Danny Gamache's Blog

China Defends Currency Policy

2010-03-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

China has launched a public defense of its currency policy, speaking clearly about why they feel the RMB should remain close to the current value. Some argue that the RMB is kept artificially low to increase Chinese exports.

Article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/15/world/asia/15china.html

Danny

Google vs. Apple

2010-03-14T05:55:00.000-07:00

Apple and Google are going to war in the mobile phone market. Google's Android operating system competes directly with the iPhone, and Apple feels that they have infringed on their trademarks. These two companies have gone from allies to enemies in a very short time.

Here's the full article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/14/technology/14brawl.html?pagewanted=1

Danny

Economcis of Happiness

2010-03-04T05:53:00.000-08:00

In Macroeconomics we spent a little time talking about alternative measures of economic and social welfare. Included in this discussion we looked at the concept of Gross Domestic Happiness.
Here are a couple recent article discussing the concept:

http://www.cbc.ca/money/story/2009/09/18/f-don-pittis-gdp.html

http://krusekronicle.typepad.com/kruse_kronicle/2010/01/the-economics-of-happiness.html

Danny

China's Exports Keep Growing

2010-03-02T15:26:00.000-08:00

China's exports keep growing. They are now the world's leading exporter. Even during the world wide economic slowdown China's exports grew. How long will this last?

Here's a great article discussing that:

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15213305&fsrc=rss

Danny

Domino's Pizza Turnaournd

2010-02-28T14:31:00.000-08:00

Domino's has suffered from a bad reputation in recent years and it culminated with a viral video last year made by two employees doing some gross things to the pizza. They are launching a turnaround by completely changing their products - all new ingredients and everything. They are using social media to help spread the word. The advantage of YouTube and video sharing online is that you can use more than 30 seconds to share something important. Here is what Domino's did:

Source:
http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/dominos-the-pizza-turnaround/

Danny

The Price of Water in China

2010-02-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

Will increasing the price of water lower consumption and help China deal with water shortages and environmental concerns?

Find out here:

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15211690&fsrc=rss

Danny

Revolutionary Toilets in Haiti

2010-02-24T11:31:00.000-08:00

Here's a great story about a group that is working to install toilets in Haiti. This is interesting demonstration of how addressing one problem can also allow you to address a second problem.

Full story:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/04/haiti.SOIL.toilets/index.html

Danny

Financial Aid Done Right

2010-02-22T12:14:00.000-08:00

Just over five years ago the world mobilized in aid after the Asian Tsunami. Recently the New York Times shared an article about a situation where the aid from the tsunami was used to revitalize a region.

Check out this encouraging article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/03/weekinreview/03kapur.html

Danny

US's Largest Trading Partner

2010-02-20T12:08:00.000-08:00

What country do you think is the largest trading partner of the United States? Take your best guess and then check out the answer in this article:

http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2010/01/

Did you get it right?

Danny

Unique Marketing Efforts

2010-02-18T18:19:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of videos demonstrating and explaining a unique marketing ideas.

1. For a toothpaste company launched in Israel.

2. And this one for an eye wear company, also in Israel.

Source:
http://www.viralblog.com/guerrilla-marketing/elmex-dude-where-are-the-holes/

http://www.viralblog.com/guerrilla-marketing/opticana-eyewear-the-500-digital-campaign/

What do you think? Which idea is better?

Danny

How Jim Collins Works and Hires People

2010-02-16T12:01:00.000-08:00

This is a fantastic article about Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great". We read "Good to Great" in Business Synthesis class. The article is really interesting because it gives a clear insight into the man behind the books. The way that Collins works and keeps balance of his life is inspiring.

It is also interesting to read how he chooses students to work for him as summer researchers.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/business/24collins.html

Danny

China vs. Japan

2010-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Here is an interesting image that gives a clear picture of what has happened in the economies of Japan and China over the last 25 years. Japan used to be the major exporter to North America. That business has moved to China causing a lot of difficulties in the Japanese economy. I don't think China will have the same bubble effect, simply because their population is so high that their domestic consumption will take over once their export economy shrinks.

Full article: http://www.economist.com/daily/chartgallery/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15096188

Source: http://krusekronicle.typepad.com/kruse_kronicle/2009/12/bubble-trouble-china-vs-japan.html

Danny

Best Viral Video Ever?

2010-02-12T07:10:00.000-08:00

Brand Republic recently ranked the top viral videos of all time, and put this Nike video featuring soccer great Ronaldinho as the best viral of all time. What do you think?

There are some other good ones shown here:

http://www.viralblog.com/viral-commercials/is-touch-of-gold-the-best-viral-ever/

Danny

Psychology of Restaurant Prices

2010-02-10T09:20:00.000-08:00

How does a restaurant determine what words and prices go on their menu?

Which of the following do you think will be most effective way to price a product on a menu?

a. $13.95
b. $13.99
c. 13.95
d. 13.99
e. $14.00
f. $14
g. 14

To find out: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/23menus.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em

If you don't want to read the article, the answer is g, but I won't tell you why... for that you need to read the article! :)

Danny

Facebook's Amazing Growth

2010-02-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

Facebook's growth is amazing. Will it continue. That's the subject of this article: "Can Anyone Stop Facebook?"

What do you think?

Danny

Visual Search

2010-02-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

Google continues to amaze me with the inventions that they come up with. This is a new technology that is just beginning but has a lot of promise. Search without having to type anything in or speak anything.

Source:
http://www.viralblog.com/viral-friday/viral-friday-google-goggles/

Danny

Dynamic Pricing

2010-02-04T18:03:00.000-08:00

Seth Godin explains the idea of dynamic pricing - essentially prices that change over time or based on numbers of sales. It is essentially a form of price discrimination. As we discussed in Microeconomics pure price discrimination would be illegal. I think the ideas that Godin suggests might bring some legal challenges but likely would be ok.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/the-magic-of-dynamic-pricing.html

Danny

Pepsi Skips Superbowl

2010-02-02T05:27:00.000-08:00

Pepsi has decided to skip advertising on the Superbowl this year and invest the money in a web-based social media campaign. This is an example of what Seth Godin says in "Purple Cow" - advertising is dead.

http://www.viralblog.com/social-media/pepsi-skips-superbowl-for-social/

Danny

Finding 1000 True Fans

2010-01-30T05:44:00.000-08:00

A recent article suggested that artists and small businesses don't need a huge number of people who kind of support them. The musician doesn't need a lot of people who kind of like their music. What these people need is only 1000 people - but they must be 1000 true fans. What would 1000 true fans mean for you as a musician, artist or small business person?

Read the original article:
http://www.kk.org/thetechnium/archives/2008/03/1000_true_fans.php

Seth Godin's thoughts on it:

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/first-organize-1000.html

Danny

What is This Really Promoting?

2010-01-28T18:11:00.000-08:00

Check out this video and see if you can figure out what they are really advertising.... Don't read below the video until you've watched the video:

If you have a Catholic background (or perhaps some other liturgical denomination) you'll have got more out of that video.

But it's not really advertising a game called Mass, but the only way to find out what they are really advertising is by going to the fake website http://www.masswepray.com/# and clicking on the pre-order button.

What do you think?

Danny

Businesses Plan on Spending More on Internet Marketing

2010-01-26T15:18:00.000-08:00

Businesses report that they will be spending more money on internet marketing in the coming year according to recent research. The largest spending increases will be on websites and email marketing, with search and social media coming in second. The big losers this year are banner ads and sponsorships.

The full article, including other interesting studies is here:

http://www.viralblog.com/online-video/increased-spend-on-social-video/

Danny

The Basics: How to Use Internet for Business

2010-01-24T14:41:00.000-08:00

Seth Godin had a great post recently titled "Is it Too Late to Catch Up?" The point of the post is to show what a company should do if they missed everything related to the internet and social media over the last ten years. The list serves as a great checklist to make sure you are doing everything you need to, in order to take advantage of the internet.

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/12/is-it-too-late-to-catch-up.html

Danny

Google Launches an Operating System - Sort Of

2010-01-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

Google has come out with Google Chrome OS, a unique operating system. It is an operating system for people who don't store anything on their computer, but rather keep everything on the internet. It will work for many, but at this time it won't work for me.

Check out the video and then in the comments share your feedback. What do you think, is this the way computing is going?

Source:
http://www.viralblog.com/viral-friday/viral-friday-bohemian-rhapsody/

Danny

Great Commercial

2010-01-20T12:30:00.000-08:00

Check out this advertisement:

Danny

Things I have Learned from The Office

2010-01-18T12:25:00.000-08:00

Last month Professor Eric Ortlund posted about things he has learned from The Office. It's a great post and worth checking out. If you've never seen The Office, it's worth checking out as well.

http://scatterings1976.blogspot.com/2009/12/things-i-have-learned-from-watching.html

Danny

Google May Pull Out of China

2010-01-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

Google announced this week that it had been subject to cyber attacks in China recently, with the attacker trying to access email addresses of Chinese Human Rights activists. Google announced they would stop being involved in China's blocking of websites and would consider pulling out of the country.

What do you think?

Article:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/12/google.china/index.html

Danny

Google: A Great Place to Work

2010-01-16T12:04:00.000-08:00

Google has consistently been rated one of the best places to work. They do a lot of things for their employees including great Christmas presents and having all sorts of daily use services right on sight. The latest is the stock bonuses they gave employees for to make up for the downturn of 2009. The bonus exchange came to a value of over $100,000 per employee average.

You can read the full article here:

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/12/24/early-holiday-gift-for-googlers/

Danny

Milllions Raised for Haiti by Text Messages

2010-01-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

The power of new technology is being seen clearly in how money is being raised for earthquake relief in Haiti. Through cell phone text messages alone the Red Cross raised over $4 million in the first couple of days after the earthquake.

Read the full story here:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/01/14/online.donations.haiti/index.html?

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/13/1-million-in-donations-for-haiti-via-text-message/

Danny

New Uses for Twitter & You Tube

2010-01-14T11:51:00.000-08:00

Here's a new use for social media: Crime Stoppers is using Twitter and You Tube to help catch criminals.

Read the full article here:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/12/24/ottawa-crime-stoppers-social-media.html?ref=rss

Danny

McDonalds Fuels Canada's Growth

2010-01-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Canada's exports have increased recently, and it is because of McDonalds. Why? As the fast food industry, and McDonalds in particular, looks to switch away from trans fats in their cooking processes they are switching to using canola oil, and Canada exports canola.

Here's the full article:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/canadian-exports-jump-on-us-demand/article1395493/

Source:
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2009/12/world-economies-recover.html

Danny

What Churches Can Learn From Business

2010-01-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

Here's an excellent post about what churches can learn from business. It takes an important, but different view than what has been common in the last decade. You'll be surprised.

Article:
http://community.originsproject.org/forum/topics/what-churches-can-learn-from

Danny

You Have to Care for Your Customers

2010-01-08T08:36:00.000-08:00

And How Social Media is Changing Business

Social media such as Twitter, Facebook, You Tube etc.. are completely changing business. One happy or unhappy customer has the ability to tell the world very quickly and easily. Because of that you need to actually care for your customers. Anything else will cost you business.

Here's a great video explaining this and more:

Danny

China Keeps On Booming

2010-01-06T08:23:00.000-08:00

In Macroeconomics this year we will look at the economic growth of China as a case study.

Even during the worldwide economic turn down, China has continued to boom. Even though their exports have decreased, the increase in consumer spending has continued to drive their economic engine. Here are a couple of interesting articles:

1. This article shares how China keeps on booming, and gives some interesting comparisons between China and the United States:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/business/economy/10consume.html

2. This article shares how China's growth is affecting other Asian countries, who in many cases are finding they just can't compete:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/10/world/asia/10jakarta.html

Danny

Laptops Making a Difference in Africa

2010-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:00

Here's an interesting story about how technology, and laptops in particular, are making a difference in Africa. Rwanda has a goal of having every child under 12 to have a lap top by 2012.

Here's how and why:

http://www.economist.com/world/middleeast-africa/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15022648&fsrc=rss

Danny

Cloud Computing, Server Farms, and How the Internet Works

2010-01-02T07:54:00.000-08:00

How does the internet work? What happens when you put a video on You Tube, where does it go? The internet uses something called "cloud computing" where several "server farms" store that data.

Here's a great video and article about how it works:

(note: Previous MIS students, this is a great follow up video to our discussions)

Article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/11/04/cloud.computing.hunt/index.html

Danny

Canada Approved as Travel Destination for China

2009-12-30T07:44:00.000-08:00

In important news for the Canadian tourism industry and for Canada's economy as a whole. With the size of China's population, and in particular their growing middle class, this becomes a huge potential market.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/12/03/bc-china-canada-preferred-destination-stutus.html?ref=rss

Danny

Pop Niche Marketing

2009-12-28T07:38:00.000-08:00

Check out this fascinating video about a store in LA that specializes in unique varieties of pop. This is the perfect example of what Seth Godin calls a "sneezer". He has a passion for pop and shares it with his customers. His customers know exactly where to go when they want a unique variety of pop. Did you know how many versions of pop there are? Check out this video.

Source:
http://videos.komando.com/2009/10/11/amazing-soda-shop/

Danny

Determinants of Demand: Watermelon

2009-12-26T07:33:00.000-08:00

One of the determinants of demand is the price (and therefore demand) of complimentary goods. Apparently one of the complimentary goods for watermelons is Saskatchewan Rough Rider tickets. Here's an interesting article about watermelon demand around the Grey Cup.

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewan/story/2009/11/26/sk-watermelons-911.html?ref=rss

Danny

Be Careful What you Put on Facebook.

2009-12-24T07:24:00.000-08:00

This story is evidence of two things:
1. The internet is not a private medium - anything you put on the medium may end up in other people's hands. You must expect everyone (potential employers, bosses, friends and enemies) will see what you post.

2. Some people just don't get it - seriously, if you are on sick leave, you don't go on vacation and post pictures of yourself on the beach....

Here's the story:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2009/11/23/quebec-cp-facebook.html?ref=rss

Danny

Funny Vodaphone Ad

2009-11-26T14:38:00.000-08:00

Here is a great ad for the European cell phone company Vodaphone:

Danny

McDonald's Expanding

2009-11-24T14:34:00.000-08:00

McDonald's announced that it is going to be expanding in the next year opening 1,000 new restaurants in 2010. Great companies use economic downturns as a chance to make good strategic investments, because with lower prices it is like everything is on sale. This further demonstrates that McDonald's is not really in the hamburger business. They are in the real estate business. Land is cheap because of the drop in real estate prices so it's time to expand!

You can read the article here:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/12/news/companies/McDonalds/index.htm

Danny

Google's Christmas Present

2009-11-22T14:22:00.000-08:00

As a Christmas present, Google is giving away wireless internet access at 47 airports. This is a great marketing example of a public relationship campaign. They are getting lots of free media and positive image making. Part of me wonders if this is a test for them to see what it would be like for them to make this a permanent offering.

You can read the article here:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/11/10/technology/Google_free_wifi_airports/index.htm

Danny

A Billion Here and a Billion There

2009-11-04T13:34:00.000-08:00

Check out this amazing graphic (click here for full size) to see a comparison about where money is spent. Be sure to compare military spending to what is needed to solve some of the world's big problems.

Danny

The Value of Advertising on Twitter

2009-11-02T13:31:00.000-08:00

How much is an ad on Twitter worth? One firm offered $500,000 to place an ad for just one day.

Read the full story here:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/twitter/6408536/Twitter-offered-500000-to-run-advert.html

Danny

Dilbert and Twitter

2009-10-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

Enjoy:

Danny
Source:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-10-04/

Introducing Windows 7

2009-10-28T14:44:00.000-07:00

Last week Microsoft officially launched Windows 7. After the failure of VISTA, Microsoft is relying on Windows 7 to return them to their former dominant position in the operating system market. The process of developing Windows 7 was an interesting process that involved fixing things that consumers didn't like in Vista and working with PC manufacturers to develop the best possible product. I look forward to using it.

Here is the full story:

http://us.cnn.com/2009/TECH/10/22/windows.seven/index.html

A Look at China: Economics and Freedom

2009-10-26T14:23:00.000-07:00

The Economist had a great article this past week on China. It looked at the growing economy of China and asks the question "Will more money lead to more freedom?" It has long been held that as China opens up it's economy it will need to open up it's political system as well. Is this true?

Check out the article here:
http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14678547&fsrc=rss

Danny

Seach Twitter Comments on Google & BING

2009-10-24T14:20:00.000-07:00

Microsoft and Google have paid Twitter for the right to access the millions of tweets and compile them in their search engines. This will be similar to the feature at search.twitter.com but with broader possibilities.

Full article here:
http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/10/22/tehc-internet-twitter-google-microsoft.html

Danny

The End of Email

2009-10-18T19:55:00.000-07:00

Is the time where email rules the world of communication over? The Wall Street Journal thinks so. They argue that social media such as Facebook and Twitter are making email obsolete. After all, if you can use instant messages, or just check someone's update, why would you send an email? This is a fascinating article, that really looks at how we communicate today, and into the near future.

Article:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203803904574431151489408372.html

Danny

Money Top Cause of Stress - but where

2009-10-16T13:43:00.000-07:00

A new study that shows the number one cause of stress as money is not all that surprising. The most stressed nation was not the US or even any western country. It was Malaysia, followed in second place by CHINA! US was forth.

For the full article read here:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/09/30/stress.survey.money/index.html

Danny

Marketing Mistake

2009-10-14T16:24:00.000-07:00

Kraft Foods in Australia/New Zealand admits making a major marketing mistake in name it's most recent product:

http://mumbrella.com.au/kraft-we-admit-the-new-vegemite-name-sucked-and-were-changing-it-9997

Danny

China Blocks TwitPic

2009-10-12T16:21:00.000-07:00

In it's continuing control over the internet China recently blocked the Twitter related site TwitPic which allows for easy distribution of photos through Twitter.

Find out why they blocked it here:

http://mashable.com/2009/09/25/china-blocks-twitpic/

Danny

Commercial for Small Business Bank

2009-10-10T16:17:00.000-07:00

A funny television ad from Australia:

Danny

Google Introduces New Software to Select 100,000

2009-10-08T16:12:00.000-07:00

Google introduced "Google Wave" this week. It promises to be a very fascinating service/software that combines elements of email, blogging, social media and chat. They released it to only 100,000 early adopters. These people will naturally serve to help Google work out kinks and improve the software.

The article below tells the story of what is happening and contains a link to a video demonstration for those that want more details.

http://us.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/29/google.wave.beta/index.html

Danny

Quantitative Methos and Football

2009-10-06T16:02:00.000-07:00

Here is a fascinating article that shows how using probability and expected value demonstrate that it is always better to "go-for-it" on fourth down instead of punting.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1160256/1/index.htm

Danny

Sony Viao Commercia

2009-10-04T15:59:00.000-07:00

Here is a great new television commercial for the Sony Viao.

Check it out:

Danny

US China Trade

2009-10-02T15:55:00.000-07:00

Economic theory on global trade shows that if two countries engage in free trade with each other (based on their own comparative advantages), both countries are better off. Of course, when this happens some parts of the economy are hurt (such as Manufacturing in the US and Canada over the past decade). These people need to be cared for. It also makes trade protection (tariffs) a tempting political option. After all you can gain votes by blocking trade. Why? It is clear who gets hurt when a company moves to China, but it is not always easy to see who benefits. Recently the US and China have started to increase protectionist measures in trade by increasing tariffs against each other.

Read about the story here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/15/business/global/15trade.html

Danny

How Does Google Work?

2009-09-30T15:42:00.000-07:00

For some, the decisions made by Google as to what comes to the top of your search is a big mystery. Others think it is all about money, and those that pay get the top spots. In reality it is all about math. Mathematical formulas are in place (algorithms) to calculate what sites are truly the most important and deserve the most attention. Google's goal is to be relevant. In many searches you will see some "sponsored sites" at the very top and on the right sidebar. These are indeed paid links who pay on a per click basis.

One of the key factors for Google is the number of incoming links. This is a great article that shares how Google values the links coming to your site. It is part of a growing field called Search Engine Optimization - helping companies get the highest placements possible on a search engine.

Article:

http://www.seomoz.org/blog/17-ways-search-engines-judge-the-value-of-a-link

Danny

The Facebook Song

2009-09-20T06:08:00.000-07:00

Just for fun I thought I would share this video that I found on the blog of Briercrest Seminary professor Eric Ortlund.

Enjoy:

Danny

Philadelphia Shuts Down Free Public Library

2009-09-18T06:02:00.000-07:00

In another sign of the changes in our culture that have been brought around by increased use of technology is that the Philadelphia Free Library system is shutting down. Likely this is a sign that fewer people are using the service and at least some people believe that it is not worth continuing to operate. Philadelphia has an important historical place in the history of libraries as it is where Ben Franklin started the first public library in the United States.

Article:

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/09/13/philadelphia-free-li.html

Danny

Facebook Starting to Make Money

2009-09-16T05:55:00.000-07:00

Facebook has grown significantly over the past number of years. Yesterday they announced that they have over 300 million users. They are using their size to work on defeating twitter and providing better advertising options for advertisers. More than that, they have announced that they are now self-sustaining and cash flow positive. Basically they are making money. This is a huge step for a free service that relies on advertising for revenue.

Article: Facebook Now Has Over 300 Million Users (and how they are working to beat twitter).

Video: Facebook finally makes money:

Danny Gamache

Technology of a Major Sporting Event

2009-09-09T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sporting events have become huge events. The things that take place behind the scenes of these big events are amazing. One area that has changed a lot in recent years is the technology of sports. Here is a great article about how technology is used for the US Open Tennis.

Article:

http://money.cnn.com/2009/09/04/technology/us_open/index.htm?cnn=yes

Danny

Air Canada can't have Mandidtory Retirement

2009-09-07T19:40:00.000-07:00

A pilot who was forced to retire at age 60 by Air Canada has won his law case.

Article:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/08/28/mb-pilot-retirement-air-canada-winnipeg.html?ref=rss

Danny

Marketing and the Obama Campaign

2009-09-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

Here is a really interesting video interviewing the head of graphic design for the Obama campaign. It reveals a lot about the behind the scenes marketing work done by the campaign.

Scott Thomas: Designing the Obama Campaign from 99% on Vimeo.

Danny

Dilbert on Creative Financial Arrangements

2009-09-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Enjoy:

Danny

Microsoft Advertising Mistake

2009-09-01T13:25:00.000-07:00

Microsoft got in a little trouble for a recent advertising goof that they made. Somehow they took an image that included a black man and replace his head with that of a white man. Very stupid decision.

Here is the full story:
http://us.cnn.com/2009/TECH/08/26/microsoft.ad.gaffe/index.html

Danny

The Power of Twitter

2009-08-30T13:15:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week a simple Twitter message sent by Lance Armstrong resulted in 1000 cyclists converging for a chance to ride with the champion, just a few hours later. The ability of Twitter users to spread news quickly amongst like-minded people helped news of the event spread like wildfire.

Here is the article:
http://velonews.com/article/97144/armstrong-s-tweet-turns-out-more-than-1000-riders-for-a

Danny
Photo by Puliarf

Credit Crisis Explained on Video

2009-08-28T05:52:00.000-07:00

Most experts agree that a major reason for the world wide recession is what they call the "Credit Crisis". This is filled with strange words such as "Sub-Prime" mortgage and "Debt collateral" and many others. It often leaves people confused about what is really happening. This video does a great job in changing that. Watch this 11 minute video and you will have a much better understanding about what really happened.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Source: http://vimeo.com/3261363

Danny

Breaking News is on Twitter First

2009-08-26T05:49:00.000-07:00

An interesting trend is that breaking news is now first appearing on twitter. This is not only true for big world changing events, but even things like sporting news. Last week two major sports stories appeared on Twitter before on any website, radio station, or tv station.

Here is the story:
http://mashable.com/2009/08/18/mainstream-news-twitter/

Danny

Microsoft Barred from Selling WORD

2009-08-24T04:11:00.000-07:00

Here is a fascinating new legal development. A small Canadian company has won a lawsuit against Microsoft. Microsoft must pay them close to $300 Million and will have to stop selling WORD unless a deal can be made.

http://www.cbc.ca/technology/story/2009/08/12/canadian-microsoft-word-patent-infringement.html

Danny

Pricing: Jet Blue Offers All-You-Can-Fly Pass

2009-08-22T04:07:00.000-07:00

In an interesting example of pricing, the US discount airline, JET BLUE, is now offering an "all-you-can-fly" pass where you pay a fee and can fly as much as you want for a month.

Interestingly, the price is less than most return airfare in Canada. You'll be amazed:

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14124376&fsrc=rss

Do you think, this sort of plan would work for a Canadian airline (even at a higher price)?

Danny

China's Economy

2009-08-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

Here is a very interesting and detailed article in the Economist about the economy of China. It is a detailed and thorough analysis of China, and fits great with what we look at in Macroeconomics.

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14124376&fsrc=rss

Danny

Twitter/Facebook etc.. Down in an Attempt to Shut Up One Man

2009-08-18T05:13:00.000-07:00

In one of the most fascinating stories of recent news, last week Twitter, Facebook and other internet sites were taken down. It turns out that this was all in the attempt to quiet one man. The man is an important professor in the country of Georgia and he was reliving the attacks from Russia the previous year. This is an interesting use of the internet in warfare, as the attempt to block his posts was clearly very political and a form of cyber-warfare. Of course millions of other people were affected.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/08/technology/internet/08twitter.html?_r=1

Microsoft and Yahoo vs. Google

2009-08-16T05:10:00.000-07:00

Microsoft and Yahoo have combined to try and compete better against Google. Do you think it will make a difference?

Article: http://mashable.com/2009/08/04/ie6-no-more/

Danny

Die Internet Explorer 6, Die

2009-08-14T05:06:00.000-07:00

Here is a very interesting post about how some web companies are working to eliminate the use of Internet Explorer 6 from the internet. There are new better versions of Internet Explorer, so it really just means upgrading not necessarily switching browsers. The reason comes from the fact that maintaining websites that will work with Internet Explorer 6 is expensive, plus the software does not allow all the new technology of the internet to be used - thus lowering the visitors experience.

The article is here:
http://mashable.com/2009/08/04/ie6-no-more/

Danny

State of Canada's Economy

2009-08-12T05:00:00.000-07:00

The economist does a great job examining the state of Canada's economy. It especially looks at what is happening in Ontario, the connection to the US and the impact of troubles in the car industry.

Article: http://www.economist.com/world/americas/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14140341&fsrc=rss

Danny

Built on Greed

2009-08-05T06:53:00.000-07:00

Our economic system is based on greed. It is the driving force behind capitalism. Below is an interesting video of late economist Milton Friedman debating with Phil Donahue about the virtue of capitalism. I agree with Friedman that we don't have any better option - yet. I also think this is why we need to discover true Kingdom Economics to change the world. Capitalism works great in a fallen world. Something else is needed to move beyond that. Anyways, this is a short video and really fascinating:

Source: http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2009/07/happy-birthday-milton-friedman.html

Danny

Music Downloaders Paying BIG TIME

2009-08-03T06:34:00.000-07:00

In Canada it is legal to download music free from the internet.... maybe not ethical, but it is legal. (Of course the Conservative government has been trying to change this.) In the US it is not legal, and people are starting to pay the price. The latest is a student who has to pay a fine of over 1/2 MILLION:

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/07/31/business/AP-US-TEC-MusicDownload.html

Danny

Law Suites and Business Technology

2009-08-01T06:28:00.000-07:00

It is really unfortunate when law suites get in the way of business technology. I suppose that sometimes they are needed for justice to occur. Below is an article about the legal issues that SKYPE faces with their software. If they lose, they argue that the service will not work in the future. That would be a loss.

Of course, it's really all about money. Someone is claiming that hey came up with the software idea and if they did, they deserve to be paid. The threat that SKYPE will close down is really just legal posturing and a good headline. At some point the right amount of money will be determined. The company fighting them will move on and take the money. That's always how it goes.

Article:
http://us.cnn.com/2009/TECH/biztech/07/31/skype.lawsuit.threat/index.html

Danny

Seth Godin vs. Malcom Gladwell

2009-07-28T21:03:00.000-07:00

Recently, I pointed you towards and article by Malcolm Gladwell looking at the question of whether online products should be/ or perhaps will become free. Gladwell's article is a critique of the book "Free" by Chris Anderson. Gladwell disagrees with the premise of the book and presents it in his essay. (My original post is here)

Seth Godin now speaks into the discussion and says that Malcolm Gladwell is WRONG!

So who is write? Let me know what you think.

Seth's article is here: http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/06/malcolm-is-wrong.html

Danny

Windows 7 is Ready!

2009-07-26T20:59:00.000-07:00

Microsoft finalized the code for Windows 7, their new operating system that is due out this full. A lot of people are excited about this as it will mean the beginning of the end for Vista.

You can read the article here:

http://us.cnn.com/2009/TECH/07/23/cnet.microsoft.windows/index.html

Danny

Google Takes Over Your Phones

2009-07-24T06:17:00.000-07:00

The next Google "product" that is being slowly rolled out is Google Voice. Google Voice allows you to combine all of your phones into one number. People call that number and you can have it redirected to any or all of your phones. You may even want it to ring at all of your phones: cell phone, home phone, office etc. Check out this video explanation:

Danny

New Research on Microcredit

2009-07-22T20:43:00.000-07:00

The Economist this week looked at some new research on the issue of Microcredit. The research shows some positive benefits from microcredit, but not necessarily those that were expected.

Article:

http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14031284&fsrc=rss

Seth Godin on Social Entrepreneurship

2009-07-20T20:38:00.000-07:00

The video below is a short video of Seth Godin speaking to college students. He focuses on social entrepreneurship and the ability of young people to make a difference in the world. It is a great video. Check it out:

Source: http://ow.ly/hvxT

Danny

Is Free the New Price of Information?

2009-07-18T20:36:00.000-07:00

The theory is that information products over time will trend lower and eventually be free. Is this a valid theory?

Researcher and author Malcolm Gladwell looks into this:

http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2009/07/06/090706crbo_books_gladwell

Danny

India's Growth

2009-07-16T19:27:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone,

Here are a couple of interesting articles about the growth taking place in India, particularly in the retail sector. Two very different articles. The first discusses Wal-Mart's expansion into India. Wal-Mart does business in a unique way, closer to Costco here. This has helped people feel safer about protecting smaller businesses.

Article from Washington Post here.

Source: Carpe Diem

The second article looks at how America retail chains are facing knockoff imitation companies as they aim to expand to India.

Article form the New York Times here.

Enjoy!
Danny

Why Not to Use Wikipedia on College Papers

2009-07-11T10:39:00.000-07:00

Source:
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2009-05-08/

Be Careful What You Promise

2009-07-09T10:34:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite philosophies of business is to under-promise and over-deliver. That way your customers are always delighted. It's easy to get away from this and start promising more than you can deliver on. Sometimes this happens unexpectedly. A great case recently was when KFC offered a special through Oprah. The response overwhelmed them and they couldn't meet the demand. In the end, the promotional campaign may have hurt them more than it helped.

Article:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/05/08/oprah.kfc.coupon/index.html?eref=rss_topstories

Danny

Why Things are Broken

2009-07-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things are broken and you don't even realize it. They seem to be working, just because that's how they've always been done; that is, until you look at them from a logical perspective. Seth Godin opens our eyes to some of these broken things in life.

This is a great video. Funny and informative. Enjoy:

Seth Godin at Gel 2006 from Gel Conference on Vimeo.

Source:
http://gelconference.com/videos/2006/seth_godin/

Danny

Canadians in Debt

2009-07-05T13:04:00.000-07:00

Canadians have, in general, not fallen into as significant of a debt trap as our American neighbors. That's changing as over the past 10 years, the average debt level for Canadians has increased significantly.

Check out the article here:
http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2009/06/03/indebted-canadians/

Danny

How Real is the Hawthorne Effect?

2009-07-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

In most Management classes (and somewhat in our Human Resources class) we talk about something known as "The Hawthorne Effect". Basically, this theory is based on studies conducted in the 1920s. The study originally set out to compare productivity changes based on changes in factory lighting. They found that productivity improved, not because of any lighting impact, but because people knew they were being observed. So attention caused increased productivity....

Or did it?

The economist looks at how further analysis of the data accumulated in the 1920s, may be bringing a different understanding today:

http://www.economist.com/finance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13788427&fsrc=rss

Danny

Fast-food Restaurants in China

2009-07-01T14:52:00.000-07:00

Check out this interesting video from CNN. It discuss the growth of fast-food in China. I love the fact that one of the people interviewed likes to eat fast-food because it's healthy... They are getting improved sanitation in the food preparation, in exchange for increased obesity.

Danny
Source Video: http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/06/05/chang.ctw.china.fast.food.cnn

Touch Screens on Your Computer

2009-06-29T15:17:00.000-07:00

One of the technological trends in computing technology is the use of touch screen monitors for computers. It's an interesting trend because it physically changes the way we use computers.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/technology/03touch.html

Danny

How Twitter Will Change Our Lives

2009-06-27T15:09:00.000-07:00

Here's a Time magazine cover story called, "How Twitter Will Change Our Lives".

http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1902604,00.html

Danny

Monks in Business

2009-06-25T14:19:00.000-07:00

Here is a great story about monks in Wisconsin who own a printer ink company that markets through the web. They use their money to make the monastery self-supporting.

Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/us/02monks.html?_r=1

Danny

Economics of Environmental Reform

2009-06-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

There are a number of options proposed as to how to best reduce the amount of carbon emissions. A carbon tax, or a cap-and-trade system are two common solutions. The Economist magazine takes on both of these issues as it looks at the economics of the environment.

http://www.economist.com/surveys/displaystory.cfm?story_id=13686538&fsrc=rss

Danny

How to Use Twitter

2009-06-21T23:25:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of great videos on how to use Twitter:
http://stevesclassroom.com/blog/how-to-use-twitter/

Danny

Marketing: Art or Science

2009-06-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Is marketing an art or science? The art side is the creative side. The ability to create something out of nothing and to create beauty as part of a marketing campaign is the art side. The ability to conduct surveys, track metrics and make quantitative decisions is the science side. So it appears marketing is both an art and science... or is it?

What does Seth Godin think?

http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/05/is-marketing-an-art-or-a-science.html

Danny

Downloading and the Future of Music, TVs and Music

2009-06-17T23:41:00.000-07:00

Here is a great post that looks at the issue of downloading music, tv shows and movies. It takes a great look at the issues from a practical, ethical and economic point of view.

Article:

http://www.progressive-economics.ca/2009/05/13/downloading-and-the-collapse-of-the-old-media-regime/

What do you think?

Danny

Should I Forward?

2009-06-15T23:37:00.001-07:00

Source:http://alejandroz.soup.io/post/19577846/Should-you-forward-that-email

Via:http://zenhabits.tumblr.com/post/110621712/should-you-forward-that-email-alejandros-soup

Danny