Sunday 30 June 2013

My short comments re Using crowdfunding sites could destroy your nascent business idea | Media Network | Guardian Professional

Using crowdfunding sites could destroy your nascent business idea | Media Network | Guardian Professional:


IP, "barrier to entry" and sustainable & "win-win" business models are key things to consider. Ideally, viable "to market strategy" need to be formed and put in place before telling the world... inc. "trade mark" & other things as mentioned in the article, given limited budget (for most startups) it also make sense to self educate and using mostly free resources so far online to "Do-it-yourself".

key is get going, but with eye wide open, and adapt.  Do not use too many consultants or advisers, especially blood suckers who focus on fees you pay, sadly I personally got stung by a few lawyers also when I registered my Community Trade Mark via even major lawyer firms in and outside of UK.

good luck, it is a sea full of sharks.

@GarethWong

Friday 28 June 2013

My comments re British Banks’ Comedy of Terrors by Simon Johnson - Project Syndicate

British Banks’ Comedy of Terrors by Simon Johnson - Project Syndicate:

good piece of commentary, thanks Prof Simon

IMHO, Prof Anat book is brilliant and highlighted (now seems obvious) very important facts, too much leveraged is not sustainable and should retained more profit to bulk up the balance sheet (hope I understood & paraphrased it ok? totally recommend the book!). Bankers are playing key role for sure, but are they alone in the party? 

To that end, I would also like to highlight wider capital market behaviour/cultural problems of short-term rent seeking/trading vs value creating negative culture (since we are in book recommendation mode), argued eloquently by Jack Bogle's book on "The Clash of the Cultures: Investment vs. Speculation".

of course, EVERYone might also be at fault, culturally, as the essence of 'shareholder value' maximisation might need to be 're-define' and re-adjusted..  long term goals setting with some punishment if need, please see the brilliant book by Prof. Colin Mayer on Firm Commitment. 

I do not see Basel III any better, surely by 2019 our economies might not be in any fixable states, and that is only looking at  7% of risk-weighted assets .. I am not expert, even 10% is low! and due to multitude of accounting/reporting standards/recognitions, and fact that everything is backward looking (definition of accounting!), some might argue that all these is meaningless as by the time we know about it, the company might fail anyway!!! 

It is sadly not fixable by one regulator, or even IMF/WorldBank/G8/G20 (please tell me if I am wrong! sincerely hope I am!) none of the key guys are in job long enough to understand enough and be able to put in the key 'long term' solution.. hence we keep hearing from ex-this and ex-that saying how it should be done!? 

To be frank, I would hate to be head of PRA/FCA/SEC.. as they are also faced with a stark challenge, as NO one country can legislate for the world, but what they do do, might affect how the big firms (with more money than the governments) might decide how they divert their operations/money and thus would affect their market adversely... therefore, "game theory of the whole trillion market" need also be considered very carefully also. 

WE have to learn from history, even the best intended policies might not work out as planned, see how TARP turned out!

NOT as simple as black & white as you might have put in your short and brilliant article. 

My take?? our financial world need a real pervasive solution: (Car mechanic analogy) not just monitor and oil the gears better. Indeed, it might be time to change the gears and indeed the gearbox!! Anyone thinking/working on that?? We have and sadly world does not want to be changed as 'efficient use of capital' is still defined by all as DEBT!  go figure! 

@GarethWong

Watch_Dogs WeAreData great example of how "big data" is used (mostly for visualisation so far) but we can do more (for good) I hope!

Watch_Dogs WeAreData:

this is a brilliant example of how "big data" can be used .. from a games company!



well done. (in Paris, picture above, you can even follow the trains!)

(mostly for visualisation so far) but being an ever optimist.. no doubt we can do more (for good).

now, everyone one else need to figure out how to protect/use the data for good!

thanks for @domdelport 's tweet..

@GarethWong

Sunday 23 June 2013

John Mescall on making shareable advertising on Vimeo, RT @GarethWong Well deserved! @McCann_WW #CannesLions #DumbWaystoDie scoops top award http://bit.ly/14Qs5wm @guardian @JohnMescall1 http://bit.ly/14Qs5wn

John Mescall on making shareable advertising on Vimeo:

RT @GarethWong Well deserved! @McCann_WW #CannesLions #DumbWaystoDie http://dumbwaystodie.com/ scoops top award http://bit.ly/14Qs5wm @guardian @JohnMescall1 http://bit.ly/14Qs5wn




Key question is how we can harness such creativity to encourage/incentivise people to better themselves and make things happen rather than complaining without providing solutions!?



John Mescall on making shareable advertising from Warc on Vimeo.

Saturday 15 June 2013

Learn from Chris Hadfield's Snapshots from Space - YouTube

Chris Hadfield's Snapshots from Space - YouTube:

Link to a few top pictures by him: Chris Hadfield performs David Bowie's Space Oddity - on The @Independent http://bit.ly/11DrVTC

I particularly like the one on London:



Friday 14 June 2013

brilliant advice from Michael Lazerow... (but...) Offbeat Advice I Wish I Was Given in School | LinkedIn

Offbeat Advice I Wish I Was Given in School | LinkedIn:

Reality is that turning back the clock, if we were given the advice, would we have listened? I've doing that now and my next generation is pretending to listen.. maybe by showing Michael's post, they finally will.. key is everyone should!

must read full list suggest you click through and read it or follow him at http://www.linkedin.com/in/lazerow 

"Sit in row 1 or 2. Perception matters. Sitting up close tells the teacher you care.

Doodle often. It's your brain on auto drive. You never know where it will take you.

Do your homework. The stress of telling your teacher you didn't do it isn't worth it.

Do what you love. Then master it so you can do it much better than anyone else you know. Happiness is where interests and capabilities intersect.

Ask out someone at least two grades above you. And expect to be rejected. Rejection is the muscle that will power your future success. (And if you actually succeed, even better! Grab the Drakkar. Game on!).

Admit your mistakes. Don't lie. Take your punishment. And move on. The mistake won't hurt you. The coverup will. Flawed, vulnerable people are likable. Liars aren't."


Thursday 13 June 2013

Brilliantly funny The 21th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony - YouTube, Chemistry Themed.. & Miss Sweetie Poo that is needed in most conferences!

The 21th First Annual Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony - YouTube:

best song on all elements

worthwhile if you fancy watching the whole lot, much better than all the useless reality show!!




Potential best contribution to conference sector by the Ig Nobel Prize Ceremony for the wider conference world (if they dare) is Miss Sweetie Poo!!:



thanks for @HarryDavies 's tweet, as I would not have found this!