These are my links for December 7th 2008 through December 18th 2008:
- The Atlantic Online | December 2008 | Pop Psychology | Virginia Postrel – Why asset bubbles are a part of the human condition that regulation can’t cure
- Asia’s wounded giants | Suddenly vulnerable | The Economist – Asia’s two big beasts are shivering. India’s economy is weaker, but China’s leaders have more to fear
- Why Infrastructure?: Think Tank: Online Only: The New Yorker – Short but good article on why infrastructure investments are a good idea economically and socially.
- 8 really, really scary predictions – Nouriel Roubini (1) – FORTUNE – Dow 4,000. Food shortages. A bubble in Treasury notes. Fortune spoke to eight of the market’s sharpest thinkers and what they had to say about the future is frightening.
- The Worst Is Yet To Come: Anonymous Banker Weighs In On The Coming Credit Card Debacle – Today, we are bailing out the banks because of their greedy and deceptive lending practices in the mortgage industry. But this is just the tip of the iceberg. More is coming, I’m sorry to say. Layoffs are being announced nationwide in the tens of thousands. As people begin to lose their jobs, they will not be able to pay their credit card bills either. And the banks will be back for more handouts.
- “Be Nice to the Countries That Lend You Money” – The Atlantic (December 2008) – “In his first interview since the world financial crisis, Gao Xiqing, the man who oversees $200 billion of China’s $2 trillion in dollar holdings, explains why he’s betting against the dollar, praises American pragmatism, and wonders about enormous Wall Street paychecks. And he has a friendly piece of advice: “Be Nice to the Countries That Lend You Money””
- Mind Mapping Your Business Bootstrapping Strategies | Geekpreneur – Good article on how to bootstrap your business strategies using mindmaps.
- Mastering sleep for personal productivity (Video)
- Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes | Environment | The Observer – Mini nuclear plants to power 20,000 homes, £13m shed-size reactors will be delivered by lorry. The miniature reactors will be factory-sealed, contain no weapons-grade material, have no moving parts and will be nearly impossible to steal because they will be encased in concrete and buried underground.
- After Action Review – “The Army’s After Action Review (AAR) is arguably one of the most successful organizational learning methods yet devised. Yet, most every corporate effort to graft this truly innovative practices into their culture has failed because, again and again, people reduce the living practice of AAR’s to a sterile technique.” — Peter Senge
- Perspective 2.0: Interconnected through liminal space – Prompted by a post by White African, “boundary-spanner” Niti Bhan discusses Bridgers, Third-Culture Kids, Xenophiles and the concept of “liminal space” and the qualities of those who embrace it. Definitely worth a read.
- The only way is down – Niall Ferguson is just the man to explain both the ‘giddy heights’ of modern finance and the precipitous fall of world markets.
