This phrase came to me in the shower (a veritable temple of insight) as I pondered the question of why I am having so much trouble writing about the relationship between connectivity and the economic meltdown of the day. I realized I have so much to say (and I candidly admit that it is of substance, as embarrassing as I find this admission to be) that I don't know where to start. Or how to start. Somehow all my drafts have an 'approachability quotient' in the same (exceptionally low) range as do those imposing stone edifices on Mount Rushmore.
Great Places
- Berkman Center for Internet & Society
Connectivity, innovation, & the law - CAIDA (the Cooperative Association for Internet Data Analysis)
- Confused of Calcutta
J.P. Rangaswami's unique take on the world....of information - Cook's Collaborative Edge
Historian whose work spans from the dawn of ('net) time into the future - Deanland
No, it's not "Wayne's World:" it's Dean's land! - Doc Searls Weblog
You can also visit Doc here. - Etymological Sources & Links
...from Word Origins, a favorite of mine - Frank Collucio's Technology Forum
Deftly melds knowledge, wisdom, and wit - isen.blog
..where David vigilantly defends our freedom of speech and of audition - Lex Ferenda
daithí mac sithigh’s blog on cyberlaw....and then some! - Listics
Frank Paynter's latest and greatest - PhilaStories
A compelling entryway into the world of digital storytelling - Public Knowledge
News & opinion on citizens' rights in a digital culture. - SATN.org
Comments from Frankston, Bricklin, Reed, and Friends - Semantic Atlas
Si vous aimez bien la langue, allez-y vite! - SSRN-The Social Sciences Research Network
- Technology and Tolerance
A report from the Brookings Institution - Writings and Musings
Pure, unadulterated Frankston - Xigi
Do well and do good....they are not mutually exclusive options.
Contrarian Consultant
March 07, 2009
February 20, 2008
Pattern Recognition
Some people say consultants "borrow your watch to tell you the time," and I suppose some do. However, the art and science of this fascinating field is found in how well you can recognize the patterns in the data you get from a vast array of sources, then take this back to the organization.........in ways that are useful, hearable, and actionable.
February 13, 2008
The Paradox of Status
Here, I discuss the strange dynamic whereby companies simultaneously de-value the knowledge and skill of their own employees, while valuing the expertise of outside consultants, even as they resent them. One reason for this resentment is their fees, and I discuss the reasons why consultants appear to earn much higher daily wages when compared to employees who do similar work. The simple reason is that the 'input variables' and the way they are calculated differ, appropriately, from those used in calculating wages for full time employment.
In summary, the prevailing myth that most consultants pocket humongous fees compared to full-time employees of similar status is just that - a myth.
January 31, 2008
Dialogue on Debt and Payment
This is a conversation about debt, late payment and non-payment. Here, I talk about how looking at the issue differently - using an unbiased, investigative approach based in the behavioral sciences rather than jumping reflexively to more conventional (punitive) methods - led to sweeping changes in a client organization. These changes, in turn, produced dramatically favorable economic outcomes for the company.
