tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89085999525164152812010-04-05T01:23:00.194-07:00leegale.comLee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.comBlogger264125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-56266423429569148892010-04-05T01:23:00.000-07:002010-04-05T01:23:00.272-07:00Top Gear's new 'best road in the world' is the TransfagarasanIn the same vein as the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/top-gear-challenge-to-find-driving.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Top Gear Challenge to Find Driving Heaven</span></a>, and <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/09/supercars-and-super-bridge.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Supercars and a Super-Bridge</span></a>, the Top Gear grew head over to Romania to drive the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transf%C4%83g%C4%83r%C4%83%C5%9Fan">Transfagarasan</a>.<br /><br />Looks like another road I'll need to add to the list :-)<br /><br />To the road, they bring two cars I'd love to own: the <a href="http://www.topgear.com/AU/lamborghini/gallardo/road-test/lp560-4-spyder">Lamborghini Gallardo Spyder LP560-4</a> and the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/05/more-ferrari-california.html">Ferrari California</a>. The California has those pointless back seats but is better suited to the GT role, as unlike the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferrari_F430#F430_Spider">F430 Spyder</a> or the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/06/ferrari-f450.html">458 Italia</a>, it has sat-nav. The Lambo is definitely what I'd put my money on and <a href="http://www.redbook.com.au/used-cars/details.aspx?R=394544&__Qpb=true&Cr=3&__Ns=p_Make_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_ClassificationType_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_Family_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_Year_String%7C1%7C%7Cp_SequenceNum_Int32%7C0&__N=2994%204294954036%204294843321%204294965539&silo=1300&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=7&__sid=12623B6AF64F">RedBook</a> suggests you could pickup a '08 model with the LSD on all corners for ~$300k... and it looks the bomb in black!<br /><br />As usual, you can't watch BBC programs online from Australia and Top Gear haven't published it yet to YouTube, so we're left with whatever car enthusiasts can publish themselves.<br /><br />The full episode can be found in Parts <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Br6rIovrbs">1</a> through <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4cJiDKgWuA">4</a>, but the best scene is this one in higher resolution:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qhMKvzcS2OU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qhMKvzcS2OU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-5626642342956914889?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-10109235239889604132010-04-01T02:31:00.000-07:002010-04-03T15:22:24.065-07:00Follow me on Digg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://digg.com/tour"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 142px;" src="http://digg.com/img/about-diggguy.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Keep track of what I'm reading via <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/06/follow-me-on-digg.html">Digg</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-1010923523988960413?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-41794342983983987632010-03-25T01:25:00.000-07:002010-03-25T01:25:00.155-07:00Passat CCIf you I were looking for a 4-5 seater car (as it is sometimes a topic of debate in a 2-seater car only household), I came to the conclusion in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/12/what-dilemma.html">What a dilemma</a>, that <span style="font-weight: bold;">the cabriolets on the market don't really offer a true option for carrying 4 adults</span>.<br /><br />Given I think big SUVs are a bit of a waste of space (despite having a crush on the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/bmw-x6.html">X6</a>), that would generally leave you looking back at big coupes such as the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/05/xfr-vs-m5-xkr-vs-granturismo-s.html">GranTurismo</a>, or sedans such as the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/aston-martin-rapide.html">Rapide</a>, <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/more-porsche-panamera.html">Panamera</a>, <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2010/03/audi-a8.html">A8</a> or <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/05/xfr-vs-m5-xkr-vs-granturismo-s.html">M5</a>.<br /><br />But then you are back to compromises - <span style="font-weight: bold;">ditching the 2-seater roadster for a performance sedan is a backwards step for driving enthusiasts no matter how you look at it</span>.<br /><br />So I got to thinking, <span style="font-weight: bold;">why not keep the hot car and get a sensible sedan that doesn't cost over $50k, but is still 'sexy'? </span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Which brings me to the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volkswagen_Passat_CC">Volkswagen Passat CC</a><span style="font-weight: bold;">.</span><br /><br />The pick would be the <a href="http://www.volkswagen.com.au/vwcms/master_public/virtualmaster/en_au/New_Cars/PassatCC/trim_lines/Passat_CC_V6_FSI.html">3.6l V6</a> which retails for about A$63-77k, depending on what options you tick, but a 1 year old (as they weren't available in Australia before that) goes for about $50k according to <a href="http://www.redbook.com.au/used-cars/details.aspx?R=459645&__Qpb=true&Cr=1&__Ns=p_Make_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_ClassificationType_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_Family_String%7C0%7C%7Cp_Year_String%7C1%7C%7Cp_SequenceNum_Int32%7C0&SearchAction=N&__N=2994%204294939368%204294842696%204294965826%2074&silo=1300&seot=1&__Nne=15&trecs=4&__sid=12623B6AF64F">RedBook</a>.<br /><br />It puts out 220kw and has 350Nm's of torque which is similar to the SLK350 I owned and has the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Direct-Shift_Gearbox" title="Direct-Shift Gearbox">Direct-Shift Gearbox</a> (DSG).<br /><br />It is previously only a 4-seater, but according to <a href="http://emotorauto.com/2010/01/22/2010-volkswagen-passat-cc-now-available-as-five-seater/">eMotorAuto</a> will shortly be available with an optional new rear bench that turns it into a 5-seater.<br /><br />Checkout FifthGear putting it through it's paces against the Coupe/Sedan market-maker: the Mercedes CLS.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KuPmC2Pnz78&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KuPmC2Pnz78&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4179434298398398763?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-62277175162245539562010-03-20T02:18:00.000-07:002010-03-20T02:18:00.942-07:00Frightened, clueless or uninformed?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/head-clickme2.gif"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 160px; height: 270px;" src="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/head-clickme2.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a>As usual, <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/12/all-marketers-are-liars.html">Seth Godin</a> makes some good points in his blog <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/09/understanding-business-development.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Understanding business development</span></a>.<br /><br />Yes, yes - I know. You are possibly over the fact that I'm an avid reader of <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/12/all-marketers-are-liars.html">Seth Godin</a>, but as usual, he makes some good points in his blog <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2010/02/frightenedcluelessuninformed.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Frightened, clueless or uninformed?</span></a><br /><br />In my job, I deal with a lot of clueless people.<br /><br />I was talking with one of my colleagues yesterday where he articulated exactly what I'm talking about: He met with a technical decision maker who 'knows what to do and how to solve his organisation's problems'. To do so, he's chosen <a href="http://bpic.co.uk/articles/bobvfis.htm">best of breed</a> applications - the best tool for each specific job. Then in the next breath, he admits the organisation's problems are a result of having stove-pipes of data with no visibility across them all.<br /><br />Did I miss something there?<br /><br />Sounds like more coaching is in my future.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-6227717516224553956?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-90237520138975804512010-03-15T01:25:00.000-07:002010-03-15T01:25:00.136-07:00Audi A8Reading that <a href="http://www.autospies.com/news/Audi-2011-A8-Will-be-The-First-Vehicle-On-the-Road-With-Google-Maps-Navigation-50478/">the 2010 Audi A8 will be the first car with Google Maps installed</a> was quite interesting as it shows the Google/Microsoft push to become embedded everywhere is certainly happening.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.autospies.com/images/users/Agent009/main/google%20maps%20nav.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 281px;" src="http://www.autospies.com/images/users/Agent009/main/google%20maps%20nav.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4wheelsnews.com/images/2009/november/audi/2011-a8/2011_audi_a8_14.jpg"><br /></a>As I said back when looking at the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/aston-martin-rapide.html">Aston Martin Rapide</a>, I'd want total luxury from the back seat with some get-up-and-go, and the I think <a href="http://www.4wheelsnews.com/2011-audi-a8-l-long-version-to-make-its-debut-at-the-shanghai-auto-show/">the A8L</a> with a big W12 or V10 would be the pick.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4wheelsnews.com/images/2009/november/audi/2011-a8/2011_audi_a8_14.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 399px; height: 281px;" src="http://4wheelsnews.com/images/2009/november/audi/2011-a8/2011_audi_a8_14.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />According to drive.com.au, a new A8L 4.2 will cost you A$233,900, and the 6.0 W12 will cost an eye watering A$345,900!!!<br /><br />So how do they stack up on resale value?<br /><br /><a href="http://www.redbook.com.au/">Red Book</a> has the 2007 4.2 going for between $94,100 - $102,500 privately and the same year W12 going for between $133,600 - $145,300. That's under 50% of their respective values in just 3 years. <br /><br />Ouch!!! (for sellers)<br /><br />Woo Hoo !!!! (for buyers).<br /><br />To be fair, most new cars will lose the bulk of their value in the first two years (50%), but checking out my SLK55 online it shows that the value then plateaus for years 2-4, with 2005 models only losing a further 10%.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-9023752013897580451?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-36102196766184504832010-03-10T01:22:00.000-08:002010-03-10T01:22:00.192-08:00Bells Line of Road<a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/10/its-on-days-like-today-that-i-love-this.html">As I've said in the past</a>, we've got some great driving roads just out of Sydney. Heading out West, to the Blue Mountains, I recommend checking out the Bells Line of Roads.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sydney to Richmond via Windsor</span><br /><br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Woolloomooloo+NSW&daddr=Macquarie+St+to:richmond,+nsw&hl=en&geocode=FR0y-_0dvHADCSllvE3IbK4SazHepaxniSByyQ%3BFVw1__0dRWD9CA%3BFcdW__0dek78CCnfs7VCV30NazFqJ1hWuPxnzQ&mra=ls&via=1&sll=-33.68308,150.737735&sspn=0.652506,1.436462&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.710632,150.967255&spn=0.39983,0.549316&z=10&output=embed" width="400" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=Woolloomooloo+NSW&daddr=Macquarie+St+to:richmond,+nsw&hl=en&geocode=FR0y-_0dvHADCSllvE3IbK4SazHepaxniSByyQ%3BFVw1__0dRWD9CA%3BFcdW__0dek78CCnfs7VCV30NazFqJ1hWuPxnzQ&mra=ls&via=1&sll=-33.68308,150.737735&sspn=0.652506,1.436462&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.710632,150.967255&spn=0.39983,0.549316&z=10" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br /><br />Getting out of Sydney is the first requirement. I recommend a fast route up the M2, straight to Richmond.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Richmond to Mt Victoria</span><br /><br /><iframe marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" src="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=richmond,+nsw&daddr=Mt+Victoria,+NSW&geocode=FcdW__0dek78CCnfs7VCV30NazFqJ1hWuPxnzQ%3BFa96__0dmab0CCmj9B-EbHMSazFtj68T_EwfZg&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=-33.642063,150.542908&sspn=0.343558,0.720978&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.535671,150.482483&spn=0.400643,0.583649&z=10&output=embed" width="425" frameborder="0" height="350" scrolling="no"></iframe><br /><small><a href="http://maps.google.com.au/maps?f=d&source=embed&saddr=richmond,+nsw&daddr=Mt+Victoria,+NSW&geocode=FcdW__0dek78CCnfs7VCV30NazFqJ1hWuPxnzQ%3BFa96__0dmab0CCmj9B-EbHMSazFtj68T_EwfZg&hl=en&mra=ls&sll=-33.642063,150.542908&sspn=0.343558,0.720978&ie=UTF8&ll=-33.535671,150.482483&spn=0.400643,0.583649&z=10" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 255); text-align: left;">View Larger Map</a></small><br /><br />Once you've hit Richmond, there is just a little bit of road to navigate through to Kurrajong before the traffic really thins out and you hit nice sweeping roads.<br /><br />It's on these roads that I'm grateful to have a big V8, as the road is wrapped around the mountains and you'll experience a some rapid climbs that the V8 just devours. Coupled with short overtaking opportunities, you'll want a torquey engine.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-3610219676618450483?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-125895361660895242010-03-05T01:29:00.000-08:002010-03-05T14:09:01.160-08:00What the CEO Wants you to Know<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0609608398&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" align="right" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe><br />I first heard about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Charan">Ram</a> in Fortune magazine in an article titled <a href="http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/04/30/8405482/index.htm"><span style="font-style: italic;">The strange existence of Ram Charan</span></a>, where his travel regime was dissected: he travels non-stop and regardless of his location, his assistants in Dallas send him new clothes via courier and he returns his dirty laundry to them.<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;"><a href="http://www.ram-charan.com/what_the_ceo.htm">What the CEO wants you to know</a> </span>was the first of his books that I purchased.<br /><br />This book is from a similar approach to <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/02/winning.html">Winning</a> and <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/art-of-profitability.html">The Art of Profitability</a><br />in terms of it's ease of reading and practical views on business.<br /><br />In it, Ram takes the principles of 'street smarts' and relates those basics to how a good CEO looks at, and runs, their business. Those principles include <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profit_margin">margin</a>, velocity and ROE but in a far more engaging way than any business textbook you could pickup. Moreover, it does remind the reader that everyone in a business, whether it is the CEO or the receptionist, is responsible for the organisations profitability.<br /><br />I managed to bump into Ram in the Qantas lounge in LA whilst returning from Chicago in November of last year - he's quite a nice guy and judging from the people chatting with him, quite populate with Australian executives.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-12589536166089524?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-41938178672480105962010-02-27T16:02:00.000-08:002010-02-27T16:12:46.488-08:00Ouch!Whilst super-cars are gorgeous works of art when they are in one piece, seeing them broken is a painful sight.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/11/sono-candidati-ad-entrare-lazio.html">The Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 donated to the Italian highway patrol</a> had <a href="http://www.easycarblog.com/2009/12/italian-police-totals-the-lamborghini-gallardo-lp-560-4-polizia.html/">a little bingle</a> late last year and looks a lot less pretty.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.easycarblog.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/25612__300x230_policelambocrash.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.easycarblog.com/wp-content/gallery/cache/25612__300x230_policelambocrash.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />The Pagani Zonda is a another beautiful piece of art... when it isn't <a href="http://carscoop.blogspot.com/2009/12/million-dollar-plus-pagani-zonda-f.html">rammed into parked cars</a>.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/Sx19Q_kP_II/AAAAAAACUjQ/zAA5a5OSQ0U/s800/Pagani-Zonda-F-Crash-0.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 325px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_FoXyvaPSnVk/Sx19Q_kP_II/AAAAAAACUjQ/zAA5a5OSQ0U/s800/Pagani-Zonda-F-Crash-0.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />And if you aren't teary eyed just yet, the final heartbreaking episode is the Bugatti Veyron going for a dip.<br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/4NJmB1F2mdE&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/4NJmB1F2mdE&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><br /><br /><object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/a3goPs_EANU&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/a3goPs_EANU&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4193817867248010596?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-41133030341069763012010-01-31T17:06:00.001-08:002010-01-31T17:09:41.460-08:00SAP Archiving at Australia PostLast August at the SAUG Summit, the team at Australia Post presented on their implementation of SAP Document Access by Open Text.<br /><br />Phil and the team at Australia Post are one of my favourite clients to work with - you can check out Phil's SlideShare Presentation here: <div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_1813346"><a style="margin: 12px 0pt 3px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/pdglead/session-13-archiving-gleadhill" title="SAP Archiving">SAP Archiving</a><object style="margin: 0px;" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=session13archivinggleadhill-12494551550889-phpapp03&stripped_title=session-13-archiving-gleadhill"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=session13archivinggleadhill-12494551550889-phpapp03&stripped_title=session-13-archiving-gleadhill" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">presentations</a> from <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/pdglead">Phil Gleadhill</a>.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4113303034106976301?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-54984219546516067522010-01-13T15:02:00.000-08:002010-01-17T15:06:29.186-08:00Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not ComeTraditional approaches to defining and deploying enterprise software fail to account for that fact that people are influenced by their environment, emotions, shortsightedness, and other forms of irrationality. How do we get past the predictable irrationality of people to redefine the problem and create experiences that people will embrace?<br /><br />Check out this SlideShare Presentation: <div style="width: 425px; text-align: left;" id="__ss_2509590"><a style="margin: 12px 0pt 3px; font-family: Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 14px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; display: block; text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/joyce_hostyn/predictable-irrationality-if-you-build-what-they-ask-for-they-will-not-come" title="Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not Come">Predictable Irrationality If You Build What They Ask For, They Will Not Come</a><object style="margin: 0px;" width="425" height="355"><param name="movie" value="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=predictableirrationality-ifyoubuildwhattheyaskfortheywillnotcome-091116051242-phpapp01&stripped_title=predictable-irrationality-if-you-build-what-they-ask-for-they-will-not-come"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"><embed src="http://static.slidesharecdn.com/swf/ssplayer2.swf?doc=predictableirrationality-ifyoubuildwhattheyaskfortheywillnotcome-091116051242-phpapp01&stripped_title=predictable-irrationality-if-you-build-what-they-ask-for-they-will-not-come" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="355"></embed></object><div style="font-size: 11px; font-family: tahoma,arial; height: 26px; padding-top: 2px;">View more <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/">documents</a> from <a style="text-decoration: underline;" href="http://www.slideshare.net/joyce_hostyn">Joyce Hostyn</a>.</div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-5498421954651606752?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-64554654696179923582010-01-08T02:08:00.000-08:002010-01-08T14:35:08.610-08:00Amazon's Kindle<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B0015T963C&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" align="right" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>In December, I was stumped with the question of what I wanted as a gift for my birthday and Christmas. I'm one of those painful people (period?) to buy a gift for as there is truly nothing I 'need' and few things I 'want' that I haven't gone out and bought for myself.<br /><br />Fortunately, advertising helped me make my decision!<br /><br />My amazon account told me<span style="font-weight: bold;"> the Kindle was the leading gift for Christmas in 2009</span> and that they've finally pulled their fingers out and offered up<span style="font-weight: bold;"> a version for international users</span>.<br /><br />Apparently, if you believe the advertising, they sold more eBooks last quarter than physical books. I don't necessarily believe the advertising, but I do believe the market noise around eBooks, which was covered in the ReadWriteWeb article<a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/report_ereader_and_ebook_market_ready_for_growth.php"><span style="font-style: italic;"> EReader and EBook Market Ready for Growth</span></a>.<br /><br />That morning, I had been on my way to Melbourne and arrived at the airport with nothing to read on the flight, having read all the ads in the November Qantas in-flight magazine before & a low battery in my laptop & iPhone which meant I felt the pain of having nothing to read.<br /><br />When talking about it with my better half, I was sent this <a href="http://www.wired.com/reviews/product/giftguide_ebook">Wired article on eReaders</a> which sealed the deal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Apparently you break even on the purchase at around 15 books </span>as the books are around US$10 versus the $20-35 for a paperback. Given the amount I read, I'd break even by late January.<br /><br />I'm a bit pissed off: <span style="font-weight: bold;">early in December, only the 6" version was available but</span> <span style="font-weight: bold;">as of January 2010 (i.e. now), the DX 10" version is available</span>. To be honest, I don't think I'd spend US$489 vs the US$259 for the larger version but it would have been nice to have had the option. <a href="http://blogs.harvardbusiness.org/anthony/2009/05/the_new_kindle_now_it_gets_int.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+harvardbusiness+%28HBR.org%29">Harvard Business Review</a> takes a look at the markets the larger version seems to cater for. It was reported on it's release that the Kindle DX will also be a part of a pilot program at six universities across the country: Arizona State University, Reed College, Pace University in New York, Princeton University, Case Western University and the University of Virginia.<br /><br />Now you can go out and get the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Amazon Kindle reader</span> for your <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=ms_sbrspot_0?ie=UTF8&docId=1000426311&pf_rd_p=506553311&pf_rd_s=center-22&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0015T963C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11D615S6NG35KQHMBK3C">PC</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=ms_sbrspot_1?ie=UTF8&docId=1000301301&pf_rd_p=506553311&pf_rd_s=center-22&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0015T963C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=08JTH7DSRZGE0PDVXVB5">iPhone</a>, but apparently the iPhone version doesn't allow you to browse the Kindle store. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=ms_sbrspot_2?ie=UTF8&docId=1000464931&pf_rd_p=506553311&pf_rd_s=center-22&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0015T963C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11D615S6NG35KQHMBK3C">Mac</a> and <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=ms_sbrspot_3?ie=UTF8&docId=1000468551&pf_rd_p=506553311&pf_rd_s=center-22&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B0015T963C&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=11D615S6NG35KQHMBK3C">Blackberry</a> versions are apparently coming soon too. Interesting, according to the <a href="http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/amazons_kindle_iphone_app.php">ReadWriteWeb review</a>, Amazon does not expect that this app will cannibalize Kindle sales as users will probably only use their phones to read for short periods.<br /><br />There have been tonnes of rumours regarding an <a href="http://www.misaustralia.com/viewer.aspx?EDP://1248736747394&section=newsletter">Apple tablet</a> (iSlate?) and the <a href="http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/10/barnes-nobles-kindle-killing-dual-screen-nook-e-reader-leaked/">Barnes & Noble eReader</a>, but the key selling points for me with the Kindle were:<br /><ol><li>The 'now' factor - I was looking for a present in December, so maybe the 4 points below are just me justifying my choice to myself!;<br /></li><li>The screen: it's e-Ink, not a back lit screen which is supposed to be easier on your eyes and more authentically replicates the book experience;</li><li>Amazon's store: you get free wireless access to the store which makes getting a new magazine or book quick and simple. The store combined with the device is the killer app, much like Apple's iPod and iTunes combo;<br /></li><li>It is a gen 2 device so most of the annoying kinks have been worked out; and</li><li>The ability to annotate, highlight and take notes - something I do a lot when reading.<br /></li></ol>Interestingly, <span style="font-weight: bold;">the magazine experience doesn't work so well on the Kindle</span>. Magazines are definitely optimised with glossy colour pictures, and they don't come out at all well on the Kindle.<br /><br />However, <span style="font-weight: bold;">I've found the book experience fantastic</span>. The navigation is easy to learn and in minutes you wonder why you didn't take the plunge earlier.<br /><br />We've now got two Kindles in our house (my better half decided they wanted one for Christmas), linked to a single Amazon account so we share all our eBooks.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">My buying experience was slightly better</span>: the Kindle came configured to my Amazon account and all I had to do was fire it up. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Drew's experience was a little more painful</span>: it wasn't configured/registered and it was an older version of the software so wasn't working with wireless (so couldn't be registered). To fix both issues, about 45 minutes was spent on the phone to Amazon support in India. They also sent us a 3rd Kindle in the process as a replacement and charged me for it. They've advised once they get the 3rd Kindle back, they'll refund me. They are all really minor issues and other than that it's been plain sailing.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Right now, not all books are available as Kindle editions, and then not all Kindle editions are available internationally</span>. For instance, Seth Godin's latest output - <a href="http://www.sethgodin.com/sg/books.asp">Tribes</a> - is one such example - much to my disappointment. Checkout this <a href="http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/137/the-evolution-of-amazon.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany/headlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29">FastCompany article</a> to learn the ins and outs of Amazon's struggles with publishers. I suspect this will change over time. Due to this issue, it's unlikely I've bought my last physical book, but I have found I'm likely to buy an alternative eBook rather than buy the book I was looking for. That's a message to publishers and writers: don't fight this trend, embrace it. And a message to Amazon: fix your stupid international publishing issues so the Kindle versions are available internationally - you'll lose revenue whilst this persists. <a href="http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2009/02/reinventing-the-kindle-part-ii.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+typepad%2Fsethsmainblog+%28Seth%27s+Blog%29">Seth has a few of his own suggestions</a> on improving the business model.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you are an avid reader, I'd thoroughly recommend getting one.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-6455465469617992358?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-50348554157746538362009-12-28T01:15:00.000-08:002009-12-29T23:33:06.647-08:00Jay Leno Makes a Rendezvous Of His Own<a href="http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/12/jay-leno-rendezvous/">Checkout Jay Leno's great adaptation</a> of the classic <span style="font-style: italic;">Rendezvous</span>: The Fast and the Famous, featuring the awesome <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/09/mercedes-sls-feature-site.html">Mercedes-Benz SLS</a>.<br /><br />I couldn't get the Wired video to play well, so fortunately it's on YouTube!<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/xG8nQIBl7ig&hl=en_US&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/xG8nQIBl7ig&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-5034855415774653836?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-43753270614112180422009-12-22T01:39:00.001-08:002009-12-27T14:38:30.580-08:00Moving deck chairs on the Titanic<blockquote style="font-style: italic;">Checkout Wikipedia for the origins of the saying <a href="http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/rearrange_the_deck_chairs_on_the_Titanic">Moving deck chairs on the Titanic</a> - I especially Like Stephen Colbert's analogy.</blockquote><br />Whilst the signs are increasingly looking positive for <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/12/dead-cat-bounce.html">Ford</a>, the same can't be said for <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/government-motors.html">GM</a>.<br /><br />Earlier this month, Chairman Whitacre announced he was taking over as acting chief executive following the resignation of Fritz Henderson as CEO. Henderson had led GM through bankruptcy and in the months following after taking over for Rick Wagoner, who had resigned as part of a government bailout of GM.<br /><br />Anyone coming into a role after such a profound change i.e. merger, acquisition,... accumulation of more than $80 billion of losses in eight years... is going to have a tough and short tenure.<br /><br />Apparently, <a href="http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6941908.ece">Obama's administration was an advocate for the change</a> by having appointed Whitacre as it's broom. Whilst the situation for Fritz wasn't great with GM in bankruptcy, he didn't exactly do a fantastic job of the Saab sale, UAW negotiations or the attempted sale of Opel to Magna International.<br /><br />But wait, there's more!<br /><br />GM has appointed the chief financial officer, <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8425477.stm">Chris Liddell</a>, of Microsoft as its new finance chief, and as it turns out, life isn't too bad working for a government agency: Chris will have a base salary of US$750,000 and also receive stock awards worth US$3.45 million in stock over three years beginning in 2012. That's a step up from his pay at Microsoft but a cut from GM's past CFO salary.<br /><br />Will replacing Fritz bring about changes at GM? According to <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703735004574575880529756434.html?mod=WSJ_hpp_MIDDLENexttoWhatsNewsThird">the WSJ</a>, changes in leadership account for roughly 10% of the variance in corporate profitability on average. To quote:<br /><blockquote style="font-style: italic;">As Mr. Buffett likes to say, "When a management with a reputation for brilliance tackles a business with a reputation for bad economics, it is the reputation of the business that remains intact."</blockquote><br />So, who is likely to replace Fritz? <a href="http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/09_50/b4159020667685.htm">BusinessWeek</a> offers some insights but it's clear that GM's board probably has their eye on someone already - you generally don't let a CEO go without a plan to replace them. I think it would be wise to get someone in from a manufacturing background (as Ford did with Alan) as I can testify that more 'virtual' industries like financial services and, to a degree software, are able to maneuver far quicker than an auto maker will be able to. <a href="http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/08/ed-whitacre-general-motors-business-autos-gm.html">Whitacre is yet to articulate the long-term strategy and priorities for GM</a> - let's hope he does so soon!<br /><br />On the positive side, GM did <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2009/12/18/gm-first-repayments-of-government-loans.html">repay some of it's loans</a> recently... that's good, right?<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/1145534_75642775-745081.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 299px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/1145534_75642775-745077.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Image by <a href="http://www.sxc.hu/profile/svilen001">ivan petrov</a></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></div><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4375327061411218042?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-26242376197846956742009-12-18T01:51:00.000-08:002009-12-18T15:01:51.635-08:00What a dilemmaI appreciate labeling "choosing a four-seat cabriolet worth twice the <a href="http://www.wages.com.au/news/2009/3/2/average-australian-wages-in-2008/">average Australia annual wage</a>" as a dilemma to be somewhat cheeky, but that's the truth.<br /><br />Follow my logic here:<br /><ol><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">I like convertible cars</span> primarily because of the opportunity on great days & nights where the weather conspires to deliver a truly brilliant experience - especially in Sydney; and<br /></li><li>My partner wants to get a second Beagle, which means <span style="font-weight: bold;">we would need four seats</span> if we're to legally and comfortably get them A to B.</li></ol>And it's therefore quite early in the process that it starts to unravel.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">If you are going to get a four-seat car, surely logic dictates it should be able to handle four adults?</span> Now, I'm tall so generally need the drivers seat positioned a reasonable distance from the pedals and steering wheel.<br /><br />At this point, we can start eliminating some of the 109 different four-seat convertible models found on <a href="http://www.drive.com.au/search/buy-new-cars/?b=Convertible&sc=4%7C4&sf=">drive.com.au</a>, including: Aston Martin DB9, Audi A3, old Audi A4, BMW 1 & 6 series, <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/05/more-ferrari-california.html">Ferrari California</a>, Ford Focus, Citroen C3, Holden Astra, Jaguar XK, Mini, Peugeot 207 & 307, <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/09/updated-porsche-911-turbo.html">Porsche 911</a> and Volkswagen EOS.<br /><br />Next, <span style="font-weight: bold;">we can prune objects that don't qualify as 'cars' because either they are totally crap quality, handles like runny manure, and/or have the soul of a kitchen appliance </span>- i.e. anything Chrysler (PT Cruiser & Sebring), Lexus (SC & IS), the Renault Megane, the Saab 9-3, Volkswagen Beetle and the Volvo C70.<br /><br />Now I'm acutely aware our American friend staying with us over New Years might be upset with the Chrysler inclusion, and work colleagues whom are senior to me will be upset with the Saab & Volvo inclusion... but deep-down, you know I'm right and if you don't, I'll have to avoid publishing a <a href="http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?CareerLimitingMove">CLM</a> online.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Then, we need to prune cars that I can't afford </span>without either a sudden deal where I can make 1000% of my annual target, a lotto win, or the sudden death of a wealthy relative I didn't know I had. Therefore, we need to kick: the Bentley Continental GTC, a potential <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/aston-martin-rapide.html">Aston Martin Rapide</a> convertible, the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead and the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/09/granturismo-spyder-aka-grancabrio.html">Maserati GranCabrio</a> - the last at excruciating agony because it's <span style="font-style: italic;">almost</span> affordable and ever so sexy.<br /><br />Which leaves us with: <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/10/audi-a5-s5-convertible.html">Audi A5</a>, BMW 3-series (barely - those back seats are questionable in their utility) and the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/2010-mercedes-e-class-coupe.html">Mercedes E-class</a> (previously the CLK).<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">I want to like the BMW 3-series - especially the 335 or the M3 versions - but the one thing holding me back, aside from those questionable rear seats, is the styling. </span>The exterior looks like every other 3-series on the road, and there are a lot of them in Sydney. The interior seems to have followed Volkswagen's strategy of making every car in it's range identical inside so you are completely unaware of which car you are in... and both manufacturers seem intent on inducing their passengers into a coma with their mundane style. I don't think it's actually possible to have made it more boring inside - it should come with a shot of adrenalin to avoid causing more road fatalities.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">And both the </span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.audi.com.au/audi/au/en2/new_cars/A5/S5_Cabriolet/gallery.html">Audi</a><span style="font-weight: bold;"> and the new Merc</span> (according to the pictures from <a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/245314/merc_cabrios_cover_blown.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c02c1d9a88a8db9fe3d875cd7794b70f">AutoExpress</a>) <span style="font-weight: bold;">look like barges with their roof's down.</span><br /><br />Which leaves me wanting neither.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://photos.autoexpress.co.uk/images/front_picture_library_UK/dir_687/car_photo_343906_7.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://photos.autoexpress.co.uk/images/front_picture_library_UK/dir_687/car_photo_343906_7.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-2624237619784695674?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-14944871516577592782009-12-13T02:53:00.000-08:002009-12-13T02:53:01.004-08:00Dead cat bounce?<span style="font-style: italic;"></span><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Checkout Wikipedia for the origins of the saying <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_cat_bounce">dead cat bounce</a>.</span></blockquote><br />It's way too early for us to say the car industry has recovered from the GFC, but the signs are looking good for Ford.<br /><br />Recently <a href="http://money.cnn.com/quote/financials/financials.html?symb=F">they posted a profit</a> - their first in over two years - for their 3rd quarter 2009.<br /><br />I blogged back in <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/04/carmageddon-09.html">Carmageddon '09</a> that I thought Ford was going to come out the other side pretty nicely and mostly due to Alan Mullaly's leadership. It seems like many people agree, including Automobile Magazine who named him <a href="http://www.automobilemag.com/features/awards/1001_2010_man_of_the_year_alan_mulally_ceo_ford_motor_company/index.html">2010 Man of the Year</a>. Hopefully this isn't a flash in the pan for Ford and they can manage their debt load in the coming years - continuing actions like the <a href="http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=14756895">sale of Volvo to Geely</a> will help.<br /><br />On a lighter note, Jon Stewart takes a look at a sector of the industry that the stimulus packages didn't help:<br /><br /><br /><table style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 11px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); background-color: rgb(245, 245, 245);" width="360" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="353"><tbody><tr style="background-color: rgb(229, 229, 229);" valign="middle"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">The Daily Show With Jon Stewart</a></td><td style="padding: 2px 5px 0px; text-align: right; font-weight: bold;">Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c</td></tr><tr style="height: 14px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding: 2px 1px 0px 5px;" colspan="2"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/wed-november-11-2009/crash-for-clunkers">Crash for Clunkers</a></td></tr><tr style="height: 14px; background-color: rgb(53, 53, 53);" valign="middle"><td colspan="2" style="padding: 2px 5px 0px; overflow: hidden; width: 360px; text-align: right;"><a target="_blank" style="color: rgb(150, 222, 255); text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/">www.thedailyshow.com</a></td></tr><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 0px;" colspan="2"><embed style="display: block;" src="http://media.mtvnservices.com/mgid:cms:item:comedycentral.com:255680" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="window" allowfullscreen="true" flashvars="autoPlay=false" allowscriptaccess="always" allownetworking="all" bgcolor="#000000" width="360" height="301"></embed></td></tr><tr style="height: 18px;" valign="middle"><td style="padding: 0px;" colspan="2"><table style="margin: 0px; text-align: center;" width="100%" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" height="100%"><tbody><tr valign="middle"><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/full-episodes">Daily Show<br />Full Episodes</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.indecisionforever.com/">Political Humor</a></td><td style="padding: 3px; width: 33%;"><a target="_blank" style="font-family: arial; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; font-size: 10px; line-height: normal; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); text-decoration: none;" href="http://www.thedailyshow.com/videos/tag/health">Health Care Crisis</a></td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-1494487151657759278?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-49331273867231916752009-12-10T01:40:00.000-08:002009-12-10T01:40:00.540-08:00Deal or No DealLet me start by saying that I'm no fan of the US Republican party's policies generally. I was also one of the many that were <span style="font-style: italic;">completely and thoroughly </span>shocked when California's voted Arnold Schwarzenegger as their Governor.<br /><br />But: if you were a sceptic of his ability to govern and lead, I'd encourage you to checkout <a href="http://digg.com/d31ByAI">the Newsweek article</a> on the failure of the Copenhagen talks on climate change and how sub-national interests are pressing ahead to secure their own futures. In it, the steps California is taking are impressive... but I guess it's not unexpected for a state that, if it were a country, would be able to stand in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/G8">G8</a>.<br /><br />It's an interesting parallel to current Australian politics, with Tony Abbott and the Liberal party muddying the waters around the ETS with climate change skepticism. Don't get me wrong, I welcome healthy political debate over legislation that has the potential to make us both a more expensive place to live (if that's possible) and less competitive in the global economy.<br /><br />But: I think Tony needs to take his head out of the sand and realise inactivity will cost us more than implementing a less-than-perfect framework that could be adapted over time.<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://ndn1.newsweek.com/media/67/Begley-climate-FE07-wide-horizontal.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 600px; height: 352px;" src="http://ndn1.newsweek.com/media/67/Begley-climate-FE07-wide-horizontal.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4933127386723191675?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-70551856751563598392009-12-09T01:27:00.000-08:002009-12-09T01:27:00.843-08:00Don't forget to follow me on Digg<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://digg.com/tour"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 142px; height: 142px;" src="http://digg.com/img/about-diggguy.gif" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Keep track of what I'm reading via <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/06/follow-me-on-digg.html">Digg</a>.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-7055185675156359839?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-27049921783907355592009-12-05T01:49:00.000-08:002009-12-05T01:49:00.733-08:00McLaren MP4-12C SpiderMcLaren are certainly stirring up the emotions and imaginations with the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/09/mclaren-mp4-12c.html">MP4-12C</a>'s journey to become a production car.<br /><br />Now, they've added more fuel to the fire with the possibility of a Spider version, supposedly with a <span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT">retractable hard-top.</span><br /><br />It certainly looks like better conversion than Audi managed with the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/10/i-think-r8-spyder-is-dud.html">R8 Spyder</a>.<br /><br />Checkout the rendering courtesy of <a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/243292/mclaren_spider_is_out_in_the_open.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c02c1d9a88a8db9fe3d875cd7794b70f">AutoExpress</a>:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336961_25-718304.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336961_25-718300.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-2704992178390735559?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-71786536163423939822009-11-30T01:54:00.000-08:002009-11-30T03:49:23.341-08:00Life's a Pitch<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0552156833&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" right="" align="right" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>I originally bought this book knowing of <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/everyone-has-plan-until-they-get.html">my leaving Adobe</a> so thought it would be useful to get my brain into the right head-space for my next role. My partner also constantly accuses me of being too 'nice' at work and not trumpeting my successes nearly as much as I should.<br /><br />So it was with those points in mind that I picked this book up at the airport on my way over to the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/12/los-angeles-london-west-hollywood.html">United States in December</a>, but as usual, didn't get through nearly half the reading material I took with me.<br /><br />Fast forward to late February 2009, with several job options available to me, I finally opened this book (and ignore that it took until November for me to blog about it).<br /><br />The book is organised into halves with each of the authors providing a different approach. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Mavity">Roger Mavity</a> writes the first half and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Bayley">Stephen Bayley</a> the second. Roger's style is more end-result oriented that is concise, organised and business-like, where as Stephen's style is a journey that is more philosophical and colourful. I gravitated more to the first half initially, but after a few chapters the second half grew on me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">This really is a 'must read'. For everyone. </span>At first glance, you'd believe it was only for sales people but about 80 pages in you realise that "the whole of Life's a Pitch".<br /><br />The first half of the book opens with a brilliant explanation of <span style="font-weight: bold;">why 'pitching' matters</span>:<br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">"Life is not a pattern of gradually evolving improvement. It's a series of long, fallow patches punctuated by moments of crucial change. How you handle the long fallow stretches doesn't matter much. How you handle the moments of change is vital<br /><br />These big moments are not decided by chance - they're decided by how you handle them. How you pitch your case is what makes the difference."<br /></span></blockquote>You can either choose to believe that or not... I do - as I made the point in my blog <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/02/optimism-staying-focused.html">Optimism & Staying focused</a> where I called out Po Bronson's point of similar effect as well as the underlying them to <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/09/outliers-story-of-success.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Outliers</span></a>.<br /><br />We're then guided through chapters such as:<br /><ul><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">It's theatre, not information</span> - recognising the emotional aspects as opposed to the logical aspects of a decision;<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Think 'playwright' not 'actor'</span> - understanding that a great performance starts with a great script. Annoyingly, this book made me realise that many of the presentation courses I've done over the years could have either been re-engineered to teach me the lesson faster rather than have me learn it by blind luck. That lesson, on page 21 of this book -<span style="font-style: italic;"> "</span><span style="font-style: italic;">if the content isn't strong no amount of polished delivery will save it</span>". Very few presentation skills courses focus on the content, rather, they talk about structure, content and preparation as tools, but generally focus on how you present. Over the years, <span>I've learned </span><span style="font-weight: bold;">how well I present reflects exactly how knowledgeable and passionate I am about the topic</span>. Doh!;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">A good pitch starts in your diary</span> - stepping us through the activities involved in preparing the pitch and ensuring you make the time to do them (in fact, this chapter bears strong resemblance to the Tim Ferris' remarks about aggressive time management in <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/11/4-hour-workweek.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">The 4-Hour Workweek</span></a> as well as those in my blog <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/09/are-you-spending-your-time-right-way.html">Are You Spending Your Time the Right Way?</a>);</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Get your mind and your body to the right space</span> - putting the case forward that to inspire unusual thinking, one needs to remove themselves to a new space to think in. I agree as both my desk and home make poor places for me to come up with my best ideas;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Shaping your pitch</span> & <span style="font-weight: bold;">Understanding structure</span>;<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tell your story from problem to solution</span> - putting forth the case for the story to be about <span style="font-style: italic;">problem</span> and<span style="font-style: italic;"> solution</span> rather than <span style="font-style: italic;">data</span>. Here we're given great tid-bits to keep in mind including the point that when we're sick, there is nothing more reassuring than the ability of the doctor to explain our problem in detail. The linkage here is that the audience believes "<span style="font-style: italic;">He may not have solved our problem yet, but he really knows what our problem is</span>" which in turn leads to the feeling "<span style="font-style: italic;">If he understands the problem well, I trust him on the answer</span>". The other über critical point introduced in this chapter is that the solution doesn't have to be perfect - i.e. <span style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;">there is no silver bullet</span>; </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Make simplicity an obsession</span> - experience shows an audience would rather back the man than the solution, ergo, it is the pitcher who is on trial not the presentation. There are some great points in this section about 'winners' that reflect a lot of what Jack Welch talks about in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/02/winning.html">Winning</a>, including the point that "<span style="font-style: italic;">Winners instinctively know that <span style="font-weight: bold;">to make something big happen, you've got to concentrate on the few things that really matter</span>. That is why they keep it simple</span>";</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Have you got the perfect answer?;</span> </li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The cornerstone slide </span>- making the point regarding the need to identify the one slide the encapsulates your central idea;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The two-edged sword called the 'executive summary'</span> - a chapter that really helps address the challenge of demonstrating comprehensiveness as well as clarity i.e. one central idea vs the wide range of related issues. It also makes the point that the summary needs to come at the end of the pitch so as not to lose your audience before they are fully on board with your story;<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">Confidence is the key</span> - taking us through the issue that where money is involved (and it usually is in a pitch) the pitch gets more emotional - primarily because people who have money tend to want to keep it and the more they have, the more passionately they want to keep it. There is some gems of advice about not 'needing the deal too much' that I'll go into in another blog;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The tyranny of PowerPoint </span>- a topic I've blogged about in <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/nine-steps-to-powerpoint-magic-and.html">Nine steps to PowerPoint magic (and Seth's Best of 2008)</a> and where Roger covers well, pointing out that you need to be the master and make PowerPoint the servant (a small aside: I understand Roger's point on the use of logo's and corporate style sheets, but would suggest the reason people put their logo's on every page is that PowerPoint are often printed/emailed as 'leave behind' documents and therefore the logo is a way to ensure others are less likely to rip-off your intellectual property);</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The art of rehearsal</span> - which I took out some good pointers on rehearsing content & concepts with your peers but then rehearsing delivery by yourself;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The pitch itself</span> - this chapter has some great tips on body language, pace, dealing with questions, the use of speaker notes, the use of humour and how to close the meeting;</li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The different types of pitch </span>- here, we are opened up to the subtly different nature of pitches with a great illustration of multiple job interviews for a <span style="display: block;" id="formatbar_Buttons"><span class=" on" style="display: block;" id="formatbar_RemoveFormat" title="Remove Formatting from selection" onmouseover="ButtonHoverOn(this);" onmouseout="ButtonHoverOff(this);" onmouseup="" onmousedown="CheckFormatting(event);FormatbarButton('richeditorframe', this, 27);ButtonMouseDown(this);"><img src="img/blank.gif" alt="Remove Formatting from selection" class="gl_clean" border="0" /></span></span>single role - some are about getting a 'yes' and others are about avoiding a 'no'. This chapter proves even more valuable in that it deals with 'internal presentations' such as pitching for annual budgets where 'pre-selling' is vital in order to avoid dealing with a 'no' that you have to live with afterwards. The value of this chapter builds further with the advice on dealing with people who live in Spreadsheet Land (i.e. bankers, accountants, etc);<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The art of collaboration</span>; and<br /></li><li><span style="font-weight: bold;">The loneliness of power</span> - a really fascinating chapter on the pressures CEOs face and how to pitch to them as equals, as well as why they look to outside consultants for advice... which sadly then takes a strange detour in chapter 20 titled 'Numbers, nervousness and nonsense; or, the role of management consultants in civilised society'. It seemed a little bit of a beat-up.</li></ul>Beautifully, we're then taken to <span style="font-weight: bold;">the application of the pitch</span> with examples such as job interviews, which as Roger notes: "<span style="font-style: italic;">All pitches are a personal test. But they are not a test of you alone. They may be a test of you and your team; they may be a test of you and your idea.... Except in one very special case: the interview"</span>.<br /><br />Finally, Roger finishes up with <span style="font-weight: bold;">the psychology of pitching - understanding the transfer of power</span>. Again, to quote "<span style="font-style: italic;">It's about the removal of negatives and the creation of positives"</span>. It relates a little to the book <span><a href="http://www.leegale.com/2008/12/all-marketers-are-liars.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">All Marketers are Liars</span></a></span> in terms of understanding the dynamics of what you are attempting to do. It's this chapter and the following six that segway so nicely from the 'how' into Stephen's... I guess you'd call it the 'why bother?'.<br /><br />Read it and you will be better for it. Chop chop!<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-7178653616342393982?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-3067567343241825362009-11-25T01:36:00.000-08:002009-11-25T01:36:00.221-08:00Is it an R2? Is it an R4? Whatever, it's a mini R8.Back in July, news broke on what was then dubbed the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/audi-r2.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Audi R2</span></a>... which now seems to have taken on the label of Audi R4.<br /><br />Let's just go with mini-R8 until they name it. Unlike the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/10/i-think-r8-spyder-is-dud.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">R8 Spyder</span></a>, this one isn't a dud in the looks department.<br /><br />It's not clear if the VW group (who own Audi and now Porsche) would use this platform for the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/porsche-spyder.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">Porsche Spyder</span></a>, or if those reports are mixed up with the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/244552/porsche_boxster_spyder.html">Boxster Spyder</a>.<br /><br />These images from <a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/243277/mini_r8_is_raring_to_go.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c02c1d9a88a8db9fe3d875cd7794b70f">AutoExpress</a> are of the E-Tron concept - their Tesla rivaling, electric version. Pretty sexy!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336961_25-749870.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336961_25-749867.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336962_25-749904.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 265px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_336962_25-749900.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-306756734324182536?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-9103046998083418122009-11-20T02:43:00.000-08:002009-11-21T16:20:39.460-08:00Driven to Distraction<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0718155548&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" align="right" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>I've discovered a trend. When I'm about to get on a long flight and I haven't put any preparation into the reading material for the flight, I go for the easy choice - another Clarkson.<br /><br />Yes I know most long-haul flights have a gazillion channels of entertainment, but they don't operate whilst on the tarmac, takes-offs and landings.<br /><br />So that's how I bought <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/0718155548?tag=leegalecom-20&camp=0&creative=0&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0718155548&adid=1NJKYJ2NSZXC83EM5TDW&"><span style="font-style: italic;">Driven to Distraction</span></a>.<br /><br />It's written in the same format as <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/for-crying-out-loud.html">For Crying Out Loud!</a> i.e. extracts from his Sunday Times column, but it's about cars this time mixed in with him carrying on about... pretty much everything!<br /><br />A funny light-hearted read that petrol heads will enjoy :-)<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-910304699808341812?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-86012099484912691192009-10-30T01:20:00.000-07:002009-10-30T01:20:00.977-07:00Aston Martin Rapide tackles Stelvio PassAston has released this beautifully edited promotional video, showing the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/aston-martin-rapide.html">Rapide</a> in high-speed testing on some of the continent's most challenging roads including the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/sabine-schmitzs-nurburgring-van.html">Nurburgring</a> and the Stelvio Pass - which featured in <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/top-gear-challenge-to-find-driving.html">my favourite TopGear episode</a>.<br /><br />I have to admit - I'm starting to thaw on the idea of a big four-seater luxury cruise missile. Whilst I am adamant that if you are in the back seat, you won't enjoy these, but if you are in the drivers seat, it certainly looks more exciting. From the outside, there is no question the Rapide is dead sexy!<br /><br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uj4frDjUUHY&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Uj4frDjUUHY&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-8601209948491269119?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-17189999799649222862009-10-25T01:08:00.000-07:002009-10-25T01:08:00.329-07:00The Lost Symbol & Spartan Gold<iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0385504225&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" align="right" frameborder="0"></iframe>Two lighter and entertaining books definitely worth reading:<br /><ul><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Brown">Dan Brown</a>'s <span style="font-style: italic;">The Lost Symbol</span>; and</li><li><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clive_Cussler">Clive Cussler</a>'s <span style="font-style: italic;">Spartan Gold.</span><br /></li></ul>The Lost Symbol is the latest involving the character of Harvard University symbologist Robert Langdon, following <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angels_%26_Demons" title="Angels & Demons">Angels & Demons</a></i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Da_Vinci_Code" title="The Da Vinci Code">The Da Vinci Code</a></i>. Having beat up the Catholic church in his previous two books, Brown takes a slightly new focus on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freemasonry" title="Freemasonry">Freemasonry</a> in this novel.<br /><br />In typical Brown style, the story takes place over a period of 12 hours with Langdon unraveling a series of codes on a treasure-hunt of sorts to save people lives yet again. Following the formula, this time set in Washington D.C., we are treated to local sites that have far deeper histories and meanings that commonly known.<br /><br /><iframe src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=leegalecom-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0399156429&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="width: 120px; height: 240px;" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" align="right" frameborder="0"></iframe>Spartan Gold is the first in the new "Fargo Adventures" series, co-authored with Grant Blackwood, revolving around Sam and Remi Fargo, a couple who are professional treasure hunters.<div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-1718999979964922286?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-78228945983988333202009-10-22T01:57:00.000-07:002009-10-23T15:28:27.058-07:00Rolls Royce GhostCheckout <a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/241411/rolls_royce_ghost_official_pics_and_details.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c02c1d9a88a8db9fe3d875cd7794b70f">Auto Express'</a> <span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT">pictures of the Rolls Royce's scaled-down Phantom, known as the Ghost.<br /><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/3-719968.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/3-719965.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT">As I stated in my blogs about the <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/aston-martin-rapide.html">Aston Martin Rapide</a> and <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/01/porsche-panamera.html">Porsche Panamera</a>, I think this formula is the right combo of luxury and style for those traveling in the back seat.<br /></span><br />It's definitely up a notch from either the Aston, the Porsche or <a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/08/jaguar-xj.html">Jaguar XJ</a>.<br /><br />Powered by a 6.6-litre twin-turbocharged V12 giving 570hp and 780Nm of torque mated to an eight-speed automatic gearbox the 'baby' Rolls-Royce will have plenty of get-up-and-go!<br /><br />To get an idea of how insane this car is likely to be, checkout this Top Gear video of the Phantom:<br /><br /><object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ia6DTDKas34&hl=en&fs=1&"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Ia6DTDKas34&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-7822894598398833320?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8908599952516415281.post-48773479257828717752009-10-19T01:28:00.000-07:002009-10-19T23:25:51.486-07:00I think the R8 Spyder is a dudSadly, the <a href="http://www.leegale.com/2009/07/along-came-spyder.html">Audi R8 Spyder</a> has moved from concept to barely disguised prototypes and into production.<br /><br />I say sadly because as I pondered in July, I don't like the look of it that much and I definitely know why: the sideblades are missing and the <span name="intelliTxt" id="intelliTXT">the "twin vented flying buttresses" don't make up for it.</span><br /><br />It's probably smart for Audi only to have this available in the V10 version - initially. I'd suggest the revenue opportunity in 1-2 years time to drop the V8 in and sell more cars will be overwhelming.<br /><br />Checkout the <a href="http://www.autoexpress.co.uk/news/autoexpressnews/241537/audi_r8_spyder.html?CMP=NLC-Newsletters&uid=c02c1d9a88a8db9fe3d875cd7794b70f">AutoExpress</a> photos and make up your own mind. I'm pretty certain it isn't just the hideous colour shown as the Frankfurt Motorshow pics by <a href="http://www.carmagazine.co.uk/News/Search-Results/First-Official-Pictures/Audi-R8-Spyder-at-2009-Frankfurt-motor-show/">CAR</a> of it in red are better, but it doesn't make it look special.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_329512_25-798539.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_329512_25-798535.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_329506_25-798505.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/car_photo_329506_25-798501.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/001AudiR8Spider-743828.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 222px;" src="http://www.leegale.com/uploaded_images/001AudiR8Spider-743784.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><div class="blogger-post-footer"><img width='1' height='1' src='https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/tracker/8908599952516415281-4877347925782871775?l=www.leegale.com%2Findex.shtml' alt='' /></div>Lee Galehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12119131725881407166noreply@blogger.com0