Socially-conscious Business

A great post. Many thanks to Anya Kamenetz. Social capitalists are thinking different. They are changing the world and opening new markets.

Useful links:
http://agsquared.com
www.smsone.in
www.aidg.org
http://olerwanda.org
www.biodiesel.com
www.vittana.org

How Art Made The World

How Art Made the World by Dr Nigel Spivey. The story of how humans made art and art made us human. A must watch.

Useful link:
www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld

The Best Natural Art

Anyone who has ever pointed a telescope at the night sky knows that it is an adventure of the eye and mind. Check out the best natural work of art via the Hubble space telescope http://hubblesite.org

Random Thoughts

Real innovation in technology involves a leap ahead, anticipating needs that no one really knew they had and then delivering capabilities that redefine product categories. That’s what Steve Jobs has done.

- David B. Yoffie
http://hbswk.hbs.edu/faculty/dyoffie.html

Spot on.

Mark Pincus Viewpoint

Marc Pincus was spot on. Reliability. Emotional intelligence. Objectives + Key Results (OKR). Many thanks to Adam Bryant.

Useful links:
http://markpincus.typepad.com
www.zynga.com

Going Green + Growing Vertical

William Yardley's report in the New York Times about GSA's green initiative, a vertical garden that changes with the seasons and nurtures plants that yield energy savings was brilliant. All the best.

Useful links:
www.cutler-anderson.com
www.serapdx.com

Grammy Awards 2010

Track the winners. www.grammy.com

Liberian Diamonds

Scott Stearns's report in VOA News about Liberian diamonds and the Sierra Leone connection was interesting. I think poor law enforcement in the diamond-mining areas will make it difficult to stop the cross-border trade in illegal diamonds. TIA (This is Africa).

Useful link:
www.kimberleyprocess.com

Simplify

Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.

- Henry David Thoreau
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau
www.thoreausociety.org

Videogame Wizards

Oliver Chiang's viewpoints in Forbes about the next generation of game masters was brilliant. Thanks Oliver.

Competition and social interaction are at the heart of human nature. No matter what you do, you want to know where you stand compared to others, talk about it if you've done well, and improve your skills.
- Matthew Bromberg

Useful links:
www.theesa.com
http://everquest2.station.sony.com
www.playfish.com
www.mlgpro.com

Gaurav Jain Viewpoint

Gaurav Jain was spot on. A great post. Imagination is priceless. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Useful link:
www.illusion-i.com

Random Thoughts

When I saw this stone, I knew it was a stone we had to have. I had the opportunity to examine and value it in my own offices, and I came to the conclusion it was one of the rarest stones I'd ever seen. The true rarity of the diamond, whatever its history, is the diamond itself. The history will continue. Every diamond that was ever mined, every diamond that was ever polished and cut, is still with us. Who knows the story that this stone will tell in a thousand years time. I'm sure it will gather very romantic stories, mysterious stories, intriguing stories, but at the end of the day the true beauty of the stone will remain. That will always be the best story.

- Laurence Graff
www.graffdiamonds.com
www.mnh.si.edu

Spot on.

The Laurence Graff Story

Emma Jacobs's viewpoints in the Financial Times about Laurence Graff a.k.a The Diamond King was interesting. A very luck person indeed. Thanks Emma.

When you have nothing, the first £10 is a fortune. You can't imagine £1bn.
- Laurence Graff

Useful link:
www.graffdiamonds.com

The Canadian Diamond Code

Benefits: The Code establishes a minimum standard based on records and a chain of warranties required to validate a Canadian diamond claim. Retailers who abide by the Code demonstrate to consumers their commitment to ensure the authenticity of Canadian diamond claims. The Code allows Canadian diamonds to be traced from the Canadian mine to the diamond jewelry retailer, providing consumers with a method to authenticate Canadian diamonds sold by a Code member. The Code is endorsed by the Competition Bureau of Canada and the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO). Check it out.

Useful links:
www.canadiandiamondcodeofconduct.ca
www.competitionbureau.gc.ca
www.cibjo.org

Ed Sim Viewpoint

A great post. Thanks Ed. I thought Cody Swan was spot on. It's time to replace the think big mantra with think niche.

Useful link:
www.beyondvc.com

Random Thoughts

Money isn’t automatically freedom. You need to look carefully at what you’re doing to earn the money before you can conclude that you are, in practice, free. This is a cost-benefit analysis we should all perform on our own lives. Don’t listen to what people say about freedom and security and money but, instead, look at the specific, actual bargains they are making with their lives. Dad’s example made me feel that, if I wanted to write for a living, I had an obligation to try and do it, and I’ve been writing full-time since 1996, when my first novel did well enough to let me quit my day job as an editor at the London Review of Books.

- John Lanchester

Spot on.

The Fitzwilliam Museum

Ancient treasures are going on display in Cambridge, in a newly refurbished Gallery of Greek and Roman antiquities at The Fitzwilliam Museum. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk

Ahmad Zakii Anwar

John Krich's viewpoints in the Wall Street Journal about Zakii's artworks was interesting. Thanks John for sharing the info.

Useful link:
www.ahmadzakiianwar.com

Martin Rapaport Viewpoint

Martin Rapaport was spot on. Sadly KP/WDC has lost its moral compass. What will it take to get the diamond trade to stop buying and selling blood diamonds? Hard to tell. So ask before you buy diamonds.

Useful links:
www.kimberleyprocess.com
www.worlddiamondcouncil.com
www.diamonds.net/zimbabwe

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

A show that all will love. It's about us. www.loveperfectchange.com

Art Accidents

Check out the TIME report about smashed and accidentally discarded works of art. Shocking, really.

Useful link:
www.metmuseum.org

Anthony Cortese Viewpoint

Anthony Cortese's opinion piece in Fast Company about the need for a new kind of higher education (Healthy + Just + Sustainable) was interesting and insightful. I think it makes sense to integrate climate and sustainability into education/research because students of the 21st century will learn how to value world's natural resources and act responsibly. Period.

Useful links:
www.secondnature.org
www.presidentsclimatecommitment.org
www.campusgreenbuilder.org

The Lady Gaga Story

Lady Gaga's music style is a unique case study. She is a new kind of an artist. Her visual theatrics and fashion is different. As they say in the industry, the business needs more Lady Gagas. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.ladygaga.com

Adrian David Cheok Viewpoint

Interesting thoughts. I think AR (augmented reality) can make really new kinds of learning immersive and inspiring. Thanks Steve Mollman for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.adriancheok.info
www.mixedreality.nus.edu.sg

Michael Landy

In the name of art. Over the next six weeks, hundreds of works by artists both famous and unknown will be dumped in the Art Bin at the South London Gallery. I wish I was/were there.

Some of this stuff is worth a lot in the outside world, but in the bin then it has no value, it has no worth. In the outside world there is a certain hierarchy. In the bin there is no hierarchy, so everything is treated the same.
- Michael Landy

Useful links:
www.art-bin.co.uk
www.southlondongallery.org

A World Of Connections

The Economist was spot on. I think this is just the beginning of an exciting new era of global interconnectedness that will spread ideas and innovations around the world faster than ever before. Thanks Economist for the insightful report.

Useful links:
www.facebook.com
http://home.live.com
www.myspace.com
www.baidu.com
http://twitter.com
www.orkut.com
http://hi5.com
www.qq.com
www.linkedin.com
www.deviantart.com

BioBlu™ 27

BioBlu27 = the world's most superior contemporary metal used for the first time in jewelry. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.scottkay.com/skcobalt
www.cartech.com

Random Thoughts

TheEngagementClub.com is a place to laugh, learn and start your journey. I created the site because I know getting engaged is an entire process; it can be stressful and sometimes overwhelming. So, check it out, have some fun, a laugh or two, share your thoughts with others, and learn from industry experts. I hope to see you there.

- Josh Kaufman
www.theengagementclub.com

Brilliant!

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Chaim Even Zohar was spot on. Good governance/corruption within diamond-producing companies is a relative phenomena. The Debswana story was interesting. Thanks Chaim.

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.debeersgroup.com/debswana

Millennium Village Project

Innovative model. Simple solutions. Improved technology. Sustainable growth. Check it out. www.millenniumvillages.org

Random Thoughts

Three-fourths of the mistakes a man makes are made because he does not really know the things he thinks he knows.

- James Bryce

So true!

Jim Drain

Jim Drain's bright + pixellated patterns/colors + combination of low-tech and high-tech / old tech + new tech were simply brilliant. I really liked them. Check it out. http://greenenaftaligallery.com/artist/Jim-Drain

iPad Tablet

It's phenomenal to hold the Internet in your hands.

- Steve Jobs

Useful link:
www.apple.com/ipad

See for yourself.

Chris Ofili

Chris Ofili at Tate Britain. Check it out. www.tate.org.uk

Art Market Update

Check out the fine treasures that make up New York’s Winter Antiques Show.

Useful links:
www.winterantiquesshow.com
www.historicnewengland.org
www.eastsidehouse.org
www.christies.com
www.sothebys.com
www.bonhams.com

Central Africa’s Diamond Miners

Sad, really. http://ec.europa.eu/echo

Edelman Trust Barometer 2010

Annual Global Report. www.edelman.com/trust/2010

Small Business Competitions

Business-plan competitions are brilliant venues to test the waters. It gives the contestants a real world experience that's priceless. Thanks Maureen Farrell for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.mit100k.org
www.mitcep.org
www.mootcorp.org
http://bplan.berkeley.edu
www.oregonnvc.com
www.kauffman.org
www.alliance.rice.edu/alliance/RBPC.asp
http://w4.stern.nyu.edu/berkley/bpc.cfm?doc_id=6306

Random Thoughts

No meals will be served in El Bulli in 2012 and 2013. It is clear that when we return things won't be the same. But listen, these are not going to be years of sabbatical. With a format like the current one it is impossible to keep creating. In 2014, we will serve food somehow. I don't know if it will be for one guest or 1,000.

- Ferran Adria
www.elbulli.com

Time for total internal reflection, really. I think that's the right thing to do.

Luke Johnson Viewpoint

Luke Johnson was spot on. After all, no role is for life; even while you are at the wheel, be mindful that the journey is temporary. So true! Thanks Luke for your insightful essay.

In the 21st century, it helps to be multi-skilled and multi-faceted in your occupation. We shall mostly have to keep earning until we are 70 or more, so traditional working patterns have become outdated. And anyway, who wants to do the same sort of thing for 50 years or longer? Better to try new fields, acquire new knowledge and keep stimulated, than slump into a semi-comatose state of boredom, stuck in the same position through fear of the unknown.
- Luke Johnson

Useful links:
www.lukejohnson.org
www.riskcapitalpartners.co.uk
www.channel4.com

New Diamond Research

I thought the report in ScienceDaily about the strength of diamond at extreme conditions was educational/insightful. Thanks for sharing the info.

Most natural diamonds are formed at high-pressure, high-temperature conditions existing at depths of 87 to 120 miles in the Earth's mantle. Carbon-containing minerals provide the carbon source, and the growth occurs over periods from 1 billion to 3.3 billion years (25 percent to 75 percent of the age of the Earth).

Useful links:
www.llnl.gov
https://lasers.llnl.gov

Costa Book Award

Christopher Reid has won the 2009 Costa Book of the Year for his collection of poems A Scattering. Congratulations!

Useful link:
www.costabookawards.com

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's (Global Business) interview with Clare Lockhart, Co-founder / Chief Executive of the Institute for State Effectiveness was brilliant. I learned a lot. Thanks Peter.

Useful link:
www.effectivestates.org

Reading Room

Reading Room = A special corner of Los Angeles County Museum of Art dedicated to catalogues of exhibitions past. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.lacma.org

Super Recognisers

Pam Rutherford's viewpoints in the BBC News about super recognisers was really interesting. Some people are truly amazing. I know a few super recognisers. I believe face recognition skill is a gift from the gods.

One of the most exciting implications of this work is that while we assume we all see the same things, this work suggests that at least in terms of looking at faces we don't see the same things. Super recognisers are looking at the world in a different way than other people and it could be that this isn't limited to looking at faces but other aspects of seeing the world. And we think it's going to be a very helpful tool in helping understanding of how the mind and the brain work.
- Prof Richard Russell
http://public.gettysburg.edu/~rrussell/index.html

Useful links:
www.faceblind.org
www.icn.ucl.ac.uk
http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com

Best Reflection Photos

I thought the photos of reflections were gorgeous - each and every one of them. Thanks Kate Appleton for sharing the info. www.budgettravel.com

GreenXchange (GX) Project

Sharing / promoting industry best practices towards sustainability. Check it out.

Useful links:
http://greenxchange.force.com
http://dontapscott.com
http://sciencecommons.org
www.weforum.org

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian's opinion piece in the New York Times about the auctions at Drouot was interesting. Thanks Souren.

Useful link:
www.drouot.com

Random Thoughts

Opera houses are emotional places, and rows can happen, but they are also Italy's secular churches and they really pull people together.

- Elisabetta Fabbri
www.elisabettafabbri.it
www.teatrosancarlo.it

So true!

Coca-Cola Happiness Machine Video

I thought it was a brilliant video. Happiness is contagious indeed. I loved it. Thanks Phil Mooney/Ravi Sawhney(Fast Company) for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.coca-colaconversations.com
www.definition6.com

1001 Inventions

The show at the Science Museum in London traces the history of a thousand years of science from the Muslim world, including social, scientific and technical achievements. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.1001inventions.com
www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Screen Actors Guild Awards 2010

Screen Actors Guild Awards. Check out the winners at www.sag.org

Priceless

Priceless: The Myth of Fair Value (and How to Take Advantage of It) by William Poundstone is a fascinating book about us. We have no idea of what anything should cost, so we get confused/clueless and get laminated. The book is instructive and entertaining. A must read.

Useful links:

http://home.williampoundstone.net

http://priceless-the-book.blogspot.com

Bill Gates Notes

An inside track on Bill Gates life/work. www.gatesnotes.com

David Liittschwager

David L­iittschwager's images of little gems were stunningly beautiful. We should never stop learning about new things.

Useful link:
www.liittschwager.com

Ten9Eight

Mary Mazzio's documentary movie Ten9Eight was brilliant. Watch it.

Useful links:
http://ten9eight.com
http://marymazzio.blogspot.com
www.50eggs.com

The Power Of Half

Lifting hearts in a new way. The Salwen family story was inspiring. Thanks Nicholas Kristof for the sharing the info.

Everyone has too much of something, whether it’s time, talent or treasure. Everyone does have their own half, you just have to find it.
- Hannah Salwen

Useful links:
www.thepowerofhalf.com
www.thp.org

The Inside Story Of Avatar

It's indisputable that James Cameron is the most important commercial force in modern film. I think he has changed the economics of the movie business forever. Thanks Ronald Grover, Tom Lowry and Michael White for sharing the brilliant story.

Films can change people's minds, and the aim with Avatar was to introduce the industry to the possibilities of 3D. I decided, let's go make a movie that they can't ignore.
- James Cameron

Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cameron
www.avatarmovie.com

Forger's Art Workshop

The Metropolitan Police Service's Art and Antiques Unit are recreating the workshop of the most diverse art forger known in history, Shaun Greenhalgh, as part of a display of fakes and forgeries. The display will showcase investigative methods used in detecting and preventing art crime and will be held in the V&A's Studio Gallery between 23 January and 7 February 2010. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.vam.ac.uk
www.met.police.uk/artandantiques

Random Thoughts

Whatever it takes, that’s what it takes. Remember the anecdote about what the president of Rolex told the president of Timex? “You sell time. I sell prestige.” You can have clothes off the rack without fashion, but you can’t have fashion without style. That’s even more true of jewelry. Accessories can be mass-marketed. But an enduring token of true love – that’s jewelry. It’s an individual, custom-chosen, intimate gift – the quintessential expression of romance. That’s our trade. It’s the roots we must return to.

- David Marcus
www.ladcwc.com
www.transguardian.com
www.diamonds.net

Spot on.

Jean Simmons

Jean Simmons, one of the great stars of last century has died aged 80. Two films she starred in that I will never forget are Elmer Gantry and Guys and Dolls. Sadly missed. Rest in Peace, Jean.

Useful links:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean_Simmons
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/8476400.stm

New Documentaries

Great storytelling indeed. Thanks Chloe Veltman for sharing the info. The Talbot Players’ Sound Tracks: Music Without Borders + Katherine Bruens’s Corner Store + David Silberberg’s Oh My God! It’s Harrod Blank! were brilliant.

Useful links:
www.chloeveltman.com
www.talbotplayers.com
www.thecornerdocumentary.org
www.d4doc.com

Consumer Wine Awards

Katy Mclaughlin's opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about new approaches in wine tasting was interesting/insightful. Thanks Katy. My view is enjoy the wines the way an ordinary consumer would. Period.

Useful links:
www.lodiwineawards.com
www.consumerwineawards.com
www.santasti.com
http://nextgenwinecomp.info

Random Thoughts

The show is really about you. Your interior world, your childhood memories, your fears, your dreams.

- Bartabas
http://zingaro.fr

Spot on.

Modernism Week

Modern design and architecture. The 5th Annual Modernism Week will take place February 12 - 21, 2010 at Palm Springs, California. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.modernismweek.com
www.psmuseum.org

Education Report India

India's state of education report via ASER was interesting/insightful.

Useful link:
www.asercentre.org

Terry Leahy Viewpoints

Terry Leahy’s insightful management lessons were brilliant. Thanks Megan Coniff for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.tesco.com
http://blog.nrf.com

Michael Reagan

Portraits of the fallen: Distinctive portraits of British, US and Canadian service personnel killed in Iraq and Afghanistan - created by artist Michael Reagan - have gone on display at Arlington National Cemetery near Washington DC. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.michaelgreaganartist.com
www.arlingtoncemetery.org

The Real Van Gogh

The Real Van Gogh: The Artist and His Letters opens at the Royal Academy of Arts on January 23, 2010. Don't miss.

Useful link:
www.royalacademy.org.uk

Pink Panthers Story

Matt McAllester's report in the GlobalPost about Pink Panthers, the jewel thieves from the Balkans was interesting. Amazing story indeed.

Useful links:
www.mcallester.com
www.interpol.int

Clayton Mathile Project

Clayton Mathile's Aileron is a new kind of business school. It's an extraordinary story. He not only understands small business, but also shares his passion to train the small guys to become successful entrepreneurs. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.aileron.org

Twilight: The Graphic Novel

The first volume of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight will be published on March 16, 2010. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.stepheniemeyer.com

Robert Voit

Eye-catching photographs. The new trees were simply funny.

Useful link:
www.robertvoit.com

Ron Arad Viewpoints

Ron Arad's designs are beautiful and functional. Period.

Useful links:
www.ronarad.com
www.benbrownfinearts.com
www.barbican.org.uk

Random Thoughts

Under the microscope, I found that snowflakes were miracles of beauty and it seemed a shame that this beauty should not be seen and appreciated by others. Every crystal was a masterpiece of design, and no one design was ever repeated. When a snowflake melted, that design was forever lost. Just that much beauty was gone, without leaving any record behind.

- Wilson A Bentley
http://snowflakebentley.com
www.hammergallery.com
Weather Basics - Snowflakes

So true!

Exit Through The Gift Shop

It has been reported that Banksy's Exit Through The Gift Shop will have its world premiere at the Sundance festival on January 24, 2010. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.banksy.co.uk
http://festival.sundance.org/2010

Caravaggio

Caravaggio exhibit will be open at the Scuderie del Quirinale from February 20 through June 13, 2010. Don't miss. http://english.scuderiequirinale.it

CIBJO Update

CIBJO has launched a new commission, CIBJO Association Executive Networking Commission (CAENCOM), for the purpose of developing and facilitating networking strategies within the CIBJO community. All the best.

Useful links:
www.cibjo.org
www.canadianjewellers.com

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

Chaim was spot on. I think natural and synthetic diamonds will eventually become complementary products offered by most diamond dealers, including producers. Signs of the times I guess.

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.mine-diamonds.com
www.royalasscher.com
www.internationaldiamondcouncil.org
www.cen.eu/CENORM/sectors/TechnicalCommitteesWorkshops/workshops/ws47-diams.asp
www.cibjo.org
www.wfdb.com
www.idma.net

Art Market Update

Old Master sales are driven far more by supply than by demand. Artists who lived centuries ago are not going to produce any more work. Museums rarely sell their holdings and almost never let go of top-quality pieces. So the Old Master market is fed largely by private collectors. When markets are riding high, some can be persuaded to sell. But when times are rough, why not sit and wait? After all, Old Masters tend to be long-term holdings, handed down from generation to generation—what difference can it make to wait another year? Prices might go up.

- Economist
www.economist.com

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

So true!

Ushahidi

Ushahidi is a great toolkit to collect & visualize information. Check it out.

Useful link:
http://ushahidi.com

Random Thoughts

It's such an untapped resource. Government data is something we have already spent the money on... and when it is sitting there on a disk in somebody's office it is wasted.

- Tim Berners-Lee
http://data.gov.uk
http://data.gov.uk/apps/planningalerts
http://data.gov.uk/apps/fillthathole
http://data.gov.uk/apps/school-finder-0
http://www.data.gov
http://www.w3.org/People/Berners-Lee

Brilliant!

Benedict Allen

Adventure Travel Live on January 29 - 31, 2010, at the Royal Horticultural Halls, London. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.benedictallen.com
www.adventuretravellive.com

Jaipur Literature Festival 2010

Asia’s leading literature event. Don't miss. http://jaipurliteraturefestival.org

The Great Game Of Business

Jack Stack's opinion piece in the New York Times about open book management was interesting. In fact I liked the concept. Thanks Jack.

Useful links:
www.greatgame.com
www.srcholdings.com

Jewelry Stories

Interested in JIC's Ultimate Proposal Contest? The details of the contest can be found at www.jic.org

Emerald Market Update

Ron Ringsrud's travel tales/markets in Muzo, Colombia.

Useful link:
www.emeraldmine.com

Random Thoughts

An entertainer might get a big part and say that it was a big break, but there were 25 auditions leading up to it. If he didn't get that big part, he would've been offered one soon. It's more of a story of accretive steps--what people do bit by bit that turns into a big picture, though at the time it looks like a big break.

- Jim Randel
www.jimrandel.com

So true!

MIT International Development Initiative

MIT International Development Initiative = appropriate design solutions/technologies + community needs/partners + people first attitude/approach = change the world. The good news is, small changes/steps can make a big difference and change people's behavior. Amazingly it works.

Useful links:
http://web.mit.edu/idi
http://d-lab.mit.edu
www.aidg.org
www.buildchange.org
www.containers2clinics.org

Global Business BBC

What happens when owners give their businesses away to the workers? A lot, really. Listen to Peter Day talking to the real people in business who did things completely differently to change the world. I loved the program. I really liked the employee ownership idea. Thanks Peter.

Useful links:
www.demos.co.uk
www.employeeownership.co.uk
www.parfetts.co.uk
www.makearchitects.com
www.lindumgroup.com

Diamond Oceans

Eric Bland's report in the Discovery News about the presence of oceans of liquid diamond, filled with solid diamond icebergs on Neptune and Uranus was interesting. I hope it's really there. It's worth exploring.

Useful links:
www.nature.com/nphys
www.sandia.gov

Mexico's Cave Of Crystals

Mexico's cave of crystals is a geological wonder of the world. A happy accident, really. Naica Cave may close when the people who own the mine run out of money. A must visit. Check out Professor Iain Stewart's new BBC series How the Earth Made Us: The epic story of how geology, geography and climate have influenced mankind on 19 January, 2010, on BBC Two.

Useful link:
www.plymouth.ac.uk/PlanetEarth

Mineral Artists Show 2010

Grand Masters of Mineral Art at Tucson on February 7, 2010. Don't miss.

Useful links:
www.finemineral.com
www.westwardminerals.com
www.bluecapproductions.com

Mineralogical Almanac

Mineralogical Almanac: A great source of information on minerals from Russia. Check it out.

Gaming Update

Tom Chatfield's viewpoints in The Independent about the role video games play in raising social and political awareness was interesting. Thanks Tom.

Useful links:
www.darfurisdying.com
www.gamesforchange.org
www.mtvu.com
www.blitzgamesstudios.com
www.blitzgames.com
www.gamebasedlearning2009.com
http://consolarium.blip.tv

Random Thoughts

A genuine revolution of values means in the final analysis that our loyalties must become ecumenical rather than sectional. Every nation must now develop an overriding loyalty to mankind as a whole in order to preserve the best in their individual societies.

- Martin Luther King
www.thekingcenter.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr

Spot on.

Gold Market Update

The Gold Report interview with Howard Ruff was educational/insightful. Thanks.

Invest in inflation; it's the only thing that's going up.
- Will Rogers

Useful links:
www.theaureport.com
www.rufftimes.com

The Routes Of Man

The Routes of Man: How Roads Are Changing the World and the Way We Live Today by Ted Conover is a brilliant travelogue. A must read.

Useful link:
www.tedconover.com

Natural Capital Project

The Natural Capital Project, a group based at Stanford University, California, has developed a suite of computer programs called InVEST, which will analyse and map ecosystem services. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.naturalcapitalproject.org
http://royalsociety.org
www.unep.org

The Seventh Seal

Great story. Great characters. A unique total internal reflection. A Ingmar Bergman classic.

Useful links:
www.ingmarbergman.se
www.ingmarbergmanfoundation.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingmar_Bergman