Tune of The Times

I recently bought a GPS at Amazon.com and had a great experience shopping online, however found the whole payment process wanting on user experience and security. And to compound it there are at least 7 sites I have my card details saved in, which really makes me nervous.

I am sure many of you have tried to gaze into the technology crystal ball to find out what the next big thing is that's going to change our world. Just like the Internet did, social networking did, iPhone did. Some of these might not be even new products, websites or services, it could be a new way of using an existing technology for e.g. micropayment for news content.

I was really fascinated by the Dos Equis ads that has been on the national network recently. Reading more about the ad, I learned that this edition is the second installment of a very successful ad campaign launched in 2007.

Have you watched Lebron make plays? Have you seen Kobe just force the Lakers to a win? If not, try catching them during the playoffs. It will give you a glimpse of what makes them great players and much more. Some of my observations I am responsible for what happens - They take front and center responsibility for everything that happens in the court. They pickup slack for a bad team day, get team members involved and help the coach carry out plays. Kobe was held to 5-for-24 in Game 3 with Utah. He came in Game 4 and decimated Utah with 38 points with a 16-for-24 game.

"The first 100 days" - the new age milestone for a president which will be diced and sliced by the press, the american people and the entire international community. People (including me) will lap up anything and everything - from the number of gray hairs Obama has collected in the first 100 days to the promises he kept (or broke depending on your political leaning). First and foremost - full disclosure - Although I did not vote for Obama (because I cannot) I was one of his early supporters. I followed the election (starting with the Democratic primaries) just like a mortgage broker followed subprime borrowers in the pre depression days.

****** Update 05/17/2009********** A column from Paul Krugman in nytimes broaches a similar topic http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/15/opinion/15krugman.html *********************************** Often I get into discussions on politics and policies, its impact on business, global trade and inevitably the dreaded "P" word - protectionism.