23 moments

On 1 March 2010 Porsche presented the concept car Porsche 918 Spyder in Geneva. It is supposed to combine the performance of a super-sports car with the CO2 emissions of a small compact. They claim that they can reduce emissions to just 70 grams CO2 per kilometre and fuel consumption to 3.0 litres/100 kilometres (94 mpg imp).

Those are theoretical figures which in "normal" use - I expect - will be different. Nevertheless, if it would come anywhere close to, say, 4-5 litres that would be pretty amazing I have to admit. However, if driving with electricity only the range is 25km. That's just enough to get to the next supermarket (or gas station).

Other figures: The V8 power unit delivers more than 500 hp and the three electric motors have an overall output of 160 kW. Maximum speed is 320 km/h.

This car is not only a highlight in efficiency it is also very well designed. Check out the video (in German). However, I wouldn't buy one of these cars as for me there is no real use for them (where to put luggage?). I expect it would be a lot of fun to drive one though.

I think with the Porsche 918 Spyder we see a positive trend: Finally the car manufacturers seem to take fuel efficiency seriously. And surprise, apparently there is/was still a lot of room for improvement.

This is again an excellent presentation by Jurgen Appelo. I have put up a presentation from him about "The Zen of Scrum" and on "Agile Project Management" before. He is a great source of inspiration.

This is his brand new presentation on self-organizing teams. Not only is this presentation nicely designed, it also holds some great thoughts on why self-organizing teams make sense, the levels of self organization and why communication is important.

This is a must see for everyone who manages or is involved in teams and wants to improve the teams' productivity and motivation.

This is an interesting chart which shows where Microsoft's profit comes from. And make no mistake, Microsoft is still the most profitable software company in the world.

Its profits are still being generated by the same engines that have driven Microsoft for years: Office, Windows, and its server division. (Meanwhile, its entertainment and devices division is only recently profitable again, and its online division is a money pit.)

This is why Google is increasingly focusing on disrupting Microsoft's core businesses, including its Google Docs rival to Office; its Chrome OS rival to Windows; and now Google Buzz, an add-on to Gmail that some have compared most closely to Sharepoint, one of Microsoft's enterprise tools.

From what I have seen so far, I like Google Buzz. It is still pretty unpolished but it could become a real competitor for real-time streams and even company collaboration tools.

One thing I don't like and what I think must change immediately is the option to edit your post. It comes in handy to fix a typo but it can very well be misused. Check out this real life example to see what I mean.

Here is the corresponding comic:

Google just announced Google Buzz, its new social service. Admittingly Google hasn't been very strong on the social media site. However, I have a feeling with Buzz they are on to something. Not that this is a revolutionary product but they have a massive userbase and buzz seems to take the best out of Friendfeed and Twitter and adds localization. This sounds like a very strong recipe for success. And I believe what they said during the product presentation: "We are just getting started". There are so many cool scenarios for Buzz. I am really looking forward to see an integration into our Google Apps suite. This could eventually even replace our beloved Socialcast as our internal communication platform/system.

Here is a 2 minute video of what Google Buzz is/does:

Todd Sattersten has published an eBook called Fixed to Flexible and it is about cost, price, margin, and the options we have for how to sell. It is a quick and good read. I especially recommend it for entreprepreneurs, product/marketing guys and sales people. It might change the way you look at pricing.

There are four basic messages:
- The story of cost is that it always trends down. You can count on it.
- The story of price is that it is more flexible than you think.
- The story of margin is that is is a stark choice between opposing strategies.
- The story of options is that you have many more than you realize.
The way they are stated here they seem simple and obvious. However, I recommend you read the book. Every topic has a concise an entertaining explanation.

This is a powerful appeal by Gabrielle Bouliane who performs for the audience at the Austin Poetry Slam. This was her last public performance.

Gabrielle was diagnosed with Stage Four Cancer shortly before this video was filmed. She died in January 29, 2010 surrounded by family and friends, and apparently her passing was in a very quiet, peaceful room full of love and affection.

This is one of the "better" viral videos as it contains a real message. Her message is simple: "Do not wait. If you don't start today, get the fuck up walk out the door and change your life to the best it can be, then when?. Don't you dare waste your fucking time."