17 March 2005
I have always thought there is something poetic about Physics. Some will disagree and some will argue it has more to do with Philosophy. Anyway, this week’s post (exam week = no time for more) is about physics, entrepreneurship and a big Media corporation, all tied together by a twisted allegory.
The seed is often the image used for a good project or venture – seed money, seeding stage. It’s arguable that we – ze French! – have no word for Entrepreneur, as this word had a different, though close, meaning in pre-New-Economy France and I don’t know who gave it a new twist. However we had no word for “start up” and the word that popped out and is still used by a few is “jeune pousse”, which is precisely what you get from a seed: a first or new branch. How metaphoric!
Interestingly, a young plant will need soil to develop. This soil can be seen as the financing (Sequoia!), the contemporary thinking environment (Apple!), or emerging trends (Orange!). For the NASA and professor James Carter, it is dust. Not stardust though, but moon dirt. To prepare the ambitious plan to go back to the Moon announced by President Bush (this man is spreading mayhem and budget spending everywhere :] ), the NASA and its suppliers need fake moon dirt – to test vehicle, materials and space suits for instance.
So, once again a new venture could emerge from academics research as Prof. Carter secretly protects his know-how. However, competition arises especially from the team who simulated the Martian test ground for the current probe missions with Hawaiian volcanic rocks. Whether this very niche (oops, French word again) market is big enough for all these scientists is another issue. You’ll have to stay tuned to know more.
And in order to stay tuned, follow where you broadcast goes: Viacom One or Viacom II? There are rumours (can we say rumours when it’s on the front page of every Finance newspaper?) that Viacom might split the dust from the stars, in other words its radio and TV broadcasting activities from its cable and film repertoire crown jewels, including the stars of Paramount (logo or actors, you choose). Let’s build a conglomerate, let’s split it… classic Media stuff – which we also have in France by the way (Vivendi).
Hmm, a post starting with Entrepreneurship and ending with Media – sounds just like me! Going back to the metaphor: what I am seeding right now (MBA, don’t get me wrong) will grow and get me from the dust to the stars*. This gets even better: I had this idea in my shower…
Finally, I cannot miss the occasion of celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Einstein’s first article on his particle theory of light. This is the kind of seed we need for the twenty-first century.
*: (memo for Viacom HR: you’ll get my CV…)
The seed is often the image used for a good project or venture – seed money, seeding stage. It’s arguable that we – ze French! – have no word for Entrepreneur, as this word had a different, though close, meaning in pre-New-Economy France and I don’t know who gave it a new twist. However we had no word for “start up” and the word that popped out and is still used by a few is “jeune pousse”, which is precisely what you get from a seed: a first or new branch. How metaphoric!
Interestingly, a young plant will need soil to develop. This soil can be seen as the financing (Sequoia!), the contemporary thinking environment (Apple!), or emerging trends (Orange!). For the NASA and professor James Carter, it is dust. Not stardust though, but moon dirt. To prepare the ambitious plan to go back to the Moon announced by President Bush (this man is spreading mayhem and budget spending everywhere :] ), the NASA and its suppliers need fake moon dirt – to test vehicle, materials and space suits for instance.
So, once again a new venture could emerge from academics research as Prof. Carter secretly protects his know-how. However, competition arises especially from the team who simulated the Martian test ground for the current probe missions with Hawaiian volcanic rocks. Whether this very niche (oops, French word again) market is big enough for all these scientists is another issue. You’ll have to stay tuned to know more.
And in order to stay tuned, follow where you broadcast goes: Viacom One or Viacom II? There are rumours (can we say rumours when it’s on the front page of every Finance newspaper?) that Viacom might split the dust from the stars, in other words its radio and TV broadcasting activities from its cable and film repertoire crown jewels, including the stars of Paramount (logo or actors, you choose). Let’s build a conglomerate, let’s split it… classic Media stuff – which we also have in France by the way (Vivendi).
Hmm, a post starting with Entrepreneurship and ending with Media – sounds just like me! Going back to the metaphor: what I am seeding right now (MBA, don’t get me wrong) will grow and get me from the dust to the stars*. This gets even better: I had this idea in my shower…
Finally, I cannot miss the occasion of celebrating the hundredth anniversary of Einstein’s first article on his particle theory of light. This is the kind of seed we need for the twenty-first century.
*: (memo for Viacom HR: you’ll get my CV…)
Syndicate
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home