MTA Strike

The city still moves ...
 
 

Message from John Cleese To the Citizens of the United States of America

One of my peers has send me this. Amazing…

In light of your failure to elect a competent President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your Independence, effective immediately. Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (excepting Kansas, which she does not fancy).

Your new prime minister, Tony Blair, will appoint a governor for America without the need for further elections. Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

To aid in the transition to a British Crown Dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect: You should look up "revocation" in the Oxford English Dictionary. Then look up aluminium, and check the pronunciation guide. You will be amazed at just how wrongly you have been pronouncing it.

The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'favour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix ize will be replaced by the suffix ise.

Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels (look up vocabulary). Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as "like" and "you know" is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication.

There is no such thing as US English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take account of the reinstated letter 'u' and the elimination of -ize.

You will relearn your original national anthem, God Save The Queen. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not adult enough to be independent. Guns should only be handled by adults. If you're not adult enough to sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist then you're not grown up enough to handle a gun. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. A permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

All American cars are hereby banned. They are crap and this is for your own good. When we show you Japanese cars, you will understand what we mean.

All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

The Former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) - roughly $6/US gallon. Get used to it.

You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

The cold tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will  be referred to as Lager. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie MacDowell attempt English dialogue in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of  proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full  Kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America.  Since only 2.1% of you are aware that there is a world beyond your  borders, your error is understandable.

You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

An Inland Revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure them acquisition of all  monies due backdated to 1776).

Thank you for your co-operation.

Sakura Park

 
 

It is December, Rockefeller Center is opened

 
 

The Alma Mater at Columbia

 
 

Investment Banking, New York

Sure you are thinking in Patrick Bateman, can he be a personal reference? A small piece of the film script:

My name is Patrick Bateman.
I'm 27 years old.
I believe in taking care of myself,
in a balanced diet, in a rigorous exercise routine.
ln the morning, if my face is a little pufffy,
I'll put on an icepack while doing my stomach crunches.
I can do a thousand now.
After I remove the icepack, I use a deeppore cleanser lotion.
In the shower, I use a water-activated gel cleanser.
Then a honey-almond bodyscrub.
And on the face, an exfoliating gelscrub.
Then I apply an herb mint facialmasque,
which lleave on forten minutes while I prepare the rest of my routine.
I always use an aftershave lotion with little or no alcohol,
because alcohol dries your face out and makes you look older.
Then moisturizer,
then an anti-aging eye balm,
followed by a final moisturizing protective lotion.
There is an idea of a Patrick Bateman.
Some kind of abstraction, but there is no real me.
Only an entity-- something illusory.
And though I can hide my cold gaze...
and you can shake my hand and feel flesh gripping yours...
and may be you can even sense our life styles are probably comparable,
I simply am not there.

BMW Films

Years ago, BMW created one of the most amazing marketing initiatives I have ever seen. BMW Films were a series of 8 films where the cars are shown as part of a incredible story. My favorites are clearly: Star (featuring Madonna), Chosen and Ticker.

It was in this films that I know one actor that become one of my favorite ones in the time: Clive Owen.

It seems that the actual cache of Clive has made BMW retired the BMW Films from their webpage. Damn it!!!!!

BTW, don’t miss Clive Owen role at Sin City, probably the best comic based film ever.

My strategy teacher

Financial Times Calls Professor Toby Stuart a “Professor to Watch”

October 10, 2005

Toby Stuart, the Arthur J. Samberg Professor of Business, was among a select group profiled by the Financial Times in a series focusing on academics breaking new ground with their research. The article details how Stuart’s examination of networks has led him to develop sociological theories for economic development in several industries, including venture capital and biotech.

Calling Stuart a leader in the area of strategy, the Financial Times also discussed his enthusiasm for exploring these themes in the classroom.

More information on Professor Stuart’s work with venture capital firms can be found through Columbia Ideas at Work.

Halloween Party

Coming this week

Start Up Sound

Every morning, during the first class of the day, when your brain is trying to understand why is it awake, is there anything worst than this start  up sound of all the computers every time classes start?

There is … Let me show you an example.

 

What do we study here?

They teach us how can the most difficult problems be solved without all the information, how take the right decision under pressure, how success in the hardest times, ...

Let me show you through a real example, this is how an MBA brain works...

Quote of the week

After an unforgettable night at West End that included my first Beer Pong game, I have recalled that probably you miss my quotes of Life of Brian. Don’t worry, you will have a weekly selection of my favorite humor quotes here:

BRIAN:

I'm not Jewish. I'm a Roman.

PILATE:

A Woman?

BRIAN:

No, no. Roman.

[slap]

Aah!

PILATE:

So, your father was a Woman. Who was he?

BRIAN:

He was a centurion in the Jerusalem Garrisons.

PILATE:

Weally? What was his name?

BRIAN:

'Nortius Maximus'.

CENTURION:

Ahh, ha ha!

PILATE:

Centuwion, do we have anyone of that name in the gawwison?

CENTURION:

Well, no, sir.

PILATE:

Well, you sound vewy sure. Have you checked?

CENTURION:

Well, no, sir. Umm, I think it's a joke, sir,... like, uh, 'Sillius Soddus' or... 'Biggus Dickus', sir.

GUARD #4:

[chuckling]

PILATE:

What's so... funny about 'Biggus Dickus'?

CENTURION:

Well, it's a joke name, sir.

PILATE:

I have a vewy gweat fwiend in Wome called 'Biggus Dickus'.

Finally here, Skype Outlook Toolbar

After months trying the beta version Skype has launched the final version 1.0.0.0 (why some many zeros?)

If you use Outlook, it will be your best friend. Combined with Skype out is the definitive replacement for traditional phone lines.

Enjoy…

Tablet PC's best friends

Most than any other laptop, a Tablet PC is designed to be a mobile tool. This is a list of all the stuff you need to make it more “usable”.

SOFTWARE

• Agilix GoBinder: clearly better than MS One Note. Why? Some of the reasons are: syllabus included, calendar included (sync with Outlook), great to import PDF files and take notes over them, …
• Acronis True Image: great tool to make backups. When you are up and down all the day with your Tablet, it is crucial to be sure that you have all your data secured against accidents.
• Mind Manager X5: the best tool to create Mind Maps. BTW, Mind Maps the best way to summarize a class, to prepare yourself for an interview, to make a brainstorming session, …
• Zinio: say goodbye to traditional magazines and newspapers. Zinio is your always on News Stand.
• Microsoft Power Tools for Tablet PC, highly reccomended Snipping Tools 2.0.
• Remember to check Wacom to look for the lastest drivers for your Tablet PC

HARDWARE

• Get a bag from SF Bags, they have bags for every single Tablet and Laptop
• Screen Protection, Pocket Pc Techs has screen protectors for different models. You want your screen to last years, do you?
• Memory Upgrade. MS rules: as much memory as you can afford. Crucial has one of the best price/quality relationship.

Hope it helps

Why women live more?

According to this article

'Will to Live' Allowed Some to See 2000

(Associated Press, January 16, 2000)

NEW YORK - The city's death rate jumped in the first week of January, suggesting to experts some terminally ill patients held onto life just long enough to see the year 2000 arrive.

"The will to live can be pretty powerful," said Robert N. Butler, founder and president of the International Longevity Center.

Preliminary numbers from New York's Department of Health show 1,791 people died in the city in the first week of 2000 - a 50.8 percent increase from the 1,187 deaths for the same period last year and 46 percent more than the 1,226 deaths in the first week of 1998, The New York Times reported on Saturday.

"It's pretty well established that people who are seriously ill will hang on to reach significant events, whether they are birthdays, anniversaries or religious holidays," said Richard Suzman, an associate director of the National Institute on Aging in Bethesda, Md.

"In this case, making it into the next century or millennium certainly counts as that."

The increase was not caused by this year's influenza virus, because the flu has been occurring at normal levels in the city, said Health Department spokesman John Gadd.

National statistics are not yet available, and a spokesman for the city's health department said such data would take considerable time to analyze.

COROLLARY

Women remember more significance dates, heretofore they live more.

COROLLARY

Remember as many dates as you can, chances are you live forever.

 

 

iPOD 5G

Steve Jobs has introduced the new iPOD that includes video (30 fps). Curiously, I have not found any reference to the Steve Jobs’s words the last summer saying that there is no market for a Video Portable Device.

Probably the most interested thing is the agreement with Disney’s ABC channel to sell: Desperate Housewives, Lost, Pixar’s short films, …

BTW, definitively nice with a huge screen and a thinner

Call to ghostbusters

If there's somethin' strange in your neighborhood
Who ya gonna call (ghostbusters)
If it's somethin' weird an it won't look good
Who ya gonna call (ghostbusters)

Remember?

This film has endured the 80’s, 90’s and I’m sure will stay sharp through the new century. Do you remember the scene?

Dr Ray Stantz: Personally, I liked the university. They gave us money and facilities, we didn't have to produce anything! You've never been out of college! You don't know what it's like out there! I've *worked* in the private sector. They expect *results*.

This happened just in the stairs of Columbia. Can you believe? Columbia fired the Ghostbusters.

Just one more quote.

Gozer: [Evil voice] Are you a God?
Dr Ray Stantz: [Peter nods] No.
Gozer: Then... DIE!
[Electrocutes the Ghostbusters; pushing them to the edge of the apartment building; people screaming]
Winston Zeddemore: Ray, when someone asks if you're a God, you say "Yes"!

Mexican Food in New York City

Rosa Mexicano, 1st Avenue at 58th Street, one of the best mexican restaurants in this city. Recommendations:

• Start with a banderita: tequila, sangrita and lemon juice
• Order the Filet Mignon, medium red
• Finish with a typical spanish Flan

BTW, $50 / person but it’s worth it.

Wine Tasting

For all the wine lovers, let me recommend one web page Local Wine Events. Probably the best way to be sure that you don’t miss none of the wine tastings that every day New York offers.

 

Musts in your backpack

I move permanently: business school, events, home, library, ... There are a couple of things I need always with me. Here you have the list:

• Tablet PC and Accesories: my choice is a convertible one: Lenovo X41 Tablet PC. I keep the computer on a SF Bag: reliable, smooth and the only one with a X41T 8 cells model. I also carry the power cord. I really enjoy the ability to write on the Tablet, so I got a Wacom Cross Pen. It feels better than the original pen.
• Phone and PDA: my choice Samsung i730: PDA + Phone, ED-VO connection. I also carry a portable connector USB - i730 mainly to charge the device.
• Notebook: my choice is Moleskine in half letter size.
• Other Stuff: earphones and my name badge.

Really, things have not changed much from my work days.