Thursday, November 29, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Eight of the World’s Most Unusual Plants
Drakaea glyptodon: an orchid. It is the color of, and smells like, raw meat. Pollinated by male wasps.
Dracunculus vulgaris: smells like rotting flesh, and has a burgundy-colored, leaf-like flower that projects a slender, black appendage.
Amorphophallus: means, literally, "shapeless penis." The name comes from the shape of the erect black spadix.
Hydnora africana, an unusual flesh-colored, parasitic flower that attacks the nearby roots of shrubby in arid deserts of South Africa. The putrid-smelling blossom attracts herds of carrion beetles.
Welwitschia mirabilis consists of only two leaves and a stem with roots. Its two leaves continue to grow until they resemble an alien life form. The stem gets thicker rather than higher, although this plant can grow to be almost six feet high and twenty-four feet wide. Its estimated lifespan is 400 to 1500 years. Mirabilis grows in Namibia, and is thought to be a relic of the Jurassic period.
Rafflesia arnoldii: this parasitic plant develops the world's largest bloom that can grow over three feet across. The flower is a fleshy color, with spots that make it look like a teenager's acne-ridden skin. It smells bad and has a hole in the center that holds six or seven quarts of water. The plant has no leaves, stems, or roots.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
5 Areas Of Creativity At Work
You can be creative interpersonally, externally and as a manager
Creativity begins in childhood and we continue to use it in our personal and professional lives as adults. Creativity comprises inventiveness and resourcefulness, which varies with different individuals and changes at different stages of maturity. Creativity is an oft-used term in many contexts. It is probably best described as a personal characteristic that can be applied at several levels and to diverse activities. One can use ingenuity to enhance the impact of anything one chooses. Creativity at the workplace usually refers to applying it to the pure nature/routine tasks of our job and role. In some occupations, originality in work is explicit in the job description while in others it is not spelt out but assumed. We can use creativity in different ways at work - interpersonally, externally and as a manager. Here are a few areas in which one can utilise one’s originality:
1. Creativity in people management -
As operating managers, we use multiple strategies and tactics to keep the team motivated, retain people and increase their efficiency. With time, these strategies become institutionalised and their impact depletes. It is important to devise new and original methods periodically to manage people. Try other than tested routes in handling crises or conflict and deviate from the regularly-used practices. This relieves the leader of predictability, energises the group and brings a personal touch. For example, invite employee spouses/families not just to one offsite event a year, but to important department celebrations/ felicitations and let them participate in the joy of achievement.
2. Creativity in administrative processes -
Administration is a tedious process. Scope for creativity is low where work involves compliance and other compulsions. Be inventive in the way you manage humdrum procedures and try to make them more interesting or, at least, less time-consuming. Use your imagination to enhance the efficacy of administration. For example, you can outsource minor functions that need not necessarily be performed in house to retired employees of that department.
3. Creativity in managing customers -
industries and every organisation has its typical way of managing clients and customers. These systems are a combination of experience, best practices and feedback. Use client interaction and observations innovatively and wisely, put into operation any information gained from feedback to bring more value out of every client. For example, use customer profiles to make clients aware of their potential needs apart from the immediate ones.
4. Creativity in managing competition -
When a manager encounters competitors, s/he carefully uses market intelligence to formulate strategies. It is how you interpret data and perceive market dynamics that can severely affect your performance. Instead of seeing market competition and movement from the popular view, one should strive to look at it from other perspectives. Allow yourself to be radically different in your vision and try to work on a novel idea to fight rivals. For example, visualise whether your product or service can be sold as a complementary product instead of as competition to that of a rival’ s!
5. Creativity in learning -
With time, your learning curve at work starts to plateau. This is not because you are doing the same job everyday, but because you may have stopped using your imagination in the learning experience. The same task can teach a variety of lessons at different points in time. What is important is how innovatively you leverage your situation to gain fresh knowledge from everyday responsibilities. For instance, try to think of this example innovatively, by yourself. Creativity requires inspiration, a general inclination to analyse things in an unusual way and alter them positively. It can assume large proportions and become life impacting or be used for mundane and practical tasks.
Creativity begins in childhood and we continue to use it in our personal and professional lives as adults. Creativity comprises inventiveness and resourcefulness, which varies with different individuals and changes at different stages of maturity. Creativity is an oft-used term in many contexts. It is probably best described as a personal characteristic that can be applied at several levels and to diverse activities. One can use ingenuity to enhance the impact of anything one chooses. Creativity at the workplace usually refers to applying it to the pure nature/routine tasks of our job and role. In some occupations, originality in work is explicit in the job description while in others it is not spelt out but assumed. We can use creativity in different ways at work - interpersonally, externally and as a manager. Here are a few areas in which one can utilise one’s originality:
1. Creativity in people management -
As operating managers, we use multiple strategies and tactics to keep the team motivated, retain people and increase their efficiency. With time, these strategies become institutionalised and their impact depletes. It is important to devise new and original methods periodically to manage people. Try other than tested routes in handling crises or conflict and deviate from the regularly-used practices. This relieves the leader of predictability, energises the group and brings a personal touch. For example, invite employee spouses/families not just to one offsite event a year, but to important department celebrations/ felicitations and let them participate in the joy of achievement.
2. Creativity in administrative processes -
Administration is a tedious process. Scope for creativity is low where work involves compliance and other compulsions. Be inventive in the way you manage humdrum procedures and try to make them more interesting or, at least, less time-consuming. Use your imagination to enhance the efficacy of administration. For example, you can outsource minor functions that need not necessarily be performed in house to retired employees of that department.
3. Creativity in managing customers -
industries and every organisation has its typical way of managing clients and customers. These systems are a combination of experience, best practices and feedback. Use client interaction and observations innovatively and wisely, put into operation any information gained from feedback to bring more value out of every client. For example, use customer profiles to make clients aware of their potential needs apart from the immediate ones.
4. Creativity in managing competition -
When a manager encounters competitors, s/he carefully uses market intelligence to formulate strategies. It is how you interpret data and perceive market dynamics that can severely affect your performance. Instead of seeing market competition and movement from the popular view, one should strive to look at it from other perspectives. Allow yourself to be radically different in your vision and try to work on a novel idea to fight rivals. For example, visualise whether your product or service can be sold as a complementary product instead of as competition to that of a rival’ s!
5. Creativity in learning -
With time, your learning curve at work starts to plateau. This is not because you are doing the same job everyday, but because you may have stopped using your imagination in the learning experience. The same task can teach a variety of lessons at different points in time. What is important is how innovatively you leverage your situation to gain fresh knowledge from everyday responsibilities. For instance, try to think of this example innovatively, by yourself. Creativity requires inspiration, a general inclination to analyse things in an unusual way and alter them positively. It can assume large proportions and become life impacting or be used for mundane and practical tasks.
Friday, November 23, 2007
BISCUIT CITY
Created by Chinese artist Song Dong in the basement of London Selfridges. 72,000 biscuits were used in total to construct the 'Biscuit city' including Chocolate Digestives, Rich Tea, HobNobs and Fruit Shortcakes. The 'biscuit city' is being offered to shoppers accompanied with a cup of tea for dunking!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
Monday, November 19, 2007
Condom Fashion Show in China
Models parade in outfits made of condoms during a fashion show at the 4th China Reproductive Health New Technologies & Products Expo in Beijing July 11, 2007. Condoms of all shapes and sizes were used to make dresses, hats and even lollipops. Models fought through extravagant soap bubble special effects to show off tight-fitting wedding gowns, scaly-looking evening dresses, outrageous bikinis and other garments made entirely of condoms. The show was held at the Fourth China Reproductive Health New Technologies and Products Expo and organized by China's largest condom manufacturer, Guilin Latex Factory, to promote the use of condoms in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It also marked World Population Day, organized annually by the U.N. Population Fund.
Sunday, November 18, 2007
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