How to turn vinyl LPs into CDs - Music Center - CNET.com

It's legal. Follow instructions here.
Better, try to find someone who can do this for you.

Santa ad idea

So Santa drops out of the chimney. From his stack he pulls gifts and stuffs them in the socks. He spots one that sparkles his eye, he raises eyebrow, and instead of putting the gift in a sock, he keeps it for himself, shoving it in his pocket.

Next scene, Santa is enjoying a vacation in the sun. Could be a good ad for travel agents or something. 'Escape the cold' could be the theme.

Cyber Monday

So internet retailers don't want to be left behind in viral marketing. We have the 'black friday', a day of virtual orgasams for retailers. Ecommerce doesn't want to be left behind.

So it coins 'cyber monday'.

Humbug.

Connect the Dots

Chaos Theory, specifically arise of order in chaos, self-references and emergence are connected.

Gotto re-read these books:

"Chaos: Making a New Science" by James Gleick.
"Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid" by Douglas R. Hofstadter.
"Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software" by Steven Johnson.

Society for Chaos Theory in Psychology & Life Sciences

PHI & PI

Pi bothered me in 8th grade. Why does Pi exist? Why is it that the ratio of circumference and a diameter produce a non-repeating, apparently infinitely long number?

Now PHI (the Golden Ratio) is starting to bother me. I wrote earlier that I think PHI has something to do with emergence/synergy.

When the ratio of the whole to the greatest, is same as the ratio of the greatest to the smallest, an irrational number arises. It shows the same behaviour as Pi. Infinite, non-repeating.

Circular reference can create paradoxes that can create 'self-awareness'.

Is there a relationship between PHI and PI?

One

Could it be that every mathematical pattern (sequence) can emerge from integer 1?

1
1, 1+1, 1+1+1, 1+1+1+1
1, 2, 3, 4

Duh.

A Question to Ask All the Time

"What is the bigger concept here?"

Stock Market Prediction

Suppose someone creates a software that can predict the stock market. That is, stocks of individual companies.

Suppose the creator of this software is also a publically traded company, traded in the same stock market it's software makes predictions about.

Suppose the software is sold to every company out there in the market. And is accessible to everyone who can trade in the market.

Suppose every trading company can buy stocks of every other trading company.

Now you have a system where each component is aware of the outcome of every other component.

How would the stock market play out?
This is mind-boggling.

But what's the bigger concept here?

Consider Conway's Game of Life. The elements do not know the outcome of the whole. They don't know anything. What if they start knowing the behaviour of other elements? If a dot knows that the other dot will die, what kind of move can it make? Can it migrate to a better neighbourhood?

Mind-boggling!

Froogle

Google recently allowed you to search for items locally and allowed vendors to sell products on froogle. Looks like an ebay emulation.

But I ain't feelin' it.

Google buys CareerBuilder?

Now that's a thought.. CB has an extensive web reach.

Network Effect , Vendor Lock-In and Path Dependency

The network effect causes a good or service to have a value to a potential customer dependent on the number of customers already owning that good or using that service. Metcalfe's law states that the total value of a good or service that possesses a network effect is roughly proportional to the square of the number of customers already owning that good or using that service.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effect

In economics, vendor lock-in, also known as proprietary lock-in, lock-in, or the Pottersville pattern, is a situation in which a customer is dependent on a vendor for products and services and cannot move to another vendor without substantial switching costs, real and/or perceived. By the creation of these costs to the customer, lock-in favors the company (vendor) at the expense of the consumer. Lock-in costs may create a barrier to entry in a market that if great enough to result in an effective monopoly, may result in antitrust actions from the relevant authorities (the FTC in the US).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vendor_lock-in


Path-dependence exists when the outcome of a process depends on its past history, on the entire sequence of decisions made by agents and resulting outcomes, and not just on contemporary conditions. A closely related concept is hysteresis, a property of systems (usually physical systems) whose states depend on their immediate history. These principles tell us that "history matters" in understanding social and physical sciences.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Path_dependency

Evolutionary Economics

A new concept. Must explore.

New Orleans Rebuilding

There's a talk to rebuilt New Orleans. What if there's another hurricane next season?

Interesting dilemma for a policy maker. What if you don't build the city and there's no hurricane there for years?

A typical marketing analyst

Careers at GE : Search Jobs : Job Description: "This position specifically supports the sales/marketing for the GE Insurance Solutions Cybercomp team.
*Compile data into report formats.
*Identify & Analyze trends in data.
*Continuously improve the efficiency of data collection & distribution for Sales staff and customers.
*Lead and conduct customer, competitor and industry analysis.
*Identify and review opportunities for new products, new target markets or enhancements to existing products or programs.
*Develop prospecting processes and strategies with sales leaders.
*Conduct research to validate business assumptions.
*Drive customer-centricity throughout the organization.
*Maintain contact with customers in order to foster ongoing business relationships."

Cyclical Nature of Blogging

Seems like my blog posting habits are cyclical in nature, coming in like the waves at the sea. Sometimes I have a lot to say. Sometimes, nothing. Today it seems like a lot. So I'll let it flow.

I wonder if I could get hold of time posting stamps of all blogs in blogger. I would see if I can find similar pattern in other people's blogging habits. I'm sure I'll find it a lot. Human beings are remarkably similar.

Intelligent Design

I don't know why some are hell-bent on forcing intelligent design. I believe their goal is out shine and show the presence of God. It seems like there's no need for a God if there's evolution. But if you have intelligent design, you show the presence of God.

Here's another thought. Creating something is smart. Creating a system that creates on its own is smarter. So if evolution is true and there's a God, then the God is smarter for creating the self-replicating system. Much smarter than the God who created things instantaneously.

A Game With No Purpose

The idea is about a game. It has no purpose. You just get a bunch of pulleys as your units and create a giant contraption. The contraption runs once tugged and moves the pulleys around. And you create this vast, infinite array of pulleys and ropes and boards and what nots and it keeps on moving till the computer can't compute no more.

The easier versions would have no energy loss between the units and may not even have gravity. The harder one's would have both. But in the hard one, eventually you'd lose energy in the contraption. So you'd need more energy somewhere. You get more points (where did points come from?) if the energy renewal source is far and between.

Some can use penguins and bubbly cartoons for units. While others may use old, rustic, shipyard pulleys. The system could also deteriorate.

The game is free with no end in sight.

Mind-mapping Blogger

There should be a free blogging service that let's you create, save, update and easily navigate mind maps.

Mindjet provides online service to its customers so they can have their mindmaps hosted for sharing. But we need something just like blogger that spawns a new community. Just like blogger it's free. Just like blogger it lets people communicate thoughts. But, the mans of communication is a mindmap, not a set of paragraphs of text.

Freeminds' mind maps could be hosted. How would it work though? I create a mindmap and update the same map?

Change

A wise guy once said: "What? You haven't changed your mind lately? Do you even have one?". That is funny and true.

Anyway, took a Myers-Briggs after a year today. And turns out that I'm no longer an ENTJ (Field Marshall Personality Type) but an INTP (Architect Rational).

And I think it's true. Over the months I have developed obsession with systems, creating, studying different types of systems. It's all because my exposure to Steven Johnson's Emergence book. I have also become obsessively logical and precise and seem to show 90% of the behaviours INTPs show.

Oh well. Moving along.

A Simple Rule

In the information age, information overload and information noise is inevitable. I'm talking in particular about world affairs and politics. Whose side should you take? How do you pass an objective judgment?

I think this rule can help:

- Accept factual statements, not opinions. Factual statements would be atomic, verifiable, with no qualifiers attached.

Of course, opinions need to be formed eventually. But do that part yourself. Don't 'outsource' it to the TV pundits.

Google Base!

I'm two days late with this post. But Google Base is out. I think it's going to be a really big thing. Bigger than Craigslist. It is completely consistent with Goog's philosophy of making world's information easily accessible.

Counter added

Today.

New blogs needed

Need to create two new blogs: One for humor and one for book reviews.

Synonym-searching engine

Suggested that a search engine ought to search for synonyms of a word back in Aug. Now it turns out, google can do that.

Are they reading this blog? Hello? Google, are you reading this? If so, I got more ideas for you!

Job Posting at Netflix for VP, Customer Insights & Strategic Analysis

PERSONAL CHARACERISTICS

Strategic, Visionary Leadership
Has the confidence, expertise, and insights to shape strategy and drive key business decisions.

Strong Analytical Mind
Runs circles around people analytically. Agile with large amounts of data (qualitative and quantitative)--determining what’s important and distilling it into actionable insights.

Creative
Demonstrated ability to think creatively and innovatively—connecting the dots, where others cannot, to create sustainable business-building ideas.

Will to Win
An entrepreneurial spirit who is aggressive about competing externally

Pragmatic
Has big capacity to both think and "do". Flourishes in a hands-on role, adding value at many different levels. Has both the experience as well as the desire to work at all levels of the organization from assistant manager to the CEO. Can juggle the details and the big picture.

Succinct Communicator
Is a great, straight-forward communicator. Can organize, clarify and communicate complex ideas quickly, succinctly and accurately. Has a quick intelligence, is “fast on the feet,” and quickly adapts and responds to inquiries and questions.

Great Team Builder
Has the track-record, self-confidence and charisma to retain and recruit excellent talent. Sets high standards, with all team players consistently providing business-building insights.

Confident
Independent thinker that looks to build consensus but does not need consensus to pursue goals. Has a point of view and engages in healthy dialogue.

Pace
Moves at a nice clip and enjoys having dozens of projects going at one time. Can change course, be “scrappy”, and field research on incredibly short timeframes. Is intellectually quick and in his/her element with little to no foundation or framework.

Maturity and Perspective
Is a mature, fully-formed adult. Is motivated by what is best for Netflix. Has a happy, full and well-balanced life outside the office and wants the same for team.