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Getting information for decision

September 9, 2009 | Author: Vinh

2 hours.

Important Airbus meeting, and I have to meet an expert.
Two issues on my mind:
- How to get the information to make the proper decision
- How not to loose credibility
There are some simple recipes that can get you prepared right on time.
Write down what you know
Make mind maps and throw down some keywords that come up to your mind. That will give you something to start with.
Find the reference document
Use your corporate intranet or internet to find out more about the subject from what you already have. Keep focus on getting the overall knowledge and a feel for the subject, rather than drilling down into the details.
Talk to the right people
Find people you know, with whom you can talk freely. Make sure they welcome the stupidest questions so that you can talk freely and get the most of it.
Find out the latest news.
Google news and people. They give you the freshest topics. Good to know and those will give the impression that you follow the subject.
Get conversation starters
Make sure you have some questions that will keep the conversation going and will help you get the right information.
Use images
“You mean, it’s like building a house and the walls are made of plastic?” when you talk about composite structures will help you get a better understanding and find interesting questions.
Re-use information
Re-formulate or make assumtions using the answers you have. It is unlikely anyone will contradict oneself.
Wrap it up and run away
Make sure your messages have passed and that you’re going to report the right ones to your boss. And run-away before you look like a fool.
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3 is the magic number.

August 27, 2009 | Author: Vinh

Tell you what…

3 is the magic number.
I am talking about marketing, off course.
When you want to prove something and that you come up with 3 examples, you will get away with it. It’s a number your mind can easily grasp and gives a feeling of wholeness.
Ex:
You should buy a new cell phone:
-Your old phone looks like an antique
-New smartphones will give you great features
- You know you want to.
Can’t come up with a third one? Just throw anything in.
Got a fourth argument you really want to put in? Think again. Overselling is not effective selling.
In this case really focus on those 3 argumens that make your case.
In the best case situation, those 3 elements should not overlap and the third one should be striking or funny. When asked a neutral question with 3 options, more than 40% of the people choose the last option. The mind, when trying to make sense of information, grabs on to the last bit of information entered.
When you want to structure a marketing argument, you should focus on those 3 main points, that will easily be understood by your audience and therefore support your USP (Unique selling proposition). And if those are spot on, one of them will hit, and be easily communicated by your audience, for your audience.
So why 3?
- It is better than 2, which is not enough.
- It is less than 4 which is too much.
- 3 is just perfect.
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Shorter sleep time = Longer life span

August 16, 2009 | Author: Vinh

Yes.

Every minute you spend oversleeping brings you closer to the grave.
You thought the opposite?
Hell, wrong. You know it’s wrong because it feels too good lying in bed doing nothing.
It’s too easy staying in bed and thinking it’s good for your health.
Sleeping too much (more than 7 hours per night ) is hazardous for your health.
Don’t do it. Please.
One of the many reference :
“Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don’t live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hr. Sleeping 8.5 hr. might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hr.”

But look at the data yourself.


It is true that there is an initial price to pay to get used to fewer hours of sleep. You’ll be walking like a zombie for a while. You’ll a be a bit irritated. But you’ll get used to it.

You know it’s wrong to overcharge a battery.
But just realize how much more you can do, and you’d also live longer.
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The McDuck inpiration. What will you have to show for?

July 25, 2009 | Author: Vinh

Back when I was 10, I wrote an essay about “La bande à Picsou.”
I think that was one of my first essays on a topic that really inpired me.
My mom thought it was good.

Yes. I spent a lot of time reading “Picsou magazine”, though I despised the “Mickey parade” or other disney stuff.
Scrooge McDuck/Picsou taught me about economics, trading, supply and demand… and I’ve grown attached to that character.
I remember, as a child, spending a birthday party reading “Picsou Magazine” while the others were busy having fun downstairs.

I don’t know in which extent Scrooge McDuck has influenced my life, but there are a few facts that I’d like to highlight about that fascinating Duck. The richest Duck in the world.

A business role model.
Born in Glasgow, Scrooge earns his first dime scraping shoes. It is an american dime, which teaches him to trust nobody in the future.

Travelling throughout the world, he meets nothing but business failures for 20 years of hardship.
Most common reason? Timing.

And even when he gets ahead of the flow, and gets a copper mine before the Copper rush because of the spreading of electricity use, he has to leave it and go back to his family in Glasgow.

One day, hard work pays.
In the Klondike, he finds a gold mine, that makes him is first million.

From there, he travels the world and sets up businesses that make him become the richest duck in the world… three years later, the business savvy duck becomes a billionaire.
He amasses a great amount of money and memories that he shares with his nephews.

The Scrooge McDuck experience.
His scottish background gives him the eyes on details where money can be saved or made. It is in fact a great subject of pride in the McDuck clan, and his creativity and persistence creates renewed opportunities.

Energy, stamina, will-driven behaviour, makes him able to withstand the harshest conditions. Some parts of his life involve legendary battles, where the mighty duck defeats an army single handedly while protecting his belonging.

He is a fast learner, and learnt skills in every places he went to. From bison riding, boomerang throwing and fluent finnish, Scrooge MacDuck learns everything he finds useful and becomes the best at it.

The McDuck sacrifices.
In his soul-eating quest for money, Scrooge creates a life full of memories and events. He even meets some known figures like Wyatt Earp, Jesse James and Teddy Roosevelt – the latest becomes a good friend.

But his ways, alienated him his family. His sisters left him with his money.

Donald, his nephew, would only come back a many years after.

As well, Scrooge found the love of his life. Goldie.
But life was hard on him, and finally, on a very sad misunderstanding, Scrooge leaves the Yukon leaving Goldie behind, with a love story that never happened.

That part shattered his heart (and mine), as something will be forever unachieved in his life.

Scrooge longs for adventure. Rather than making money on other people, Scrooge values work and hates phonies.
His adventures and his life in wild nature, as a rancher, as a gold digger, gave him the ability to scare wild animals, or get close to them.

But to him, everything comes from hard work. And that was clearly what he was doing before getting rich… Working hard, alone, in the mine… becoming the best cabin boy on a cattle boat… He always gave his best and nobody can tell what he has missed, but you can tell what he finally got.

My take on this.
Those are just the basic elements of Scrooge’s life. You can read the reference comic “Life and time of Scrooge McDuck” (12 chapters) that built the Scrooge as we know it. here.

I highly recommend the Yukon’s episodes, where Scrooge makes his first million and meets Goldie.

At the last episode, there is a citizen Kane like sequence, showing Scrooge, longing for Goldie.

As a kid, I admired him. He was success itself. He might have indirectly influenced my lifestyle, and I think I get the word “business opportunity” from a Picsou magazine.

It is hard to claim Scrooge as a role model, even if he is a formidable businessman… He makes his relatives work for him for an undecent salary, he spends no useless pennies, and has hundreds of ennemies.

The last chapter made me think.
On your deathbed, what will you have to show for?
1000 cube meter of money? A life of adventures? Memories? Nephews? A missed love?

For me, reading those comics with a new eye brought a new life to this duck.

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How to pretend you are busy at work!

July 13, 2009 | Author: Vinh

You need to pretend you are busy?

Welcome to the corporate environment!
Over the years, I have met the most skilled individuals who taught me their best tricks to pretend they were busy working. Most of them were waiting for their retirement, and tested most of what I am going to tell you.
Everyone knows you can not always be 100% productive. Therefore, there will be time in the days when you will need to chill out. As well, when work is done, and there is nothing left to do, people expect you to stay during office hours.
Here is a sample of the best practice:
-Always carry a notepad and a pencil whan wandering around. You will be seen as actively busy, or about to leave for a meeting.
-When you’re about to leave, pretend to have received an important phone call on your cell phone, and leave at once while throwing some important keywords. “pending tasks” “critical path” “customer focus”
- Program an automatic shutdown on your computer. If your computer is on, it means you’re still working. You can enhance that effect while using an old coat that you put on your chair.
- Have a friend cover for you. If anyone asks or calls, you had to deal with an important business matter. Friendship is reciprocal.
- Delay mail send. Your mail should be sent at 10pm with the dedicated outlook feature. Meanwhile, you were of course watching TV at home.
- Custom screensaver. If you leave for coffee, make sure your screensaver shows a busy screen with an on-going office document being edited.
Updated from comments:
“while watching your favorite youtube video, click somewhere random out of the screen and make loud typing noises, while occasionally wrinkling your nose, moving your eyebrows, or even making audible sighs”.
Of course, I never use those tricks. I am too busy for that.
But if you have any other ideas you want to share, you are most welcome…
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vinhly.com is an educational blog!

July 7, 2009 | Author: Vinh

Incredible, just click on the link to the whole exam, if you don’t believe it.

2008.
You are in front of your copy for “culture générale”.
You just had to give your thoughts about Science & Vie et L’Express articles.
Guess, what question number 4 is?

Question 4 : Commentez par votre opinion personnelle et pour chacun des paragraphes l’idée principale exprimée.
Je me souviens etre passé devant une personne qui m’a simplement dit “J’ai un bébé”. Tout betement. Ca m’a stoppé tout net. L’argument était fort, simple et marquant. Pourtant je n’ai rien donné. Car si je l’avais fait, j’aurais du avouer que je me suis fait manipuler.
Qui veut donner a la personne que l’on croise de puis un an le meme plâtre ? La mendicité, telle que je la conçois, doit etre dotée d’un côté positif. Quelqu’un qui rentre dans le RER, qui traite tout le monde de nantis, et d’égoistes n’est pas trop bien parti pour avoir de l’argent ? De meme, brandir son bébé a bout e bras pour faire jouer la mauvaise conscience peut avoir des effets contre-productifs.
On doit donner quelque chose en échange de son argent, mais comme on dit, la plus jolie fille du monde ne peut donner que ce qu’elle a.
Et d’ailleurs, pourquoi ne pas utiliser les sans-abri comme espace publicitaire pas cher en leur proposant des
parkas publicitaires pour donner un côté humain et social a une action marketing ? Ils s’adaptent d’ailleurs aux
coins les plus fréquentés ! >
Blog vinhly.com

The whole exam is here.
The original post is here.

Implications of blogging are terrible.

Next sujet du bac:
Is organ trading more profitable than genetic manipulations on animals for harvesting purposes?

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The simple demonic power of a blink

June 24, 2009 | Author: Vinh

Blinking is quite a natural movement. It involves the closing and reopening of your eyelid.

Fun fact : It has been something I have had to learn. When I try blinking, I do it with both eyes, which is not even remotely the same. (Although it should be twice the same)

It’s about a simple meeting, where I was with an important someone.

Everything was going swimmingly, and a clear connection wasestablished. Smiles were exchanged, and at a certain point, it was clear everything was said.

Then, we shook hands. And after second thoughts, at the door, we still discussed about another topic on the fly.

Then it happened. I just blinked. He blinked back, as by pure reflex.

In a blink, we passed another milestone, as if something else was exhanged.

like :

Blink : “You know what I am talking about”

Blink back : “Off course, I do”

Su ch a powerful tool was in my hand and I never used it enough.

You are sharing something personal. As if only the two of you could understand it.

Just a blink.

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“A typical conversation with my mom”

June 10, 2009 | Author: Vinh

I can totally picture this happening to me.

Mom, I am sure you would agree.
This is a clip by Levni YILMAZ, one of my favorite artist.
I’ll be posting some more clips from him…
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Window on the world

June 7, 2009 | Author: Vinh

It looks like there are several ways you can access several universes…

As you see here:
– Real life from window. Sunbeams sparkle on the glass and leaves flutter in the wind.
– Painting shows deep inner world. There is something like a sunset at a hawaian beach or just simpleness at its peak _ offered by Rothko.
– TV. La caja tonta. The stupid box. The fuzzy warm background noise that keeps me company. Desperate housewife rerun number 217 tries to get my attention. At least for the advertizing.
– Laptop. You are my friend. Do not leave me. Please. You would take a piece of me with you.
– Smartphone. With which the post was typed. With which the picture was taken. Laptop's new rival!

Now take a few noment to realize that the woman you see on TV has been through at least 5 intermediate screens before flashing your brain.
Weird.

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Is lifestreaming lazy blogging?

June 6, 2009 | Author: Vinh

A few days ago, I acquired the new HTC Dream. ( aka the google phone).

In a few clicks, I could upload a picture on my blog, make up a one sentence post.
All that is a little slice of my life.
- A few thoughts caught on the fly.
“I think we should stop pretending we’re productive, when we have time maintaining a blog.”
“A blog does not equal social life.”
“Rugby is a simple sport. All you need to know is that if the defending team catches a kicked ball behind the 22 defence line, and the catcher shouts “Mark!”, then the game stops and the defending team restarts with the ball at the defence line”.
“Banana”
- Pictures of cute girls on the bus.
Yup. There are many. There is a nurse school on the way to Airbus.
- Random fuzzy pictures.
“What’s that?” I don’t know why are you asking me?
That’s lazier blogging. I guess.
But that might be of more value to you guys.
I’ll give it a try. But I’d hate to focus less on content.
From the desktop of Vinh LY.
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