TED talks on collaboration

I have been twittering that I am listening to some of the TED talks on www.ted.com. I had been doing this for a while, but after having classes on Innovation Management with Lib Gibson, a TED participant, at Queen's School of Business, I started watching more often.
The way it works for me is to let the video roll while I am cleaning the apartment or folding clothes. Multitasking.

I just watched a video I wanted to share, because it condenses a lot of what I have been observing in the past 2 zears on and off line. The topic is collaboration, in a comercial and in an altruistic sense. There are great developments going on and great chances to take advantage of, in the most positive sense.

If you got interested in the talks and the topic, check out a short list of videos the people from Nokia Labs, about whom I wrote in an assignment for Lib's class, have put together:

http://betalabs.nokia.com/blog/2008/06/09/ted-talks-the-rise-of-collaboration/

Now let me go back to search for a job in a company who believes in this kind of philosophy.

Creative Commons License

I just added a Creative Commons License to this blog.
I believe in free content (and this is free content) and I believe in copyright. What I don't believe in is the way copyright, patents and trademarks are often being used.
The aim of all three mechanisms is to foster innovation, to incentivise people to put their creativity into use. Unfortunately, these mechanisms are often being used to do exactly the opposite: suffocate creativity and innovation.
It is there that creative commons enters the picture and hopefully changes the way people think about copyright.

The symbols above tell you that it is ok to use the content found here and even change it. Provided you follow some conditions:

• Attribution.
  You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work).
  
  
• Noncommercial.
  You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
  
  
• Share Alike.
  If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one

• For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. The best way to do this is with a link to this web page.
• Any of the above conditions can be waived if you get permission from the copyright holder. Nothing in this license impairs or restricts the author's moral rights.

The definitions above I have taken from this page:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/de/deed.en

I wish I could be in Montreal on the 26th

And see this concert:

Pat Bergeson

26 Jun 2008, 20:00
Montreal Jazz Festival

With Annie sellick and the Hot Club of nashville featuring Richard smith, Aron Till and Charlie Chadwick and Pat bergeson Opening for Leonard cohen

I just found out about Pat through the Seydel newsletter. Besides being an extraordinary harmonica player, he is also a great guitar player, guitar being his main instrument. And he is opening for Leonard Cohen, which also should be quite interesting.

But I went to Canada during the wrong season for music festivals, definetely.

First Place for the Seventh Time in a Row for the Business School of the University of Mannheim

From Mannheim Business School News:

The Handelsblatt magazine “Junge Karriere” attested the Business School of the University of Mannheim a “remarkable distance” to the university in second place. In the estimation of 57.8% of the German HR managers, the best business students are educated in Mannheim. The authors describe the school and the whole university as a “trendsetter in internationality”. They mention the international semester times and the increasing number of exchange programs. “Of course, such distinguished conditions do not remain hidden from HR managers in business.” As a further plus point, the magazine points to the practical orientation of the business courses at Mannheim.

The Handelsblatt ranking is already the second piece of proof in 2008 of the exceptional status enjoyed by the University of Mannheim in the field of Business Administration. A few weeks ago, it had already received the best rating in the ranking of the prestigious German CHE (Centre for Higher Education Development) and was the only institution in the German speaking countries to receive top places in all five categories.

GSC article I wrote published on the BearingPoint blog

Some of you know that I use to twitter (that is, when its servers are up). And I do comment on the MBA course. And it was exactly one twit on the global supply chain course that got the attention of BearingPoint's Interactive Marketing team in the US. They twittered me back and asked if I was interested in writing an article on GSC. And so I did and you can see the result at the New Thinking BearingPoint blog:

http://newthinking.bearingpoint.com/2008/06/04/global-supply-chain-the-next-frontier/

I guess you will recognize the picture there.

BearingPoint is a company I want to apply for, so I am happy for the contact that I have had with them so far. During the GSC course we had a one day workshop with Sven Martin, a manager working in Switzerland, I have had the chance to talk to other consultants during career fairs and now this online collaboration. Way to go.

Summer ball at the Warwick Business School

This would be something I would like to be able to take part in. But I am not. So all of you who can go, enjoy!

Join us for the annual SUMMER BALL!!

Saturday 19 July, 7.30pm - late
For tickets please visit www.wbs.ac.uk/go/summerball

The luxurious Lakeside Marquee here at Warwick Business School will provide the perfect backdrop for this Summer Ball, including an evening of cocktails, fine dining, charming company, dancing & more. Following an indulgent culinary experience you can dance the night away until the early hours. The Ball is a black tie event and is open to all members of the WBS community, their friends, colleagues and family.

Comparisson of gross and net salaries in Germany

I have been checking the site lohnspiegel.de. It has, besides a very complete database of salaries, a tool to calculate the net salary dependent on some variables.
Being single and independent, I am classified as Steuerklasse I, that is, tax category I.
Take a look at the chart below. It shows the monthly net income according to gross yearly salaries. Below the yearly salary you will see the percentage of taxes and other duties in relation to gross salary. Figures in Euro.