January 15, 2012
Not sure why I never knew about Google Public Data until today. I’m forever researching some topic and looking for just the right data set and a way to great a graphical representation of it. Google Public Data brings many public sources together and allows you to create line, bar, pie, and bubble charts a la Google Docs.
AB — 15 January 2012
December 19, 2011
Recently I’ve been writing a series of columns on climate change over at ThomasNet Green & Clean. Although I do talk about the scientific arguments around human-caused global warming, I’m also interested in this issue as a social controversy, that is, what is it that drives people to one side or the other of the question? (Photo: Power plant, Finland. Credit:eutrophication&hypoxia, CC BY 2.0)
Here are links to each of the articles up to now:
Does the Public Really Believe Humans Are Causing Climate Change?
All This Wrangling Over Climate Change – What’s Up With That?
The Climate Change Controversy – What’s It Really About?
So, Have They Figured Out That Global Warming Is Real?
ARB — 19 Dec. 2011
December 2, 2011
Here’s a possible classification of extremists:
1. True Believers — People whose extremism arises from a sincere belief in the extreme ideology being promoted.
2. Needle-Pushers — Cynical practicers of realpolitik who adopt the extreme position hoping to counteract extremists on the opposing side and “move the needle” toward their own position, getting partisans in power or policies enacted that are more desirable from their point of view.
3. Knee-Jerkers — Followers who are led to back an extremist position because that position’s arguments speak to their own prejudices or harmonizes with their cultural background.
AB — 2 December 2011
November 5, 2011
I love TED Talks as a resource for encountering new ideas. Today I watched Kathryn Schulz’s insightful talk, “On being wrong.” Schulz is a journalist known for writing about wrongness.
Near the beginning, Schulz explains her purpose for the talk:
What I want to do today is, first of all, talk about why we get stuck inside of this feeling of being right; and second, why it’s such a problem; and finally, I want to convince you that it is possible to step outside of that feeling; and that if you can do so, it is the single greatest moral, intellectual, and creative leap you can make.
And here’s what I thought was a key insight from the presentation:
…trusting too much in the feeling of being on the correct side of anything can be very dangerous. This internal sense of rightness that we all experience so often is not a reliable guide to what is actually going on in the external world. And when we act like it is, when we stop entertaining the possibility that we could be wrong, well, that’s when we end up doing things like dumping 200 million gallons of oil into the Gulf of Mexico or torpedoing the global economy.
Here’s the video:
AB — 5 Nov. 2011
October 14, 2011
Over at ThomasNet Green & Clean recently, I wrote a pair of articles about small houses, with a mix of interesting photos, statistics on home sizes, and quotes from Henry David Thoreau. Here are links to the articles:
Living in Small and Tiny Houses – Thoreau Would Be Proud
Want to Build Green? Start by Thinking Small.
(Photo: Tiny house interior. Credit: RowdyKittens, CC BY 2.0.)
AB — 14 Oct. 2011
September 15, 2011
I thought this was an interesting and useful infographic highlighting the growing U.S. solar manufacturing business. Right now, it shows a $5.6 billion industry that imports $3.75 billion, for a $1.9 billion trade surplus.
I wrote something about the growth of the solar industry recently for ThomasNet Green & Clean — see “How Will U.S. Army Energy Initiatives Affect Expansion of Solar Energy?“
AB — 15 September 2011
September 7, 2011
Here’s an interesting infographic from Publicis Healthware International, a healthcare-focused communication firm based in Italy. I think this is interesting and potentially useful for marketers of pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and products and services directed at physicians — it gives some idea of how physicians are using social/professional media and identifies some of the trusted communities where they might be reached.
In an accompanying article, Publicis writes that
The proliferation of small and large communities is the result of physicians’ increasing need to share ideas and discuss clinical cases with colleagues in every part of the world.
The article categorizes physicians’ online social media (although “social” doesn’t necessarily express the purpose of these communities) in three ways:
AB — 7 September 2011
September 2, 2011
What I keep hearing is that businesses don’t want to expand, take risks, or hire new people because they don’t know what direction the economy’s going to go. Supposedly this fear turns into a self-fulfilling prophecy, because most businesses are thinking the same way and nobody’s willing to get moving to generate more business in the economy.
I have to think that this represents an opportunity for businesses large and small that are willing to get off their butts and start doing something. While the competition is busy wringing their hands, you can be out gaining market share.
While the competition is skimping on their marketing budget, you can expand yours and gain more visibility in the marketplace.
While the competition is afraid to take risks and try new things, you can invest in some product development and market testing to get a new product out on the market at a discount rate.
Since the competition is afraid to hire new employees, you are in a position to hire someone good at a reasonable rate. What about taking on a part-timer? A paid intern? A promising young person with little hard experience? A bright, creative, diligent worker who only has a high-school degree? An older person who might appear “over-qualified” on paper but would love to have a great job working for you?
AB — 2 September 2011
August 30, 2011
I came across this useful infographic from MBAProgramInfo.com, which analyzes the effect of outsourcing on the U.S. jobs picture (this image is reduced in size — click on the image to link through to the original and examine it in full size):
AB — 30 August 2011
