Bernard Madoff and a culture of dishonesty

Over two thousand years ago Jeremiah wrote;

1 "Go up and down the streets of Jerusalem (insert city here),
       look around and consider,
       search through her squares.
       If you can find but one person
       who deals honestly and seeks the truth,
       I will forgive this city.

Madoff, 70, was arrested Dec. 11 after telling his two sons and federal investigators that he had been using money from new investors to pay off old ones in a massive Ponzi scheme. He said clients of New York-based Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC lost $50 billion.

Far be it from me to cast stones but to learn from this situation. I believe it has been said that when someone who is in a position of power or authority falls it is best for the rest of us to examine ourselves. This scandal, however, is a complete disgrace.

It's just a magnified example of how deceit and greed can absolutely destroy lives. It might be that Bernard's $50 billion destroyed many but it can be just as devastating at the level of a family between two members...
 
More here

Robotics and AI

New Army technology could save soldiers' lives - CNN.com:

Regrowing a fingertip cut off in an accident sounds like something from a futuristic movie. But with innovative technology developed by the U.S. Army, such regrowth is possible today.

This remotely controlled robot, called BEAR, could help remove injured soldiers from battlefields.

The Army's regenerative medicine study combined properties from the intestinal lining and the urinary bladder to create a regenerative substance called Extracellular Matrix.

The cream-colored crystallized powder, called "magic dust," boosts the body's natural tendency to repair itself, said U.S. Army Biological Scientist Sgt. Gen Rossman. When the matrix is applied to a missing digit or limb, "the body thinks it's back in the womb," Rossman said.

"Robot technology has exploded in the past six years, said Army scientist John Parmentola. Robot prototypes of all kinds were on display at the conference, and about 10,000 military robots are expected to be deployed in the field in 2009."

Fascinating developments in robotics. Also, if you look at TED - you can see of the latest in this field as well.

Bush has some moves!

Regardless of how you feel about President George Bush, you have to admire his moves in the most recent dodge of a shoe flung at his head.

CNN

Or try a good parody:

Modern Day Pirates

 Who would have thought that Pirates would become such a predominate threat in the 21st century?

According to Wikipedia:

"Seaborne piracy against transport vessels remains a significant issue (with estimated worldwide losses of US $13 to $16 billion per year[27][28]), particularly in the waters between the Pacific and Indian Oceans, off the Somali coast, and also in the Strait of Malacca and Singapore, which are used by over 50,000 commercial ships a year. A recent[29] surge in piracy off the Somali coast spurred a multi-national effort led by the United States to patrol the waters near the Horn of Africa to combat piracy. While boats off the coasts of North Africa, Iran and the Mediterranean Sea are still assailed by pirates, the Royal Navy and the U.S. Coast Guard have nearly eradicated piracy in U.S. waters and in the Caribbean Sea."

What an industry! Someone please get some resources over to the Somali coast. This is Black Hawk Down out of control...

23 pirates caught - CNN

Hard Work and Luck...

Web 2.0 entrepreneur cashes out just in time - CNN.com:

"The 26-year-old, a former Microsoft employee who helped put together the Windows Home Server product, founded a company called Esgut within months of the debut of Facebook's developer platform in May 2007. Esgut is a portfolio of Facebook applications, and a few of them, like Superlatives and Entourage, became genuine viral hits."

Ali got lucky. Even before the reality of the recession set in, the social-platform craze was subsiding. The venture capital buzz about widgets began to quiet over the summer. Some of the sillier novelty apps wore off in popularity. Companies that were snapping up small apps and raising huge amounts of venture capital, like Slide and RockYou, grew intimidatingly bigger--but the glut of independent apps made it more difficult to grab the attention of potential buyers.

I met with a client yesterday that raised round 1 of funding, had a great start and fantastic platform but as the economy started to turn the investors in round 2 pulled out and it all fell apart. Not an unfamiliar story these days.

Hard work, proven teams, deep pockets, etc... all have much to do with the success of any venture. However, there is also time and chance. That simple concept is as old as time itself...

Congratulations Ali!

How to Survive the Collapse of the American Empire | Debt Reduction Formula

“Any doubt that we’re officially in a recession can be put aside.” -Anthony Karydakis, former Chief U.S. Economist for JP Morgan Asset Management"

It only took us a year for our Economists to let us know what everyone knew already...

Found this article interesting. Incredible pessimism? Folk lore? Truth? conspiracy theory? A blend of drama?

I don't know but looking back in time and viewing our nation in the context of history is important.

Scream Bloody Murder - Special Reports from CNN.com

"A French priest in Cambodia. An idealistic U.S. Senate staffer in Iraq. A Canadian general in Rwanda. Each one tried to focus the world's attention on genocide. Each time, they were shunned, ignored or told it was someone else's problem."

Greed gone wild

Wal-Mart worker dies in rush; two killed at toy store - CNN.com:

"a temporary Wal-Mart employee was trampled to death in a rush of thousands of early morning shoppers as he and other employees attempted to unlock the doors of a Long Island, New York, store at 5 a.m., police said."

Was it really that important to score that deal at Wal-Mart?

Big Three auto CEOs flew private jets to ask for taxpayer money - CNN.com

"There is a delicious irony in seeing private luxury jets flying into Washington, D.C., and people coming off of them with tin cups in their hand, saying that they're going to be trimming down and streamlining their businesses," Rep. Gary Ackerman, D-New York, told the chief executive officers of Ford, Chrysler and General Motors at a hearing of the House Financial Services Committee.

They are having a very difficult time financially... read the rest here CNN

Number crunching, time wasting and other random Starbuck moments

I frequent Starbucks. In fact, if you logged into my Mint account you would see that they are my most frequented vendor. If you really wanted to waste more time you would graph my Starbucks consumption with others nationally (which Mint allows you to do). You would then have a heart attack especially if you were responsible for my budget.

So I was standing in line at Starbucks yesterday ordering my newest concoction; 3 shots on ice with a pump of mocha in a grande cup. Yes, I order it just like that. That is, of course, if the person making it doesn't recognize me and begin making it.

My drink is being made and 90% of the time the partner making my drink will ask if I would like the 4th shot free! As if I needed a 4th shot, I oblige and gracefully accept their generous offer. But this time some number crunching gene in my brain began asking the question, "I wonder how much money that Starbucks is leaving on the table by having a machine that mandates pulling 2 shots every time 1 is ordered?"

As if that alone was not enough time wasted I put it on a spreadsheet;

560 avg cups per store per day
$3.25 avg cost per order
$1820 avg income per store
15000 # stores
$9.964 avg annual income (this was a ballpark - wikipedia, which I looked at after and probably would have been quicker, said 2007 revenues were $9.4 billion)

If 5% of customers, or 26 of those 560 cups per store, are given the extra shot at .40 per shot that is $2,016,000 annually left on the table. I don't know how solid that is but it was an interesting exercise.

I guess a more productive and prudent use of my time would have been to take the amount of money I spend everyday, calculate the future value of that if I invest it rather than drink it and probably come up with an equally alarming figure.

Palin says she'd be honored...

Palin says she'd be honored to help Obama - CNN.com: "Gov. Sarah Palin said Wednesday that she would be honored to help President-elect Barack Obama in his new administration, even if he did hang around with an 'unrepentant domestic terrorist.'"

Classic - that would actually generate a good amount of healthy debate in the work environment...

Point taken, however, that we deal with unrepentant terrorists; whether Democrat or Republican. What would that Saturday Night Live do a skit look like?

To 50 Restaurants in the World

I was talking with a friend the other day going to a very chi-chi restaurant in Japan and it got me thinking about nice eats. So here is this years list; Top 50 Restaurants.

No surprise that 3 are in California...

Obama Wins

Regardless of your political persuasion this is a historic day. To see Jesse Jackson crying on CNN and our first African-American President elected in the USA and a new hope taking place is quite inspiring. We have many difficulties ahead and many challenges to overcome. However, this is truly a breakthrough and gives everyone the ability to believe, that regardless of backgroud, economic status or other life factors the impossible is truly possible.

CNN Story

We're Off

And were taking old faithfull - the 96 mazda.

Maltese Falcon has landed

I was in Tiburon last week with a client who sails. He had helped escort the Maltese Falcon, the largest privately owned yacht in the world, into harbor. It is now docked just off the shore of Sausalito. So I drove by to take a look on my way home.

The cost? Just $190 million. Oh, and if you want to rent it for a week - it will run you about $500k plus food and beverages. But at least that includes staff...

Chronicle Article
Maltese Falcon Homepage

OJ Simpson

I remember reading a book, from Anthony Robbins, in early 1992. One of the inspiring stories was of a young boy with rickets who overcame and went on to be a NFL super star, defying all the odds against him. I was inspired.

Then in 2004-2005 that same boy who had overcome was on trial for a horrendous murder. Like many people I had many mixed emotions. If nothing else, I was dissapointed. Guilty or not it was simply a sad story.

Over the past 13 years I have not given much thought about it other than the sporadic episodes of seemingly ridiculous altercations that Simpson seemed to get himself into.

The story now seems to end with more news that just doesn't make anyone feel good. I am not talking about the foolish behavior that he has seemed to display; just the story overall. Something that could have ended on a much more encouraging note over the totality of his life just seems to have gone from one tragic event to another.

The media's coverage here.

Confused about the $700 billion bailout?

This was a good program from NPR that explained some of the details in plain English.

The future is here...

An interesting advertisement by Minolta

The Economy; AIG, Lehman Brothers, Merrill-Lynch, et al...

An article on CNN today stated;

"AIG is by far the world's largest insurer and its stock is found in many mutual funds, including any S&P 500 index fund. It is also a component of the Dow Jones industrial average. All by itself, it's been responsible for dragging the Dow down more than 400 points so far this year."

Being in the insurance  industry, I received this letter today from the CEO of AIG, via a local Account Executive. What I found interesting is the recent rhetoric of the magnitude of this economic downturn in American History - said again in this letter from Mr. Winter;


September 16, 2008

Dear Valued Distribution Partner, The recent activity in the financial markets over the past few days has been nothing less than extraordinary. I know many of you have questions about your customers’ policies and about placing future business with AIG American General. As the financial crisis in the U.S. continues I want to assure you that AIG is actively working to develop solutions to improve liquidity and capital strength in this unsettling period in American financial history.

Attached are some talking points that will help you to discuss concerns you and your clients may have. These will be updated periodically as we receive more information. Please rest assured that there are many people working extremely hard to resolve the issues at hand, and there is a great deal of activity underway to develop sound solutions. I have never been more confident in the talent of AIG’s management team.

There are many possible options being considered and I can promise you that we will be in touch once we have more information. The next few days will undoubtedly bring much needed clarity and direction. In the meantime, I thank you for your continued support of AIG American General.

Sincerely,

Matt Winter

I don't hear anything concrete in that letter...

To infinity and beyond: A sparkling survival story - CNN.com

To infinity and beyond: A sparkling survival story - CNN.com: "Walter Marino shouted to his 12-year-old son, Christopher, as he drifted farther away in the Atlantic Ocean.
A Coast Guard crew found Christopher three miles away from where his father was rescued.

A Coast Guard crew found Christopher three miles away from where his father was rescued.
Click to view previous image
1 of 3
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'To infinity,' the father yelled.

'And beyond,' Christopher replied.

After a rip current swept the boy and his father out to sea Saturday, darkness fell, and the sound of rescue helicopters and boats grew faint until they were nonexistent.

Despite the danger, Christopher, who has autism, was enjoying himself, his father said. The boy lacks a fear of death because of his autism and finds comfort in the water, Marino told CNN.

Marino finds comfort in his son. Their unique circumstances helped keep them alive for more than 12 hours in the open ocean, Marino said."

I read this and cried.

Be humble, it might save your life

Miraculous survivors: Why they live while others die - CNN.com:

"Those who seemed best suited for survival -- the strongest or most skilled -- were often the first to die off in life-or-death struggles, he says. Experience and physical strength can lead to carelessness. The Rambo types, a Navy SEAL tells Gonzales, are often the first to go.

Small children and inexperienced climbers, for example, often survive emergencies in the wilderness far better than their stronger or adult counterparts, he says.

They survive because they're humble, Gonzales says. They know when to rest, when they shouldn't try something beyond their capabilities, when it's wise to be afraid.

'Humility can keep you out of trouble,' Gonzales says. 'If you go busting into the wilderness with the attitude that you know what's going on, you're liable to miss important cues.'"

Robert Shiller - if you follow any markets - follow what he says

Best-Selling Author Robert Shiller Tells Us How to Get out of This Mortgage Mess in THE SUBPRIME SOLUTION - Originator Times

In THE SUBPRIME SOLUTION: How Today’s Global Financial Crisis Happened, and What to Do about It (publication date September 1, 2008), Shiller reveals the origins of this crisis that has already wreaked havoc on the lives of millions of people and which now threatens to derail the U.S. economy and economies around the world. Shiller calls for an aggressive response—a restructuring of the institutional foundations of the financial system that will not only allow people once again to buy and sell homes with confidence, but will create the conditions for greater prosperity in America and throughout the deeply interconnected world economy.

Shiller blames the subprime crisis on the irrational exuberance that drove the economy's two most recent bubbles—in stocks in the 1990s and in housing between 2000 and 2007. He shows how these bubbles led to the dangerous overextension of credit now resulting in foreclosures, bankruptcies, and write-offs, as well as a global credit crunch. To restore confidence in the markets, Shiller argues, bailouts are needed in the short run. But he insists that these bailouts must be targeted at low-income victims of subprime deals. In the longer term, the subprime solution will require leaders to revamp the financial framework by deploying an ambitious package of initiatives to inhibit the formation of bubbles and limit risks, including better financial information; simplified legal contracts and regulations; expanded markets for managing risks; home equity insurance policies; income-linked home loans; and new measures to protect consumers against hidden inflationary effects.

“Robert Shiller is two for two in predicting and identifying bubbles that will burst. This book is a must read for anyone predicting bubbles or charting the course of recovery from our current difficulties.”

― Lawrence H. Summer, Harvard University

Palin's teen daughter is pregnant - CNN.com

CNN.com: "Palin's teen daughter is pregnant"

So what - is there not news that is worthy? Come on people!

Amazing Lightning Photos

Click here to see the rest

Found these on Best Article Everyday

Portal to mythical Mayan underworld found in Mexico

original article (Reuters)

"MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Mexican archeologists have discovered a maze of stone temples in underground caves, some submerged in water and containing human bones, which ancient Mayans believed was a portal where dead souls entered the underworld."

According to an ancient Mayan scripture, the Popol Vuh, the route was filled with obstacles, including rivers filled with scorpions, blood and pus and houses shrouded in darkness or swarming with shrieking bats, Guillermo de Anda, one of the lead investigators at the site, said on Thursday.

How would you like to go trick-or-treating there? Can you say freaky?

Wanna Swat a Fly?

 

Takeoff (click to read story and see videos)

Morning Edition, August 29, 2008 · Flies In Danger Escape With Safety Dance - 

You may think you know how to swat a fly, but Michael Dickinson's work could teach you a thing or two. 

Dickinson used superslow-motion video cameras to study how a fly avoids getting swatted.

The video camera captures 5,400 frames per second.

Make a million on Facebook?

Google Reader (1000+):

"Facebook is a famously difficult place to make money. Despite the popularity of the social network, most ads go for pennies per thousand impressions (CPMs). Even Social Media, a Facebook ad network that is able to get effective CPMs of about 50 cents, has only paid out a little more than $8 million total to application developers since it launched a year ago.

Read the rest of the article here.

Buying in Bear Markets | Market Pessimism

"I will tell you how to become rich. … Be fearful when others are greedy. Be greedy when others are fearful."
-- Warren Buffett

What makes Buffett's quote especially relevant today is the following bit of information:

A recent New York Times article pointed out that bearish sentiment, as measured by the Conference Board, has hit an all-time high. Fully 55% of the people questioned in July expect the stock market to decline over the next 12 months.

Why is this important today? Because each time the bearish sentiment has exceeded 35% over the past 21 years, the market has confounded that sentiment by gaining ground over the following year, at an average pace of 20.5%.

from: The Fool

Dealing with Business Debt

Finding myself in a precarious situation from a business perspective I found this site and article useful:

Note: As far as Vitals are concerned, we say “tough times call for tough decisions”. When you’re in a serious

financial predicament you may have to find new suppliers and resources. The truth is that some creditors will do business with you on a COD or cash basis while you negotiate a past due balance with them. If they refuse to do business with you, their competitors may jump at the opportunity. Remember, the primary goal of a restructuring is to satisfy the debts owed to your creditors. Preserving a relationship is nice, but secondary to your ultimate goal.

From Jerry Silberman - companydebts.com

How fast do snails travel?

A snail crawls about 2.5 meters in an hour.

Google Reader (1000+)

Spanking - Good or Bad?

CNN -

More than 200,000 children were spanked or paddled in U.S. schools
during the past school year, human rights groups reported Wednesday.

At first I was skeptical of this article as the author waxed on about the adverse consequences of spanking. In the home, under the correct conditions, with the right attitude and w/o anger I think spanking can be appropriate.

However, at school? This still happens? I believe in California this is illegal! leave it to the South to keep up the tradition. Unbelievable! The worst part is that the study shows, again, that this practice is most often used on minorities and children with disabilities. It makes me ill just thinking about this...

Pull out already

Come on Russia... what happened to pulling out? Georgia Crisis: News & Videos about Georgia Crisis - CNN.com

HS Dent | Demographic - Based Economic Forecasting

HS Dent Demographic - Based Economic Forecasting -

I have followed some of HS Dent's articles over the past couple years. He is a big proponent in arguing that we will face a "Japan like" 10+ year recession starting in 2010.

CLASSIC - Olympic girl seen but not heard

What a classic move... I thought something looked funny while she was singing.

cnn - Games organizers confirm that Lin Miaoke, who performed "Ode to the Motherland" as China's flag was paraded Friday into Beijing's National Stadium, was not singing at all.

Lin was lip-syncing to the sound of another girl, 7-year-old Yang Peiyi, who was heard but not seen, apparently because she was deemed not cute enough.

Phelps dives into Olympic history - CNN.com

Phelps dives into Olympic history - CNN.com: "The focus came from year after year of workouts in the pool.

He swam nearly four miles in each workout and often practiced twice a day with hardly a day off. Ironically, it is just that kind of intense work that may have cost Phelps much of his childhood.

'I think he missed out on a normal progression of things, but I wouldn't say he's missed anything,' Bowman said. 'I would say he would tell you what he's gained has been a lot better than what he's missed.'

Phelps agrees.

'I would never trade going to the Olympic Games and standing on top of the medal podium or being able to turn professional or travel all over the world, I would never trade any of it in,' he said."

That is focus! Obviously Phelps has amazing physical and athletic talent. However, this is another example that if you want something hard work and focus can take you further than you imagine. On the other hand, there is always a trade off.

Gotta Have More Cowbell

One of my all time favorites! Very funny Will Ferrell video - more cowbell -

Money helps with image

Alot went into preparing for the Olympics in Bejing, as one would expect for any host;

2008 Olympics Opening Ceremonies

At minimum the opening ceremonies requires watching

Attaining any goal is not easy - what's the best way

Google Reader (916): - from Get Rich Slowly

"If personal finance were really as simple as understanding the math, we would all be rich. But it’s not. And we’re not. That’s why I think any small financial victory is important. That’s why I run this web site, and why I share whatever tips I can find.

I always say “do what works for you”. Some people are able to succeed by paying high-interest debt first. But some people — myself included — have only been able to succeed by trying another approach. The approach may not be best from a mathematical viewpoint, but I believe that any method that actually helps you meet your goals is better than one that doesn’t."

I read this article this morning and thought that the principle applies to anything. Often in reading books or looking for a solution to child-rearing, communication, work, marriage, etc... I (we) look for THE answer. What the author says here is that, "any method that actually helps you meet your goals is better than one that doesn't."

There is no silver bullet.

If you gamble...

You might want to take this baby with Vegas to you  - from CNN - 8-lb., 8-oz. baby born at 8:08 on 8/8/08. If you don't gamble just enjoy the odds.

10 Mispronunciations that make you sound stupid

Google Reader (870):(click for the rest)

#1: Realtor
Many people — I’ve even heard it from people on national TV — pronounce this word REAL-uh-ter. Is this a case of wide-spread dyslexia, transposing the a and the l? It’s REAL-tor. That’s it. You’d think only two syllables would be easier to pronounce, but apparently not."

Think things through

Soaring on Ridgelift:

"Part of being a venture capitalist is meeting with a lot of companies trying to raise money. Regardless of the stage of the company, the most common issue I see (and therefore the biggest hurdle to raising money) is a failure to think things through.

Thinking things through means having a picture in your mind about the different aspects of the company; what is needed to get the product/service to market, sell it, build revenue, become profitable and create value in the company."

Found this article on Stu Phillips blog Soaring on Ridgelift. I was thinking the same thing last night in regard to life, the failure to think things through leads to all sorts of problems. As demands increase the discipline to stop, focus and think becomes increasingly difficult.

A380 - lands in SF

Emirates' decked-out A380 jet drops by SFO:

"'I've never seen an aircraft like this - it feels like you're in a cruise ship,' said Mark Ludwig, CEO of AirTreks, a San Francisco travel agency"

800 Passengers!!

Useless Fact

"The U.S shreds 7000 tons of used currency each year."

$15,515.50 per person - do the math

from - cakemusic.com NEWS:

"ExxonMobil is off the hook for billions in punitive damages related to the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. In 1994, the oil giant was ordered to pay $5 billion in punitive damages. In 2006, that amount was cut to $2.5 billion. Last week, the Supreme Court slashed the amount once again, to $507.5 million. By a 5-3 vote (Exxon stockholder Samuel Alito sat out), the court reasoned that punitive damages should not exceed what the company paid to victims for economic losses. Since the accident, Exxon has paid $3.4 billion in various fines, penalties, cleanup costs, claims, and other expenses. The $507.5 million will be divvied up among 32,677 commercial fisherfolk, seafood processors, landowners, native Alaskans, and small business owners. Exxon, which posted a record-breaking annual profit of $40.6 billion in February, makes $507.5 million in approximately 12 hours of sales." - I am in the wrong business.

Daniel Tosh - funniest comedian I have seen in a long time

I was in Oregon last week and caught Daniel Tosh on comedy central one night. I have not stopped laughing since!

Here is his calendar of appearances - Shows - we'll probably go to the show in SF
Itunes link

19 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Level of Insanity

1. At Lunch Time, Sit In Your Parked Car With Sunglasses on and point a Hair Dryer At Passing Cars. See If They Slow Down. 
2. Page Yourself Over The Intercom. Don't Disguise Your Voice.

3. Every Time Someone Asks You To Do Something, ask If They Want Fries with that.

4. Put Your Garbage Can on Your Desk and Label it 'In'.

5. Put Decaf In The Coffee Maker For 3 Weeks. Once Everyone has Gotten Over Their Caffeine Addictions, Switch to Espresso.

6. In The Memo Field Of All Your Checks, Write 'For Smuggling Diamonds'.

7. Finish All Your sentences with 'In Accordance With The Prophecy'.

8. Don't use any punctuation.

9. As Often As Possible, Skip Rather Than Walk.

10. Order a Diet Water when you go out to eat, with a serious face.

11. Specify That Your Drive-through Order Is 'To Go'.

12. Sing Along At The Opera.

13. Go To A Poetry Recital. And Ask Why The Poems Don't Rhyme?

14. Put Mosquito Netting Around Your Work Area and Play tropical Sounds All Day.

15. Five Days In Advance, Tell Your Friends You Can't Attend Their Party Because You're Not In the Mood.

16. Have Your Co-workers Address You By Your Wrestling Name, Rock Bottom.

17. When The Money Comes Out The ATM, Scream 'I Won! I Won!'

18. Tell Your Children Over Dinner, 'Due To The Economy, We Are Going To Have To Let One Of You Go.'

By far the coolest technology in a decade!

I picked up the new Iphone yesterday. I remember getting a treo handspring for Christmas December 1999. It was the first piece of useful technology. Something that I could actually get excited about.



Everything since then has been neat, fun, cool or otherwise some type of improvement - but this..... the same feeling. I am going to party like it's 1999.

Talented?

Google Reader (885): "Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time."

Hidden Prices at the Store

Read this article. I love stuff like this. Marketing/produce/product/food companies making subtle changes to packaging (giving you less) while charging the same price... Google Reader (887)

Cellphone - Tumor or not?

Have you heard, cellphones are deadly. Science told us so this week when Dr. Ronald B. Herberman of the esteemed University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute realized that cellphones emit death rays that fry your brain and turn you into a baby-eating Communist, or give you cancer or whatever. Dr. Despair isn’t a downer though! Inside, 10 practical ways to keep your precious little brain safe from those ubiquitous chirping cancer slabs…

Read the rest of this article here.... I tend to think it will be one of those issues that 10-20 years from now reports will be confirmed and we will all look back thinking, "why did I use that thing as much?" Similar to those who thought smoking was cool in the 50's...

Randy Pausche - Full of Zeal and Much Inspiration

I posted about Randy a while back. Rather than write my own words I found this on "get rich slowly" posted by J.D. which describes what I might have written:

"Last summer, Randy Pausch, a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, learned that the pancreatic cancer he was fighting had metastasized, and that he only had months to live. A few weeks later, he delivered his “last lecture”, a talk meant to impart the wisdom he’d gained during his lifetime.

Pausch’s presentation, entitled “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” was a huge internet phenomenon, and was downloaded more than 10,000,000 times. Many Get Rich Slowly readers sent me links to the video. I watched it twice (and bought the book), but I never wrote about it. I’m not sure why not. It had a profound impact on me. It’s inspiring. It’s full of zest for life and praise for dreams.
Randy Pausch died this morning (yesterday - my note) at age 47. Here is the complete video of his “last lecture”"

I am buying his book and followed his online journal for the past six months...

Google Maps Mania

Google Maps Mania - This is a great blog that has map mashups for almost any type of information you might look for. Some are very fun and others simply interesting.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.

Bloomberg.com: U.S.: "The next White House occupant will inherit the deepest housing recession in a generation, growing fears of bank failures, a sinking dollar, $4 gasoline and an economy bleeding jobs. He'll confront wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, mounting tensions with Iran and the U.S.'s flagging international reputation.

Historians say the economic and foreign policy crises in Bush's wake will present either Democrat Barack Obama or Republican John McCain with the biggest challenges to a new president since Herbert Hoover left office during the Great Depression.

``What a burden the next president is going to confront,'' says Robert Dallek, a presidential historian and biographer of Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson. ``It'll be like Franklin Roosevelt coming in, in 1933.''"

What a mess...

Tesla opens Menlo Park store

Google Reader (1000+): "Tesla Motors, the automobile startup with backers that include Sergey Brin and Larry Page, held a party tonight to mark the launch of its Menlo Park storefront. The store, which is the company’s second, will be open to the general public beginning this Tuesday."

EmailFuture.com - The best way to send emails to yourself in the future.

EmailFuture.com - The best way to send emails to yourself in the future.: "EmailFuture.com is a free way to send yourself emails in the future. Whether it's a reminder email in half an hour or a message to your future self in 10 years. Go to our Useful Uses Section for a list of useful uses for EmailFuture.com."

Migh be a useful application...

Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Living a Happy and Simple Life | The Best Article Every day

Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Living a Happy and Simple Life The Best Article Every day - this is a fascinating article. Here are a couple highlights:

Secret # 1 : Happiness comes from within.
In my adult business life I have never had to make a choice of trading between professional and personal. I tap-dance to work, and when I get there it’s tremendous fun.- Warren Buffett

Secret # 4 Think Simply.
“I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.” - Warren Buffett

It says a great deal about the character of a man who invested a measly amount in Microsoft despite the fact that Bill Gates is one of his closest friends. I learned a valuable lesson of life from this experience - “Not losing hard earned money is far more important than making more money”.

How do you rationalize the richest man on the earth still living in a small 3-bedroom house that he purchased fifty years ago? Warren Buffett never travels in a private jet despite the fact that he owns the largest private jet company. His character and way of life speak volume about his greatness.

A.J. Jacobs - Living Biblically

The Year of Living Biblically answers the question: What if a modern-day American followed every single rule in the Bible as literally as possible. Not just the famous rules – the Ten Commandments and Love Thy Neighbor (though certainly those). But the hundreds of oft-ignored ones: don’t wear clothes of mixed fibers. Grow your beard. Stone adulterers. A.J. Jacobs’ experiment is surprising, informative, timely and funny. It is both irreverent and reverent. It seeks discover what’s good in the Bible and what is maybe not so relevant to 21st century life. And it will make you see the Good Book with new eyes. Thou shalt not put it down. Read more.

I have to read this...

A.J. Jacobs: Author; The year of living biblically

http://ajjacobs.com/content/home.asp

Sometimes you have to laugh...

what's the probability you'll live to 116?

Google Reader (1000+): "One person in 2 billion has a chance to live to be 116 years old."

IndyMac: Your money is safe - FDIC - Jul. 13, 2008

IndyMac: Your money is safe - FDIC - Jul. 13, 2008:

"The FDIC disclosed last month that it was closely watching 90 financial institutions on its 'problem list,' up from 76 in the first quarter of 2008. The total assets of 'problem' institutions rose from $22.2 billion to $26.3 billion, the FDIC said. The FDIC does not publish a list of trouble banks out of concern it could spur a bank run"

Friday, July 11th, 2008 - what a wild day! 50% drop in Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac! IndyMac bankrupt! Wow!

10 highest-radiation cell phones (United States) - CNET reviews

10 highest-radiation cell phones (United States) - CNET reviews: "Manufacturer and modelSAR level(digital)
1Motorola V195s1.6
2Motorola W3851.54
2bRIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Sprint)1.54
2cRIM BlackBerry Curve 8330 (Verizon Wireless)1.54
5Motorola Deluxe ic9021.53
5aT-Mobile Shadow (HTC)1.53
5bMotorola i3351.53
8Samsung Sync SGH-C4171.51
9HTC SMT58001.49
9aMotorola Z6c1.49"

someday I suppose I will watch a documentary (maybe in 30 years) similar to one that exposed the cancer causing effects of tobacco smoke. There where, however, great public service announcements all through the 30', 40's and 50's about how cool and safe cigarette smoke was... or am I just touting conspiracy theory?

Touchscreen Technology

A couple years ago at the TED conference in Monterey a touch screen computer was unveiled (I believe I posted a video clip of it here a while back. This is the first I have seen of it being available in the public marketspace. I could be behind the times.... I have seen CNN using it during election coverage. In addition, the Apple Iphone (which, by the way, released it'snew 3G cheaper verision yesterday) has it. But this is the first on a pc. Looks pretty cool...

Netflix

We have been fans of netflix for a long time. Now you can stream videos if you are a regular member. Great quality and a good mix of kids videos and documentary's.

Cocaine Cowboys

Watched this documentary last night. It was quite fascinating and alarming at the same time.

Herbal Tea

YerbanLegend.com Guayaki’s new Mate Bar - Bob Karr, founder of LinkSV and Silicon Valley Serial Entrepreneur, sent this over. His son started/founded Guayaki Tea as sustainable tea company. The apple, or in this case, the tea leaves, don't fall far from the tree.

Brain Cancer

The Independent - Print Article - an award-winning cancer expert published a study on the affects of cell phone use and brain tumors - speculation or real? sounds like the tobacco industry 40 years ago...

The Sun

The sun is about 5 billion years old

WorldWide Telescope

WorldWide Telescope - yes, another geek tool. But this is fun.

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Colossal Castle or Humble Home? Same Price – Your Choice : DivineCaroline

Colossal Castle or Humble Home? Same Price – Your Choice : DivineCaroline

Buy this castle in South Africa for $500,000 or a 1 bedroom in San Francisco.

Blogged with the Flock Browser

California man losing nine homes in mortgage mess | U.S. | Reuters

I can relate to this "California" man all too well right now. I appreciate his attitude and outlook. We have taken the same approach to the downturn and its impact on our properties.

California man losing nine homes in mortgage mess U.S. Reuters: "A California man who has defaulted on nine homes and expects banks to foreclose on all of them, forcing him into bankruptcy, says he now considers it a mistake to have invested in the real estate market.

Shawn Forgaard, a 37-year-old software company project manager, bought one home for his family to live in and nine more as investments. He stands to lose all the investment houses in the mortgage meltdown but says he has come away wiser from the experience."

Bob Marley

For some reason I have always assumed that Bob Marley died of an overdose. I have listened to and enjoyed his music off and on over the years. This short biography is worth the read. Most importantly, are the things you learn when facing the end of your life. See his last words below.

Bob Marley - encyclopedia article about Bob Marley.: "While flying home from Germany to Jamaica for his final days, Marley became ill, and landed in Miami for immediate medical attention. He died at Cedars of Lebanon Hospital in Miami, Florida on the morning of May 11, 1981 at the age of 36. His final words to his son Ziggy were 'Money can't buy life.'"

Chilean Volcano

Pretty amazing pictures and story about this currenlty erupting volcano in Chile.



Volcano

Flock Browser - The Social Web Browser

Check out this new browser - Flock

How To Make A Frappuccino | Free Financial Help

I love Starbucks. However, my checkbook does not agree with me. Unfortunately, I love a grande frappucino with two floated shots = $4.90. So I have cut back signigicantly. Now I am making them at home.

How To Make A Frappuccino Free Financial Help:

"Frappuccino Recipe
The first step to making a frappuccino is buying high quality coffee. You can buy authentic Starbucks coffee or you can shop around for less expensive coffee if you really want to save some money.

If you can, you should buy the coffee beans. The coffee beans are not only less expensive, but fresh ground coffee will make your frappuccino taste even better!

Once you have your fresh ground coffee, it's time to start brewing! Frappuccinos use double-strength coffee to give it an added kick. This means that to make a frappuccino you have to measure two tablespoons of ground coffee per serving in your coffee maker.

Once the coffee has been brewed, chill it in the refrigerator. It works best if you brew the coffee the night before so that you will have your frappuccino the next morning!

Now that you have your chilled coffee, add three tablespoons of granulated sugar, one cup of milk (low-fat or skim milk works fine), and two cups of ice in a blender. These measurements assume you are making two grande frappuccinos. If you are making more or less, please adjust the measurements accordingly.

Blend the ingredients together on high speed until the ice is crushed and the drink is smooth. Pour the frappuccinos into two 16-ounce glasses and ENJOY!"

Randy Pausch - Last Lecture

This is perspective and very moving; here is a link to his daily updates http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/

Housing Drop: No End in Sight

Certainly many are feeling the crunch of the drop in the housing market. We are no different. $200k+ drop in two homes currently on the market and no end in sight. I read Shillers book. Did I listen?

Shiller at BAAS: Housing Will Continue to Fall - Seeking Alpha

Olympic Torch Today in SF

San Francisco is the only stop for the torch in North America. The city was chosen to host the relay, in part, because of its large Chinese-American population. Read more...

I had a meeting in the city at 3:30 but decided to cancel rather than get caught in the chaos. Every city visited so far has encountered quite a bit of protest.

20 Ways the World Could End | Health & Medicine | DISCOVER Magazine

This is a fascinating, if not dark, article about potention doomsday scenarios. It's long but worth the read:

20 Ways the World Could End Health & Medicine DISCOVER Magazine

Thought for the day

Knowledge has long been recognzied as a key component to success:

“Knowledge is, indeed, that which, next to virtue, truly and essentially raises one man above another.” — Joseph Addison in the Guardian, no. 111, Letter of Alexander to Aristotle

Read More...(7 traits of successful people on Get Rich Slowly)

Another Statistic

cakemusic.com NEWS: "Nearly two-thirds of Africans have no access to a toilet." Yikes!

40th Anniversary: King Assassination

Yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr.

The state of the economy

Today on NPR (listening on my way back from Sac) was an interview with Michael Greenberger. He said basically that our economy is built on a bunch of gamblers sitting behind computers. Listen here.

parasites

I was doing some research on health and cleansing and ran across this article (old) in discover magazine on parasites entitled; do parasites rule the world. Here is an excerpt (chilling);

Yet we know that we, too, are collections of cells that work together, kept harmonized by chemical signals. If an organism can control those signals— an organism like a parasite— then it can control us. And therein lies the peculiar and precise horror of parasites.

http://discovermagazine.com/2000/aug/cover

This little light of mine...

This group (clark brothers) just performed on American Idol and won the next greatest band contest: (best version I have ever heard)

Sampa Personal, Family Website

I ran across this site today. I have not toured it in much detail yet but looks like it could be useful in the neverending quest to find one place to "broadcast" to family and friends;

Sampa - Create a Free Website, Baby website, Family website, Personal website

Rockin to Johnny Cash

I haven't listened to country in years. A friend mentioned Johnny Cash last week. So I created a new station to listen.

You can find my stations at:

World Autism Day

Today is world autism day.

Gmail Custom TimeTM

Google is off the hook! This is the company that I love to hate but that I love. I work about 3 blocks from the Googleplex and I use all their products.

This blog is hosted by google, I use google reader, I use gmail, etc... they allow their employees to use 10-20% (some percent) of their time for personal projects.

Many of those end up being the products that you and I use. I just saw "custom time". I have no idea of the practical use but take a look -

Introducing Gmail Custom TimeTM - who thought of this?

Also see - Grandfather Paradox -

(gotta love April fool's)

Links: The 101 most useful websites

Ran across this list today. I spent a couple minutes going through and there looks to be some good links;

The 101 most useful websites The Best Article Every day

cakemusic.com | NEWS

Cake is a great band. They are from Sacramento. Wendy and I were married and lived in Sacramento. Arnold Schwarzenegger now runs Sacramento. I think the coincidences end there.

Anyway, I like the format of their news "blog". Here is an interesting fact from one of their posts:

cakemusic.com NEWS: "Nearly half of the world's 1.3 billion smokers live in China, India and Indonesia, the three largest consumers of tobacco products. In China alone, more people smoke than live in the United States."

Into the Wild

Last night we watched Into the Wild;

It was well done. Good acting. Great cast. Above all, was what Christopher McCandless, played by Emile Hirsch discovers at the end about relationships. After rejecting society and setting off on his own to live in the wild he comes to some great realizations. Rather than give it away (it's been out a long time anyway) - watch it!

Ethics

Today I had to renew my business insurance license. As part of that I have to take CE (continuing education) credits. One is on ethics in insurance. Here are a few excerpts from the definition of ethics;

Personal adj. 1. Of, pertaining to, or coming as from a particular
person; individual; private.

Conduct n. 1. Personal behavior; way of acting; deportment, to
behave or manage oneself.

Responsibility 1. the state of or fact of being answerable or
accountable. 2. a particular burden or obligation upon one who is
responsible. syn. answer ability, accountability.

Aspiring v. 1. to long, aim, or seek ambitiously; be eagerly
desirous, esp. for something great or of high value.

I would summarize ethics as a personal aspiration to conduct oneself responsibly.

Candy Man - Adam Sandler

I have just been in a mood to post some funny clips these days. This is a classic from Saturday Nigh Live;

Comedian Adam Sandler - SNL Halloween Costume Suggestions Funny Jokes at JibJab

Mind Bender - Solve the Riddle

You are in front of a wide river. With you is a chicken, a fox and a bag of grain. You can only carry one of those across the river at at time. If you leave the fox with the chicken, the chicken will be eatin. If you leave the chicken with the grain the chicken will eat the grain. How do you get them all across?

Take a minute to laugh...

Watch this it will help...

Doing good in a "bad" economy

A couple of good articles today on get rich slowly and the simple dollar. On get rich slowly JD wrote:

"Whatever happens, I’m going to pursue the get rich slowly philosophy. It’s worked for me so far, and I’m confident that it will work in the future (whatever that may bring). I will:

Avoid debt.
Spend less than I earn.
Maintain an emergency fund.
Track my spending.
Exercise frugality.
Save for my retirement.
Ignore the media hype."

I cannot say that I have personally been practicing all of these. We are starting to spend less, building an emergency fund, sporadically tracking spending (thank you Mint), thinking about frugality, doing some retirement savings and reading lots of media. However, we are on track and discussing practicing them. Baby steps, right?

On simple dollar, the author wrote, "Every single minute, you have choices in life. You can sit there twiddling your thumbs and reading TMZ or you can bust your hump getting a great project done on time. You can burn $30 at the bookstore, or you can go to the library and get those same books for free. You can spend your evening watching television, or you can use it to educate yourself."

Good stuff.

Room to Breathe

This is a short movie (12 minutes) that Steve Johnson directed and wrote. Steve leads a church in Portland, Oregon.

Art Alexikas, lead singer from Everclear, stars in it as the main psycho. Steve has done alot of good in the world and is a great guy. This movie is very dark. I love the contradiction! Enjoy!

The problem with evil

A couple weeks ago I saw a two hour documentary on Canadian General Roméo Dallaire. He was head of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Rhwanda in 1993. He recently wrote a book called, "shake hands with the devil."

It was very moving to see General Dallaire's plight as he was one of the only units to remain after the genocide began. Personally it has taken him years to recover from the guilt (feeling as though he could have done more), the depression (sheer volume of destruction of life he saw) and heartache.

Then last week I read an article (with the same title as mine above) from the Ted Conference. You can see the article in it's entirety here. Cited in the article are a couple of studies from Stanley Milgram and Phil Zimbardo, both on the concept of authority. Basically, the premise is that we are all capable of evil and lots of it given the right circumstances. Here are a couple highlights; (read the article)

seven social processes that grease the slippery slope of evil:

mindlessly taking the first small step
dehumanization of others
de-individualization of self (anonymity)
diffusion of personal responsibility
blind obedience to authority
uncritical conformity to group norms
passive tolerance of evil through inaction or indifference
and that particularly in new or unfamiliar situations

Power without oversight is prescription for abuse.

Get Rich Slowly

I've run across a great blog this week; Get Rich Slowly. Take a look. You will find lots of great articles about living frugily and finding ways to cut back.

Start Wars - from a 3 year old

As with most stuff I post here, I borrow from others. This was on my facebook page as one of the most popular and we found it quite funny;

Centralia, Pennsylvania - Town on Fire

My oldest son (6) has a magazine subscription to a magazine called Ask. In one of the more recent issues we were reading there was a story about a town in Centrailia, Pennsylvania. It was an amazing issue that I was not aware took place. Basically, there was a fire that started in the early 1960's. It went underground and began trailing a coal mine. The city spent over $44 million dollars, did numerous studies and was unable to put the fire out. Now (40 years later) it is still burning! Experts say it may burn for 250 years! The town has been deserted.

you can view a video about it here;



Other places for research;

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centralia,_Pennsylvania

There was also a documentary done on the town (you can find it on wikipedia above).

Baja California fishing port of San Felipe hooks visitors

My brother and I rented a car in 1992 in San Diego. We then drove down through Baja on a week long journey that took me to the beaches and coast along the Sea of Cortez. We stayed a few days in San Felipe. I remember enjoying it and wanting to go back. More recently, it has gained more attention. We are planning to go back soon - you can read some here; Baja California fishing port of San Felipe hooks visitors

Great article on the "new middle-class millionaires"

From Marketwatch - highlights;


7.6% of American households, or 8.4 million households are middle-class millionaires
The average middle-class millionaire works 70 hours per week
Middle-class millionaires are five times more likely than the average worker to say they are always available for work
89% believes that anyone can attain wealth through hard work
62% believes that networking, or knowing many people, is the key to financial success

Nine out of 10 middle-class millionaires say they made a bad career or business move, but almost three-fourths say that was crucial to their business success (that's an amazing statistic - if nothing else, encouraging!)

They are five times more likely than the average middle-class person to continue on in the same business course in spite an earlier failure (equally encouraging)

The week's 10 best Personal Finance stories -- March 3-7 - MarketWatch

Here are some good articles on finance from this past week: The week's 10 best Personal Finance stories -- March 3-7 - MarketWatch

A VC: Conviction and Discipline

This is a good article on investing. What hit me is the constant temptation to drift from a business plan, etc...

A VC: Conviction and Discipline

Change Your Thinking

Here is a good article from the Business Pundit - for detail read click the link. For highlights of the top 10 changes my business thinking (from Bob May) see below;

Luck Matters

It is Always Easy to See What You Want to See

Do Stuff - don't just talk

Failure Doesn’t Really Matter

Revenge is a Waste of Time and Energy

Help Others Reach Their Goals

#1? - Relationships, relationships, relationships

enuff said...

AlterNet: MediaCulture: We Can Now Map Everything -- from Illness to Endangered Species

This is an interesting article on the explosion of our mapping culture. Being interested in maps myself, I found it worth reading;

AlterNet: MediaCulture: We Can Now Map Everything -- from Illness to Endangered Species

Cisco Telepresence Magic

This is amazing technology - YouTube - Cisco Telepresence Magic

ASIMO

The continued evolution of intelligent life. Check this out: Honda Worldwide ASIMO

Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. - Thomas A. Edison

Staggering Statistic

I just read this article on cnn.com about the prison population in America. It states that 1 in every 100 adults in the US are behind bars. Consider the following:

The report said the United States is the world's incarceration leader, far ahead of more populous China with 1.5 million people behind bars. It said the U.S. also is the leader in inmates per capita (750 per 100,000 people), ahead of Russia (628 per 100,000) and other former Soviet bloc nations which make up the rest of the Top 10.

China's population is over 1 billion (4x's the US) and they have 700,000 less people incarcerated!!!

Innovation

The front page of the March issue of Fast Company has a quote by Doug Merril, CIO of Google, which reads;

"Innovtion is super fragile. It's very easy to kill. We need a stubborn, rebellious attitude."

Nice.

Portland's High Tech Community And The Space To Think

from Silicon Valley Watcher - you shoudl read this article: Portland's High Tech Community And The Space To Think:

"My favorite quote comes from Linus Pauling, the US two-time Nobel prize winner, for Chemistry and Peace (he refused to work on the Manhattan Project unlike other self-proclaimed pacifists: Einstein, Fermi, and Oppenheimer.) He is considered one of the world's 20 top scientists with an incredible body of work produced during his 93 years.
How did he do it, how did he come up with so many great ideas? He said that the trick to having great ideas is to have lots of ideas.
It's true. A lot of the ideas that I write down, I throw away later, but there are enough left behind that make it through to the next stage. (But you have to write them down otherwise they disappear as quickly as the most vivid morning dream.)"

24 hours on craigslist | home

I have not seen this yet. However, as I write this I am putting it at the top of my que in Netflix. I love documentaries. I mean I really love them. I met Craig last week at the Web 2.0 conference and look forward to seeing this. When I say "met" I mean that I was one of 100 people in line that said hello, shook his hand and thanked him for his entertaining interview on the panel. So I don't know that "meet" is accurate. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I am sure I will: 24 hours on craigslist home

another good war documentary

No End in Sight is probably one of the most profound and non-biased war documenaries I have found to day. Regardless of where you stand on war or on the war with Iraq this is worth watching. By the way, I love documenatires.

Good Blog to follow

I was reading a few article yesterday and came across this blog. If you are intereted in startups you will find this interesting (I'll blog a list sometime soon); Startupboy

Lawson-Hawks New Website

Our companies new website was launched today. Take a look; Lawson Hawks

WebGuild - Web 2.0

Yesterday I attended the WebGuild Web 2.0 conference in Santa Clara. You can check out the details here web 2.0.

Last week at the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leadership Class. Ron Conway (watch the podcast) said what my good friend Chris Combs (SVCP) has told me for years prior to me living here, "this is one of the most amazing and innovative places to live on the planet".

Several weeks ago at the Stanford Breakfast Briefing Don Tapscott spoke. Don is the author is a book called, "Wikinomics; how mass collaboration changes everything." The concepts he talks about are not only fascinating but revolutionary.

If the above is not enough to take in, check out a few of the newest social networking sites;

1. www.facebook.com
2. www.meetup.com
3. www.linkedin.com

Inspiring and motivating scene

We watched this movie last week and I must have cried for about an hour and a half. I would highly reccomend you watch it: Facing Giants (click on the left to buy it on amazon) - here is a clip to give you a taste;

Show me the money...

This clip is one of my favorite sales scenes of all time:

Sick Wipeouts at Mavs

Good Stuff

Sick Wipeouts at Mavs

Bill Cosby

One of the great scenses from a great comic:

Bill Cosby Himself - Chocolate Cake