Link-O-Rama II: One Week Of Links
I recently spent a week away from my RSS aggregator, the product of the crunch of preparing for and participating in the BEAWorld trade show. As a result, I ended up reading a week’s worth of posts on Friday.

While I can’t recommend this sort of information overload on a regular basis, it did provide me with an interesting perspective, and simply allowing so many ideas to bounce around in my RAM generated at least on interesting business idea (good enough that I’m not going to offer it for free on this blog!).

At any rate, this is what I noticed this week:

More than 80 percent of the roughly $1.5 billion in contracts awarded by FEMA after Hurricane Katrina were done with no bids or limited competition. That’s atrocious. Now compare that to my own experience with RentACoder–I had two projects that I needed implemented. First, I got a quote from a friend-of-a-friend: $40,000. I put the projects on RentACoder, and within a week, I had found good vendors to tackle both for less than $1,000. If only the government had the same kind of agility!
http://www.worthwhilemag.com/entry/2005/09/26/how_do_i_get_a_piece_of_this.php

Another good tip from Worthwhile to overcome negativity. One CEO I worked with described this as the “whoop de do” syndrome. That is, people who would raise objections without offering options or solutions. To overcome this, for every objection, come up with five possible solutions. This will you develop the habit of focusing on solutions, not problems.
http://www.worthwhilemag.com/entry/2005/09/28/develop_a_5_to_1_habit.php

Worthwhile talks about how we now live in the “Passion Economy”–people are demanding emotional connection and satisfaction from their work, not just a paycheck. I couldn’t agree more. Balance in one’s life isn’t simply a matter of working less–it’s a matter of feeling fully alive when working. There are few things I’d rather do than my preferred work!
http://www.worthwhilemag.com/entry/2005/09/28/the_passion_economy.php

The other side of the passion economy is what constitutes burnout–I’ll give you a hint, it isn’t long hours. “Job burnout has more to do with the lack of appreciation and reward an employee receives for his or her efforts than an increased work load….Those suffering from job burnout feel no sense of accomplishment from and no control over their work lives.”
http://www2.thefabricator.com/Articles/Fabricating_Exclusive.cfm?ID=917

One of the solutions to finding one’s workplace passion is authenticity. I’m a big admirer of Marcus Buckingham’s work, which shows that the key to success and happiness isn’t ameliorating one’s weakenesses, but playing to one’s strengths and talents. Focus on doing what comes naturally, not being something that you’re not.

One objection that some might raise to this approach is that it says that people can’t change, while our own lives are replete with examples of such changes. Personally, the way that people perceive me has changed dramatically over the years. However, the key is not that I changed–it’s simply that I was able to apply my strengths from less-visible to more visible areas.
http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/98/mbuckingham.html?partner=rss

What the hell is Web 2.0? Beats me, but reading this list might help. Personally, I favor Dave Winer’s definition, which is that it’s a term invented by VCs, entrepreneurs, and the media in the hopes of generating another bubble. And it seems to be working.
http://www.emilychang.com/go/ehub/

Ever feel like you’re a techno-dinosaur? You’re not alone. I try to talk with younger folks all the time to forestall my inevitable descent into crotchetyness.
http://www.computerworld.com/blogs/node/1043

As regular readers know, I’m obsessed with mortality and longevity. Which is why I was fascinated by this article on a strain of genetically-engineered mice that can re-grow severed limbs and vital organs. What’s exceptionally exciting is the following: “When cells from the regenerative mice were injected into normal mice, the normal mice adopted the ability to regenerate.” Now that’s kick-ass. Will we someday be able to heal fatal injuries and illnesses with a simple injection?
http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,68962,00.html?tw=wn_tophead_1

Of course, skeptics will point out that mice and men are far from identical. Well, how about this story on how stem cells were able to restore feeling in a paraplegic? The patient had been injured in an accident 19 years ago. Yet after the treatment, the results were miraculous. “The patient could move her hips and feel her hip skin on day 15 after transplantation. On day 25 after transplantation her feet responded to stimulation.”

Even more importantly, these are umbilical cord stem cells, freely available with no taint of abortion, so there should be no controversy in terms of their use. I hope that U.S. policy makers recognize this, and don’t block research into this incredible technology.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=46546

Of course, stupidity knows no party…here’s leading Democrat Dianne Feinstein on the “peer to peers” menace.
http://techdirt.com/articles/20050928/1355215_F.shtml

From the terminator files….the South Koreans are planning on building combat robots. “According to design blueprints released during a meeting of science-related ministers, the robot will have six or eight extendable legs with wheels allowing it to move like an insect over uneven terrain. The robot will be armed with various weapons and will operate both by remote control and its own artificial intelligence system.”
http://times.hankooki.com/lpage/nation/200509/kt2005092118400211960.htm

You know that a meme is overblown when people start using it to pitch their companies. “It’s the Wikipedia of…” is the new “Long Tail.”
http://loosewire.typepad.com/blog/2005/09/the_new_cliche_.html

And last, but not least, GIANT SQUID!http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/09/0927_050927_giant_squid.html