Example for the bigger football teams to make the world a better place

I think this is a great way to channel back some of the big bucks that we consumers spend on sports and entertainment. If we want to build a better and sustainable world then this story of the Algarve United and the Iberian lynx is definitely an example and inspiration.

Enviromatics

Continuing on the theme of inter-disciplinary collaborations, MIT Tech Review identifies as one of the emerging technologies/field of study, "Enviromatics" .

Inter-disciplinary applications and the real estate Ponzi scheme

Reengineer That Ad made me think about the importance of cross pollination that is needed today between the many disciplines that have grown and advanced independently over the last century. Its time for the educational system to come up with more programs that spans across many areas. After all life is not a single track. I think a lot of research and academic courses should be broad based rather than the narrow specialized focus we have today.
Welcome to Londongrad on the other hand strengthens my convictions about the Ponzi nature of the real estate markets almost everywhere these days, sustained by attracting people willing to pay more from outside. The Russians in UK, the Brits in Spain, pay much much more than what the locals would afford or be willing to pay and thus keep inflating the prices. Why don't we learn that increased valuation obtained just by pouring money in to an asset is not value created? I guess making an easy buck rather than working hard is a very compelling proposition.

Where is the world going?

After listening to Martin Wolf today on the global economy one is compelled to mull on the problems of the huge imbalances that prevails in the world. According to him today we live in a Keynesian world , summed by the famous quote of Keynes:
"If you owe your bank a hundred pounds, you have a problem. But if you owe a million, it has."
His point of view that the imbalances are due to the reactions of the US to the policies of the rest of the world (read "China") and not a problem directly of US policies makes sense. Removing the imbalances through exchange rate mechanism and stimulating internal demand in rest of the world seems like reasonable policies. Of course it is not that simple and the only thing certain about the future is that the longer we delay the worse will be the adjustments, because as Herb Stein said "That which can not go on forever won’t".
If not much is done, doomsday scenarios like protectionism, breakup of the European Union seems to be likely possibilities in the future. How would you make sure that someone who has borrowed huge sums of money from you return it to you?

Geeks and Geezers

Geeks and Geezers, a very interesting work which tries to demystify the need of experience and maturity to be a leader by comparing leaders of two generations: below 35 and above 70 years. In my opinion the model of "crucibles", life changing personal experiences that shape leadership characteristics, is quite a good model. As the old saying says if it does not kill you, it will strengthen you. The "crucible" experience forces you to go through an adaptation process and makes you think and realign your values in life and can happen at any age. However I believe that experience is a very handy thing for a leader. Experience and knowledge gathered through that often engenders respect, something absolutely necessary for a leader. Unless you are a prodigy or a genius it becomes difficult to command respect at an early age, a major handicap for any leader. Also while it is possible to gain a lot of experience in a short period of time, often the quality of the experience is not the same in details and breadth. The concept of "neoteny", retaining characteristics of childhood in adults, is also crucial in explaining why some leaders can go on forever and never succumb to ennui.

Let's get started

I intend this blog to be the window to my mind, filled with my musings on life, wireless, management, economics or whatever that catches my fancy....
So let the journey begin!!!