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Wednesday, January 7, 2009 |
Is it your fault that the economy is almost at a stop? Have you not maxed out your credit cards, used up your line of credit on your house, totally destroyed your retirement accounts--all so you can buy more stuff and put people back to work? Think the consumer economy, one built on spending, is only an American phenomenon? Think again. According to this Christian Science Monitor article, Chinese leaders are asking the huge new middle class to please spend money.
I'm thinking that part of the problem some of our manufacturers face is a saturated market. Look at the automotive sector. People have discovered that they don't need a new car every year. This had to hit a saturation point sooner or later. Once the industry adjusts, then it can commence at a new, lower, level.
A survey of economists supposedly uncovered that most think the economy will begin recovery the second half of this year. Do you ever wonder if economists are cousins to accountants? In my early career, we called the accounting/finance department "ancient historians." Perhaps economists are better looking back and evaluating what happened rather than forecasting what will happen. But then, I'm rooting for them to be correct.
6:22:11 PM 
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This week Macworld and the Consumer Electronics Show are happening. Big news was no Steve Jobs at Macworld (this is not an Apple event). Senior marketing VP did a good job by all accounts at Apple's last keynote for the event. It will not be participating next year--in favor of it's own events (does that have a familiar sound to automation people?). There's a new 17" MacBook Pro with a non-removable battery (it's called uni-body). Actually, for $175 at an Apple store, you will be able to have the battery replaced. But the redesign enables a larger batter yielding improved life. Also new are improved iPhoto, iMovies and iLife.
CES themes seem to be home networking (for Dummies--or better for Everyone), digital entertainment gadgets and the inexpensive (and reduced feature) "netbook" laptops.
I listen to many high tech analysts and reporters. The biggest news is Microsoft Windows 7. It's in extensive beta right now, and the reviews are positive. "It's everything Vista should have been," I heard one reporter who is using it say. According to Robert Scoble, Microsoft was developing Vista in .Net and discovered that direction was not good, so it reverted to C++ and didn't have enough time for extensive testing. This time around, it's going through an extensive beta to shake out the bugs. They say visualization is better and drivers will be current.
1:50:04 PM
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People continue to predict the death of magazines. "Mr. Magazine" studies the market and disagrees. Some magazines will fail and some will begin. We'll all change some especially by doing more integration with the Web. It's a natural lifecycle as much related to the market served as to the model. In the market I serve, the first half of 2009 looks as though it might be slow.
During my year-end review of myself, I checked all my blog posts for the year. It reinforced the extensive travel I did--especially August through half of December. With the economy probably slow through the first half of the year, I will be limiting travel considerably--both for economic reasons and for business reasons. I typically stay at a conference several days. Looking back, I see little value gained from the extra 2-3 days of hotel expense much of the time. I've got to make the best use of my time. If I can get good interviews and conversations, then it's worth it.
1:31:23 PM
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This is an important post by Greg McMillan about sharing information and expertise to pass on to the next generation of engineers. I suggest digesting what he says, then making it part of your working life. Thanks, Greg.
1:11:10 PM
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InfoWorld has four security rules employees often break. I've heard of some of these from experts we've talked to for security articles in Automation World. As Pogo said in a famous cartoon strip from about 50 years ago, "I've met the enemy, and he is us." Check out the article, but here's a sneak peak at the four:
- Allowing "tailgating" and unsupervised roaming
- Adding unauthorized wireless access points
- Sharing sensitive information with others (including family and friends)
- Putting sensitive data in the wrong place
1:09:22 PM
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This is a personal development post to kick off the new year. We have a neighbor in her late 80s and still quite sharp. She went with us to Israel in 2007. We try to help her out when she needs it. She invited us over last night for a "Twelfth Day" dinner. Some kind of tradition about 12 days of Christmas. The "real" 12th day was Monday--but Ohio State was playing in the Fiesta Bowl, so we did 12th night on the 13th night. I arrived late, just in time for the sharing of resolutions. I have not done official New Year's Resolutions for many years. Instead, I take the holidays as a time to read, reflect and decide on what's important. Instead of goals, I have directions--and a vision of the kind of person I'd like to be.
This post at Zen Habits about a lifestyle redesign precisely fits my perspective. "Guest poster" Eugene Yiga looks at the four aspects of a person and suggests development patterns to work on during the year. He includes some suggestions for further reading. The aspects are mind, body, heart and soul. I've clipped some highlights to whet your appetite. I hope we all work on ourselves this year.
The Mind
Everything begins in the mind. Every skyscraper, every painting, and
every custom-made Italian suit were once ideas in someoneâo[dot accent]s head.
Without these ideas, nothing would exist. Without new ideas, nothing
will ever change.We all need to start seeing the world from a different perspective.
That comes from going out everyday and keeping our eyes open to all the
possibilities. It comes from learning new and exciting things that
force us to stretch our minds and move outside our comfort zones.
The Body
Healthy living has become increasingly popular recently. And that's
definitely a good thing. Regular exercise and a balanced diet leave us
feeling (and looking) good. But not many people follow this advice. I guess
itâo[dot accent]s because most people simply have no reason. They think of all the
hard work and sacrifice it takes and then simply give up in advance.
Thatâo[dot accent]s why it's important to have a good reason in the first place. Why
comes first; how comes second.
The Heart
This aspect is all about relationships. It's impossible to go
through life without interacting with other people on a regular basis.
And it's also impossible to ever feel completely fulfilled without
strong relationships. You can be the smartest, sexiest, and richest
person in the history of the world. But without people to share that
with, none of it will matter.
The Soul
The fourth and final element of all people is the soul. This is what
really matters. It's about finding your purpose and then living it
everyday. Many people seem to think their mission in life needs to be a
spectacular quest to "save the world." That's not true. It doesnâo[dot accent]t have
to be huge; it just has to be something. And it has to be whatâo[dot accent]s right
for you.
Three things he looks for in people--vision, passion, integrity.
12:56:58 PM
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© Copyright 2009 Gary Mintchell.
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