1. Apple
2. Berkshire Hathaway
3. Toyota Motor
4. Google
5. Johnson & Johnson
6. Procter & Gamble
7. FedEx
7. Southwest Airlines
9. General Electric
10. Microsoft
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
10 Best Companies to Work For in 2009
1. NetApp
2. Edward Jones
3. Boston Consulting
4. Google
5. Wegmans
6. Cisco
7. Genentech
8. Methodist Hospital
9. Goldman Sachs
10. Nugget Market
Sony and Samsung's Larger LCD TV Ambitions
TV buyers around the world have benefited hugely from a fierce battle among Korean, Taiwanese, and Japanese manufacturers to dominate in the liquid-crystal display panel industry. Despite the recession, consumer appetite for svelte TVs has stayed strong thanks in part to the continually dropping prices of LCD panels caused by cutthroat competition among panel makers. Prices for those panels have dropped below manufacturing and distribution costs, sending all of the world's manufacturers of LCD panels into the red. Now, just as recession-battered economies are showing signs of life and LCD prices are beginning to pick up, two electronics giants are launching state-of-the-art plants that could prolong the industry's woes. On June 2, Sony (SNE) Chief Executive Officer Howard Stringer flew to Korea to attend a ceremony with his Samsung Electronics counterpart, Lee Yoon Woo, marking the start of volume production at a $1.5 billion new factory run by an LCD joint venture between their companies. The new plant, when fully ramped up by the end of this year, will double the venture's production of screens for giant TVs bigger than 46 inches. Less than three months ago, another Korean LCD maker, LG Display (LPL), began mass production in a similarly advanced factory, known as an eighth-generation facility. So could consumers planning to buy new LCD TVs for Christmas benefit from another round of major price drops? Not exactly, unless they want to buy ultra-large models. "LCD panels for 42 inches or smaller are in tight supply now," says Song Myung Sup, electronics analyst at brokerage HI Investment & Securities in Seoul. Song and other industry watchers believe the tight situation likely will continue until at least early autumn; by then TV makers will have already purchased panels and other parts to assemble them into sets in time for the holiday season.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Leadership in Six Words
Once upon a time Ernest Hemingway was challenged to write a story using only six words. Impossible, some thought. Not for Papa, as Neal Conan explained on NPR's Talk of the Nation. The next day Hemingway produced this: "For sale. Baby shoes. Never worn."
Clare Booth Luce, according to columnist Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, once told President John Kennedy that "a great man is one sentence." Noonan writes that Lincoln's life could be summed up as "He preserved the Union and freed the slaves." My colleague, Scott Eblin, adapted the concept to summing up one's leadership legacy. "It takes time and effort to boil down the essence of what you're trying to do to a short and memorable idea." Reducing one's life to a handful of words is a mighty challenge. Creating a six-word memoir, a concept inspired by a project conducted by Smith College's magazine, can be a useful exercise in self-analysis, particularly if you apply the process to reflecting upon your goals and your results. Did we achieve what we set out to achieve? Did I help them and the team to succeed? Did our results stand the test of time?
The million dollar question for any leader is this: did you leave the organization in a better place than when you found it? Sadly we have discovered that the great recession we are enduring was in part due to senior executives who did not leave their companies better off, even though they themselves exited with pockets full of cash. For leaders, this six-word exercise works well as a form of aspiration, that is, how do I want to be remembered? So if you are early or mid career, you have time to make changes so that you can become the leader you are capable of becoming. Consider the following three questions to help you consider how you would sum up your work life in six words or less.
What gets me up in the morning? A very basic question! What do you do and why do you do it? For some, the answer is the opportunity to work with others on a project that has real meaning, that is, improves the quality of life for others. If this question throws you, then you need to consider what you don't like about what you do. Is it possible to change something, or must you change careers?
How can I help? We humans are motivated to work for goals greater than ourselves. Leaders achieve through the efforts of others. It is imperative that they create conditions for others to succeed. They help others achieve intentions that enable the team, and by extension the organization, to succeed.
What is my influence? Line authority over someone on your team is a point of leverage but its effect may be limited. For organizations, particularly in challenging times with dwindling resources, leaders need to exert their influence. Such influence is built upon good example but transmitted through effective persuasion rooted in trust.
You can adapt the six-word memoir exercise to fit other needs. For example, how might you describe a challenge facing your team using just six words? "Tough job. Committed people. Keep working." Or "Need ideas. Sooner than later. Help." You can even make a game of it at your next staff meeting. Encourage your people to contribute their six words as a means of getting to think about the issues, the challenges, and the opportunities you face. Summing up your career in six words may not produce a eureka moment of sudden clarity, but the exercise challenges you to think about what work means to you and how you influence the way others work. "Big idea. Profound thoughts. Truthful moment."
Clare Booth Luce, according to columnist Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan, once told President John Kennedy that "a great man is one sentence." Noonan writes that Lincoln's life could be summed up as "He preserved the Union and freed the slaves." My colleague, Scott Eblin, adapted the concept to summing up one's leadership legacy. "It takes time and effort to boil down the essence of what you're trying to do to a short and memorable idea." Reducing one's life to a handful of words is a mighty challenge. Creating a six-word memoir, a concept inspired by a project conducted by Smith College's magazine, can be a useful exercise in self-analysis, particularly if you apply the process to reflecting upon your goals and your results. Did we achieve what we set out to achieve? Did I help them and the team to succeed? Did our results stand the test of time?
The million dollar question for any leader is this: did you leave the organization in a better place than when you found it? Sadly we have discovered that the great recession we are enduring was in part due to senior executives who did not leave their companies better off, even though they themselves exited with pockets full of cash. For leaders, this six-word exercise works well as a form of aspiration, that is, how do I want to be remembered? So if you are early or mid career, you have time to make changes so that you can become the leader you are capable of becoming. Consider the following three questions to help you consider how you would sum up your work life in six words or less.
What gets me up in the morning? A very basic question! What do you do and why do you do it? For some, the answer is the opportunity to work with others on a project that has real meaning, that is, improves the quality of life for others. If this question throws you, then you need to consider what you don't like about what you do. Is it possible to change something, or must you change careers?
How can I help? We humans are motivated to work for goals greater than ourselves. Leaders achieve through the efforts of others. It is imperative that they create conditions for others to succeed. They help others achieve intentions that enable the team, and by extension the organization, to succeed.
What is my influence? Line authority over someone on your team is a point of leverage but its effect may be limited. For organizations, particularly in challenging times with dwindling resources, leaders need to exert their influence. Such influence is built upon good example but transmitted through effective persuasion rooted in trust.
You can adapt the six-word memoir exercise to fit other needs. For example, how might you describe a challenge facing your team using just six words? "Tough job. Committed people. Keep working." Or "Need ideas. Sooner than later. Help." You can even make a game of it at your next staff meeting. Encourage your people to contribute their six words as a means of getting to think about the issues, the challenges, and the opportunities you face. Summing up your career in six words may not produce a eureka moment of sudden clarity, but the exercise challenges you to think about what work means to you and how you influence the way others work. "Big idea. Profound thoughts. Truthful moment."
Yet another new flu virus emerges in Canada
Canadian officials said on Tuesday they had identified yet another new flu virus, this one a mixture of human and swine influenzas, in two farm workers in Western Canada. The new virus did not make the two workers seriously ill and is not related to the current H1N1 pandemic influenza strain, the Public Health Agency of Canada said. The two workers, both employees at a hog barn operation in the province of Saskatchewan, have fully recovered. A third case is under investigation.
"Preliminary results indicate the risk to public health is low and that Canadians who have been vaccinated against the regular, seasonal flu should have some immunity to this new flu strain," Canada's health minister, Leona Aglukkaq, said in a statement. The new virus contains genes from a seasonal human H1N1 flu strain and a flu virus common in the swine population called triple reassortant H3N2, said Dr. Greg Douglas, Saskatchewan's chief veterinary officer. The virus is not connected to the new swine flu H1N1 strain that has killed 429 people worldwide. That strain, labeled a pandemic by the World Health Organization, is also a mixture of swine viruses with some genes from human and avian influenzas.Since the new H1N1 broke out, officials in Canada, the United States and a few other countries have stepped up testing of both people and swine for flu viruses. People and pigs can swap flu viruses, although it has been documented only rarely.
In April, a herd in Alberta became infected with the new H1N1 virus and although health officials initially suspected a visiting worker infected the herd, that has since been ruled out and no one knows how the pigs became infected. "Initial testing of some of the pigs on the farm suggests they were infected with swine influenza A virus, a common flu found in swine herds," the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
HUMAN HEALTH ISSUE
But Douglas said the herd did not have an unusually high level of illness. Flu viruses are common among pigs and cause mild disease, usually. "This is a human health issue," Douglas said. "Saskatchewan pork continues to be safe ... This is not a food safety issue at all." The Saskatchewan farm is not under quarantine, but the owner has agreed not to move the pigs, said Dr. Frank Plummer, chief science adviser for the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The virus would likely not have been detected at all if not for heightened influenza testing as a result of the pandemic, Plummer said. "Any time there's a new influenza A strain, we have to be concerned about it, but these events occur and are almost always dead ends," he said. All workers on the hog farm are being vaccinated. Douglas said he expects the hogs will eventually go to slaughter as they normally would. The workers have been in Saskatchewan for about one year and had not recently traveled, said Dr. Moira McKinnon, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer. Plummer said the new virus was likely transmitted from the pigs to the workers. More than a dozen countries have banned Canadian hogs or pork since the quarantine. Bob Harding, executive director of the Canadian Swine Health Board, said there is concern that markets could misinterpret the new virus's connection to swine.
"Preliminary results indicate the risk to public health is low and that Canadians who have been vaccinated against the regular, seasonal flu should have some immunity to this new flu strain," Canada's health minister, Leona Aglukkaq, said in a statement. The new virus contains genes from a seasonal human H1N1 flu strain and a flu virus common in the swine population called triple reassortant H3N2, said Dr. Greg Douglas, Saskatchewan's chief veterinary officer. The virus is not connected to the new swine flu H1N1 strain that has killed 429 people worldwide. That strain, labeled a pandemic by the World Health Organization, is also a mixture of swine viruses with some genes from human and avian influenzas.Since the new H1N1 broke out, officials in Canada, the United States and a few other countries have stepped up testing of both people and swine for flu viruses. People and pigs can swap flu viruses, although it has been documented only rarely.
In April, a herd in Alberta became infected with the new H1N1 virus and although health officials initially suspected a visiting worker infected the herd, that has since been ruled out and no one knows how the pigs became infected. "Initial testing of some of the pigs on the farm suggests they were infected with swine influenza A virus, a common flu found in swine herds," the Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement.
HUMAN HEALTH ISSUE
But Douglas said the herd did not have an unusually high level of illness. Flu viruses are common among pigs and cause mild disease, usually. "This is a human health issue," Douglas said. "Saskatchewan pork continues to be safe ... This is not a food safety issue at all." The Saskatchewan farm is not under quarantine, but the owner has agreed not to move the pigs, said Dr. Frank Plummer, chief science adviser for the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The virus would likely not have been detected at all if not for heightened influenza testing as a result of the pandemic, Plummer said. "Any time there's a new influenza A strain, we have to be concerned about it, but these events occur and are almost always dead ends," he said. All workers on the hog farm are being vaccinated. Douglas said he expects the hogs will eventually go to slaughter as they normally would. The workers have been in Saskatchewan for about one year and had not recently traveled, said Dr. Moira McKinnon, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer. Plummer said the new virus was likely transmitted from the pigs to the workers. More than a dozen countries have banned Canadian hogs or pork since the quarantine. Bob Harding, executive director of the Canadian Swine Health Board, said there is concern that markets could misinterpret the new virus's connection to swine.
Monday, July 13, 2009
10 top-paying companies
1. Bingham McCutchen. Average total pay: $256,312. For: Associate
2. Lehigh Valley Hospital & Health Network. Average total pay: $244,605. For: Physicians
3. Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe. Average total pay: $240,955. For: Associate
4. Alston & Bird. Average total pay: $203,655. For: Associate
5. Perkins Coie. Average total pay: $190,126. For: Associate
6. Devon Energy. Average total pay: $186,882. For: Engineer
7. Salesforce.com. Average total pay: $172,303. For: Senior Sales Engineer
8. Arnold & Porter. Average total pay: $172,192. For: Associate
9. Adobe Systems. Average total pay: $165,947. For: Sr. Computer Software Development
10. EOG Resources. Average total pay: $158,302. For: Engineer
Microsoft releases Office 2010
The next version of Office moved a step closer to reality on Monday as Microsoft released an invitation-only technical preview of Office 2010. However, the release of the software will be limited. Attendees of this week's Worldwide Partner Conference in New Orleans, as well as the recent TechEd show, will gain access to the desktop versions of Office 2010. Microsoft has also been taking sign-ups via its Office 2010: The Movie teaser Web site. Also, it won't show off the program's biggest change--the addition of browser-based versions of Excel, PowerPoint, Word, and OneNote. Those so-called Office Web Applications are being demonstrated on Monday, but the technical preview of the Web apps won't come until later this year. For consumers, Microsoft plans to make the browser-based versions a free part of Windows Live next year, but hasn't decided whether they will include advertising.
The applications, which run in Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, are aimed at both expanding the number of Office users within businesses as well as holding the ground threatened by Google Docs and other Web-based productivity programs. On the desktop side, Microsoft plans a broader beta of the software later this year, with a final release in the first half of 2010. Much of what is in the technical preview of Office 2010 is not a shocker, given that a test version of the software leaked onto the Web earlier this year, although Microsoft is offering further details on what's in the product as well as how it plans to sell the new software.
In its last update to Office--Office 2007--Microsoft introduced entirely new XML file formats and a major shift in its interface to use a "ribbon" that shifts commands based on what the user is doing. Office 2010 is a set of less jarring changes, with Microsoft saying the goal was to make the basics better. Office 2010 sticks with the ribbon motif, expanding it to include many of the Office components that didn't get the interface the last time around. Office 2010 will also come in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions--a first for Office. Word gets a collection of cool image effects that stem from the DaVinci Imaging Engine that was part of Microsoft's now-discontinued Digital Image Suite product. Word, as well as the other programs, gets a new "paste preview" tool that lets users hover over different paste options and see what their paste will look like before accepting that selection. Excel gets a new feature called Sparklines, which are tiny graphs that can fit in a single cell of a spreadsheet. PowerPoint picks up video editing features as well as the ability to create a video of one's presentation, including voice annotations. The Outlook e-mail and calendar program adds a conversation view feature, a la Gmail. Microsoft's feature goes further though, offering an "ignore thread" option which keeps a user from having to see a message string they are no longer interested in being a part of. It also has a "MailTips" feature that offers etiquette and security alerts before doing things as replying to a large group or sending a document outside the firewall. To handle file tasks like saving and printing across Office, Microsoft has added a "backstage view" to each of the applications. It has also made it possible for multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously through co-authoring tools.
Microsoft is also simplifying the number of different Office bundles it sells. There will be three consumer versions. Office Home and Student comes with OneNote, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Office Home and Business adds Outlook to the mix, while Office Professional includes all that, plus the Access database and Publisher page-layout programs. On the business side, Microsoft Office Standard, the standard package for volume licensing customers, includes Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, OneNote, and Publisher, with the last two applications being new additions to that edition. Licensing Office Standard also gives businesses the ability to host the browser-based versions of the software. The Professional Plus version adds Access, InfoPath, SharePoint Workspace (formerly Groove), and the Microsoft Communicator instant-messaging program.
Microsoft has yet to announce pricing for any of the products.
The applications, which run in Safari, Firefox, and Internet Explorer, are aimed at both expanding the number of Office users within businesses as well as holding the ground threatened by Google Docs and other Web-based productivity programs. On the desktop side, Microsoft plans a broader beta of the software later this year, with a final release in the first half of 2010. Much of what is in the technical preview of Office 2010 is not a shocker, given that a test version of the software leaked onto the Web earlier this year, although Microsoft is offering further details on what's in the product as well as how it plans to sell the new software.
In its last update to Office--Office 2007--Microsoft introduced entirely new XML file formats and a major shift in its interface to use a "ribbon" that shifts commands based on what the user is doing. Office 2010 is a set of less jarring changes, with Microsoft saying the goal was to make the basics better. Office 2010 sticks with the ribbon motif, expanding it to include many of the Office components that didn't get the interface the last time around. Office 2010 will also come in both 32-bit and 64-bit versions--a first for Office. Word gets a collection of cool image effects that stem from the DaVinci Imaging Engine that was part of Microsoft's now-discontinued Digital Image Suite product. Word, as well as the other programs, gets a new "paste preview" tool that lets users hover over different paste options and see what their paste will look like before accepting that selection. Excel gets a new feature called Sparklines, which are tiny graphs that can fit in a single cell of a spreadsheet. PowerPoint picks up video editing features as well as the ability to create a video of one's presentation, including voice annotations. The Outlook e-mail and calendar program adds a conversation view feature, a la Gmail. Microsoft's feature goes further though, offering an "ignore thread" option which keeps a user from having to see a message string they are no longer interested in being a part of. It also has a "MailTips" feature that offers etiquette and security alerts before doing things as replying to a large group or sending a document outside the firewall. To handle file tasks like saving and printing across Office, Microsoft has added a "backstage view" to each of the applications. It has also made it possible for multiple people to work on the same document simultaneously through co-authoring tools.
Microsoft is also simplifying the number of different Office bundles it sells. There will be three consumer versions. Office Home and Student comes with OneNote, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Office Home and Business adds Outlook to the mix, while Office Professional includes all that, plus the Access database and Publisher page-layout programs. On the business side, Microsoft Office Standard, the standard package for volume licensing customers, includes Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Word, OneNote, and Publisher, with the last two applications being new additions to that edition. Licensing Office Standard also gives businesses the ability to host the browser-based versions of the software. The Professional Plus version adds Access, InfoPath, SharePoint Workspace (formerly Groove), and the Microsoft Communicator instant-messaging program.
Microsoft has yet to announce pricing for any of the products.
How to Get the Promotion You've Always Wanted
(ARA) - Getting ahead in your career can be difficult, especially in the current job market. But if your goal is to advance into management, there's no better time than the present to take steps to stand out in the workplace.If you're looking to get your foot in the door with a solid foundation, start with taking the right college classes. "To prepare for a career in management, you should include college classes in project management, human resources and business technology to name a few," suggests Kathaleen Emery, director of career services at DeVry University's campus in Orlando, Fla.
Tom Allen, dean of student and career services at DeVry University in Alpharetta, Ga., says education is the foundation for career advancement, but there are other things you should do at your current job so that you stand out. Here are his top five suggestions for going the extra mile and getting ahead in the workplace:
1. Be a good leader, show initiative and be proactive. Don't wait for work to come to you. Ask how you can help and be willing to go beyond your job description. As always, be responsible in completing assignments on time.
2. Be focused on providing good customer service and support. A business's customers are the reason they thrive or flounder, so if you can make customers a priority, you're sure to stand out as a good asset to the company.
3. Be willing to handle conflict when it arises amongst your coworkers. Showing you can work through problems with your team will demonstrate true management potential.
4. Support your people -- be a coach and a mentor to your colleagues. Teach the skills you know to be successful at your place of employment. Always be open to questions others might have. This demonstrates competence, leadership and trust.
5. Never forget you can always learn from your staff, your customers and from more training and education. Management techniques are constantly changing, and new technologies develop. Be knowledgeable and never lose your edge as a manager.
"With today's economy, the job market is more competitive," says Nelly Leon, director of career services at DeVry University Miramar. To keep your managerial skills sharp, consider an advanced degree. "Business experts and education leaders stress the importance of continued professional development. As you strive to take advantage of new and expanding opportunities in project management and strengthen your strategic contribution to your organization, the Master of Project Management degree program from DeVry University's Keller Graduate School of Management can give you the professional edge. This degree program has been accredited by the Project Management Institute's Global Accreditation Center, the world's leading association for project management professionals."
Six in 10 companies plan to skip Windows 7: survey
Six in 10 companies in a survey plan to skip the purchase of Microsoft Corp's Windows 7 computer operating system, many of them to pinch pennies and others over concern about compatibility with their existing applications. Windows 7 will be released October 22, but has already garnered good reviews, in contrast to its disappointing current version, Windows Vista.
Many of the more than 1,000 companies that responded to a survey by ScriptLogic Corp say they have economized by cutting back on software updates and lack the resources to deploy Microsoft's latest offering.
ScriptLogic Corp, which provides help to companies in managing their Microsoft Windows-based networks, sent out 20,000 surveys to information technology administrators to learn the state of the market. Many companies have rejected Windows Vista as unstable. For example, the chip maker Intel Corp, Microsoft's long- time partner in producing personal computers, has stayed with the older XP system.
The survey found about 60 percent of those surveyed have no plans to deploy Windows 7, 34 percent will deploy it by the end of 2010 and only 5.4 percent will deploy by year's end. Forty-two percent said their biggest reason for avoiding Windows 7 was a "lack of time and resources." That dovetailed with another part of the survey, which found that 35 percent had already skipped upgrades or delayed purchases to save money. But there were reasons other than money for staying away from Windows 7. Another 39 percent of those surveyed said they had concern about the compatibility of Windows 7 with existing applications.
The survey quoted Sean Angus, a senior personal computer technician at Middlesex Hospital, as saying he would wait until the first "service pack" was released for Windows 7. "The IT department must complete thorough testing to ensure that the applications we rely on each day, specifically radiology information systems and financial applications, will be compatible, before deploying any new platforms or software to our 1,500 desktops," he added.
Many of the more than 1,000 companies that responded to a survey by ScriptLogic Corp say they have economized by cutting back on software updates and lack the resources to deploy Microsoft's latest offering.
ScriptLogic Corp, which provides help to companies in managing their Microsoft Windows-based networks, sent out 20,000 surveys to information technology administrators to learn the state of the market. Many companies have rejected Windows Vista as unstable. For example, the chip maker Intel Corp, Microsoft's long- time partner in producing personal computers, has stayed with the older XP system.
The survey found about 60 percent of those surveyed have no plans to deploy Windows 7, 34 percent will deploy it by the end of 2010 and only 5.4 percent will deploy by year's end. Forty-two percent said their biggest reason for avoiding Windows 7 was a "lack of time and resources." That dovetailed with another part of the survey, which found that 35 percent had already skipped upgrades or delayed purchases to save money. But there were reasons other than money for staying away from Windows 7. Another 39 percent of those surveyed said they had concern about the compatibility of Windows 7 with existing applications.
The survey quoted Sean Angus, a senior personal computer technician at Middlesex Hospital, as saying he would wait until the first "service pack" was released for Windows 7. "The IT department must complete thorough testing to ensure that the applications we rely on each day, specifically radiology information systems and financial applications, will be compatible, before deploying any new platforms or software to our 1,500 desktops," he added.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
The Richest peoples ever in history
Ranking process
The ranking process is done by the percentage of the total GDP of the nation they lived in at the time they were alive. Whether or not their fortune was inherited, the list records the people at the time of their greatest net worth, not by their current net worth, or their net worth when they died.
The list doesn't significantly change from year to year unless there is a new person who qualifies to be on the list or someone surpasses their previous peak amount. However, this can only really happen to those who are still alive. On occasion, there is an undiscovered billionaire from Ancient times, the Middle Ages, and the Industrial age that wasn’t placed on the list before, or one of the billionaires already on the list has been found to have a higher peak net worth than previously thought. If this is proven, or a new billionaire is found, then the figure or net worth should be placed on the following list.
The ranking process is done by the percentage of the total GDP of the nation they lived in at the time they were alive. Whether or not their fortune was inherited, the list records the people at the time of their greatest net worth, not by their current net worth, or their net worth when they died.
The list doesn't significantly change from year to year unless there is a new person who qualifies to be on the list or someone surpasses their previous peak amount. However, this can only really happen to those who are still alive. On occasion, there is an undiscovered billionaire from Ancient times, the Middle Ages, and the Industrial age that wasn’t placed on the list before, or one of the billionaires already on the list has been found to have a higher peak net worth than previously thought. If this is proven, or a new billionaire is found, then the figure or net worth should be placed on the following list.
However, if the country where the member originally lived is now defunct, then the inflated net worth has to be averaged by the world GDP, rather than the country's. Because of this, the world GDP may be higher or lower than the other country's GDP and not tied to the same standard. This is really the only time where a member's net worth can be changed above the standard after he or she dies, thereby raising or lowering their rank on the list (e.g. Nicholas II of Russia).
* Name: John D. Rockefeller 
* Age at highest earnings: 74
* Age at death: 97 (died May 23, 1937)
* Net worth: ▬ 329.9 billion $USD
* Original net worth: US$1 billion (September 29 1916)
US$900.0 Million (1913-eve of WWI)
* Origin: United States
* Main source of wealth: Standard Oil
* Other achievements: First billionaire (Globally-USD) and The Rockefeller Foundation (Created:1913)
* Name: Tsar Nicholas II of Russia (Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov)
* Age at highest earnings: 50
* Age at death: 50 (died July 17, 1918)
* Net worth: ▬ 290.7 billion $USD
* Original net worth: 1.3 billion $USD (1916)
* Origin: Russian Empire
* Company: Monarchy - the Emperor and Autocrat of the Russian Empire
* Other achievements: Wealthiest Monarch and Wealthiest Head of state
* Name: William Henry Vanderbilt
* Age at highest earnings: 64
* Age at death: 64 (died December 8, 1885)
* Net worth: ▬ 240.0 billion $USD
* Original net worth: 194 Million $USD (1885)
* Origin: United States
* Company: Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad and other railway companies.
* Name: Osman Ali Khan, Asaf Jah VII
* Age at highest earnings: 50
* Age at death: 80 (died February 24, 1967)
* Net worth: ▬ 225.1 billion $USD
* Original net worth: 1.4 billion $USD (1937)
* Origin: Hyderabad, India
* Company: Monarchy - Nizam of Hyderabad
* Other achievements: Wealthiest non-European, Wealthiest Asian, Wealthiest Indian
* Name: Andrew W. Mellon
* Age at highest earnings: 80
* Age at death: 82 (died August 27, 1937)
* Net worth: ▬ 195.7 billion $USD
* Original net worth: 1.0 billion $USD (1935)
* Origin: United States
* Company: Gulf Oil and various other oil companies.
* Name: Henry Ford* Name: Henry Ford
* Age at highest earnings: 57* Age at death: 83 (died April 7, 1947)
* Net worth: ▬ 194.9 billion $USD
* Original net worth: 1.0 billion $USD (1920)
* Origin: United States
* Company: Ford Motor Company
Great Wall Of China: Extra Miles Discovered
The ancient Great Wall of China is almost 200 miles longer than previously thought, according to a new study. An extra 180 miles of the world-renowned ancient Chinese monument were uncovered after a two-year government mapping study, according to an official report.
The study used mapping technologies such as infrared range finders and GPS devices to show extra portions of the wall - hidden by hills, trenches and rivers - that stretch from Hu Mountain in northern Liaoning province to Jiayu Pass in western Gansu province.
The newly mapped parts of the wall were built during the Ming Dynasy to protect against northern invaders. They were covered over time by sandstorms that moved across the arid region. The newly found parts mean the Great Wall - which Chinese emperors began building 2,000 years ago to keep out Mongols and invaders - spans about 3,900 miles through the northern part of the country.
The project is to continue for another year to try to map sections of the wall built during the Qin and Han Dynasties
The study used mapping technologies such as infrared range finders and GPS devices to show extra portions of the wall - hidden by hills, trenches and rivers - that stretch from Hu Mountain in northern Liaoning province to Jiayu Pass in western Gansu province.
The newly mapped parts of the wall were built during the Ming Dynasy to protect against northern invaders. They were covered over time by sandstorms that moved across the arid region. The newly found parts mean the Great Wall - which Chinese emperors began building 2,000 years ago to keep out Mongols and invaders - spans about 3,900 miles through the northern part of the country.
The project is to continue for another year to try to map sections of the wall built during the Qin and Han Dynasties
Worlds Top 5 EXTRAORDINARY People
1. Kim Ung-Yong: Attended University at age 4, Ph.D at age 15; world's highest IQ
This Korean super-genius was born in 1962 and might just be the smartest guy alive today (he's recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as having the highest IQ of anyone on the planet). By the age of four he was already able to read in Japanese, Korean, German, and English. At his fifth birthday, he solved complicated differential and integral calculus problems. Later, on Japanese television, he demonstrated his proficiency in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Tagalog, German, English, Japanese, and Korean. Kim was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records under "Highest IQ"; the book estimated the boy's score at over 210.
Kim was a guest student of physics at Hanyang University from the age of 3 until he was 6. At the age of 7 he was invited to America by NASA. He finished his university studies, eventually getting a Ph.D. in physics at Colorado State University before he was 15. In 1974, during his university studies, he began his research work at NASA and continued this work until his return to Korea in 1978 where he decided to switch from physics to civil engineering and eventually received a doctorate in that field. Kim was offered the chance to study at the most prestigious universities in Korea, but instead chose to attend a provincial university. As of 2007 he also serves as adjunct faculty at Chungbuk National University.
2. Gregory Smith: Nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize at age 12
Born in 1990, Gregory Smith could read at age two and had enrolled in university at 10. But “genius” is only one half of the Greg Smith story. When not voraciously learning, this young man travels the globe as a peace and children’s rights activist.
He is the founder of International Youth Advocates, an organization that promotes principles of peace and understanding among young people throughout the world. He has met with Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev and spoke in front of the UN. For these and other humanitarian and advocacy efforts, Smith has been nominated four times for a Nobel Peace Prize. His latest achievement? He just got his driver license
3. Akrit Jaswal: The Seven Year-Old Surgeon
Akrit Jaswal is a young Indian who has been called "the world's smartest boy" and it's easy to see why. His IQ is 146 and is considered the smartest person his age in India—a country of more than a billion people.
Akrit came to public attention when in 2000 he performed his first medical procedure at his family home. He was seven. His patient — a local girl who could not afford a doctor — was eight. Her hand had been burnt in a fire, causing her fingers to close into a tight fist that wouldn't open. Akrit had no formal medical training and no experience of surgery, yet he managed to free her fingers and she was able to use her hand again.
He focused his phenomenal intelligence on medicine and at the age of twelve he claimed to be on the verge of discovering a cure for cancer. He is now studying for a science degree at Chandigarh College and is the youngest student ever accepted by an Indian University.
4. Cleopatra Stratan: a 3 year old singer who earns 1000€ per song
Clepotra was born October 6, 2002 in Chisinau, Moldova and is the daughter of Moldovan-Romanian singer, Pavel Stratan. She is the youngest person ever to score commercial success as a singer, with her 2006 album La vârsta de trei ani ("At the age of 3"). She holds the record for being the youngest artist that performed live for two hours in front of a large audience, the highest paid young artist, the youngest artist to receive an MTV award and the youngest artist to score a #1 hit in a country ("Ghita" in Romanian Singles Chart).
5. Aelita Andre: The 2-year-old artist who showed her paintings in a famous Gallery
The abstract paintings of emerging artist Aelita Andre have people in Australia's art world talking. Aelita is two (the works were painted when she was even younger).
Aelita got an opportunity to show her paintings when Mark Jamieson, the director of Brunswick Street Gallery in Melbourne's Fitzroy, was asked by a photographer whose work he represented to consider the work of another artist. Jamieson liked what he saw and agreed to include it in a group show.
Jamieson then started to promote the show, printing glossy invitations and placing ads in the magazines Art Almanac and Art Collector, featuring the abstract work. Only then did he discover a crucial fact about the new artist: Aelita Andre is Kalashnikova's daughter, and was just 22 months old. Jamieson was shocked and embarrassed but decided to proceed with the exhibition anyways.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
The office on wheels
Ford partnered with several companies to develop suite for mobile workers
Recognizing that its commercial vehicle customers are as increasingly reliant on communications and information technology as much as cubicle-bound desk jockeys, Ford has developed a suite of technologies and applications aimed at mobile commercial customers it’s calling “Work Solutions.”
These technologies include a theft-proof built-in computer — no more stolen or dropped laptops — and tools for tracking, well, tools, as well as for tracking a truck itself and securing equipment in the beds of pickups to reduce the chance it will be stolen. Work Solutions is a $2,815-add-on cost for pickups, but can be less if buyers pick and choose among the features.
“Ford Work Solutions takes productivity to a new level by bringing the office to the job site in an integrated, seamless way ... with a strong network of industry-leading partners,” said John Felice, Ford’s general marketing manager.
These technologies include a theft-proof built-in computer — no more stolen or dropped laptops — and tools for tracking, well, tools, as well as for tracking a truck itself and securing equipment in the beds of pickups to reduce the chance it will be stolen. Work Solutions is a $2,815-add-on cost for pickups, but can be less if buyers pick and choose among the features.
“Ford Work Solutions takes productivity to a new level by bringing the office to the job site in an integrated, seamless way ... with a strong network of industry-leading partners,” said John Felice, Ford’s general marketing manager.
Tiny shells may be world’s oldest beads
Treasure hunt turns up ornaments that may be 100,000 years old
These are four views from different angles of a perforated Nassarius gibbosulus shell found at an archaeological site in Oued Djebbana, Algeria. The shell may be as much as 100,000 years old. The scale bar represents 1 centimeter, or half an inch. WASHINGTON - Three ancient shells that were forgotten for decades, hidden among rocks and bones in dusty museum archives, may be the world’s oldest known beads, according to a new study.
The shells, originally collected from Israel and Algeria, could be as many as 100,000 years old, and each has a hole through its center, suggesting it was worn as jewelry.
The researchers who rediscovered the shells say they add to a growing body of evidence that symbolic thinking emerged much earlier than previously thought.
The shells, originally collected from Israel and Algeria, could be as many as 100,000 years old, and each has a hole through its center, suggesting it was worn as jewelry.
The researchers who rediscovered the shells say they add to a growing body of evidence that symbolic thinking emerged much earlier than previously thought.
Google's Next Target: Unified Communications
Unified communications has been a technology specialty of networking vendors for years, but Google Inc.'s recent forays into Google Voice and Google Wave, launching later this year, could drastically upset the competitive landscape.
It's not as if Google Voice and Google Wave will kill related efforts of companies like Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others heavily involved in unified communications, but Google seems to have the competition scrambling already.
Witness today's comment by Cisco's Doug Dennerline, senior vice president of collaboration software, in a Web conference with reporters and analysts. "Google Wave validates what we've been doing for two years [with Webex Connect]," Dennerline said. "We are going to invent and reinvent. You'll see cool things from us."
Anybody who has followed the computer industry for long knows that when a vendor says another company has "validated" them, it really means, "Yes, they are clearly in our living room and we are making sure they don't move in permanently." Dennerline was careful to imply that Cisco is up to the Google challenge and would "invent and reinvent" to stay competitive.
While Wave and Voice seem more focused on consumer users, with tools for instant messaging, e-mail and social networks, Dennerline was quick to point out that "social networking is important to enterprises, too."
Zeus Kerravala, a Yankee Group analyst who was on the call with Dennerline, said Google Voice and Wave so far are not a threat to Cisco, Microsoft and voice-switching vendors like Avaya Inc. or Siemens. However, he added, "long term, Google will have a significant role" in voice and unified communications markets.
The main reason is Google's size. "Google has the mindshare and capital resources that it can be as big a threat as it desires to be," Kerravala said.
The Google threat to Cisco could be especially acute compared with Google's threat to other companies, since Cisco has a dual mission of keeping its traditional enterprise customers and service providers happy and well-supplied with networking gear, while also seeking to service consumers, especially with video technology.
Cisco in March announced plans to buy Pure Digital Technologies Inc. for its Flip handheld camera technology and has said it is developing a consumer telepresence product.
"We think video is going to be very key in driving the next level of collaboration ... with Internet video, desktop video ... and consumer telepresence," said Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's CTO, who joined Dennerline on today's conference call.
So while Cisco clearly recognizes its audience as both business customers and consumers, a more pertinent question is whether Google intends to go beyond its consumer business with its Voice and Wave products, taking both services into business settings.
The answer to that question, in a sense, is: It doesn't matter. The reason is that Google clearly sees multiple markets, all blended together, where consumers are also workers. Consider this: If a Google Voice service, to link all your phones to one number with a variety of add-ons such as turning voice mail into text, can be offered to millions of users for free, isn't it likely to also be used by workers? Small businesses could use it and not care if Google is using some of the information gleaned from users to sell to advertisers.
Large businesses might never want a Google Voice or Wave feature used by their workers, but who would stop anyone from doing so, and how? It's the same concern that was raised two years ago with the first-generaton iPhone, which was so attractive to some users that they ignored security warnings from their IT shops.
Today, Cisco's Warrior said that it will make virtual voice service available, too, probably through its service provider customers. That could be interpreted as Cisco's most direct response to Google Voice, even if Cisco officials won't admit it directly. That's because nearly every major wireless or wired service provider sells to both large companies and consumers, and no service provider is going to want a Google cloud computing service like Google Voice to come along for free and take away paying customers.
So, Cisco's virtual voice in the cloud could give a service provider the ability to tell its own customers, "See, we have our own version of Google Voice, but you can offer it to your customers, complete with Cisco security and no worries about their loss of privacy."
Kerravala has no doubt that virtual voice from Cisco will compete with Google Voice. "Oh, yeah, its gotta be competitive," he said. "Google Voice is really just cloud-based voice, so that's very competitive with Cisco's telco clients."
Those Cisco clients include many of the major voice and data carriers. The market battle between Google and many companies in unified communications may be a quiet one so far, but it is still very much a battle.
It's not as if Google Voice and Google Wave will kill related efforts of companies like Cisco Systems Inc., Microsoft Corp. and others heavily involved in unified communications, but Google seems to have the competition scrambling already.
Witness today's comment by Cisco's Doug Dennerline, senior vice president of collaboration software, in a Web conference with reporters and analysts. "Google Wave validates what we've been doing for two years [with Webex Connect]," Dennerline said. "We are going to invent and reinvent. You'll see cool things from us."
Anybody who has followed the computer industry for long knows that when a vendor says another company has "validated" them, it really means, "Yes, they are clearly in our living room and we are making sure they don't move in permanently." Dennerline was careful to imply that Cisco is up to the Google challenge and would "invent and reinvent" to stay competitive.
While Wave and Voice seem more focused on consumer users, with tools for instant messaging, e-mail and social networks, Dennerline was quick to point out that "social networking is important to enterprises, too."
Zeus Kerravala, a Yankee Group analyst who was on the call with Dennerline, said Google Voice and Wave so far are not a threat to Cisco, Microsoft and voice-switching vendors like Avaya Inc. or Siemens. However, he added, "long term, Google will have a significant role" in voice and unified communications markets.
The main reason is Google's size. "Google has the mindshare and capital resources that it can be as big a threat as it desires to be," Kerravala said.
The Google threat to Cisco could be especially acute compared with Google's threat to other companies, since Cisco has a dual mission of keeping its traditional enterprise customers and service providers happy and well-supplied with networking gear, while also seeking to service consumers, especially with video technology.
Cisco in March announced plans to buy Pure Digital Technologies Inc. for its Flip handheld camera technology and has said it is developing a consumer telepresence product.
"We think video is going to be very key in driving the next level of collaboration ... with Internet video, desktop video ... and consumer telepresence," said Padmasree Warrior, Cisco's CTO, who joined Dennerline on today's conference call.
So while Cisco clearly recognizes its audience as both business customers and consumers, a more pertinent question is whether Google intends to go beyond its consumer business with its Voice and Wave products, taking both services into business settings.
The answer to that question, in a sense, is: It doesn't matter. The reason is that Google clearly sees multiple markets, all blended together, where consumers are also workers. Consider this: If a Google Voice service, to link all your phones to one number with a variety of add-ons such as turning voice mail into text, can be offered to millions of users for free, isn't it likely to also be used by workers? Small businesses could use it and not care if Google is using some of the information gleaned from users to sell to advertisers.
Large businesses might never want a Google Voice or Wave feature used by their workers, but who would stop anyone from doing so, and how? It's the same concern that was raised two years ago with the first-generaton iPhone, which was so attractive to some users that they ignored security warnings from their IT shops.
Today, Cisco's Warrior said that it will make virtual voice service available, too, probably through its service provider customers. That could be interpreted as Cisco's most direct response to Google Voice, even if Cisco officials won't admit it directly. That's because nearly every major wireless or wired service provider sells to both large companies and consumers, and no service provider is going to want a Google cloud computing service like Google Voice to come along for free and take away paying customers.
So, Cisco's virtual voice in the cloud could give a service provider the ability to tell its own customers, "See, we have our own version of Google Voice, but you can offer it to your customers, complete with Cisco security and no worries about their loss of privacy."
Kerravala has no doubt that virtual voice from Cisco will compete with Google Voice. "Oh, yeah, its gotta be competitive," he said. "Google Voice is really just cloud-based voice, so that's very competitive with Cisco's telco clients."
Those Cisco clients include many of the major voice and data carriers. The market battle between Google and many companies in unified communications may be a quiet one so far, but it is still very much a battle.
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