September 15, 2009
I have been wanting to take a break and get back to Yosemite for a couple of years now. The prospect of summer crowds not that appealing, I started looking for a good solo hiking trip in the Yosemite wilderness that I could complete in less than a week and that would afford some solitude. It took just a couple of weeks planning. Because I was purposefully avoiding the more popular options, such as the John Muir Trail and the High Sierra camps, I was able to secure a permit just a couple of days in advance. I called the Wilderness Reservation line and booked a 6-day, 5-night stay in the park’s southern backcountry, timing the 50-mile loop so as to hit the remotest sections over the weekend and get in and out Yosemite Valley during weekdays. Oh, and I travelled from SF to the park (and back) by train and bus.
So, here is the log. Keep reading →
June 30, 2009
In aviation circles, the span of time between the two World Wars is remembered as the Golden Age. A global race to speed, range and performance records pushed the limits of technology and pegged countries and manufactures against each other. It was a great run for Italian engineering too, culminating with the 1934 Schneider Trophy speed record that Francesco Agello established on a Macchi MC 72. His 709 km/h (440 mph) remains the fastest speed ever attained by a piston engine seaplane.
As an an aeronautical engineer, I was very excited to learn that, on June 12, 2009, Maurizio Cheli established another speed record and aviation milestone on an Italian built craft. Keep reading →
June 18, 2009
I have been in looking into crowdsourcing business models for the last couple of months. Personal and professional interest. As often the case, when a subject is on your mind, you stumble upon it. So, when ads like this one started popping up on my Facebook page I clicked through.
The ads send you to Logo tournament (LT), a crowdsourcing play on logo design services. It’s quite straightforward. Company needs a new logo, it submits a “contest” to LT and sets a price. Designers send in one or more designs. The best design wins and the designer gets paid.
I tried to figure out how a business model like LT’s would look like.
Keep reading →
May 30, 2009
The recently published IMD World Competitiveness Yearbook 2009 shows some significant changes over last years overall rankings, though not much at the top:
Of the 57 economies ranked by IMD, the US still ranks No. 1 in 2009. Hong Kong has switched places with Singapore to gain the 2nd place and is swiftly “closing the gap” with the US. Switzerland maintains its 4th rank from last year.
Keep reading →
April 23, 2009
Out of 10 people that can do a job, 1 is an A-player, 3 are B-players and the rest are C-players, or so the story goes… Simple enough, right? So, I ran a couple of public polls on Linkedin. Just for fun. They probably have no statistical relevance, but the results are interesting :).
First, I asked respondents to self select in the A, B or C player category. 78% put themselves in the A-Player list…
Keep reading →
April 16, 2009
In a recent post, Auren Hoffman argues that, in this economy, hiring has become harder… and he is rather convincing at it:
That’s right … hiring in tough economic times can actually be much harder than when times are good. In a downturn, the amount of resumes from C-Players massively increases while the amount of resumes from A-Players probably remains the same.
I generally agree with Auren’s premise and conclusions, though I believe it is important to recognize that most companies will never have access to the A-Player pool in the first place, and explained why in my comment.
Keep reading →
February 5, 2009
If Foreign Direct Investment is the single most important indicator of how attractive to business a country is, this data from the Economist must be troubling.
February 2, 2009
We are drowning in irrelevant advertising. Some are inspired by it, most ignore it, some would like to get more relevant ad messages.
I have been convinced for a while now that selling user data is one of the most direct and potentially lucrative ways social networks can achieve the kind of revenues that would justify their valuations. A recent article on Facebook’s intention to “cash in” on user data reminded me of a recent conversation.
Keep reading →
November 6, 2008
In just two years (the 2008 edition is its third one), the Monaco Media Forum has established itself as a major appointment in the digital media conference calendar. The 2008 edition takes place on Nov 12-14 and the Taglift crew is on its way. This year the attendees list and the roster of speakers is as impressive as it gets. You can follow the event on a special socialmedian site.
I have been invited to participate in a panel on “user-generated data” moderated by Esther Dyson with Richard Cooperstein of Facebook, Auren Hoffman of Rapleaf, Mattias Miksche of Stardoll and Lisa Suonio of Dopplr.
Looking forward to it.
Photo by rsepulveda
October 16, 2008
So I finally did it. With the weather forecast promising three straight 80s-and-fog-clear coastal days, I headed to King Range National Conservation Area to descend north to south the 25.6-mile stretch of the Lost Coast trail from Mattole to Shelter Cove. Here’s the log.
Friday, Oct 10, 2008
3:15 am: Left San Francisco to drive north on H101. Deserted Golden Gate bridge has a surreal quality to it. I am doing good time all along the way, though encountering multiple slower men-at-work areas along the freeway.
Keep reading →
