was interesting. No two collectors are the same, and the market value is in the eye of the beholder. Good story = Good value.

The market will continue to improve. You need to be careful where you invest, but it’s a good, solid bet. And there is a finite supply. Let’s face it: there won’t be any more Battle of Waterloo medals.
- John Millensted
www.bonhams.com

Useful links:
www.bonhams.com
www.spink.com
www.noble.com.au
www.iwm.org.uk

Random Thoughts

It's too hard to predict the future, but right now I don’t see myself going mad. It's easy to get obsessed with chess. That's what happened with Fischer and Morphy. I don't have the same obsession. I love the game, and I love to compete, but I am not obsessed with the struggle.

- Magnus Carlsen
http://blog.magnuschess.com

On January 1, 2010, Magnus Carlsen will officially become the youngest person in history to earn chess's No. 1 ranking. Congratulations!

Climate And Humans

Clive Finlayson's viewpoint on climate change was interesting/insightful. It will change the face of the planet even though we don't really know where, when or how, in any kind of detail. So true. I also believe our own history has been shaped by climate change and luck. At the end of the day what really matters is being in the right place at the right time, or the wrong place at the wrong time. Period.

Useful link:
www.gib.gi/museum

Chatbot Technology

The interactive story format was brilliant. I loved it.

Useful links:
www.221b.sh
www.existor.com
www.loebner.net
www.interactivestory.net
http://games.kidswb.com/scribblenauts
www.l4d.com

Jancis Robinson Viewpoint

I thought the practical advice (serving/handling wine) was useful. Thanks Jancis.

Useful links:
www.jancisrobinson.com
www.ft.com/arts/columnists/robinson

BBC Business Daily

I am a regular listener of BBC Daily Business. The coverage related to visionary entrepreneurs using their own finely-honed business skills to set up their own charities was brilliant.

Useful links:
www.charitywatch.org
http://meltwater.org
www.mayhewanimalhome.org

Top 100 Global Thinkers

Read on to see the 100 minds that mattered most in the year that was. www.foreignpolicy.com

Blood Diamonds Update

Greg Campbell's report in the Foreign Policy magazine about blood diamonds was interesting. Greg was spot on. Blood diamonds are still circulating freely and smuggling remains rampant. I have seen many parcels in the gem market and they are everywhere. I think diamonds will be difficult to regulate because of its portability. The failure is a massive blow to the credibility of Kimberley Process. Period.

Useful link:
www.foreignpolicy.com
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.globalwitness.org
www.pacweb.org
www.hrw.org

Web Trends 2010

Check out Pete Cashmore's viewpoints on social networking and technology for 2010.

Useful link:
http://mashable.com

Art Adds

I really liked the Art Add project. Yvonne Force Villareal was spot on. Art adds to the public’s vision.

Useful links:
www.showmedia.com
www.artproductionfund.org
www.alexkatz.com

Random Thoughts

It’s clear that despite economic trouble this year, the world’s chocolate lovers didn’t deviate from their favorite treat. Chocolate is a small, affordable indulgence for shoppers who are cutting back on spending elsewhere. Even in countries not known for chocolate consumption, sales are on the rise.

- Marcia Mogelonsky
www.mintel.com

Spot on.

Rate Your Own Leadership Skills

Alaina Love's opinion piece in BusinessWeek about inspirational leaders was brilliant. Thanks Alaina. Take a moment to rate your own leadership over the past year on a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being the best) for each of the following characteristics.

1. Authentic rather than phony.
2. Reliable rather than erratic.
3. Anchored rather than disconnected.
4. Optimistic rather than pessimistic.
5. Self-aware rather than unconscious.
6. Driven by purpose and passion rather than power and fear.
7. Inclusive rather than divisive.
8. Focused on others rather than self-focused.
9. Respectful rather than manipulative.
10. Able to foster other leaders rather than demanding followers.

Useful link:
www.thepurposelink.com

I thought it was great self-reflection toolkit.

Bob Willoughby

Bob Willoughby's selection of black-and-white photos of classic Hollywood movie stars was a real treasure. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.willoughbyphotos.com

Alex Steinweiss, The Inventor Of The Modern Album Cover

Alex Steinweiss: Creator of the Modern Album Cover by Steven Heller + Kevin Reagan + Alex Steiweiss was a real gem, a brilliant graphic art form. I loved it.

Useful link:

www.alexsteinweiss.com

Dubai International Film Festival 2009

Amazingly Dubai is still very much in business. I hope the new generation of filmmakers in the region will change the global perception of Dubai.

Useful link:
www.dubaifilmfest.com

Families, One And All

These pictures convey something special. Almost every picture in this gallery has a story to tell. Hats off to New York Times! I loved it.

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Chaim was spot on. Diamond business is part of the larger economy. It is a very peculiar business, but it is a business. It requires a different set of rules, a different mind-set. I hope the industry learns its lessons from history. Thanks Chaim. Happy holidays!

History is composed not only of what happened but of what didn’t happen. The latter, of course, is impossible to really know.
- Richard Stengel, Time
www.time.com

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.debeersgroup.com
http://eng.alrosa.ru
www.federalreserve.gov

Random Thoughts

The populations of Europe, Russia and Japan are declining, and those of China and India are levelling off. The United States alone among great powers will be increasing its share of world population over time. By 2050, there could be 500m Americans; by 2100, a billion. That means America could remain the pre-eminent nation for longer than many people expect. Relying on the import of money, workers, and brains, America is a Ponzi scheme that works.

- Michael Lind
www.newamerica.net
www.economist.com

So true!

Nine Lessons And Carols

Over the years, I have heard the service on the radio and heard many recorded versions. A holiday classic. A great experience, really.

Useful link:
www.kings.cam.ac.uk/choir

Exploration Insights

The Gold Report/Brent Cook interview was a brilliant piece. Trust but verify policy is the magic mantra of every mining ventures. Raise money when you can, not when you need to.

The market is indiscriminate and mostly run by people that can't differentiate between a good and bad gold property. Minerals exploration is a very tough business to understand, because you're dealing as much with information that you don't know as you do know. It's all subjective interpretations. No one really knows the geological setting beneath a particular project or what its economics will be. So lots of money will go into worthless exploration projects, for sure. That's a real danger. Something like 1,600 junior exploration companies are listed in Canada alone. I can guarantee you that not even 1% of them will find viable deposits.
- Brent Cook

Useful links:
www.explorationinsights.com
www.theaureport.com

Meaningful Gift Idea

Nicholas Kristof's opinion piece in the New York Times about unknown charitites was interesting and insightful. It was a different kind of gift. Thanks Nicholas.

Useful links:
www.acumenfund.org
www.creatinghope.org
www.brac.net
www.dil.org
www.dewormtheworld.org
www.oursoil.org
www.sheinnovates.com
www.wfmic.org
www.fistulafoundation.org

Just Noticeable Difference

I liked Don Norman's technical/creative term jnd = just noticeable difference. A rare intellect. Go to his website for an intellectual conversation on innovation, technology and culture.

Useful links:
www.jnd.org

Luke Johnson Viewpoint

Business leaders should find ways to connect with staff, shareholders and customers. I do agree with Luke, however it's easier said than done.

Useful links:
www.ft.com/comment/columnists/lukejohnson
www.lukejohnson.org
www.riskcapitalpartners.co.uk
www.channel4.com

Random Thoughts

Do not use your business signature for a personal note. It can seem too formal, and a personal note should not be done in any sort of mechanical or perfunctory way. The thought behind the thank-you should be equal to or greater than the thought that went into the gift.

- Geoffrey Parker
www.parkerpen.com

Great advice. Thank you.

Advertising Yourself

Knowledge @ Wharton's viewpoints about personal branding through social networks was a brilliant piece. If all goes well, people will see you differently.

Useful links:
www.whartoninteractive.com
www.jonathancoulton.com
http://jimmacmillan.com

Random Thoughts

This is a very good time to buy diamonds. There is a fair amount of inventory still out there because of the weak demand and because of a general aversion to wearing bling during these economic times.

- Dione Kenyon
www.jewelersboard.com

Some people say now is the time to buy. Always do your research.