It was kinda hard to come up with just one item to post this week, so we have a rare three-fer for ya...
Panasonic says Toughbook Android tablet coming this year
"Panasonic’s Toughbook line is known for putting ruggedized notebook computers in the hands of field workers, first responders, emergency personnel, and other market segments were the ability to take more than casual bumps and knocks is of the utmost importance..."
I'm not sure about Android on a tablet -- I've been testing one for a few weeks and am not impressed -- but a ruggedized Toughbook tablet... Yes!
Power? Thanks, but I’d Rather Have Influence
"Early on, I learned that I’m better with influence than power. And, in fact, I’m not power-hungry... I like being with interesting people and helping them become better and being part of the flow of ideas. And that’s a little bit uncomfortable, as a boss. It doesn’t make sense to people that the boss, who is kind of a figurehead and maybe a confidence-giving parent figure, just wants to be an experienced helper. As a person of authority, I’m kind of teacher-consultant more than wielder of power..."
Another good interview from the Adam Bryant Corner Office column in the Sunday NY Times.
To Catch a Liar
"In business, there is no shortage of lies. People tell them at all levels — sometimes to seek a payoff and other times to avoid responsibility, some lying with guilt and others lying with a habitual delight..."
A thought-provoking blog post on the Harvard Business Review.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Cavett and Slydini: Nothing Up Their Sleeves
The following is an updated re-post of a "fun" item I placed another blog in 2009.
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Back when I was just a young whipppersnapper, I managed to see all of the different incarnations of The Dick Cavett Show: The daytime show, the summer-replacement evening show and the late-night versions on ABC and PBS. The guests were always interesting and just a little bit different than what you would see on the other talk shows.
Some of the guests who immediately come to mind are... Groucho, Fred Astaire, Ogden Nash, Bob and Ray, Lester Maddox, Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Robert Mitchum, Mel Brooks, Katherine Hepburn and James Galway.
A couple of years ago, Turner Classic Movies, or one of the other movie channels on cable, ran a multi-week series of some of the Cavett movie star/filmaker interviews in connection with the DVD release of a lot of his material. I'd forgotten how good the shows were and how different they are from what passes today as a "talk show".
This week I was reminded again of the Cavett "good stuff" when I read a couple of his New York Times blog posts from earlier this year:
Both are about a fella called Slydini, one of the all-time great magicians, who appeared twice on his PBS show in the late 1970's. Cavett and The Times have embedded the full-length video clips of each show in the postings.
I didn't remember the name Slydini, but when I saw the opening minutes of the first show I could safely say I had enjoyed this show a long, long time ago.
Card tricks, coin tricks, rope tricks, handkerchief tricks...They're all there!
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Back when I was just a young whipppersnapper, I managed to see all of the different incarnations of The Dick Cavett Show: The daytime show, the summer-replacement evening show and the late-night versions on ABC and PBS. The guests were always interesting and just a little bit different than what you would see on the other talk shows.
Some of the guests who immediately come to mind are... Groucho, Fred Astaire, Ogden Nash, Bob and Ray, Lester Maddox, Gore Vidal, William F. Buckley, Robert Mitchum, Mel Brooks, Katherine Hepburn and James Galway.
A couple of years ago, Turner Classic Movies, or one of the other movie channels on cable, ran a multi-week series of some of the Cavett movie star/filmaker interviews in connection with the DVD release of a lot of his material. I'd forgotten how good the shows were and how different they are from what passes today as a "talk show".
This week I was reminded again of the Cavett "good stuff" when I read a couple of his New York Times blog posts from earlier this year:
Both are about a fella called Slydini, one of the all-time great magicians, who appeared twice on his PBS show in the late 1970's. Cavett and The Times have embedded the full-length video clips of each show in the postings.
I didn't remember the name Slydini, but when I saw the opening minutes of the first show I could safely say I had enjoyed this show a long, long time ago.
Card tricks, coin tricks, rope tricks, handkerchief tricks...They're all there!
Friday, June 17, 2011
Dull Chrome?
NY Times tech guru David Pogue weighs in on a new Google Chromebook from Samsung and finds the future for it a bit "cloudy" (in the wrong way)...
"... So what is the Chromebook concept? Assumption 1: These days, you can get online almost anywhere. Assumption 2: Google’s free online software can do almost everything regular software can do — e-mail (Gmail), Web browsing (Chrome), chat (Google Talk), photos (Picasa), word processing, spreadsheets, slide shows (Google Docs)..."
"... How well does Google’s newfangled concept hold up in the real world?
Unfortunately, not very well.
The first assumption is that you’re online everywhere you go. That’s rather critical, because when it’s not online, a Chromebook can’t do much of anything. You can’t peruse your e-mail, read documents or books or listen to music. With very few exceptions, when the Chromebook isn’t online, it’s a 3.3-pound paperweight. (Google says that an upgrade this summer will at least permit you to read your e-mail, calendar and Google Docs when you’re offline, and that over time, more apps will be written to be offline-usable.)..."
Check out Pogue's State of the Art column for the full story.
"... So what is the Chromebook concept? Assumption 1: These days, you can get online almost anywhere. Assumption 2: Google’s free online software can do almost everything regular software can do — e-mail (Gmail), Web browsing (Chrome), chat (Google Talk), photos (Picasa), word processing, spreadsheets, slide shows (Google Docs)..."
"... How well does Google’s newfangled concept hold up in the real world?
Unfortunately, not very well.
The first assumption is that you’re online everywhere you go. That’s rather critical, because when it’s not online, a Chromebook can’t do much of anything. You can’t peruse your e-mail, read documents or books or listen to music. With very few exceptions, when the Chromebook isn’t online, it’s a 3.3-pound paperweight. (Google says that an upgrade this summer will at least permit you to read your e-mail, calendar and Google Docs when you’re offline, and that over time, more apps will be written to be offline-usable.)..."
Check out Pogue's State of the Art column for the full story.
The Friday Special Arrives on The Web
To those of you who have received the old "Friday Special" via email over the past few years... Welcome to the new home (and updated title)!
To newcomers, welcome to a weekly snippet or two, usually something from the worlds of business, news, and technology, that has caught my eye/interest during the prior seven days...and will hopefully catch yours, too.
Sometimes The Friday Special will have "homegrown" material, like photos from a recent trip or local event.
Let's see where the world will take us!
To newcomers, welcome to a weekly snippet or two, usually something from the worlds of business, news, and technology, that has caught my eye/interest during the prior seven days...and will hopefully catch yours, too.
Sometimes The Friday Special will have "homegrown" material, like photos from a recent trip or local event.
Let's see where the world will take us!
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