Is the world falling apart?

Terrorism in the U.S with potentially tens of thousands lives unnecessarily lost. Corporate collapses back home - OneTel, HIH, Ansett. How can all this be possible in the information age. We strive in the IT industry to build systems that promote the sharing of information, allowing 'decision makers' to have access to all the information they need in a timely manner. How could such an act of terror occur without warning? How could business executives allow a company to keep running when the daily financial losses are so great, and then shut it down in such a dramatic manner. Investors will lose just about everything. Thousands of people will lose their jobs. Incredible. And yet - it all seems insignificant in comparison to the huge loss of life experienced in the U.S.

Ten Signs Your Job is in Danger

Coal miners used to carry caged canaries when they worked underground. Because the birds were more sensitive to changes in the atmosphere than humans, they acted as a living early warning signal. Every miner knew that when the canaries drops off its perch it was time to get out fast because an explosion or build-up of noxious gas was imminent.

Fortunately few knowledge-based workplaces are as physically risky as an underground coalmine. Nevertheless, having an early warning system to alert you when danger pops its head over the horizon can be helpful.

Startup.com

Startup.com is an awesome documentary about an Internet startup company in NYC in 1999/2000. It traces the two twenty-something founders, as their company grows from a handful of employees to over 200 in a matter of months, and then crashes just as fast after the April 2000 tech-wreck. They meet with VCs, encounter technical problems, fight with their competitors, and fight amongst themselves. This movie is sensational, primarily because it is real. Go and see for yourself - it's showing at a few independent cinemas in capital cities at the moment.