General

Does social media allow us to become more polarized? It certainly allows us to socialize with the people we choose independent of where they are on the planet at any given time. I’m 33 years old and therefore I remember I was just a high school student when the Internet really became a viable tool for every day use in people’s homes and schools. At that time in a dormitory, apartment building, or neighborhood it was still common to make friends and socialize and get to know the people around your regardless of political differences that you have with them or even some social characteristics they have that may not match your own. These days it’s possible to avoid so many people that are around you every day because you can stay connected to other people so easily. I read research that shows people have a sort of maximum number…

Here is a list of my favorite podcasts and youtube channels to stay informed about the stock market. S&A Investor Radio Host: Frank Curzio: Renowned small stock specialist http://www.stansberryradio.com/Frank-Curzio The Disciplined Investor Host: Andrew Horrowitz: Money manager and market analyst http://www.thedisciplinedinvestor.com/blog/category/podcasts/ In the Money Stocks Host: Nick Santiago: Daily and intra-daily analysis for day traders http://www.youtube.com/user/inthemoneystocks?feature=watch

http://rss.slashdot.org/~r/Slashdot/slashdot/~3/-GD_CN0zG30/california-to-license-self-driving-cars

Lenovo is the world’s #2 PC maker and today they announced that they hit better then expected earnings in their 2012 Q2 SEC filing. Lenovo’s profit is up 30% and that’s a good sign although further slowdown in the PC, and consumer tech market is expected. http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/260945/lenovos_profit_up_30_percent_mobile_business_unit_continues_to_grow.html Of course the political rise of China is a hot topic these days and has a great impact globalization, technology, and the future. As China develops it’s technological ability, it seeks to also climb the ladder in terms of value, innovation, and global branding. China’s new strategy will be to take the knowledge, products, and technology the western companies have deposited in China and innovate those products, re-brand those products with Chinese companies, and enter the global market not only as a manufacturer, but also as a designer and seller of tech products. You can see this happening quite clearly now with Lenovo…

Self-driving cars are now a reality, but not a market option. Many of us hope they will become one soon for many reasons, primarily safety and convenience. The following article from Reuters today outlines the state-of-the-art, discusses the history, and provides some clues as to when the market, and laws will start to accept self-driving cars. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/15/us-autos-selfdriving-cars-idUSBRE87E04V20120815?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FbusinessNews+%28Business+News%29 The following quote seemed interesting to me: “Boules and executives like him will have to win over a public that includes those who love to drive or simply wouldn’t trust their lives to a robot. Others, like long-haul truckers, could resist the technology for fear of job losses” The cultural passion of driving is, at least to me, the weakest argument for an absence of self-driving vehicles on the market. Considering that they can mix with driver operated cards well, and at least for the time being, people who love driving could continue…

This advice from Harvard Business Review seems to match up to the idea that keeping a simple strategy allow your managers to keep a uniform and united front on achieving it. A strategy effective relies on your people’s ability to understand the strategy. The more complex and convoluted you make the strategy, the more diversified it will become, and the more it will stray away from the actual intentions. [youtube http://youtube.com/w/?v=PZg6Q8HJ6Iw&feature=g-u-u]