The Black Swan New Edition

Nassim Nicholas Taleb—the author of The Black Swan, who is also a trader and university professor—has reissued his 2007 best seller in a second edition that includes a new 73-page essay, "On Robustness and Fragility." Don't miss. http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com

Claesson Koivisto Rune

I loved the W101 lamp. http://www.claessonkoivistorune.se

How Will You Measure Your Life?

Clayton M. Christensen was spot on. I am so glad you made this article available. Many thanks. http://hbr.org/authors/christensen

Paul Graham Viewpoint

 Brilliant insight indeed. Many thanks. http://www.paulgraham.com

Countries In The Diamond Trade

Follow the flow of diamonds around the world, from the major legal producers to the countries behind illegal blood' diamonds. Many thanks to Paddy Allen and Ian Jeffries for sharing the info.

Zimbabwe's Blood Diamonds

David Smith's report in the Guardian about Zimbabwe's blood diamonds ( Mutare +Marange) was interesting.

I've lost count of how many diamonds I've bought - but it has made me rich. You can make $1,000 every week, but the diamonds are different quality. If you buy the right things, you score. If you buy the wrong things, you sink.
- Gamba

Useful links:
http://www.kimberleyprocess.com
http://www.hrw.org

Comic-Con 2010

Comic-Con International 2010. http://www.comic-con.org

Random Thoughts

The economic downturn, particularly poor returns from the stock market and property has prompted people to look elsewhere and wine is attracting increasing attention as a commodity which can be expected to rise in value. Wine has performed well in recent years and despite experiencing a correction in late 2008, it has shown good growth since then, with many wines showing better returns now than before. Much of this has been driven by new wine-consuming markets, with China leading the charge. Demand has increased but the supply has remained constant. With banks offering low interest rates on savings, and uncertainty in the world markets, people are seeking out alternative places to put their money.

- James Nicholson
http://www.jnwine.com

Interesting update.

Startup Updates

Sanjay Anandram was spot on. Because something has worked in the U.S. or elsewhere doesn’t mean it will work in India. http://www.jumpstartup.net

Routes of Arabia

The 'Routes of Arabia' Exhibition is now on view at Louvre. Don't miss. Many thanks to Souren Melikian for sharing the info. http://www.louvre.fr

Random Thoughts

The perpetual edge comes from understanding the human condition.

- Larry Williams
http://www.ireallytrade.com

Spot on.

Colored Gemstone Market Update

Burma gem sales and statistics. Many thanks to Palagems. http://www.palagems.com

The Da Vinci Method

The application of X-ray fluorescence in art identification was interesting. http://www.culture.gouv.fr

Bridal Couture Exposition

A unique couture concept of its kind in India. http://www.ttbridalcouture.com

Random Thoughts

I could never stop working. You know how a shark can never stop swimming? I have too many ideas. I can't just sit on a beach and enjoy the surf and the sun; I'm always creating. I'm an idea factory.

- Jim Steranko
http://www.thedrawingsofsteranko.com

Inspiring, really.

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's report on the Swiss biotech company AC Immune + their effective treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease was interesting and insightful. Many thanks. http://www.acimmune.com

Hope Diamond Update

In his latest Roskin Gem News Report, Gary Roskin takes you through an interesting story that involves speculation regarding accomplices and ruses, statutes of limitation and storerooms.

Was Henry Philip Hope a Jewel Thief?

The Masterworks Of Harold Van Pelt

Southern California’s Bowers Museum presents Van Pelt’s 35 years of work in an exhibition entitled Gemstone Carvings: The Masterworks of Harold Van Pelt. Don't miss. Many thanks to Pala International for sharing the info.

All Our Ideas

Professor Matthew Salganik's new site was inspiring. It combines sociology and computer science techniques to collect ideas and rank them more effectively.  http://www.allourideas.org

Fair Jewelry Action

Fair trade jewelry business. Traceability. Transparency. I hope the network's objective will impact small-scale, artisanal communities and support cultural integrity and environmental sustainability. http://www.fairjewelry.org

100 Minds That Made The Market

This is a great book for reading the short bios of the financial history makers. I particularly enjoyed the section on crooks and scams. It's amazing some of the things people will do. http://www.ken-fisher-investments.com

Hanger4Life

Nick Lewis's brilliant innovation = http://hanger4life.com

Greg Mortenson Project

Education is the real long-term fix for everything in life. I think Greg Mortenson has done a terrific job in South Asia to promote community-based education and literacy programs, especially for girls, in remote mountain regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan. http://www.gregmortenson.com

Center For Cartoon Studies

Get a feel for making comics @ http://www.cartoonstudies.org

Europe Without Hotels

Benji Lanyado's report in the New York Times about the new social B&B networks was interesting. I wish India had a similar B&B network, really. Many thanks.

Useful links:
http://www.couchsurfing.org
http://www.crashpadder.com
http://www.istopover.com
http://www.airbnb.com

Inception

Inception is a contemporary sci-fi movie set within the architecture of the mind. Dense. Intense. Beautiful. Totally immersive cinematic experience. Don't miss. http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com

TEDWomen

Upcoming TEDWomen conference.http://conferences.ted.com/TEDWomen

Random Thoughts

It’s very possible we will be more continuously connected. Even today, people have Bluetooth things hanging in their ears. There’s no reason they won’t have a video camera located in a buttonhole, maybe even a video projector. And there’ll be no need to carry a laptop or [computer] notebook, because any flat surface with reasonable visibility could become a display. Virtually any appliance is going to be online. Appliances will talk to each other and to the power-generation system. Our appliances will pay attention to our preferences. One of the real hard questions is, how will we keep up with all [the new applications]? Maybe our [computer] systems will be more aware of what our daily lives are like, what things we want to accomplish in the course of a day, and if that could be built into the software, maybe some of this stuff won’t even require our explicit interaction.

- Vinton Cerf
http://www.google.com

I hope the Internet will emerge as a new tool for education.

The Enough Project Report

Conflict Minerals Legislation. http://www.enoughproject.org

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian's report. In the new era of artistic drought, those who hold the goods will ultimately win the contest. But this does not necessarily mean that life is easier for dealers. It sometimes takes weeks, even months, for transactions to be concluded. Collectors love buying from galleries precisely because they can take all the time they need to finalize a decision. As a direct result of the drying up of supplies, another problem for dealers is the relentless rise of art prices — they invest their own money, unlike auction houses, which levy a percentage on sales. For them, the financial risk inherent in each acquisition steadily increases. Even the most powerful galleries feel the need to join forces. Spot on.

Useful links:
http://www.christies.com
http://www.sothebys.com
http://www.richard-green.com

Treehouse Hotel

I loved it. http://www.tvark.se

Luxury Book Market

Luxury Lit = Kraken Opus + Taschen Books = Rarity pays. Check it out.

Useful links:
http://www.taschen.com
http://www.krakenopus.com
http://www.teneues.com

Baibakov Art Projects

Baibakova’s latest exhibition. http://www.baibakovartprojects.com

The New Indian Rupee Symbol

Hats off to the Indian government + D. Udaya Kumar, a post-graduate student from the Indian Institute of Technology for designing the new symbol. http://finmin.nic.in

Random Thoughts

I paid a brief visit to my teenage son's school the other day. The sun was out and the air was thick with restless, hormonal energy. If only we could tap into these kids' hopes, dreams and creative urges, I mused, we could reinvigorate our jaundiced adult world. It's a tempting proposition, is it not? That all of us, in our youth, have the capacity to be innovators, free-thinkers, resolute refuseniks when it comes to accepting the status quo. Tempting, but alas, illusory. Most of us figure out from a very early age that it's safer to conform than rebel. We tend to go with the flow, rather than ask why it has to be so. That's why so many young people today tell pollsters their ambition in life is to be a celebrity, a sports star or a glamorous model. Yes, they want to be rich and famous, but they want success simply to fall into their laps. Change the world? Sounds too much like hard work. But without innovators we're stuck. Every new generation needs people determined to find a better way. Of thinking, doing, and living.

- Stephen Sackur
http://www.bbc.co.uk

Spot on.

The London Transport Museum

The London Transport Museum, which hosts one of the world's most important collections of graphic art, asked illustrators to draw the links between cycling in the capital, environment issues, health and fun. Fifty of the 1,000-plus entries are now on display at the museum, in London's Covent Garden, until 22 August. I loved it because it was educational. Many thanks. http://www.ltmuseum.co.uk

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

Spot on. Bold innovations often take time. Period. Many thanks for the insightful post.

Useful links:
http://blogs.wsj.com/management
http://www.garyhamel.com
http://www.vineetnayar.com

Immersive Theatre

The Duchess of Malfi is a new opera by the German composer Torsten Rasch commissioned by the English National Opera + Punchdrunk, a theatrical company who specialises in site-specific, immersive theatre. Don't miss.


Useful links:
http://www.eno.org
http://www.punchdrunk.org.uk

Gem Market Update

The Mozambican Ministry of Mineral Resources is planning to sell off to the highest bidder around ten tonnes of assorted contraband minerals seized from traffickers in precious and semi-previous stones. The largest group of minerals to be auctioned off consists of 8.7 tonnes of rubies in various states. These are not all gem rubies, however - if they were, their value would run into the billions of dollars. A good quality ruby can fetch over 5,000 dollars per carat. A carat is 200 milligrams, or a fifth of a gram. 8.7 tonnes of good quality rubies could therefore sell for 217.5 billion dollars.The highest price ever paid for a ruby was 425,000 dollars per carat by a London jeweler in 2006. http://www.dnm.gov.mz  I think the rubies will end up in Bangkok for treatments and sold worldwide.

Random Thoughts

It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile. Be yourself, no matter what they say.

- Sting
http://www.sting.com

A fine piece of advice, really.

Microbial Art

An exciting interface between art and science. Check out the collection of unique artworks created using living bacteria, fungi, and protists. Stunningly beautiful indeed.  http://www.microbialart.com

The Book Of Shells

I think The Book of Shells is one of the most charming and interesting books on shells ever, really.

The Serpentine Story

Jennifer Steinhauer's story in the New York Times about issues surrounding the rock serpentine in California was interesting. In my view there is no way one would be in danger by causal exposure to the rock unless you breathe its dust repeatedly. TIC (This is California).

Best Album Art Of All Time

When it comes to album cover art, beauty is in the eyes, and ears, of its beholders. So true. Many thanks to Scott Thill.

Global Business BBC

Peter Day's global business report on watch making in the Isle of Man was interesting. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.patek.com
www.britishschoolofwatchmaking.co.uk
www.rwsmithwatches.com
www.danielslondon.com
www.iwiwatches.com
www.dentlondon.com
www.christopherward.co.uk

Leonardo's The Virgin Of The Rocks

Interactive guide: the restoration of Leonardo's The Virgin of the Rocks. Many thanks to Jonathan Jones. www.guardian.co.uk/profile/jonathanjones

The Pekar Project

Harvey Pekar has passed away on July 12, 2010. It’s safe to say that, up until his last moments, Harvey Pekar was a walking comic book. But his legacy and passing is a thankful reminder that comics don’t have to be just about supermen (and sometimes women) in tights. They can be about you or me, and our individual and collective troubles, and still make an impact. So true. Many thanks to Scott Thill.

Useful links:
www.smithmag.net/pekarproject
www.smithmag.net/pekarproject/harveyheads

Autobiography Of Mark Twain

Larry Rohter's report in the New York Times about the autobiography of Mark Twain was interesting. Many thanks. I'm a big Mark Twain fan.

I believe that the trade of critic, in literature, music, and the drama, is the most degraded of all trades, and that it has no real value. However, let it go. It is the will of God that we must have critics, and missionaries, and Congressmen, and humorists, and we must bear the burden.
- Mark Twain

Useful link:
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/MTP

Random Thoughts

It's important to remember that many of the best parts of travel have nothing to do with the sights that you're seeing—they have to do with the stories that surround them.

- Catherine Price
http://catherine-price.com

Spot on.

Start-Up Stories

Start-Up Stories: Nick Swinmurn. Inspiring, really. www.zappos.com

Joel Kotkin Vs Christopher Leinberger

America 2050: What Will We Build. I thought the debate was interesting. Many thanks to Greg Lindsay for sharing the info. I was wondering about India. India 2050: What Will We Build.

Useful links:
www.joelkotkin.com
www.cleinberger.com

How To Lose Time And Money

Paul Graham was spot on. 1. Most fortunes are lost through bad investments. 2. The situation with time is much the same as with money. The most dangerous way to lose time is not to spend it having fun, but to spend it doing fake work.True indeed. Many thanks for the inspiring note. www.paulgraham.com

Start-Up Stories

Start-Up Stories: Mike Faith. Inspiring, really. www.mikefaith.com

Matisse's Bathers By The River

Matisse: Radical Invention, 1913-1917, opens next week at the Museum of Modern Art, which is organized by John Elderfield, chief curator emeritus at the Museum of Modern Art, and Stephanie d’Alessandro, the curator of modern art at the Art Institute of Chicago. The show offers a rare opportunity to look beneath the surface of Matisse’s work to see a creative evolution that until now only his eyes had witnessed. Many thanks to Carol Vogel for sharing the info. www.artic.edu

Art Market Update

Souren Melikian report. In the current art drought, rarity is becoming a passport to world record performance. So true. www.christies.com

Gold Report

The Economist report on gold was interesting. As long as the world economy remains uncertain and investors fear inflation and sovereign default, gold will keep its allure. Eventually, however, the price will weaken: it is even possible that the recent slide to below $1,200 marks the turn. And investors may look back on the bull run of 2009-10—or 2009-11—with the sort of wonder that humanity has too often reserved for the yellow metal itself. So true.

Five Myths About Diamonds

Tom Zoellner's opinion piece in the Washington Post about diamonds was interesting. Many thanks. www.tomzoellner.com

Gary Hamel Viewpoint

I thought Vineet Nayer was spot on. Employees First, Customers Second. The world has become too complex for the CEO to connect the dots.

We must destroy the concept of the CEO. The notion of the ‘visionary,’ the ‘captain of the ship’ is bankrupt. We are telling the employee, ‘You are more important than your manager.’ Value gets created between the employee and the customer, and management’s job is to enable innovation at that interface. To do this, we must kill command-and-control.
- Vineet Nayer

Useful links:
www.garyhamel.com
http://blogs.wsj.com/management
www.vineetnayar.com

Konrad Bernheimer

The Economist report on Konrad Bernheimer and the Colnaghi gallery was interesting. Now the owner of London’s venerable Colnaghi gallery, currently celebrating its 250th anniversary, he has long known that client confidentiality and keeping contacts to oneself are cardinal rules of the trade. So true. www.colnaghi.co.uk

Steve McCurry Photography

Truly amazing. I loved it. Many thanks. www.stevemccurry.com

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino

An 1839 Turner masterpiece of a view of Rome has sold for £29.7m in London, breaking the artist's auction record. Check it out.

Turner's Modern Rome - Campo Vaccino has achieved a tremendous and much-deserved result this evening. This breathtaking image shows the artist at his absolute best and, for collectors, it ticked all the boxes - quality, superb condition, provenance and freshness-to-the-market. Over the last few months it has been wonderful to observe the response that the painting has received from collectors who come from all over the world.
- David Moore-Gwyn
www.sothebys.com

Diamond Branding Opportunity

Avi Krawitz was spot on. For the average consumer, a diamond is a diamond no matter where it comes from and Zimbabwe represents Africa, despite the positive achievements of its neighbors. So true. The Blood Diamond movie message: “January 2003, 40 nations signed The Kimberley Process — an effort to stem the flow of conflict diamonds. But illegal diamonds are still finding their way to market. It is up to the consumer to insist that a diamond is conflict-free.”

Useful links:
www.diamonds.net
www.forevermark.com
www.riotintodiamonds.com/diamantaire
www.canadamark.com

Biomimicry Challenge

I think biomimicry is a useful tool that can be explored and developed to implement effective solutions in business and life. Many thanks for the insightful challenge.

Useful links:
www.biomimicryinstitute.org
www.asknature.org
www.biomimicryguild.com
www.ideo.com

30 Great Visualization Resources

I loved it. Many thanks. www.juiceanalytics.com

The Nalaga’at Center

A unique artistic experience indeed. A must visit, really. www.nalagaat.org.il

Land Art By Andrew Rogers

It looks nice. It makes you think. www.andrewrogers.org

Random Thoughts

Social entrepreneurs are known for the creativity and innovation they bring to bear on the gaps in development. Whether tackling water or education, energy or sanitation, social entrepreneurs develop inventive ways to bring new solutions to social challenges. But, in all this creativity, they may be missing one of the larger issues at hand: employership, or, the generation of jobs where none existed before. Lest you confuse employership with entrepreneurship, allow me to elaborate. Entrepreneurship is a loaded word. There is pressure to launch a game-changing idea—or nothing at all. It asks for confidence and considerable chutzpah. It takes passion and an affinity for risk. To be an entrepreneur is to take the weight of the world on one’s shoulders in order to create something that no one has ever done before. It’s not something taken lightly, nor is it something many Indian families encourage.

- Lindsay Clinton
 www.intellecap.com

Spot on.

Global Business BBC

The Greece Report. Peter Day's report from Athens was educational and insightful. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.eliamep.gr
www.iobe.gr
www.titan.gr
www.paragonship.com

The Influence Project

Mark Borden's Q&A with Gary Vaynerchuk was intersting.

Useful links:
http://tv.winelibrary.com
http://influenceproject.fastcompany.com

Glass-Filled Rubies Update

According to AnchorCert gemologists at the Birmingham Assay Office in the U.K, a large number of glass filled rubies have entered the market without proper disclosure. These rubies in their natural form are poor quality corundum and are subjected to bleaching to remove dark patches of color, but this also affects their structure making them brittle and unstable.  If doubtful always consult a reputed gem testing laboratory. www.anchorcert.co.uk

The Paintings Of Charles Burchfield

Hilarie M. Sheets's story in ARTnews about the paintings of Charles Burchfield was interesting. Many thanks.

Useful links:
www.hammer.ucla.edu
http://whitney.org

The Eternal Borgezie Diamond Stilettos

The Ultimate Stiletto. Check it out. www.borgezie.com

Studio Forbes

I liked the color + designs. www.publicbikes.com

Jeff Scher Viewpoint

This is one of the best short videos I've seen. Many thanks Jeff. http://fezfilms.net

Art Market Update

David Grann's opinion piece in the New Yorker magazine about art authentication was educational and insightful. Many thanks. www.davidgrann.com + www.birofineartrestoration.com

Random Thoughts

He was always on my mind because I had a great deal of respect for how he could tell stories in a single frozen image. Entire stories.

- Steven Spielberg
www.nrm.org

Norman Rockwell was simply a brilliant painter who knew how to connect the dots. His paintings displayed compassion and caring about other people.

Good Books

William Taylor was spot on. Great selection indeed. Many thanks. A well-trained man knows how to answer questions. An educated man knows what questions are worth asking.

Shakespeare's Gardens

A theatrical flourish welcomes visitors to 2010 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show - as the Royal Horticultural Society celebrates the life and work of the famous bard. Don't miss. http://www.rhs.org.uk/Shows-Events/Hampton-Court-Palace-Flower-Show/2010

Fakes, Mistakes, And Discoveries

The Economist report was interesting. Many thanks. Among the lessons to be learned at this exhibition is that not all attributions are necessarily for ever. Technology, however sophisticated, may be supplanted by better methods with the passing of time. This is not detective fiction; Sherlock Holmes can get it wrong. Attributions can often be hypotheses rather than unshakable facts. It is to the National Gallery’s credit that it has included some of its expensive misjudgments. Learning about the process is one of the pleasures of this show. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

Rare And Collectable

Rio Tinto has announced the launch of its new publication, Rare and Collectable, which focuses on the unique market position occupied by the rare pink diamonds from Rio Tinto's Argyle Diamond Mine. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.riotintodiamonds.com
www.argylepinkdiamonds.com.au

Random Thoughts

May all that emerges from me be beautiful.

- Yves Klein
www.yveskleinarchives.org

A beautiful prayer indeed.

Baalbek International Festival 2010

One of the longest-running music festivals in the Middle East. Don't miss. www.baalbeck.org.lb

Biomimicry Projects

Commercial applications inspired by biomimicry.

Useful links:
www.greenwavelength.com
www.biomimicry.net
http://iopscience.iop.org

Life In 2050

Leading experts discuss the future. http://bigthink.com

Tour de France 2010

Stage-by-stage analysis of 2010 race. www.letour.fr

Coral Update

Leave precious coral where it belongs. Temple St. Clair was spot on. Adding coral to jewelry industry's conservation efforts does have a powerful effect on the marketplace. These precious animals should be left where they belong--in the ocean.

Useful links:
www.tooprecioustowear.org
www.cites.org

Lawrence Salander Story

Eileen Kinsella's story in ARTnews about Lawrence Salander's fraud was interesting. Sad really. Old habits die hard. www.artnews.com

Wrong: Why Experts Keep Failing Us

Kayla Webley's Q & A with David Freedman was interesting/insightful. www.freedman.com

Start-up Pitch

10 tips for a startup pitch. A simplified demo is worth a thousand presentations. Karam Lakshman was spot on. www.iaccelerator.org

ARTnews 200 Top Collectors

Annual list of the world's top collectors. www.artnews.com

Charles Saatchi's Gift

Fantastic news. Incredible generosity. I wish more people had that kind of vision, really. www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk

Innovation Camps

Innovation Camps = energy + creativity + originality+ diversity = New business opportunities. I think innovation camps are brilliant practical thinking labs for powerful/functional outcomes. Many thanks to Paul Sloane for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.amdocs.com
www.destination-innovation.com

The Top Ten Art Collectors

The top ten collectors on ARTnews list. www.artnews.com

Knowledge/able

A new blog produced by the Knowledge@W. P. Carey team. Knowledge/able will focus on the place where research and analysis meets the practice of business. http://bitapps.asu.edu/knowledgeable

Masterpiece Fair 2010

A unique showcase of some of the most desirable objects on earth: traditional and modern, old and new, from the finest of fine and decorative art to the best of wines, classic cars, jewellery and contemporary design. Don't miss to view the one-of-a-kind Argyle pink diamond tiara, displayed by jeweler Asprey, featuring 178 Argyle pink diamonds, the most beautiful and the rarest diamonds in the world. www.masterpiecefair.com

The H. Stern Collection By Oscar Niemeyer

Brilliant. Creative. Inspiring. See it for yourself. www.hstern.net + www.museuoscarniemeyer.org.br

Random Thoughts

Secret Stash 720 HD: This project is about concealing valuables, secrets, bad habits and personal information in our workplaces. Here, hidden spaces/messages were created within 8 general objects such as wood boards, lamps and disposable coffee cups. How? By utilizing stereotypes and visual camouflage. We make judgments based mainly on our experiences and what we see. This dependency on visual information can create large blind spots. Thus, usual stereotypes of how we perceive solid, transparency and lighting are employed in this project to play with notions of "solid and void" and "true and false.

- Yiting Cheng
www.yitingcheng.com

I loved it. Many thanks to Cliff Kuang.

Video Games Update

Latest innovations in video games. www.take2games.com

PivotViewer

Gary Flake demos Pivot, a new way to browse and arrange massive amounts of images and data online. Built on breakthrough Seadragon technology, it enables spectacular zooms in and out of web databases, and the discovery of patterns and links invisible in standard web browsing. Check it out. www.silverlight.net + http://photosynth.net + www.ted.com + http://flakenstein.net

Global Business BBC

Skoll Forum panel. Many thanks to Peter Day. www.skollworldforum.com