Guidelines for Success with your Skunk Works project

Found the following article on Digg and it provides guidelines for Skunk Works projects within IT Depts. The author states that...

"I've been hearing the term skunk works a lot lately, in reference to off-plan projects that are moving forward in all that "free time" people have in the IT department. Sometimes the term sounds slightly perjorative, but I like it when a project I am involved with is referred to in this way."

This seems to fit with what Peter was saying at our lecture yesterday - Skunk Works are making a come back.

Check out the full article here for full details

At last ITRIPS are legal in the UK... (phew)

Under the cover of darkness I and many others have been using an ITRIP - a device that is a FM transmitter that allows iPods and other MP3 players to play through car radios. A great bit of kit by all accounts. The reason for using it under the cover of darkness is that previously the use of a ITRIP has been illegal.

The devices fell foul of the Wireless Telegraphy Act of 1949, which forbids the use of radio equipment without a licence or an exemption. But strong consumer demand for the devices led Ofcom to rethink the legislation. As a result certain FM transmitters, which can be tuned to spare frequencies, will be legal from 8 December.

The Real Naked Jumper Spotted...

We are just "have a go" Naked Chasm Jumpers - however, there are people out there doing it for real. A naked man darted from a sport-utility vehicle into a downtown Washington office building and then jumped to his death from the eighth floor!

However, the funny part of the story is that before it became apparent what was taking place, the city's parking inspectors reacted to the abandoned SUV by slapping a ticket on the front windscreen.

Ten Worst Internet Acquisitions Ever

As the market for acquiring fledgling Internet companies heats up again (following the previous Intenet bubble) it's worth taking a look at all those acquisitions that didn't quite work out. For every acquisition that's successful there seems to be dozens that die.

However, what is most interesting about this article is the repeated errors. Some of the largest firms in the world cannot learn from their competition - why don't they learn from others mistakes? Could this mean that recent acquisitions, such as YouTube by Google and Myspace, are destined for disaster?

Also how much money is being spent - in some cases not millions, but billions of dollars? It seems that only the Americans are making such huge mistakes. So in reverse order:

10. Hotmail - acquired by Microsoft for about $400 million

9. Skype - acquired by eBay for $2.6 billion.

8. MySimon - acquired by CNET in 1999 for $700 million.

7. BlueMountain.com - acquired by Excite@Home for $780 million

6. Lycos - acquired by Terra Networks for $4.6 billion.

5. Netscape - acquired by AOL for $4.2 billion.

4. GeoCities - acquired by Yahoo! for $3.56 billion.

3. Excite - acquired by @Home in 1999 for $6.7 billion.

2. AOL - merged with TimeWarner in 2000.

1. Broadcast.com - acquired by Yahoo! for $5 billion.

Full article at http://internet.seekingalpha.com/article/21041

Building A Better Skunk Works by IBM

At our MBA lecture last week we were introduced to the concept of "Skunk Works" which Lockheed have used to dramatic effect. This article details how IBM are using Skunk Works by placing some of their most talented executives in their risky startup ventures.

It is interesting to see that a huge organisation like IBM is using Skunk Works to become a more learning organisation and develop new ideas outside the main business.

http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/92/ibm.html

World's Oldest Blogger?

Is 92-year-old Donald Crowdis (former host of the Candadian TV program The Nature of Things) the world's oldest blogger? Even if the blog isnt that interesting - there are some funny and astute comments. Check link

http://dontoearth.blogspot.com/

Bit of Fun

Found this website which provides a different spin on the Motivation slogans that businesses have on the walls. I thought this was amusing...

Check it out... http://www.despair.com/viewall.html

The World’s Most High-Tech Urinal

This blog entry is not particular cutting edge technology, but it is very funny. Especially as my girlfriend is from Victoria and she will be appalled that we have put this on the naked chasm blog. Personally I think this is a top idea - I would certainly use it, just for novelty factor.

In an effort to handle its night time public urination problem, Victoria, the capital of British Columbia, is considering installing urinals that disappear below street level during the day. The Urilift system is a two-meter high stainless steel cylinder with three alcoves, each with a urinal, and no doors.

By day, the Urilift is lowered below street level for a nice clean look. Then at night, an operator comes by with a remote and the Urilift hydraulically lifts to sidewalk level in about two minutes. Then the unit is ready to serve all the nighttime party animals who don’t mind peeing in a very exposed public urinal.

Check out the VIDEO ADVERT.

The Tallest Website....

Check out the World’s Highest Website!

Currently, it’s 18.939 kilometers high (that’s about 11.769 miles).