A couple of really interesting articles on disaster response over the course of the last few years.
The June 2 issue of Time Magazine gives "Roused by Disaster" about the response of the Chinese government to the disastrous earthquake of May 12. It's a fascinating read that describes a response much greater and more human that might have been expected.
From the Time issue one week later, "How to Survive a Disaster" describes the steps that can be taken by an average citizen in cases of calamity... with special mention of the Morgan Stanley Security Director Rick Rescorla who saves scores of lives in one of the Towers on 9/11.
Finally, if you go back to an August 2007 issue of BusinessWeek, there's "If the Levees Fail In California" about the potential for disaster in the Sacramento Delta region of California.
Thinking about these stories, they come at the topic from different angles... one is the response of an entire government to tragedy, one is what a government could do in cases of disaster and one features near superhuman individual response. I guess the point is that in cases of need, both the government and average citizens need to rise to the occasion. Something that didn't happen enough on either side in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but... you gotta hope for the future.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Obama Coverage from Time Magazine
A couple of interesting pieces from the August 4 issue of Time Magazine on Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama.
In the Commentary section, Joe Klein gives us "Blowing His Top" about the ranting done recently by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain where said "Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." Klein's view is that McCain isn't exactly being "Presidential" and also that he seems overly focused on "enemy-making".
Shortly after this piece comes "Obama's Overseas Test" about the Senator's trip to the Middle East. Throughout the article, Obama comes across as a very capable representative and potential leader of the United States. While McCain's people had been pushing for some time to have Obama visit the Middle East to try to show that he doesn't belong at the highest levels of foreign policy decision-making, Obama appears quite capable once he's actually there.
In the Commentary section, Joe Klein gives us "Blowing His Top" about the ranting done recently by Republican Presidential candidate John McCain where said "Obama would rather lose a war in order to win a political campaign." Klein's view is that McCain isn't exactly being "Presidential" and also that he seems overly focused on "enemy-making".
Shortly after this piece comes "Obama's Overseas Test" about the Senator's trip to the Middle East. Throughout the article, Obama comes across as a very capable representative and potential leader of the United States. While McCain's people had been pushing for some time to have Obama visit the Middle East to try to show that he doesn't belong at the highest levels of foreign policy decision-making, Obama appears quite capable once he's actually there.
Saturday, July 26, 2008
The Wonderful World of Blogging
Very interesting cover story in the August 2008 issues of BusinessWeek titled Beyond Blogs. This is actually a follow up piece to a BW story done in 2005, blogs will change your business.
Blogging is an interesting thing. It can in cases like The Huffington Post develop into an actual news source and in other cases can be simply the stereotypical "guy in his basement". What's important for those who do spend time blogging, it has to be interesting to do. From there, some may achieve fame and fortune, but most will simply spend some free time doing something they find interesting (hopefully).
Blogging is an interesting thing. It can in cases like The Huffington Post develop into an actual news source and in other cases can be simply the stereotypical "guy in his basement". What's important for those who do spend time blogging, it has to be interesting to do. From there, some may achieve fame and fortune, but most will simply spend some free time doing something they find interesting (hopefully).
Sunday, July 20, 2008
"The Geography of Bliss" by Eric Weiner
Similar to Bill Bryson in his whimsical and entertaining books "In a Sunburned Country" & "A Walk in the Woods" among other travel tales, Eric Weiner delivers in "The Geography of Bliss" an excellent global search for happiness detailing the relative moods of people in places as far flung as Iceland, Moldovia and Quatar.
Weiner seemlessly mixes together humor with the descriptions of each place and comes to the conclusion that one of the biggest drivers of happiness is a common culture... as held by the people in Iceland and not to be found at all in Quatar.
Interesting stuff, and very entertaining.
Weiner seemlessly mixes together humor with the descriptions of each place and comes to the conclusion that one of the biggest drivers of happiness is a common culture... as held by the people in Iceland and not to be found at all in Quatar.
Interesting stuff, and very entertaining.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Energy & the Environment: Reason for Optimism?
There's a fairly huge topic in business/society/the world today that demands attention... energy and the environment.
Each could of course be treated as a separate topic with umpteen numbers of subtopics (all important), but for the purpose of this post, I'd like to bring them together and look at some of the articles I've noticed lately in this area. To start off, there's a baseline distinction to keep in mind when considering energy... public (i.e. government) vs private (i.e. you and I and the companies that we live and work around.
Public action: Not much confidence that anything will happen there, especially with the current administration. To this point, there's a June 2008 essay in Time Magazine titled "The Oil Follies? Our Fault" that speaks to the lost opportunity following Sept 11 when President Bush could have likely invoked with public acceptance a significant gasoline tax. Benefits of this from the public side would have been bringing money into the coffers (at a minimum for fighting terrorism and perhaps even funding alternative energy research).
On the private side, this increase in gasoline costs would likely have caused consumers to reduce gasoline consumption (as they're doing right now, some 7 years later). This idea and the positive benefits from it are detailed in "10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas" from the July 14 2008 issue of Time.
On the corporate sector private side, consumer demand for reduced energy would have sped up the process (as in happening now) of developing alternative sources of energy to replace the rapidly depleting and environmentally harmful current forms (i.e. oil & coal).
There's a large number of examples of this corporate private sector movement towards energy and the environment. They range from pure energy development to environmentally sound actions apart from energy itself.
A couple of examples of energy development can be found first in the Oct 15 2007 issue of BusinessWeek which features a story titled "Solar's Day In the Sun" on Silicon Valley startup Ausra Inc and second in the July/August issue issue of Fast Company Magazine... in which investor Vinod Khosla, "The King of Green Investing", is profiled.
If you're looking for stories of companies focusing on environmental efforts rather than pure alternative energy development, examples abound there as well. In Sept 2007, Fast Company profiled former Sierra Club wunderkind president Adam Werbach and his environmental consultations with Wal-Mart titled "Working with the Enemy."
More recently, BusinessWeek in it's June 30 2008 issue published "I Have Just One Word for You: Bioplastics" about biogradable plastics and Time gave us "Pick Up a Mop" in it's July 14 edition about the idea of, and science around, soaking up already emitted carbon dioxide.
So, energy and the environment... huge topics both that are getting a lot of attention both separately and together. I stated earlier agreement with the Time piece arguing President Bush should have taken steps around energy in the form of a gas tax after 9/11, but he didn't, so the question becomes 'is it too late for optimism?'.
In an excellent commentary (which I would love to link here, but can't find) contained in one of his 2008 Esquire Magazine "Editor's Letters", David Granger gives his optimistic view of future energy given the new technologies coming about . Additionally, I echo the sentiments in the "Things to Like About $4 Gas" piece around consumer demand making a difference. Finally, there's the hope (which may be fools hope, but we gotta take what we can at times) of changes stemming from a new administration in the White House.
When you come down to it, there's opportunity to make things better and I'm guardedly optimistic (and very hopeful) we'll embrace that on all fronts... public and private.
Each could of course be treated as a separate topic with umpteen numbers of subtopics (all important), but for the purpose of this post, I'd like to bring them together and look at some of the articles I've noticed lately in this area. To start off, there's a baseline distinction to keep in mind when considering energy... public (i.e. government) vs private (i.e. you and I and the companies that we live and work around.
Public action: Not much confidence that anything will happen there, especially with the current administration. To this point, there's a June 2008 essay in Time Magazine titled "The Oil Follies? Our Fault" that speaks to the lost opportunity following Sept 11 when President Bush could have likely invoked with public acceptance a significant gasoline tax. Benefits of this from the public side would have been bringing money into the coffers (at a minimum for fighting terrorism and perhaps even funding alternative energy research).
On the private side, this increase in gasoline costs would likely have caused consumers to reduce gasoline consumption (as they're doing right now, some 7 years later). This idea and the positive benefits from it are detailed in "10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas" from the July 14 2008 issue of Time.
On the corporate sector private side, consumer demand for reduced energy would have sped up the process (as in happening now) of developing alternative sources of energy to replace the rapidly depleting and environmentally harmful current forms (i.e. oil & coal).
There's a large number of examples of this corporate private sector movement towards energy and the environment. They range from pure energy development to environmentally sound actions apart from energy itself.
A couple of examples of energy development can be found first in the Oct 15 2007 issue of BusinessWeek which features a story titled "Solar's Day In the Sun" on Silicon Valley startup Ausra Inc and second in the July/August issue issue of Fast Company Magazine... in which investor Vinod Khosla, "The King of Green Investing", is profiled.
If you're looking for stories of companies focusing on environmental efforts rather than pure alternative energy development, examples abound there as well. In Sept 2007, Fast Company profiled former Sierra Club wunderkind president Adam Werbach and his environmental consultations with Wal-Mart titled "Working with the Enemy."
More recently, BusinessWeek in it's June 30 2008 issue published "I Have Just One Word for You: Bioplastics" about biogradable plastics and Time gave us "Pick Up a Mop" in it's July 14 edition about the idea of, and science around, soaking up already emitted carbon dioxide.
So, energy and the environment... huge topics both that are getting a lot of attention both separately and together. I stated earlier agreement with the Time piece arguing President Bush should have taken steps around energy in the form of a gas tax after 9/11, but he didn't, so the question becomes 'is it too late for optimism?'.
In an excellent commentary (which I would love to link here, but can't find) contained in one of his 2008 Esquire Magazine "Editor's Letters", David Granger gives his optimistic view of future energy given the new technologies coming about . Additionally, I echo the sentiments in the "Things to Like About $4 Gas" piece around consumer demand making a difference. Finally, there's the hope (which may be fools hope, but we gotta take what we can at times) of changes stemming from a new administration in the White House.
When you come down to it, there's opportunity to make things better and I'm guardedly optimistic (and very hopeful) we'll embrace that on all fronts... public and private.
Saturday, July 12, 2008
"The Devil's Teeth" & other writings by Susan Casey
In her book "The Devil's Teeth", published in hardcover back in 2005 and then paperback a year later, Susan Casey gives a fascinating account of her time spent on and around the Farallon Islands 27 miles out of San Francisco and home to a thriving seasonal population of great white sharks.
Very interesting read and highly recommended for anyone who likes a true adventure yarn... particularly someone in the Bay Area who may have flown over the Farallones at one point or another.
I was not familiar with Casey's writing prior to reading the book and didn't come across her name again until coming across in the May 2008 issue of Esquire a profile of 75 year old workout fanatic and extreme thrill seeker Don Wildman appropriately titled "The World's Healthiest 75 Year Old Man". The story was interesting given both the crazy regimen followed by Wildman and his celebrity-athlete workout partners (including surfer Laird Hamilton and hockey player Chris Chelios), but Casey's solid writing added to the effect.
Was interesting to recognize the name and then realize that she had also been behind the book on the Farallones.
Very interesting read and highly recommended for anyone who likes a true adventure yarn... particularly someone in the Bay Area who may have flown over the Farallones at one point or another.
I was not familiar with Casey's writing prior to reading the book and didn't come across her name again until coming across in the May 2008 issue of Esquire a profile of 75 year old workout fanatic and extreme thrill seeker Don Wildman appropriately titled "The World's Healthiest 75 Year Old Man". The story was interesting given both the crazy regimen followed by Wildman and his celebrity-athlete workout partners (including surfer Laird Hamilton and hockey player Chris Chelios), but Casey's solid writing added to the effect.
Was interesting to recognize the name and then realize that she had also been behind the book on the Farallones.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Nice Career Moves
Most sports fans have likely heard about the youth movement sweeping the front offices of Major League Baseball... exemplified by the cherubic Theo Epstein taking the GM post (and now two World Series titles) in Boston. The July/August 2008 issue of Fast Company Magazine profiles yet another of these whiz kids, GM Jon Daniels of the Texas Rangers in it's piece "Li'l Slugger."
If this piece doesn't provide enough envy fodder, the following should do the trick. In the Feb 2007 issue of Esquire, Chris Jones (my favorite current writer) writes "Into the Void", a profile of the Minnesota Wild Director of Hockey Operations, Chris Snow, who who moved to that post at age 25 after serving as a sportswriter for the Boston Globe.
Yep, from sportswriter to NHL executive at 25... pretty solid career transition.
If this piece doesn't provide enough envy fodder, the following should do the trick. In the Feb 2007 issue of Esquire, Chris Jones (my favorite current writer) writes "Into the Void", a profile of the Minnesota Wild Director of Hockey Operations, Chris Snow, who who moved to that post at age 25 after serving as a sportswriter for the Boston Globe.
Yep, from sportswriter to NHL executive at 25... pretty solid career transition.
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
Impact of Bottled Water on a Town
We've all heard about the environmental problems due to plastic waste and the fossil fuels associated with the transportation of bottled water, but the April 14, 2008 issue of BusinessWeek details the impact that bottled water plants can have on the communities that contain them.
Given that the story (which is featured on the magazine cover) is titled "A Town Torn Apart by Nestle", you'd be correct if you assumed that the overall message isn't a particularly favorable one towards the maker of Arrowhead bottled water. One interesting tidbit details how Nestle paid for the lawyers who represented the town in negotiations with... Nestle.
Additionally, a distinction is draw between two types of bottled water that can be purchased... that which is from a municipal source and then refined (Aquafina as an example) and that which comes directly from a source in nature (Arrowhead and Fiji as examples). The message conveyed is that the environmental impact of water from a municipal source is less than the alternative.
Given that the story (which is featured on the magazine cover) is titled "A Town Torn Apart by Nestle", you'd be correct if you assumed that the overall message isn't a particularly favorable one towards the maker of Arrowhead bottled water. One interesting tidbit details how Nestle paid for the lawyers who represented the town in negotiations with... Nestle.
Additionally, a distinction is draw between two types of bottled water that can be purchased... that which is from a municipal source and then refined (Aquafina as an example) and that which comes directly from a source in nature (Arrowhead and Fiji as examples). The message conveyed is that the environmental impact of water from a municipal source is less than the alternative.
Monday, July 07, 2008
Interesting HP press coverage
Lots of interesting stuff going on at Ye Ol' Peanut Factory. Below is a listing (not complete nor exhaustive, but simply articles I've come across) of things taking place at my place of gainful employment.
No, none of this is particularly "insiderish" as this list could have been compiled by pretty much any trained monkey, but I did find all of these articles of note.
The Aug 2007 BusinessWeek listing of the "Best Global Brands" had HP at #12 in the list, but also included mention of HP as a turnaround brand due in part to the "Computer is Personal Again" spots.
BusinessWeek in Sept 2007 did review of HP's efforts in smartphones. Also from Sept 2007, there was a very interesting profile of the Microsoft HR head and the people management (aimed at employee happiness & retention) done at the corporation. This article was of course not HP related, but it's always interesting to see what type of things other big companies do.
In Oct 2007, Fast Company Magazine had a profile of HP VP Design Sam Lucente and his impact on and role in the company. Lucente is considered in part an ethnographer and launched a research project following the lives of families in their homes – result was his design team creating “Q control” for use across HP product lines. Having met with him, I can also say he's a heck of a nice guy.
In the Nov 2007 "Inside Innovation" section of BusinessWeek was a piece on the HP Innovation Office led by Phil McKinney with specific mention of the efforts around the VooDoo PC.
The Feb 2008 issue of Fast Company Magazine had a feature titled "Loco Motion" about advertising agency Motion Theory and the spots it has created for HP among other companies.
In April 2008, BusinessWeek looked at HP Labs and it's initiative to focus on major projects.
From July 2008, the San Jose Mercury News published an interview with the aforementioned HP PSG CTO Phil McKinney & Innovation Program Office head. McKinney has been pretty visible lately both outside (as evidenced by this interview) and inside (I recently heard him do a talk where he discussed his open to the public blog) the company.
No, none of this is particularly "insiderish" as this list could have been compiled by pretty much any trained monkey, but I did find all of these articles of note.
The Aug 2007 BusinessWeek listing of the "Best Global Brands" had HP at #12 in the list, but also included mention of HP as a turnaround brand due in part to the "Computer is Personal Again" spots.
BusinessWeek in Sept 2007 did review of HP's efforts in smartphones. Also from Sept 2007, there was a very interesting profile of the Microsoft HR head and the people management (aimed at employee happiness & retention) done at the corporation. This article was of course not HP related, but it's always interesting to see what type of things other big companies do.
In Oct 2007, Fast Company Magazine had a profile of HP VP Design Sam Lucente and his impact on and role in the company. Lucente is considered in part an ethnographer and launched a research project following the lives of families in their homes – result was his design team creating “Q control” for use across HP product lines. Having met with him, I can also say he's a heck of a nice guy.
In the Nov 2007 "Inside Innovation" section of BusinessWeek was a piece on the HP Innovation Office led by Phil McKinney with specific mention of the efforts around the VooDoo PC.
The Feb 2008 issue of Fast Company Magazine had a feature titled "Loco Motion" about advertising agency Motion Theory and the spots it has created for HP among other companies.
In April 2008, BusinessWeek looked at HP Labs and it's initiative to focus on major projects.
From July 2008, the San Jose Mercury News published an interview with the aforementioned HP PSG CTO Phil McKinney & Innovation Program Office head. McKinney has been pretty visible lately both outside (as evidenced by this interview) and inside (I recently heard him do a talk where he discussed his open to the public blog) the company.
Sunday, July 06, 2008
China in Africa: Grab it While You Can
The June 2008 issue of Fast Company Magazine contains a very insightful special report titles "China Invades Africa" on the ongoing Private/Public efforts of China to stake claim to needed resources (both now and in the future) that are and will be taken out of the continent of Africa.
There's several interesting things about this report... one is the Chinese government backing of private enterprise in this effort and a second is the long-term view being taken to look at what resources will be needed as the population expands.
There's several interesting things about this report... one is the Chinese government backing of private enterprise in this effort and a second is the long-term view being taken to look at what resources will be needed as the population expands.
Saturday, July 05, 2008
"Out of Orbit (or "Too Far From Home") & other writings by Chris Jones
In the May 2008 issue of Esquire Magazine, writer at large Chris Jones contributes "The Things That Carried Him" about fallen serviceman Sgt. Joe Montgomery. It's an amazingly poignant piece about the path currently taken from the time of death in Iraq to burial in the U.S.
Jones has been writing for Esquire for some time now and at http://www.esquire.com/ additional stories can be found. Also, he has the book "Out of Orbit: The Incredible True Story of Three Astronauts Who Were Hundreds of Miles Above Earth When They Lost Their Ride Home" currently available in paperback... previously was titled "Too Far From Home" in the hardcover edition.
Regardless of what it's called, it's an excellent book that presents an extremely human portrait of the US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who were at the International Space Station at the time of the Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Jones has been writing for Esquire for some time now and at http://www.esquire.com/ additional stories can be found. Also, he has the book "Out of Orbit: The Incredible True Story of Three Astronauts Who Were Hundreds of Miles Above Earth When They Lost Their Ride Home" currently available in paperback... previously was titled "Too Far From Home" in the hardcover edition.
Regardless of what it's called, it's an excellent book that presents an extremely human portrait of the US astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who were at the International Space Station at the time of the Shuttle Columbia disaster.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Magazine reading notes 13
Fast Company - July/Aug 2007
"The King of Green Investing" about Vinod Khosla
"PG&E's Chemistry Test" about how the company is putting more focus on things like reducing energy usage, but is still putting out a large # of products with hazerdous materials. Alternative products are from companies like Method.
BusinessWeek - July 7 2008
Positive review of the HP TouchSmart computer "HP's Personal Touch"
Time - July 14 2008
"10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas" with the benefits around reduced sprawl, pollution, traffic and jobs leaving the US
"Pick Up a Mop" about the idea of, and science around, strategies to soak up carbon dioxide that has already been emitted
"Making of America: Mark Twain" cover story about the author
BusinessWeek - July 2008
Mention of the work outsourcing website http://www.elance.com/
Retirement planning feature that discusses among other things the idea of simply having a smaller house... perhaps a prefabricated one
Mention of "Emotional Branding" author Marc Gobe and his new think tank by the same name
BusinessWeek - June 30 2008
"I Have Just One Wod for You: Bioplastics" about the new industry around plastics that biodegrade
Time - June 30 2008
Joe Klein "In the Arena" piece about how if elected President Barack Obama should follow the example of Abraham Lincoln (as detailed in the exellent Doris Kearns Goodwin biography "Team of Rivals") and have opponents (i.e. Republicans) in Cabinet level positions... specifically current Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Mention of left-leaning political website http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Moving piece by Joe Klein on the legacy of Tim Russert titled "The People's Voice"
"The King of Green Investing" about Vinod Khosla
"PG&E's Chemistry Test" about how the company is putting more focus on things like reducing energy usage, but is still putting out a large # of products with hazerdous materials. Alternative products are from companies like Method.
BusinessWeek - July 7 2008
Positive review of the HP TouchSmart computer "HP's Personal Touch"
Time - July 14 2008
"10 Things You Can Like About $4 Gas" with the benefits around reduced sprawl, pollution, traffic and jobs leaving the US
"Pick Up a Mop" about the idea of, and science around, strategies to soak up carbon dioxide that has already been emitted
"Making of America: Mark Twain" cover story about the author
BusinessWeek - July 2008
Mention of the work outsourcing website http://www.elance.com/
Retirement planning feature that discusses among other things the idea of simply having a smaller house... perhaps a prefabricated one
Mention of "Emotional Branding" author Marc Gobe and his new think tank by the same name
BusinessWeek - June 30 2008
"I Have Just One Wod for You: Bioplastics" about the new industry around plastics that biodegrade
Time - June 30 2008
Joe Klein "In the Arena" piece about how if elected President Barack Obama should follow the example of Abraham Lincoln (as detailed in the exellent Doris Kearns Goodwin biography "Team of Rivals") and have opponents (i.e. Republicans) in Cabinet level positions... specifically current Defense Secretary Robert Gates
Mention of left-leaning political website http://www.huffingtonpost.com/
Moving piece by Joe Klein on the legacy of Tim Russert titled "The People's Voice"
Books of Interest
“The Dangerous Book for Boys” by Conn Iggulden
"Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt
"Flow" Csikszentmihalyi
"Six Easy Pieces" by Richard Feynman
"The Sportswriter" by Richard Ford
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand
"Zero Days" by Barbara Egbert
"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
"On the Road" by Jack Keroac
"The Hero" by Jon Krakauer... not coming out in 2008
next book from Erik Larson
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain
C.S. Lewis
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
“The Billionaire Who Wasn’t” by Conor O’Clery
"Retool, Reboot, Rebuild" by Mehmet Oz, M.D.
"Heyday" by Kurt Anderson
"The Garden of Last Days" by Andre Dubus III
"Peace" by Richard Bausch
"The Lararus Project" by Aleksandar Hemon
“The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California” by Richard Rayner
“Intern” by Sandeep Jauhar
“A Fraction of the Whole” by Steve Toltz
“The Preacher & the Presidents” by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
"Go Put Your Stengths to Work" by Marcus Buckingham
“The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
“Grey Area” by Will Self
“The Mezzanine” by Nicholson Baker
“Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin
“Plainsong” by Kent Haruf
“The Blade Itself” by Marcus Sakey
"Teacher Man" by Frank McCourt
"Flow" Csikszentmihalyi
"Six Easy Pieces" by Richard Feynman
"The Sportswriter" by Richard Ford
"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee
"The Fountainhead" by Ayn Rand
"Zero Days" by Barbara Egbert
"In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote
"On the Road" by Jack Keroac
"The Hero" by Jon Krakauer... not coming out in 2008
next book from Erik Larson
"Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" by Mark Twain
C.S. Lewis
G. K. (Gilbert Keith) Chesterton
"East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
“The Billionaire Who Wasn’t” by Conor O’Clery
"Retool, Reboot, Rebuild" by Mehmet Oz, M.D.
"Heyday" by Kurt Anderson
"The Garden of Last Days" by Andre Dubus III
"Peace" by Richard Bausch
"The Lararus Project" by Aleksandar Hemon
“The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California” by Richard Rayner
“Intern” by Sandeep Jauhar
“A Fraction of the Whole” by Steve Toltz
“The Preacher & the Presidents” by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy
"Go Put Your Stengths to Work" by Marcus Buckingham
“The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
“Grey Area” by Will Self
“The Mezzanine” by Nicholson Baker
“Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin
“Plainsong” by Kent Haruf
“The Blade Itself” by Marcus Sakey
Magazine reading notes 12: 2008 Feb-Jun 2
Oregon Lundquist College of Business Magazine
Piece on Rick Burton taking the CMO spot with the USOC
Piece by Paul Swangard on the Warsaw Center
Time - June 2
"Roused by Disaster" about the government response by China to their earthquake http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1808638,00.html
Time - June 9
"How to Survive a Disaster" with feature on Morgan Stanley Security Director Rick Rescorla http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1810315,00.html
Piece on Rick Burton taking the CMO spot with the USOC
Piece by Paul Swangard on the Warsaw Center
Time - June 2
"Roused by Disaster" about the government response by China to their earthquake http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1808638,00.html
Time - June 9
"How to Survive a Disaster" with feature on Morgan Stanley Security Director Rick Rescorla http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1810315,00.html
Time - July 7
"Time: 85 Years of Great Writing" book recently published
"Sweet Deal" about how the state of Florida bought U.S. Sugar Corp. in an effort to save the Everglades... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1818184,00.html
"10 Questions" with Neil DeGrasse, host of the PBS show "Nova Science Now"
Time - Feb 25
"Tuning Up the House" about energy assessments that can be done through http://www.currentenergy.com/
Time - May 26
"10 Questions" with Ira Glass, host of the NPR show "This American Life"
Piece on the band They Might Be Giants and their foray into children's educational CDs and DVDs including "Here Come the ABCs" and "Here Comes the 123s"... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1806810,00.html
BusinessWeek - June 2
Excerpt from the boo "Once You're Lucky, Twice You're Good" by Sarah Lacy that looks in part at Marc Andreessen and his new startup... http://www.ning.com/... http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/may2008/tc20080516_232288.htm?chan=search
"Beyond Blogs" cover story... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_22/b4086044617865.htm?chan=search
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Magazine Reading Notes 11: 2008 Mar-Jun
BusinessWeek - Apr 21
"Amazon Takes On IBM, Oracle and HP" about cloud computing offering from Amazon
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_16/b4080000729196.htm?chan=search
Time - Apr 7
"Wake Up and Sell the Coffee" about Howard Schultz returning to Starbucks
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1725973,00.html
Time - Apr 21
"10 Questions with Randy Pausch" about his "Last Lecture" which can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/ and has been made into a book
"Five Best Blogs": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://www.lifehacker.com/, http://www.metafilter.com/, http://www.treehugger.com/, http://www.postsecret.com/
Time - May 5
"The Next J.K. Rowling?" about Stephanie Meyer the writer of the "Twilight" young-adult novel series... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html
BusinessWeek - Apr 28
"HP Labs Latest Experiment: Itself" about the new HP Labs initiative to focus on 20 to 30 major projects... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_17/b4081072888929.htm?chan=search
"The Buzz from Starbucks Customers" about the month-old site http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/ and how it's giving customers a voice to the company
Fast Company - May
"How a Small Band of Sci-Fi Geeks in Leading Hollywood" about the youthful creators of shows such as "Lost", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Heroes"
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/rebel-alliance.html
Time - May 12
"100 Most Influential People" issue... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601080512,00.html
"Fun with Photoshop" about the hit web comedy series "You Suck at Photoshop"
Story on http://www.techcrunch.com/ blog about Silicon Valley business
Story about online news rating site http://www.digg.com/
Story about Elizabeth Gibert who wrote "Eat, Pray, Love" as well as a short story in issue 141 of "The Paris Review"
Piece on multi-touch screen designer Jeff Han
Piece on Doctor Mehmet Oz
Piece on Randy Pausch and his "last lecture"
BusinessWeek - May 19
"A Touch of Genius" about the new innovations in touchscreen technology
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084073144159.htm?chan=search
"Mining the Office Chatter" about HP's "Water Cooler" aggregation tool to see what's been written on blogs...
BusinessWeek - Apr 14
"A Town Torn Apart by Itself" about Nestle Waters N.A. and it's attempt to build an Arrowhead bottled water plant in McCloud, CA... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_15/b4079042498703.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek - Mar 31
"Morphing Video Games into Movies" about Electronic Arts new business model of using it's games in other mediums... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_13/b4077076429342.htm?chan=search
"From Hitmen to Hitless" about the management changes at HBO amidst it's troubles recreating past success... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_13/b4077050393595.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek - Apr 28
Story about the Flip Video camcorder from San Francisco company Pure Digital Technologies
Fast Company - Jun
"China Invades Africa" special report about the resource grab now taking place
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/special-report-china-in-africa.html
Esquire - May
"The Things That Carried Him" by Chris Jones about the journey home for deceased Sergeant Joe Montgomery... http://www.esquire.com/features/things-that-carried-him
Mention by Chris Jones of writer W.C. Heinz and his story "Death of a Racehorse" from a 1949 New York Sun... http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,28073.0.html
"1,026 Pages of Required Reading" about the following books: "The Garden of Last Days" by Andre Dubus III, "Peace" by Richard Bausch and "The Lararus Project" by Aleksandar Hemon
"Retool, Reboot, Rebuild" by Mehmet Oz, M.D. with a seven-day guide to improving personal health... http://www.esquire.com/features/better-man/better-man-0508
"The Better Man" piece on Don Wildman by Susan Casey... who is a regular Esquire contributor and wrote "The Devil's Teeth" about her time on the Farallon Islands... http://www.esquire.com/features/don-wildman-0508
Esquire - Jun
Mention of David Sedaris book "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" that comes out June '08
Note from Mehmet Oz, M.D. about the benefit for people over 35 to take 2 baby aspirin daily to thin the blood and kill inflammation
"Amazon Takes On IBM, Oracle and HP" about cloud computing offering from Amazon
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_16/b4080000729196.htm?chan=search
Time - Apr 7
"Wake Up and Sell the Coffee" about Howard Schultz returning to Starbucks
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1725973,00.html
Time - Apr 21
"10 Questions with Randy Pausch" about his "Last Lecture" which can be seen on http://www.youtube.com/ and has been made into a book
"Five Best Blogs": http://www.huffingtonpost.com/, http://www.lifehacker.com/, http://www.metafilter.com/, http://www.treehugger.com/, http://www.postsecret.com/
Time - May 5
"The Next J.K. Rowling?" about Stephanie Meyer the writer of the "Twilight" young-adult novel series... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1734838,00.html
BusinessWeek - Apr 28
"HP Labs Latest Experiment: Itself" about the new HP Labs initiative to focus on 20 to 30 major projects... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_17/b4081072888929.htm?chan=search
"The Buzz from Starbucks Customers" about the month-old site http://www.mystarbucksidea.com/ and how it's giving customers a voice to the company
Fast Company - May
"How a Small Band of Sci-Fi Geeks in Leading Hollywood" about the youthful creators of shows such as "Lost", "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Heroes"
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/125/rebel-alliance.html
Time - May 12
"100 Most Influential People" issue... http://www.time.com/time/magazine/0,9263,7601080512,00.html
"Fun with Photoshop" about the hit web comedy series "You Suck at Photoshop"
Story on http://www.techcrunch.com/ blog about Silicon Valley business
Story about online news rating site http://www.digg.com/
Story about Elizabeth Gibert who wrote "Eat, Pray, Love" as well as a short story in issue 141 of "The Paris Review"
Piece on multi-touch screen designer Jeff Han
Piece on Doctor Mehmet Oz
Piece on Randy Pausch and his "last lecture"
BusinessWeek - May 19
"A Touch of Genius" about the new innovations in touchscreen technology
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_20/b4084073144159.htm?chan=search
"Mining the Office Chatter" about HP's "Water Cooler" aggregation tool to see what's been written on blogs...
BusinessWeek - Apr 14
"A Town Torn Apart by Itself" about Nestle Waters N.A. and it's attempt to build an Arrowhead bottled water plant in McCloud, CA... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_15/b4079042498703.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek - Mar 31
"Morphing Video Games into Movies" about Electronic Arts new business model of using it's games in other mediums... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_13/b4077076429342.htm?chan=search
"From Hitmen to Hitless" about the management changes at HBO amidst it's troubles recreating past success... http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_13/b4077050393595.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek - Apr 28
Story about the Flip Video camcorder from San Francisco company Pure Digital Technologies
Fast Company - Jun
"China Invades Africa" special report about the resource grab now taking place
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/126/special-report-china-in-africa.html
Esquire - May
"The Things That Carried Him" by Chris Jones about the journey home for deceased Sergeant Joe Montgomery... http://www.esquire.com/features/things-that-carried-him
Mention by Chris Jones of writer W.C. Heinz and his story "Death of a Racehorse" from a 1949 New York Sun... http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/index.php/topic,28073.0.html
"1,026 Pages of Required Reading" about the following books: "The Garden of Last Days" by Andre Dubus III, "Peace" by Richard Bausch and "The Lararus Project" by Aleksandar Hemon
"Retool, Reboot, Rebuild" by Mehmet Oz, M.D. with a seven-day guide to improving personal health... http://www.esquire.com/features/better-man/better-man-0508
"The Better Man" piece on Don Wildman by Susan Casey... who is a regular Esquire contributor and wrote "The Devil's Teeth" about her time on the Farallon Islands... http://www.esquire.com/features/don-wildman-0508
Esquire - Jun
Mention of David Sedaris book "When You Are Engulfed in Flames" that comes out June '08
Note from Mehmet Oz, M.D. about the benefit for people over 35 to take 2 baby aspirin daily to thin the blood and kill inflammation
Thursday, June 05, 2008
My Resume
* up to date as of January 2015
Dave Stark
davestark2@yahoo.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstark2
https://twitter.com/davestark2
Profile
Versatile, results-focused, customer operations professional recognized for unique skills in complex problem resolution both internally and for clients. Counted on by company leaders to create and present solutions for major accounts, design reporting templates to manage planning, oversee and provide training for customer support teams, and lead on-boarding efforts for new customers.
• Builder of solid customer and internal relationships while calmly handling complex service issues.
• Strong working experience with enterprise systems, including ERP applications and shipment feeds.
• Skilled at working with data and superior writing skills enhanced by writing of blog posts and books.
• MBA from University of Oregon and BA from Western Washington University.
• Best-suited for using creative technical skills to identify and resolve complex issues, then presenting the solution in writing and verbally to stakeholders.
Work Experience
Hewlett-Packard Company Palo Alto, CA 2000-2014
Global Account Operations Manager / previously Account Operations Manager & Customer Inventory Analyst
Key member of the account management team including Sales, Customer Service and Supply Chain for new both account implementations and ongoing business at large and often global HP corporate customers. Design of the customer engagement solution against contract, creation and management of forecast process, product lifecycle planning and problem resolution, rollout and large product management, building and presentation of customer management reports and go-to contact for details on HP performance against contract, engagement design and global contacts for the business between client and HP.
• Ran a $26MM server ordering project for HP customer Home Depot. Deal included shipment of 3,988 servers refreshing 1,994 US and Puerto Rico Home Depot stores. Management of the product rollout included hosting of daily calls for almost two months and resulted in all servers being delivered to the customer within need-by dates and to enable HP to recognize the revenue by fiscal year-end. Led the team to get product build schedules in place and truckload shipping per Home Depot warehouse requirements and resolved issues with both missing cables and invoices to HP Financial Services in the US and Puerto Rico. Then repeated the same process a year later for another 440 servers for use in Home Depot Canada stores. Successful completion of this rollout required brokering an agreement between HP Financial Services and HP Transportation to resolve an issue with shipping costs.
• Created an effective customer forecast template for HP customer BAE Systems. Client was decentralized and unhappy with order turn-around-time for notebooks. Designed a detailed forecast model for the customer to use based upon purchase history by the BAE business groups and lines of business and convinced HP management to pre-build against the customer forecast, leading to a 33% (19 days to 12) reduction in turn-around time. This process and its result also strengthened the relationship with the BAE contract administrator.
• Responded to a product receipt issue with HP customer AP Moeller Maersk and prevented the return of over 500 docking stations to HP. Customer is headquartered in Denmark and product specifications of custom notebooks were changed by client and HP Sales team in Europe to include drop-in-box docking stations along with notebooks. US customer contacts ordered separate docking stations along with notebooks containing docks. Rather than extra docking stations being returned, worked with customer to get payment for ordered docks and set up a new custom notebook SKU without dock to be ordered and then paired up with docks in inventory.
Athlon Sports Communications Nashville, TN 1998-1999
Private media company offering integrated trade and consumer marketing programs
Midwest Regional Sales Manager
• Sold integrated trade and consumer marketing programs with both direct mail and advertising in sports magazines.
• Generated all leads, cold-called to set appointments and did approximately 130 in-person sales presentations, typically to individuals in VP Marketing or VP Sales positions at corporations that could advertise nationally.
The Southwestern Company Nashville, TN 1992-1996
Educational and reference book publishing company
Sales Organization Manager / Sales Recruiter / Salesperson
• Worked in summer sales program starting while in college. Sold as well as recruited, trained and managed others.
• Managed 12 sales personnel in region during final summer and received Growth Award four years in a row for significant increase in annual personal sales. Finished in top 5% of salespeople company-wide in final summer.
Education / Achievements
MBA: Marketing, 1998 – University of Oregon
BA: English, 1994 – Western Washington University
Author of nonfiction books published via Amazon: Words Written Down – 2012, 111 Books Reviewed – 2012, More Words Written Down – 2014 and Business Writing to Remember – 2014.
Dave Stark
davestark2@yahoo.com
https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidstark2
https://twitter.com/davestark2
Profile
• Builder of solid customer and internal relationships while calmly handling complex service issues.
• Strong working experience with enterprise systems, including ERP applications and shipment feeds.
• Skilled at working with data and superior writing skills enhanced by writing of blog posts and books.
• MBA from University of Oregon and BA from Western Washington University.
• Best-suited for using creative technical skills to identify and resolve complex issues, then presenting the solution in writing and verbally to stakeholders.
Hewlett-Packard Company Palo Alto, CA 2000-2014
Global Account Operations Manager / previously Account Operations Manager & Customer Inventory Analyst
Key member of the account management team including Sales, Customer Service and Supply Chain for new both account implementations and ongoing business at large and often global HP corporate customers. Design of the customer engagement solution against contract, creation and management of forecast process, product lifecycle planning and problem resolution, rollout and large product management, building and presentation of customer management reports and go-to contact for details on HP performance against contract, engagement design and global contacts for the business between client and HP.
• Ran a $26MM server ordering project for HP customer Home Depot. Deal included shipment of 3,988 servers refreshing 1,994 US and Puerto Rico Home Depot stores. Management of the product rollout included hosting of daily calls for almost two months and resulted in all servers being delivered to the customer within need-by dates and to enable HP to recognize the revenue by fiscal year-end. Led the team to get product build schedules in place and truckload shipping per Home Depot warehouse requirements and resolved issues with both missing cables and invoices to HP Financial Services in the US and Puerto Rico. Then repeated the same process a year later for another 440 servers for use in Home Depot Canada stores. Successful completion of this rollout required brokering an agreement between HP Financial Services and HP Transportation to resolve an issue with shipping costs.
• Created an effective customer forecast template for HP customer BAE Systems. Client was decentralized and unhappy with order turn-around-time for notebooks. Designed a detailed forecast model for the customer to use based upon purchase history by the BAE business groups and lines of business and convinced HP management to pre-build against the customer forecast, leading to a 33% (19 days to 12) reduction in turn-around time. This process and its result also strengthened the relationship with the BAE contract administrator.
• Responded to a product receipt issue with HP customer AP Moeller Maersk and prevented the return of over 500 docking stations to HP. Customer is headquartered in Denmark and product specifications of custom notebooks were changed by client and HP Sales team in Europe to include drop-in-box docking stations along with notebooks. US customer contacts ordered separate docking stations along with notebooks containing docks. Rather than extra docking stations being returned, worked with customer to get payment for ordered docks and set up a new custom notebook SKU without dock to be ordered and then paired up with docks in inventory.
• Resolved, along with Sales District Management, a pricing issue with HP customer Invensys. Products at time of standard transition had specifications greatly improved and prices were increased. Worked closely with customer management on buy-off of price increase and created the communications strategy to purchasers around the improved specs.
• Developed internal process of customer shipment, forecast and exit-rate reporting and then presented data at both an aggregate and account level to HP Supply Chain and Product Line management. This communication to internal business owners showed business controls around inventory prebuilding and allowed it to continue.
• Grew into having a very high level of expertise in Microsoft Excel. Asked by management to design and deliver Excel training to peers in supply chain and operations, including sessions on pivot tables and V-Lookups. Also created pivot table templates for use by Customer Service reps and was the go-to contact for Excel questions.
• Developed internal process of customer shipment, forecast and exit-rate reporting and then presented data at both an aggregate and account level to HP Supply Chain and Product Line management. This communication to internal business owners showed business controls around inventory prebuilding and allowed it to continue.
• Grew into having a very high level of expertise in Microsoft Excel. Asked by management to design and deliver Excel training to peers in supply chain and operations, including sessions on pivot tables and V-Lookups. Also created pivot table templates for use by Customer Service reps and was the go-to contact for Excel questions.
Private media company offering integrated trade and consumer marketing programs
Midwest Regional Sales Manager
• Sold integrated trade and consumer marketing programs with both direct mail and advertising in sports magazines.
• Generated all leads, cold-called to set appointments and did approximately 130 in-person sales presentations, typically to individuals in VP Marketing or VP Sales positions at corporations that could advertise nationally.
The Southwestern Company Nashville, TN 1992-1996
Educational and reference book publishing company
Sales Organization Manager / Sales Recruiter / Salesperson
• Worked in summer sales program starting while in college. Sold as well as recruited, trained and managed others.
• Managed 12 sales personnel in region during final summer and received Growth Award four years in a row for significant increase in annual personal sales. Finished in top 5% of salespeople company-wide in final summer.
Education / Achievements
MBA: Marketing, 1998 – University of Oregon
BA: English, 1994 – Western Washington University
Author of nonfiction books published via Amazon: Words Written Down – 2012, 111 Books Reviewed – 2012, More Words Written Down – 2014 and Business Writing to Remember – 2014.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Magazine reading notes 10: 2008 Feb-Mar
Fast Company – Feb
Profile of Production Company Motion Theory… creator of HP “hands” spots among many other interesting ads
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/loco-motion.html
Mention of TED conference in late Feb
Profile of current leader of Bell Labs Jeong Kim with additional mention of how other corporate labs (such as HP Labs) operate
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/mad-scientist.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/lab-results-may-vary.html
Fast Company – Mar
Listing of the “Fast 50” most innovative companies:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/123/the-worlds-most-innovative-companies.html
Google… and its various employee programs: author series, Presidential Candidate series
Method… environmentally friendly cleaning products
HP… PSG ad campaign and new market products such as the Blackbird 002 gaming PC
Ausra… solar power provider based in Campbell, CA
Time – Mar 10
Mention of “Lush Life” by Richard Price… described as an excellent crime novel
Time – Mar 24
Piece on reusable water bottles… and how plastic is not designed for repeat use
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1722266,00.html
Time – Mar 31
Cover story on the Dalai Lama
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1723922,00.html
Profile of Production Company Motion Theory… creator of HP “hands” spots among many other interesting ads
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/loco-motion.html
Mention of TED conference in late Feb
Profile of current leader of Bell Labs Jeong Kim with additional mention of how other corporate labs (such as HP Labs) operate
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/mad-scientist.html
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/122/lab-results-may-vary.html
Fast Company – Mar
Listing of the “Fast 50” most innovative companies:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/123/the-worlds-most-innovative-companies.html
Google… and its various employee programs: author series, Presidential Candidate series
Method… environmentally friendly cleaning products
HP… PSG ad campaign and new market products such as the Blackbird 002 gaming PC
Ausra… solar power provider based in Campbell, CA
Time – Mar 10
Mention of “Lush Life” by Richard Price… described as an excellent crime novel
Time – Mar 24
Piece on reusable water bottles… and how plastic is not designed for repeat use
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1722266,00.html
Time – Mar 31
Cover story on the Dalai Lama
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1723922,00.html
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Magazine reading notes 9: 2008 Jan-Feb
Time – Dec 31-Jan 7
“Person of the Year Runner-Up profile of author J.K. Rowling: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html
Esquire – Jan
“What I’ve Learned” piece with Carrie Fisher. In it, she says “I like having written the same way I like having gone to the gym. I’m a conversationalist more than a writer. I take dictation from myself. I talk about myself behind my back.” http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/ESQ0102-JAN_FISHER
BusinessWeek – Jan 14
Book review of “The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California” by Richard Rayner
Time – Jan 14
Mention of the book “Intern” by Sandeep Jauhar… given a A- in the “5 things you need to know about” section as well as the book “The Geography of Bliss” by Eric Weiner
Esquire – Feb
Review by Tom Chiarella of “A Fraction of the Whole” by Steve Toltz: http://www.esquire.com/fiction/book-review/fraction-of-whole-0208
BusinessWeek – Jan 21
Profile of design guru Richard Sapper… http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_03/b4067038197222.htm?chan=search
Piece on photo store website http://www.smugmug.com/
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_03/b4067202218875.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – Feb 4
Profile of former SAP executive Shai Agassi and his efforts to build and sell electric cars at Better Place: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_05/b4069042006924.htm?chan=search
One page advert for public service directing people to the JFK Presidential Library website… http://www.jfklibrary.org/
Time – Feb 18
“Milestones” obit on Transcendental Meditation (TM) founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
BusinessWeek – Feb 11
Interview with conservative financial sage Henry Hebeler and his website http://www.analyzenow.com/ His primary message… save.
Time – Feb 25
Profile of home energy efficiency expert Joe Harberg… runs http://www.currentenergy.com/: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713474,00.html
BusinessWeek – Feb 18
Article on MTV Networks gaming division… over 5,000 mobile, console and online games and virtual worlds: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071051387940.htm?chan=search
Piece on Apple Computer’s new database program, Bento: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071076622275.htm?chan=search
Esquire – Mar
“Ask Dr. Oz” with heart surgeon Mehmet Oz… wide-ranging Q&A session covering interesting topics… http://www.esquire.com/features/ask-dr-oz/dr-oz-0308
Essay by former Baltimore Sun writer and current writer/product on HBO show “The Wire”, David Simon: http://www.esquire.com/features/essay/david-simon-0308
“What I’ve Learned” piece by Esquire GM Glenn Fitzpatrick who is living with ALS: http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/glenn-fitzpatrick-0308
BusinessWeek – Mar 3
Cover story on customer service… both companies that do it well and how customer evangelists get the word out about those companies that do not… http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_09/b4073037433899.htm?chan=search
Fast Company – Feb
Mention of new direction for HP Labs…
TED 2008 took place end of Feb…
Yahoo! Sports competition with ESPN website…
Advertising agency Motion Theory and the spots it has created for HP among other companies…
Goof website that went viral… http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/
“Person of the Year Runner-Up profile of author J.K. Rowling: http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/personoftheyear/article/0,28804,1690753_1695388_1695436,00.html
Esquire – Jan
“What I’ve Learned” piece with Carrie Fisher. In it, she says “I like having written the same way I like having gone to the gym. I’m a conversationalist more than a writer. I take dictation from myself. I talk about myself behind my back.” http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/ESQ0102-JAN_FISHER
BusinessWeek – Jan 14
Book review of “The Associates: Four Capitalists Who Created California” by Richard Rayner
Time – Jan 14
Mention of the book “Intern” by Sandeep Jauhar… given a A- in the “5 things you need to know about” section as well as the book “The Geography of Bliss” by Eric Weiner
Esquire – Feb
Review by Tom Chiarella of “A Fraction of the Whole” by Steve Toltz: http://www.esquire.com/fiction/book-review/fraction-of-whole-0208
BusinessWeek – Jan 21
Profile of design guru Richard Sapper… http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_03/b4067038197222.htm?chan=search
Piece on photo store website http://www.smugmug.com/
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_03/b4067202218875.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – Feb 4
Profile of former SAP executive Shai Agassi and his efforts to build and sell electric cars at Better Place: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_05/b4069042006924.htm?chan=search
One page advert for public service directing people to the JFK Presidential Library website… http://www.jfklibrary.org/
Time – Feb 18
“Milestones” obit on Transcendental Meditation (TM) founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
BusinessWeek – Feb 11
Interview with conservative financial sage Henry Hebeler and his website http://www.analyzenow.com/ His primary message… save.
Time – Feb 25
Profile of home energy efficiency expert Joe Harberg… runs http://www.currentenergy.com/: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1713474,00.html
BusinessWeek – Feb 18
Article on MTV Networks gaming division… over 5,000 mobile, console and online games and virtual worlds: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071051387940.htm?chan=search
Piece on Apple Computer’s new database program, Bento: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_07/b4071076622275.htm?chan=search
Esquire – Mar
“Ask Dr. Oz” with heart surgeon Mehmet Oz… wide-ranging Q&A session covering interesting topics… http://www.esquire.com/features/ask-dr-oz/dr-oz-0308
Essay by former Baltimore Sun writer and current writer/product on HBO show “The Wire”, David Simon: http://www.esquire.com/features/essay/david-simon-0308
“What I’ve Learned” piece by Esquire GM Glenn Fitzpatrick who is living with ALS: http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/glenn-fitzpatrick-0308
BusinessWeek – Mar 3
Cover story on customer service… both companies that do it well and how customer evangelists get the word out about those companies that do not… http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_09/b4073037433899.htm?chan=search
Fast Company – Feb
Mention of new direction for HP Labs…
TED 2008 took place end of Feb…
Yahoo! Sports competition with ESPN website…
Advertising agency Motion Theory and the spots it has created for HP among other companies…
Goof website that went viral… http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/
Monday, January 28, 2008
Cloud Computing at Google
The Dec 13 '07 cover story from BusinessWeek provides a fascinating look at a small, but incredibly ambitious initiative within the company called "Cloud Computing" (I first bounced around a few catchy titles for this post, but none of them rivaled the actual BW headline... "Google and the Wisdom of the Clouds)."
The idea was hatched by a 20-something Google engineer and in short, it provides access for outsiders (i.e. Universities and other companies) to Google's computing power. As is detailed in the article, there are only a few companies around (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon) with the raw computing power to do something like this and it's fascinating to see what will become of it. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm
The idea was hatched by a 20-something Google engineer and in short, it provides access for outsiders (i.e. Universities and other companies) to Google's computing power. As is detailed in the article, there are only a few companies around (Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Amazon) with the raw computing power to do something like this and it's fascinating to see what will become of it. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Magazine reading notes 8: 2007 Jul-Dec
BusinessWeek – August 13
Mention of http://www.payscale.com/ where you can compare your salary with those in similar professions
Esquire – September
Profile of Sean Penn by writer Scott Raab… following the release of Penn’s move “Into the Wild”: http://www.esquire.com/features/seanpenn0907?click=main_sr
Mention of Conn Iggulden’s book “The Dangerous Book for Boys”
Time – August 20
Excerpt from “The Preacher & the Presidents” about Pastor Billy Graham and his interactions with various US Presidents… by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1651625,00.html
BusinessWeek – August 20
Short piece on the vulnerability of the levee systems around the Sacrameno-San Joaquin Delta area: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047047.htm?chan=search
Personal branding piece about how to define yourself so it’s done for you by others: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047419.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – July 23
Piece on widgets being used in social networking sites… most well known are those in the fairly recently opened to 3rd party applications http://www.facebook.com/: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_30/b4043071.htm?chan=search
Mention of http://www.etsy.com/... An online marketplace for handmade goods
BusinessWeek – August 6
Ranking of best global brands with sub-feature on HP and the “Computer is personal again” campaign
Time – August 6
Cover story about how boys in today’s society are both fine (as opposed to the fatalistic view held by many) and are doing many outdoorsy, boy type things from yesterday: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1647452,00.html
BusinessWeek – July 30
Short story on new “person-looking” search engines http://www.spock.com/, http://www.wink.com/ & http://www.zoominfo.com/
Website special report on switching careers
Addison Avenue Magazine – Summer
Article on raising money-smart kids. Includes: open a savings acct and then manage the use of that
Profile piece on Erin Gruwell the teacher behind “The Freedom Writers Diary”
USAA Magazine – Summer
Mention of http://www.freecycle.com/ where people can get rid of and acquire unwanted items
Sierra Club Magazine – July/August
Profile of Michelle Kaufmann who designs the “glidehouse” prefab home: http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/glidehouse/
The Wave Magazine – July
Mention of Sunnyvale DIY shop http://www.thesawdustshop.com/
Time – September 17
Article about the high levels of lead exposure for many young children. Can purchase lead-testing kits and have blood tests screen for exposure: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659704,00.html
BusinessWeek – September 17
Review of many of HP’s new Blackberry-competing smartphones: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_38/b4050065.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September 24
Book review of “The Billionaire Who Wasn’t” by Conor O’Clery about Chuck Feeney, the founder of Duty Free Shoppers: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_39/b4051084.htm?chan=search
Article about the workplace culture at Netflix: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_39/b4051059.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September 10
Profile of Microsoft HR head and the people management (aimed at employee happiness & retention) done at the corporation: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_37/b4049065.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September
Inside Innovation section: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/
Time – September 10
Cover story on national service and what’s occurring across the country: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657799,00.html
Time – October 22
Joe Klein commentary on Merle Haggard and his returning the Democratic side: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670520,00.html
Piece on Copenhagen’s program to give father’s paid time off after the birth of a child: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670507,00.html
Time – October 29
Piece on Time’s “America: An Illustrated History” picture book
Review of “The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
Esquire – October
Profile of Benicio Del Toro by writer Chris Jones: http://www.esquire.com/features/esquire-100/benicio1007?click=main_sr
Mention of band The Weakerthans by writer Chris Jones
Time – November 5
Time’s new political website: http://www.thepage.time.com/
Piece on the resurgence of kayaking as a pastime: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1675598,00.html
BusinessWeek – October 15
Special report on solar power being provided by Silicon Valley company Ausra: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_42/b4054053.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – October 22
Profile on Michelle Hernandez… former Ivy League admissions counselor who is now a college application coach: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_43/b4055063.htm?chan=search
Piece on healthcare advocates: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_43/b4055089.htm?chan=search
Fast Company – September
Piece by Robert Scoble on http://twitter.com/ and its impact as a communication medium
Cover story on Adam Werbach, former young head of the Sierra Club… now runs an environmental consulting company with Wal-Mart as its largest client: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/working-with-the-enemy.html
Story on founder behind http://www.mahalo.com/, a search engine with hand-built results to various search queries
Profile of Ashley Qualls, a 17 year-old who has built a million $ business selling MySpace design templates at http://www.whateverlife.com/:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/girl-power.html
Time – various issues
Political blog: http://time-blog.com/swampland
Fast Company – October
Profile of HP VP Design Sam Lucente and his impact on and role in the company: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/streamlining-hp.html
Time – October 15
Piece on Nike’s new Nike Plus running shoe concept which melds music and an online experience into jogging: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668469,00.html
Article on the new definition of fatherhood with many more Dads staying home to care for the kids whilst Mom works: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668449,00.html
BusinessWeek – November 5
Piece on Bang & Olufsen and how its designers create new products for the company w/o much focus group input: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_45/b4057057.htm?chan=search
Time – November 12
Tech buying guide items: glo pillow at www.embryo.ie/glo/index/html
Time – December 17
Profile of young evangelical pastor Rob Bell and his appeal: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1692051,00.html
Esquire – December
Book recommendations from Esquire writers: “Grey Area” by Will Self; “The Mezzanine” by Nicholson Baker; “Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin; “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf; “Far Afield” by S.L. Price; “The Blade Itself” by Marcus Sakey
Profile on David Vann’s attempt to sail nonstop around the world… progress updates at www.esquire.com/tincan.
BusinessWeek – December 3
Website http://www.careerplanning.about.com/
BusinessWeek – November 15
Piece on the HP Innovation Office led by Seth McKinney and the efforts around the VooDoo PC: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2007/id20071114_289027.htm
BusinessWeek – December 24
Cover story on Google and the concept of cloud computing: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm
Mention of http://www.payscale.com/ where you can compare your salary with those in similar professions
Esquire – September
Profile of Sean Penn by writer Scott Raab… following the release of Penn’s move “Into the Wild”: http://www.esquire.com/features/seanpenn0907?click=main_sr
Mention of Conn Iggulden’s book “The Dangerous Book for Boys”
Time – August 20
Excerpt from “The Preacher & the Presidents” about Pastor Billy Graham and his interactions with various US Presidents… by Nancy Gibbs and Michael Duffy: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1651625,00.html
BusinessWeek – August 20
Short piece on the vulnerability of the levee systems around the Sacrameno-San Joaquin Delta area: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047047.htm?chan=search
Personal branding piece about how to define yourself so it’s done for you by others: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_34/b4047419.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – July 23
Piece on widgets being used in social networking sites… most well known are those in the fairly recently opened to 3rd party applications http://www.facebook.com/: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_30/b4043071.htm?chan=search
Mention of http://www.etsy.com/... An online marketplace for handmade goods
BusinessWeek – August 6
Ranking of best global brands with sub-feature on HP and the “Computer is personal again” campaign
Time – August 6
Cover story about how boys in today’s society are both fine (as opposed to the fatalistic view held by many) and are doing many outdoorsy, boy type things from yesterday: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1647452,00.html
BusinessWeek – July 30
Short story on new “person-looking” search engines http://www.spock.com/, http://www.wink.com/ & http://www.zoominfo.com/
Website special report on switching careers
Addison Avenue Magazine – Summer
Article on raising money-smart kids. Includes: open a savings acct and then manage the use of that
Profile piece on Erin Gruwell the teacher behind “The Freedom Writers Diary”
USAA Magazine – Summer
Mention of http://www.freecycle.com/ where people can get rid of and acquire unwanted items
Sierra Club Magazine – July/August
Profile of Michelle Kaufmann who designs the “glidehouse” prefab home: http://www.mkd-arc.com/homes/glidehouse/
The Wave Magazine – July
Mention of Sunnyvale DIY shop http://www.thesawdustshop.com/
Time – September 17
Article about the high levels of lead exposure for many young children. Can purchase lead-testing kits and have blood tests screen for exposure: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1659704,00.html
BusinessWeek – September 17
Review of many of HP’s new Blackberry-competing smartphones: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_38/b4050065.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September 24
Book review of “The Billionaire Who Wasn’t” by Conor O’Clery about Chuck Feeney, the founder of Duty Free Shoppers: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_39/b4051084.htm?chan=search
Article about the workplace culture at Netflix: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_39/b4051059.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September 10
Profile of Microsoft HR head and the people management (aimed at employee happiness & retention) done at the corporation: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_37/b4049065.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – September
Inside Innovation section: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/
Time – September 10
Cover story on national service and what’s occurring across the country: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1657799,00.html
Time – October 22
Joe Klein commentary on Merle Haggard and his returning the Democratic side: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670520,00.html
Piece on Copenhagen’s program to give father’s paid time off after the birth of a child: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1670507,00.html
Time – October 29
Piece on Time’s “America: An Illustrated History” picture book
Review of “The Four Hour Workweek” by Timothy Ferriss
Esquire – October
Profile of Benicio Del Toro by writer Chris Jones: http://www.esquire.com/features/esquire-100/benicio1007?click=main_sr
Mention of band The Weakerthans by writer Chris Jones
Time – November 5
Time’s new political website: http://www.thepage.time.com/
Piece on the resurgence of kayaking as a pastime: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1675598,00.html
BusinessWeek – October 15
Special report on solar power being provided by Silicon Valley company Ausra: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_42/b4054053.htm?chan=search
BusinessWeek – October 22
Profile on Michelle Hernandez… former Ivy League admissions counselor who is now a college application coach: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_43/b4055063.htm?chan=search
Piece on healthcare advocates: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_43/b4055089.htm?chan=search
Fast Company – September
Piece by Robert Scoble on http://twitter.com/ and its impact as a communication medium
Cover story on Adam Werbach, former young head of the Sierra Club… now runs an environmental consulting company with Wal-Mart as its largest client: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/working-with-the-enemy.html
Story on founder behind http://www.mahalo.com/, a search engine with hand-built results to various search queries
Profile of Ashley Qualls, a 17 year-old who has built a million $ business selling MySpace design templates at http://www.whateverlife.com/:
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/118/girl-power.html
Time – various issues
Political blog: http://time-blog.com/swampland
Fast Company – October
Profile of HP VP Design Sam Lucente and his impact on and role in the company: http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/119/streamlining-hp.html
Time – October 15
Piece on Nike’s new Nike Plus running shoe concept which melds music and an online experience into jogging: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668469,00.html
Article on the new definition of fatherhood with many more Dads staying home to care for the kids whilst Mom works: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1668449,00.html
BusinessWeek – November 5
Piece on Bang & Olufsen and how its designers create new products for the company w/o much focus group input: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_45/b4057057.htm?chan=search
Time – November 12
Tech buying guide items: glo pillow at www.embryo.ie/glo/index/html
Time – December 17
Profile of young evangelical pastor Rob Bell and his appeal: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1692051,00.html
Esquire – December
Book recommendations from Esquire writers: “Grey Area” by Will Self; “The Mezzanine” by Nicholson Baker; “Winter’s Tale” by Mark Helprin; “Plainsong” by Kent Haruf; “Far Afield” by S.L. Price; “The Blade Itself” by Marcus Sakey
Profile on David Vann’s attempt to sail nonstop around the world… progress updates at www.esquire.com/tincan.
BusinessWeek – December 3
Website http://www.careerplanning.about.com/
BusinessWeek – November 15
Piece on the HP Innovation Office led by Seth McKinney and the efforts around the VooDoo PC: http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/nov2007/id20071114_289027.htm
BusinessWeek – December 24
Cover story on Google and the concept of cloud computing: http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/07_52/b4064048925836.htm
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