Self-organizing Conferences

The author of "Thinking in C++", Bruce Eckel, writes about a conference methodology for self-organizing conferences.
What's the best thing that happened at the last conference you attended? It's very likely that you'll remember one or more "hallway conversations," or perhaps a "Birds-Of-A-Feather" session. An OpenSpace conference creates that experience for the entire conference, by ensuring that you are always having the most interesting conversation possible. The emphasis is on discussion, instead of listening to eyes-forward presentations.
Bruce Eckel
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The Wizards of Buzz

"A new kind of Web site is turning ordinary people into hidden influencers, shaping what we read, watch and buy." A Wall Street Journal article about how social websites compete with traditional media.

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Startupping - A Community for Entrepreneurs

A new site to support internet entrepreneurs. An interesting post reports on the experience gathered from a group of seasoned entrepreneurs.

Link (Thank you, Slashdot)

Corruption and Inflation

Transparency International publishes the Corruption Perceptions Indicator by country. IMF publishes measures of inflation. Are the two measures related? The figure below is based on 2006 data.

The blue line is a local regression fitting method. In this context it can be interpreted as a variant of a moving average.

London Exhibition Game Show

What a joy to once again meet the games of my childhood in this London Exhibition. Favorites: Bubble Bobble and SEGA's Bomberman.