There is no escaping "Gangnam Style," the meteoric dance craze performed by South Korean rapper Psy.
OK, it has a catchy tune and fun dance moves ... but how do you explain the incredible global response to "Gangnam Style," a song that's almost entirely in Korean?
I spoke on a panel at "A New Beginning - Entrepreneurship and Business Innovation" event this week. It was sponsored by the US Department of State and EO.
Several dozen countries sent entrepreneurs to attend the session. It was lively and fun.
In this picture, I am with fellow panelists, Stewart Youngblood from TechWildcatters, Tricia Bridges from Ciapas, and Greg Moore from Blackhill.
Great to see so many countries sending entrepreneurs to the United States to participate in programs like this.
Some ancient Greek dude wrote this in about 400 BC ... amazing how profound, relevant, and true it remains today.
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Ever wonder how the stock market works?
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
Southeast Asia is hot ... temperature wise, and also because a lot of smart money is paying increased attention to opportunities here.
Outside, cranes are everywhere -- so are many other signs of impressive growth and vibrancy.
Downtown, condos are selling for $2,000 per square foot.
Traders know Momentum is something to follow. So, what are some trends worth paying attention to now?
Algo Trading, Big Data, the Cloud, and Southeast Asia come to mind quickly.
What are some others areas you sense are focus-worthy?
The iPhone 5 is cutting edge ... and Siri is getting smarter. Too bad it can't answer the tough questions. Here's a cartoon that imagines what would happen if asked "Can the economy be fixed in the current political climate?"
Here are some of the posts that caught my eye. Hope you find something interesting.
I was watching some of our team chat about the new iPhone 5. They shared the link for the video and said things like "Wow, dude ... I want one so bad!"
Here is a link to Apple's official iPhone 5 promotional video.
There is also a spoof of the video. It is very funny ... worth watching for a laugh and some perspective on how "big" the Apple brand promise has become.
In many ways, the spoof made me want the phone even more.
As a side-note, wouldn't it be great to design a product that was spoof-worthy?
As you think about what a spoof of your product or service would be, perhaps the bit of "truth" in the humor points at the real competitive advantage ... or at least towards the roadmap that leads towards creating one?
Perhaps you heard, Apple sold a few new iPhones last week.
If a picture is worth a thousand words, this should tell quite a story.
The first picture shows the first hurdle ... just strong demand ... right?
At a little after 2am CST, the iPhone 5 seemed close. The upgrade process starts.
Clicking the button, however, resulted in no joy. The site was unavailable.
OK, lots of people must be hitting the site all at once. Let's try again ... and again ...
Progress; at least this is a new page. They must have fixed things?
It's after 3:30am and the next picture shows why pillows seem more likely than gadget love.
Give AT&T credit for good planning. How many ways can you anticipate failing?
I sleepily imagine my propeller beanie being taken away for failing to score ... my early adopter status is wavering as much as my sleep deprived body.
Oh, Apple's site probably sucks less than this ...
Alas, there's still a chance to wait in line this Friday.
Are you planning on getting the new iPhone?
While talking with traders, one of the topics that keeps coming up is how much the markets and trading have changed recently.
One
of the primary catalysts to such change has been the amount and
frequency of government intervention and stimulus. Another big driver of
change has been the massive shift to algorithmic or program trading.
Recently, the piece of this getting the most press and attention
is high-frequency trading.
Below is an interesting video where Mark Cuban, Dallas Mavericks
owner and high-profile entrepreneur, shares some thoughts about why high-frequency trading
terrifies him.
Here is the video. The market related comments start about 30 seconds into the clip.
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Some people may watch that video and assume that high-frequency trading is a bad thing, or something to be regulated and minimized. However, there is another side to the argument.
Let me digress for a moment. If I talked to an entrepreneur, and asked them what the biggest constraint on their business was ... some might say it's the Obama administration and their policies. This is absurd, because they don't have any control (or at least meaningful control) of that supposed constraint. Instead, that is simply a "reality" of the current competitive environment for them and others.
What that means is the thing they control is how they respond to that competitive environment. For some, what they perceive limits their options or thwarts their strategies. For others, it is a catalyst for new action, new strategies, and new ways to win.
So, why is Cuban afraid of high-frequency trading? First, he believes we are likely to see another "flash crash". Second, an increasing percentage of market action is a result of algorithms trying to outsmart algorithms (and he recognizes that the decisions they are making happen faster than humans can respond to our comprehend). As a result, human intervention isn't the answer because any actions would occur too late.
Some people recognize the advantage algorithmic traders are gaining and seek to weaken it (or at least slow it down), while others pull their money out of the market because of their disadvantage and the new risk. Contrast that with those that see the advantage and try to figure out how to extend it or get some of it for themselves.
It's like most things in life, it's not as much about what happens, it's about what you do.
American Household Spending at Highest Level Since 2008
With the election in November, people are watching the Jobs number and economy closely.
So, how do Americans spend their money today?
Here is a chart that breaks down the percentage going to various categories of household spending.
Also, here is a chart showing how spending has changed since 2000.
Interesting.
After two years of falling incomes and penny-pinching, Americans opened their wallets in 2011, ramping up spending on everything from restaurants and clothing to health care.
The average level of spending in 2011—$49,705—was the highest since 2008.
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