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“ Doing what little one can to increase the general stock of knowledge is as respectable an object of life as one can in any likelihood pursue ”
Charles Darwin
Operatonal note
The website has recently undergone a few major technical changes, if readers notice any misbehaviour, do please let us know - Thanks ! Ed.
Profile
William W. George
is Professor of Management Practice and Henry B. Arthur Fellow of Ethics at Harvard Business School, where he teaches leadership and leadership development.
He is the author of the new best-selling leadership book -
'7 Lessons for Leading in Crisis '
Example lesson :
“ Lesson number five comes from a statement by Machiavelli in which he said ‘Never waste the opportunities of a good crisis’ “
Professor George has been a director of Goldman Sachs since December 2002.
( and also sits on the board of the Exxon Mobil Corporation )
29 APR 10
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Product of the week.
A special issue of Smith & Wesson M&P ( Military & Police ) family.
The M&P9 JG
“The M&P9 JG is chambered in 9mm and features a fiber optic
front sight along with a Warren® Tactical rear sight on top of the 4¼
-inch barrel. For enhanced durability, the M&P JG has a Zytel® polymer frame reinforced with a ridged steel chassis and a thruhardened
black Melonite® stainless steel barrel and slide. This
combination of features provides unparalleled shootability and
dramatically reduces felt recoil.”
( Courtesy this S&W press release )
It is available with a pink Grip Insert, and the barrel is engraved with the ‘Awareness Ribbon ’.
“Portion of Proceeds Will Be Donated To A Breast Cancer Awareness Charity”
28 APR 10
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Barbelling
What is it ?
For a technical overview, the Lloyd's Investment Blog explains :
“ A stock investment strategy involving concurrent long positions in both low-P/E and high-P/E stocks, premised on the assumption that the market tends to undervalue the growth potential of the ‘outliers’ at both extremes of the price-earnings spectrum. “
Or, more simply, a device having some similarities to the ‘ Brown Paper Bag Ploy ' adopted at some fruit-and-veg markets - in which a few dodgy tomatoes are deftly bundled-in with a few good ones and quickly hidden in an opaque bag before handing on to the customer.
When was it invented ?
Unknown.
But an article which was published as far back as the Sept/Oct 1998 issue of the Financial Analysts Journal mentions the possibility of -
" ‘Barbelling’ convertible debentures with low-volatility, short-term government securities."
Read (some of) “There is a Free Lunch ” here . . .
Why should I care one way or the other ?
Because there's a good chance you're paying for it.
27 APR 10
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Words of the month
‘ McMultitudes ‘ n. (collective) the masses, the common people, hoi polloi, poss. derog.
First usage [?] Prof. Jonathan Beller, Columbia University, 2010
‘ Bankocracy ‘ n. a societal system in which the principle ruling power is in the hands of banks.
First usage [?] Das Kapital, chapter 31 , Karl Marx 1885
23 APR 10
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Busts
A new research article on Portraits as Leaders from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, has just been published in the journal ‘ Leadership ’.
The authors argue that “ . . . one can usefully think of a portrait functioning as a virtual leader in terms of its latent and enduring influence upon followers.”
And contend that ". . . official portraits, by virtue of their context in institutions and their role in commemorating a particular office, are powerful exemplars of ideal leadership to followers."
Also see previous work from the same dept. at Auckland : ‘CEO portraits and the authenticity paradox ‘
“ At first glance such photographs may appear to convey an impression of the kind of authentic presence many consider crucial for establishing a strong corporate image. But a closer look at the constructed nature of both CEO identity and portrait photography lays bare the elusive nature of authenticity itself . . .”
which can be read in full here.
In an attempt to link the two concepts, and to find an example of an individual who provides us not only with an artistic representation of an ideal ‘ Leader ’ but who also features as authentic high-ranking corporate persona Really Magazine suggests we can do no better than -
Sir John Major, KG, CH, ACIB former UK Prime Minister and now consultant / advisor to the Carlyle Group
[1]
[2]
[3]
23 APR 10
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Product of the month
The Trudeau Corporation Lettuce Knife.
How does it work ?
The simplicity of operation ( video here ) belies the complex underlying functionality of this device. The polymerised translucent plastic blade has atoms strategically positioned along its serrated edge. The electrodynamic forces holding these atoms in place are much stronger than the corresponding forces in the lettuce substructure. Thus, when the blade is brought into close proximity ( typically within a few ångström units ) to a lettuce, the electrons in the outer atomic ‘shells’ of the blade’s polymerised molecules easily displace the weaker covalent and ionic molecular bonds of the leaf – but, it should be noted, without actually ‘touching’ the organic material at any time.
Though the cutting action is entirely electrodynamic in nature, the device requires no external electrical power. It has no batteries to replace, and all the requisite spatial displacement energy is provided entirely by the user. So it’s ‘green’ in more ways than one !
The Trudeau Corporation Lettuce Knife will cut through any type of conventional lettuce with ease, and has a five year guarantee.
(Note: also cuts fruit)
21 APR 10
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Effectively countering bowling ball odor
“ In use, bowling balls are subjected to the often objectionable smells of a bowling alley, including cigarette smoke, sweat, and shoe odors. After use, bowling balls are often placed into a bag that includes other items, such as gloves, supports, or braces that are used in bowling, as well as bowling shoes. Thus, even when stored, bowling balls are often exposed to somewhat objectionable odors.”
There is however, a solution - to be found in US patent 7,699,713 B2 - granted today.
Scented bowling balls and methods
The road towards realizing effective bowling ball odor control has not been without controversy and difficulties though – here is an official Patent Office document regarding a previous scented bowling ball patent application ( by the same inventor ) which was rejected ' for obviousness '.
20 APR 10 (midday edition)
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Synthetic Collateralized Debt Obligations hit the fan
For readers who aren’t familiar with Synthetic CDOs, here’s a simple explanation.
According to the New York Times these financial devices were at the heart of at least one alleged mega- ‘ fraud ‘ currently under investigation by the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
You might guess from the article’s title “A Wall Street Invention Let the Crisis Mutate” that synthetic CDOs are a Wall Street Invention. But are they ?
For according to the European Venture Capital Journal , they go back at least as far as 2001, when the UK-based Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) - now effectively bailed-out of bankruptcy by the UK taxpayers - decided to bet on a rather substantial synthetic CDO.
Did RBS invent synthetic CDOs - or was it simply following a transatlantic trend ?
Sadly, Really Magazine has not been able to discover the answer, but either way has every confidence that the UK’s equivalent of the SEC - the Financial Services Authority (FSA) - will now be keen to investigate exactly what was happening in Edinburgh back in 2001 . . .
Anyone care to place a bet ?
20 APR 10
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Letters to the editor
Sir,
Regarding the current eruption of Mt. Eyjafjallajokull
As a resident of a neighbouring ( and suffering ) country, I should like to point out in writing what many are perhaps currently thinking – but not saying.
That is to say, who is to blame for this crisis ? Let us remember that only 1000 km away in the United Kingdom, a calamity of this kind has never occurred in living memory, and I believe we must ask, why is this ? Could the answer simply be that all the volcanoes of the UK have historically been under responsible and dependable stewardship ? Has any UK based volcano ever threatened neighbouring countries in any way ? History shows, I think, not.
Some may say that the Icelandic government is displaying the same level of (dis)regard for their geological responsibility as they recently have towards banking solidity.
Frankly, if the incumbent regime cannot or will not cope, then I believe the time has come to implement an international coalition taskforce to plug this igneous menace at once.
And aside for the enormous disturbance caused to other EU countries we must, I believe, also consider the worrying precedent which it may be setting. Regardless of whether it was due to malfeasance, negligence, or just plain incompetence, now that the Icelandic goose has been cooked ( to a cinder ) we must seriously consider that some so-called rogue states may well be watching these events with eagle eyes. What if the concept of volcanological skulduggery should fall into the wrong hands – and be deployed as a deliberate strategy ? In short, are we prepared for geological terrorism ?
Yours, Magnus Magnusbjörk, Cheltenham
19 APR 10
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The shape of things to smoke.
The popularity of e-cigarettes has risen dramatically over the last few years – they even have their own website.
But what’s available for those smokers who aren’t quite ready to switch to fully electronic – and yet yearn for something a little more Y2010 than a plain old cig ? Perhaps something that’s half way – or at least looks as though it might to be.
Such as Lucky Strike Convertibles ?
They come with their own 
button.
Enabling users, with one click, to change the taste - from standard cig to ' menthol-flavoured* ' cig.
The filter contains a breakable capsule, containing menthol flavouring* – when ruptured, it releases its ‘payload’.
This variant of Lucky Strike – which is a brand belonging to British American Tobacco (BAT) - has recently been launched in Brazil and Argentina.
Oddly, the promotional material in those countries – the advertising straplines etc - is printed in English . . .
“ Click to change the taste ”
“
Click & Roll ”
“ A small BIG change ”
“ Convertibles ”
And to compound the oddness even further, there appears to be no official online manufacturer's information available about this brand-variant – either on the owner’s website, or any of its subsidiaries / licensees – anywhere on the WWW. None whatsoever. ( try Googling for it )
Surely BAT, a mulinational company so keenly aware of its Social Corporate Responsibilty duties wroldwide, wouldn't dream of discreetly using Latin America – where the regulations are far less strict than in the US and Europe - as a testing ground for their new faux-electric cig ?
؟ ؟ ؟
Note * The
contents aren’t
specified – but
BAT provides this
page listing all their ‘ flavourings ’ - around
180 of them - which are currently added to their tobacco products.
16 APR 10
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Losing one's bearings
The Icelandic dust cloud drifting over Northern Europe poses a severe hazard to aircraft. But, as they say, every cloud of volcanic dust has a silver lining - at least to computer repair shops.
Although hard-drives are hermetically sealed, CD and DVD drives aren't. Neither are CPU cooling fans. They're not going to be too happy with a draught of nano-sized ceramic grinding-dust swirling around their delicate parts.
Maybe run your laptop in a pillowcase for a while ? [
errr . . . maybe not such a good idea. Ed. ]
15 APR 10 (midday edition)
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Cool beats Kaizen
Microsoft Research is demo-ing its ‘Manual Deskterity’ ™ interface – which they describe as “ kinda cool ”.
The prototype system allows users to rip virtual Post-it Notes™ in half, and more.
Odd perhaps that they’re still opting to concentrate
on ‘cool-ing’ interfaces while some of the most
basic functions of their flagship operating system still don’t
work properly - despite more than 25 years
of continuous development. [* examples
below ]
Its unlikely that the word ‘Kaizen’ is heard much around Redmond – but ‘cool’ certainly is.
؟ ؟ ؟
* Examples (edited down for lack of space)
• Filing system locks-up for 20 seconds or so after a CD is inserted into the drive.
• From the control panel there’s no easy way to compare fonts.
• The system demands a gargantuan bloated ‘page file’ of several Gb – to which users have no access.
• There’s no obvious ‘hide all windows’ function, to quickly find an icon on the desktop.
• 32-bit systems ‘pretend’ to access RAM above 3Gb – it shows up in 'System Properties' - but never uses it.
• Prioritising important files in the file explorer ? Say, with a different colored font ? Sadly no.
• By default the Windows Firewall doesn't block suspicious outgoing packets. Handy for viruses - and, presumably, for Microsoft too.
• Windows updates ? New ones available almost every day - keep installing them and your system will be more secure - and will eventually grind to a halt.
• The old 'misindexing-files-with-names-beggining-with-a-number' bug ? It's been there since the days of DOS.
• Don’t even mention The Registry
15 APR 10
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The déjà vu of ‘Change’ revisited all over again once more.
As most of the UK mainstream news media ( example : The Dependent ) is reporting, the UK’s Tory party have launched their manifesto with the support of the 2004 Keane hit ‘Everybody's Changing ’
But why did the leaders of the Tory party and their PR agency choose that song in particular ? Really Magazine has no answer, and draws readers attention to the lyrics – esp. this verse, which is repeated three times in the song . . .
“ So little time
Try to understand that I'm
Trying to make a move just to stay in the game
I try to stay awake and remember my name
But everybody's changing
And I don't feel the same “
They also played David Bowie’s ‘Changes ’
“ Still don't know what I was waiting for
And my time was running wild
A million dead-end streets and
Every time I thought I'd got it made
It seemed the taste was not so sweet
So I turned myself to face me
But I've never caught a glimpse
Of how the others must see the faker
I'm much too fast to take that test ”
Surely neither song is all that appropriate ?
What are the Tory spinmeisters playing at ?
They could have chosen ' Change
you Ways ' by LL cool J
13 APR 10
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The Music Lab
- at Grant MacEwan University, Alberta, Canada, began
their work in the fall of 2009
“ We are currently investigating the connections between music and identity and the potential benefits that shared music may provide in co-operative and creative endeavours ”
If you would like to learn more about the lab, or join in with its activities, you can contact Dr. Rodney Schmaltz via this page.
12 APR 10
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To Peer Review or not to Peer Review . . .
“The last of the non-peer-reviewed journals in the mainstream scientific literature" might be under threat.
Bruce Charlton, Professor of Theoretical Medicine at the University of Buckingham, and editor of the journal Medical Hypotheses, is under pressure from the owners of the journal ( Elsevier, who also publishThe Lancet ) to change the format to a peer-reviewed system.
But how practical is it to peer-review hypotheses ?
An hypothesis is by definition ‘ an idea ’ or even ‘ a guess ‘ - if the authors of hypotheses felt entirely confident about whether they were right or wrong, then they wouldn’t be hypotheses, they would be theses - and surely more appropriate targets for a peer review process ?
The editor examines such problems in his blog, not only pointing out the often overlooked benefits of non-peer-review – but also drawing attention to various controversial problems associated with journals which are . . .
Really Magazine is happy to add its support to a growing list who wish the journal to remain in its current form – and with its current editor.
Otherwise, how – and where - can we expect to see more articles like these?
• Can botulinum toxin put the restless legs syndrome to rest ?
• Is there an association between the use of heeled footwear and schizophrenia ?
• Gravity as a proposed mechanism for hair loss
• Genospirituality: Genetic engineering for spiritual and religious enhancement
08 APR 10
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Long-necked plucked lutes in Baltimore
If you happen to be in or around Baltimore, Maryland on 19–23 April 2010, why not drop in at the 159th Meeting of the Acoustical Society of America and NOISE-CON 2010 ?
Items of note:
What is known about banjo science and what is not yet known. Thomas D. Rossing , Stanford University.
Time-resolved studies of banjo head motion. Thomas R. Moore and Laurie A. Stephey , Dept. of Phys., Rollins College
The banjo: Developing a plausible model from first principles. Joe Dickey , Birdsville Rd., Davidsonville. and
A world beyond the banjo. Paul A. Wheeler , Dept. of ECE, Utah State University
05 APR 10
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An Island in Paradise - For Sale !
Fancy your very own idyllic island in the Pacific ?
Now’s your chance !
The US Office of Property Disposal is auctioning ‘ Johnston Atoll ‘ - actually a group of four islands - three small ones which are entirely manmade – and the main island which has been extended from 60 to 625 acres. They’re located about 720 nautical miles Southwest of Honolulu, Hawaii. ( satellite photo - see note [1] below)
The island group, which has its own tropical reef ( a home for over 30 species of coral ) is currently in use as a wildlife refuge, forming a habitat for 300 species of fish, an endangered sea turtle and the Hawaiian monk seal, as well as at leaset 20 species of migratory birds.
It has its own airstrip - big enough to land a 737 - ( though not currently serviceable ) and a golf course (ditto).
The islands even have their own internet country code ! The Top Level Domain (TLD) with the .um suffix. ( though now fallen into disuse )
There are two or three possible restrictions though. One in regards to an area of the main island which is out of bounds for a while. There was an unfortunate accident there in 1962 when a one-megaton nuclear missile with a live warhead blew up on the launchpad – scattering its entire payload of plutonium across part of the island. ( video, see note [2] ) A few months later another live nuclear WMD self destructed a kilometre above the island - with similar, though more widespread, results. But virtually all the hazardous radioactive material has now been cleaned up ( or more accurately, 'gathered together' ) and either buried in the coral sand, or dumped in the lagoon. ( note [3] )
The second problem relates to possible residues of various toxic chemicals. Particularly from 2,000 tons or so of WMD nerve-gas agents ( lethal dose 0.1 gram ) which were temporarily stored on the island in the 1970s, together with a large quantity of the defoliant Agent Orange – some of which unfortunately leaked out and contaminated the ground with dioxins. ( note [4] )
There are also rumours(1) that the area may have been used as an experimental testing-ground for biological warfare WMDs in the 1960s. ( note [5] ) However, even if the rumours(2) are true, the organisms involved would have longsince perished. [ ummm, except those with longlived resistant spores . . . Ed. ]
Other than that it’s a veritable island paradise. Register your bid for Johnston Atoll now via the official US Office of Property Disposal website.
؟ ؟ ؟
Notes:
[1] The G**gle maps satellite photo is out of date. All the buildings have now been demolished.
[2] Codename Bluegill Prime accident video here
[3] No fishing is allowed for the next 50,000 years or so. Details of the ‘cleanup’ here. [Word .doc format]
[4] Agent Orange leaks photo here
[5] Details of Project SHAD still remain classified - nearly 50 years later.
[6] For everything you ever wanted to know about Johnston Atoll ( and some you didn't ) check out the island's very own dedicated website
Update Apr 02 :
Several readers have drawn attention to the fact that the
'for sale' page is no longer available on the US Office
of Property Disposal website. Really Magazine has
been informed that the page was put there in error, and has
now been withdrawn. Nonetheless, it remained on the site for
two years or so, as this Archive.org page
shows . . .
01 APR 10
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