Creating Passionate Users: The myth of "keeping up"

Creating Passionate Users: The myth of "keeping up"

This article surely rings bells. You ought to see the stack of to-be-read books and magazines in my home office. At least I have a holiday in a few months where some of the stack will be dealt with ...

CERIAS Weblogs » Security Myths and Passwords

CERIAS Weblogs » Security Myths and Passwords

Written by a professor of mine from University days, boy is this going to burst some bubbles!

Business 2.0: The best-kept secrets - Mar. 23, 2006

Business 2.0: The best-kept secrets - Mar. 23, 2006

From the magazine "Business 2.0", they present "5 tricks of the trade for everything from finding great employees to sparking creativity and even knowing when to pass on a deal." There's not an idea on the list that I don't like. And gee, that succinct presentation style of a photo with a couple of paragraphs is terrific.

Going Nuclear

Going Nuclear

Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace, writes in the Washington Post on why he supports nuclear power.

In the early 1970s when I helped found Greenpeace, I believed that nuclear energy was synonymous with nuclear holocaust, as did most of my compatriots. That's the conviction that inspired Greenpeace's first voyage up the spectacular rocky northwest coast to protest the testing of U.S. hydrogen bombs in Alaska's Aleutian Islands. Thirty years on, my views have changed, and the rest of the environmental movement needs to update its views, too, because nuclear energy may just be the energy source that can save our planet from another possible disaster: catastrophic climate change.

Also, read James Lovelock's "The Revenge of Gaia: Why the Earth Is Fighting Back".

How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 7, 2006

How I Work: Bill Gates - Apr. 7, 2006

Intersting article on CNN on how Bill Gates works, including using SharePoint. In my efforts to move us out of the 20th Century and into the 21st Century using collaboration tools, it's enlightening that Bill works this way. More importantly, he allows (and expects) his organisation to work this way.

In my world, using SharePoint is "beneath" most executives, managers, and other leaders. That's what PA's and secretaries are for. Thus the organisation is not "allowed", empowered, or enabled to move into the 21st century. We end up with an organisation whose information needs are driven by databases in PowerPoint.

These Guys Do What For a Living? And How the NY Times Sees It ...

Winds of Change.Net: These Guys Do What For a Living?

Mining is a dangerous business. Death is a possibility of every person entering a mine. Just a hunch, but I suspect there are considerably more deaths per year for mining for coal than any other energy manufacturing business.

Be that as it may, the New York Times, in an editorial also published at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/03/21/opinion/21tue3.html?ex=1300597200&en=1bbd6bc4e75e970f&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss chose to severely critize the Bush Admininstration for "packing mine safety agencies with pro-management appointees -- which has produced a marked decline in major fines for negligent companies."

Did the Times consider that mine safety agencies are not the main control of reducing death in a mine? Did the Times consider that maybe companies are not naturally as negligent as they assume?

Did the Times look a the trends in mine safety, as measured in deaths per year? See http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM where these stats are published:

Fatalities and Injuries for All Mining (Coal & Noncoal)

Year Average Annual
Deaths Average Annual
Injuries
1936-1940 1,546 81,342
1941-1945 1,592 82,825
1946-1950 1,054 63,367
1951-1955 690 38,510
1956-1960 550 28,805
1961-1965 449 23,204
1966-1970 426 22,435
1971-1975 322 33,963
1976-1980 254 41,220
1981-1985 174 24,290
1986-1990 122 27,524
1991-1999 93 21,351



There have been 24 mine deaths so far this year. Assuming this trend continues, this will be approximately the same as the average of the previous decade. If you want to politicize that statment, it's about the same as achieved in the Clinton admininstration. I'd say the Coal Mining Industry and the Government (starting a long time ago) has made great progress. Surely they can do more. I would prefer that they had gone faster, but the facts speak for themselves when comparing current performance vs. longer term trends. Further, to try to make a political statement just doesn't cut mustard.

Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing - Google Video

Computer Networks: The Heralds of Resource Sharing - Google Video

Fascinating 1972 video (available from Google) which describes the creation of the Internet by the people who did it--even before it was called the Internet. They touch on the technology and social changes they envision.

I found the video sobering on two fronts. I was at university in 1972. First, despite (as I remember) these ideas being in the minority and controversial, they were right. Second, I remember discussions of these issues at late-night discussions in the dorm and I used equipment like that shown in the video.

The Risk in Risk Management

(free registration required to read this link).

Tom Wescott writes a terrific article on a practical and pragmatics process for building realistic risk ppalns and budgets and integration them into project plans. This is the same message I've been promoting (and doing where possible) for many years. It's so revolutionary it's hard to see how this will change the world overnight. After all, the proposed process expects the project stakeholders and owners to actually fund risk mitigation activities (vs. making it charity work).

Well done Tom.

On Making the Right Choice: The Deliberation-Without-Attention Effect -- Dijksterhuis et al. 311 (5763): 1005 -- Science

On Making the Right Choice: The Deliberation-Without-Attention Effect -- Dijksterhuis et al. 311 (5763): 1005 -- Science: "On Making the Right Choice: The Deliberation-W"

Science magazine publishes a paper supporting the idea that "contrary to conventional wisdom, it is not always advantageous to engage in thorough conscious deliberation before choosing."

NPR : Podcast Directory

NPR : Podcast Directory

Terrific list of podcasts available from National Public Radio in USA.

Go Lady!

I'll always think of this video clip when I see fancy, expensive cars

The origins of the Great War of 2007 - and how it could have been prevented

The origins of the Great War of 2007 - and how it could have been prevented: "Niall Ferguson"

Niall Ferguson writes about how the "Great War of 2007" was made certain by three causes:

1. increasing reliance on the Middle East as a source of petroleum
2. large increase in a younger population in the Middle East compared to Europe and North America.
3. increase in religious fervour in Middle East compared to Europe

It is also interesting how Ferguson notes that history is repeating itself.

As in the 1930s, an anti-Semitic demagogue broke his country's treaty obligations and armed for war. Having first tried appeasement, offering the Iranians economic incentives to desist, the West appealed to international agencies - the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Security Council. Thanks to China's veto, however, the UN produced nothing but empty resolutions and ineffectual sanctions, like the exclusion of Iran from the 2006 World Cup finals.

A risk of those change demographics are more people with an alternative view of the past. As discussed in "Failing the Stalin Test" by Sarah E. Mendelson and Theodore Gerber in Jan/Feb 2006 issue of Foreign Affairs, that most young people in Russia think that Stalin did a good job and about 20% said they would vote for him if he ran for president today.

How, without remembering and understanding the past will be able to avoid the same mistakes?

New Scientist Premium- Editorial: Methane emissions cause red faces all around - Editorial

New Scientist Premium- Editorial: Methane emissions cause red faces all around - Editorial

The New Scientist Magazine (subscription required to see entire article) reports that between 10 and 30 percent of all methane tha is routinely and continuously pumped into the atmosphere is that methane emitted by vegetation. This methane source has never been noticed before, nor is there understanding why plants make methane.

And we thought we understoond global warming.

iTunes Appears to be a "Hog" on my machine

I mentioned before that learned to really find Podcasting useful to me. See http://www.rmschneider.com/blogger/2005/08/podcasting-is-terrific-despite-first.html. However, I've also grown to notice that Apple iTunes, during Podcast update, seems to be the single biggest "hog" of resources on my machine. Why is it such a sluggish program?

Math Will Rock Your World

Math Will Rock Your World

My 13-year old son wonders what learning mathematics will do for him in the future. He's at the point in life where you make choices about the school courses you wish to take. He's required to continue with math which is good--even better is that he wants to continue. This Business Week cover-story will be of interest to him, I hope.