All posts by Richard

Politics

Competitive advantage…

I’ve bored most people that I know about this by now. If I haven’t, let John Robb do it for me…

“If we think in terms of how rewards/resources are allocated if the global economy operates as a single entity and not many loosely joined parts… then the vast majority of US workers will soon find their wages/salaries normalized to global standards (to those with similar skills etc.). The result will be that the US, as collection of citizens will get poorer (or at best tread water until everyone else keeps up)”.

John Robb’s Weblog: Differentiation and competitive advantage

This is the biggest political challenge of our time. Until everyone is on the same level playing field (and has earnings directly related to their skills and not their birth place, inheritance, color or sex) those of us in the developed world are going to feel the heat.

However, I don’t personally know why we shouldn’t feel the heat. Morally, how can I say that I should be protected because of my place of birth etc.? We’re all human and all deserve the same chance.

Podcasting, Technology, US

Programming when it isn’t needed…

1 Comment

I was interested by this…

Scripting the iPod (Scripting News)

Dave is looking for a script to move a podcast into iTunes and then put it in a playlist.

WHY?

There is a far easier way to get the this functionality. Subscribe the the podcast in iTunes, then create a playlist that only shows podcasts that have a play count of zero. You’re done!

The result is all the unlisted to podcasts in a single playlist and they’ll disappear when you’ve listen to them.

I must be missing something. Or it could be another case of this… YouTube – Wilkinson & Winer

Products, Technology

Management vs. Design

“I think a lot of these MBA-type executives have no idea what good design really is.”

 Daring Fireball Linked List: February 2008

 

Actually, I know that they know what god design is and can even recognize it when they see it.  However, the reflex responses of “that’s cool” and “that feels good” have been beaten out of them. The standard management approach to most issues is a functional list, a fit analysis and a market report. Watching the response to the iPhone in corporate world has been an education. I’ve seen tens of conversations that go…

 “..but it’s not 3G”

“yeah, but it’s works…”

“…but it doesn’t connect to our email”

“yeah, but its just better”

 

Normally, both parties leave the room shaking their heads.The difference between the ones that “get it” and those that don’t? Those that get it have experience!

France, IT

Yes, it’s true…

“In Paris you get 50 Mbps symmetrical for 30 EUR per month!”
Why the French are ahead in broadband; will free mobile calls for ads work | Rose Cantine

Actually it’s a bit more than the 50Mbps, mine’s running at in the early sixties and every few weeks it gets faster. There is 100Mbps in the building but I can’t be bothered going through the pain of changing.

Follow the link to the previous blog and there is a lovely comment about how sharing links means that they don’t need to dig the road up three times. Note that it’s more efficient and improves people’s lives but it cuts GDP by a third!

IT, News, Technology

Google changes the game…

Google has announced that they now have a forms interface to the Google Spreadsheet application…

Official Google Docs Blog: Stop sharing spreadsheets, start collecting information

This is massive news. Google is building the next generation of office and the functionality set isn’t the same as our desktop applications.

They now have applications for collecting data, manipulating data, analyzing data. All they need is workflow applications and things will get very interesting.

IT, Technology

Arrington works from home…

…so he’d know how many emails get printed.

“I don’t print emails (no one does, you idiots)”

Hey, You Condescending Jerk, No One Prints Emails Anyway

Er, except, I work in an office and sit next to a printer. Currently, there are over twenty emails that have been printed and are sitting there waiting to be picked up. The oldest was printed six days ago!

However, the general point is correct. It’s time to get rid of that line from the footer.

Uncategorized

More on how kids learn language…

More on how kids learn language (Geek News Central)

“Current research suggests that toddlers don’t learn language one word at a time, but instead learn in chunks by storing different useages of language and cross referencing them until they confirm the context.”

My children have always spoken French and English, something that is new to my experience, therefore I’ve taken special attention watching them learn language. The above quote matches my experience, the idea that children learn linearly one word at a time is nonsense.