Thoughts of the Week and a Glimpse Into the Gurus at The Online Think Tank

Have you ever wondered what an Online Think Tank thinks about? Sure well lets discuss this weeks assignments. The self-assigned informational intakes include news items, ezines, magazines, books and Internet searches on 100s of topics. This goes on day after day, week after week and year after year, and so here is a glimpse into these thoughts – Let’s begin and discuss some of today’s topics:

1. The US Patent Process is inadequate as we have patent squatters, multiple patent awards for nearly the exact same technology and the ability of the government to process these patents does not match the sharp increase in demand. The patent process in this country favors only the lawyers. This patent process and the implications of the failure is stifling innovation. What is the solution?

2. What Separates Winners from Losers and why do winners always seem to win; while losers either give up or accept failure prior to making the grade?

3. What does it say to you when you find dead flies in the area or the flies refuse to eat your food? Are they trying to tell us something? After all the buzz around us and they eat doggie do. Is this a statement about all the processed food that Americans eat?

4. Why are other nations criticizing the US for the number of people in our Prisons, when 45{3bb2a8e703be8d5bb7fc1289a915cd39229c5bcd006c8cdf059732c7e19a8eab} to 65{3bb2a8e703be8d5bb7fc1289a915cd39229c5bcd006c8cdf059732c7e19a8eab} of those in prison in the US are illegal aliens, they are not even our criminals, they are some other nation’s criminals who have attempted to seize opportunity in the United States. Should the US outsource to corporations our prisons and put them out of the country to handle all the illegal aliens and shouldn’t these people earn their own keep and provide labor to pay for their stay?

5. Are electric Motor Scooter – Motor Cycles viable if they weigh 400 lbs? Some believe so and at least one model is making waves with excellent styling and performance. The Vectrix MaxiScooter has a nickel hydride battery under the seat and goes 62 mph, equivalent performance to a 150 cc scooter, but it weighs more than a 400cc motorcycle. Range is 68 miles at 25 miles per hour, so it is perfect for around town, but will people buy it? Some say yes, but for mass appeal it will need further refinement.

6. Do Artificial Intelligent recipe creators make sense, figuring out in advance what types of ingredients mixed will provide maximum delight to human taste buds? MIT thinks so and maybe these AI systems can also figure out how to eat for your genome and make it taste good too.

7. 47 Million Americans have no health insurance and almost 25{3bb2a8e703be8d5bb7fc1289a915cd39229c5bcd006c8cdf059732c7e19a8eab} are self-employed, are we hurting our small business owners which employ some 75{3bb2a8e703be8d5bb7fc1289a915cd39229c5bcd006c8cdf059732c7e19a8eab} of our population? If so, boy do we need to fix that issue. Our nation’s economy and the future of innovation depends on it, this is a hot topic indeed.

8. Should hand-bills and advertising flyers be allowed to be in the shape and size of parking tickets? Many small business owners say these work the best, but it pisses off the car owners, who are shocked, then relieved to find it is not a ticket and then upset. But weigh this against the fact that they have to read it and small time entrepreneurs say the strategy works.

Well so does SPAM, due to the fact it is all in the numbers, but that does not make it right. Some municipalities are getting upset, others already outlaw the practices of flyering cars, due to the fact that many people simply throw them on the ground and litter. Common decency should be respected by the small business owners.

One member of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce told our Think Tank that these rules hurt Hispanic business owners who cannot afford expensive advertising – interesting, what about the litter? They say that the business owner did not litter, they stuck it on the car, the cars owner in disgust of course threw it on the ground and that is littering and against the law, so should we arrest both parties then?

9. What if the Greatest Military in the World – The United States military runs out of rogue nations to attack; will that mean eventually there will be no more real wars, just International Terrorism, guerrilla wars and revolutions – some futurists are saying that this future is only about 100 years away – what if it comes sooner?

10. Is the new VLJ – Very Light Jet Market ready for action? Will this emerging industry sub-sector raise private jet insurance rates – will this hurt the industry? What about new models that are just above the VLJ market, Light Private Jets like the Phenom 300 by Embraer, will the VLJs be stepping stones to aircraft like the Phenom, is it priced right and is the performance applicable to the up-grade or will the VLJs take their toll on sales.

11. Many Internet Gurus and Motivational Type Speakers are Fraudulent, not all of course, but there are quite a few, selling “Secrets of how to succeed” in this or that other thing, yet have never succeeded in the field themselves. – The reality is that individuals who desire to succeed and are willing to do whatever it takes to succeed, eventually will succeed, with or without a motivational mentor or Guru of How To – what say you?

12. Peace in the Middle East – Not a Chance in – Hello What Do We Have Now? – In the news was this statement; “Israeli and Palestinian leaders seek peace talks as Israel warns that its enemies are rearming. Israeli intelligence reports that Hamas has smuggled 40 tons of weapons into Gaza, and Hizbullah has more rockets than before its war with Israel last summer.”

13. Why do some cities put out US Mail Boxes along the curb and then paint a RED Zone, it really should be a Yellow Zone. Have seen this in many cities, and a parking ticket lady tells us it is so no one parks blocking the mailboxes. We asked if they stopped and put mail in – will you give them a ticket? She said, it depends if the people get out mail and jump right back in or if she thinks they seem nice? Wow, nice policy indeed, but why the red curbs?

14. Many are predicting the slow death of the paper or physical book due to the competition of the eBook, and things are slowing down, but the paper book is such a tradition and with all the Book Store Chains it is doubtful this will happen anytime soon. For instance this was in the news: “The publishing business totaled $35.7 billion in global sales last year, 3 percent more than the previous year, according to the Book Industry Study Group, a trade association. About 3.1 billion books were sold, an increase of less than 1 percent.”

Moral of the story; never stop thinking. Never stop analyzing or considering why things are, how they may become and what you can do about it. Sincerely, Lance.