Blindness

This is the story of the total breakdown of society following a natural disaster, an unexplained epidemic of blindness that affects an entire city (or nation, it’s not clear). People start committing every sort of despicable actions, but are also capable of acts of generosity unheard of before the epidemic.



Obviously, the story is very relevant today, when we think of possible consequences of a possible mutation of the H1N1 (swine) flu to be very deadly (like the Influenza of 1929).
But in general, I liked the story back when I read the book in 2001, and yesterday when I watched the movie, because firstly, it gives an amazing example for what humanity, leadership, team work, and responsibility are, secondly, my grandparents were among the very few survivals of the Holocaust and the story describes similar situations to what they had to handle with.
Maybe the most important reasons is that, unfortunately, I believe that our society is still blind in many ways.

I recommend.

* The movie is very good, but if you can, try to read the book itself.
http://www.amazon.com/Blindness-Harvest-Book-Jose-Saramago/dp/0156007754

Great Application for Web Conference

I recommend you to try to use DimDim if you are looking for a web-conf tool to share your screens and presentations.
Below is a 4mins intro.
Some personal notes:
1. Sign Up and Getting started - very simple, quick, and easy. You just configure your user/pass and you are signed. Afterwards, you can immediately Host a new meeting.
2. Invite people - they don't need to have a dimdim user or anything like that.
3. Free - if you have a conference of up to 20 people the service is FREE and is not limited on time.
* Notice - I used it 4 times until now. 3 times it worked perfectly, and one time not...
Enjoy!

http://www.dimdim.com

Google Squared Goes Live Today!

Many times we need to find something by searching the web, and after we find it, we want to compare it to other things that are available.
Google Squared vision is to do it automatically for us and arrange everything in a very intuitive way - spreadsheets.
The Beta was released today and obviously, it is not perfect yet. Together with that, the service can already be very helpful for easily comparing restaurants, stores, movies, gadgets, and more.

A usage for example: as a product manager at modu, I was occasionally building comparison tables for available handsets. The new Google Squared Search engine could have helped me save a lot of time by automating at least some of my work...

Take a look at this search: "mobile phones":

http://www.google.com/squared/table/agyoK6a0nieaiqftw1n6y78w

I was also searching for fashion stores and restaurants in different areas of Chicago - Take a look -


http://www.google.com/squared/table/agLoMdyLZKdsfWp0G9KL4pqg


http://www.google.com/squared/search?q=restaurants+chicago+"gold+coast"

This technology is by no means perfect. It is only the beginning... But it is SO Intuitive, SO Clever, and already VERY Helpful.
I recommend to check it out - http://www.google.com/squared

Blue Ocean vs Red Ocean

In the last few days I've discussed and presented this concept a couple of times, and I thought that will interested you too.

What is Blue Ocean Strategy?
Companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition in search of profitable growth, but today, competing head-on often results in nothing but a bloody ‘red ocean’ of rivals fighting over a shrinking profit pool. Blue Ocean Strategy contends that although most companies compete in these red oceans, this strategy is unlikely to create strong profitable growth in the future.



Tomorrow’s leading companies will probably better succeed not by battling competitors but by creating ‘blue oceans’ of uncontested market space. These strategic moves - termed ‘value innovation’- create leaps in value both for the firm and for buyers, creating all new demand.

To learn more - http://www.slideshare.net/jessestarmer/blue-ocean-strategy-summary-61974

Resume Attached... to the body?!?!? And more...

(CNN - By Jessica Ravitz) -- If finding a real job evades you, now may be the perfect time to just pretend you have one.

ResumeShirts.com, launching Tuesday, will allow customers to print their resumes on customized T-shirts.

Fake employees, corporate seat-fillers, are reportedly being paid by New York advertising agencies to dress and act like they work in firms so prospective clients visiting the offices will be instilled with confidence.

Sound crazy? Not to Jeremy Redleaf, the 24-year-old founder of Odd Job Nation, a Web site scheduled to officially launch today.

"Seriously! I have friends who do this," Redleaf says, before rattling off some of the other "exclusive odd jobs" he's compiling. "We want to be the resource for the new growing army of part-time opportunists ... You've got to hustle life before life hustles you."

There are more odd things that the new industry of unemployed created... Well, it is better than doing other crazy things... 

3 of the nicer sites are -

www.resumeshirts.com, Laid-off Dad,  Recessionwire

To continue reading - http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/02/24/recession.web.sites/index.html?iref=hpmostpop#cnnSTCText