friarminor

Idea Drop: Not Your Parents' Idea Bin

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Sun, 26 Jul 2020 20:31:00 +0000

For a world in turmoil, we need fresh ideas from everyone because looking at governments, most top-down leadership clearly is lacking so it isn't working.

With the sudden forced shift to online transactions, forward-thinking businesses and private companies know better than to make the same mistakes. Trusting their workforce and rallying the troops means a lot of back and forth coordination and in the process, ideas will come from all directions that will have to be managed or things will just go to waste.

Using an idea management solution seems a plausible alternative to emails and long-threaded chats currently used within companies. Of course, not being able to meet face-to-face also contribute to the chaos of documenting idea contributions and suggestions as much as tracking what happens after that.

You could say that the use of an Idea Management Software is ripe for adoption because at his point, the only thing more powerful than the pandemic aside people thinking of the welfare of other people is an 'idea whose time has come'.

Learn more about Idea Drop.

Youtube PH: Why It's Good for the World

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 02:37:00 +0000

Two Words.

PEOPLE POWER.

Francis. Enigma.

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:26:00 +0000

Kind to others, severe to himself - Thomas of Celano

The most challenging aspect of Francis of Assisi ... is the utter seriousness of his life. - Spoto

His spiritual preference was towards prayer and contemplation, yet he dedicated his adult life to service and prayer. (Francis: Life and Lessons - Chris Park)

Monster Within

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 10:53:00 +0000

I believe there are similarities between the Hmong and Filipinos- rice diet, physical attributes and quite possibly, sleep paralysis deaths. But as much as we Pinoys believe in many supernatural nighttime creatures, too, by experience, I honestly don't think it's the reason I suffer from sleep paralysis.

I've always had trouble sleeping. I'm just one of those who sleep lightly unless I just had a very intense physical workout. Seems to me that my mind comes racing towards a lot of things once I am alone with my thoughts - not necessarily about creatures and such but about as many miscellaneous things as one can think of when inside a library. It's as if time's a waste for the millions of things I'd thought I could do.

Maybe it was around 14 years of age when I first had my frighteningly awakening experience with sleep paralysis. I'd like to describe it as 'mind being awake and aware yet body not responding, a paralysis that also affects respiration'. I've experienced it a lot of times to the point that it added to my sleep problem. In anticipation, I say my nightly prayers and try to keep as few pillows also as they could feel like huge boulders that add to the difficulty of getting through when the paralysis attacks.

And yes, I can say that I've learned to fight through them. The paralysis literally comes like a thief, and you awaken to a darkness around you unable to move. At first, I wasn't aware of the danger it posed. Yes, I could not physically move but then I know I am conscious and aware that something strange is happening. But this same consciousness also comes with the thought that to live is to breathe. And with that realization comes the panic.

With a Catholic upbringing, it's second nature to use prayer as first option. Not to say that I have strong faith but during the paralysis, I always felt that whatever happens there is nothing for me to fear. I've always believed that I have plenty of loved ones who've pased away who, despite my imperfections, continue to watch over me.

Obviously, I've pulled through since I am writing this in a feeble attempt to shed some light on this phenomenon. Well, to say I got through those difficulties through prayer is not the whole story. Yes, I prayed and during the course of it, I also learned to focus all my willpower in getting a small finger to move and eventually break out of the paralysis and wake up. I do that everytime and luckily, it works. Of course, the fear remains but it's not enough to bother me from sleeping at all more than I hate any small dint of light whenever I go to bed.

In her new book, Sherry Adler points out to some cultural monsters that seems tied up to the Hmong's suffering from sleep paralysis. All I can say is, it certainly doesn't seem to be the same for me. I've discussed this with classmates back in high school then, to a few friends in college and with my wife now and the thought of a monster never did creep up in any of our sleep paralysis conversations.

In fact, I'd still lay my case that this thing is tied up to the rice diet. Maybe there's something about the kind of carbohydrate that makes both Hmong and Filipinos predisposed to this paralysis. Thinking about it, I'd often suffer from the paralysis when I sleep after a full rice meal combined with more than regular type of physical activity. With regards to cardiac makeup, I once had an irregular ECG pattern back in college but then an expert said that it was typical of teens to have that so I just brushed it aside. I am past my 4th decade already and proud to say that I can still mix it up with those half my age playing hoops so I can't say I'm in the wrong end of the health spectrum either.

May I also point out that it is not only during night time that I got to experience sleep paralysis. I remember quite accurately that I had one bout when I took an afternoon nap on a weekend after a very sumptuous lunch prepared by my mum. It was summer with the heat and full stomach combined to become very powerful sleep inducers. Alas, I had an inkling that falling asleep back then was like a death sentence but still wasn't able to fight it off. And then it happened. Mind awake and paralyzed yet again.

SO I struggled to move a either a pinkie or a small toe. Unfortunately, there were pillows placed over my hands and feet. I'm not sure how long I tried but during these attacks time seems a measure of when you can breathe again and not some clock activity. It might just be a minute but it did feel like it was longer when all of a sudden I saw my body lying on bed and with the room in full view from above. I was floating from the ceiling! It lasted maybe a few seconds or just an instant but I swear I saw everything. I saw how my brother was getting inside the room to wake me up for merienda (snacks), but in an instant I was back in my body before he (or was it my mum) was able to touch any part of me. I awoke and immediately replied I don't like eating because I heard already what it was - when I was floating. End of story.

I grew up in a small 3 bedroom house with 5 sibling brothers. We started with bunk beds but then I had to move into my own room not as a privilege of being the eldest. Yeah, we loved watching horror movies as kids and we still do so now. So imagine that I had to be brave to sleep inside own room and deal with scary monsters once in while alone by myself. Heck, my brothers were scared too but nobody would admit, except the youngest who wouldn't sleep with lights off to the disgust of the rest of us so he had to sleep by himself on the sala or spend the night tinkering with PC or whatever.

But to this day, we still haven't seen or admit we to have encountered monsters. Truth is, if there ever was, my brothers who sleep in the other room know perfectly well that even scarier than the horror movies and stories is being with me on the same room. For back then, I would sometimes wake up in the middle of the night to what might be a boot or shoe hitting my door. And for anyone who has heard me snore, they will tell you that it's better to room in with a real monster.

The Dark Side of the Placebo Effect

We're now a family of three and our only kid is a big 6-year old. I still don't get to sleep soundly and to add to the woe is that we 3 like to sleep together, not because it's comfortable but because it is a sort of family bonding ritual. Well, it is not typical among Filipino kids to sleep with parents. I often complain that I don't get to sleep soundly because I'd often get kicked in the nuts by the kid in the middle. I am also a light sleeper so any movement is an interruption. But I love being with my kid from the moment she was born and I'd probably just endure it for as long as I can. Besides, a mattress is always ready at the foot of the bed when things just get too rough for me. Probably not the same nightmare monster, but seems only this is the very real one to me.

Why Music Matters - The Beatles

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:10:00 +0000

via youtube.com

Animation, Beatles and of course, music. What's not to like? I admit I can totally relate to it.
Timeless.

Become The Conscious Type

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 08:56:00 +0000

via youtube.com

Words inspire and influence while type casts its spell.

Congratulations, You Failed!

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 06:41:00 +0000

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                        " href="http://prezi.com/s2qtimep7cwl/congratulations-you-failed/">Congratulations, You Failed!</a> on Prezi</p></div></div>

Words, Not Swords

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 12:23:00 +0000

via youtube.com

Tell your story.
Distill the message.
Craft the piece.
Re-write, re-write.
Change the world.

Again, Who Needs Swords?

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 11:54:00 +0000

Tell your story.
Distill the message.
Craft the piece.
Write and re-write.
Change the world.

How to teach kids to be innovators? Go Montessori.

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:16:00 +0000

School has always been top priority for my wife and me. [Education is too big of a term] Though we both admit we never enjoyed it as kids. Must be the reason we wanted to get it right now with our kid.

Here in the Philippines, sending a child to school can be quite expensive. In fact, you could easily say that it's number one reason why we need to earn, really. Public schools? Well, let's just say that it's bottom most in our list of options.

Anyway, here's food for thought if you who value learning and innovation as well.

Montessori Builds Innovators

There are strident disagreements these days over every aspect of American educational policy, except for one. Everyone thinks it would be great if we could better teach students how to innovate.

Full article by Andrew McAfee here.

Plus, ever heard of Monsieurs Brin, Page and Bezos? They're quite successful now so you may also want to read 'The Montessori Mafia' and perhaps see your kids' names on this elite list in the future.

After graduating Montessori preschool last year, kid said she didn't want to go back. We obliged but look, she made own shield. Eat your heart out Mr. Starks, not vibranium but does the job!

When Open Feels Closed

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 07:00:00 +0000

At OSCON, a new group was launched and calls itself the Open Cloud Initiative.

From Networkworld:

The group is a “non-profit organization established to advocate open standards in cloud computing”. The OCI is modeled after the Open Source Initiative that helped define OSS and OSI accepted licenses.

The OCI says their purpose is “to provide a legal framework within which the greater cloud computing community of users and providers can reach consensus on a set of requirements for Open Cloud, as described in the Open Cloud Principles (OCP) document, and then apply those requirements to cloud computing products and services, again by way of community consensus.”

One word comes to mind. Splinter.

And that is often is followed by 'ouch'.

[Might as well just call it CCCP. Closed Cloud Computing Posturing. ]

Is that what you call open?

Choice‬‏

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 02:21:00 +0000

via youtube.com

It is never too easy -- when all I want is 'simple'. To believe that I am in charge of my own life, to stay true to values I hold dear despite the obvious rule of a consumerist society under the guise of freedom.

eCLOUD: Part weather, part computing wonder. All design genius.

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 03:15:00 +0000

via vimeo.com

Not only does it capture the essence of looking at clouds to evoke randomness such as when you're looking at actual ones and fuzzing about the shapes, eCloud is an amazing work of computing and design. Excellent alternative when you can't go to the roof because you're not a kid anymore.

Persist

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Tue, 05 Jul 2011 03:50:00 +0000

Email, Keynote or Powerpoint, they all have their purpose and have wowed and inspired us all plenty of times. Call me sentimental but still, nothing compares to a simple, heartfelt written letter.

Here's proof with extra that extra Pixar creative touch. Thanks to Letters of Note.

Bonus: For the Sprouties, Lions in my own Garden, handwritten by Paddy given to Lloyd Cole.

See the full gallery on Posterous

The Irony of a National ICT Month

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 01 Jul 2011 07:21:00 +0000

You can still catch the celebration on the CICT website or at least the farce of it before it goes under the the banner of DOST.

"Let’s celebrate the National ICT Month this June! With the theme, “A Digitally Empowered Philippines”..."

Paraphrasing US President Obama's statement during the appointment of Vivek Kundra as first federal CIO, we can now read the CICT demotion as stating the Aquino presidency's direction as:

"[Forget about] using the spirit of [Filipino] innovation and the power of technology to improve performance and lower the cost of government operations. [With CICT under DOST, we are] making sure that our government [will NOT be] running in the most secure, open and efficient way possible.

Plus considering the results of UN's E-Government Survey of 2010, it seems our current government believes otherwise.

While technology is no substitute for good policy, it may give citizens the power to question the actions of regulators and bring systemic issues to the fore. Similarly, e-government can add to public service delivery to help governments respond to an expanded set of demands even as revenues fall short.

No offense to DOST but I thinkyup. ICT deserves an office all of its own. After all, unlike the fairly tame DOST, technology has a way of exposing things that should not be named thereby biting the very hand that created and sustains it.

Oh, well. For wishful thinking, we can just read this document and pray that e-nlightenment comes.

The E-government handbook for Developing Countries (A Project of InfoDev and THe Center for Democracy and Technology)

Seriously, Innovation is a Laughing Matter!

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 07:46:00 +0000

What's So Funny About Innovation?

-- Paul Valerio of Method. Download PDF here.

Nation's Decline and Rebirth

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 07:46:00 +0000

Think many have always known that even the US suffers from a "special-interest" malady but from where I stand, it is depressing because in the Philippines, public interest has been and always is just an election slogan.

Been late to this great piece of work, "Can America Fail" by Dean Kishore Mahbubani of the National University of Singapore in which he lists and discusses the causes of US decline.

Here he lists 3 failures that were the cause of the decline.

"The first systemic failure America has suffered is groupthink."

"The second systemic failure has been the erosion of the notion of individual responsibility ."

"The third systemic failure of American society is its failure to see how the abuse of American power has created many of the problems the United States now confronts abroad. "

Curiously, he hasn't touched economic causes too much. I'm guessing he attributes the 'loss of manufacturing hegemony' to that prevailing American ego enveloped by 'entitlement'. Clearly without which, America wouldn't be the rich nation that it was before. And with how things are cheaper everywhere else (and with the manufacturing skill and know-how found equally on foreign shores), innovation is of prime importance to be able to climb back on top again.

And while the US continues to struggle with their less than rosy picture, the Philippines, enjoys it's fair share of offshore contracts that boost the economy with plenty of reasons why companies should keep them here http://bit.ly/mjh5Svthan go some place else.

However, it would be in the best interest if our national officials also examine and reflect on Dean Mahbubani's points which are clearly present here which manifests as corruption. Because if not, then whatever economic gain we get from outsourcing will never be enough to lift the country out of the doldrums.

Of Modern-Day Rizals in our Midst

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 07:09:00 +0000

via youtube.com

Every Filipino can certainly learn from Jose Rizal for showing the world that we are certainly capable of brilliance and service at the same time. Yet, heroes don't just have to exist in the past. They can be every bit as alive and successful today leading extraordinary inspirational lives. Thankfully, I get to know and work for one up close.

Lord knows there wasn't so much I wanted to do except take care of Zaki the moment her rare health condition was confirmed. Never had much passion to do anything else, certainly not think about work. But a news story here and a chance encounter there led me to this once in a lifetime opportunity. Knew him a bit back then while attending college. Somehow, appearances aside, there wasn't that much of a change. Until you dig a little further to find some stuff of silicon inside.

There are so many things I can say to describe Winston Damarillo.

Cool young entrepreneur, self-made in Silicon Valley, proudly-Pinoy (and LaSallian), passionately driven by the possibilities of marrying IT with almost anything plus a loving and equally brilliant, wife and kid. Oh and jet-setter, Filipino, WEF-named Young Global Leader and patriotic innovation advocate, too.

Let it also be said that here's a guy who's got plenty of ideas in his head, all going at full speed at the same time yet pragmatically-focused on a successful end result.

He's not just my boss.

Not just my friend.

Come to think of it, maybe he is one of those sort of modern-day Rizals in our midst.

Only this time battling oppression of a worse kind - that which keeps our collective national innovation spirit divided and in inertia while the rest of Asia grows forward.

And for the little things that I can do to help him succeed, those are something too valuable to pass up.

And I know Zaki and wife will understand.

Failure is Innovation's Apprentice

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 00:15:00 +0000

I wish I could put more on paper and talk about why I felt that PhilDev was the event of the year for the country. Considering the line-up, I'd reckon that this was just like putting up a Filipino All-Star Entrepreneurial and Innovation team free of the political reins. But, there I was, unexpectedly busy, doing things that were more 'back-end'. [In any case, I did my part to contribute, however small again and now, that's two PhilDev events in a row with the one in San Francisco as the first one. All credit goes to Winston Damarillo for giving me that bit part.]

Then again, I missed a lot of the talks and was too tired by the time Mr. Dado Banatao delivered his address. That was not to say that he didn't exactly light it up because he did! His mere presence there alone provided all of us with the hope and the promise that putting proven innovation systems in place - like an emphasis on science and engineering R&D, the Philippines can also breakthrough out of it's third world rut.

That and among other things like energy efficiency, entrepreneurial spirit and innovation disruptions were the other highlights discussed during the event. I honestly felt it was too much to take for one day but fully understood that it was the right place to seize the moment and put in everything.

Yet, if there was one point that resonated within - it wasn't the action points or things the country needed to put in place that would take us to the next development level. I'd say that it could be small and trivial but strikes a chord given our unspoken cultural bias against it, nonetheless. After all, we do a lot of awful things just to save face. And that goes for this dreamer, too.

And like a mantra, how to counter that is to say to yourself simply, "it's ok to fail".

Will keep that in mind.

TIME's Best Blogs 2011

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 02:01:00 +0000

Time2011BestBlogs.pdf Download this file

Picked out 5 from TIME's 25 fresh picks of 2011. Check all 25 and see which one you haven't discovered yet.

The Atlantic's Ta-Nehisi Coates - As a whole, The Atlantic is always a reader's delight but just want to make sure you don't miss Ta-Nehisi.

Cool Hunting This is indie FastCo Design. Design serendipity.

Smitten Kitchen. Real foodies always try to prepare the food at home themselves. Push yourself and be one. Photos alone are pure magic.

A Hamburger Today. So you want it simpler? How about burgers? But then, there's more hamburgers than your regular fast food variety. My mouth waters just thinking about the possibilities.

OK Cupid. Ed Tufte and sexy. Data to make you blush.

✌ As parents, we're suckers for kid learning tips and advice. Wife found Paul Blogush online and gives us something more to think about and consider about becoming real parent-teachers.

Seed of Creativity, Seed of Passion

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Tue, 07 Jun 2011 03:27:00 +0000

It's great that there's a lot of premium on creativity nowadays but truth is, childhood holds the key.

Creativity is finally getting the recognition it deserves with more businesses discovering that in an almost flat world, it provides the difference between thriving and failing or merely traversing the 'average' highway. Yet, examine all the advice you can find on creativity as well as read on famous creatives and what you'll notice is the importance of childhood and nurturing that spark that seems to die once we reach adulthood and presented with monetization and metrics.

That being said, isn't it reasonable to invest more in our kid's creative lives if we hope to see not just a better tomorrow but a infinitely better one to find solutions to centuries-old problems. Sounds like too much to ask in reality but this may be the only way to stop a cycle of a conditioned life - to take the road less travelled.

Check this article on creativity to find your passion.

For today's aspiring entrepreneur, exploring avenues of creativity to find your passion is likely the quickest route to increase your chances of launching a successful business.

Five Creativity Exercises to Find your Passion

If you're in Singapore this June, schedule a trip to CommunicAsia 2011. We'd love to see you there!

Life of Surprises

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 06:05:00 +0000

If there was one thing I miss about buying cds, it's the liner notes.

Been spending the week preparing for the company's anniversary celebration. By some twisted reasoning, I find myself again part of the team tasked with creating celebration materials and by that we mean videos and other mementos.

Anyway, scatterbrained that I am, I was immediately reminded of the loveliest 'look-back' entry I've read as far as my limited memory now can recall. Of course, I'm biased but man, the way he wrote the liner notes to the compilation, there's no other way of putting it.

Like the album title, hope mine can also be a 'life of surprises'.

Liner notes:

A LIFE OF SURPRISES

How does the song go ? " Memories light corners of my mind. Misty water-coloured memories of the way we were. "*

As we all know, memories can be fabulous liars, and looking back over ten years since we released our first record, "Lions in my garden", I'm not unhappy to see that the day-to-day details of our legendary career have become smudged upon the canvas of time, forming some unbelievable misty water-coloured memories.

Did we really record all the backing tracks to our first album "Swoon" in an afternoon, believing upon its completion one month later that it would rival "Thriller" as a commercial proposition ?

Did we really audition 147 drummers over 5 days only to realise that applicant number one was the man for the job ?

Who was it that spent three expensive days in the Studio with medium Phyllis King in an attempt to record the voice of the late Elvis Presley - only to contact a troubled spirit identifying itself as Colonel Tom, who wanted 35% of any deal we were making ?

Did Johnny Marr appear in R.A.K.´s studio with a cassette player and tape of "William It Was Really Nothing" while we were making "When Love Breaks Down ?" And did we really release that single 5 times within 18 months before it finally became a hit - monopolising the U.K. number one spot for five weeks ?

Was it a dream or did we eavesdrop on Stevie Wonder as he rehearsed his harmonica solo for "Nightingales" - sat beneath a giant painting of Jimi Hendrix in Westworld Studios ? Do we treasure the photograph ?

Did we really not tour for five productive years ? Have we spent months arguing over tiny details, suppressing the bittersweet knowledge that they´re only records, they mean everything and nothing ? And we were really recording in a Los Angeles studio when the famous voice in the world - that a man from Hoboken - asked us if we´d like a slice of pizza on the occasion of his 69th birthday ? Do we remember that or has time rewritten every line ?

Ten years of making records may justify a Best Of, but it´s hard to feel nostalgic when you hope that the best is yet to come. And who knows ? It´s a life of surprises.

Paddy McAloon May '92

* Apologies to Alan and Marilyn Bergman

Johnny Marr with Morrissey created The Smiths and "William It Was Really Nothing" was one their big hits.

That Hoboken man was, of course, doobie-doobie-doo, Frank Sinatra.

Head over to PrefabSprout.net for more info about the band. Excellent site.

10 Thoughts Before You Hire For Social Media

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 27 May 2011 07:07:00 +0000

Expert, guru or hack. IS there even such a thing? By the fruits of their labor thou shalt know but really, does brilliance really care about titles?

Not Guru Nor Expert But Ignore Social Media at your Own Peril

10 Thoughts Before You Hire for your Social Media

1. Social media by itself will not take the place of Marketing. Anybody who says so or tries to sell you the idea is a HACK.

2. You can consult metrics and dollars ROI but there's more to measuring social media effectivity. It's honest to goodness brand-building that involves more giving than getting which can be very frustrating. (But costlier to altogether ignore)

3. Social networks are social media but social media isn't just social networks. Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are like rooms in a very big online mansion. That's where most people are and that's great for marketers. But we're sure not everybody on facebook are your right targets and seriously, not even a few are on twitter to be sold at.

4. Marketing's intent is to sell and social media, ultimately, wants to do the same. If you are aware of the difference then congratulations, you're ready for social media. If not, you'd be better of reviewing the marketing plan, make sure you have a very deep pocket and a can't miss, awesome product - like a proven height increase product in 5 days, if there's one.

5. Social media supports marketing but way better if the whole company supports social media. Not just for purely selfish and commercial reasons and not because it won't work but it may take a tortuous route if your employees will see through the hypocrisy. It will be better if you treat your employees with respect that they come up with great product and provide good service that social media will come naturally from within.

6. Social media is not too different with CSR so do not try to demonize social media marketing efforts. Celebrate dollar deals you obtain with social media but more than that, treasure relationships. Easier said than done.

7. In the event you can find one who admits that he is one, hire that innovation expert and he'd probably drive you nuts with his demands for a whole lot of changes that you will only pay lip service to because without the sales, everyone is bound to dismiss him as a fraud. Same with social media expert but instead of demanding changes, be prepared for a whole lot of data monitoring, listening and participating. What happens next is a lot of work for the Marketing experts.

8. What do you think of lottery? Do you still buy tickets even if you think odds are higher of being hit by lightning than winning? Do you look at it as getting yourself an opportunity to win instead of skipping thus you'd have no real chance at all. At least you save a couple of dollars instead of a losing ticket. Getting social media, more like the same.

9. Observe and look around, compare buying trends. See anything different or similar? More than going online or digital, social media is not just some set of tools, service or fail-proof magic formula. Honestly, I look at it as effective marketing evolving and doing it's homework in the new platform/marketplace.

10. The real reason you should never hire a social media expert is that there isn't one. Many will claim to be one for adding thousands of "likes" and followers to your brands fan page but they're no different from a celebrity endorsement - your 15 minutes worth of fame. If you value something longer than that then you'd simply have to think it through and become the real expert - through learning, yourself.

Why I will never hire a social media expert

Hypocrites, Guru's and Hacks

Need a Social Media Strategy? Start Thinking Community… | Social Media Today

14 nice things you can do for your customers using social media

The Real Cost of Social Media

It’s Only Love – Olivia Mancini

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Tue, 24 May 2011 00:05:00 +0000

via beatlescompleteonukulele.com

Think I heard so much Fab Four when I was in the womb that before age 10, I knew most of their songs by heart listening to the radio every morning just before the school bus arrives.

Haven't tired of listening since...

It's only love? Yeah, right ...

Failure in Innovation is a Price Worth Paying

noreply@blogger.com (friarminor) — Fri, 20 May 2011 01:56:00 +0000

In 2007, Mario Capecchi was awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for this work on mouse genes. But as Tim Hartford narrates, it required stubbornness to beat a system designed to minimizing losses and maximizing gains.

The US National Institutes of Health is responsible for disbursing grants using government money to fund potentially life-saving research. It involves huge sums, thankfully and with this comes the NIH's expert-led, results-based, rational evaluation of projects which is a sensible way to produce a steady stream of high-quality, can't-go-wrong scientific research.

On the other hand, this is a system that was designed to stop Mario Capecchi on his ground-breaking research on mouse genes way back in 1980 that involved applying targeted change to DNA. Quite simply, at that time, this was a ridiculous idea.

You would have to read the whole article to find out how he beat the system and got it funded resulting in him getting the Nobel prize. What is interesting though is figuring out how to make it easier for many of the other geniuses who do not have the same defiant character to be stubborn like Mr Capecchi so as not to lose precious scientific or technological advances.

What the NIH system does is sound and speaks of responsibility of using taxpayer's money. We can all agree to that. In fact, in these time, it is quite laudible.

Tim writes, "But it is exactly the wrong way to fund lottery-ticket projects that offer a small probability of a revolutionary breakthrough. It is a funding system designed to avoid risks—one that puts more emphasis on forestalling failure than achieving success. Such an attitude to funding is understandable in any organization, especially one funded by taxpayers. But it takes too few risks. It isn't right to expect a Mario Capecchi to risk his career on a life-saving idea because the rest of us don't want to take a chance. "

Comparing the NIH way to a different HMMI program that pushes through with uncertainty and higher probability of failures, researchers found evidence that qualifications being almost similar to between the 2 systems, HMMI researchers were more likely to produce highly cited research articles and win awards.