A 3D graph can be deliberately subverted to skew the perception of the information it contains. By simply increasing the perspective, you can give artificial emphasis to a particular slice of the chart, to make that slice appear larger as it were.

Note how very different the perception of the size of the green slice is relative to the other slices on each of the charts …

This cartoon from Hugh MacLeod’s Gaping Void was timely spotted just now.

Comments here.

Only last week I was reminded of a less-than-satisfactory collaborative project I was involved with many years ago.

There were two of us: I was the “maker”, and the other person was the “seller”. We recognised the need for each other’s roles, and came together to develop a …

In the mad dash to make yet-more-money before Christmas, the pet shop chain Pets Paradise and Pet Goods Direct are selling the latest in throwaway crass pet torture chambers in the form of the iPond (no relation to Apple).

Essentially it is a little speaker with a fish “cup” stuck on top of it. You fill the “cup” with just over two cups of water, …

There’s been quite a few stories in the media lately about dodgy Chinese manufacturers. Lead paint on toys, bad pet food and so forth. Without endorsing these bad practices, what I want to know is, how much of this is actually our own fault?

We sit in our safe, clean and large homes well away from the factories of China. Our consumption-mad society demands ever more stuff at ever …

Angus and Robertson, one of the bookstore chains in Australia, is taking a “pay us to stock your product or go away” approach with publishers.

When does the drive to make a profit cross over to clear-cut greed? What is the definition of greed? A business, by definition, must make a profit; but how far should a business focus on making a profit before it starts eroding its offerings?

For …

From Stilgherrian’s post: The tyranny of the ideal:

Design idealised processes, safely away from the people doing the work. You are the consultant, you know best.

Idealised processes make great flowcharts to present to the board (the people paying your fees) – especially when you remove the messiness that is humanity. Yuck.

Implement the process. They, the people doing the work, will take it (or leave). More …

The behaviour:

Jerks are in every work place.

Jerks get noticed.

Brazen charm is often mistaken for intelligence.

Dominant behaviour is mistaken as competence.

“We think of these people as deserving even more status…”

“…if you need to establish your position in the office, then glaring at people, maybe insulting them, maybe fighting are actually going to be quite constructive…”

The benefits:

Better opportunities for promotions.

More power and glory.

Public adoration.

Dr. Maccoby finds that the most revered …

Another thought from The Tao of Pooh and The Te of Piglet by Benjamin Hoff (ISBN 0-416-19526-1):

“[Although] we live in what is commonly described as a Materialistic Society … ours is in reality an Abstract Value society – one in which things are not appreciated for what they are so much as for what they represent.”

So why is Abstract Value so attractive? I reckon it is because Abstract …

The gym I go to, Fitness First, has their own slick in-gym music TV channel with commercials. OK, so we cannot escape advertising. Not such a big deal right? But what if I told you that some of the commercials Fitness First runs in the gym, while you are working out, are for liposuction and cosmetic surgery?

I am seriously offended.

So what’s next? Pizza and fried chicken ads? I …

Moral Intelligence - Enhancing business performance and leadership success.
By Dough Lennick and Fred Kiel PhD, ISBN 0 13 149050 8

Some highlights:

Moral intelligence – the mental capacity to determine how universal human principles should be applied to out values, goals and actions.

We are hardwired to be moral but often stray from the path.

Cultural relativism – everyone has their own morality based on their situation and culture.

Without a high degree …