Inspiration to learn about yourself

In this article , spn.dk presents a top 9 list of great EURO 2008 experiences: # 1: The tears of Alex Frei, Switzerland, after having to leave EURO 2008 due to an injury. # 2: The extreme amount of rain coming down from the sky during the game between Switzerland and Turkey. # 3: The team from Turkey scoring goals in the last minutes of several games. # 4: David Villa’s hattrick against the Russian team. # 5: Great goalies, for example Gianluca Buffon of Italy and Iker Casillas of Spain, who both saved penalties. # 6: The many thousand orange-coloured fans from Holland. # 7: Hammering long distance shots, for example Michael Ballack’s spectacular goal taking the team from Germany to a 1-0 lead in the game against Austria. # 8: Guus Hiddink for his great results as a coach for more national teams during the past years. This time, he helped the team from Russia to the semifinals. # 9: A goodbye to old stars such as example Lillian Thuram of France and Edwin van der Saar of Holland. I’d ...

In the highlights of the EIA International Energy Outlook 2008 , which I came across through a Global Strategy Institute blog posting , I read this: "A variety of factors have caused oil prices to increase, including strong demand growth in non-OECD Asia and the Middle East, no growth in production since 2005 from the members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), rising costs for oil exploration and development, across-the-board increases in commodity prices, and a weaker U.S. dollar." At the end of this 6-minute speech, Mr. Barack Obama explains that over the next 10 years, he will - if he is elected President of the United States of America - invest US$ 150 Billion in alternative sources of energy such as wind power, solar power, and advanced biofuels – investments that will create up to 5 million new jobs and Billions of dollars in new business.

In this posting by Kevin Kelly, I noticed this quote: "It now costs more to park a car at one airport than to rent one at the other end. To my twisted mind, this indicates that machines (taking the automobile as a benchmark) are now self-reproducing so fast we have reached a transition point where machines are cheaper than the empty space they fill." As I read this, I thought of Mobility as one solution to solve the problem. Here’s an extract from the company’s corporate mission: "As a leading CarSharing company Mobility provides a varied pool of cars and boasts the largest network of stations in Switzerland ( some 1,050 ). These services are based on economical, technological and ecological efficiency."

This 6 minute video is the remarkable story of William Kamkwamba from Malawi, Africa. After dropping out of school because his family did not have enough money, William Kamkwamba built an electricity-generating windmill for his family using some spare parts. He learned to build the windmill by looking at some pictures he found in borrowed books and figuring out the rest on his own. I became aware of the video through futureoflearning.de

On blueoceanstrategy.com , I came across a link to an interesting article about ING Direct , that broke away from the competition by focusing on savings and mortgage accounts. Here’s an extract from the article: "Instead of fighting to capture 100 percent of customers’ banking needs, ING Direct completely did away with offering current accounts. Current accounts often have low balances and extensive operational costs because of the number of transactions that run through them. Instead ING Direct drastically reduced the number of products and services to the bare minimum with a focus on savings and mortgage accounts . By simplifying the complexity of operations and lowering its own cost structure, ING Direct was able to offer savings rates up to four times higher than the industry average. This also made ING Direct’s website simple and easy to use and made financial decisions easier for people to make. At the same time, it enjoyed one of the lowest cost structures in the industry....

Public viewing is popular at EURO 2008 . In several cities, huge screens in and around the streets attract thousands of people to enjoy the football games together. The photo below is from FanZone Zürich . Photo source: nzz.ch

Speaking with people from different countries, I experience that many people like the offensive way the Dutch team plays football at EURO 2008 . Which style of football do you like? To help you find out, try out the game Team-o-mat from the Swiss newspaper NZZ online by clicking here . The Dutch goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar is congratulated by his daughter after a game. Photo source: nzz.ch

On the Swiss Statistics website, I came across an interesting little game where football teams up with statistics. Test your knowledge by trying it out here .

At Zurich central station, where I took the photo below, a couple of ideas came into my mind: Idea # 1 Crossing national borders is a natural thing today – also when going by train. In other words, I wonder if it is relevant to distinguish between “domestic” and “international”? Idea # 2 I noticed that the people selling tickets sit behind counters and a thick glass wall? To become more customer oriented, how about tearing down the thick glass wall between the customer and the employee? Also, why not help customers buy tickets by standing right next to the electronic ticket machines in / around the train station? Thereby, you also help customers at all ages become more familiar with technology.

I came across an interesting blog posting by Carmine Coyote, during which she lists 4 reasons why adults should be more child-like: Reason # 1 Children are encouraged to use their imaginations freely. Reason # 2 Children are expected to learn; adults, heaven help them, are expected to know . Reason # 3 Creativity comes naturally to nearly all children. Adults find it much tougher. Reason # 4 Children are readily forgiven for making mistakes, where adults have sour notes inserted in their personal files. Commenting on the posting, Bob Leckridge reflected further on the topic and included, in his posting , the book "Le Petit Prince". On www.antoinedesaintexupery.com , I found this quote from the book: "Toutes les grandes personnes ont d'abord été des enfants, mais peu d'entre elles s'en souviennent."

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On May 26th, I participated in an interesting informal learning event at the University of Zurich e-learning center . You can read more about it here . One of the good things about informal learning is that it happens all the time. In other words: It fits well to the world we live in where changes in more areas are continuously going on – challenging us to constantly get better. Here are some examples of ways through which you can learn informally: Example # 1 A blog dialogue, a mobile phone call, a Skype chat, or an sms conversation with one or more persons who have information you need. Example # 2 A talk a) during the work on an assignment, b) at the coffee machine, c) at the company entrance, d) in the elevator, e) in the parking lot, f) in the street, g) at the grocery store, or h) in the sports arena with one or more persons who have information you need.