Whether we like it or not, those of us who live in Europe or in places influenced by European ideas remain the children of Lausanne; that is to say, of the convention signed on a Swiss lakeside after the First World War which decreed a massive, forced population movement between Turkey and Greece. A bold opening, to what is… Continue reading Twice a stranger: the children of Lausanne
Month: August 2012
Does the stock market work better than journalism?
The bias of stock market movements and the psychological phenomenae that affect it have been pretty well documented. The purposeful ways of manipulating it less so, though with every new scandal we learn – usually retrospectively – something new. As a person with some history in technology, what never fails to impress me… Continue reading Does the stock market work better than journalism?
Apple won’t sue Google and Cook is a better manager than Jobs. Which is bad.
Of course Apple won’t sue Google! Getting a positive verdict when fighting a foreign company in a US court is one thing. Going up against Google is quite another. Even without the closet of Motorola patents, Google wouldn’t lose. It would be like going up against the water utility company; they just… Continue reading Apple won’t sue Google and Cook is a better manager than Jobs. Which is bad.
Purple rain, Obama and Jesus Christ
“The sky is purple.” As you create the mental image of a deep purple colored sky, you might walk across to an open window. You will see a blue (or grey!) sky. The mental image is shattered and replaced by reality. Congratulations, your brain is working. Or, to put it more… Continue reading Purple rain, Obama and Jesus Christ
A great introduction to modern Greece
It could almost be a travel guide but it has a story as well. “Eurydice Street: A Place in Athens” by Sofka Zinovieff is a great answer to all those Greeks which get over excited about anything in international media even remotely negative about this country. Athenian friends had told us we were mad to… Continue reading A great introduction to modern Greece
Why Greeks evade tax and my car lies to me
It is now 2012 and one piece of equipment regularly lies to me. Your $300 smartphone will tell you where you are, it has a compass, a GPS and all sorts of fancy sensors. Yet your $40,000 automobile lies in your face. The speedometer never, ever shows your actual speed. Most people… Continue reading Why Greeks evade tax and my car lies to me
Oscar Pistorious, Olympic cheating, mobile phone processors and the PC upgrade problem
When I first read that an athlete was using “blades” I thought they meant servers. Blade servers are rack mountable computers. For anyone involved in computing infrastructure part it is part of the everyday lingo. You try to find the best combination of CPU power, SSD storage if you can and other nerdy… Continue reading Oscar Pistorious, Olympic cheating, mobile phone processors and the PC upgrade problem
Why I care that you don’t choose Macs
Much has been written about Apple’s amazing ability in marketing. About Apple fan boys (and girls). About Steve. In terms of popular culture it is interesting and in terms of business it is amazing. (Though not easy to emulate.) But my question here is slightly different: Do I have… Continue reading Why I care that you don’t choose Macs
Greece vs Greek: a wor(l)d of difference
Looking at the volume of web searches (Google data) for the two words, there a number of interesting things to note: The glaring conclusion is that “Hellas” (the proper name for the region) is hardly used. Also “Greeks” are seldom requested as people. There is a seasonality. Searches drop off in July… Continue reading Greece vs Greek: a wor(l)d of difference