A Visualisation of US Debt
A hugely interesting illustration of just how severe the US Debt crisis is in tangile terms. This graphic originally appeared here and is most fascinating in how it shows us just how much real money the US is lacking in unfunded liabilities.
Too Big to Fail – An Infographic
One of my top reads over the past year has without a doubt been Andrew Ross Sorkin’s ‘Too Big to Fail’ which details the tipping point of the global markets into recession. The book is, however, much more than just a factual account of the demise of Wall Street powerhouses as it gives an inside look into the mentality of what drives many of the top financial organisations and CEO’s of today – Unfortunately greed seems to be the primary motive. A few months back I put out another post asking Who is accountable for the Global Recession in lieu of a damning Rolling Stone article I read. Below is another piece of collateral centered around the 2008 Financial Crisis, the results of which we are still struggling to deal with today…
The Internet in 2015
Another interesting take on what the internet will look like in 2015. Take note of the regions which will have the most internet traffic – US, Uk and the Asia Pacific – as well as which regions will generate the most business traffic.
Global Trends: Trends and their Counters
Global Trends: Trends and their Counters
Right now there are billions of trends occurring the world over. Some of them are large forces for global change whilst others a minor stirs which have the potential to leverage themselves into their own weight. For every new trend that develops, a counter trend simultaneously emerges with the result that these forces themselves cause new trends and counters to arise. These massive global trends are only being enhanced through connectivity, population growth and economics to name but a few. Strategically it is important to realise that if you want to stay contemporary, you need to understand more than just a single trend. It is critical to understand the whole, or the aggregation of all the trends, counter trends and hence view these all holistically.
How Climate Change will Affect the Insurance Industry
The news is frequently racked with catastrophic stories about one natural disaster after the next. In recent months we have seen a Tsunami flood Japan, the ‘worst hurricane in the world’ sweep across America and several earthquakes in Argentina as well as China. The natural world has devastated man made constructions, cities and countries in swift succession, and will only continue to do so as climate change evolves. But the question that many people are asking is who will foot the bill?
What the 2015 Digital World Looks Like
Have you ever wondered where the digital world is heading in the next five years? With massive developments in mobile technology, cloud computing, social networks and internet adoption it is without doubt revolutionising the globe in new and innovative ways previously unthought of. This below video is a fascinating infographic which presents an explanation of how the digital world currently looks and what it will look like in 2015. With only four years to go, it is not that far away and the trends you see below are already very real around the world.
Who is Accountable for the Global Recession?
I have been following and researching the wall street crash and subsequent economic recession for the last 18 months. Having read such interesting books as Too Big to Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin and Freefall by Joseph Stiglitz has shattered any delusions I have had about how financial systems and institutions truly operate. Large organisations such as Goldman Sachs seem to have zero ethical boundaries as to conducting business, rather focusing on how much money they can make at any cost. As the reasons and responsibilites behind this massive global recession become more apparent, it will be interesting to see where the blame is placed and which organisatiosn and individuals are left accountable. This article by Matt Taibbi from Rolling Stone reasons that it is the leaders behind the megalithic financial institutions who should be brought to justice. Definitely worth a read: The People vs. Goldman Sachs
Beware of the Online ‘Filter Bubbles’
In this TED Talk, Eli Pariser argues that citizens of the web need to be careful about getting trapped in a ‘filter bubble’. Explaining how the tailoring of online services to personal tastes will reduce exposure to information that challenges and broadens our worldview, Pariser warns how this could potentially be bad for us as well as democracy.
Global Trends 5: Technology and Connectivity
This is the fifth of a series of posts discussing what I believe to be the important global trends occurring in the world right now. This series forms part of a broader talk that I deliver simply called: Right Whats Wrong.
A few years ago the information age ended and gave birth to the connection age. IT was king in the information age, if you had IT then you had info and that gave you the power. In the connection age, everyone has information and it is your ability to integrate it, connect it and draw multiple strands into a coherent offering that pushes you above the rest. IT was the hero in the information age, now it merely enables the hero…
Global Trends 4: The Generational Gap
This is the fourth of a series of posts discussing what I believe to be the important global trends occurring in the world right now. This series forms part of a broader talk that I deliver simply called: Right Whats Wrong.
The dramatic shift in societal norms and the generational gap is only gaining momentum. Owing to mass adoption of social media, connectivity and a growing global consciousness, the top down industrial age mindset has become obsolete. Organisations are receiving a growing workforce of younger generations who are demanding accountability, sustainability, flexibility and new rules of working. Furthermore they also want autonomy, personal mastery and to work on something that has a clear purpose – not just to make money. Armed with ever present communication devices, large social networks and well informed opinions, this new wave of workers are the ones who will truly change an industrial age mindset which is based on hierarchy, greed and institutionalism. Instead that will cause it to become one based on sustainability, accountability and transparency. One only need to look at their effects on the middle east for a start….
Global Trends 3: Exploitation of Natural Resources
This is the third of a series of posts discussing what I believe to be the important global trends occurring in the world right now. This series forms part of a broader talk that I deliver simply called: Right Whats Wrong.
The world, it seems, is obsessed with what we take out. Historically it was just basic minerals and stones which, used for practical purposes, had very little impact on the planet. This trend has continued and now our world economy is centered around mass scale extraction of natural resources and minerals such as crude oil, gold, platinum, coal and various other natural gases, not to mention the ocean’s resources. Throughout the planet, mineral rich locations have been scraped dry, forced into war and destroyed as the environment is left in ruin whilst the ‘organisations of extraction’ seek elsewhere to mine, fight and get rich off the worlds natural resources. With a world that seems obsessed with what we take out, at what stage is the earth just going to say no more?
Global Trends 2: Why Closing the Poverty Gap is a Myth
This is the second of a series of posts discussing what I believe to be the important global trends occurring in the world right now. This series forms part of a broader talk that I deliver simply called: Right Whats Wrong.
Here are some World Bank statistics that you may not be aware of:
- Over 3 billion people globally live on less than $2,50 a day – ie about R400 per month.
- Over 5 billion people live on less than R1600 per month ($10 per day)
- If a person earning $2.50 a day were to get a 100% increase that would equate to a person earning R48 000 (R4 000 p.m.) getting a 10% increase. That is that same as 1% for R480 000 p.a. salary.
Hans Rosling and the magic washing machine
What was the greatest invention of the industrial revolution? Hans Rosling makes the case for the washing machine. With newly designed graphics from Gapminder, Rosling shows us the magic that pops up when economic growth and electricity turn a boring wash day into an intellectual day of reading.
Global Trends 1: The road to 9 Billion
This is the first of a series of posts discussing what I believe to be the important global trends occurring in the world right now. This series forms part of a broader talk that I deliver simply called: Right Whats Wrong.
The world’s current population stands at about 6,8 b – and for many it seems already overcrowded. This, not just from a commuter perspective, but from a resource perspective. The human race (particularly in the western / have world) seems to have an insatiable desire for more – lets just call it conspicuous consumption….
Averting the Climate Crisis
With the same humor and humanity he exuded in An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore spells out 15 ways that individuals can address climate change immediately, from buying a hybrid to inventing a new, hotter “brand name” for global warming.
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