Applied DNA Sciences

Applied DNA Sciences = the ultimate solution to counterfeiting. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.adnas.com

Random Thoughts

Cows have a built-in health-care system. It's very difficult to get high yields out a cow if you don't take care of her.

- David Galligan
http://dgalligan.com

The online tools were brilliant. Thanks David.

Movie Budget Records

The Numbers = A treasure trove of studio budgets and gross revenues for thousands of movies.

Useful link:
www.the-numbers.com

Places To Go 2010

The New York Times has it. Check it out. The 31 Places to Go in 2010

Environmental Stories 2010

Environmental Stories to Watch in 2010. An insightful presentation by WRI President Jonathan Lash. Check it out. www.wri.org

Videogame-based Lessons

Susannah Locke's viewpoints in Popular Science about the pros/cons of videogame-based lessons in school was interesting. I think if it helps retain information, then it's good. Learning should be fun.

Useful link:
www.popsci.com

Ruby Day

CIBJO's first mini-conference, Ruby Day, will offer presentations and research discussions on rubies at the International Congress Centre, Messe Muenchen, on February 19, 2010. The organizers believe the mini-conference will provide gemologists, jewelers and other industry professionals an opportunity to discuss recent gemstone research and offer gemological updates.

Useful link:
www.cibjo.org

Plastic Logic’s Que proReader

Plastic Logic has finally launched its new e-reader Que. I believe the Que is targeted at business users, but from a design perspective, it is a beauty. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.plasticlogic.com
www.ideo.com
www.cesweb.org

Emily Prince Project

Emily Prince's project, American Servicemen and Women Who Have Died in Iraq and Afghanistan, is on display in the UK at the Saatchi gallery in London. Very interesting indeed. Check it out.

Useful links:
www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk
www.alloftheamericanservicemenandwomen.com

Luke Johnson Viewpoint

Luke was spot on. I liked the dummy experiment. I think responsible and defined leaders on the ground will get on with the job without distractions because it's they who actually sell to customers and deliver the goods, not the board of directors. Period.

The finest leaders I have dealt with possess three qualities above all else: skill as a listener, skill as a delegator and skill as a motivator. These traits require a degree of modesty scarce among those ambitious enough to clamber to the top.
- Luke Johnson

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

George Lucas's Blockbusting

George Lucas's Blockbusting: A Decade-by-Decade Survey of Timeless Movies Including Untold Secrets of Their Financial and Cultural Success by Alex Ben Block + Lucy Autrey Wilson is a great book on the film industry. A must read for movie buffs.

Useful links:
www.lucasfilm.com
www.lucasarts.com
www.edutopia.org

Hadley Centre For Climate Change

Climate change is an interesting science. I think we know very little about what truly influences the climate on this planet. We have a long way to go, really. The sheer scale of information makes all types of models amorphous.

Useful links:
http://hadobs.metoffice.com
www.metoffice.gov.uk
www.ncar.ucar.edu
www.cru.uea.ac.uk

Chaim Even Zohar Viewpoint

The one-minute video clip on conflict diamonds was shocking, really. Thanks Chaim for sharing the info.

Useful links:
www.diamondintelligence.com
www.africandiamondcouncil.org
www.adpa-diaf.org
www.debeersgroup.com
www.dtc.com
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2usaS1IP5k

Random Thoughts

When he bought the diamond, he called it the pinnacle of his career. Along with the Hope, the Wittelsbach is the rarest diamond in the world. Very, very, very few people in history have had the opportunity to hold it in their hand, so for us, as diamond dealers, to have it is a feast.

- Henri Barguirdjian
www.graffdiamonds.com
www.dhm.de
www.christies.com
www.si.edu

Spot on.

Royal Mail's Musical Stamps

A series of classic album covers have been issued as a set of stamps by the Royal Mail. They are truly miniature works of art. I really liked it. Check it out.

Useful link:
www.royalmail.com

The Happiest People

Nicholas Kristof's opinion piece in the New York Times about Costa Ricans was interesting and inspiring. What was remarkable about Costa Rica was that they decided to dissolve its armed forces and invested instead in education = stable society. It works.

Useful links:
http://worlddatabaseofhappiness.eur.nl
www.happyplanetindex.org
http://epi.yale.edu/Home
www.microsites.visitcostarica.com

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