rethink(ip)

Quick...what is innovation?

Posted by J Matthew Buchanan at June 29, 2005 09:59 AM

Last week I had a chance to catch up with a buddy from grad school.  We were discussing heady science issues like we used to, and eventually he asked me about an inventorship issue that had developed in his organization.

We ironed out some of the details, and then he got heady again.  He asked “how many patent attorneys do you think even know what the definition of innovation is, let alone understand the difference between invention and innovation?”

Whoa.  Heady indeed.

My response?  Very few.

And it’s too bad, really.  He added later that he really wanted “…someone who can help me innovate.”

 

A little rethinking does a body good

Posted by J Matthew Buchanan at June 23, 2005 12:31 PM

“Sort of looks like a bag of marbles, doesn’t it?”

So began my latest life adventure.  A surgeon said that, with a laugh, to me a little more than four weeks ago.  He was holding an ultrasound image of my abdomen that, indeed, showed a gallbladder that looked exactly like a bag of marbles.

Stones.  Several of them.  Options?  Live with the possibility that an emergency situation could present itself at any time, or get rid of the whole bag of marbles altogether.

Hoping to avoid a medical emergency during an upcoming vacation to Mexico, I elected to have my gallbladder removed.  Life goes on normally without it and its a guarantee that the marbles are gone forever.  I had the surgery on Monday and am enjoying (yes, enjoying) a little recovery time at home.

So where’s the rethinking?  It’s in the procedure.  A little history gives some perspective:

Just after that initial consultation with the surgeon, my 80–year old grandmother told me that she had her gallbladder removed when she was 20 years old.  And her father (my great-grandfather) had his removed before she was born.

The scar from her surgery is still visible…its a long track across her abdomen that leaves no doubt that a surgeon was easily able to fit both of his hands and likely several instruments inside her belly to complete the process.  In fact, the thing looks like it conceals an incision large enough for two surgeons to work in there.

And she tells me that her father’s was even worse (she also swears whiskey was used for an anesthetic, but that’s an entirely different post…).

Not me.  I am the direct benefit of modern medicine.  The surgeon was able to do my procedure laproscopically.  No “incision” was necessary.  Instead, I’m now the proud owner of four “stab wounds” as the nurses call them.  Each of the four provided access for an instrument during the procedure and is no larger than a pencil in diameter.  My jokester surgeon explained it this way:  one for the gas (the abdomen is insufflated during the procedure), one for the scope, and two for “chopsticks.”

See the rethinking?  You might readily see one level of rethinking…someone was brave enough to rethink surgery and, at some point between my grandmother’s procedure and mine, invented laparoscopy.

I see another level, though.  Someone was brave enough to convince the medical establishment that the new procedure should be the standard (laparoscopic cholecystectomy was endorsed by the NIH as a safe and effective procedure in 1992).

The second level, the convincing level, took more rethinking than the first.  Imagine trying to convince an industry, a powerful and staid one at that, to all but eliminate one of its tried and true methods for some new-fangled approach.  I’m willing to bet that the convincer(s) were initially met with loads of skepticism (“What?  You’re telling me that you never actually cut the patient open?  Have you been playing with the ether again, Doctor?”)

But, as I’m learning, rethinkers tend to be a brave lot.  I’ve got four stab wounds to prove it.

What are your mountains?

Posted by Stephen M. Nipper at June 21, 2005 12:01 AM

A couple of months ago, co-rethinker Matt flew out to Boise to put on a CLE for the Idaho State Bar's Intellectual Property Law Section on patent reform. He's an excellent speaker and I was glad to have him out for the day.

Matt arrived late at night, did the CLE first thing in the morning and was back on a plane to Toledo by mid-afternoon. On the way back to the airport I took a quick detour to the top of "TableRock"... a plateau that overlooks the city.

The entire drive up there Matt's eyes were glued to the foothills (coming from the flat Midwest they were "mountains"). He was really impressed, in awe over the scenery, snapping pictures left and right. To him it was all new.

That is what he saw...what did I see?

At first, nothing. Same old scenery. But his excitement was contagious. I suddenly saw the same things...mountains, foothills, trees....things that I take for granted. I see them every day, but didn't necessarily SEE them every day.

So my question for you is...what are your mountains? The mountains you see everyday, but don't SEE? Is it your spouse? Your kids? Your staff?

My challenge to you...open your eyes today and appreciate that which you often overlook today.

Buckets with holes in them.

Posted by Douglas Sorocco at June 16, 2005 01:30 PM

I ran across a great quote the other day:

Fix the holes in the bucket first, and then worry about how to add more water!

The reason I like the quote is that it made me think.  I literally stopped and spent some time thinking about the quote and how it applied to my practice and intellectual property law in general.

Does anyone ever fix the bucket first?  I don’t think so.

A couple of examples:

• Patent reform: no one is talking about improving the quality, consistency, training and working conditions at the patent office.
  
• IP practice: most attorneys don’t work to strengthen their existing client relationships, they look for the next bigger, better client – that next notch on their belt.
  
• IP portfolios: most companies don’t look at their portfolios with an eye toward plugging holes or covering the white space – most don’t align their IP with their business plan.

I am sure there are others, but these are the main ones that immediately hit me. 

What “holes” do y’all see out there?

Rethink(THIS!) - Paris in the Springtime

Posted by Douglas Sorocco at June 13, 2005 07:04 PM

 

Sometimes a little rethinking can go too far!

Via Adrants

Collaboration -- what the heck is it?

Posted by J Matthew Buchanan at June 12, 2005 10:50 PM

‘Collaboration’ is, no doubt, a buzzword with a bullet.  We’re being bombarded with products and services that promise to foster collaborative relationships and make existing collaborations more effective.

Great marketing hype.  But let’s get down to basics.  What exactly is a ‘collaboration’?

One listing on Google gives this definition:  to work together and cooperate on a project.

Ok.  Not sure that really helps.  I think its more that just “working together” on a project.  Thinking about it in the context of patent practice, an attorney could claim to be collaborating with a client on a patent project if he simply sent an e-mail or two to the inventors asking a few questions about the invention.  That’s “working together,” isn’t it?  Sure.  But, I don’t think its a collaboration.

It seems something more is required.  But what?

Some would have you believe that the missing “something more” is the right technology.  As if using the right collaborative software package turns every relationship into a collaboration.  Take the patent practice example again.  Using a “collaborative environment,” the patent attorney could post a draft application to the workspace and start a discussion with the inventor regarding the various questions he has.  Once the inventor responds using the discussions in the environment, the attorney could revise the application and file it.  Again, the attorney and inventor are working together on a project.  It’s hardly a collaboration, though.  For me, it seems that they simply eliminated e-mail from the project.  Cool, but not collaborative.

So here’s the disclaimer (sorry for not putting it at the beginning of the post):  I don’t know the answer.  I’m not sure what is needed to transform standard working relationships into full-blown collaborations.

I’m getting an idea, though. Rethink(ip) is a collaboration, I know that.  Indeed, its quite an effective collaboration (slap me if I’m wrong, guys).  So now I’m closely watching it and learning.

Why?  Well, to start, I think it would be pretty cool to give Google a better definition of the term.  Oh yeah, and I think it will help build better client relationships and deliver more effective service.

Along the way, I (we) will try to share some tips on effective collaborations….  We’ll even share some of our experiences with the latest and greatest collaboration software environments (yes, we do have one we use and love). 

Hopefully someday we’ll be able to define the thing.  I am prepared, though, for the possibility that we’ll never be able to actually define it.  I suppose in a worst case scenario, we could just resort to the classic definition of obscenity:  You know it when you see it.

Rethinking the Band: Appetite for Destruction

Posted by Stephen M. Nipper at June 8, 2005 10:21 PM

Over the weekend, I caught an episode of "Behind The Music" on the rock group Guns 'N Roses. My wife, at the time, commented that the band's lead singer, Axl Rose, was clearly being villanized. I had to agree. What do you expect when the only ones interviewed for the rockumentary were the other members of the band (I presume that Axl declined to be interviewed).

So what (according to the other band members) lead to the death of the band?

Control. Control? Yes, according to the other members, Axl changed over time, becoming more and more controlling, more and more demanding. Axl became crazy, they said....and they all left the band so as to not have to deal with Axl anymore.

I have a different take. Axl was a rethinker. He had rethunk(?) the band...wanted to make them bigger, better, stronger...and the band revolted.

They were a group of party animals. Your typical drugs, sex and rock and roll band. Heavy drinkers, addicted to drugs, their music reflected that...they loved to rock it out. Axl appears to have been the one who got his act together. He realized that something needed to change...and sought to reinvent the band.

And the rest of the band was pissed....how dare he want to improve the band, how dare he suggest they get their acts together, how dare he want to do what fans (clients) want (produce "hits"), how dare he not do it the old way...the fun way. "We just want to rock!"

So. Where do you stand? For you, is it about the fans or is it about the music? Are you willing to rethink the band if they won't change...if they aren't willing to produce the music fans want?

Sometimes someone has to get their act together and rethink the band.

rethink(ip) aloud podcast #4...interview with The Invent Blog's Stephen M. Nipper

Posted by Stephen M. Nipper at June 6, 2005 10:27 AM

Our fourth podcast is finally up! Download it here. The RSS feed link is here.

rethink(ip) Podcast #4 Show notes -- Interview with Stephen M. Nipper

• Rethink(ip) blog
• PatentMojo
• Stephen M. Nipper
• The InventBlog
• Buzz Bruggeman at ActiveWords (free trial!!!)
  • Buzz’s blogs: buzzmodo and buzznovation
• Marty Schwimmer’s The Trademark Blog
• Ernie the Attorney
• John L. Welch’s TTAB Blog
• Infamous InventBlog posts:
  • “My Partial Switch to the Mac”
  • “Guide to Downloading Patent Copies on the Internet”
  • “All about Invention Promotion Companies”

test cotc

Posted by J Matthew Buchanan at June 5, 2005 01:02 PM

Well, as Steve said earlier – we are at it again.

Welcome the the June 5th edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists.  Lots of good things to read and plenty of information for everyone.

My special thanks to Brian Gongol who posted the spreadsheet template that we used to create this weeks edition.  It has been a crazy week and weekend – without the template, it would have been a very long evening last night.

And… without further ado… the Carnival of the Capitalists.

Our late night efforts produced a little extra white space in the Carnival...so you'll have to scrolllllll down a bit to see it.

Daily Dose of Optimism	Tadawul (Saudi Arabia) Stock Market Crashes; Saudi King Abdullah Plans "Risk-Free Fund"		In the past three years, up to nine million Saudis, or half the population, have started playing the market in the conservative desert state, whose strict brand of Islam outlaws standard forms of gambling. They were encouraged by a government which hoped the bourse would enable citizens to share in the economic boom that has come with a rise in world oil prices not seen since the 1970s. It hoped that would help to iron out some of the country's huge disparities of wealth.
Ask Uncle Bill	Taxes Country by Country		There will be a lot of debate in the next few years over taxes.  Some tax cuts expire in 2010, I think, and two--the 15% tax on capital gains and 15% tax on dividends-- have been extended for at least two years.  People get all exercised about taxes with the fat cats not paying their share (actually 5% of the taxpayers pay about 50% of the taxes) or somebody yelling about taxes killing them.
The Boring Made Dull	Doha and Agriculture Subsidies		One of the few positive things that can be said about American agricultural policy is that it’s not as bad as Europe’s. So, not only does this toxic mess run up the prices of food around the world, create environmental problems, and generally harm poorer countries who could be exporting food, it now threatens the Doha round on tariff reductions.
Mover Mike	Lawrence Kudlow Wears Rose Colored Glasses		Larry Kudlow says Capitalism needs a moral core, and the G-Men are restoring the rule of law and re-moralizing our economic system.
The Business of America Is Business	Terrorism as Economic Warfare		Two American academics, James and Brenda Lutz of Purdue University, have recently published a very thoughtful and insightful analysis of the choice of economic targets of terrorist attacks.
Passionate America	Passionate America Joins Wide Awakes Radio		Blogging leads to work at home opportunity. I will be hosting my own internet radio talk show.
Big Picture, Small Office	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner		Big Picture Guy comes down on the side of angels, acknowledging that customers are people. But being people means having certain foibles, like expecting freebies from suppliers. This has led to a couple of uncomfortable situations and unfortunate exchanges.
Purple Motes	Sensory Ecology		Lessons from the failure of AT&T's massive investment in PicturePhone in the early 1970s
Personal Finance Advice	Fuel Bank - Hedge On Gas Prices		A new gas distibution system will be introduced this fall where you can prepay for your gas at a set price and hedge against higher gas prices in the future.
Kicking Over My Traces	Evaluating Affiliate Ads		A method to help in choosing among different affiliate ads for your website.
Crossroads Dispatches	Losing My Mind, Coming to My Senses		Looks at a new renaissance of sensual, aesthetic, abundance themes in companies from coffee to chocolate to 'green' architecture. (Ongoing series)
Execupundit	Beware of Good Examples		The dangers hidden beneath good performance.
Photon Courier	Coal-Powered Jets: Update		Within a few years, you may be flying on airlines whose fuel is derived from coal.
GT	Nonviolent Communication		It can be incredibly effective in the pursuit of developing oneself as an Authentic Leader.  Institutions would be much healthier and much more fun places to spend time if we could all operate in the ManyOne-ness and communicate on a needs level.
InvestorGeeks	A Progressive take on Dividends		Do aggessive companies pay dividends? Frank shows that companies like Progressive Insurance can stay lean and provide a dividend to shareholders.
The Browster Blog	Web 2.0 is Bottom up		Web 2.0 is Bottom up. No, not "belly up", bottom up. User generated content is driving the growth.  The idea that the users at the perimeter of the web, not the publishers in the center, are really the ones who create the web, blogging being a great example.
Jack Yoest	Bribery as a Cost of Doing Business In Washington, DC		In India it's called "Speed Money." In Mexico it's call "Facilitation." In China it's called a "Relationship." In the US of A, it's called a "Bribe." Except in Washington, DC, where it's called "Love." Frank Robinson, an Inspector...
FiveCentNickel	Wire Transfers When Closing on a House		Gone are the days when a cashier’s check was essentially treated like cash — while they’re still written against certified funds, there’s been so much fraud in recent years that most banks subject cashier’s checks to the same funds availability rules as plain old personal checks.
Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo	The Eight-Step Process to Manage Your Emotions		The most sound strategic thinkers make decisions based upon a harmonious blend of emotional and intellectual drives. Their passions incite them to act, and their minds guide them in navigating and making solid choices. Neither force overwhelms the other. They exist in peaceful synergy.
SportsBiz	World Cup: The Real Battle is Stripes v. Swoosh		The attention of the world will be focused on Germany for the next month as the World Cup gets underway. Adidas and Nike take their marketing battle to a new level as they battle for the largest audience in sports
Patent Baristas	USPTO Biotech Backlog: Bad, Getting Worse, No End in Sight		The San Francisco Business Times ran an article reiterating what patent practitioners already know. That is, the increasing backlog at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is bad, it's getting worse and the new set of proposals meant to reduce the waiting time will not provide relief.
In Cash Flow We Trust	Personal Finance Tip: What Do You Need to Let Go Of?		I believe we all have something we need to let go of to achieve the next level of financial success. When I was clawing my way up the corporate ladder at Merrill Lynch my partner looked at me one day and said:"Can you clean those things up-they look like hell." I sat there in stunned silence for a moment and looked at my crutches.
Blog Business World	Blogging: The lazy person's way		Are you getting lazy about regular posting to your blog? Are you feeling that it's just too time consuming to find topics and then have to develop them into worthwhile ideas? Do you think your time could be better utilized in some other manner than writing yet another blog post?
Coaching4Lesbians	You Can’t Rush a Boiling Egg		I find the busier I get, the more I want to make things happen on my time frame. I want to make that 30 minute commute in 20 minutes (all while still doing it at a leisurely pace) when I’m running late.
Econbrowser	M3 or not M3?		Econbrowser takes an objective look at the growing urban legend about the money supply measure M3.
Slow Leadership	Start-Up Sanity		Advice for entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses (especially start-ups) on how to retain sanity and balance.
The Coyote Within	Common Mistakes in Self-development		Adrian Savage lists some common mistakes in setting out on a program of self-development that lead to wasted time and frustration.
Wordlab	Apple Dei		Wordlab points to an excellent parody. Is it defensible as a parody of Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code, or Apple's marketing style?
Jim Logan	Billing For Your Time Is Like Clubbing Your Next Meal		Billing for your time is like clubbing your next meal. And the time sheet is a modern version of drawing a picture of the hunt on your wall. Clients are interested in buying results, not your time.
Bizinformer	Just the Facts Maam - Union Facts Part II		Ok, I admit it, I am not a union proponent and let me explain why from both an individual point of view and a business owner point of view.
My Financial Awareness	It Is Never Too Late To Save		Over the last few years, the discussion has been on how much money we can have if we only save early. In some articles, it talks about how we can be millionaires if we only save $2,000 a year for 5 years from age 21 to 25. The articles go on to discuss how if we save $2,000 from age 36 to 64, the amount saved would be less than ½ at age 65 than what would have been saved if we only saved from age 21 to 25 instead.
Lip-sticking	Look, Dick. See Jane. See Jane Blog.		Anyone who thinks women aren't blogging - in droves! - needs to wake up. We're online, in large communities, blogging about -YOU, maybe. Pay attention, we like to share product reviews - both good and bad.
AllFinancialMatters	How Much Can You Save in a Lifetime		Life savings calculator.
Searchlight Crusade	Recurring and Nonrecurring Closing Costs		Many people are uncertain as to what closing costs are.
voluntaryXchange	ABAnomics		When the NBA absorbed the ABA 30 years ago, one owner opted out for a share of the TV revenues. It's a great sports story, but the sportswriters have grossly overstated the profitability of the deal.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity	Vonage IPO Starts To Get Ugly		Vonage sends over Bruno to collect on all its customers who got in on the IPO (and promptly lost a bundle).
Pacesetter Mortgage Blog	Is Traditional Journalism Dead?		Will professional businss blog do away with the need of many of our nations journalists?
The Entrepreneurial Mind	Is it Time for the End of the SBA?		The SBA is a mess. Outgoing Administrator Hector Barreto is only part of the problem. The very concept of the agency itself is flawed.
Simple Thoughts	Corporate Blogging: Meet Fortune 500 Blogger - Sun’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz		Jonathan Schwartz is probably the highest profile individual to blog as CEO of Sun Microsystems, a Fortune 500 company. But that is not what this article is about. It is instructive to note how he leverages his blog to communicate with share-holders and Sun customers.
Business & Technology Reinvention	Planes and Trains		The lessons of Enron and Katrina have not been learned. So here's steps your your organization can take to prevent repeating those mistakes.
BOB - Business Opportunities Blog	New Business Idea - Ultimate Kid's Restaurant		Every month or so I'm going to try and suggest a new business idea or concept that has yet to be developed. If it's already out there, let me know. If not, try and add to the idea. By the way, feel free to start the business yourself!
Paul's Tips	The easiest way to fool smart people		There’s a saying among con-men that smart people are easier targets, because they don’t think they can be conned.
Philosophy, et cetera	Costs and Regulations		Let's distinguish two forms of regulation, reflecting the statist vs. Hayekian distinction. One option is to make the undesirable activity illegal. The alternative is to make it costly. More generally, we can regulate activities either by using the blunt instrument of the law, or else by the more subtle manipulation of market forces. I think the latter will often be preferable.
MineThatData	Business Review: Sharper Image		A new feature at MineThatData looks at the successes and failures of various businesses. This week, we take a look at Sharper Image.
Free Money Finance	It's Not What You Make, It's What You Spend, Part 437		A couple makes $165,000 a year but is going backwards financially. Just another example of "it's not what you make, it's what you spend."
CaseySoftware	Non-disclosure Agreements		This is the first of a two part series about NDA's and some things that are good and bad about them.
David Maister's Passion, People and Principles	Don't Compromise - Take Turns		As part of leading discussions on the keys to great business relationships, I often ask seminar participants what they think the keys to great relationships are in personal life.
My 1st Million At 33	My experience of 100,000% of inflation in 4 years		Do you know what it is like to experience an inflation of 100000% in four years? Oh no, I did not mis-type the number of zeros. It’s 100000% or 1000X in four years, or 562% in 1 year, or 1.4% daily. It sounds crazy, but that was in the late 1980, once when I lived in a Latin America country.
InsureBlog	Arrested Development		Bob Vineyard asks "does crime pay?" His answer: it sure does if you're sick.
GT	Authentic Leadership		What is Authentic Leadership? To answer this question we can start first by answering what it is not. Authentic Leadership is not the behavior most are familiar with in modern day institutional life (business, government, education, etc.) It is not a relentless focus on quarterly earnings. It is not growth by all means necessary. It is not “The business of business is business.” It is not ignorance of human and natural capital. It is not egoism. It is not unilateral decision making. It is not homogeneity or inequity. It is not a short-term focus. It is not borrowing from the unborn to lavish upon the born. It is not classism, hierarchy, dominance, imperialism, exploitation. It is not carrot and stick. It is not fake, phony, disjointed or disintegral. It is not a growing wage gap, an increasingly undereducated population, ideological supremacy or trickle down. It is not my way or the highway.
Stock Market Beat	SAP Only Imitates Oracle’s Bad Moves		SAP claims independence when it comes to M&A but follows Oracle down the price-cutting path of doom.
Resistance is futile!	We'd have more money if we were gay		Tax breaks for same-sex couples, but not for heterosexuals -- how is that fair?
Servant of Chaos	Ideas are Cheap		Ideas are a dime a dozen, the challenge is implementation. What you need is a "Compliant Idea". Is that the sound of a steam train?
New Development Homes Blog	Flipping off plan property and new homes		Property speculators place deposits on units before they are built (off plan), with the intention of selling them on at a healthy profit before they have to pay the rest of the purchase price.
Matt Inglot	The Top 5 Points A Venture Capitalist Wants To Hear		A list of the top five things venture capitalists look for in a desirable investment. As an entrepreneur you should be hitting every point in your planning even if you don’t intend to seek venture capital, as these are key criteria for an idea that has strong chances of success.
Consumer-Driven Finance	Consumer-Driven Finance 2: Preemptive Strikes Against Medical Debt		Consumer-Driven Finance shows how people can bargain and negotiate to get better prices for expensive healthcare services just like everybody else bargains and negotiates to get better prices for things like cars and homes; maybe medicine is more like other economic goods and services than we think!

test cotc

Well, as Steve said earlier – we are at it again.

Welcome the the June 5th edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists.  Lots of good things to read and plenty of information for everyone.

My special thanks to Brian Gongol who posted the spreadsheet template that we used to create this weeks edition.  It has been a crazy week and weekend – without the template, it would have been a very long evening last night.

And… without further ado… the Carnival of the Capitalists.

Our late night efforts produced a little extra white space in the Carnival...so you'll have to scrolllllll down a bit to see it.

Daily Dose of Optimism	Tadawul (Saudi Arabia) Stock Market Crashes; Saudi King Abdullah Plans "Risk-Free Fund"		In the past three years, up to nine million Saudis, or half the population, have started playing the market in the conservative desert state, whose strict brand of Islam outlaws standard forms of gambling. They were encouraged by a government which hoped the bourse would enable citizens to share in the economic boom that has come with a rise in world oil prices not seen since the 1970s. It hoped that would help to iron out some of the country's huge disparities of wealth.
Ask Uncle Bill	Taxes Country by Country		There will be a lot of debate in the next few years over taxes.  Some tax cuts expire in 2010, I think, and two--the 15% tax on capital gains and 15% tax on dividends-- have been extended for at least two years.  People get all exercised about taxes with the fat cats not paying their share (actually 5% of the taxpayers pay about 50% of the taxes) or somebody yelling about taxes killing them.
The Boring Made Dull	Doha and Agriculture Subsidies		One of the few positive things that can be said about American agricultural policy is that it’s not as bad as Europe’s. So, not only does this toxic mess run up the prices of food around the world, create environmental problems, and generally harm poorer countries who could be exporting food, it now threatens the Doha round on tariff reductions.
Mover Mike	Lawrence Kudlow Wears Rose Colored Glasses		Larry Kudlow says Capitalism needs a moral core, and the G-Men are restoring the rule of law and re-moralizing our economic system.
The Business of America Is Business	Terrorism as Economic Warfare		Two American academics, James and Brenda Lutz of Purdue University, have recently published a very thoughtful and insightful analysis of the choice of economic targets of terrorist attacks.
Passionate America	Passionate America Joins Wide Awakes Radio		Blogging leads to work at home opportunity. I will be hosting my own internet radio talk show.
Big Picture, Small Office	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner		Big Picture Guy comes down on the side of angels, acknowledging that customers are people. But being people means having certain foibles, like expecting freebies from suppliers. This has led to a couple of uncomfortable situations and unfortunate exchanges.
Purple Motes	Sensory Ecology		Lessons from the failure of AT&T's massive investment in PicturePhone in the early 1970s
Personal Finance Advice	Fuel Bank - Hedge On Gas Prices		A new gas distibution system will be introduced this fall where you can prepay for your gas at a set price and hedge against higher gas prices in the future.
Kicking Over My Traces	Evaluating Affiliate Ads		A method to help in choosing among different affiliate ads for your website.
Crossroads Dispatches	Losing My Mind, Coming to My Senses		Looks at a new renaissance of sensual, aesthetic, abundance themes in companies from coffee to chocolate to 'green' architecture. (Ongoing series)
Execupundit	Beware of Good Examples		The dangers hidden beneath good performance.
Photon Courier	Coal-Powered Jets: Update		Within a few years, you may be flying on airlines whose fuel is derived from coal.
GT	Nonviolent Communication		It can be incredibly effective in the pursuit of developing oneself as an Authentic Leader.  Institutions would be much healthier and much more fun places to spend time if we could all operate in the ManyOne-ness and communicate on a needs level.
InvestorGeeks	A Progressive take on Dividends		Do aggessive companies pay dividends? Frank shows that companies like Progressive Insurance can stay lean and provide a dividend to shareholders.
The Browster Blog	Web 2.0 is Bottom up		Web 2.0 is Bottom up. No, not "belly up", bottom up. User generated content is driving the growth.  The idea that the users at the perimeter of the web, not the publishers in the center, are really the ones who create the web, blogging being a great example.
Jack Yoest	Bribery as a Cost of Doing Business In Washington, DC		In India it's called "Speed Money." In Mexico it's call "Facilitation." In China it's called a "Relationship." In the US of A, it's called a "Bribe." Except in Washington, DC, where it's called "Love." Frank Robinson, an Inspector...
FiveCentNickel	Wire Transfers When Closing on a House		Gone are the days when a cashier’s check was essentially treated like cash — while they’re still written against certified funds, there’s been so much fraud in recent years that most banks subject cashier’s checks to the same funds availability rules as plain old personal checks.
Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo	The Eight-Step Process to Manage Your Emotions		The most sound strategic thinkers make decisions based upon a harmonious blend of emotional and intellectual drives. Their passions incite them to act, and their minds guide them in navigating and making solid choices. Neither force overwhelms the other. They exist in peaceful synergy.
SportsBiz	World Cup: The Real Battle is Stripes v. Swoosh		The attention of the world will be focused on Germany for the next month as the World Cup gets underway. Adidas and Nike take their marketing battle to a new level as they battle for the largest audience in sports
Patent Baristas	USPTO Biotech Backlog: Bad, Getting Worse, No End in Sight		The San Francisco Business Times ran an article reiterating what patent practitioners already know. That is, the increasing backlog at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is bad, it's getting worse and the new set of proposals meant to reduce the waiting time will not provide relief.
In Cash Flow We Trust	Personal Finance Tip: What Do You Need to Let Go Of?		I believe we all have something we need to let go of to achieve the next level of financial success. When I was clawing my way up the corporate ladder at Merrill Lynch my partner looked at me one day and said:"Can you clean those things up-they look like hell." I sat there in stunned silence for a moment and looked at my crutches.
Blog Business World	Blogging: The lazy person's way		Are you getting lazy about regular posting to your blog? Are you feeling that it's just too time consuming to find topics and then have to develop them into worthwhile ideas? Do you think your time could be better utilized in some other manner than writing yet another blog post?
Coaching4Lesbians	You Can’t Rush a Boiling Egg		I find the busier I get, the more I want to make things happen on my time frame. I want to make that 30 minute commute in 20 minutes (all while still doing it at a leisurely pace) when I’m running late.
Econbrowser	M3 or not M3?		Econbrowser takes an objective look at the growing urban legend about the money supply measure M3.
Slow Leadership	Start-Up Sanity		Advice for entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses (especially start-ups) on how to retain sanity and balance.
The Coyote Within	Common Mistakes in Self-development		Adrian Savage lists some common mistakes in setting out on a program of self-development that lead to wasted time and frustration.
Wordlab	Apple Dei		Wordlab points to an excellent parody. Is it defensible as a parody of Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code, or Apple's marketing style?
Jim Logan	Billing For Your Time Is Like Clubbing Your Next Meal		Billing for your time is like clubbing your next meal. And the time sheet is a modern version of drawing a picture of the hunt on your wall. Clients are interested in buying results, not your time.
Bizinformer	Just the Facts Maam - Union Facts Part II		Ok, I admit it, I am not a union proponent and let me explain why from both an individual point of view and a business owner point of view.
My Financial Awareness	It Is Never Too Late To Save		Over the last few years, the discussion has been on how much money we can have if we only save early. In some articles, it talks about how we can be millionaires if we only save $2,000 a year for 5 years from age 21 to 25. The articles go on to discuss how if we save $2,000 from age 36 to 64, the amount saved would be less than ½ at age 65 than what would have been saved if we only saved from age 21 to 25 instead.
Lip-sticking	Look, Dick. See Jane. See Jane Blog.		Anyone who thinks women aren't blogging - in droves! - needs to wake up. We're online, in large communities, blogging about -YOU, maybe. Pay attention, we like to share product reviews - both good and bad.
AllFinancialMatters	How Much Can You Save in a Lifetime		Life savings calculator.
Searchlight Crusade	Recurring and Nonrecurring Closing Costs		Many people are uncertain as to what closing costs are.
voluntaryXchange	ABAnomics		When the NBA absorbed the ABA 30 years ago, one owner opted out for a share of the TV revenues. It's a great sports story, but the sportswriters have grossly overstated the profitability of the deal.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity	Vonage IPO Starts To Get Ugly		Vonage sends over Bruno to collect on all its customers who got in on the IPO (and promptly lost a bundle).
Pacesetter Mortgage Blog	Is Traditional Journalism Dead?		Will professional businss blog do away with the need of many of our nations journalists?
The Entrepreneurial Mind	Is it Time for the End of the SBA?		The SBA is a mess. Outgoing Administrator Hector Barreto is only part of the problem. The very concept of the agency itself is flawed.
Simple Thoughts	Corporate Blogging: Meet Fortune 500 Blogger - Sun’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz		Jonathan Schwartz is probably the highest profile individual to blog as CEO of Sun Microsystems, a Fortune 500 company. But that is not what this article is about. It is instructive to note how he leverages his blog to communicate with share-holders and Sun customers.
Business & Technology Reinvention	Planes and Trains		The lessons of Enron and Katrina have not been learned. So here's steps your your organization can take to prevent repeating those mistakes.
BOB - Business Opportunities Blog	New Business Idea - Ultimate Kid's Restaurant		Every month or so I'm going to try and suggest a new business idea or concept that has yet to be developed. If it's already out there, let me know. If not, try and add to the idea. By the way, feel free to start the business yourself!
Paul's Tips	The easiest way to fool smart people		There’s a saying among con-men that smart people are easier targets, because they don’t think they can be conned.
Philosophy, et cetera	Costs and Regulations		Let's distinguish two forms of regulation, reflecting the statist vs. Hayekian distinction. One option is to make the undesirable activity illegal. The alternative is to make it costly. More generally, we can regulate activities either by using the blunt instrument of the law, or else by the more subtle manipulation of market forces. I think the latter will often be preferable.
MineThatData	Business Review: Sharper Image		A new feature at MineThatData looks at the successes and failures of various businesses. This week, we take a look at Sharper Image.
Free Money Finance	It's Not What You Make, It's What You Spend, Part 437		A couple makes $165,000 a year but is going backwards financially. Just another example of "it's not what you make, it's what you spend."
CaseySoftware	Non-disclosure Agreements		This is the first of a two part series about NDA's and some things that are good and bad about them.
David Maister's Passion, People and Principles	Don't Compromise - Take Turns		As part of leading discussions on the keys to great business relationships, I often ask seminar participants what they think the keys to great relationships are in personal life.
My 1st Million At 33	My experience of 100,000% of inflation in 4 years		Do you know what it is like to experience an inflation of 100000% in four years? Oh no, I did not mis-type the number of zeros. It’s 100000% or 1000X in four years, or 562% in 1 year, or 1.4% daily. It sounds crazy, but that was in the late 1980, once when I lived in a Latin America country.
InsureBlog	Arrested Development		Bob Vineyard asks "does crime pay?" His answer: it sure does if you're sick.
GT	Authentic Leadership		What is Authentic Leadership? To answer this question we can start first by answering what it is not. Authentic Leadership is not the behavior most are familiar with in modern day institutional life (business, government, education, etc.) It is not a relentless focus on quarterly earnings. It is not growth by all means necessary. It is not “The business of business is business.” It is not ignorance of human and natural capital. It is not egoism. It is not unilateral decision making. It is not homogeneity or inequity. It is not a short-term focus. It is not borrowing from the unborn to lavish upon the born. It is not classism, hierarchy, dominance, imperialism, exploitation. It is not carrot and stick. It is not fake, phony, disjointed or disintegral. It is not a growing wage gap, an increasingly undereducated population, ideological supremacy or trickle down. It is not my way or the highway.
Stock Market Beat	SAP Only Imitates Oracle’s Bad Moves		SAP claims independence when it comes to M&A but follows Oracle down the price-cutting path of doom.
Resistance is futile!	We'd have more money if we were gay		Tax breaks for same-sex couples, but not for heterosexuals -- how is that fair?
Servant of Chaos	Ideas are Cheap		Ideas are a dime a dozen, the challenge is implementation. What you need is a "Compliant Idea". Is that the sound of a steam train?
New Development Homes Blog	Flipping off plan property and new homes		Property speculators place deposits on units before they are built (off plan), with the intention of selling them on at a healthy profit before they have to pay the rest of the purchase price.
Matt Inglot	The Top 5 Points A Venture Capitalist Wants To Hear		A list of the top five things venture capitalists look for in a desirable investment. As an entrepreneur you should be hitting every point in your planning even if you don’t intend to seek venture capital, as these are key criteria for an idea that has strong chances of success.
Consumer-Driven Finance	Consumer-Driven Finance 2: Preemptive Strikes Against Medical Debt		Consumer-Driven Finance shows how people can bargain and negotiate to get better prices for expensive healthcare services just like everybody else bargains and negotiates to get better prices for things like cars and homes; maybe medicine is more like other economic goods and services than we think!

test cotc

Well, as Steve said earlier – we are at it again.

Welcome the the June 5th edition of the Carnival of the Capitalists.  Lots of good things to read and plenty of information for everyone.

My special thanks to Brian Gongol who posted the spreadsheet template that we used to create this weeks edition.  It has been a crazy week and weekend – without the template, it would have been a very long evening last night.

And… without further ado… the Carnival of the Capitalists.

Our late night efforts produced a little extra white space in the Carnival...so you'll have to scrolllllll down a bit to see it.

Daily Dose of Optimism	Tadawul (Saudi Arabia) Stock Market Crashes; Saudi King Abdullah Plans "Risk-Free Fund"		In the past three years, up to nine million Saudis, or half the population, have started playing the market in the conservative desert state, whose strict brand of Islam outlaws standard forms of gambling. They were encouraged by a government which hoped the bourse would enable citizens to share in the economic boom that has come with a rise in world oil prices not seen since the 1970s. It hoped that would help to iron out some of the country's huge disparities of wealth.
Ask Uncle Bill	Taxes Country by Country		There will be a lot of debate in the next few years over taxes.  Some tax cuts expire in 2010, I think, and two--the 15% tax on capital gains and 15% tax on dividends-- have been extended for at least two years.  People get all exercised about taxes with the fat cats not paying their share (actually 5% of the taxpayers pay about 50% of the taxes) or somebody yelling about taxes killing them.
The Boring Made Dull	Doha and Agriculture Subsidies		One of the few positive things that can be said about American agricultural policy is that it’s not as bad as Europe’s. So, not only does this toxic mess run up the prices of food around the world, create environmental problems, and generally harm poorer countries who could be exporting food, it now threatens the Doha round on tariff reductions.
Mover Mike	Lawrence Kudlow Wears Rose Colored Glasses		Larry Kudlow says Capitalism needs a moral core, and the G-Men are restoring the rule of law and re-moralizing our economic system.
The Business of America Is Business	Terrorism as Economic Warfare		Two American academics, James and Brenda Lutz of Purdue University, have recently published a very thoughtful and insightful analysis of the choice of economic targets of terrorist attacks.
Passionate America	Passionate America Joins Wide Awakes Radio		Blogging leads to work at home opportunity. I will be hosting my own internet radio talk show.
Big Picture, Small Office	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner		Big Picture Guy comes down on the side of angels, acknowledging that customers are people. But being people means having certain foibles, like expecting freebies from suppliers. This has led to a couple of uncomfortable situations and unfortunate exchanges.
Purple Motes	Sensory Ecology		Lessons from the failure of AT&T's massive investment in PicturePhone in the early 1970s
Personal Finance Advice	Fuel Bank - Hedge On Gas Prices		A new gas distibution system will be introduced this fall where you can prepay for your gas at a set price and hedge against higher gas prices in the future.
Kicking Over My Traces	Evaluating Affiliate Ads		A method to help in choosing among different affiliate ads for your website.
Crossroads Dispatches	Losing My Mind, Coming to My Senses		Looks at a new renaissance of sensual, aesthetic, abundance themes in companies from coffee to chocolate to 'green' architecture. (Ongoing series)
Execupundit	Beware of Good Examples		The dangers hidden beneath good performance.
Photon Courier	Coal-Powered Jets: Update		Within a few years, you may be flying on airlines whose fuel is derived from coal.
GT	Nonviolent Communication		It can be incredibly effective in the pursuit of developing oneself as an Authentic Leader.  Institutions would be much healthier and much more fun places to spend time if we could all operate in the ManyOne-ness and communicate on a needs level.
InvestorGeeks	A Progressive take on Dividends		Do aggessive companies pay dividends? Frank shows that companies like Progressive Insurance can stay lean and provide a dividend to shareholders.
The Browster Blog	Web 2.0 is Bottom up		Web 2.0 is Bottom up. No, not "belly up", bottom up. User generated content is driving the growth.  The idea that the users at the perimeter of the web, not the publishers in the center, are really the ones who create the web, blogging being a great example.
Jack Yoest	Bribery as a Cost of Doing Business In Washington, DC		In India it's called "Speed Money." In Mexico it's call "Facilitation." In China it's called a "Relationship." In the US of A, it's called a "Bribe." Except in Washington, DC, where it's called "Love." Frank Robinson, an Inspector...
FiveCentNickel	Wire Transfers When Closing on a House		Gone are the days when a cashier’s check was essentially treated like cash — while they’re still written against certified funds, there’s been so much fraud in recent years that most banks subject cashier’s checks to the same funds availability rules as plain old personal checks.
Career Intensity Blog - David V. Lorenzo	The Eight-Step Process to Manage Your Emotions		The most sound strategic thinkers make decisions based upon a harmonious blend of emotional and intellectual drives. Their passions incite them to act, and their minds guide them in navigating and making solid choices. Neither force overwhelms the other. They exist in peaceful synergy.
SportsBiz	World Cup: The Real Battle is Stripes v. Swoosh		The attention of the world will be focused on Germany for the next month as the World Cup gets underway. Adidas and Nike take their marketing battle to a new level as they battle for the largest audience in sports
Patent Baristas	USPTO Biotech Backlog: Bad, Getting Worse, No End in Sight		The San Francisco Business Times ran an article reiterating what patent practitioners already know. That is, the increasing backlog at the U.S. Patent & Trademark Office is bad, it's getting worse and the new set of proposals meant to reduce the waiting time will not provide relief.
In Cash Flow We Trust	Personal Finance Tip: What Do You Need to Let Go Of?		I believe we all have something we need to let go of to achieve the next level of financial success. When I was clawing my way up the corporate ladder at Merrill Lynch my partner looked at me one day and said:"Can you clean those things up-they look like hell." I sat there in stunned silence for a moment and looked at my crutches.
Blog Business World	Blogging: The lazy person's way		Are you getting lazy about regular posting to your blog? Are you feeling that it's just too time consuming to find topics and then have to develop them into worthwhile ideas? Do you think your time could be better utilized in some other manner than writing yet another blog post?
Coaching4Lesbians	You Can’t Rush a Boiling Egg		I find the busier I get, the more I want to make things happen on my time frame. I want to make that 30 minute commute in 20 minutes (all while still doing it at a leisurely pace) when I’m running late.
Econbrowser	M3 or not M3?		Econbrowser takes an objective look at the growing urban legend about the money supply measure M3.
Slow Leadership	Start-Up Sanity		Advice for entrepreneurs and owners of small businesses (especially start-ups) on how to retain sanity and balance.
The Coyote Within	Common Mistakes in Self-development		Adrian Savage lists some common mistakes in setting out on a program of self-development that lead to wasted time and frustration.
Wordlab	Apple Dei		Wordlab points to an excellent parody. Is it defensible as a parody of Opus Dei, The Da Vinci Code, or Apple's marketing style?
Jim Logan	Billing For Your Time Is Like Clubbing Your Next Meal		Billing for your time is like clubbing your next meal. And the time sheet is a modern version of drawing a picture of the hunt on your wall. Clients are interested in buying results, not your time.
Bizinformer	Just the Facts Maam - Union Facts Part II		Ok, I admit it, I am not a union proponent and let me explain why from both an individual point of view and a business owner point of view.
My Financial Awareness	It Is Never Too Late To Save		Over the last few years, the discussion has been on how much money we can have if we only save early. In some articles, it talks about how we can be millionaires if we only save $2,000 a year for 5 years from age 21 to 25. The articles go on to discuss how if we save $2,000 from age 36 to 64, the amount saved would be less than ½ at age 65 than what would have been saved if we only saved from age 21 to 25 instead.
Lip-sticking	Look, Dick. See Jane. See Jane Blog.		Anyone who thinks women aren't blogging - in droves! - needs to wake up. We're online, in large communities, blogging about -YOU, maybe. Pay attention, we like to share product reviews - both good and bad.
AllFinancialMatters	How Much Can You Save in a Lifetime		Life savings calculator.
Searchlight Crusade	Recurring and Nonrecurring Closing Costs		Many people are uncertain as to what closing costs are.
voluntaryXchange	ABAnomics		When the NBA absorbed the ABA 30 years ago, one owner opted out for a share of the TV revenues. It's a great sports story, but the sportswriters have grossly overstated the profitability of the deal.
Blueprint for Financial Prosperity	Vonage IPO Starts To Get Ugly		Vonage sends over Bruno to collect on all its customers who got in on the IPO (and promptly lost a bundle).
Pacesetter Mortgage Blog	Is Traditional Journalism Dead?		Will professional businss blog do away with the need of many of our nations journalists?
The Entrepreneurial Mind	Is it Time for the End of the SBA?		The SBA is a mess. Outgoing Administrator Hector Barreto is only part of the problem. The very concept of the agency itself is flawed.
Simple Thoughts	Corporate Blogging: Meet Fortune 500 Blogger - Sun’s CEO Jonathan Schwartz		Jonathan Schwartz is probably the highest profile individual to blog as CEO of Sun Microsystems, a Fortune 500 company. But that is not what this article is about. It is instructive to note how he leverages his blog to communicate with share-holders and Sun customers.
Business & Technology Reinvention	Planes and Trains		The lessons of Enron and Katrina have not been learned. So here's steps your your organization can take to prevent repeating those mistakes.
BOB - Business Opportunities Blog	New Business Idea - Ultimate Kid's Restaurant		Every month or so I'm going to try and suggest a new business idea or concept that has yet to be developed. If it's already out there, let me know. If not, try and add to the idea. By the way, feel free to start the business yourself!
Paul's Tips	The easiest way to fool smart people		There’s a saying among con-men that smart people are easier targets, because they don’t think they can be conned.
Philosophy, et cetera	Costs and Regulations		Let's distinguish two forms of regulation, reflecting the statist vs. Hayekian distinction. One option is to make the undesirable activity illegal. The alternative is to make it costly. More generally, we can regulate activities either by using the blunt instrument of the law, or else by the more subtle manipulation of market forces. I think the latter will often be preferable.
MineThatData	Business Review: Sharper Image		A new feature at MineThatData looks at the successes and failures of various businesses. This week, we take a look at Sharper Image.
Free Money Finance	It's Not What You Make, It's What You Spend, Part 437		A couple makes $165,000 a year but is going backwards financially. Just another example of "it's not what you make, it's what you spend."
CaseySoftware	Non-disclosure Agreements		This is the first of a two part series about NDA's and some things that are good and bad about them.
David Maister's Passion, People and Principles	Don't Compromise - Take Turns		As part of leading discussions on the keys to great business relationships, I often ask seminar participants what they think the keys to great relationships are in personal life.
My 1st Million At 33	My experience of 100,000% of inflation in 4 years		Do you know what it is like to experience an inflation of 100000% in four years? Oh no, I did not mis-type the number of zeros. It’s 100000% or 1000X in four years, or 562% in 1 year, or 1.4% daily. It sounds crazy, but that was in the late 1980, once when I lived in a Latin America country.
InsureBlog	Arrested Development		Bob Vineyard asks "does crime pay?" His answer: it sure does if you're sick.
GT	Authentic Leadership		What is Authentic Leadership? To answer this question we can start first by answering what it is not. Authentic Leadership is not the behavior most are familiar with in modern day institutional life (business, government, education, etc.) It is not a relentless focus on quarterly earnings. It is not growth by all means necessary. It is not “The business of business is business.” It is not ignorance of human and natural capital. It is not egoism. It is not unilateral decision making. It is not homogeneity or inequity. It is not a short-term focus. It is not borrowing from the unborn to lavish upon the born. It is not classism, hierarchy, dominance, imperialism, exploitation. It is not carrot and stick. It is not fake, phony, disjointed or disintegral. It is not a growing wage gap, an increasingly undereducated population, ideological supremacy or trickle down. It is not my way or the highway.
Stock Market Beat	SAP Only Imitates Oracle’s Bad Moves		SAP claims independence when it comes to M&A but follows Oracle down the price-cutting path of doom.
Resistance is futile!	We'd have more money if we were gay		Tax breaks for same-sex couples, but not for heterosexuals -- how is that fair?
Servant of Chaos	Ideas are Cheap		Ideas are a dime a dozen, the challenge is implementation. What you need is a "Compliant Idea". Is that the sound of a steam train?
New Development Homes Blog	Flipping off plan property and new homes		Property speculators place deposits on units before they are built (off plan), with the intention of selling them on at a healthy profit before they have to pay the rest of the purchase price.
Matt Inglot	The Top 5 Points A Venture Capitalist Wants To Hear		A list of the top five things venture capitalists look for in a desirable investment. As an entrepreneur you should be hitting every point in your planning even if you don’t intend to seek venture capital, as these are key criteria for an idea that has strong chances of success.
Consumer-Driven Finance	Consumer-Driven Finance 2: Preemptive Strikes Against Medical Debt		Consumer-Driven Finance shows how people can bargain and negotiate to get better prices for expensive healthcare services just like everybody else bargains and negotiates to get better prices for things like cars and homes; maybe medicine is more like other economic goods and services than we think!

Do you believe the marketing hype? Or do you dig?

Posted by Douglas Sorocco at June 1, 2005 06:19 PM

Interesting quote over at the A VC blog:

I am not joking about this.  A VC investment is not marriage, but it's damn close.  One thing I've noticed over the years is that the VC does a lot of due diligence on the entrepreneur and his company, but entrepreneurs often do not do enough due diligence on the VC and his firm.

What kind of due diligence do you do on the firm you are going to hire to do your intellectual property work? 

I once heard an interesting way one company bought services, when they arrived at the office they would always ask the receptionist, bellman, security guard, coffee barista etc. whether they would hire the prospective firm.  

If they got a negative reply, nine times out of ten they wouldn’t even go on to the meeting.  It isn’t what you do when everyone is watching, you know.

The moral of the story – no place is too crazy to do a little digging.