brilliant read.. should take more time to re-read for sure. ;-) Redefining Greatness (It's Complicated) - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review

Redefining Greatness (It's Complicated) - Tony Schwartz - Harvard Business Review:

brilliant read.. should take more time to re-read for sure. ;-)

"Greatness demands both decisiveness and flexibility, courage and prudence, strength and vulnerability, action and introspection.

The true measure of greatness is our capacity to navigate between our opposites with agility and grace — to accept ourselves exactly as we are, but never to stop trying to get better."

The best country to start a business... - WSJ.com

The best country to start a business... - WSJ.com

fascinating, Denmark the most startup friendly? (along with most nordic countries) and Peru got most number of % of female entrepreneurs!?

need to take a closer look later!

Must read! The Return of China - WSJ.com by Niall Ferguson is a professor of history at Harvard University

The Return of China - WSJ.com:

Must read!

"As I've researched my forthcoming book over the past two years, I've concluded that the West developed six 'killer applications' that 'the Rest' lacked. These were:

• Competition: Europe was politically fragmented, and within each monarchy or republic there were multiple competing corporate entities.

• The Scientific Revolution: All the major 17th-century breakthroughs in mathematics, astronomy, physics, chemistry and biology happened in Western Europe.

• The rule of law and representative government: This optimal system of social and political order emerged in the English-speaking world, based on property rights and the representation of property owners in elected legislatures.

• Modern medicine: All the major 19th- and 20th-century advances in health care, including the control of tropical diseases, were made by Western Europeans and North Americans.

• The consumer society: The Industrial Revolution took place where there was both a supply of productivity-enhancing technologies and a demand for more, better and cheaper goods, beginning with cotton garments.

• The work ethic: Westerners were the first people in the world to combine more extensive and intensive labor with higher savings rates, permitting sustained capital accumulation."

Chinese pupils trash dinner hall in protest at cost of meals | World news | The Guardian

Chinese pupils trash dinner hall in protest at cost of meals | World news | The Guardian

This is difficult for westerner to understand.

but you must.

China’s Fastest Growing Provinces: The Demographics | China Briefing News

China’s Fastest Growing Provinces: The Demographics | China Briefing News

Nice coverage of Inner Mongolia, Shaanxi, Hunan, Jilin, or Hubei

Brilliant indeed.

BOC Hong Kong’s Cheung Misled Uneducated Customers, Court Told - BusinessWeek

BOC Hong Kong’s Cheung Misled Uneducated Customers, Court Told - BusinessWeek

sadly this is the norm.

In HK, people even buy stocks based on the numbers, and not much effort has been given to investigate what the company does and their business fundamentals etc.

Fingers crossed that these people can get something back! good luck! and hope those that are not lucky enough to be part of this case to get some if not everything back!

Good luck & our thoughts are with you!

Nine things you should never buy last minute - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Finance

Nine things you should never buy last minute - Yahoo! UK & Ireland Finance

very interesting indeed. ;-)

thankfully we already do that!

Great Migrations Episode Guide | National Geographic Channel

Great Migrations Episode Guide | National Geographic Channel

Gorgeous program..

good job by @StephenFry

the next David Attenborough?

Phil Bentley, MD British Gas's 10 Lessons in Management

Phil Bentley, MD British Gas's 10 Lessons in Management
Originally uploaded by garethwong

Great insights that Phil shared, very nice gentleman and brilliant insights shared. culminating his 40+years experiences mainly in the publicly listed market.

1.) Never stop investing in your human capital,
2.) In business, Timing is All,
3.) Build your business around your customers,
4.) Never underestimate the power of symbolism,
5.) High performing teams know what 'good' looks like,
6.) Always recruit people around you who are smarter than you,
7.) Everyone must get home safely to their family, every night,
8.) Keep the owners happy and you'll keep your job
9.) Follow the meta-trends,
10.) Always have a few management quotes up your sleeve

my only concern was regarding point 8.) which I will write another blog to cover it when I have time.

An Octopus That Mimics 15 Different Animals

An Octopus That Mimics 15 Different Animals

Nice one.

Secret of startup success: stubborn, but flexible, with a naughty imagination with a few trusted friends..What We Look for in Founders by Y-combinator

What We Look for in Founders

Great article indeed.

Secret of startup success: stubborn, but flexible, with a naughty imagination with a few trusted friends...

Guest post: Symbian OS – one of the most successful failures in tech history

Guest post: Symbian OS – one of the most successful failures in tech history:

This is a brilliant post.. insightful.. but hope he does not get to be sued for divulging too much!

Always great to see people to give credit where it is due also. sadly lost with most people these days..

"The lesson for Meego, and other pretenders to the crown is, perhaps to look after your developers with useful APIs and powerful tools both inside and outside of your organisation. Find the right balance between efficiency and ease of development. Look after all of your developers and your developers will look after you.

Tim would like to thank @dw2 for giving him his big break into the industry."

Use Pantyhose to Protect Yourself from Jellyfish Stings

Use Pantyhose to Protect Yourself from Jellyfish Stings: "You can go two routes when acquiring the right gear to protect you from jellyfish stings.

If you're planning on summer adventuring in a locale known for jellyfish—surfing in Australia perhaps?—you can protect yourself from jellyfish stings with the most unlikely of tools—pantyhose.

Cool.. ;-)

Women reveal the pick-up moves that really work

Online dating with match.com | Make love happen: "Women reveal the pick-up moves that really work"

I particularly like Move 3 and not to encourage her babble though!

Move 3: Death by eye contact

What to do: If you spot a woman you'd like to talk to, look at her until she meets your eye. Try to hold her gaze. Let her look away first – you can guarantee she'll look back again a few seconds later. You're communicating loud and clear without saying a word.

Why it works: Women are extremely sensitive to body language signals, and intense eye contact forges a powerful emotional connection. It works once you're making conversation, too, so look her in the eye when she talks. She'll like you for it, because it suggests that you respect and value what she's saying – and it's extremely seductive.

Move 4: Flatter her babble

What to do: Encourage her to talk more. Never underestimate the flirtatious power of the phrase “I could talk to you for hours.”

Why it works: The nerves and adrenaline of a flirtatious situation conspire to make most women babble, and they're well aware of it. Don't knock it – it's a sign that she likes you. If you can make her feel good about her babbling, she'll enjoy your company and want to come back for more. Don't be afraid to interrupt, as long as it's on-topic – it shows that you’re engaged in what she’s saying.

Courtney #3 brilliant collage of people's photos to form a picture!

Courtney #3
Originally uploaded by Elspeth and Evan