Well, I have to make a decision: Hi Michael, Thank you for your prompt reply. I represent the CPays.com affiliate program. We promote 16 online gambling brands. I would like to advertise at least one of our gambling brands on your website – either with a text link or banner. We can sort out a […]
February 9, 2006
Recent Email
We get letters: Subject: Regarding your website (www.notio.com) I would like to advertise at your website. Please get back to me ASAP, I really want to close a deal today. (Name, company, and email withheld, though it does appear to be from an advertising firm.) My response: Sure, anything’s possible. What did you have in […]
February 8, 2006
Fear Is Everywhere
On the lowercase cover of mtj: massage therapy journal (“keeping you in touch”): 4 tips for a safer practice, p88 how to protect your business, p64 You don’t have to look too far for fear.
February 8, 2006
Jack of All Trades, Master of None
A business colleague whom I met at a SoL gathering emailed asking if I or anyone I knew would be qualified and interested in presenting his seminar for 5-7 days in May and June. I sent a bio, CV, and selected projects list. The response (in part): Wow! Talk about diversity! Clearly you are virtually […]
February 6, 2006
Making Oil Consumption Tangible
I heard a story the other night – unconfirmed, so this is just hearsay really – that during the winter months, each morning at 6 AM three oil tanker trucks pull into our local institution of higher learning and unload their contents into the the steam heating plant holding tanks. Every day! Three of those […]
January 31, 2006
What Google Knows
John Battelle, author of Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture, asked Google: 1) “Given a list of search terms, can Google produce a list of people who searched for that term, identified by IP address and/or Google cookie value?” 2) “Given an IP address or Google […]
January 26, 2006
GTI Project Fast
Volkswagen has launched what must be an online viral marketing campaign for the new GTI. Dear Michael J., You have been chosen by the Volkswagen GTI Mk V research and development team to take part in a nationwide research experiment exploring the psychological and social concept of “fast.” To take part, please visit: http://e.vw.com/a/tBD2TOmAQU8iiAcPMnoAHVDnpah/fasturl NOTE: […]
January 23, 2006
Transparency and Decision-Making
On a long conference call today 19 of us were discussing group process in decision-making. Specifically, how to assign consultants to incoming work requests. The issue is fraught with flaws that undermine community. For instance, central decisions might be made too quickly, based on who knows whom, using old bios, overlooking a more qualified newcomer […]
January 6, 2006
70 Years Ago Today
Terry Appleby, General Manager of the Hanover Co-op, of which I am proud to be the current board president, wrote: On January 6th, 1936, in the middle of the Great Depression, 17 families from Hanover, New Hampshire and Norwich, Vermont gathered to discuss the creation of a society of cooperation to meet their common needs. […]
January 4, 2006
Crossing a Car with a Motorcycle
Volkswagen introduces the GX3 – the first new idea in cars or motorcycles in years, if not decades. A two-seater, three-wheeled “motorcycle” that drives like a high-performance car, and gets 46 mpg in the city. The photos are amazing. Seems to be designed for commuters. Not sure if you can get winter wheels for the […]
December 23, 2005
Chaotic Growth
Michael Arrington tackles the Web 2.0 definition: Web 2.0 is not a marketing slogan. It is the slogan of a people’s army. Our army. They are words that help us explain the explosion of conversations on the web, and justify our enthusiasm for innovation. Web 2.0 is why I came back from my exodus at […]
November 22, 2005
Competitive Pre-Pay
Interesting news: “CUPERTINO, California—November 21, 2005—Apple® today announced that it has reached long-term supply agreements with Hynix, Intel, Micron, Samsung Electronics and Toshiba to secure the supply of NAND flash memory through 2010. As part of these agreements, Apple intends to prepay a total of $1.25 billion for flash memory components during the next three […]
October 23, 2005
Jetta GLI Winter Wheels Redux
As I’ve said before, the winter steel wheel you want for your 2004 1/2+ Jetta GLI 1.8T is a Macpek X41657. Not mentioned previously is that the tire size is 205/55 R16. The post generated a lot of comments at the time, and now that winter is coming I’m getting another round of email on […]
October 12, 2005
Milton Glaser
Chip Kidd interviews the designer Milton Glaser. Highly recommend. On parental influence: CK: How did your parents feel about your wanting to become an artist? I assume that’s what you always wanted. MG: Yes. I tell the story: At the age of five I made that decision. In my parents I had the perfect combination—a […]
September 23, 2005
[SoL] Cynefin Case Study: Managing Complexity
Dave Snowden was present, but only addressed specific detailed questions. The presentation was done by the lead researcher/practicioner, Bruce McKenzie, and the client’s liaison, Dr. Robert Kay, who is the Head of Strategic Thinking, and has published widely in the areas of autopoietic and social theory. The client: Westpac Banking Corp. 8.2 million customers in […]
September 23, 2005
[SoL] Dave Snowden and Cynifen Centre
This was the most interesting plenary session for me, and also my most interesting parallel session (see next post). I am planning to attend a training course on this material later this year or early next. I found it a very exciting blend of quantitative analysis and phenominological source material. www.cynefin.net “Open source Consulting” and […]
September 21, 2005
[SoL] Comments on the de Vulpian Presentation
Following de Vulpian’s talk at the SoL conference, we heard remarks from Anne Murray Allen, the director for Knowledge and Intranet Management at Hewlett-Packard, and Arie de Geus, a former Royal Dutch Shell strategist and SoL co-founder. HP is an interesting case study for what I call The Web as Organizational Mirror™. In the 1990’s […]
September 18, 2005
Politics vs. Goverance
Let me suffer the inadequate Internet connection just once more to comment on how surprising (yet welcome) it is to see opinions such as this from Newsweek. …Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history. Since 2001, government spending has gone up from $1.86 trillion to $2.48 […]
September 14, 2005
Transformative Questions
This morning I and three colleagues (from Singapore, Denver, and Boston) presented at the SoL Global Forum. The topic was “Extraordinary Leadership; Shape-Shifting and Transformative Questions as a Genesis for Change.” The session was held inside the Leopold Museum, and it went well. Just over 70 people attended, out of 400 conference participants, and with […]
September 1, 2005
Over 13% in Three Weeks
About three weeks ago I filled up my car at the gas station and hit $30 for the first time. This is a 2004 VW Jetta, not an SUV-sized gas tank. I almost blogged it, but never got around to it, and it borders on the trivial anyway. Today, with a tank fuller than that […]