Is there a reason for me to have this Laptop wondered my mind as I started shifting it around my belly as I was stretched in my couch with my boots on couple of ottomon sitting on both sides of the TV.
Still waiting on my laptop - which has become more of a Belly top after I stopped playing racquetball a couple of years back- to throw the browser at me. Still thrashing that memory and hard disk with that usual update from Uncle Bill , Yeah Yeah - the other Big Brother from Washington no not DC but the state! As the auto update is complete from Microsoft it prompts as usual for a system restart!
Now I am really wondering why I am I still using a Bellytop for accessing data and programs from the cloud!
As I hit the restart button and start waiting for it to come back AGAIN - I start to think of the things I did on my computer that last few days:
- Check my company email using a secured connection to my Blackberry supported back office application
- did my usual Amazon purchase: no not books! this time some electronics that was cheap!
- checked the weather as the summer came a bit too early in California!
- obviously had to do my suddenly frequent blogging
- opened my twitter account
- set up a GOOG Docs to start using some collaborative stuff with some start up initiative for a friend
- have been using Internet for CNBC TV and Bloomberg TV as my cable company Comcast decided to go digital ahead of the National cut off - making me unprepared and without cable news!
- Use the Word program to cut and paste some articles from the Web for later read
- and more and more from the net; from mail to skype to IM some photo upload and music download to my iTouch!
Now another prompt from my recently updated Windows - asking for changing some default options - stopped my train of thought!
Now I am really wondering - a few years back I was using my Laptop - when It was really a lap top for things that were loaded on my laptop - mostly Word, spreadsheet and presentation stuff! More than 90% of the work used to be on programs that recided on PC. Now I am begining to realise that less than 10% of the time that I spend is actually on programs resident on my laptop and most of that is to update my Windows! I am thinking my be I dont need to update my laptop as often as I am led to beleive!
Now its time for me to shift my Bellytop as the heat from the constant crunching in the background for the update has begun burning my skin. This Bellytop of my mine is more than a super computer of the 80s! Still I use it mainly as a gateway for external world - be it buying, selling ,communicating or accessing data , information or application! Yet I need a Supercomputing Bellytop which puts hole on my tummy!
May be, Just May be - I will stop updating my Windows so often - till they really make the real BellyTop which can access the external world for communication and data processing - with a simple screen and data interative model - either voice or even a modified keyboard to suit my new need and thirst of cloud computing world.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Saturday, May 16, 2009
India - Is it vote for Capitalism or Democracy?
The largest Democracy in the world voted in mass to bring back the Capitalistic Congress Party to power amidst the worst economic down turn in the world since the Depression.
With a diversity unrivalled and poverty rampant the intervention of the government is a must for this emerging and surging economy to claim its spot in the fast moving global economy.
With a delicate balance between urban world and the rural emphasis Mr Singh has done a great job in retaining his credibility. With the Gandhi Dynasty - not the original , in the verge of reclaiming New Delhi - with a full life ahead for the Younger politically charged Gandhis - Mr Rahul and Ms Priyanka - the future looks very interesting for India - as Mr Singh invites young Mr Rahul to the Cabinet!
With Communism and sectorial BJP losing ground - in what should have been their election given the economic uncertainilty - Capitalism seems to be entering a new phase. When the Western world is debating the merits of capitalism - the largest democracy has given its verdict: A Big thumbs up to the Capitalistic society!
India with the largest consumer market in sheer size - has the potential to dwarf -closely controlled Chinese market! With an open door policy that has built the recent growth - this nenewed strength in capitalistic congress can only move India farther away from its past and potentially decouple its economy from the rest of the world. This could potentially bring the much needed Manufacturing base to India which will expand the burgeoning middle class further and hopefully remove poverty from a much larger rural community which has suffered during BPO/Tech driven recent boom.With an imminent retail revolution the future bodes well for India.
May Be , Just May Be this time around the government policies will address a broader audience and focus more on bringing the much needed manufacturing base to be part of the Industrialised world.
With a diversity unrivalled and poverty rampant the intervention of the government is a must for this emerging and surging economy to claim its spot in the fast moving global economy.
With a delicate balance between urban world and the rural emphasis Mr Singh has done a great job in retaining his credibility. With the Gandhi Dynasty - not the original , in the verge of reclaiming New Delhi - with a full life ahead for the Younger politically charged Gandhis - Mr Rahul and Ms Priyanka - the future looks very interesting for India - as Mr Singh invites young Mr Rahul to the Cabinet!
With Communism and sectorial BJP losing ground - in what should have been their election given the economic uncertainilty - Capitalism seems to be entering a new phase. When the Western world is debating the merits of capitalism - the largest democracy has given its verdict: A Big thumbs up to the Capitalistic society!
India with the largest consumer market in sheer size - has the potential to dwarf -closely controlled Chinese market! With an open door policy that has built the recent growth - this nenewed strength in capitalistic congress can only move India farther away from its past and potentially decouple its economy from the rest of the world. This could potentially bring the much needed Manufacturing base to India which will expand the burgeoning middle class further and hopefully remove poverty from a much larger rural community which has suffered during BPO/Tech driven recent boom.With an imminent retail revolution the future bodes well for India.
May Be , Just May Be this time around the government policies will address a broader audience and focus more on bringing the much needed manufacturing base to be part of the Industrialised world.
Friday, May 15, 2009
AUTO 2.0
Turning a leaf as we prepare for a new generation of politicians!
Chrysler in Bankruptcy, Again and General Motors on the verge of imitating Chrysler!
Debt holders , UAW and the Dealers - clearly undergoing a massive shock as they see how the Change Machine operates.
All in the name of rebuilding American Automobile Industry! Yes it is needed to change the way Auto companies have been running the operations.
Losing market share and running a loss making enterprise is not new to modern capitalism. For every loser there is an opportunity and a potential winner willing and able to capitalize. Ford clearly has seen the messy involvement of the Change induced politicians taking contol of DC and decided to build their own dream and seems to be working.
Breaking down the Walls and building a ground up Management philosophy is clearly an advantage for GM and Chrysler - and eventually the American Consumer -as innovation and cost reduction translates into lower ownership cost.
The first structural impact is the inevitable shake up in the dealership concept and how the sales will be booked. Yes - it will change the way we see sales figures. The sales is based on what is shipped to the Dealer and not on actual sale to the end user.By trimming 40% of the dealership - in addition to lowering the reach of customers and reduced inventory - the shipment numbers cannot be easily manipulated! May be this will be an opportunity to book sales on actual sale and not on stuffing the channel!
This is only a side show if we do not capitalize on how the remaining dealership adapt to the changing user behaviour. Looking back at the first hundred years of American Auto History - several changes have happened in:
- hand me down cars
- fixit in my garage
- tune it with my buddies
- change when you like the next fashion show outlook
- use the dealer only for buying cars and nothing more
- rental cars to try out new cars while on the road
All these have been fast fading memories as the new generation have started
- my own low cost car
- less and less hand me downs as
- cars are not replaced automatically but driven till it dies
- garages are not fixit place anymore
- outside services used more for fixing
- more and more people look at dealer as a long term relationship for servicing
- rental cars are cheap alternative with no manufacturer loyalty
Given this changing culture and how we see the cars in the new millenium - by reducing dealership network might give an opportunity to help the remaining dealers to become a service center for the cars they sell. This is not new for Foreign car manufacturers where they have capitalised this changing user patterns to their advantage. This change if implemented along with the other changes that GM and Chrysler management and stake holders are contemplating - we are in for a healthy economic recovery with Automobile Industry bringing back innovation to Detroit!. May be , Just May Be this is a change that will bring back Manufacturing leadership to America!
-
Chrysler in Bankruptcy, Again and General Motors on the verge of imitating Chrysler!
Debt holders , UAW and the Dealers - clearly undergoing a massive shock as they see how the Change Machine operates.
All in the name of rebuilding American Automobile Industry! Yes it is needed to change the way Auto companies have been running the operations.
Losing market share and running a loss making enterprise is not new to modern capitalism. For every loser there is an opportunity and a potential winner willing and able to capitalize. Ford clearly has seen the messy involvement of the Change induced politicians taking contol of DC and decided to build their own dream and seems to be working.
Breaking down the Walls and building a ground up Management philosophy is clearly an advantage for GM and Chrysler - and eventually the American Consumer -as innovation and cost reduction translates into lower ownership cost.
The first structural impact is the inevitable shake up in the dealership concept and how the sales will be booked. Yes - it will change the way we see sales figures. The sales is based on what is shipped to the Dealer and not on actual sale to the end user.By trimming 40% of the dealership - in addition to lowering the reach of customers and reduced inventory - the shipment numbers cannot be easily manipulated! May be this will be an opportunity to book sales on actual sale and not on stuffing the channel!
This is only a side show if we do not capitalize on how the remaining dealership adapt to the changing user behaviour. Looking back at the first hundred years of American Auto History - several changes have happened in:
- hand me down cars
- fixit in my garage
- tune it with my buddies
- change when you like the next fashion show outlook
- use the dealer only for buying cars and nothing more
- rental cars to try out new cars while on the road
All these have been fast fading memories as the new generation have started
- my own low cost car
- less and less hand me downs as
- cars are not replaced automatically but driven till it dies
- garages are not fixit place anymore
- outside services used more for fixing
- more and more people look at dealer as a long term relationship for servicing
- rental cars are cheap alternative with no manufacturer loyalty
Given this changing culture and how we see the cars in the new millenium - by reducing dealership network might give an opportunity to help the remaining dealers to become a service center for the cars they sell. This is not new for Foreign car manufacturers where they have capitalised this changing user patterns to their advantage. This change if implemented along with the other changes that GM and Chrysler management and stake holders are contemplating - we are in for a healthy economic recovery with Automobile Industry bringing back innovation to Detroit!. May be , Just May Be this is a change that will bring back Manufacturing leadership to America!
-
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Scape Goat for a Countrywide Ponzy scheme?
We are entering a very dangerous period when the financial market appears to be reconciling about the past excesses and starts to think about a new life- Now this!
Angelo Mozilo's accussation may not be the issue! Mr Mozilo's organization might have been a part of the financial problem - but only a very very small part!
The fall out and the accussation on an individual might sound soothing - but will expose how the better part of Wall street who created, manipulated and indulged in the excesses (see Fool's Gold by Gillian Tett) and managed to get away with it.
If the accusation on Mr Mozilo is an indication - there is a good chance the high road might get drifted along the countryside and will never take the freeway to Wallstreet!
May be, Just May Be - this time it is NO Different! Especially when it comes to blaming the loner and keeping the loot!
Angelo Mozilo's accussation may not be the issue! Mr Mozilo's organization might have been a part of the financial problem - but only a very very small part!
The fall out and the accussation on an individual might sound soothing - but will expose how the better part of Wall street who created, manipulated and indulged in the excesses (see Fool's Gold by Gillian Tett) and managed to get away with it.
If the accusation on Mr Mozilo is an indication - there is a good chance the high road might get drifted along the countryside and will never take the freeway to Wallstreet!
May be, Just May Be - this time it is NO Different! Especially when it comes to blaming the loner and keeping the loot!
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Capitalism - Alive and Well!
The effect of Secondary Offerings!
Banks raising close to a couple of hundred billions
Oil & Gas companies raising money
Ford Raising money
Even cash rich Technology raising money!
All in the secondary market which needed thawing a few weeks back!
When even the Queen had difficulty raising less than a couple of Billion!
What to interpret:
The money that is reentering the market is obviously not Retail! As this debt or selected and exclusive share offering is not for the retail.
If this is the smart money – if the current “economic whatever” happened due to money strike – then the strike might be in the early stages of reconciliation!
If the Governments and various national & international agencies helped in trying to stabilize the market the last couple of years – the last few weeks they have not only succeeded in propping up the market – but seems to have enticed to bring the Smart Money back to the dance floor even at an elevated level – by not only increasing their poisonous risk appetite but this time they might engage them in a continuous propping and support given their gyrations in the floor and a possible groping for the bottom!
This secondary offering – happening at such a rapid clip might even help in thwarting any deflationary pressures that was being planned in the back ground of the now steadily fading depression era theatrics!
Yes we are still well within the what they would call a bear market rally and there are indications of similarity to previous ones – but “this time around it is different syndrome” also includes several of the “unusual” elements which might support the “this time around” argument! (the recent term the bears are calling : Cyclical Bull in a secular bear market!!)
Flooding the market with unprecedented amount of new debt/equity after a run up still is supporting the macro economic indicators that will support a steady recovery even if the growth is a few quarter out!
> Spread is still narrowing in the risky end of the spectrum
> Libor headed South of a Whole number and still no indication of change in direction
> Ben slowly changing his weapons of vocabulary by identifying the next phase of eco friendly measures by way of reduced use of trees as they scale down the printing measures!
> Secondary offerings are getting a reasonable bid to cover ratio
> Secondary offerings at this highly propped up values are bought by the people who would actually sell in similar situations
> Obama & Washington slowly getting back to what they are good at – playing politics!
> Stability in the currency market
May be this is not a time to lose guard but certainly not the end of time!
Capitalism is here for at least One more round!
Banks raising close to a couple of hundred billions
Oil & Gas companies raising money
Ford Raising money
Even cash rich Technology raising money!
All in the secondary market which needed thawing a few weeks back!
When even the Queen had difficulty raising less than a couple of Billion!
What to interpret:
The money that is reentering the market is obviously not Retail! As this debt or selected and exclusive share offering is not for the retail.
If this is the smart money – if the current “economic whatever” happened due to money strike – then the strike might be in the early stages of reconciliation!
If the Governments and various national & international agencies helped in trying to stabilize the market the last couple of years – the last few weeks they have not only succeeded in propping up the market – but seems to have enticed to bring the Smart Money back to the dance floor even at an elevated level – by not only increasing their poisonous risk appetite but this time they might engage them in a continuous propping and support given their gyrations in the floor and a possible groping for the bottom!
This secondary offering – happening at such a rapid clip might even help in thwarting any deflationary pressures that was being planned in the back ground of the now steadily fading depression era theatrics!
Yes we are still well within the what they would call a bear market rally and there are indications of similarity to previous ones – but “this time around it is different syndrome” also includes several of the “unusual” elements which might support the “this time around” argument! (the recent term the bears are calling : Cyclical Bull in a secular bear market!!)
Flooding the market with unprecedented amount of new debt/equity after a run up still is supporting the macro economic indicators that will support a steady recovery even if the growth is a few quarter out!
> Spread is still narrowing in the risky end of the spectrum
> Libor headed South of a Whole number and still no indication of change in direction
> Ben slowly changing his weapons of vocabulary by identifying the next phase of eco friendly measures by way of reduced use of trees as they scale down the printing measures!
> Secondary offerings are getting a reasonable bid to cover ratio
> Secondary offerings at this highly propped up values are bought by the people who would actually sell in similar situations
> Obama & Washington slowly getting back to what they are good at – playing politics!
> Stability in the currency market
May be this is not a time to lose guard but certainly not the end of time!
Capitalism is here for at least One more round!
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Waaas Up? Mr Obama!
Mr President while taking on the Press did send a strong message contending to Jay Leno's new Prime time Job!
Creatively Funny! Who ever wrote this deserve an Oscar! delivery was a classic Letterman!
From embarrassing Steele to some serious jabs at Bush and Cheney - sure came pretty low and didnt miss that opportunity to play down and dirty Chicago politics.
If this is just the type of politics we are going to see - there is no reason for late night routines!
And May Be, Just May Be - they might leave the economy to recover on its own and we might after all return to Free market capitalism!!
Creatively Funny! Who ever wrote this deserve an Oscar! delivery was a classic Letterman!
From embarrassing Steele to some serious jabs at Bush and Cheney - sure came pretty low and didnt miss that opportunity to play down and dirty Chicago politics.
If this is just the type of politics we are going to see - there is no reason for late night routines!
And May Be, Just May Be - they might leave the economy to recover on its own and we might after all return to Free market capitalism!!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Raising Capital! Pump-it UP!
TARP or No TARP!
Bail out or No Bail out!
Stress Test or No Stress Test!
Ben and Tim show with leaks all week about Stress Test! This -so carefully crafted so that the individual stock prices are kept at elevated levels!
$200 Billion plus pumped in through TARP programs and another $200B plus guaranteed by the Tax Payers to show an artifically inflated profits on Banks - while the stock prices kept getting pumped up!
From the lows all these stocks have jumped several hundred percent!
Now on the eve of Stress Test results we have started hearing Banks raising capital through Common shares!! It took less that 60 Days for various agencies and governments to pump these shares in the name of Financial stability!
Yes it is needed!
Encouraging and allowing these Banks to go to the open market to raise capital at this artifically pumped up rates - after being heaviliy dilited by way of Bail out funds??
Is this any different than Pump n Dump during the Dot com era ?
Yes it is need for the economic stability!
Government has already printed money and doled them to these institutes using various terminologies from Stimulus to bailout , from under writing to creative quant easing- just falling short of calling it what it is! Now this?
Right or Wrong - I think this will fix the systemic failure posed by the financial instability and move us back to the classical economic problems! For which we have enough tools to address!
Bail out or No Bail out!
Stress Test or No Stress Test!
Ben and Tim show with leaks all week about Stress Test! This -so carefully crafted so that the individual stock prices are kept at elevated levels!
$200 Billion plus pumped in through TARP programs and another $200B plus guaranteed by the Tax Payers to show an artifically inflated profits on Banks - while the stock prices kept getting pumped up!
From the lows all these stocks have jumped several hundred percent!
Now on the eve of Stress Test results we have started hearing Banks raising capital through Common shares!! It took less that 60 Days for various agencies and governments to pump these shares in the name of Financial stability!
Yes it is needed!
Encouraging and allowing these Banks to go to the open market to raise capital at this artifically pumped up rates - after being heaviliy dilited by way of Bail out funds??
Is this any different than Pump n Dump during the Dot com era ?
Yes it is need for the economic stability!
Government has already printed money and doled them to these institutes using various terminologies from Stimulus to bailout , from under writing to creative quant easing- just falling short of calling it what it is! Now this?
Right or Wrong - I think this will fix the systemic failure posed by the financial instability and move us back to the classical economic problems! For which we have enough tools to address!
TARP and Private Capital? Stresses over Bank Stress Test!
Over $200 Billion pumped into the top 20 Banks by the Government. Another maybe $200 plus billion raised by Banks in teh market by government guarantees in the name of TLGP! WHAAAT the heck is TLGP - thats what she said!
Now after the stress Test the banks need another maybe couple of hundres billion dollars!
All this while the Fed & Treasury are managing carefully how they handle the Government funding of the long end! Yes today's 30 Yr had a little headwind with the Bond Vigilantes- may be only 10-15 basis points - but enough to create a noise - even though the Bid to cove is still a healthy 2.14!
This at the time when UK had difficulty with a couple of billion dollars and rest of the world having a much difficult time raising anything!
Is it the beginning of a change of guard with the fear of inflation seeds being plowed by printing endless amounts of money in the name of financial stability with the help of quantitative easing or just an opportunity for the bond vigilantes to bark at any abberation?
With the banks and the governments taking money on one side and pumping from the other - they are really bringing the survival to the best minds capable of acting the play in a fictional economic stage!
Now after the stress Test the banks need another maybe couple of hundres billion dollars!
All this while the Fed & Treasury are managing carefully how they handle the Government funding of the long end! Yes today's 30 Yr had a little headwind with the Bond Vigilantes- may be only 10-15 basis points - but enough to create a noise - even though the Bid to cove is still a healthy 2.14!
This at the time when UK had difficulty with a couple of billion dollars and rest of the world having a much difficult time raising anything!
Is it the beginning of a change of guard with the fear of inflation seeds being plowed by printing endless amounts of money in the name of financial stability with the help of quantitative easing or just an opportunity for the bond vigilantes to bark at any abberation?
With the banks and the governments taking money on one side and pumping from the other - they are really bringing the survival to the best minds capable of acting the play in a fictional economic stage!
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Short Selling! Up-tick Rule!!
Who benefits from an up-tick rule?
Watching a brief clip on the SEC hearing on Short selling debate is amazing! General Electric's spokesperson builds an argument on why it should be brought back and Credit Suisse's argument goes on to explain why un-restricted short selling is imperative to bring a balance between buyer and seller in the market!
Mary Schapiro's task at SEC is figuring out how this can been played politically into the hands of a pending global economic recovery!
Stocks as an asset class is getting smaller and smaller in the overall scheme of financial world - even though it is by bar the most influential when it comes to investor sentiment & retail investors. Bonds, Currencies and Treasuries in various forms dwarfs the significance of stock pricing.
Now - short selling a piece of the pie of an insignificant yet influential component - if it can work in a bull market them then there is no reason it cannot work in a bear market- if the assumptions we are making is most of the investment strategy has its time and place! And excess in any one direction has its own penalty.
I am sure we will look at this during a bull market and wonder if there is a rationality for this- like the last time when the authority acted on it!
Shorting like every other strategy on any asset class has its own inherent risks if applied in excess and there is no reason to look at it any differently than any thing else.
Watching a brief clip on the SEC hearing on Short selling debate is amazing! General Electric's spokesperson builds an argument on why it should be brought back and Credit Suisse's argument goes on to explain why un-restricted short selling is imperative to bring a balance between buyer and seller in the market!
Mary Schapiro's task at SEC is figuring out how this can been played politically into the hands of a pending global economic recovery!
Stocks as an asset class is getting smaller and smaller in the overall scheme of financial world - even though it is by bar the most influential when it comes to investor sentiment & retail investors. Bonds, Currencies and Treasuries in various forms dwarfs the significance of stock pricing.
Now - short selling a piece of the pie of an insignificant yet influential component - if it can work in a bull market them then there is no reason it cannot work in a bear market- if the assumptions we are making is most of the investment strategy has its time and place! And excess in any one direction has its own penalty.
I am sure we will look at this during a bull market and wonder if there is a rationality for this- like the last time when the authority acted on it!
Shorting like every other strategy on any asset class has its own inherent risks if applied in excess and there is no reason to look at it any differently than any thing else.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Blog Surfing & Digital Hunting!
News Print & the Future of News Making!
Listening to a friend of mine the other day who is in the Media enablement business about how the print media and news paper business is suffering made me wonder what can be done differently to revive interest.
As I heard that several news papers around the country are in trouble and the circulation is so bad that they might just shut the operation down makes me want to do something to about it.
It hurts a bit to know that news papers which had been a part of my life for so many decades is finally feeling its age too!
As a crawling kid I was given old papers to scribble and tear – I was told! As I started walking and running - enjoyed the routine of picking up the morning paper for my parents! As age started bringing more refined requirements and needs I had the flexibility to diversify and specialize in reading from professional requirements to local weather patterns. In the last several years a daily refresh of news creation was not just enough for my addiction of reading about what is happening. From local events to international festivities - internet and free internet media enabled me to browse at leisure what ever and when ever about anything.
I sure spend more time reading about everything that I stumble into as there is no structure to what I carry to my breakfast table or my commute train! Driving through and walking around I see the invasion of privacy in the form of digital media and TV in gas station and in Toilets where flat screen panels provide local news from weather patterns to traffic congestions.
Just when I was about to feel a pattern which is trying to retire the traditional news media I was intrigued by something during a Google search which led me into a Blog! A couple of hours later I found myself blog surfing from country to country and about some very fascinating subjects – wood works to city lights and shapes of hand made candles and photos of different shapes of public transportation and on and on …and I couldn’t help but notice that I was being sucked into the blogger’s world with absolutely no need to research or read! Every one of them were very exquisitely articulated and tastefully published- making me feel inadequate! It suddenly occurred to me that we have transformed ourselves into a digital society where we are not bound by what can be packaged and delivered – but have become hunters again!
I started seeing where the news media needs to go if they need to cater to the morphing society!
Digital Hunting and Blog Surfing seems to carve a new form of civilization where new innovation and cultural modifications will become an every day occurrence!
Listening to a friend of mine the other day who is in the Media enablement business about how the print media and news paper business is suffering made me wonder what can be done differently to revive interest.
As I heard that several news papers around the country are in trouble and the circulation is so bad that they might just shut the operation down makes me want to do something to about it.
It hurts a bit to know that news papers which had been a part of my life for so many decades is finally feeling its age too!
As a crawling kid I was given old papers to scribble and tear – I was told! As I started walking and running - enjoyed the routine of picking up the morning paper for my parents! As age started bringing more refined requirements and needs I had the flexibility to diversify and specialize in reading from professional requirements to local weather patterns. In the last several years a daily refresh of news creation was not just enough for my addiction of reading about what is happening. From local events to international festivities - internet and free internet media enabled me to browse at leisure what ever and when ever about anything.
I sure spend more time reading about everything that I stumble into as there is no structure to what I carry to my breakfast table or my commute train! Driving through and walking around I see the invasion of privacy in the form of digital media and TV in gas station and in Toilets where flat screen panels provide local news from weather patterns to traffic congestions.
Just when I was about to feel a pattern which is trying to retire the traditional news media I was intrigued by something during a Google search which led me into a Blog! A couple of hours later I found myself blog surfing from country to country and about some very fascinating subjects – wood works to city lights and shapes of hand made candles and photos of different shapes of public transportation and on and on …and I couldn’t help but notice that I was being sucked into the blogger’s world with absolutely no need to research or read! Every one of them were very exquisitely articulated and tastefully published- making me feel inadequate! It suddenly occurred to me that we have transformed ourselves into a digital society where we are not bound by what can be packaged and delivered – but have become hunters again!
I started seeing where the news media needs to go if they need to cater to the morphing society!
Digital Hunting and Blog Surfing seems to carve a new form of civilization where new innovation and cultural modifications will become an every day occurrence!
Friday, May 1, 2009
In the Middle of Pandemic & Economic Whatever!
After close to 18 months of continuous coverage of Economic events during the first 10 minutes in every news segment by every channel 7x24 it was interesting to see what is getting mind share of the press!
What’s hitting the headlines in the first 5 minutes of Morning News:
CNBC:
Warren Buffet: Its no longer Economic Pearl Harbor
Paul Volker: We have hit bottom & we no longer need additional stimulus package
ABC: YouTube helps deliver Baby!
CBS Local: Jerry Brown’s( California AG,ex GOV, possible future GOV) Wheel stolen; He has posted on his Facebook about his new replacement and he is mobile now!
AP: Animals and Birds also shake their booties for Music!
MSNBC: First Dog Duties
CNN: Recommends Elbow bump instead of handshake to avoid spreading of Honey Flu, during their Pandemic headline coverage
Fox News: Most Valuable Mom: Pro football player’s mom launching a Kitchen TV program
KRON 4: Why the Swine Flu vaccine was stopped from circulation
What’s hitting the headlines in the first 5 minutes of Morning News:
CNBC:
Warren Buffet: Its no longer Economic Pearl Harbor
Paul Volker: We have hit bottom & we no longer need additional stimulus package
ABC: YouTube helps deliver Baby!
CBS Local: Jerry Brown’s( California AG,ex GOV, possible future GOV) Wheel stolen; He has posted on his Facebook about his new replacement and he is mobile now!
AP: Animals and Birds also shake their booties for Music!
MSNBC: First Dog Duties
CNN: Recommends Elbow bump instead of handshake to avoid spreading of Honey Flu, during their Pandemic headline coverage
Fox News: Most Valuable Mom: Pro football player’s mom launching a Kitchen TV program
KRON 4: Why the Swine Flu vaccine was stopped from circulation
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Funding CDC for an Epidemic?
WHO just raised the alert level to a close to dangerous 5!
Not to trivialize the importance of the current crisis – but couldn’t help but just see how we are handling the current crisis using technology & may be – JUST MAY BE , Google might help in raising money for CDC & healthcare!
Listening to the Live feed from CDC on CNN the Acting CDC Director mentioned among other important things – How they are communicating and keeping up with events happening so rapidly! Some data
4000 Phone calls
2000 emails
6-7 million hits on their website
Started Web-casting
Started Twitting!!
Just upgraded the CDC servers.
Now this is a number any website would drool to get- May be JUST MAY BE CDC should start advertising using the GOOGLE engine with that kind of numbers- and May be JUST MAY BE – CDC might be able to fund most of its requirements very quickly!!
Not to trivialize the importance of the current crisis – but couldn’t help but just see how we are handling the current crisis using technology & may be – JUST MAY BE , Google might help in raising money for CDC & healthcare!
Listening to the Live feed from CDC on CNN the Acting CDC Director mentioned among other important things – How they are communicating and keeping up with events happening so rapidly! Some data
4000 Phone calls
2000 emails
6-7 million hits on their website
Started Web-casting
Started Twitting!!
Just upgraded the CDC servers.
Now this is a number any website would drool to get- May be JUST MAY BE CDC should start advertising using the GOOGLE engine with that kind of numbers- and May be JUST MAY BE – CDC might be able to fund most of its requirements very quickly!!
Chrysler: Systemic Risk or Too much of "A Biggest Little Car" Company to Fail?
Warm and cozy in a negotiation table with the outcome pre-determined by the mediating team!
Intervention or Tipping Point?
Chrysler: Surgical Bankruptcy with a imminent protection and backing of Chrysler by the White House and the Administration.
All in the name of National Interest?
Yes, it is a Legacy!
Yes, its that little company that CAN!
Yes, Its that Phoenix that came out of Detroit!
Yes, its that company that once was adopted by Mercedes!
A National Interest?
With the Administration being very vocal about what outcome they are interested in - A Big haircut for the Bond Holders- clearly didn't take the impartial middleman role!
This at a time when the Government participation is heavily criticized and questioned regarding its heavy handedness in how it is handling the Economic Welfare of the country - by way of setting Management standards - from salary structure to policy polarization, is entering a very nebulous area.
Rationality for Chrysler debacle-
Is it National pride or interest?
Is it another Too Big to Fail Syndrome?
Or is it just a little political game being carefully orchestrated which hides the pentup Anger of a few?
What ever it is - we are now in the verge of extending the political participation beyond Government lending a hand!
Attention Business School OWNERS: Time to CHANGE your curriculum!
Intervention or Tipping Point?
Chrysler: Surgical Bankruptcy with a imminent protection and backing of Chrysler by the White House and the Administration.
All in the name of National Interest?
Yes, it is a Legacy!
Yes, its that little company that CAN!
Yes, Its that Phoenix that came out of Detroit!
Yes, its that company that once was adopted by Mercedes!
A National Interest?
With the Administration being very vocal about what outcome they are interested in - A Big haircut for the Bond Holders- clearly didn't take the impartial middleman role!
This at a time when the Government participation is heavily criticized and questioned regarding its heavy handedness in how it is handling the Economic Welfare of the country - by way of setting Management standards - from salary structure to policy polarization, is entering a very nebulous area.
Rationality for Chrysler debacle-
Is it National pride or interest?
Is it another Too Big to Fail Syndrome?
Or is it just a little political game being carefully orchestrated which hides the pentup Anger of a few?
What ever it is - we are now in the verge of extending the political participation beyond Government lending a hand!
Attention Business School OWNERS: Time to CHANGE your curriculum!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Please , Please Mr Balmer!
Balmer's PINK needs to be better than the PINK clad supermodels from Victoria's Secret if they have to steal the innovation that is emerging around the cell phone life style created by Jobs and Apple fast followed by Google and Palm.
It is not just a better phone that is selling – it is creating an eco-system around the emerging wireless generation that is redefining the way we communicate, socialize & entertain as an individual/business entity that is winning.
This new way of thinking forms the basis for creating new products from development cycle – packaging – pricing & distribution to support & services – from consumers to corporate corridors – and is getting the attention. Fast fading are the days when applications were spun around device capabilities – we are entering a new era where usability and human interface with emerging social lifestyle will define how the devices will be built. Force feeding a word processor and spreadsheet in every device that is electronics model developed by the previous generation's vision of computer in a home will have a tough time adopting to the new wave of simplified single purpose applications developed by an innovative platform – which is Internet! Please, Please Mr Balmer – Surprise the world for a change!
It is not just a better phone that is selling – it is creating an eco-system around the emerging wireless generation that is redefining the way we communicate, socialize & entertain as an individual/business entity that is winning.
This new way of thinking forms the basis for creating new products from development cycle – packaging – pricing & distribution to support & services – from consumers to corporate corridors – and is getting the attention. Fast fading are the days when applications were spun around device capabilities – we are entering a new era where usability and human interface with emerging social lifestyle will define how the devices will be built. Force feeding a word processor and spreadsheet in every device that is electronics model developed by the previous generation's vision of computer in a home will have a tough time adopting to the new wave of simplified single purpose applications developed by an innovative platform – which is Internet! Please, Please Mr Balmer – Surprise the world for a change!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Economic Calmness!
Another corporate earnings season comes and goes!
Only this time around the fall is cushioned with another expectation mishap - Favorably?
Media headlines are backing up with the usual entertainment driven attention grabbers as they start moving away from interviews of every day economists & financial advisors! Late night comedians are finding political materials easily to divert the economic monotony of the past couple of years.
As China finds its way into loading up with Gold - the bullion market is still less appetizing as an inflation diet!
With Euro and Pound finding a more manageable intermediate balancing act - Dollar looks like it has managed to hold most of its recent reversals. Quantitative Easing - from Developed economies to emerging ones - having less and less meaning for the theorists.
May be the governing agencies of the post Industrial world has found a temporary antidote to appease the force behind the financial revolt that was eroding the confidence of the haves?
A few more weeks of reduced political gaffes between policy makers and public agencies around the world to neutralize the modern economic vigilantes who were close becoming pirates of the technological & synthetic currencies to destabilize the prosperity induced harmony - may be this Economic calmness will be here for some time as it starts leaving room for more understandable economic cycles!
Only this time around the fall is cushioned with another expectation mishap - Favorably?
Media headlines are backing up with the usual entertainment driven attention grabbers as they start moving away from interviews of every day economists & financial advisors! Late night comedians are finding political materials easily to divert the economic monotony of the past couple of years.
As China finds its way into loading up with Gold - the bullion market is still less appetizing as an inflation diet!
With Euro and Pound finding a more manageable intermediate balancing act - Dollar looks like it has managed to hold most of its recent reversals. Quantitative Easing - from Developed economies to emerging ones - having less and less meaning for the theorists.
May be the governing agencies of the post Industrial world has found a temporary antidote to appease the force behind the financial revolt that was eroding the confidence of the haves?
A few more weeks of reduced political gaffes between policy makers and public agencies around the world to neutralize the modern economic vigilantes who were close becoming pirates of the technological & synthetic currencies to destabilize the prosperity induced harmony - may be this Economic calmness will be here for some time as it starts leaving room for more understandable economic cycles!
Queen Sends a Messenger
Reproduced from 4th March 2009 Posting during British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's visit to America.
Queen sends a messenger!
Not since the Imminent End of the End of the British Empire did the Queen send someone to this side of the Atlantic.
Mr. Brown in his address to the US Senate-Congress offered a generous bag of goodies from the Queen-
- A Gratitude for the American Soldiers sacrificed in the European continent-really emotional when narrating the Normandy!
- An acknowledgement for the magnanimity of the American leaders in supporting England and the Good in fighting Evil powers! (Oops must be Germany!)
- An offer to renew the multi-decade marriage between England & America to protect the endangered world from the evil forces, once again!
And aah- the sack was still full of goodies – including a Knightwood to the Great American!
A pence too weak and a pound too rich for the recently Knighted American congressman – Sir Edward Kennedy, as his brethren once said Why did the Kennedys come to America- only the Queen knows and Yes indeed she did drive them out of the continent to reach for the new found land! And talking of economy and the missteps of the world in embracing CDOs and the other esoteric financial weapons- which has the World in this mess, he memory failed to serve him a bit on the details – how for close to a decade Mr Brown himself had the privilege of serving Her Majesty in writing the checkbook for Her Kingdom and overseeing the creation of the very instruments from the shores of Thames!
While comparing Mr O to the Roosevelts, Reagans and the Obamas of the world who made this world a safe and secure place- he did want Mr Obama to Join the Queen to once again fight the Bad!
Its either the Queen was offended from Hillary skipping a continent or the smell from Thames is turning red- that has made this travel a priority for the Queen!Or is it just the Cat fight that is brewing with Ms Merkel and Ms Clinton trying to steal the Throne away from the Queen, either way as any smart person would quip “Indeed we are in an Un-chartered Territory, and Her Majesty Knows it NOW!! Please call Mr.Bond – as Her Majesty needs his service”
Since Mr Q has retired may be Mr Bond could use the services of Mr O thought Her Majesty in sending Mr Brown!
Queen sends a messenger!
Not since the Imminent End of the End of the British Empire did the Queen send someone to this side of the Atlantic.
Mr. Brown in his address to the US Senate-Congress offered a generous bag of goodies from the Queen-
- A Gratitude for the American Soldiers sacrificed in the European continent-really emotional when narrating the Normandy!
- An acknowledgement for the magnanimity of the American leaders in supporting England and the Good in fighting Evil powers! (Oops must be Germany!)
- An offer to renew the multi-decade marriage between England & America to protect the endangered world from the evil forces, once again!
And aah- the sack was still full of goodies – including a Knightwood to the Great American!
A pence too weak and a pound too rich for the recently Knighted American congressman – Sir Edward Kennedy, as his brethren once said Why did the Kennedys come to America- only the Queen knows and Yes indeed she did drive them out of the continent to reach for the new found land! And talking of economy and the missteps of the world in embracing CDOs and the other esoteric financial weapons- which has the World in this mess, he memory failed to serve him a bit on the details – how for close to a decade Mr Brown himself had the privilege of serving Her Majesty in writing the checkbook for Her Kingdom and overseeing the creation of the very instruments from the shores of Thames!
While comparing Mr O to the Roosevelts, Reagans and the Obamas of the world who made this world a safe and secure place- he did want Mr Obama to Join the Queen to once again fight the Bad!
Its either the Queen was offended from Hillary skipping a continent or the smell from Thames is turning red- that has made this travel a priority for the Queen!Or is it just the Cat fight that is brewing with Ms Merkel and Ms Clinton trying to steal the Throne away from the Queen, either way as any smart person would quip “Indeed we are in an Un-chartered Territory, and Her Majesty Knows it NOW!! Please call Mr.Bond – as Her Majesty needs his service”
Since Mr Q has retired may be Mr Bond could use the services of Mr O thought Her Majesty in sending Mr Brown!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Facebook Conundrum!
Watching news on CNN saw the clip on Obama 100 Days analysis. In that Cafferty file segment requested viewers to post their assessment on CNN website for an incentive of being read on live TV.. My heart started racing. I have been working on the changes that will bring America on top AGAIN.. And I have started collecting anecdotal evidences along with some policy shifts to support that. I have been calling it America 2.0...now suddenly I am seeing an opportunity to push America 2.0 on air..yet I am not ready. Being Opinionated yet opportunistic now I am thinking if I am cute I might be able to get my views aired on air and might get played over and over and over and... ! I go to work. Go get a couple of Blogs going under America 2.0.. Ten minutes later I have my assessment on the subject, decide on what might get the attention and post a crisp four liner - long enough to convey something yet short enough to get the attention! Click! Now its Tick .. Tick .. Tick and Click time to see if it gets the attention. No it is waiting for moderator intervention. Tick..tick.. tick (waiting time) and click ( refresh button time). Nope its still waiting on moderator. Commercial on CNN ... I am nervous to change channel as I don't want to miss that moment when they read my email on TV! And America 2.0 going national!! Decide to see through the commercial... While I tick.. tick..tick..and click again! Now there are 142 responses but mine is still on Tick.. Tick..tick and Click mode..ten minutes later CNN decides to read some mails...anxiously watching. No! No fame this time! A bit disappointment! Go back to website to see..still on Tick.. Tick..Tick and Click mode! Now its up to 300 responses! Well I decide to move on after having wasted about 30 odd minutes!
This morning as I was flipping through channels, again I stop at CNN - only this time the news was interesting.. Its about getting hooked on to and addicted to Facebook. A Medical expert was there addressing how people are addicted to Facebook some extreme cases spending 15 odd hours a day on Facebook and the expert was recommending on how people can address this addiction to Facebook! Now I am really thinking....may be I will go and post this on my Blog!
And thank God for innovation..between interruptions I could actually post it straight from my Blackberry without any computer or waiting through commercial breaks! As I get ready to Click my Blackberry something odd crossed my mind on what I was about to do...I guess the conundrum extends beyond Facebook without labeling and I am stuck in it too!!!
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
AMERICA 2.0! Healthcare
MODERNIZING HEALTHCARE – Mr. President’s Prescription?
Is social healthcare all about providing insurance for 50 plus million American people with no coverage? Is this a mechanism to marginalize the compensation for this high stress high skill precision services industry? Or a way to remove redundancy in a complex mostly underwritten yet very regulated insurance driven industry? Or is it about new means of Healthcare Delivery which brings responsibility to a very complex service driven yet thankless industry at the same time bringing capitalistic innovation for a new and cost effective healthcare to all human beings- bringing services to where it is needed and when it is needed without compromising quality, capability or compensation for the services. It certainly looks like one of those too good to believe strategy.
Healthcare Delivery need not be about reducing patient care or money to every provider in the health care system.
Looking at how the current day participants - patient, doctor, employer, hospitals, governments - state and central, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers could change to act responsibly without giving up on free market principles – sheds light on the efficiency a change could bring to this industry.In the current setup If a person is insured either through eligible employment or through dependency coverage or through other state or government programs - most likely the following scenario happens.From dental to vision to any doctor’s or hospital visit the concern is not about what the cure is or the cost of service is - it is more about what the out of pocket expenses are. From a providers perspective it is more about what the individual’s eligibility is and not about what the best available service is.
PHARMACEUTICALS:
Statins- 40B in revenue and growing and there is no reason for them to lower the cost for several years. Avastin - has the ability to extend the end of life by a few months in conjunction with other expensive cancer treatments for a total cost of 50K. Every person eventually gets into a lifestyle drug to address some form of age related degeneration or lifestyle induced ailment. As the cost of administering is paid by a third party - insurance which in turn is either provided by the employer or the government in most of the cases( 90% of total healthcare expenses for an individual is towards the last 6 months of life & most of the people at that stage is covered by government policies) - it is very easy to adjust to a cocktail of pills every day without adjusting or making an attempt for a change in lifestyle.
This relieves the individuals from the responsibility of putting pressure for a cure. This kind of lifestyle encourages the pharmaceuticals to create lipitors and avastins which does not attempt to cure the disease but provide life enhancing mechanisms by curing symptoms and incremental solutions. It is the equivalent of Software As A Service- Drugs As A Service?? Imagine having a Tylenol for fixing blood-pressure or diabetes or cholesterol – or on the other end imagine taking a daily pill for the rest of the life for a head ache?
The incentive should be to find medicines to cure ailments and not to address symptoms on an incremental basis- making lifestyle addiction, both physically and psychologically, to a basket of pills.
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS
The next element is equipments and tools that are used in hospitals from MRI to EKGs. Every manufacturing industry from automobiles to semiconductors the common theme is increased capabilities and price compression- in medical GEs and siemens of the world have failed in its responsibility in using the same fundamentals like every other industry - if high tech principle is used today an million plus MRI equipment will be a portable device which will be given away for a couple of bucks.
By keeping costs high it limits the applicability of the device. If you take Intuitive Surgical’s Davinci robotics tool which is million plus - in addition to providing cost effective alternate procedures using minimally invasive operations - it actually increases the odds of survival by a huge factor. The cost makes it very difficult for all hospitals and clinics to afford it and also keeps the skills needed at artificially high levels. By expanding the reach of such equipments and devices we can increase the demand and also provide an inexpensive solution – which will reduce the overall hospital care cost.
HOSPITALS & CLINICS
Either by design or by carefully planned public policies – the states and cities are drawn out to have sparsely populated communities extending to the wide corners of the country- excluding a few major cities. This kind of development makes it economically impossible to have a total healthcare package available in every city and neighborhood. The latest in medical innovation is available to densely populated communities – making it either expensive or untimely to offer services in most of the smaller cities. By adopting a combination of connected clinics with sophisticated tele-medicine we can provide most of the latest development in every corner irrespective of the market size- this will enable the prices of newer innovations to come down dramatically and also have more and more companies entering the market as this will actually address the total population irrespective of the size of individual communities.
Looking at a Wal-Mart’s clinic where most of the day to day medical requirements are available by Telemedicine - it is not just the cost that is important –
- Where it is available
- What it takes to provide services
-increase the productivity of specialist and reach of the specialists to every corner without need for size of area or market
- by easy access to clinics with little cycle time most of the ailments can be detected at a very early stage thus reducing cost both from a productivity standpoint and also from a healthcare point of view.
CORPRATE ADVANTAGES
Moving cost away from the company's structure brings reality to actual pay scale for every position in the company. As the insurance premium is based on average age, size of organization and overall health habits of the employees and their families - the average cost becomes a base wage for every position irrespective of the competitive position of the company's product or service offering. This also gives undue advantage for large companies over smaller rivals as smaller companies end up either paying more or offering less choices to its employees. This movement of cost away from the company enables organizations to focus on products and services and attract talent and contain their costs competitively. From an employee’s perspective - they are able to pick and choose their jobs based on their interest and capability. This indirectly reduces discrimination on prospective candidates based on the individual’s health history. In the long run it pushes the responsibility on the individual which brings more awareness and responsibility to develop healthy habits and eventually bring down cost of patient care. This gives more flexibility for companies to provide different ways to educate and provide a healthy environment for the employees.
INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS
Once the organizations are relieved of the cost overhangs from the insurance subsidies – they have lot of leverage and flexibility to offer better and healthier environment to bring awareness about healthy lifestyles and better medical practices amongst its employees.
Recently Cisco dedicated a huge building for health and exercise with a resident doctor and a full service clinic. At the outset it looks like a PR ploy by the HR Dept. Digging deeper we can see how it can change lifestyle and cost behavior.By offering such a service it enables the employees to use it at the earliest symptoms of any ailments.
This reduces the healthcare costs in several ways-
1- reduces the number of sickness related absenteeism
2- reduces spreading to fellow employees
3- reduces the cure cost as it is found early
4- also reduces the insurance premiums
INSURANCE
Looking at insurance- every person carries insurance from the moment they are conceived. Most of the healthy persons do not start developing any ailments till in their 50s. With a job no issue as the company picks it up. Let us say no job- insurance is impossible to get as the person falls in the high risk category. Now what ever happened to the 50 plus years of low risk period during which the individual carried insurance? Even car insurance offers good driver credit and no accident reduction - doesn't it make sense that if an individual carried a good health for 50 plus years should get something in return?
TECHNOLOGY
As technology is evolving at a rapid clip – from wireless to collaborative innovations – it is very easy to find ways to offer very sophisticated healthcare system that will bring responsibility and accountability to every level of the healthcare supply chain – enabling lowered/affordable yet uncompromising services to everyone without commoditizing and marginalizing the service providers. On an average for every 10 minutes of patient time spent by a doctor 20 plus minutes is spent on non-patient time. BY bringing innovative processes and technology this ratio can be adjusted favorably helping both the patient cost and increasing the productivity of the doctors – without compromising the quality of service or the compensation structure.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Acting as a responsible regulator the government can ensure free market forces to provide a healthy yet capitalistic and creative services driven healthcare. By being a pioneer in implementing a broad base health system this will expand the American corporate global market share significantly as they will innovate and deliver more cost effective yet revolutionary products and services which will be sought after globally. This would bring back market leadership to most of the companies which have been losing market share to either low cost generics or to low cost manufacturing bases.
By bringing new innovation and bring responsibility to every participant of the healthcare system – it will also reduce the cost of insurance both for patient care and malpractice alike.
Is social healthcare all about providing insurance for 50 plus million American people with no coverage? Is this a mechanism to marginalize the compensation for this high stress high skill precision services industry? Or a way to remove redundancy in a complex mostly underwritten yet very regulated insurance driven industry? Or is it about new means of Healthcare Delivery which brings responsibility to a very complex service driven yet thankless industry at the same time bringing capitalistic innovation for a new and cost effective healthcare to all human beings- bringing services to where it is needed and when it is needed without compromising quality, capability or compensation for the services. It certainly looks like one of those too good to believe strategy.
Healthcare Delivery need not be about reducing patient care or money to every provider in the health care system.
Looking at how the current day participants - patient, doctor, employer, hospitals, governments - state and central, medical device manufacturers and pharmaceutical companies and insurance providers could change to act responsibly without giving up on free market principles – sheds light on the efficiency a change could bring to this industry.In the current setup If a person is insured either through eligible employment or through dependency coverage or through other state or government programs - most likely the following scenario happens.From dental to vision to any doctor’s or hospital visit the concern is not about what the cure is or the cost of service is - it is more about what the out of pocket expenses are. From a providers perspective it is more about what the individual’s eligibility is and not about what the best available service is.
PHARMACEUTICALS:
Statins- 40B in revenue and growing and there is no reason for them to lower the cost for several years. Avastin - has the ability to extend the end of life by a few months in conjunction with other expensive cancer treatments for a total cost of 50K. Every person eventually gets into a lifestyle drug to address some form of age related degeneration or lifestyle induced ailment. As the cost of administering is paid by a third party - insurance which in turn is either provided by the employer or the government in most of the cases( 90% of total healthcare expenses for an individual is towards the last 6 months of life & most of the people at that stage is covered by government policies) - it is very easy to adjust to a cocktail of pills every day without adjusting or making an attempt for a change in lifestyle.
This relieves the individuals from the responsibility of putting pressure for a cure. This kind of lifestyle encourages the pharmaceuticals to create lipitors and avastins which does not attempt to cure the disease but provide life enhancing mechanisms by curing symptoms and incremental solutions. It is the equivalent of Software As A Service- Drugs As A Service?? Imagine having a Tylenol for fixing blood-pressure or diabetes or cholesterol – or on the other end imagine taking a daily pill for the rest of the life for a head ache?
The incentive should be to find medicines to cure ailments and not to address symptoms on an incremental basis- making lifestyle addiction, both physically and psychologically, to a basket of pills.
EQUIPMENT MANUFACTURERS
The next element is equipments and tools that are used in hospitals from MRI to EKGs. Every manufacturing industry from automobiles to semiconductors the common theme is increased capabilities and price compression- in medical GEs and siemens of the world have failed in its responsibility in using the same fundamentals like every other industry - if high tech principle is used today an million plus MRI equipment will be a portable device which will be given away for a couple of bucks.
By keeping costs high it limits the applicability of the device. If you take Intuitive Surgical’s Davinci robotics tool which is million plus - in addition to providing cost effective alternate procedures using minimally invasive operations - it actually increases the odds of survival by a huge factor. The cost makes it very difficult for all hospitals and clinics to afford it and also keeps the skills needed at artificially high levels. By expanding the reach of such equipments and devices we can increase the demand and also provide an inexpensive solution – which will reduce the overall hospital care cost.
HOSPITALS & CLINICS
Either by design or by carefully planned public policies – the states and cities are drawn out to have sparsely populated communities extending to the wide corners of the country- excluding a few major cities. This kind of development makes it economically impossible to have a total healthcare package available in every city and neighborhood. The latest in medical innovation is available to densely populated communities – making it either expensive or untimely to offer services in most of the smaller cities. By adopting a combination of connected clinics with sophisticated tele-medicine we can provide most of the latest development in every corner irrespective of the market size- this will enable the prices of newer innovations to come down dramatically and also have more and more companies entering the market as this will actually address the total population irrespective of the size of individual communities.
Looking at a Wal-Mart’s clinic where most of the day to day medical requirements are available by Telemedicine - it is not just the cost that is important –
- Where it is available
- What it takes to provide services
-increase the productivity of specialist and reach of the specialists to every corner without need for size of area or market
- by easy access to clinics with little cycle time most of the ailments can be detected at a very early stage thus reducing cost both from a productivity standpoint and also from a healthcare point of view.
CORPRATE ADVANTAGES
Moving cost away from the company's structure brings reality to actual pay scale for every position in the company. As the insurance premium is based on average age, size of organization and overall health habits of the employees and their families - the average cost becomes a base wage for every position irrespective of the competitive position of the company's product or service offering. This also gives undue advantage for large companies over smaller rivals as smaller companies end up either paying more or offering less choices to its employees. This movement of cost away from the company enables organizations to focus on products and services and attract talent and contain their costs competitively. From an employee’s perspective - they are able to pick and choose their jobs based on their interest and capability. This indirectly reduces discrimination on prospective candidates based on the individual’s health history. In the long run it pushes the responsibility on the individual which brings more awareness and responsibility to develop healthy habits and eventually bring down cost of patient care. This gives more flexibility for companies to provide different ways to educate and provide a healthy environment for the employees.
INDIVIDUAL & CORPORATE CONTRIBUTIONS
Once the organizations are relieved of the cost overhangs from the insurance subsidies – they have lot of leverage and flexibility to offer better and healthier environment to bring awareness about healthy lifestyles and better medical practices amongst its employees.
Recently Cisco dedicated a huge building for health and exercise with a resident doctor and a full service clinic. At the outset it looks like a PR ploy by the HR Dept. Digging deeper we can see how it can change lifestyle and cost behavior.By offering such a service it enables the employees to use it at the earliest symptoms of any ailments.
This reduces the healthcare costs in several ways-
1- reduces the number of sickness related absenteeism
2- reduces spreading to fellow employees
3- reduces the cure cost as it is found early
4- also reduces the insurance premiums
INSURANCE
Looking at insurance- every person carries insurance from the moment they are conceived. Most of the healthy persons do not start developing any ailments till in their 50s. With a job no issue as the company picks it up. Let us say no job- insurance is impossible to get as the person falls in the high risk category. Now what ever happened to the 50 plus years of low risk period during which the individual carried insurance? Even car insurance offers good driver credit and no accident reduction - doesn't it make sense that if an individual carried a good health for 50 plus years should get something in return?
TECHNOLOGY
As technology is evolving at a rapid clip – from wireless to collaborative innovations – it is very easy to find ways to offer very sophisticated healthcare system that will bring responsibility and accountability to every level of the healthcare supply chain – enabling lowered/affordable yet uncompromising services to everyone without commoditizing and marginalizing the service providers. On an average for every 10 minutes of patient time spent by a doctor 20 plus minutes is spent on non-patient time. BY bringing innovative processes and technology this ratio can be adjusted favorably helping both the patient cost and increasing the productivity of the doctors – without compromising the quality of service or the compensation structure.
GOVERNMENT AGENCIES
Acting as a responsible regulator the government can ensure free market forces to provide a healthy yet capitalistic and creative services driven healthcare. By being a pioneer in implementing a broad base health system this will expand the American corporate global market share significantly as they will innovate and deliver more cost effective yet revolutionary products and services which will be sought after globally. This would bring back market leadership to most of the companies which have been losing market share to either low cost generics or to low cost manufacturing bases.
By bringing new innovation and bring responsibility to every participant of the healthcare system – it will also reduce the cost of insurance both for patient care and malpractice alike.
AMERICA 2.0! ENERGY
America 2.0! : Energy
Rebuilding Industrial supremacy:
Clean/Renewable energy: Can this really change the competitive position of America in building the 2.0 version of American Industries? Looking at the root of Industrialization we will see if energy is transformed from how we produce, how we use and how we distribute – and have the added capability to store & forward the generated energy – we will bring every manufactured product whether it is consumer or industrial – back to the drawing table – as all products will have to be re-engineered to adopt to the new energy model.
In the last phase of Industrialization – what took a country to be a manufacturing super power depended on capability to produce Industrial Power, Water & labo. Post WWII US and Europe helped Japan & China acquire that capability. In today’s economy America has lost those two competitive advantages & is dragging itself down by moving its base to low labor cost locations. By changing the way we produce & consume energy – this can be brought back to America as every other economy will be forced to license the technology from American companies which owns the technology & IP. This will give way for massive innovation in America and will bring every lost industry back to America 2.0
What changes need to happen, which appear very doable based on how the Obama train is bull dozing its change platform in rebuilding America.
- Generation: How we generate power. In modern Industrial word the most effective form of generation is Nuclear – which is very highly controlled and managed by the select few. Raw material is expensive & dangerous- and need very proprietary technology.
- Capability to generate in incremental quantities: Given the amount of time, money & resources needed to build a plant – it is difficult to quickly plan and have something up and running – if the technology is there to build a generation capability in incremental quantities – the implications are amazing as we would see less lead time to produce… and locations will be a non-issue.
- rebuild the power grid: with incremental power generation a modified grid could enable users to draw or give power based on daily need.
- Incentive to save and forward for money back: This provides motivation for people to conserve energy.
- motivation to localize generation: by localizing power the cost of distribution is reduced.
- Capability to store generated power: today use or lose power technology makes it very difficult to build low cost remote site generation of power using solar or wind. With innovative ways to store and forward for later consumption will bring raw material needed for generation insignificant & affordable.
- Capability to go wireless: wireless is not very far fetched as the other components of new energy foot print takes hold – this will reduce the dependence of complicated grids – from generation to provisioning.
Impact goes beyond lowering power cost
- From automobile to airplanes they need to be rebuilt
- From homes to commercial buildings they need to be retrofitted
- Transportation model will change
- levels any competitive advantages that were exported to low cost manufacturing locations and brings back both innovation and pricing back to American companies
- From consumer durables to consumer electronics everything will take a new shape, form and innovations
- Industrial and manufacturing will change dramatically as the generation, storage, distribution and consumption of power will totally change everything that is being done.
May be Exxon will buy GM and give the cars for free to convince people to use gasoline!
Rebuilding Industrial supremacy:
Clean/Renewable energy: Can this really change the competitive position of America in building the 2.0 version of American Industries? Looking at the root of Industrialization we will see if energy is transformed from how we produce, how we use and how we distribute – and have the added capability to store & forward the generated energy – we will bring every manufactured product whether it is consumer or industrial – back to the drawing table – as all products will have to be re-engineered to adopt to the new energy model.
In the last phase of Industrialization – what took a country to be a manufacturing super power depended on capability to produce Industrial Power, Water & labo. Post WWII US and Europe helped Japan & China acquire that capability. In today’s economy America has lost those two competitive advantages & is dragging itself down by moving its base to low labor cost locations. By changing the way we produce & consume energy – this can be brought back to America as every other economy will be forced to license the technology from American companies which owns the technology & IP. This will give way for massive innovation in America and will bring every lost industry back to America 2.0
What changes need to happen, which appear very doable based on how the Obama train is bull dozing its change platform in rebuilding America.
- Generation: How we generate power. In modern Industrial word the most effective form of generation is Nuclear – which is very highly controlled and managed by the select few. Raw material is expensive & dangerous- and need very proprietary technology.
- Capability to generate in incremental quantities: Given the amount of time, money & resources needed to build a plant – it is difficult to quickly plan and have something up and running – if the technology is there to build a generation capability in incremental quantities – the implications are amazing as we would see less lead time to produce… and locations will be a non-issue.
- rebuild the power grid: with incremental power generation a modified grid could enable users to draw or give power based on daily need.
- Incentive to save and forward for money back: This provides motivation for people to conserve energy.
- motivation to localize generation: by localizing power the cost of distribution is reduced.
- Capability to store generated power: today use or lose power technology makes it very difficult to build low cost remote site generation of power using solar or wind. With innovative ways to store and forward for later consumption will bring raw material needed for generation insignificant & affordable.
- Capability to go wireless: wireless is not very far fetched as the other components of new energy foot print takes hold – this will reduce the dependence of complicated grids – from generation to provisioning.
Impact goes beyond lowering power cost
- From automobile to airplanes they need to be rebuilt
- From homes to commercial buildings they need to be retrofitted
- Transportation model will change
- levels any competitive advantages that were exported to low cost manufacturing locations and brings back both innovation and pricing back to American companies
- From consumer durables to consumer electronics everything will take a new shape, form and innovations
- Industrial and manufacturing will change dramatically as the generation, storage, distribution and consumption of power will totally change everything that is being done.
May be Exxon will buy GM and give the cars for free to convince people to use gasoline!
About Economy ....
This is reproduced from a response to the current economic climate I posted on 1st March 2009:
At the risk of being correct (yes- being correct!! Given the current setup this is a low probability case) let me start by hedging my answers with a convoluted but sincere effort in articulating my thoughts on a possible solution for this conundrum before predicting where we are or where we might go from here!
In a society with socio economic imbalances, it is imperative to have a medium of transaction that will accommodate the imperfections exaggerated by technological gaps between various participating economies thus reducing the capabilities of concentrated ideologies to influence and unduly benefit from sheer econometric manipulations!! The authority to define, execute and police this new medium has to be of supreme nature in by in itself being its sole mission. May be we are not yet ready for this change - however there are symptoms that indicate for such a transition to happen in incremental steps which will ease us from this economic slavery- bringing uniformity with conformity in every process (with objectivity) bringing the much needed beacon of hope with a field glass view to every player that defines the scope of economic priorities for every one else. This could possibly bring capitalism to its true intended form bringing equality among unequal
players yet setting aside any possibility for socialistic or authoritarian communistic tendencies.
Now that I have got that out of the way –
I think the US economy has started turning around (market may trail by a couple quarters even longer as common shares as an asset/investment class will be replaced more and more by other types of instruments). USA will be followed by Germany, China and possibly GB. The casualties will be the rest of Europe and possibly Japan.
Reasons:
1.if you believe in Economics as the TRUE WMD - the countries that will recover first will be those with capabilities to influence and benefit from the movement of blue shifted capital.
2. The vultures and the hyenas will move for easier kill in weaker economies (rest of Europe including France Italy Spain and Sweden) leaving the stronger ones to slowly recover.
3. Credit flow will resume once the fixed income players find it difficult to fight the larger economies and settle for lesser return and more glory/power.
4. USA and Germany will emerge into an economic force once again, however temporary they might be, taking advantage of new emerging industries with pricing power while protectionism will be old fashion again with resumption of material and capital flow across the globe- enabling emerging and weaker economies to participate in the recovery with a time lag.
Indications supporting this:
1. US pumping money into areas that will either create new industries or reinvent a lost matured industry to recapture its pricing power.
2. EU and Euro losing its luster
3. The hyenas and the vultures circling Eastern Europe and other weaker economies leaving the stronger ones( US and Germany) to heal.
4. Japan slowly losing its mysterious strength of the past decade with smart money fading away from Yen and Japan.
5. China slowly emerging as the winner in Asia as Japan seems to be willing to settle for a lower medal.
6. Gold buoyant but not too strong as the support is from money leaving euro and yen due to uncertainty of the fabrication of the new currency basket.
7. Federal Reserve emerging as a confident player once again for US after what appears to be a long and hard fought battle with the dark force. Treasury once again taking a more shadow force role with FDIC chairwoman sporting a generous smile in most of her recent appearances. (Even two weeks back - you can see frustration, anger, humiliation and fear in every one of these players).
8. Dollar and US Treasury losing competition in the replacement battle and the rest of the players fighting for silver on downwards as survival is the new mantra, enabling the US Fed to gradually move out their refi window to longer maturities.
Now if this is the half full argument let's look at what will make it a half-empty scenario.
some indications supporting a possible derailment of the above scenario- any one of these taking a larger than its present form in size or shape could have an accelerated reformation that could really destroy the present day lifestyle!
- A neo conservative party emerging in USA removing what appeared to have been the successful duality policy structure in its administration.
- war moving closer to USA mainland making it impossible to distinguish domestic priorities from external dominance fettered with bodybags.
- US shifting away from right brain dominant society to a more globally acceptable thought process with linearity as the defining objective
- fading away from a distinct separation of state and faith removing the improbable distinction of responsibility and poverty.
Events supporting this:
- debasing the republican foundation with fragmented and lack of focus leadership with no clear direction or clarity on party policies or agenda!
- shortage of weapons
- arsons and hate crime jumping
- Mexico becoming another Afghanistan
- faith based organizations getting more donations and support
- emphasis on what others don't deserve is gaining prominence
- less and less people regretting the mistakes they made in this mess and blaming others for their loss
At the risk of being correct (yes- being correct!! Given the current setup this is a low probability case) let me start by hedging my answers with a convoluted but sincere effort in articulating my thoughts on a possible solution for this conundrum before predicting where we are or where we might go from here!
In a society with socio economic imbalances, it is imperative to have a medium of transaction that will accommodate the imperfections exaggerated by technological gaps between various participating economies thus reducing the capabilities of concentrated ideologies to influence and unduly benefit from sheer econometric manipulations!! The authority to define, execute and police this new medium has to be of supreme nature in by in itself being its sole mission. May be we are not yet ready for this change - however there are symptoms that indicate for such a transition to happen in incremental steps which will ease us from this economic slavery- bringing uniformity with conformity in every process (with objectivity) bringing the much needed beacon of hope with a field glass view to every player that defines the scope of economic priorities for every one else. This could possibly bring capitalism to its true intended form bringing equality among unequal
players yet setting aside any possibility for socialistic or authoritarian communistic tendencies.
Now that I have got that out of the way –
I think the US economy has started turning around (market may trail by a couple quarters even longer as common shares as an asset/investment class will be replaced more and more by other types of instruments). USA will be followed by Germany, China and possibly GB. The casualties will be the rest of Europe and possibly Japan.
Reasons:
1.if you believe in Economics as the TRUE WMD - the countries that will recover first will be those with capabilities to influence and benefit from the movement of blue shifted capital.
2. The vultures and the hyenas will move for easier kill in weaker economies (rest of Europe including France Italy Spain and Sweden) leaving the stronger ones to slowly recover.
3. Credit flow will resume once the fixed income players find it difficult to fight the larger economies and settle for lesser return and more glory/power.
4. USA and Germany will emerge into an economic force once again, however temporary they might be, taking advantage of new emerging industries with pricing power while protectionism will be old fashion again with resumption of material and capital flow across the globe- enabling emerging and weaker economies to participate in the recovery with a time lag.
Indications supporting this:
1. US pumping money into areas that will either create new industries or reinvent a lost matured industry to recapture its pricing power.
2. EU and Euro losing its luster
3. The hyenas and the vultures circling Eastern Europe and other weaker economies leaving the stronger ones( US and Germany) to heal.
4. Japan slowly losing its mysterious strength of the past decade with smart money fading away from Yen and Japan.
5. China slowly emerging as the winner in Asia as Japan seems to be willing to settle for a lower medal.
6. Gold buoyant but not too strong as the support is from money leaving euro and yen due to uncertainty of the fabrication of the new currency basket.
7. Federal Reserve emerging as a confident player once again for US after what appears to be a long and hard fought battle with the dark force. Treasury once again taking a more shadow force role with FDIC chairwoman sporting a generous smile in most of her recent appearances. (Even two weeks back - you can see frustration, anger, humiliation and fear in every one of these players).
8. Dollar and US Treasury losing competition in the replacement battle and the rest of the players fighting for silver on downwards as survival is the new mantra, enabling the US Fed to gradually move out their refi window to longer maturities.
Now if this is the half full argument let's look at what will make it a half-empty scenario.
some indications supporting a possible derailment of the above scenario- any one of these taking a larger than its present form in size or shape could have an accelerated reformation that could really destroy the present day lifestyle!
- A neo conservative party emerging in USA removing what appeared to have been the successful duality policy structure in its administration.
- war moving closer to USA mainland making it impossible to distinguish domestic priorities from external dominance fettered with bodybags.
- US shifting away from right brain dominant society to a more globally acceptable thought process with linearity as the defining objective
- fading away from a distinct separation of state and faith removing the improbable distinction of responsibility and poverty.
Events supporting this:
- debasing the republican foundation with fragmented and lack of focus leadership with no clear direction or clarity on party policies or agenda!
- shortage of weapons
- arsons and hate crime jumping
- Mexico becoming another Afghanistan
- faith based organizations getting more donations and support
- emphasis on what others don't deserve is gaining prominence
- less and less people regretting the mistakes they made in this mess and blaming others for their loss
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