Michael’s Web Stream – What I’m reading on the web

A workforce of one –  Posted 2 weeks ago
Given the realities of today's complex business environment, it is no longer possible to satisfy a workforce with one broad, standard approach to managing talent. A perfect storm of events and trends is pushing organizations to abandon the traditional employment compact along with the one-size-fits-all approach to human resources. [Link]

Obama internet 'kill switch' proposed –  Posted 6 weeks ago
Shared by Michael Haha what are these guys thinking. US President Barack Obama would be granted powers to seize control of and even shut down the internet under a new bill that describes the global internet as a US "national asset". [Link]

PAC-MAN rules! –  Posted 2 months ago
We've been overwhelmed — but not surprised — by the success of our 30th anniversary PAC-MAN doodle. Due to popular demand, we’re making the game permanently available at www.google.com/pacman. Thanks to NAMCO for helping to make this wonderful collaboration happen. Enjoy! Posted by Marissa Mayer, VP Search Products & User Experience [Link]

Microsoft: we don't like Flash either –  Posted 3 months ago
Shared by Michael Of course, because they want people to use Silverlight Microsoft joined archrival Apple in criticising Adobe Systems' widely used Flash multimedia software, creating a rare bond among the two computing giants. [Link]

Leading atheists seek Pope's arrest –  Posted 4 months ago
Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens want Pope held for "crimes against humanity". [Link]

Rates to keep rising –  Posted 4 months ago
High resource prices embolden RBA to increase interest rates. [Link]

Obama to limit use of US nuclear weapons –  Posted 4 months ago
President Barack Obama plans to place new restrictions on the use of atomic weapons as part of a major US nuclear policy overhaul, a senior administration official said. [Link]

What did Hu expect? –  Posted 4 months ago
No court in China would dare contradict Premier Wen Jiabao's presumption of Hu's guilt. 30 Mar 2010 9:58 AM [Link]

How Obama moved in for the kill –  Posted 4 months ago
For more than a year, Barack Obama was mocked for reaching out to his rivals. It was a sign of weakness, many seasoned Washington-watchers said. [Link]

10 years for Stern Hu –  Posted 4 months ago
A Chinese court has sentenced Australian Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu to 10 years in prison for corruption and industrial espionage. [Link]

Westpac slammed for charging interest on interest –  Posted 4 months ago
The consumer group Choice has condemned Westpac's decision to make customers pay interest on their interest. [Link]

Finding awesome stuff online with Google Reader Play –  Posted 5 months ago
I use Google Reader a lot — not only to stay on top of the news, but also to find interesting blog posts and articles. I’m always telling my friends about Google Reader, and while some of them love it, others don’t want to take the time to set it up. For those of you who fall into this second category, we’re announcing Google Reader Play, a new product that makes the best stuff in Reader more accessible for everyone. Reader Play is a new way to browse interesting stuff on the web, customized to the topics you’re interested in, with no setup required. Items in Reader Play are presented one at a time, and images and videos are automatically enlarged to maximize the viewing experience. We use the technology behind Recommended Items in Reader to populate Reader Play with the most interesting content on the web. While you don’t need a Google account to use Reader Play, your experience will be personalized if you sign in. As you browse, you can let us know which items you enjoy by clicking the "like" button, and we'll use that info to show you other content we think you’ll enjoy. We think Reader Play is a fun way to browse interesting items online that you wouldn’t find otherwise. We designed it especially for people who don’t want to spend time curating their own set of feeds — but folks who already use Reader can easily use it to read their feeds as well. Just click the feed settings menu on any feed in Reader and select “View in Reader Play.” We’re launching Reader Play as an experiment in Google Labs so that we can test it out, get feedback from you and then improve it as quickly as possible. Visit google.com/reader/play to give it a try, and let us know what you think! Posted by Garrett Wu, Software Engineer [Link]

REVERSE GRAFFITI: South African Artists Tag Walls By Scrubbing Them Clean –  Posted 5 months ago
Graffiti is one of the most controversial art forms out there since it defaces public property – but what if graffiti artists actually cleaned up the walls they tagged up by etching their sketches into the grime that already exists on them? The delightful process, called reverse graffiti or “scrubbing” isn’t new – we’ve written about it here and here before – but awesome examples of it keep popping up. Case in point: one band of students in Durban, South Africa who’ve been gracing spaces with works of the subversive street art form in their area. Read the rest of REVERSE GRAFFITI: South African Artists Tag Walls By Scrubbing Them Clean Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: clean graffiti, durban, eco design, eco street art, green art eco art, green design, green graffiti, green street art, reverse graffiti, scrubbing, Street art, sustainable design [Link]

Get your Jetpack soon! –  Posted 5 months ago
it’s been a while since we covered designer Glenn Martin’s super fan pack, which I suppose is, for lack of a better word, a jetpack. Granted, it looks more like the flying pack seen by Quest Aerospace in the first Spider-man movie rather than the jetpack in the Rocketeer, but it can get you off the ground, and quite safely, too. I believe that I reported last year that these packs were $250,000 each, but that was actually wrong. One of the people on the Martin Jetpack team sent me a comment that the jetpacks were actually 100,000 USD. There is a video after the jump if you want to see more about it. I believe that only ten jetpacks were produced last year, and I can only imagine that celebrities who have more money than they should could be the only ones that could afford them. A recent update by the Telegraph has revealed that the Martin Aircraft Company is teaming up with an unnamed international aircraft company to make 500 jetpacks a year, for a lower cost of $75,000 each. Yes, it is a high price, but here’s what you get. First of all, it runs on premium gas, which is much cheaper than jet fuel. Second, it has a 30 mile range at 60 mph with a 8000 foot ceiling. Third, no pilot’s license is required. Fourth, it has a low altitude ballistic parachute, in case you are worried about safety. So, with 10 jetpacks last year, 500 in the next year, that means Martin has increased its jetpack inventory by 50 times. If it keeps this up, it will take four years to have 3,125,000,000 jet packs, which is enough for about half the planet. So are we looking at an era where everyone will be flying around in a jetpack soon? One can only hope. Source Introducing Foolish Gadgets because not all gadgets are cool [ Get your Jetpack soon! copyright by Coolest Gadgets ] [Link]

Lend Lease signs $6b Barangaroo contract –  Posted 5 months ago
Property developer formalises contract with NSW government. 5 Mar 2010 6:41 PM [Link]

St George sorry for banking blooper –  Posted 5 months ago
St George Bank has apologised for an error that caused other people's transaction details to be sent to more than 40,000 customers. [Link]

Rudd: too successful? –  Posted 5 months ago
Is the Prime Minister paying for having avoided a recession, asks Ross Gittins. [Link]

CBA, ANZ, Westpac hike rates by 25 basis points –  Posted 5 months ago
Banks follow RBA's rate rise; NAB rates on review. 3 Mar 2010 8:28 AM [Link]

Rates hike: it's all uphill from here –  Posted 5 months ago
The Reserve Bank has signalled more interest rate rises are on the way after lifting the cash rate to 4 per cent. [Link]

Honor Societies –  Posted 5 months ago
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