Play the Game of Life
Ryan Petersen's Blog

 

 

 

Labels: annapolis, maryland, photos

Labels: china

Pictures taken by Chris Temme in the Shawgunks range, 1.5 hours north of NYC.

Labels: Columbia Business School, rock climbing

What Does Africa Need Most: Technology or Aid? - New York Times: "What Does Africa Need Most: Technology or Aid"

Labels: Africa, foreign aid, Investing in Africa

If using reason makes you worse off, is it rational?

In a repeated game with a payout structure akin to the classic prisoner's dilemna, truly rational players will choose to confess. Yet irrational players will refuse to confess and be better off.

If it makes you better off, isn't it rational?

Labels: game theory, paradox, reason

I am getting ready to launch a new site to buy high quality silk neckties. So far we just have the logo and a few images, but soon it will be a full blown e-commerce site at Tais-Ties.com

Labels: business, Columbia Business School, entrepreneurship, Neckties

A letter from Columbia University President Lee Bollinger, sent to all students on June 8, 2007:


Dear fellow member of the Columbia community:

Yesterday, as part of his effort to make New York City a cleaner, greener place to live and work, Mayor Bloomberg invited Columbia University and eight other New York institutions of higher learning to join the city in committing to an aggressive reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. We gladly accepted.

This recent Mayoral initiative, known as the PlaNYC Challenge, is one step toward PlaNYC 2030, the Mayor’s comprehensive proposal to improve the environment while spurring economic development and wise planning for future growth. By accepting the Mayor’s challenge, Columbia has committed to reducing 30 percent of University greenhouse gas emissions from last year’s levels in 10 years, well in advance of the Plan’s original target of 2030.

Over the next few months and in the coming years--under the leadership of Senior Executive Vice President Robert Kasdin and Executive Vice President for Facilities Joe Ienuso--we will be developing an implementation plan and interim targets. The University has already taken several key steps, including: metering individual buildings and collecting data on electricity usage; conducting energy audits; commissioning all new construction to ensure that the mechanical systems are operating at peak efficiency; and planning to retro-commission existing buildings. We are also launching a “green dorm”--our first ever--this fall.

The University has made this commitment because we share Mayor Bloomberg’s vision that New York must respond to the global challenge of climate change. We are making, in our research and teaching, enormous contributions to advancing knowledge and understanding of the environment and that will continue. But we also need every one of us within our community to do his or her part in making Columbia an environmentally responsible institution.

I would like to thank Robert, Joe, and Director of Environmental Stewardship Nilda Mesa, along with the many members of our faculty, staff and student body who are and who will be taking the steps that prepare us to fulfill this shared commitment to ensuring a more sustainable environment.

Sincerely,

Lee C. Bollinger

Labels: climate change, Columbia Business School, Environment

This guy added a timer to a cheap digital camera and attached it to his cat to find out where the heck he goes all day...fascinating insights into the life of an ordinary outdoor housecat.

http://www.mr-lee-catcam.de/pe_catcam.htm

Neil Goldman, founder of Capital IQ, came to Columbia Business School to talk to our entrepreneurship class today. Standard and Poors bought his firm for $225 million, so we were listening closely.


Key takeaways:

Importance of Metrics:

Identify the 4-5 metrics that are the key to success for your business, and track these closely.


Avoiding Procrastination:

It's the enemy of every attempt at success. He had to rewire his brain, so whatever he didn't want to do, that would be the very next thing he would do. (very anthony robbins-esque).


Prioritization:

A lot of people try to do so many things that nothing really gets done. In addition to having a to-do list for the whole company, which he would brainstorm with his staff every week (and on a deeper level every month), he would have a "Not to Do List" that would highlight all those suggestions that were eliminated. He would leave both of these on a large board in the office, so people could see exactly what their objectives were at any time.

Labels: business, Columbia Business School, entrepreneurship

There is an amazing series of presentations going on in Tanzania this week. Some of Africa's greatest thinkers and doers have converged on the TED Global 2007 conference.

The videos aren't online yet, but a few bloggers are covering the events live:

http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/?cat=26

http://www.afromusing.com/blog/

Labels: Africa, International Development

An incredible talk about the future impact of genomics on our economy--and our species.

Labels: genomics, Technology

Ted's next conference will be held June 4-7th in Tanzania. Stay tuned for updates, or check back to http://www.ted.com/programs/TG2007.

Labels: Africa, International Development

Great conversation...



For the rest of the conversation, visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scf6dV4FSf8&mode=related&search

Labels: business, Technology