So add one more skill to our career advice for young people: be willing to take risks! Perhaps more importantly, be willing to tolerate (and perhaps even encourage) risk-taking in those who are managed by you. Of course I realize that this is much easier said than done. I was a "leaf node" at Sun, and a zillion other places before that. I've even done a little time as a "branch" (and I sucked at it).

But can anything be done about all the spirit-squashing risk-aversion? Recognition is the first step. Unfortunately, those who recognize it tend to be the leaf nodes--the ones with the power to create and implement the ideas, but very little power to authorize them. Those with the most potential to create change are the branches. The Managers With a Clue.

Creating Passionate Users: Death by risk-aversion

We just remembered that in addition to owning 60% of NetSuite, Larry Ellison was also a major investor in Salesforce. So the dude is making a lot of money from enterprise software that is not owned by Oracle. Which begs tha question: if there is so much value in NetSuite and Salesforce.com, shouldn't Ellison have built these companies within Oracle?

What a silly question. Larry is going to invest in what he considers to be good investments, but he's gambling with his own money. I am sure it helps him that they are built on Oracle... but he was also a substantial share owner in Apple for a while. Should Oracle have built Apple too?

It would have been more reckless for Larry to have used Oracle money (rather than just siphoning it off so that he has investable assets) to invest. And to build every enterprise tool that might be better for Oracle if built by Oracle is a good way to kill Oracle.

alarm:clock: Larry Wins; ORCL Investors Do Not

Just as many sites have started creating different stylesheets for different media types (print, screen, etc.), I’m suggesting that we use a different stylesheet for different screen resolutions. With simple JavaScript, we can test for resolution and then load the corresponding stylesheet.

Digital Web Magazine - Preparing for Widescreen

How silly is the Web 2.0 hype getting? You tell us! Here's a quick quiz...we looked in 30Boxes and analyzed 37Signals that led us to come up with the 43Things below. So without further ado, can you decide...

Web 2.0 or Star Wars Character?

Cerado's Web 2.0 or Star Wars Quiz

Cute little Ajax-based relocatable RSS aggregator.

Grazr, you know for feeds...

This piece was prompted by a recent post on Value Discipline. I suspect it will be of little interest to most readers. It is a long, plodding piece that contains two extended quotes from dead men. However, if you are interested in the discussion of technical analysis and value investing, you may wish to read it. In either case, you will want to read Value Discipline’s shorter and more interesting post.

Let me first say that I do not now engage in technical analysis; nor, have I ever engaged in technical analysis. I do not believe doing so would be a productive use of my time.

Having said that, I do not claim technical analysis has no predictive value. In fact, I suspect it does have some predictive value.

Gannon On Investing: On Technical Analysis

Robert G. Badwah, of Milton, born June 2, 1980. Robert was educated in Beacon Hill Nursery School, The Learning Project and graduated from the Brimmer and May School and Hampton University. Robert passed away, February 16, 2006. He was the loving father of Tariah Badwah, beloved son of Carmen and step-son of Alphon Atkinson. Son of Winston Watson. Brother of Al and Brian Atkinson. Also survived by several aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

I went to elementary school with him for six years -- we were two of the four boys -- and middle/high school for two more. I only found out today. Wow. Have not heard the cause of death, but it doesn't matter... I don't expect to be losing schoolmates, not yet (and he's not quite the first).

Dolan Funeral Services

Ultimately there will come a point in time when each entrepreneur will have to ask him or herself, "deal or no deal?" That some entrepreneurs will choose "deal" early in their company's life cycle is not an indictment of the venture capital industry, it is merely an indication that the Yahoo and Google Bankers are making offers some entrepreneurs cannot refuse. That's good news for entrepreuners. And as companies mature and additional briefcases are opened, in many instances the Bankers' offers continue to grow. And that will prove to be good news for VCs as well. I just pray that Toby Coppel isn't replaced by Howie Mandel any time soon.

VentureBlog: Google/Yahoo: Deal or No Deal

Jonathan Coulton, "Re: Your Brains"

Everyone likes a Zombie tune, right?

ReYourBrains.mp3 (audio/mpeg Object)

Nature Magazine has publised a free, online/offine issue about scientific computing -- the way that science is advanced by computers.

Boing Boing: Vinge's scientific computing Nature article about MMORPGs