Heard On The Street

The brain is bad at some things and good at many others, but above all else, it has a remarkable capacity for fooling itself.

Random Thoughts

During the 20th Century, the Dow advanced from 66 to 11,497. This gain, though it appears huge, shrinks to 5.3 per cent when compounded annually. For investors to merely match that 5.3 per cent market value gain, the Dow – recently below 13,000 – would need to close at about 2,000,000 on December 31, 2099! Thus, if your adviser talks to you about double digit returns from equities, explain this math to him.

- Warren Buffett

The Desert Capitalists @ BBC Part Two

Mukhul Devichands's documentary on Marwaris, a powerful global economic and political force, from Bombay to Paris to London @ http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/documentaries/2008/09/080911_desert_capitalists_two.shtml was insighful.

Useful link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marwaris

Michael Janzen

The bigger your property gets, the more there is to do + today minimizing one's footprint (structural as well as carbon) by living in spaces that are smaller than 1,000 square feet makes sense + I believe in the tiny house concept, and I really liked Michael Janzen's design.

Useful links:
www.michaeljanzen.com
www.resourcesforlife.com
www.tumbleweedhouses.com

Robert M. Hertzberg

Robert M. Hertzberg's firm, G24 Innovations, makes solar-powered battery-chargers for mobile phones and portable music-players. Go to www.g24i.com for further information.

Beautiful Inside My Head Forever

Carol Vogel's article on 'Beautiful Inside My Head Forever', a highly publicized auction of 223 works by Damien Hirst/viewpoints @ http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/16/arts/design/16auct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin was interesting.

Useful links:
www.sothebys.com
www.damienhirst.com

Damien Hirst is a global artist that can defy local economies.
- Tobias Meyer, Sotheby’s

Today people believe more in art than the stock market. At least it’s something you can enjoy.
- Jose Mugrabi

It's hard to believe that Damien Hirst is able to sell his art works during a recession. I do believe now that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Herculaneum

David Reid's article on the ancient Roman town of Herculaneum + the virtual museum of archaeology (MAV), a model to preserve fragile archaeological sites in the future + other viewpoints @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/7610956.stm was really educational.

Heard On The Street

Loving what you do = Doing it over and over again = Success