Friday, October 14, 2016

Royal Yacht II

There is a lot of talk about spending 100 million to replace the royal yacht as a vehicle for signing trade deals and diplomacy.

This feels like a terrible idea.  It is another case of Britain framing its thinking in the past.  Probably a past that is mis-remembered somewhat.

It is interesting how we think we can afford such a project.  What we should be thinking of is how we modernise from here.  We're about to give powers back to a Parliament that is in desperate need of reform.

The Queen longest serving monarch

A fairly crassly reported story after the death of the Thai king yesterday that now make QEII the longest serving

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/10/13/queen-grins-as-divers-salute-her-arrival-at-military-barracks-fr/

The ridiculous sight of divers saluting the queen, what a stupidly subservient thing to be put up to do.  The royal family must just laugh each time they go to events like this realising just how well their bread is buttered.

How about like Thailand we use the death of a monarch to rethink and reshape how the nation is setup and use it as a opportunity to modernise ourselves.  I always feel our ancestors would be horrified to know how we've clung onto the past just for the sake of preserving tradition. 

Book read: Think like a freak by Steven D Levitt

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/17331349-think-like-a-freak

Anatomy of a US corporate: Cisco to outsource NDS

Only rumours but one I keep hearing, Cisco will outsource the european side of NDS - essentially running down the SPVSS business unit they spent so much money acquiring.

It has not happened yet but if it does it would be the admission that this was an example of buying something they had no idea of how to run.

A lot of the "leaders" bought in to run SPVSS were either quietly fired "looking for other opportunities" in Cisco speak.  Or ran back to the US when they realised the company was never going to make the acquisition work.

Watch this space.  I still think the smart money would be to sell it on to someone who cares (e.g Sky), rather than to some bottom line maintaining out source cowboys.