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By Peter, June 29, 2009 22:54

Being a CFO of a publishing company and also a gadget man, combined with MY love for reading, you can imagine that I have to discover the world of e-books and e-magazines. Combining all the good things in life. Reading, playing with one of your PC’s and feeling that it helps you with your work. But why is the world of electronic magazines so different from their books counterpart? Continue reading 'E-Books, Electronic or Excluded?'»

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By Peter, June 24, 2009 01:43

We know that the Chinese are having the same strategy as the Japanese: better copy it right than to fail on an original. But the Japanese maybe did copy (mainly) electronics some 40 years ago, but now they provide the world’s leading brands. And they did not make exact copies. They embraced the ideas and put some Japanese sauce over it and tried to sell it much cheaper than the equivalents that dominated the market.  China is doing it another way. They are making exact copies of everything you can imagine and sell it to the world. And of course for much lower prices. Internet is of great help for the Chinese.

If you have a look at www.dhgate.com or www.dealextreme.com you will find out that these sites are not aiming at individuals, but that they are looking for small companies to sell (in huge quantities) all kind of products. Those little companies can then sell the goods on their home market below the market price and still making profit. But is it legal? Continue reading 'Those Chinese… Copycats, Businessmen or both?'»

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By Peter, June 21, 2009 17:46

Many people these days keep their agenda in someway electronically: on the Internet or on their phone / PDA. But there are a few who have different agendas on different platforms. How do they manage all these agendas? Some want to keep it simple and want just one system synchronizing with just one PDA. But what if your employer uses Lotus for instance and you want to have all the benefits of an iPhone? Not to mention if you’re equipped (by the company you work for) with a Windows Mobile device. And finally there are also good willing secretaries that try to keep your appointments in line with the planning. Let me tell you about my situation.
Continue reading 'The art of Synchronising'»

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By Peter, June 16, 2009 18:57

Every year in June, all the CFO’s (or wannabes) come together for almost two days in Noordwijkerhout to grant the “CFO of the Year Awards” and to have discussions (round tables and break out sessions) about actual themes. The main theme this year was ‘Leadership in Finance’. The happening is organised by Mando Vroling of Alex van Groningen and  gets better and better every year. The meeting consists of two parts:. the pre-conference day and the CFO Day itself, where the prizes are awarded. The pre-conference day is more or less the place to be. What you see is that a lot of (mostly AEX) CFO’s only attend this first day. And a few of them come solely to Noorwijkerhout for the VIP Dinner, the drinks before and the Party after the dinner. It is more or less some sort of reunion. Seeing all your peers again and have discussions about the struggle in these hard economic times and of course hear how well (or how bad) you are doing yourself. Continue reading 'CFO Day 2009'»

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By Peter, June 14, 2009 16:02

In Dutch you would translate this into “Maatschappelijk verantwoord ondernemen”. Every company is aware of this. Even in these difficult times.  Sometimes companies try to solve problems and/or discussions about claims they (think to) have on each other by proposing the difference in money (or a part of that) to be tansferred to charity. I am always wondering whether the “winning” side or the “losing” side makes the first proposal. I think it is the “losing” side. But nevertheless, all charity would of course not care what the story is behind the gift, they appreciate every gift, no matter how small or how big it is. And not just companies, individuals feel the need for CSR also. More and more you read in LinkedIn summaries about the charities that particular persons are involved with. Continue reading 'Corporate Social Responsibility'»

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By Peter, June 3, 2009 23:17

Many of you already found out by reading my Twitter posts, that I recently bought a “real” DSLR. (“real” according to some of my colleagues). Although I was quite satisfied with my Canon 400D, I could imagine that Lifeview would be a nice feature, as well the better and larger 3.0” LCD Monitor on the backside of the camera. A few more megapixels is not really a big deal, but the faster and also better digi processor could really provide better pictures. And of course I lied to myself, that the lens I used to use, was not good anymore. It was top of the bill (for me) three years ago. I am afraid I just fell for the marketing techniques of Canon.

OK, the digital photo world develop very fast and three years of further research and development were added to the digital world. A few days ago I tried to start a discussion about the desirability of a digital photo camera to have the ability making movies, hoping for more reasons not to buy the new 500D. Colleagues at the office convinced me to buy a “real” camera. Not the Canon 500D, but the new 50D. And so I did, and I must say: it is really a top camera! Not only the new possibilities, the speed and the look, but most of all the feeling after pressing the shutter. Everytime I wonder if there is a picture taken at that moment. But the display always shows the extraordinary result. Continue reading 'The secrets of a DSLR (Digitale Single Lens Reflex) Camera.'»

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By Peter, June 1, 2009 16:05

As I told you earlier, I am fond of gadgets. Although I qualified only the iPhone and the MacBook Air as real gadgets, I must admit that you can put the newest toothbrush of Oral Braun high on an “almost gadget” list. But what is the gadget feeling or gadget look of this normal day to day device? I will tell you. One of the features of a gadget is that it has at least some sort of display. And this one has two. One on the brush itself, providing the information about the current state of the batteries. But the other is much more sophisticated.
Continue reading 'My new electrical toothbrush'»