Today was a bit surreal for me.  Not only did we have a crazy day on the financial markets as well as in the US Congress, but this all came together for me as I was in an airplane. 

Kind of a weird collision of CSPAN and CNBC occurring as I watched the events of the day live via Direct TV on the screen in the seat in front of me while listening to the audio with my iPod earphones.  I believe it is a historic moment when the floor of the NYSE is focused on the outcome of a US House of Representatives' vote and CNBC is bringing both to me via split screen.  I did a bit of digging to see if I could find a screen shot of this around and whether this was the first time the vote feed was featured on the business network, but was unsuccessful in my search however I did come up with this:

I'm not sure where things are headed from here other than that we all need to calm down a bit and understand that this is a serious time but not the end of times. 

The drama of the day was enough to leave your head spinning but as I sat there being shuttled to my destination watching the markets mostly fall…and fall a bit further as the vote tally was totaled, I couldn't help but think how absurd it was that Wall Street had pinned its hopes on Congress and how counter this is to who we are as a country.

I found myself using this phrase today and thought it was a good point to share.  Simply put "knowing how to win" is an essential character trait of the people you should surround yourself with regardless of what you are working on – start up, product launch, neighborhood picnic, etc. 

People can make or break a venture and surrounding yourself with those that either don't know how to win or are unable to do what it takes to win is the death knell.  Playing to tie or having people that just want to stand on the sidelines and tell you why things won't work can kill your company or project and they should be shown the door quickly. 

Read this today via Valleywag and it struck me as both sad and absurd at the same time.  Google is finding out that providing free food has become a source of abuse, excessive cost, and distraction.  What a surprise.  Here's a dandy quote from the post:

Company provided meals/snacks/beverages are a courtesy not an entitlement.  I am a fan of providing food for meetings, launches, peak work periods or other special occasions but it is not the company's responsibility to feed you, your family, your friends, or anyone else that suits your whim.

http://embed.break.com/NTczMTMz

In an effort to lighten the mood a bit and remind us to not to take ourselves too seriously, check this video out (via WallStreetFighter) from Deloitte.  Pretty clever video that has a kid doing MBA-type consulting interviews.  Consultants with a sense of humor – who knew?

http://view.break.com/573133 – Watch more free videos

I read a lot of blogs ranging from those like mine where a writer needs a platform to share to those that are "pillars" of the business, technology, or entrepreneurial world.  This group includes all types including those insulated by either new found wealth or self-reinforcing geographic bias.  I try to seek out as many points of view as I can find to really understand the things important to me and that has led me to read and follow all sorts of folks. 
 
I have to say that I have been increasingly disturbed by the venom that I see oozing forth in so many posts about the current slate of presidential/vice presidential contenders from both sides.  To be clear, I have done my best to keep politics out of my posts as that is not my purpose here but I do believe this topic is worth discussion.

If you want my opinion on issues or want to know who I am supporting, send me an email and I'll fill you in. 

Look, I completely understand that this topic would dominate the chatter as we are 60-ish days from election day and the noise is bound to increase in the days ahead.  The great thing about democracy is that we all get an opinion and, odds are, we all think our opinion is correct.  Layer in aggressive and extroverted folks who love to blog, comment, and otherwise be heard and I think you have a unique view into the machinery of democracy. 

All I am asking for is the same level of care and critical thinking that would be applied to the launch of the next wizbang technology product in posts on the candidates and their positions.  Those that have a voice (and a following) owe it to their readers to refrain from silly name calling, blind regurgitation of either party's talking points, or, worse yet, intellectually corrupt broad-based generalizations.

I remain optimistic that informed debate and discussion are still possible even in our increasingly media-driven polarized country and believe the reality that anybody can project their voice on-line strengthens our democracy and country.

Remember my post about Harvard Business School grads' career choices as an economic indicator?  Well, this story from Businessweek (via Dealbreaker) points to an even more interesting one in terms of the level of B-school applications with some schools seeing double digit growth.  Does the increase in applicants signal a capitulation of type-A knowledge worker types or that we are indeed swinging towards a bottom of the economic cycle?  Your guess is as good as mine but it is worth noting. 

Thanks to Delta, I learned that August is National Catfish Month.  Mmmmmmmmmm……catfish.

Very impressive and an amazing gathering of both world leaders and athletes.  Events like this are good for the planet.

That said, three words describe my impression of China from watching this spectacle:

1.  Scale
2.  Discipline
3.  Control

All have their positive as well as negative aspects and I am sure we will see both play out in the years going forward.

Here's a self-serving post about recent Hubspan news and awards.  We have been very busy with some great customer wins and recognition and there is much more to come so stay tuned.

One of the more significant accomplishments was being named a "visionary" by Gartner Group in their all important latest magic quadrant for integration service providers.  This was no small exercise from a very thorough survey document to lining up customer reference calls.  Our placement reinforces our innovative approach to helping companies connect and collaborate as well as the value our customers derive from working with us.

Here's some additional recent news and coverage:

Recession + Productivity = Profits

On-demand data integration ties HD Supply to customers

Collaboration brings value to VAN clouds

Hubspan Awarded 2008 Supply & Demand Chain Executive 100

Hubspan Eases Integration Pain for HD Supply Facilities Maintenance

THINKstrategies Identifies Hubspan’s Data Integration Capabilities as a Critical Component for Successful SaaS Deployments

And no, I'm not talking about the Univ of Washington Huskies.

It is great to see the Univ of Georgia ranked #1 in the college football polls (USA Today/Coaches pre-season & also Sports Illustrated). I look forward to a great season and hopefully a UGA/USC national championship game this year. Growing up in the South and attending two major SEC football schools gave me many great memories (even the Vanderbilt games as a kid growing up in Nashville).

If this is all new to you or you missed out on football as part of college, check out Every Day Should Be Saturday. It is a nice primer.

I'm also very excited to connect to the University of Georgia Alumni of Puget Sound alumni group via Facebook. My list of "friends" continues to grow…