Touching...

A reminder of how things still are for some children in India, found at the unlikeliest place Digital Video Editing
It is also interesting to read how the idea for movie was conceptualized and executed.

DMN: You are in software development yet you made a very interesting film. Have you had experience with filmmaking in the past? Do you intend to make more films in the future?
AD: Yes I am into software, but we all are into films, because we know how to pick the right film. I had no experience in filmmaking before. This is the first film I made, thanks to the electronics technology because of which a film can be made with very less cost and of course thanks to the Internet technology, my film has reached to you and all. Yes I want to make more films in the future. Thank you for liking my film

Alexis Dias made a movie because he was into films and knew how to pick the right film. The story is a good example of empowerment of 'average' consumers and the powerful message that can be delivered in user generated content

Traffic in India...

Came accross a video that provides a peek at the traffic situation in India. I suspect this video is running 2-3x faster than the recorede frames and hence it makes the traffic look as if it is moving much faster than what it usually is. Nonetheless you can see all the unwritten traffic rules in full action. (-:

I admit - I don't get it either...

Daniel writes in PEWire:

*** I understand Second Life like I used to understand Dungeons & Dragons. Not my cup of tea, but clean escapist fun for those who fancy themselves dice-throwing sorcerers. What completely confounds me, however, is the Second Life economy, in which people can make real money by selling fake things. Examples include pixilated designer dresses or "real estate" on fantasy islands (they actually make "Linden dollars," which have a L$300-US$1 conversion rate at Second Life currency exchange centers).

I'm not passing judgment, but rather just passing on my incredulity.

The reason I bring it up at all is that Second Life today is launching a business plan competition for "resident" entrepreneurs. The grand prize isn't terribly large – L$350,000 in seed Monday, which works out to less than US$2k), but it does involve some advisory participation from real VCs. The winner also will get complimentary marketing advice from PR firm Edelman.

If you're interested, there will be a kick-off panel this afternoon at 1pm EST, with panelists including Susan Wu of Charles River Ventures. I can't believe I'm relaying this but… Attendance will be limited on a first-come, first-served basis so please arrive early to Edelman Island. You can IM Hank Hoodoo with any questions.

Unlikely allies - PG&E and VMWare

Or so you would think.

Computer world writes: PG&E will pay millions to companies that virtualize

A PG&E official announced the program to a stunned audience of 7,000 or so at VMworld 2006 in Los Angeles last week. Not even the VMware people had much advanced notice. The PG&E guy threw out some numbers just to make sure attendees could believe what they were hearing. Basically, PG&E will "pay" incentives of roughly $750 to $1,350 per virtualized server, up to a whopping $4 million per customer. In other words, PG&E will pay you to take a bunch of servers and consolidate them onto a larger one running virtual server partitions. What a virtualization slam-dunk for IT folks. CFOs out West should be jumping all over this one.

While the article does not suggest that this is a strategic move planed by folks at VMWare and on the contrary reports that they were pleasantly surprised by the development, I will not be surprised it if was.

Recruiting MBA's a sure sign of impending doom....

If MBA's from top schools are salivating for a job with your company it is a sure sign of impending doom for your business - this is the premise of this Forbes article.

So recruiters beware! You have been warned, while you might believe that we MBA's are bright and hardworking and, bring energy and talent to your business, we might just be forbearer of doom for your enterprise.

On the bright side we MBA's should be happy, the story could have been worst, it could have claimed causality! Where would we hide then?

What an intro...

The security geek in me totally loved the introduction of Richard Dawkins by David Cowan.

Richard Dawkins was at Kepler's Books in Menlo Park reading excerpts from his book 'The God Delusion'.

It is a must watch no matter on which side of the argument you are on.

More on product placement

My previous post mentioned google encouraging product placement. I received the following email from Jumpcut, clearly the product placement in user generated content is increasingly a hot area and we will see the players try out different schemes to increase participation.

With cash prizes and other incentives, I am looking forward to a few better, slicker and humorous clips.

Update: I should have noted, Jumpcut is basically Yahoo!

Hi everyone,

We've been busy here at Jumpcut, working away on new features and contests.
Here's the latest.

NEW CONTESTS

Doritos: Crash the Super Bowl
Try using Jumpcut to create a Doritos commercial and you could win $10,000 and
a private Super Bowl XLI viewing party. If you are voted the favorite by
America, your commercial could be aired as a real Doritos commercial during
the Super Bowl. Imagine that. Go to http://www.jumpcut.com/groups/crash to
enter.

Matisyahu: Video Remix Contest
We've partnered with Sony/BMG to bring you new music contests. Remix
Matisyahu's music video "Jerusalem" for a chance to win an autographed CD and
a lithograph! According to Matisyahu himself, this song is about being in awe
and being fully alive. Mix in images and clips from your life that shows what
that means to you. Go to http://www.jumpcut.com/groups/matisyahu to enter.

Vega4: Life is Beautiful Contest
If you're looking for a great tune to throw together with your favorite photos
and video clips, this is it. Go to http://www.jumpcut.com/groups/vega4 and
remix the audio track. When you're done, post it on your MySpace page or use
our new feature to post it on your Facebook page!

NEW FEATURE

Share your movies on Facebook:
With this new feature, it takes you about five seconds to share your Jumpcut
movies with your friends on Facebook. Go to the movie you want to share,
click on "Post to Website", choose "Share on Facebook" and your movie will
play right inside your Facebook page.

AND WE HAVE WINNERS

Ruediger Post from Berlin, Germany was our My Cubicle Contest winner.
Ruediger won some vintage Jumpcut schwag! Check out his winning video at:
http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=E6ABF8444B1211DBB95D1EE329CBD869&type=

Mike Anderson from Layton, Utah was the Grand Prize winner for the STARZ Stand
Up or Shut Up contest. He wins a video iPod pre-loaded with the entire season
of Stand Up or Shut Up plus much more! Here's his winning video:
http://www.jumpcut.com/view?id=041D93F0300C11DB8657F64154DE9F6D&type=

Reminiscent of old times.. .

Check out Vedana's post "this is a hack", it reminds me of all the trails I have left behind (-;

Performance benchmarks in knowledge organization

Joel write about performance benchmark in knowledge organization. Measuring and benchmarking this stuff is hard. Using external help to do it makes it even harder.

While I have all the respect for the brainpower and sheer analytical abilities of the management consultants, as Joel points out this is one area where I would not recommend using their services.

Expect more out of people

I think, James McNerney is one of the inspirational business leaders of our times. Recently came across his interview and a few things he mentions strongly resonated with me.

On expecting more from people...

One of the things I've taken away from that is that I'm unafraid to expect a fair amount from people. It makes them so much better - you're doing them a disservice if you don't.

On conscious and continuous self-improvement

I have this idea in my mind - all of us get 15 percent better every year. Usually that means your ability to lead, and that's all about your ability to chart the course for [your employees], to inspire them to reach for performance - the values you bring to the job, with a focus on the courage to do the right thing. I tend to think about this in terms of helping others get better. I view myself as a value-added facilitator here more than as someone who's crashing through the waves on the bridge of a frigate.
....
....

I don't know if it comes from the toilet training, if your parents do expect a lot of you and you're always restlessly trying to grow and meet their expectations. That's a component. Another is that success and achievement can feed on themselves. It feels good to keep succeeding. It feels great to see the people you work with grow and achieve.

Read his entire interview at CNN.

Talk about product placement

Watch this. Could there be a better way of promoting product placement in user generated content?

Our smart friends at Google are launching a program around it called The Domino Effect.

No wonder NBC is laying people off while Gogle profits soar.

What has economic incentive got to do with Weight loss?

Mr Wave Theory writes :

"Ian Ayres and Barry Nalebuff, two professors at Yale School of Management, write a fascinating article abou Weight Loss Bonds.

....

Here's a diet system that literally pays you to lose the weight. If you miss your goal weight one week, you still have an incentive to get back on track to collect the next payout. If $60 a weigh-in isn't enough to get your attention, then buy two or more bonds. 

How can one be a Marxist and still own a Jacuzzi?

That was the question posed by Mark Albion who was at Wharton West this weekend to strike a dialog with MBA students in an attempt to save their souls.

Mark is an inspirational speaker and has written many books on the topic. I have put his "True to Yourself" on my must read list and cannot wait to get to it.

Mark is a social entrepreneur who has co-founded seven organizations, including Net Impact, and has spoken at over 100 business schools worldwide.  He was a professor at Harvard Business School, was profiled on 60 Minutes and has been called the "savior of b-school souls" by Business Week. He wrote the New York Times Business Best Seller, Making a Life, Making a Living® in 2000, followed by the 2002 3-CD audio series, Finding Work That Matters. He has also been writing a monthly newsletter for the last 12 years that serves business professionals in 87 countries. You can find more info on his website: www.makingalife.com.

Realizing the value of Wharton West EMBA

This weekend we had a fantastic panel on the topic of realizing the value of Wharton West EMBA. It was a terrific event, read the post by Ron if you are curious to learn more about it - ExecMBAJourney

Knowledge@Wharton Announces Launch of India Version

Check it out at www.ikw.in