If knowledge is power, what is self-knowledge? And if you have this ‘self-knowledge’ how does that interact with traditional knowledge to create value? Hmm, by simply posting on this blog is one simple answer I assume.
Monthly Archives: April 2008
2008 ICAEW IT Faculty lecture
City AM asks city professionals for their views on housing price falls
London-based City AM asks city professionals for their views on housing price falls, and I guess not surprisingly all talk up the market from their own personal perspective. Though the thought did strike me that aren’t they the people least likely to have risky mortgages? And wasn’t the sub-prime market created by people rather insulated from reality like them loaning to risky low-income folk in the US? Hmm, I see the funny side of this, and that’s why I have categorised this under ‘comedy’.
“We know what we’re talking about!”
Doctor Dalai’s superb April Fool
I loved Doctor Dalai’s recent April Fool, announcing the partnership between Siemens and Disney:
“Disney and Siemens are two of the world’s most recognized and respected brands, both known for their relentless commitment to innovation. We look forward to working with Disney to grow our relationship and realize the potential of two great companies. This new relationship creates an ideal opportunity to demonstrate Siemens’ innovations to our customers, while also strengthening the Siemens brand in a memorable and relevant way. Viewing medical images, such as CAT (Computed Axial Tomography) scans or MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) exams has been limited by our 20th Century-based technology.
“No matter how fast the computers get, or how sharp the image may appear, we are still seeing only a shadow of what is truly present within the body,” notes George Nolen, President & CEO, Siemens Corporation. “With the advanced visualization techniques of Disney’s Pixar division, as well as their expertise in flight simulation as applied to various attractions, we are now able to actually place the physician virtually within the body. The most microscopic of processes will be visible to the eye from this vantage point. This certainly represents a new era in imaging.” Note Doctor Dalai, after contact from Siemens, has now removed the post.
The great added bonus about this joke is that there’s a nice grain of truth embedded in it — as didn’t Pixar start out in part as a manufacturer of medical imaging equipment?
Bebo’s social networking healing sectarian wounds?
Watching BBC’s Panorama last night I was surprised to see that NI’s sectarian fights had been taken online, particularly the award-winning Bebo. At one point in 2006 the online hostility got so bad: “Representatives of Bebo.com even attended a public meeting in Ballymena in 2006 with an aim to quelling the sectarian tension not on the streets, but online – a 21st century twist to a centuries-old division.” Just checked out Bebo, which has a great page with all the Bebo people on board.
Ronaldinho goes to City, Chelsea?
Manchester City have launched an audacious bid to sign Ronaldinho, the former world footballer of the year. After five years at Barcelona the Brazilian is looking for a new club and his brother, Roberto de Assis Moreira, who doubles as his agent, was given the VIP treatment as Sven-Goran Eriksson’s team lost to Chelsea on Saturday. (The Guardian, 7 April)
Assis was at the City of Manchester stadium with Pini Zahavi, the so-called “super-agent”. Thaksin Shinawatra, City’s owner, is in Thailand, with his corruption trial due to begin on Friday, but his associates spoke at length with Assis. City are apparently willing to pay Ronaldinho in excess of
Blogging can kill!
NY Times piece that reveals hard work can kill you (the perils of blogging as a profession). Hmm, I’ve worked somewhere a bit like that before. But hey isn’t being compulsive considered kinda normal?
US Presidential candidates mark King anniversary
MEMPHIS/AP – Republican Sen. John McCain says Martin Luther King Jr. “seems a bigger man” than he did 40 years ago on the day of his death.
McCain stood outside the motel where the civil rights leader was slain. The presidential candidate said, “The quality of his character is only more apparent. His good name will be honored as long as the creed of America is honored.”
All three of the remaining presidential candidates marked the anniversary of King’s death. McCain and Hillary Rodham Clinton traveled to the city where King died. Barack Obama spoke of King in Indiana.
Obama said King “preached the gospel of brotherhood; of equality and justice.”
Back in Memphis in 1998.
* See my article on the 30th anniversary on this blog.
Social networking = posh KM?
Hmm, I’m sure the good folk at Small World Collaboration would see the wisdom in this analysis of the evoltuion of KM into social networking, reported in ‘Computing’:
Social networking is posh knowledge management
Whatever happened to knowledge management? The question is posed in the latest edition of System House, analyst Ovum’s monthly review of the UK IT industry. Christopher Harris-Jones and Mike Davis recognise knowledge management was a hot phrase in the 1990s, but has become less popular recently.
Rather than disappearing, Harris-Jones and Davis suggest knowledge management has changed its shape – and more – importantly, its name.
Successful knowledge management was all about making the best use of available data and skills and the Ovum analysts say the latest social networking trend follows similar lines, simply proving a way for individuals to share information.
To make the most of the collaborative opportunities presented through social networking, Harris-Jones and Davis suggest social software needs to be integrated with other information management technologies, such as content management.
And in other words, social networking is not – as is commonly perceived – a revolution; instead it is just another means for sharing and exploiting information. Roll-on the next craze.
Cracking the China social networking market
Hmm, funny how suddenly I see stories about social networking in China as the next big thing.
Firstly, in comments to the recent Econmist article, with news that one of the most profitable sites is QQ:
The best in class is QQ in China: 300 million active accounts, 523 million USD revenues,
224 million USD operating profit. More, advertising represents less than 20% of revenues, most of the rest is digital goods for Internet or mobile. How is it possible to claim this is not a business?
We gave a presentation at a conference recently comparing Facebook and QQ. Seewww.plus8star.com for more info.
Secondly, news that Google has bought into the market. ‘Google Invests $1M In Chinese Social Networking Firm’:
Google Inc., last week disclosed that it has invested $1 million in a start-up company Comsenz Inc., a Chinese company that provides software and services for online community networks. It is nevertheless a different move by Google to expand its foothold in China. Reports of Google’s investment funds in Comsenz showed up in Chinese media last year, although the speculation had it that Google was investing roughly $5 million into the Beijing-based company.
Thirdly, I wonder if Medicexchange, which already has invested in China through medical imaging online through its portal, will extend this to a social networking site aimed at the the lucrative China market?