Are You Wasting Money? | The Relationship Economy......

Are You Wasting Money? The Relationship Economy......: "Business structures and models are being disrupted by the emerging developments of advanced social technology."

World Economic Forum - Podcasts and Webcasts

World Economic Forum - Podcasts and Webcasts: "Managing Complexity: A Different Approach"

"The art of possibilities" - wonderful stuff from Benjamin Zander at Davos2009

15minutes in, 53minutes in and 1hour in are special moments among many but you really deserve to watch the whole thing!

Tweeter Directory » Just Tweet It

The depth and breadth of social computing and the business tools available grows every day.

Just take a look at some of these segmented offerings and means of navigation to the social and business communities, especially the directory on the RHS of Tweeter Directory » Just Tweet It

MaRS Blog - Innovation and Commercialization in Canada » Blog Archive » Here comes the sun…

"Here comes the sun" The Beatles!

http://blog.marsdd.com/2009/01/27/here-comes-the-sun/ : "The worldwide volume of photovoltaic installations (PV) in 2007 was 2.6GW. Of this, the German market made up 1,100 MW (41 per cent) - by far the biggest market in the world. Spain was the second largest market with 19 per cent of the volume. The US had about 10% and the rest was spread around on a number of countries with about one or two per cent of the market.The worldwide volume of photovoltaic installations (PV) in 2007 was 2.6GW. Of this, the German market made up 1,100 MW (41 per cent) - by far the biggest market in the world. Spain was the second largest market with 19 per cent of the volume. The US had about 10% and the rest was spread around on a number of countries with about one or two per cent of the market."
.................
"In total, Germany had 430,000 PV systems producing 3.8 GW in 2007 - almost all of which has been built after 2003."


This is against:
"55 GW - tech peak daily electrical power consumption of Great Britain in November 2008.[4] "
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orders_of_magnitude_(power)

so much more to be done:http://www.abcarticledirectory.com/Article/Solar-Power--Basic-Principles/194070

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/10/AR2008101002450.html

along with tidal, wind, nuclear, fuel cells, hydrogen and general conservation by better usage and better design!

Chris Pattens Book "What Next" quotes:

"fill the tank of one SUV with biofuel and you use up the same amount of grain as it would take to feed an avg african family for a year"!!!!!!

...and we havent even got to the issue of water scarcity http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/water/water_facts/en/index.html and the huge rise in population and impact of climate change:
"The food required to give us our 3000 calories a day needs 3500 litres of water to produce it" (ref: UNDP UN development program)

Life without limits - Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Part 1 of 3

Humour and Humanity all rolled into one - marvellous video to inspire!
YouTube - Nick Vujicic, No Arms, No Legs, No Worries! Part 1 of 3
Im not a religious man but if you watch some of his other video's its great to see hi believe.

BBC NEWS | World | Americas | Obama orders Guantanamo closure

"Yes we can"
This man means business!!
BBC NEWS World Americas Obama orders Guantanamo closure

Inaugural speech

The best bits for me were most definately first:

"and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. "

Then:

"Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint. "

"With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet."

"but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist. "

But also:

"And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it. "

"that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task"

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28751183/page/3/

Democrats announce plan to green the economy

One day in the job and its happening!
Democrats announce plan to green the economy
US Democrats have unveiled an $825bn plan to stimulate the US economy, including proposals to spend billions of dollars on low carbon vehicles, renewable energy and energy efficiency.
http://www.edie.net/news/news_story.asp?id=15882&src=tw
edi.net being one of the definitive publications in this area if not the #1!

Text of Obama's inaugural speech

From the november 4th speech to the....
Text of Obama's inaugural speech - Inauguration- msnbc.com
and
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/obama_inauguration/7840646.stm

I loved the poetry that day, the final words of Dr Joseph Lowery at the end of the ceremony were not only uplifting but intentionally funny!! Splendid stuff America!!
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27721638/vp/28738394#28738394
(note: to cut to it go to 4min 30sec on his video!)

Twitter / Inauguration_DC; Live 20-Jan-2009

A real time "140 character" feed on a truely Historic Day!!

Twitter / Inauguration_DC: "Latest information from DC Government about the 2009 Presidential Inauguration."

Having used the web to raise the largest presendential campaign fund ever and then using web2.0 as a small part of winning the election, lets hope Borack Obama can be the President2.0!

We certainly need some new vision, leadership and action to put the world on track this decade/century/millenium!

FT.com / Business Life - Squeezing the lemon can be fruitful

The entrepreneurial bitter sweet common sense of just keeping at it with those that you know you can help FT.com / Business Life - Squeezing the lemon can be fruitful

“One of the advantages of just keeping on talking to your customers is that they will tell you about things you don’t otherwise know about,”

“We already knew that managing existing customers well was important... and we were pretty good at it,” Abraham says. “However, we didn’t realise how much better we could be.”

“Rather than just discussing what new things we’ve got coming up, and would they like to buy them, we now have them telling us what’s important to them.”

...and their top tips http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5978e300-de69-11dd-8372-000077b07658.html

Especially important in 2009 as things are only going to get harder before they get easier!!

"There is no decline in leadership – but you must look for it in new places,"

Q&A with Bill Drayton, Founder of Ashoka: "
It has been apparent since the middle of this decade and probably before that innovation in social entrepreneurism is having a much wider impact:

"When questioned about the lack of leadership in the world, Drayton discusses how around 1980 social needs became so strong and highly recognised, that the citizen sector went through the same kind of structural revolution in 25 years that took business 300 years. As it became entrepreneurial, this sector began to quickly close the productivity gap–cutting it in half roughly every 10 to 12 years. As a result, resources have been flooding into this sector, generating jobs at 2.5 to three times as fast as the rest of society. The U.S. more than doubled the number of Internal Revenue Service-recognised charities in a decade. Brazil grew from somewhere between 500 and 3,600 citizen groups in 1980 to an estimated more than 1 million by the year 2000. According to Drayton, because this is the fastest-growing, most vibrant sector now, it is where the talent is flowing. The best, most entrepreneurial leaders go where they can have the biggest impact for the good, where they will find the most ethical and engaged colleagues, and where they will be most challenged. For example, over half of Ashoka social entrepreneurs have changed national policy within five years of their launch. Roughly 90 percent have seen independent organisations copy their innovations. "There is no decline in leadership – but you must look for it in new places," he says."

The Hive - Nottingham Trent University

Nice touch for youngperson entrepreneurism not just student entrepreneurs

The Hive - Nottingham Trent University
"We support the creation of new businesses as well as fostering the delivery of entrepreneurship education into the curriculum across the University."
I bet this refreshes knoweldge and creartes shared learning all round which must help the host as well as the hostee. Responsibility!!

Good coverage on BBC Working Lunch, thanks!

"making money" verses "making businesses"!

The good, bad (sad) and the ugly but important story from Porsche and VW last year. So many more stories (like this and Madoff) which will not be told but they are all part of what the financial sector knew was happening from as early as July 2007.
ivan krstić · code culture » How Porsche hacked the financial system and made a killing

Be careful, as the child who saved lives in the Tsunami of 2005 told her parents on the sand, "when you see the tide go out so far so suddenly, expect it all to wash over us all again suddenly, run inland mum". (she'd been paying attention in the school class the week before!!) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/01/0118_050118_tsunami_geography_lesson_2.html

Supply and demand, be sure you understand yours and your environment!!!

Lets hope for something understandable from January 20th 2009 onwards!

BBC NEWS World Americas The 'misunderestimated' president?

An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It

The passion and sense of social responsibility from 1931 and a great mind!

A very short essay worthreflecting on!
An Essay by Einstein -- The World As I See It: "most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious"

Software and Sustainability

Interesting to dig into microsoft own centric view on sustainability with some good dog food action towards green data centres
Software Enabled Earth
It will be interesting to revisit this one over the months and years ahead!