In 2012, Work To Your Strenghts !

Ca fait long !!! Happy New Year to my beloved readers and followers.  Let's jump start this New Year with our good resolutions and my warmest wishes. I wish you to be endeared by your entourage, success in all your endeavors through sheer luck and hard-work. Last but not least, may you become even better at what you do best.

 That brings me directly to the topic of my post.

What's the best way to develop your work life effectiveness? An open question for all of us. While browsing the web trying to look for some self-help books, I found on the Happy-Manager this quote from the Panasonic founder, Konosuke Matsushita:

“Be yourself. 

Once you know what you like to do, 

what you are good at, 

then all you have to do is work hard at it.”

 

The site even proposes 15 questions/suggestions to help you think about how to improve your work life effectiveness. It's worth the read, especially if you're trying to discover your true self, which can't be done overnight and remains an evolving process that lasts until our last day. (Pure guess regarding the last sentence).

Again, Excellente et Tres Heureuse Annee 2012.

Sanaga.

Photo source: Guantanamo seabee, Steel Worker 2nd Class Rejuny Caswell By Kelly Gary, via Wikimedia Commons

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3F's, customer sales viewed by IT

Find the Customer, Fuck the Customer, Forget the Customer.


Another one from our droll C.I.O and his peculiar sense of humor ;)


source: Bear is Cool

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Myriam Makeba - Kulala (Live Version)

A mother laments for the death of her son who drowned in the river.
Powerful and riveting funeral poem.


Live version from Myriam Makeba's Paris concert in 1977.

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Success comes in CANS not CANT'S

Success comes in CANS not CANT'S
Some even contend that success comes in all forms...


Source image: Things We Forget

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Mon ultime priere

« Mon ultime prière, 
                    Ô mon corps, 
                       fais de moi toujours un homme qui interroge »

Frantz Fanon, Peau noire et masques blancs.

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Closeup on 8 of the Hottest Tech Apps

I was checking the latest article of Business Insider regarding the top 20 Innovative Startups in Tech and the 20 Hot Silicon Valley Startups You Need To Watch. I found some interesting tools and services, that I'd definitely see myself using or that I have already started using.


Among all the products, here are the ones that caught my attention:

1. iDoneThis is one of the gem I've recently discovered, it introduces the concept of "to done list" (vs todo list). It's a productivity tool that work the other way round, in the sense that the diary-based information helps you track your activities and achievements on a daily basis.
2. DropBox created a way to easily share and store files all over the web. Of all the cloud-based files storages services, this one is by far my favorite. Did I mention, it's free? yeah, it's free and it is a big plus for me.
3. Hotel Tonight helps you make a last-minute hotel reservation from your mobile device (iOS and Android are both supported) at a discounted price. Truly neat.
4. SkillShare : as the name says it's all about sharing your skills and learning new ones from people willing to do the same than you. The basic premise is that anyone can be a teacher. As a user of the service, you may search classes by category (learning about photoshop basics or business plan writing) but also by locating the ones nearest to you (mainly in the US, Zurich may open soon). The average class costs around $20 and SkillShare takes a 15% cut. for Mike Karnjanaprakorn, CEO, SkillShare is about using  "the Web to democratize learning and make it affordable and accessible to anyone.”
5. TaskRabbit that provides an on-demand workforce. This service will find you people able to help you drop your laundry at the dry-cleaner or run some errands for you. Right now, TaskRabbit is available in San Francisco, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Even more interesting, TaskRabbit has appointed recently Eric Grosse -former founder of Hotwire.com and President of Expedia WorldWide- as its new CEO.
6. MoviePass lets users attend all of the movies they want in theaters for a fixed price. The pass concepts has been existing in Europe for couple of years now. It's great to see it now forging its way on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean.
7. Simplenote and its platform Simperium helps people take and keep notes, lists, ideas etc... and access them from any web device. Simperium reproduces the sharing and accessibility concept for any other app.
8. Storenvy makes it dead easy for anyone to set up a free e-commerce site. Setting up and customizign a storefront couldn't be more easier. This service appeals to people that do not have 

These apps are to be kept under the radar and oen must also pay close attention to the people behind all these neat products and services. Let me know if you have tried any of the aforementioned and what you think of it/these.

Cheers

L.

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Is Nouriel Roubini the Nostradamus of our economically challenged time ?

Is he the Nostradamus of our economically challenged time? 

Back in 2006, in a blog post Nouriel Roubini was already prophetic about Italy's debt crisis and the Eurozone doom prospects. The very same year Roubini’s speech at Davos-World Economic Forum was warning that Italy may experience Debt Crisis and EuroZone Break-Up in 5 years.

He recently reposted the blog post he wrote in 2006, after speaking at Davos, and apparently offended the already-then Italian Finance Minister Tremonti, by calling for Eurozone doom.

Here is an ominous extract of what the US economist contended at the time:

"And unfortunately, the lack of serious economic reforms in Italy implies that there is a growing risk that Italy may end up like Argentina. This is not a foregone conclusion but, if Italy does not reform, an exit from EMU within 5 years is not totally unlikely."

Read more on the topic:

• http://shar.es/bLLs5
• http://www.businessinsider.com/roubini-2006-post-talking-about-italian-debt-crisis-2011-11

Sources images: Nouriel Roubini Blog  & L'Internaute

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2011 Cameroonian presidential run-off's infographic

Thanks to @titaleslie for the infographic depicting 

the 2011 Cameroonian presidential run-off.

Numbers in a nutshell to set the scene

• 23 candidates were contending for the top spot, 10 of whom had run in previous elections
• Almost 7,5 million people were registered to vote
• Only less than 5 million people actually voted

As for the campaign budgets:

• incumbent President Paul Biya'a Bi Mvondo was largely ahead of the others with nearly 3 Billion CFA francs,
• Ni John Fru Ndi of the Social Democratic Front spent 600 million CFA,
• SDF spinoff Ms Edith Kahbang Walla (Kah Walla) was able to raise - quite surprisingly - 300 million despite her newcomer and outsider status.

 

 

As for the results, you know the drill : Paul Biya was reelected with ~78% of the votes. One must note that the Septentrion, the Northwest & Southwest did honorable scores through their respective candidates, who arrive first in their native region' polls.

Thanks to @titaleslie and to all the people who made the election so lively through their comments on twitter special canal #cmr11.

Infographic source: Leslie Tita's Tumblr

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Tie the knot and pay up the price!

A wedding is supposed to be one the most memorable moments of one's life, especially when the sweet of the love turns to the sour of the bill.

Source : businesscreditcards.com (no pun intended) 
CLICK TO ENLARGE THE PICTURE

Via: Business Credit Cards Guide

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Evanescence

credit photo: Djamel Kadi

Evanescence

Ou sont nos belles annees allées?

Fragiles, légères, fugaces nos heures s'égrènent

La caresse du temps sur nos joues se veut douce ou âpre

Sur une photo jaunie par le temps, les souvenirs éphémères

Les joies et les peines d'une insouciance antédiluvienne.

Evanescence d'un temps qui s'enfuit et n'en revient jamais!

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