Monthly Archives: June 2009

Extreme Computing

Extreme Computing

Does Recession Marketing Spending Really Pay Off?

Does Recession Marketing Spending Really Pay Off?

Symbols of Crisis

Chinese symbol for crisisToday I read the closing line of an email telling me that the Chinese symbol for crisis is composed of two intriguing characters. You know how reliable those signature lines are, so I looked it up. Indeed, it’s true.

The first character represents danger or peril of the situation. The second character signifies a crucial point of opportunity. The opportunity is, of course, to take action to remove or stablize the danger and take advantage of the opportunity.

Chinese symbol for a turn for the betterThe additional Zen touch I love:

Modify the first character, and your crisis becomes “a turn for the better”.

What are you doing to find the opportunities in the current crisis that will assure, for you, it becomes a turn for the better?

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

How much do facts and data really influence our choices? One of the presentations in my current luncheon series focuses on this very issue, asking participants to choose between two options, based on the same facts. Despite having the same data and the same choices, each half of the audience chooses a different option.

To learn more about why this happens, and recognize other ways you experience this in your life, view this TED presentation from Dan Ariely.