Random Thoughts

Sushil Kedia writes: My father handed over the wealth of his knowledge from a lifetime of speculating the night before I was leaving home and starting a career in the markets of Mumbai:
1) Sleep well and enough and at regular hours. Deprived sleep doesn't get compensated by catching up.
2) Eat well and at regular hours. An upset stomach makes the mind waver. Drink lots of water.
3) Speak only when necessary. Never loudly.
4) Listen.
5) Gather facts, steer clear of opinions.
6) Stay away from losses. Money will come from chance.
7) Don't trust anyone completely. But trust.
8) Write your books of accounts everyday.
9) Adjust sleep if any of these don't work well.

Brilliant!

Humanitarian Engineering

Amy Smith talks with Rebecca Mead about applying new technology in the developing world @
http://www.newyorker.com/online/video/conference/2008/smith which I thought was innovative and brilliant.

Useful link:
http://web.mit.edu/d-lab

World Science Festival

I found Wired's article on World Science Festival educational and insightful + what's intriguing was a model city now under construction in Dongtan, China (Wired's profile of the city at Dongtan here). Brilliant! http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2008/05/five-people-who.html

Useful links:
www.worldsciencefestival.com
www.arup.com
www.verticalfarm.com
www.ssbx.org
http://transstudio.com
http://cities.media.mit.edu
http://www.archinode.com/peristalcity.html
http://www.archinode.com/bienal.html

I hope there were more sustainable cities worldwide.

Working Longer

Working Longer: The Solution to the Retirement Income Challenge by Alicia H. Munnell and Steven A. Sass is an interesting book on retirement issues and how to stay well-off after retirement.

Useful links:
www.brookings.edu
http://crr.bc.edu

I think much depends on individual's attitude (hard work + updating skills = productive).

An Inconvenient Truth Opera

The legendary La Scala opera house in Milan has commissioned a full-length work to be based on Al Gore's book, An Inconvenient Truth, and the Oscar-winning documentary of the same title, by Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli, to be staged in 2011.

Useful links:
www.teatroallascala.org
www.climatecrisis.net

I think Al Gore is a winner and may feel humbled by the latest distinction.

William Scott

Economist writes about William Scott's art works + other viewpoints @ http://www.economist.com/daily/columns/artview/displayStory.cfm?story_id=11478453

Useful link:
www.williamscott.org

Don't be an art critic. Paint. There lies salvation.
- Paul Cézanne

I liked it.

The Nature Of Diamonds

The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will be presenting 'The Nature of Diamonds', the most wide-ranging exhibition ever developed on the allure of diamonds. From Saturday, October 25, 2008 until Sunday, March 22, 2009, visitors to the ROM’s Garfield Weston Exhibition Hall on level B2 in the Michael Lee-Chin Crystal will be dazzled by the exhibition’s spectacular jewellery and stunning gemstones.

Useful links:
www.rom.on.ca
www.amnh.org
www.hmns.org

A must-visit.

Art In Moscow

Sonia Kishkovsky writes about Moscow's new trend: art-related parties + pre-auction previews (by big auction houses) for the Moscow’s elite + other viewpoints @
http://blogs.iht.com/tribtalk/travel/globespotters/?p=426

Useful links:
www.moscow-faf.com
www.aidan-gallery
www.janekahan.com
www.rusmuseum.ru
www.sothebys.com
www.christies.com