Economic development 4.0 posts

Education 1.0 churns out predictable, testable, and mediocre factory workers … Education 3.0 fulfils dreams!

I just received an email by a friend telling me about the latest Seth Godin blog post and initiatve. I have a passionate interest in applying Web 3.0 to fields of human endeavour. Seth's email and initiative highlights the possibilites of applying Web 3.0 to education. I enjoyed two elements of the mainfesto. This is ... Read more

Management 3.0 in 2012? Will the technology-business relationship be inverted? Will technology define business?

For decades, enterprise software has been designed to support business processes. These business processes were defined by the organisation. The organisation's management model was based on the Web 1.0 proprietary hierarchy. As we have described many times before, the world is in transition from Web 1.0 proprietary hierarchies to Web 3.0 open networks. The following ... Read more

Government wants laws to protect Web 1.0 proprietary hierarchies (SOPA/PIPA) … outlawing the steam engine to protect canals … community wants to protect Web 3.0 Open Networks and Economic Development

The SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect Intellectual Property Act) laws could go beyond an ineffective attempt to protect intellectual property and be applied to undermine the open community network (ie internet) that will be the foundation for economic development, productivity, transparency and meritocracy for the next generation. A global protest has emerged ... Read more

Management 3.0 Digital Ecosystem: New presentation and collaboration group!

I have just published a new presentation at :slideshare: titled "MANAGEMENT 3.0: An open source software update to digital, community ecosystems (from analogue, proprietary hierarchies) across organisation, industry, national and global endeavours". I have also establish the Management 3.0 group to provide an example of organisational sub-groups. Please register and join the Management 3.0 public ... Read more

Health 3.0 (National) Digital Ecosystem: New presentation and collaboration group!

I have just published a new presentation at :slideshare: titled "Health 3.0 (National): A cloud-based Central Brain to enable Management 3.0 within a National health system ... including industry and medical record collaboration". I have also establish the Health 3.0 (national) public group. Please register and join the Health 3.0 (National) public group to discuss, ... Read more

Beyond Bureaucracy: Management 3.0 “Central Brain” platform enables integrated Digital Ecosystems spanning organisations, industry, nations and global endeavours

My recent entry in the Beyond Bureaucracy Challenge Part 2 of the McKinsey HBR M-Prize is called the The Beyond Bureaucracy Challenge. I have lodged a entry The Management 3.0 "Central Brain" platform enables integrated Digital Ecosystems spanning organisations, industry, national and global endeavours. Please read, comment and rate the entry here. This entry was created in ... Read more

PWC: Collaborative Digital Enterprise (CDE) business and industry model will emerge as a template for success over next 5 years

I reviewed the Global entertainment and media outlook: 2011-2015. It states that over the next five years, successful enterprises will become an "interconnected collaborative digital ecosystem" with technology becoming the enterprise and facilitating collaboration across the industry. Technology ceases to be a isolated enabling element. Technology defines collaboration across the enterprise and industry. The :centralbrain: is ... Read more

Could Google+ be the foundation for Economic Development 4.0?

A member of my Google+ circles asked me the following question: Marcus, I was reading much of your website and your theory on Web 4.0. In the last week, I've said that once Google integrates all of it's entire App products (Business+Education),Gmail, Google Docs, etc into Google+, it will set the foundation for Web 4.0. I ... Read more

UN call for revolutionary thinking and action to ensure an economic model for survival… How to make this happen?

I stumbled across the following LinkedIn discussion. UN call for revolutionary thinking and action to ensure an economic model for survival... How to make this happen? Extract: Warning for global suicide and time running out, Ban ki-moon called last Friday at Davos for revolutionary thinking and action to ensure an economic model for survival. What is needed to ... Read more

Australia 4.0: The NBN needs a National Application Network (Web 3.0 social, political and industrial “Central Brains”) to coordinate and achieve national innovation, collaboration, productivity and outcomes

NOTE: I posted this article in the LinkedIn NBN Group. I have added it here as a post. If you could create a “Central Brain” (or Facebook) in 5 days to focus the effort and wisdom of 2 Billion people, what problem would you solve? What social, industrial or political endeavour would you transform? Australia's National Broadband ... Read more

I submitted three McKinsey-HBR M-Prize competition “Hacks” today … it’s an open innovation project to reinvent management!

I have submitted three 'Hacks' to the McKinsey-HBR M-Prize today: :listbegin: Management 3.0: The Web 3.0 "Central Brain" to coordinate innovation, collaboration, workflow and outcomes across industry and across the world Economic Development 4.0: A 'Central Brain' to organise community innovation, collaboration, wisdom and effort to prioritise and achieve global outcomes Equity Market 4.0: A 'Central Brain' to organise ... Read more

Every country and innovation ecosystem needs a “Central Brain” to coordinate innovation, collaboration, workflow and valuable outcomes

I have been thinking about the problem Equity Market 3.0 is trying to solve.  One problem was identified by a recent Review of Australia's Innovation system concerning national innovation. I have extracted some of the report which outlines the problem. In considering any governance framework it is important to note that: The innovation agenda does and must touch ... Read more

Who spawns and cradles Economic Development 4.0? The Earth Institute is a good candidate and catalyst …

Quick summary of :ed4: (The :ed4: presentation is embedded at the end of this post) :listbegin: :ed4: is how the world works after applying :w3: (or Facebook) networks to social, industrial and political endeavours :w3: person to person networks overcome the design limitations of :w1: hierarchies to deliver global transparency, meritocracy, productivity, accessibility and better decision making We can ... Read more

Why Open Letters? They explain the role of each person on the critical path so the crowd can assess merit, arrange contact or replace

Open letters are a crued Web 3.0 network in a world that does not have Web 3.0 networks. A Web 3.0 network allows a person to see through a community to see the value of a connection before they connect. The tags would identify (1) who they are, and (2) what they want to do. ... Read more

Open letter to Stock Exchanges: Equity Market 3.0 is better, faster and cheaper than mergers

I am writing to you to offer a "turnkey" :em3: network as a potential strategy. An :em3: strategy is better, cheaper and faster than industry consolidation and could be delivered in five days and publicly available in 90. Stock exchanges are the ideal place to engineer and inspire the use of :em3: for national and ... Read more

Open Letter to Bjorn Lomborg: Web 3.0 networks overcome Web 1.0 limitations to prioritise and implement global solutions

Your :ted: presentation on prioritising the solutions to global priorities was insightful. Innovation is incremental and I wanted to offer :w3: networks as a structure that overcomes the design limitations of :w1: to deliver a more effective means to prioritise and implement solutions to the many problems confronting our world. :w3: networks are a disruptive design ... Read more

My 2nd HBR-McKinsey M-Prize Application for Economic Development 4.0

This is my second application in the M-Prize competition. The first was for :em3:. My :ed4: M-Prize application can be reviewed here. The M-Prize In the first leg of the Harvard Business Review-McKinsey M-Prize for Management Innovation, we’re inviting management innovators from around the world, in every realm of endeavor to share the most ... Read more

Open letter to Google.org and its volunteers: Please help engineer global SME growth (equitymarket.org), climate stability, health and Economic Development 4.0!

I read with interest about the objective of Google.org below: Google.org projects are created for the purpose of addressing a social challenge and serving the public good. Our goal is to find engineering solutions to global challenges such as climate change, clean energy and global health. We focus on activities that take full advantage of Google’s ... Read more

Open Letter to George Soros: Web 3.0 thinking about democracy, economic development and financial markets (equitymarket.gs)

Mr George Soros Chairman, Open Society Institute I read with interest about your initiative to inspire a new way of thinking about economics. I studied Economics at University and maintain an avid interests in geostrategy. I appreciate the need for new ways of thinking and behaviours to deliver a more stable approach to economic management and financial ... Read more

We can trust the “Wisdom of Crowds” to run the world!

I am reading the book "Wisdom of Crowds by James Surowiecki". :em3: and :ed4: aim to create global :w3: networks that aggregate communities of common interest to focus effort and make collective decisions using the :wisdomofcrowds:. The :wisdomofcrowds: aggregated through :w3: networks are likely to make wiser collective decisions than those currently made by ... Read more

Open letter to Richard Branson: Revolutionising investment banking (equitymarket.vg), revolutionising financial markets (financialmarket.co.uk) and Economic Development

Sir Richard Branson I read with interest about your initiative to Change the face of banking. There is also an enormous opportunity in re-casting the equity market, or investment banking industry, by applying social networking concepts to recast service delivery through the internet. An online industry network for the equity market can bring together companies, advisors ... Read more

Application to TED: A Twitter now and a speaking slot in 2012?

Dear Chris TED is an inspiration. The journey of an entrepreneur is lonely and TED has provided inspiration, energy and a feeling that I was not alone. I have derived much from the TED community and I would like to share four ideas with the TED community - :em3:, :ed4:, the :criticalpath: and :united: (to deliver ... Read more

Open letter to the Ruler of Dubai: Web 3.0 networks to accelerate financial market growth (EquityMarket.ae) and economic development

Your Highness Shaikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and President of the Dubai International Financial Centre Dubai International Financial Centre The Gate, Level 14 Dubai, United Arab Emirates Your Highness I apologise for writing an :openletter: and I understand this is unconventional. The Open Letter approach simply allows me to ... Read more

My HBR-McKinsey M-Prize Application for Equity Market 3.0

The M-Prize In the first leg of the Harvard Business Review-McKinsey M-Prize for Management Innovation, we’re inviting management innovators from around the world, in every realm of endeavor to share the most progressive practices and disruptive ideas that illustrate how the governing principles and tools of the Web can make our organizations more ... Read more

The Management 2.0 Challenge

It has been a long journey. I suspect that the era of Web 3.0 networks has arrived. A series of recent articles has made me come to this conclusion. However, a particular article has excited me. It is simple to understand and excites me with the prospect that that global adoption of Web 3.0 is ... Read more

Enterprise software to run an entire enterprise … ready in 10 minutes!

According to Wikipedia, Enterprise Requirements Planning (ERP) software is "intended to manage all information of functions within a company or business". "Examples of modules in an ERP which formerly would have been stand-alone applications include: Product lifecycle management, Supply chain management (e.g. Purchasing, Manufacturing and Distribution), Warehouse Management, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), Sales Order Processing, ... Read more

Web architectures and cloud computing provide a tremendous opportunity for evolution and innovation

Related articles: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained ; Key elements of a Web 3.0 online network ; How to setup a server on the Amazon cloud and install SugarCRM in 30 minutes I just watched a presentation at Gartner called SOA, the Web and the Cloud: Big Decisions about Application ... Read more

Google Wave may unleash Web 3.0 and achieve 90% penetration in three years

Pre-requisite reading: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained ; Let’s transform the world in 365 days ; http://wave.google.com Email embeds Web 1.0 Email was created 40 years ago and provides specific means for people to communicate. It mimics the conventional postal service. You write a letter, give it ... Read more

Challenges and Web 3.0 opportunities for stock exchanges

Pre-requisite reading: Financial markets are about to enter a transformational phase ; Are offshore stock exchanges becoming more competitive in the internet era? ; What will financial markets look like in 2015?: A perspective from Bearingpoint ; Regional stock exchanges are deprecated The current global financial turmoil will transform the world's financial markets. Recent events have ... Read more

Let’s transform the world in 365 days

Mandatory reading!: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained Recommended reading: Web 3.0 online network concepts ; We need five online networks to solve the worlds problems by 2012 or we decline into conflict for generations ; The transition to online networks may take six months or 50 years ;The next four stages ... Read more

Regulated capitalism: replace? more regulation? Web 3.0 tweaks?

Required reading: Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained ; Projects ; Opportunities I just finished writing a comment on the This is not the end of capitalism, Mark Shuttleworth, 4th November 2008. The article triggered a thought process that resulted in a long comment. I have reproduced the comment here and added ... Read more

Knight Foundation’s Newschallenge.org – my five grant applications

I just lodged five grant applications to the Knight Foundation's News Challenge. My applications can be reviewed  here. An overview of the Knight Foundation is provided below. A summary of my application are available below. Knight Foundation summary Extract The News Challenge is an initiative of John S. and James L. Knight Foundation's Journalism Program. The 2009 Knight News ... Read more

Sunshine in 2009, inevitable depression by 2010, then once in 80 year buying opportunity

Pre-requisite reading: Boom then depression by 2012 (category) I have been writing for many years about a depression commencing in 2009. The primary driver for this depression is demography and the retirement of the baby boomers from 2009. I recently suggested that that this ten year depression would be exacerbated by many other events that are ... Read more

Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained

This original post will be revised continuously to reflect new information and ideas. The continuously revised version will be maintained at Web 1.0, Web 2.0, Web 3.0 and Web 4.0 explained. Pre-requisite reading: Web 3.0 online network concepts | What are online networks? What is the market opportunity? "Economic development is the development of economic wealth of ... Read more

Facebook of global government needed – delivery in 12 weeks!

Pre-requisite reading: E-democracy just six weeks away! Political sovereignty exercised directly by citizens through an online political network I just read a Financial Times article which states that my E-Democracy prototype has an immediate application. IMF needs to make some 'Facebook' friends, By Alan Beatie, Financial Times, 17th October 2008 Extract: Robert Zoellick, president of the World Bank, said ... Read more

Sequoia Capital on startups and the economic downturn

This presentation was given by Sequoia Capital to their portfolio companies. It provides a visual and graphical insight into the causes of the current financial crisis and how the US became bankrupt. I thought I would embed it in a post for your convenience. Highly recommended! Sequoia Capital on startups and the economic downturnView SlideShare presentation ... Read more

Bailout or investment … the US taxpayer (and others) could make significant profits

Just a quick note on my last post "Beyond terminal US insolvency - bailouts, debt defaults, collapse, receivership committee formed ". The United States government could make a profit on its "bailout". Bailout is an emotive term that is popular in an environment of fear and uncertainty. The primary fear being that the funds will ... Read more

51% of Global 2000 buying Web 2.0 solutions? Probably not platforms delivering enterprise or industry innovation

Price Waterhouse's Technology Forecast (Summer 2008) provides some commentary on the emergence of Web 2.0 type online social networks in the enterprise.One of the themes of the report is "Operational Web 2.0: Finally, enterprise-class tools and methods are emerging to create informal online networks. Already, business users are collaborating to deliver better decisions." I have ... Read more

Make poverty history with Web 3.0 online social networks

Pre-requisite reading: The key elements of a Web 3.0 online network ; "Online network solution" open source software project ; Transform the world in 365 days ; E-democracy just six weeks away! Political sovereignty exercised directly by citizens through an online political network ; Make poverty history "The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are eight international development ... Read more

Beyond terminal US insolvency – bailouts, debt defaults, collapse, receivership committee formed

It has been a very interesting few weeks. The US system has collapsed. Failed financial firms are trying to convince the government to invest in them. The selling proposition? - "too big to let fail!" Understandably, the US congress are making further enquiries before writing a cheque for US$700 billion dollars. The US already terminally ... Read more

Is Peak oil critical after all? P90 conservatism vs P50 reality

Required reading: Will Peak Oil cause a depression in 2010?Another interesting perspective on Peak Oil. P90 refers to the way that oil reserves are reported to statutory authorities. Simplistically, P90 means that a reported estimate of oil reserves has a 90% chance of being exceeded. This P90 figure is the basis upon which calculations are ... Read more

IBM report: Outperformers are very interested in industry and enterprise model innovation … online industry networks anyone?

IBM conducted a survey of 1,130 CEO s, general managers and senior public sector and business leaders from around the world. The report is very interesting, but very high level and generic. I have resisted the temptation to extract the Executive Summary below - I recommend you download and read it. I read with interest the ... Read more

From Web 1.0 opaque channels to Web 3.0 community execution

Our society is in transition. It is applying new technologies to create new structures. Proprietary information is no longer necessary to encourage innovation or distribution channels. The internet provides a virtually free distribution channel in a services based economy. Online social networks have redefined how we interact with large numbers of people adopting new behaviours. ... Read more

E-democracy just six weeks away! Political sovereignty exercised directly by citizens through an online political network

Pre-requisite reading : We need five online networks to solve the worlds problems by 2012 or we decline into conflict for generations ; Online political networks (blog category) ; The rise of online political networks - individual contribution and mass participation ;  Project: E-democracy page ; The transition to online networks may take six months ... Read more

The era of transformative online social networks begins

The era of online networks which manage information of no value is ending. The era of online networks that manage valuable information and reshape industry is beginning. The foundation for online networks has been building for decades. The most recent milestone may have been 90% broadband penetration rates in the major economies. The next generation ... Read more

A 10 year world economic depression … demographic and exacerbated

A few years ago, a global depression was forecast by HS Dent (see A technology boom through to 2010 ). In simple terms, he said that the baby boomers will retire and spend less from 2009. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is made up of 70% consumption. A decline in spending from the baby boomers ... Read more

Protected: An online industry network to bridge the “missing middle” gap in developing countries

I read with interest about Google.org's objective to "fuel the growth of small and medium sized enterprises". I also read about their recent collaboration with the George Soros Economic Development fund to create an Investment company in India. An online industry network could service the "missing middle" and lower transaction costs, deepen capital markets and ... Read more

Internet trends as at June 2008

Morgan Stanley has released a research report on Internet Trends (June 2008). Some other Morgan Stanley Technology research is available here. I recommend reviewing the presentation. Internet Trends, Morgan Stanley, July 2008 Table of contents: 1. Digital Consumer –Demand for Internet-enabled services / products is strong; enterprise playing catch up 2.Mobile –Innovation in wireless products is accelerating and wireless ... Read more

Can a Linux style online network focus the global consciousness and accelerate solutions to global problems

I recently read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. "At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for ... Read more

12 steps to the next great depression

Related articles: A technology boom through to 2010 ; Update: A Technology boom through to 2010 ; The rise of global capital markets (after the inevitable depression) ; Technology boom delayed due to an epic battle between economic development and geostrategy HSDent.com is offering a free sample of its research to the public. ... Read more

Virginearth.com: a Linux style collaborative community to pursue/deliver climate stability?

Related articles: We need five online networks to solve the worlds problems by 2012 or we decline into conflict for generations ; Phase in online networks ... Phase out intellectual property ; The next four stages of online networks - from tools and solutions to new structures and economic development ; What if Moore's law ... Read more

Can an individual ego destroy relationships that could deliver a sustainable future

DRAFT! (This draft is publicly available to obtain feedback from third parties) Related articles: Online network business model (generic) ; Peak leadership: is the demand for leadership outstripping supply? ; Peak food: Are we going to run out of food? ; Will Peak Oil cause a depression from 2010? ; Peak leadership: the demand for leadership ... Read more

Perception and perspective

Wikipedia offers a general introduction to perception of perspective. I am not an expert on these matters and they are beyond my core competence. However, given that I have develoepd a large number of blog articles on some important topics, it is important that I acknoledge the obvious. That an individuals perception and perspective is ... Read more

We need five online networks to solve the worlds problems by 2012 or we decline into conflict for generations

The inspiration for this article is a video that I received by email. It is a plea from a child to the adults of the world at a conference in 1992. Severn Suzuki (13 year old), United Nations conference on Environment and Development, 1992 Extract: I know we are part of a family five billion strong, 30 million ... Read more

Collaborative hubs are now a strategic necessity for stock exchanges

Pre-requisite reading: Financial markets are about to enter a transformational phase ; Are offshore stock exchanges becoming more competitive in the internet era? ; What will financial markets look like in 2015?: A perspective from Bearingpoint ; Regional stock exchanges are deprecated Recent market turmoil is likely to eliminate the growth on stock exchange trading volumes. ... Read more

Protected: The rise of virtual financial markets will supersede the regional to global shift

Will stock exchange consolidation just aggregate obsolescence or provide new features and access to the equity market?

Related articles: Regional stock exchanges are deprecated! Companies need to adjust to new features of a global equity market In a complex series of deals, a global stock exchange is beginning to emerge. This stock exchange has a meaningful United States, European and Middle East presence. Will this global stock exchange simply aggregate obsolete business ... Read more

More growth companies are listing on foreign growth exchanges, but they need support?

Grant Thornton conducts an annual review of global growth markets. The report confirms a number of key trends. Capital markets are becoming more global and less regional, financial centres and specialising and certain stock exchanges are growing strongly. The most popular growth exhanges are in UK (AIM), Singapore, Hong Kong and Canada. Companies are becoming ... Read more

International living: The best places in the world to live in 2007

International Living is a magazine I subscribe to. The following paragraphs describe the magazine's philosophy. Before I go further, I should explain, especially for new readers (welcome!), what we're doing here. Eleven months of the year, we consider the countries around the world where you could live cheaper, pay less tax, enjoy better weather, take advantage ... Read more

Regional stock exchanges are deprecated! Companies need to adjust to new features of a global equity market

Regional stock exchanges are deprecated. What? I have been spending a lot of time with open source software and stumbled across the term "deprecated". The term can be applied to regional stock exchanges. According to Wikipedia: In computer software standards and documentation, the term deprecation is used to discourage usage of a particular software feature, usually because ... Read more

Could Microsoft kill humanity’s opportunity to become wealthier?

Related: Information can now be free to make humanity wealthier ; The next four stages of online networks ; The transition to online networks may take six months or 50 years The next phase of economic development will be driven by the freedom of information and innovation generated by enthusiastic open source communities. Microsoft is ... Read more

The transition to online networks may take six months or 50 years

Online networks which embody every facet of industrial, social and politcal aspects of our modern society are inevitable. They simply offer a superior way to interact and transact. The transition to a global community based around online networks will take six months, sixteen years or fifty years. The timeframe will depend upon the outcome of ... Read more

An example of an online network for drug development in the pharmaceutical industry

Online industry networks could develop pharmaceutical products using open source principles. The Tropical Diseases Initiative is an example of an "open source" online network developing drugs for tropical diseases. It operates in a niche that is uneconomic or unviable for the pharmaceutical industry. It has been allowed to survive as a result. It demonstrates the ... Read more

Information can now be free to make humanity wealthier

In popular terms, Moore's law doubles the performance or halves the cost of information technologies every 18 months. Moore's law has been working patiently for 40 years. In an information economy, this should have had a dramatic effect. However, political, industrial and social structures largely remain the same. Advances in technology have not changed the ... Read more

Tax havens: Myth vs Reality

The Centre for Freedom and Prosperity Foundation has released a paper which seeks to clarify the myth versus reality of tax havens. An extract from the paper is provided below. Tax Havens: Myth versus reality, Centre for Freedom and Prosperity, May 2007 Extract: The following section addresses some of the myths being propagated by opponents of low-tax ... Read more

Need a solution … it is in the clouds

Open source communities have developed a critical mass of tools and are beginning to morph into the development of solutions (see The next four stages of online networks). Amazon's elastic cloud is a critical building block that will support the next wave of economic development (see Build an ebusiness application on your desktop and drag ... Read more

How to participate, contribute and prosper in an online network

Business is moving online. However, the vast majority of business is conducted offline in the real world. The real world is becoming virtual very quickly. Financial markets are likely to be one of the first industries to be completely transformed. This reflects the fact that it is a valuable industry, competition is fierce and their ... Read more

Build an ebusiness on your desktop and drag it onto Amazon’s elastic cloud

Amazon web services are pioneering essential building blocks for economic development. These blocks will provide a foundation for the next phase of online networks which will pioneer new structures. They reduce processing power and information storage to basic utilities, just like telephone, gas and electric supply. The storage service (S3) and web hosting service ... Read more

Technology boom delayed due to an epic battle between economic development and geostrategy

We are witnessing an epic battle between Economic development and Geostrategy. The Wikipedia definitions are provided below: Economic development "is a sustainable increase in living standards that implies increased per capita income, better education and health as well as environmental protection." Geostrategy, "a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geographical factors ... Read more

What if Moore’s law rates of innovation could be applied to the world’s problems?

I received an amusing email. It has circled the internet for many years and I don't know if it is true. I have read it before. I am sure it will be sent to me again. After some initial amusement, it prompted a much more serious thought. What if Moore's law could apply to other ... Read more

Dan Rather: “too many journalists have become lapdogs to power, rather than watchdogs”

Dan Rather: Journalism has lost its guts, Cnet.com news, 12th March 2007 Extract: During his hour-long keynote address Monday at South by Southwest Interactive, Rather opined at length on the state of his profession, in which too many journalists have become lapdogs to power, rather than watchdogs. "I do not exclude myself from this criticism... By and large, ... Read more

The next four stages of online networks – from tools and solutions to new structures and economic development

Open source is synonomous with software. Open source can also refer to the way people and resources are organised or structured to produce goods, services or another goal. Linux is the most prominent face of open source. Linux is software created by thousands of contributors in a "free software" spirit. Free software generally has no ... Read more

China, Singapore and Dubai – plan, save and invest for the future

China has one trillion dollars in foreigh reserves. This has been accumulated over many years of patient and successful exporting. China earns US$140 billion per year from the United States alone. Apparently, most of the one trillion dollars is invested in low-yielding US bonds. According to the IMF, China only needs 650 billion (65% of ... Read more

User generated industries will combine user generated content and infrastructure

Our global community is evolving. The internet permits point to point communication at (almost) zero cost. The unique content of each individual can be aggregated on the internet to create user generated content. The unused hardware and software of those same individuals can be aggregated to create user generated infrastructure. There are examples of user ... Read more

Hackers shall inherit the earth

My definition of the word hacker has evolved. From programmers cracking computer security (called crackers) to my modest efforts to improve my golf and, now, to skilled people contributing to :onlinenetworks: that reflect their passions and interests. A hacker has the tenacity and persistence to solve problems, often for the sake of solving it. They ... Read more

Halliburton moving its CEO to Dubai – closer to customers, growth markets and capital

Halliburton: From Bush's favourite to a national disgrace, Indepdent Online Edition, 14 March 2007 By Andrew Buncombe Extract: It is a symbol of American cronyism, the beneficiary of lucrative Iraq contracts thanks to its relationship with Dick Cheney. Now Halliburton is relocating to Dubai - and US politicians are outraged. is now a vast multinational with operations ... Read more

The potential of collective innovation and open source to reshape our world needs to be demonstrated

The potential of open source software, open source principles and collective innovation is significant. They could change the world. They should, at the very least, change information intensive industries. These assertions are largely an intellectual argument. The thoughts of an individual. The compelling value of open source and collective innovation as a solution needs ... Read more

Online networks may overcome labour shortages and integrate a global pool of talent

Global trends in energy, McKinsey Quarterly 2007 Number 1, Ivo J. H. Bozon, Warren J. Campbell, and Mats Lindstrand Extract: The battlefield for talent: In the coming decade, a global strategy for talent will be as important to many companies as a global strategy for sourcing or manufacturing is today. Two themes stand out. First, the growth ... Read more

Key trends in the energy industry

Global trends in energy, McKinsey Quarterly2007 Number 1, Ivo J. H. Bozon, Warren J. Campbell, and Mats Lindstrand Extract: The world’s providers of energy and energy-intensive commodities face a decade of unprecedented change and uncertainty as a combination of six macroeconomic, social, and business trends reshapes the competitive landscape. Shifting centers of economic activity: The world is undergoing ... Read more

Perception and perspective

Wikipedia offers a general introduction to perception of perspective. I am not an expert on these matters and they are beyond my core competence. However, given that I have develoepd a large number of blog articles on some important topics, it is important that I acknoledge the obvious. That an individuals perception and perspective is ... Read more

People aren’t apathetic, they just don’t have an online network to channel their interests

I read an article in March 2006 titled What is wrong with the world today? . I remembered the article, but did not comment on it at the time. It struck a cord with the online community and a lot of people read it. The key assertion is that apathy of the individual is ... Read more

Protected: Online networks could service growth companies below the radar of existing service providers

Peak leadership: is the demand for leadership outstripping supply?

Related articles: People aren’t apathetic, they just don’t have an online network to channel their interests ; :peakfood: ; :peakoil: ; The :declineoftheusdollar: I have recently written articles on Peak Oil and Peak Food. In both cases, the law of :diminishingreturns: has resulted in a peak in production, consumption growth with population ... Read more

The rise of specialist financial centres will be supported by online networks

My previous article, Could an online social network deliver a virtual Silicon Valley to non-US economies? , I concluded that online social or industry networks could deliver the people and chain reaction that could spawn a new Silicon Valley. Financial centres currently specialises in specific niches. The increased penetration of broadband, the rise of :onlineindustrynetworks: ... Read more

The rise of online political networks – individual contribution and mass participation

Online political networks and online industry networks arise for similar underlying reasons. Advances in technology present opportunities for new structures and organisations that can capture, analyse and assemble political information for the audience. A significant proportion of the community is dissatisfied with the quality of information they receive, or the operation of governments. These individuals ... Read more

Phase in online networks … phase out intellectual property

The patent system emerged to motivate business to organise people to develop new technology. It was believed that without providing an exclusive opportunity for profit, business would not assemble the structure and people necessary to create new technology. Technology means ways of doing things. This includes information technology, biotechnology and healthcare. However, if the global ... Read more

It’s time to implement a new international framework for equity markets

This article is inspired by the Harvard Law Journal article A Blueprint for Cross-Border Access to U.S. Investors: A New International Framework and Beyond Borders: Time To Tear Down the Barriers to Global Investing. These are exceptional articles on the regalation of capital markets. I encourage you to read the originals. The following quote seems ... Read more

The rise of global capital markets (after the inevitable depression)

Related articles: The decline of the US dollar should hasten the evolution to global markets A few years ago, there was no discussion of a pending depression. I am only aware of one commentator that was unequivocal in his prediction of a depression. I repeated those predictions here in my articles of the potential .Net boom. ... Read more

2 cores, 4 cores, 16 cores … how about 80 cores to introduce a revolution in computing

There have been concerns that Moore's law may not continue. Recent innovations have solved problems in manufacturing, power consumption and heat generation (See Moore’s law likely to continue and power entrepreneurial opportunities in a service oriented world ). It appears that a further innovation may not only see that Moore's law continues but introduce a ... Read more

The rise of Online Industry Networks

Related articles: What will financial markets look like in 2010?; .Net boom ; The rise of online social networks The internet emerged in the early nineties. The internet is slowly transforming how businesses, consumers and people interact. The global economy is at a very early stage in realising the full benefits of ... Read more

US insolvency and the decline of the US dollar should hasten the evolution to global markets

In October 2005, I wrote of HS Dent's forecasts of a technology boom to 2010 and a depression in the United States from 2010 (see A technology boom through to 2010). A narrowly focussed technology boom has begun (see .NET category) and more commentators are highlighting the prospect of "severe macroeconomic repercussions" and depression in ... Read more

Moore’s law likely to continue and power entrepreneurial opportunities in a service oriented world

I have previously pondered the potential of Moore's law in the article Moores Law: Will you be able to run a bank from your laptop in Starbucks on a desert island?. The following article provides an update. Where's the software to catch up to multicore computing?, Information week, 29 January 2007 Extract: IBM's chief architect for next-generation systems ... Read more

Could Skype application sharing accelerate changes in how we work?

The latest version of the Corporate edition of Skype provides easier access to Skype extras. The Skype extras include Unyte, a program that allows remote deskop or application sharing. What? In simple terms, it allows another Skype user to see what you are doing on your computer. For example, another Skype user could see a ... Read more

E-delivery of shareholder information universally positive for market efficiency but may accelerate disintermediation

The use of the internet to distribute information is obvious. The finance sector is largely information based. The potential of the internet to distribute is yet to be exploited. In some countries, rules and regulations governing securities market often required company information to be delivered to shareholders in hard-copy form. SEC OKs e-delivery of shareholder information, ... Read more

Is the crash in the oil price a necessary precursor for a technology boom?

There have been a few acquisitions of internet or technology companies at conventionally unjustifiable valuations. These have been the prominant aspect of a narrow technology boom (see .Net boom category). The price of oil and speculation in the oil market has, however, acted as a dampener on the extent of the technology boom. Higher ... Read more

Hong Kong leaves London and New York in its wake

The following article summarises some significant shifts in the global financial and equity market. This is an update to articles that appear in the Stock market category and, specifically, the article Are offshore stock exchanges becoming more competitive in the internet era?. Hong Kong leaves ASX in its wake, Sydney Morning Herald, 15th January 2007 Extract: The Australian ... Read more

Asian deals confirm stock exchange consolidation is global

Recent deals confirm that the process of industry consolidation is occurring at a global level. The major players have interest in markets beyond those of Europe and the United States. Some of my recent articles have provided an analysis of market share and described some of the activity in different markets. Click here to review ... Read more

Key global trends for 2007

An understanding of history and economic development can assist in identifying valuable business opportunities. I enjoy reading geostrategy and following industry trends. Effort should be devoted to pursuing an immediate valuable market opportunity. The realities of the present will determine revenue, success or failure. An understanding of future trends can refine existing business models, but ... Read more

Who will be the first to incorporate a “New Manx Vehicle” in the Isle of Man?

My previously article "The Isle of Man New Manx Vehicle - simple, more flexible, offshore and part of the EU for VAT purposes" provided an overview of the Isle of Man. It highlighted the attributes of the jurisdiction for internet businesses and the introduction of the "New Manx Vehicle" corporate structure ("NMV"). The NMV was ... Read more

Dubai can build unprecedented infrastructure, but will they come?

Dubai is spending £140bn to transform itself into a capitalist powerhouse equal to New York and London. The development of Dubai intrigues me as an economist, corporate adviser and internet entrepreneur. The initiatives of particular interest include Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City and the Dubai Internation Financial Centre. The strategy being ... Read more

Peak food: Are we going to run out of food?

Yaleglobal recently published a concise article on the status of the world's food production and consumption. It is a very similar situation to "Peak Oil" that I discussed here. In both the food an oil industries, the law of diminishing returns has resulted in a peak in food production, consumption grows strongly with population growth ... Read more

Investors that invested US$11.5m in Youtube over two years will share US$1.65b from the sale of Youtube to Google

Google has acquired Youtube, an online video sharing service, for US$1.65B in Google stock. Youtube has approximately 45% of the online video sharing market. Youtube has 100 million videos available to view and 20 million unique visitors a month. As far a I know, YouTube does not earn revenue. Youtube was established less than two ... Read more

After 70 years of hard work and focussed leadership, the nation of Singapore can retire

I was travelling between Frankfurt and Singapore on Singapore airlines. I read a very interesting article called A closer look at S'pore's reserves - August 30, 2006. The article suggests that on current trends, every citizen in Singapore may be able to retire by 2015. Singapore is a highly developed market economy with a stable political ... Read more

Increasing compliance costs drives companies to other financial centres

Striking a balance between consumer protection, compliance costs and maintaining an effective market to raise capital for companies is very difficult. The following two articles suggest that the balance is skewed heavily toward consumer protection to the detriment of companies. Companies are simply moving to new markets where capital is easier to raise and costs ... Read more

The valuable role of tax competition

Friday, August 11, 2006 ~ 8:34 a.m., Dan Mitchell Wrote:Article explains the valuable role of tax competition. Western European politicians hate tax competition, and an article on the Globalpolitician.com website provides an excellent explanation: The Flat Tax Revolution in Eastern Europe presents a challenge to Western Europe, as companies are bound to move to neighboring states ... Read more

Will Peak Oil cause a depression from 2010?

Extract: When world oil production peaks, there will still be large reserves remaining. Peaking means that the rate of world oil production cannot increase; it also means that production will thereafter decrease with time. "When world oil peaking will occur is not known with certainty. Some experts believe peaking may occur soon ... within 20 ... Read more

Buyer and seller settling transactions under the digital tree?

I recently read a journal article suggests that markets of buyers and sellers will come "full circle". Thousands of years ago, "transactions" between buyers and sellers were negotiated "under a tree" and face to face. As markets became larger and global, industry constructed proprietary and closed systems to match buyers and sellers.  In an era ... Read more

LAMP (Linux/Apache/Mysql/PHP) powers the web and empowers the entrepreneur

The global economy is 70% services based. Broadband penetration is growing. The opportunities for open source technology to change the status quo are staggering. LAMP is the technology which underpins most of the major web sites in the world today. It will be a key tool for the social and commercial entrepreneurs of tomorrow and ... Read more

Could an online social network deliver a virtual “Silicon valley” to non-US economies?

Paul Graham recently wrote an essay which questioned "Could you reproduce Silicon Valley elsewhere, or is there something unique about it?". IN summary, he asserts that "all you need is the people ... if you could attract a critical mass of nerds and investors to live somewhere, you could reproduce Silicon Valley. I will extract ... Read more

Isle of Man – a good home for ebusiness and a new corporate structure

The Isle of Man is a world class financial centre. I recommend the Isle of Man Finance web site for more information. It is a very competitive offshore offering, but may be less flexible and more expensive than other "offshore" jurisdictions. Amongst other requirements, an Isle of Man company has to have at least one ... Read more

Web 3.0, the global brain and the impact on financial markets

I have read some interesting posts in the last few days. These posts are listed below and a few extracts are provided. One of these posts was read by 60,000 people in the first week. I will extract some key quotes from the original and then offer a few comments on my area of interest ... Read more

Does high intrinsic value information lead to a more valuable online social network?

Online social networks that trade in information with high intrinsic value are more likely to become successful businesses. If the information has high intrinsic value, then those that own or wish to promote the information may be willing to pay the online social network for a service. Customers that pay for the service drive ... Read more

Does $1 of company tax paid to government cost shareholders $2.50?

This article will not deal with the very real social responsibilities that communities' have toward other members of the community. Nor will it address the governments role as as a representative of the community for looking after those less fortunate or investing infrastructure for long term benefit. This is intended to provide an additional perspective ... Read more

Are we entering an era of zero (real) investment returns? Is it time to readjust investment portfolios for an era of rising inflation?

Alan Kohler recently published an article titled "Watch the ball" in June 2006. The articled discussed the recent "correction" and offered a number of long term investment themes to pursue. I do not follow the short term movements in the share markets. The article appealed to my interest in economics and :geostrategy:. I believe ... Read more

Increasing regulation and competition driving US companies to non-US capital markets

The United States also driving companies away from their home market. :sarbanesoxley:, increased regulation and complexity have increased the cost of raising capital and the risk of non-compliance. Offshore centres are attracting companies away from the United States. The London Stock Exchange has been very successful in growing its share of listed companies. The LSE's :aim: ... Read more

The first few steps in the marathon battle for the search user will transform into the battle of online social networks toward 2010

Infoworld publish the article Search battle just starting on 21st June 2006. An extract is provided below for your convenience. "We're three steps into a marathon," said Bradley Horowitz, Yahoo's vice president of product strategy, in an interview at ... Read more

“Offshore” encourages lower global tax rates, boosts global economic performance and channels the worlds capital into the United States

The Freedom and prosperity foundation recently completed a research paper on the impact of "offshore" jurisdictions. The research paper is available in HTML and PDF. Low-tax jurisdictions play a valuable role in the global economy. Economic research indicates that so-called tax havens provide a tax-efficient platform for cross-border investments, help boost saving and investment, and ... Read more

What will financial markets look like in 2015?: A perspective from Bearingpoint

Bearingpoint has released a report titled "Shifting From Defense to Offense: A Model for the 21st Century Capital Markets Firm". This report provides additional information about the evolution of capital markets as already discussed in Financial markets are about to enter a transformational phase and Are offshore stock exchanges becoming more competitive in the internet era?. ... Read more

The British Virgin Islands (BVI): an insight into the principles underlying regulation in the leading offshore financial centre

The British Virgin Islands (BVI) is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom. It consists of over 50 islands and cays located in the Caribbean. Its population of approximately 20,000 live on 15 islands. The :bvishort: has incorporated over 700,000 companies, which by some estimates represents approximately 40% of offshore companies registered in "offshore" jurisdictions. It ... Read more

Ebay and Yahoo vs Google: Is the pace of change accelerating?

Ebay partners with Yahoo Ebay has signed an multi-year partnership agreement. Yahoo will sell advertising on EBay. Ebay will offer Paypal, its payment service, across Yahoo. Yahoo is the leading portal with the greatest share of global internet traffic. EBay dominates online classifeds market. EBay has also announced that it is establishing a competing service to ... Read more

Donations? Need an invoice? – Are blogs a viable way to earn a living in a knowledge economy?

Many people are sharing their knowledge free over the internet. They share this knowledge through blogs, web sites and/or free software. Consumers may utilise this knowledge without cost. Sometimes the knowledge is made available Open Source, or Free Software, licenses without any requirement for payment. This allows the consumer to utilise the knowledge and understand ... Read more

Are offshore stock exchanges becoming more competitive in the internet era?

There is competition amongst stock exchanges, but I am intrigued by the small market share of listed companies of the offshore stock exchanges. The internet would appear to facilitate greater participation in the "listed company" market by the offshore stock exchanges. Offshore centres also hold between 33-40% of the worlds financial assets and the costs ... Read more

Offshore: What? Who? How? Where? Why? Onshore reaction? Tax competition? Pitfalls? The collapse of income tax systems?

What is offshore? Approximately, 33-40% of the worlds financial assets and 50% of financial market transactions occur in offshore jurisdictions. This triggered a startling realisation. If we adjust the figures above for the assets held by individuals in onshore jurisdictions, we realise that the majority of non-individual financial assets are held in offshore jurisdictions. This is ... Read more

Crash 2.0: an early chapter in the .NET boom?

This post is inspired by the following post, which was inspired by another post. Please follow this link and you will see what I mean. Web 2.0 is a phrase to describe new internet companies that emerged over the last year. These are profiled in the article The Nextnet. I could not understand how many of ... Read more

Internet advertising revenue rises 38%

Internet advertising revenue during first quarter of 2006 rises 38% "The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) today announced that Internet advertising revenues reached a new record of $3.9 billion for the first quarter of 2006. The 2006 first quarter revenues represent a 38 percent increase over Q1 2005 at $2.8 billion and a ... Read more

The NextNet and 25 profiles of ‘topical’ internet companies

Business 2.0 published an interesting article which profiles 25 internet companies "whose approaches help illuminate where the Web is headed and where the opportunities lie". The article is available here . There are a few quotes to encourage you to read the article in detail. "We are in the early stages of what might be better ... Read more

Primal drives, financial markets and ‘The Planet of the Apes’

I recently read a series of articles by Paul B. Farrell at Marketwatch.com . They offer an interesting perspective on financial markets. I will extract a paragraph from each to encourage you to read them. Wall Street's 'Brainwashing Machine'10 psychological strategies controlling your mind, Marketwatch.com, 31st October 2005. "Wall Street controls $8.4 trillion of your retirement money ... Read more

Did you Digg the recent Yahoo analyst briefing? Is this the beginning of community based investment analysis?

Digg is an online social network. Digg has become one of the top 25 internet sites in the world within 18 months. Digg is a technology news website that combines social bookmarking, blogging, RSS, and non-hierarchical editorial control. With digg, users submit stories for review, but rather than allow an editor to decide which stories go ... Read more

Stock exchanges: large exchanges in decline?, niche exchanges growing

Who is the World Federation of Stock Exchanges?"Membership encompasses 57 exchanges from all over the world. Members together account for over 97 % of world stock market capitalisation, and most of its exchange-traded futures, options, listed investment funds, and bonds. The combined market capitalization of the markets these exchanges operate is ... Read more

Promoting access to primary equity markets: a legal and regulatory perspective from the World Bank

On the 1st April 2006, the World Bank released a policy paper titled "Promoting access to primary equity markets : a legal and regulatory approach". The report is available from here. "Abstract: This paper examines legal and regulatory measures that can be taken to promote access to the primary market in emerging market economies. While capital ... Read more

Has the .NET technology boom begun? And consumers may be willing to pay for content

This article is intended as an update to the previous articles Another bubble in technology through to 2010 and Update: Another bubble in technology through to 2010 . The .NET boom A number of articles have been written suggesting that the boom may have already begun. We can see high valuations, stock recommendations, new ways to value ... Read more

Financial markets are about to enter a transformational phase

IBM's Insitute for Business value has released a new study entitled "The trade is dead, long live the trader! A financial markets renaissance. If you are interested in financial markets, this is an essential read. The first two paragraphs of the IBM report are extracted below for your convenience. "In the face of commoditization and fierce ... Read more

The rise of online social networks? Wny now? Which industries?

:Onlinesocialnetworks: will drive a significant lift in productivity over the next decade. The :internet: will be essential to coordinating these networks. :Onlinesocialnetworks: which have a purpose to facilitate business to business transactions may be called :b2b: E-markets. :b2b: :emarkets: are forecast to have the greatest impact of any technology over the coming years and will ... Read more

Will the people asphyxiate on the information superhighway? Will we be forced to travel by canal?

Some companies have grown large and prosperous on single technologies. They have become major multinational corporations, represent a large proportion of GDP and wield significant political influence. Advances in technology provide the opportunity to do the same, or more, (voice calls for the world) with significantly less resources. Going forward, some will struggle ... Read more

Moores Law: Will you be able to run a bank from your laptop in Starbucks on a desert island?

There are four types of information - data, sound, video and text. Information technology has four functions - it captures, stores, processes and transmits information. Technological convergence refers to the trend of information technology products to perform more functions and look after more types of information in less products. For example, a telephone transmits sound. It ... Read more

Taking Stock of the World’s Capital markets: McKinsey Global Institute

The McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) examined the financial assets of more than 100 countries since 1980. The result is a comprehensive profile of the global capital market (GCM) and an in-depth analysis of its evolution across geographies and asset classes. The information is available here. In their January 2005 report, they concluded the market totalled $118 ... Read more

Smartcity@Malta from the people that bought you Dubai Internet City

The Government of Malta has announced framework discussions with Tecom Investments of Dubai on the setting up a new ‘SmartCity@Malta’. The full press release has been extracted for your convenience below. Extract Tecom Investments is a leading full service telecommunications network operator and service provider and are the originators, developers and operators of the (Dubai Internet City) ... Read more

Will the open source model of software development transform other industries?

IT analyst, IDC, has predicted that 2006 will bring "open innovation" in :it: product and service development (the "open-source effect") and online delivery of :it: as a service (the "Google effect"). "The Google effect may be prompted by the fear that Google and Yahoo will dominate more markets in the years ahead." The :opensource: model of ... Read more

Offshore financial centres were never worthy of their reputation as havens of criminal activity

Offshore financial centres had a reputation for being havens of criminal activity. The following five year old articles show this reputation is undeserved. The articles suggest that the "persecution of tax havens is not the fight against money laundering but the fight against low taxes". The persecution of "tax havens" was simply an instrument of ... Read more

Peak leadership: the demand for leadership is growing rapidly and supply is declining

I have recently written articles on Peak Oil and Peak Food. In both cases, the law of diminishing returns has resulted in a peak in production, consumption grows strongly with population growth and ultimately exceeds supply. Market forces do not operate efficiently to promote longer term changes that increase supply, reduce demand, encourage greater efficiency ... Read more

Update: A Technology boom through to 2010

Harry S Dent provided a free copy of his October 2005 newsletter on his web site. It provides an update on my previous entry in October 2005. For your convenience, I have extracted a few paragraphs below for your review to encourage you to read the article and subscribe to his newsletter: "In summary, we couldn’t ... Read more

A technology boom through to 2010

I have been reading extensively to understand long term trends. The aim being to identify opportunities and refine my personal strategy over the coming years. One particular author publishes long term forecasts based on global demographics and technology change -Harry S Dent . This author particularly appeals to me given my original study of economics ... Read more

Ebay aquires Skype at a high valuation: Is this the start of a technology boom?

I am sure that you have heard about the acqusition of Skype by EBay. There is extensive commentary on the internet and I do not plan to reproduce that content here. An good article from CNet is available here. I would like to highlight the valuation paid for this company and identify an alternative ... Read more