Ravens' View

Being an aggregator

There is so much information online that we now have aggregators, that will scan blogs, news feeds, web pages, for you, and collect in one place as a series of links. Some you choose by their stated slant, some you can customize yourself. Same as we do when choosing which newspaper of magazine or news station to follow. 

So I thought I would try something similar. My jam-packed retirement day starts with CBC 1 news, then a read of the Globe and Mail, and the Ottawa Citizen - in depth or not, depending on the content, brand of coffee, other activities planned. But I do often come across interesting things I would like to share with others. Sometimes it's family or friends, sometimes Facebook virtual friends.

So - here's a start ...

It's a gas

One good (?) thing about the droop in the economy is cheaper gas at the pump. A lot cheaper, it is 80 cents/litre now, was up to $1.40 not that long ago. Crude prices went from a forecast of over $200 a barrel to a reality of less than $70. It is good that it's cheaper to fill my car, but also means that all those SUV's and trucks that were supposedly being sold as gas guzzlers are on the market again. Not that gas prices have a huge effect on driving habits - we might downsize our car, or park the motor home, but I doubt most are willing to change their habits much. If gas bounces back up 50% to $1.20, I'm not about to buy half as much, or take the bus twice as much. 

The downside of that free Crackberry from your boss

This was an interesting letter to "The Corporate Governess", asking for advice on when to turn off that link to the corporate demands. 

Link: reportonbusiness.com: No time out and there's no time like the present.

A recent British study sponsored by Hewlett-Packard concluded that the barrage of e-mails, calls and instant messages modern workers experience can lower IQ by 10 points on average—about the same as when you don't get a good night's sleep. As a matter of fact, a good sleep is something most BlackBerry addicts could use.

More McFats

Just in case that McDonalds tray is feeling a little light, you will soon be able to add a fancy coffee to it- whipped up by a barista. This is a trial in Rochester (USA) but is expected to expand further in 2009. The article also warns of price increases, due to a predicted shortages of beans. Supposedly prices at the producer level are not high enough, so there hasn't been much expansion. If you're interested, here's some more info on trading the coffee market.

Canadian elections and management issues

Seems to be more sabre rattling in the news - threats of an election here in Canada with all parties positioning so that they aren't the one pulling the plug on the current session. Question is - who to believe, who to pick? Harvey Schacter's blog in today's Globe and Mail Business section offers some tips on how to spot a bad manager. Some of his indicators are secrecy, addiction to consultants, and choosing weaker recruits to avoid feeling threatened. Interesting, especially if you assess our current leaders using these criteria. Should they at least be good managers, and ideally also good leaders? What's the difference?