The big news of today: Microsoft acquires Groove Networks.

Groove is known for its excellent yet sometimes cumbersome peer to peer group collaboration software. This purchase signify Microsoft interest in ad-hoc remote team collaboration (Groove software doesn't need any server installation).

This make sense. We are just in the beginning of a distributed, loosely connected, creative, ad-hoc, decentralized teams that operates in different physical location, time zones and accross language and cultural barrier.

There is no place in the world that are not connected to the Internet. (a slight exaggeration, but will be less so as time advances)

If you think outsourcing is amazing, you should see the next trend of “cell” oriented collaboration networks. The technology is catching up and the practice is being experimented globally in business or any other legal or illegal human endevours. You already can send money anywhere in the world for a long time, through multiple means.

New Management practices will rise on the face of this beginning trend. This phenomena will impact on how your project are managed, decision created, budget created and concensus reached.

Where you are will matter less and less because you can always go anywhere, work with anyone and settle at any place.

This vision is nothing new, but before it was just a vision, soon enough, we will see more of this trend to accept it as reality.

Welcome to the age of the modern nomads.

How to start a startup essay by Paul Graham.

What he writes, I'm living it right now except for the VC parts.

Finding out that the mix of food poisoning and influenza don't mix really well is really an eye opener.

”In a widely noticed interview, Walid Jumblatt, the leader of Lebanon's Druze, told the Washington Post that Iraq's election was the Arab equivalent of the fall of the Berlin wall. Hisham Kassem, a former publisher of the Cairo Times, called the elections the “start of a ripple effect”. Khaled al-Meena, the editor of Saudi Arabia's Arab News, says that if elections can be held under foreign occupation in Iraq and Palestine, it should be much easier to hold them in Arab states said to be “free”. “ (The Economist)

Damn straight.

”Expensive College Prep School: $90,000
Test Prep Classes: $10,000
Donations to School by Parents: $5,000

Blowing your future because you can't wait a month: Priceless.

There are some levels of satisfaction that money can't buy, like watching 100+ snot-nosed future pointy hairs take it up the pooper from Harvard. “ (a slashdot poster) on HBS online application fiasco.

”Transnational crime (not your local thug) is a $1.5-2 TRILLION a year black economy (I think this is an undercount). If global guerrillas in aggregate could capture 20% of that, it would be a $400 billion a year budget (about equal to the US defense budget). Given that global guerrillas have opted not to provide social services, most of it could be allocated to violence at a level of efficiency far in excess of conventional militaries. Something to think about. “ (John Robb)

“They say you can't understand people until you've walked a mile in their shoes. I just walked across Belgrade in a brand-new pair of Nikes. Now I understand something: The citizens of this city are the vanguard of a new phase of capitalism. They're busily subverting conventional multi-national commerce and creating a dark parallel process - call it black globalization.”(Bruce Sterling)

Black Globalization : Distributed, networked, loosely organized, flexible, work on a common protocol, resilient, each node is easily replicated, pragmatic.

One example, the Hawala underground international money transfer system where you can practically send money from one country to another undetected and guaranteed to be delivered.

I never cease to be amazed by the inventiveness by people and groups that operate successfully outside the boundary of the mainstream systems.

101 Zen Stories.

I grew up reading these stories because they are always funny and full of subtleties.

”Boeing Co. on Monday said its board forced out president and chief executive officer Harry Stonecipher because of a relationship the married, 69-year-old Stonecipher had with a female executive at the company.

The unexpected ouster makes Stonecipher, who spent just 15 months in the top job, the second consecutive CEO to depart the Chicago-based airplane maker and defense contractor in disgrace.” (AP)

You can be a 69-year-old executive and still be a dumbass. I like the Boeing Co but the parades of some stupid decision making, corruption and inept chief executives starts to get stale.

”If Europe wants to go pacifist, that's fine. But there is nothing worse than a pacifist that sells arms “  (Tom Friedman) on Europe ending their arm sales embargo to China.

He's got a point.

”Illinois is perfect no more. Ohio State reserve forward Matt Sylvester hit a 3-pointer with 5.1 seconds left on Sunday to hand the top-ranked Illini their first loss, 65-64.

The Illini (29-1, 15-1) were trying to cap the Big Ten's first unbeaten season in 29 years. Instead, they frittered away a 12-point lead in the second half and didn't score over the final 3 minutes.” (AP)

Fuck. We're gonna roll 'em up at St. Louis.