Clarke Ching - More Chilli Please

Interview with Eli Goldratt about his new book.

I've just spent the last hour chatting with the Ultimate TOC Thinker ... Eli Goldratt about his latest book, which is out now.  [I have a copy sitting beside me and it is very, very good.]

http://www.tocthinkers.com/2009/11/isnt-it-obvious-interview-with-eli-goldratt-mp3.html

In the 60 minute interview Eli talks about the books title (it's kinda obvious why he chose the title when you hear his reason), the three obvious lessons from the book and the three less obvious, but more important, reasons.  You'll also hear about his next book, which he's currently writing  ... and the four after that.  You'll hear about the writing process and, I'll bet, you'll have reread "The Choice" and "The Haystack Syndrome" by the end of the year.  

I hope you enjoy the interview and please share.

Organ Donation - UK

It took me less than a minute to get myself on the UK organ donor register. I've been meaning to do it for years ... but didn't realise it was so easy.

www.organdonation.nhs.uk

Reverse dictionary

Maybe this exists already, but I'd like a website where I can put in a poorly formed definition of an unknown word and get the word back.

For instance, I might type in "fat arse" (or, for my American friends "fat ass") and get back Steatopygic.

Or I might type in "opposite of fat arse" and get back Callipygous.

[Insert your own joke about George W Bush here]

Sunshine …

This TRUE story, from yesterday’s Telegraph made me smile.  You couldn’t make it up.

A parking warden fines an 87 year old disabled Suffolk man £40 because his disabled parking sticker had faded from being in the sun.

That sucks so the old fella rings the parking fine call centre and explains that he wasn’t trying to use it fraudulently.

“The lady on the telephone told me that I should have taken the badge out of the car when I was not using it and kept it in a place where the sun didn't shine.”

Mr Cadwallader, a great-grandfather, explained: "She did not realise that the term might have been taken by some people as having a slightly rude interpretation."

Ipod …

from: http://techspecialone.blogspot.com/2008/03/ipod-i-am-your-father.html

Isn't It Obvious?

Just in case you hadn't noticed ....Eli Goldratt's new business novel  "Isn't It Obvious" is nearly out.  

It's an excellent book, this time looking at the TOC solution to retailing; I couldn't help but think of the Zara clothing company as I read.  IIO a very quick and easy read - a lot shorter than The Goal, a bit longer than The Choice.  As a writer, I was impressed at how cleverly they "discovered" the solution.  I won't spoil it, but they didn't need a "jonah" (or even "yoda") figure to teach them the "force", instead they relied on some bad plumbing.  

You can't get the book from Amazon just yet but it's listed here:  

http://www.toc-goldratt.com/store/product.php?productid=111137 and (I believe) will ship this week.  Apparently the first printing is in English ... the second, in Japanese.

Dean Leffingwell's User Story Primer

User Stories ... Have you read Dean Leffingwell's excellent primer?  You should.  

http://scalingsoftwareagility.wordpress.com/2009/11/06/new-whitepaper-a-userstory-primer/

Bitter Sweet Symphony ... The Last Time

You may recall that the song "Bitter Sweet Symphony" was a rip off of an old Rolling Stones song.  Listen to the video below to hear the original (an orchestral version of The Last Time).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9QgpXhezIc