Nobility is a nice feature in a president, but not as nice as wisdom.

Contradictions of a Superpower

Beneath the headlines of the Sunday New York Times lies an untold story, patiently waiting to be edited into existence. Welcome to the remix culture.

It wasn't a mistake. That newspaper you received Friday was not some reprint from the late 90's. There was a moment last week when it seemed as if the 2004 presidential campaigns were going to have an actual debate about an important issue. Last weekend's orgy of revenge was only the latest episode in a bloodbath that has been going on for years.

Japanese women prefer a slimmer-fitting jean, and mature American women like pants that sit higher on the waist and are fuller in the hips. About one in 10 American adults are divorced or separated. We must try to achieve a level of public discourse on these issues that is simultaneously energetic and mutually respectful. These trends are just the most visible sign of how much the market ethic has come to dominate. To test this theory, stand at a cocktail party and whisper softly, "I just bought a flat-panel TV," and watch as admirers form a circle of testosterone and demand details.

What is new and troubling is the raw power that money exerts. Most mainstream companies don't like to discuss their lucrative dirty secret. The Google story is a reminder of how a slim technological advantage can reap enormous dividends in the new economy. But slim technological leads can be lost -- with devastating results.

"Everyone wants to believe in the brand." Investors should not be carried away by their nostalgia for the halcyon bubble days. They need regular infusions of managers and thinkers from other, more creative organizational cultures.

"Would you like to buy some Girl Scout crack?" Pressed to explain the changes, he said, "I'm not going to look in the rear-view mirror here." The brand, he said, "still has deep relevancy."

"At least in the sense that if you decide to obliterate it and fall in step with a lot of other people who have obliterated it, you may in fact end up looking like nothing else on earth. You may be blank."

If a crusading government tries to shut down the industry or mandate it, it won't work. The segment of the industry that refuses will simply go underground. A lot of not-so-secret factors are at play in this market. For whatever reason, electronics stores are obsessed with displaying nature shows. "The connections could be tight or loose," he added. The company's potential is enormous, but so are its risks.

Its management is, for the most part, young and inexperienced. "I'm not a Bible thumper. But if it weren't for sex, I wouldn't be in business."

"We put the fun in fundamentalism."

When he arrived, he was roundly criticized for his lack of experience. He is, for the most part, past that now. "You have to give them at least some idea of what your strategic plan is." People who know enough to pose those questions never have to ask this one: What's the ... [ Read More (1.0k in body) ]

Somewhere distant, past the imperceptibly sprawling borders of the city. I saw the fragments of an origami Bengal tiger folded by your hands crumble and scatter on an unbound wind, and wished I was there.

fragments of an origami tiger

Tom Friedman corroborates the latest Stratfor Weekly analysis.

The most striking thing about being in Asia today is hearing how much more important China's growth engine has become for companies all across the region -- and well beyond it.

To some degree the world is getting hooked on China. The more hooked we become, the less the world can tolerate any sort of prolonged instability there. If the China bubble bursts, it will be the mother of all burst bubbles.

If a client owes you $1,000, that's his problem. If a client owes you $1 million, that's your problem. China's stability is our problem.

Let Us Pray

From today's news:

This spontaneous evolution is so rapid, it is very difficult for big institutions to keep up.

X marketplaces are a rapidly expanding feature of society, and they are becoming more distinct from Y marketplaces. Furthermore, as the X markets become bigger and more efficient, people have less incentive to get Y.

This is a deep structural problem, and very worrying.

What are X and Y?

Guess before you Google.

You may write to inform. You should write to inspire.

Richard Dawkins, on Language and Writing

Currently filming on location at the UN in New York. Scheduled for 2005 release.

The Interpreter

The sky is not falling for the global economy. It might be falling for China.

Origami paper tigers.

Can you hear them laughing in Bangalore?

Euphoria and Meltdown in China

Beholder allows you to quickly search for images on the web, whether you're using searching services such as Google or simply scanning web sites for images. Thumbnails are displayed with link details and a zoomed preview courtesy of our unique Prism Zoom technology.

Beholder, from Mesa Dynamics

Analyst's Notebook 6 is the world’s most powerful visual investigative analysis software which brings clarity to complex investigations and intelligence analysis. It enables investigators and analysts to turn large volumes of disparate data into actionable intelligence.

Links, and patterns, and graphs, oh my!

Analyst's Notebook - Your Link to the Solution