Monthly Archives: December 2006

Prediction Markets – Tapping the Wisdom of Crowds

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I hung out at the Yahoo! campus last night for the free confab they sponsored titled: Prediction Markets: Tapping the Wisdom of Crowds.

This is very, very cool stuff. The conversations were moderated by James Surowiecki of Wisdom of Crowds fame, with speakers from Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and HP, as well as the master theorist of prediction markets Robin Hanson of GMU.

Here’s some background on prediction markets. Here are some notes. Here is a post about the internal Yahoo currency they use on their prediction markets. This is David Bennock’s blog (Yahoo! Research) — I’m subscribing.

I’m going to do some reading and research and will post my own notes and thoughts in the near future.

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The Cultural Intricacies Underneath Western Materialism

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Luis Martinez-Fernandez in the Chronicle of Higher Education notes an interesting element of globalization and Americanism. Material American influences are ever far-reaching — music, books, clothes — but it doesn’t mean the underlying cultural norms are becoming homogeneous:

Although people around the world may wear, eat, and listen to American products, they continue to maintain their deeply ingrained values, beliefs, and underlying assumptions. They may embrace the material products of modernity, but they cling tenaciously to their underlying cultural cores — which remain vibrant and resiliently distinct…In fact, new forms of cultural hybrids have surfaced as the bedrock values and beliefs of the world’s cultures sport the veneer of an increasingly visible — and audible — North American material culture.

In a global marketplace, it will be important for entrepreneurs (and anyone else) to see through the material veneer and understand the cultural intricacies which shape someone’s perspective. I’ve learned in my travels that it’s not easy to see "diversity" amidst so many familiar Western icons, but diversity is there and thriving, and if you want to persuade anyone to do anything, you have to understand what’s underneath the Nike t-shirt.

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The Happiness Project – A Great Blog

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People often ask me, "How do I find good blogs?" My answer is, follow links.

So here’s a link for you: The Happiness Project. It’s an awesome blog chock full of tips. Gretchen Rubin writes about her effort to be happier.

Gretchen is not another self-help wackjob. She edited the Yale Law Review, clerked for Sandra Day O’Connor on the U.S. Supreme Court, and has written a few books. She’s eminently intelligent, down to earth, well-written, and motivational.

If you’re like me — always trying to increase happiness and life satisfaction — check out The Happiness Project.

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Unleashing the Inner Geek – Apps I've Been Playing Around With

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I don’t talk much tech on this blog, but it doesn’t mean I’m not a geek. Here are some applications I’ve been playing around with recently:

1. Del.icio.us — No surprise here. I’ve tagged over 2,100 items in del.icio.us and don’t know what I’d do without it. It’s my repositiry of fringe thoughts and interesting links on the web.

2. Lijit — I recently installed Lijit on my Firefox. This is super cool. As I browse the web I can see what my friends have tagged “interesting” or “useful”. For example, in Google search results there are sometimes flags next to pages my friends have found useful (or “legit”). If you want to be friends with me on Lijit, just friend me.

3. NetNewsWire — I still use NetNewsWire to manage my over 400 RSS feeds on my Mac…It’s doing OK but it’s a bear to re-organize feeds and folders. For example, it’s next to impossible to move my “High Priority” folder above my “Medium Priority” folder without my High Priority going into my Medium Priority. This bug notwithstanding, it’s still the best Mac RSS aggregator.

5. Judy’s Book — I write reviews of restaurants and cafes I eat at on Judy’s Book.

6. Jott – This is a really nifty, FREE, service that lets you call a toll free number from your cell phone and leave a voice message. An audio file then appears on on your page on their web site within minutes. Within hours, your audio file is transcribed into words. This is perfect for an idea or thought that pops into your head when driving or if you don’t have access to pen/paper.

7. PBWiki — My friends at PB Wiki have added a WYSIWYG editor which is fantastic and much easier to use. I’m now using PB Wiki to manage most of my wikis. I just wish they’d make new wikis password-optional!

If there are any other apps you think I should try out, leave a comment.

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Are You a Human Theme Park?

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When you represent knowledge, opportunity, selflessness, and intimacy, you are not just a service provider or a product. You are fun, you are interesting, you are valuable; you take people to places they have never been before, you show them books they have never heard of, you introduce them to people they never dreamed they would meet — in short, you are the equivalent of a human theme park.

– Tim Sanders in Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends

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