An end of era

So an era ends on Dec 29th. I leave one job on the last working day of the year and I will join the new job on the first working day of the new year.

Todd, Jeff, Laura and Arnie took me to a happy hour. Christine joined later.

Latest

3 new thoughts:

1- A mouse pad with a pic of cheese. The pic is bleeding on the sides.
2- A greetings card with a pic of ipod at the front. Opens. Words inside are actual song titles.
3- Google's image results have the URL below each image. The URL ought to be hyperlinked.

Woot!

Made my first Woot purchase today.

Best things

Seems like the best things that have ever happened to me, have happened to me by chance. I have made efforts to acquire them, but they have always fallen on my lap. I can think of distinct moments in their development, where something happened by pure chance.

SEO News

Matt's SEO Blog

Matt is a google engineer.

China Overtakes US as Supplier of IT Goods

The red dragon awakens.
China provides hardware.
India provides software.

Old foes become new buddies.

But should the US be threatened? It would be, if it were the only powerful entity. Many don't realize that another structure has emerged. Large corps are more powerful than some nations. China being the new king of IT does not threaten the new structure.

May you live in interesting times, as the chinese would say.

Slashdot | Webhost Sues Google

Google is sued because of fraudulent clicks. Can't google ban same IP from clicking the same address, say, more than 3X a day?

Gmail

Has finally changed 'Move to trash' to 'Delete'. Why this delay? Why didn't they call it 'Delete' from the beginning?

Verbal Caricature

Notice how cartoonists exaggerate a picture bringing out the amusing aspects? They do it via drawing.

You can do similar caricature using words. Describing a well-known person or event. Results can be amusing.

Shit Happens -

TAOISM: Shit happens.

CONFUCIANISM: Confucius say, "Shit happens".

ZEN: (What is the sound of shit happening?)

JESUITISM: If shit happens and when nobody is watching, is it really shit?

ISLAM: Shit happens if it is the will of Allah.

COMMUNISM. Equal shit happens to all people.

CATHOLICISM: Shit happens because you are bad.

PSYCHOANALYSIS: Shit happens because of your toilet training.

SCIENTOLOGY: Shit happens if you're on our shit list.

ZOROASTRIANISM: Bad shit happens, and good shit happens.

UNITARIANISM: Maybe shit happens. Let's have coffee and donuts.

RIGHT-WING PROTESTANTISM: Let this shit happen to someone else.

JUDAISM: Why does shit always happen to US?

REFORM JUDAISM: Got any Kaopectate?

MYSTICISM: What weird shit!

AGNOSTICISM: What is this shit?

ATHEISM: I don't believe this shit!

NIHILISM: Who needs this shit?

AZTEC: Cut out this shit!

QUAKER: Let's not fight over this shit.

FORTEANISM: No shit??

12-STEP: I am powerless to cut the shit.

VOODOO: Hey, that shit looks just like you!

NEWAGE: Visualize shit not happening.

DEISM: Shit just happens.

EXISTENTIALISM: Shit doesn't happen; shit is.

SECULAR HUMANISM: Shit evolves.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE: Shit is in your mind.

BUDDHISM: Shit happens, but pay no mind.

SHINTOISM: Shit is everywhere.

HINDUISM: This shit has happened before.

WICCA: Mix this shit together and make it happen!

HASIDISM: Shit never happens the same way twice.

THEOSOPHY: You don't know half of the shit that happens.

DIANETICS: Your mother gave you shit before your were born.

SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST: No shit on Saturdays.

JEHOVAH's WITNESSES: No shit happens until Armageddon.

MOONIES: Only happy shit really happens.

HOPI: Corn fertilizer happens.

BAHA'I: It's all the same shit.

STOICISM: This shit is good for me.

OBJECTIVISM: Our shit is good for you.

EST: If my shit bothers you, that's your fault.

REAGANISM: Don't move; the shit will trickle down.

FASCISM: Shit makes the trains run on time.

CARGO CULT: A barge will come and take all the shit away.

EMACS: Hold down Control-Meta-Shit.

DISCORDIANISM: Some funny shit happened to me today.

RASTAFARIANISM: Let's smoke this shit.

CHARISMATIC: This is not shit and it doesn't smell bad.

MASONIC: Shit happens, but we can't discuss it during Lodge.

RED CROSS: Shit happens - send money.

Lisa's Point

"Look, we can't fall into old patterns.
We have to think of a plan!"
- Lisa Simpson

Nonlinearity -

A step closer to understanding emergence and synergy. This could be the mathematical reasoning behind emergence.

Complex system

Rational ignorance

Rational ignorance is a term most often found in economics, particularly public choice theory, but also used in other disciplines which study rationality and choice, including philosophy (epistemology) and game theory.

Ignorance about an issue is said to be "rational" when the cost of educating oneself about the issue sufficiently to make an informed decision can outweigh any potential benefit one could reasonably expect to gain from that decision, and so it would be irrational to waste time doing so.

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

Silo effect

The silo effect is a phrase that describes a lack of communication and common goals between departments in an organization. It is the opposite of systems thinking in an organization.

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

Pareto Optimality

Given a set of alternative allocations and a set of individuals, a movement from one alternative allocation to another that can make at least one individual better off, without making any other individual worse off is called a Pareto improvement or Pareto optimization. An allocation of resources is Pareto efficient or Pareto optimal when no further Pareto improvements can be made.

Five Core Values at Work

Competence
Communicativeness
Concern
Courage
Creativity