How to Value a Patent

"Inventors help solve vexing problems, both sophisticated and simple, and as a result sometimes enjoy considerable celebrity and rewards. Our society’s economic success, too, is based on innovation. To encourage public disclosure of inventions, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) issues an inventor a patent, which excludes others from making, using, selling or importing that invention into U.S. territories for a limited period of time.

The three kinds of U.S. patents cover living plants, ornamental designs and useful inventions (the latter are called “utility” patents). Familiar products once protected by U.S. utility patents include Alexander Graham Bell’s “improvement in telegraphy” (the telephone), the Wright brothers’ “flying machine” and Thomas Edison’s “incandescent lamp” (the light bulb)."

This article [20 Steps for Pricing a Patent] provides an excellent and detailed set of basic procedures for valuing U.S. utility patents.

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Open Source Guide Book

Innovation Happens Elsewhere is an online version of this book on Open Source as Business Strategy by Ron Goldman and Richard P. Gabriel. The authors have posted this outstanding resource online in the hopes that people will find it useful, stating:

"This book is intended for anyone considering using Open Source. It describes what open source is, discusses business reasons for using open source, and describes how an open source project works in a day-to-day manner. It will help you decide on whether open source is right for your project, and, if so, what steps you should take to proceed and some mistakes you should avoid."

An excerpt from the book will give you an idea of the types of useful information it contains:

“Deciding to manage a development project as an open-source project requires making a careful determination of the project's business goals...The following is a list of business reasons to support the use of open source for a project…

Visibility...
Training and Education..
Ubiquity...
Design Discipline...
Best Standards Development...
Conversations...
Design Help...
Guidance for Proprietary Products
Some open-source licenses permit proprietary products to be based on an open-source system, sometimes by adding features and sometimes by providing quality and support. The ability to develop the best such product can be improved by commentary and feedback from the community...
Build a Market for a Proprietary Product
When a company has a proprietary product built on top of a free, open-source version, the free version will bring in customers and increase the company's market share.
Development Help...
Internal Open Source Use and Reuse...
Support Help...
Facilitate Technology Transfer...
Limited Resources...
Improved Quality...
Time To Market
For open source, there is a time-to-market advantage, but it is a more complicated notion than simply getting a product into a space quickly. By using available open-source code in a project, a company is able to avoid re-inventing it. This can speed up getting to market, but the more important effect is that a company can get to a very good product quickly, especially one with a greater number of already proven features and better quality....
Better Way to Do Releases...
Better Relations with Customers...
Better Relations with Other Parts of Your Company...
Nurture Innovation...
Community Building...
Avoiding Lock-In...
Risk Reduction...
Appeal to "The Open-Source Community"...
Storytelling...
Statement of Vision and Terms of Engagement...
Statement of Values...
Get Brand Loyalty for Your Company's Hardware/Software...
Get the Hit Effect Working...
Create a Marketplace...
Commoditize Competition
Providing a no-cost offering can force a competitor to play a commodity game where small advantages and brand loyalty, for example, can play a stronger role than in a high-value game. OpenOffice is an example of this goal: Its free office-productivity software makes it more difficult for other companies, such as Microsoft, to charge large amounts for proprietary software with similar features. It transforms office-productivity software from a high-value, single-vendor product into a commodity..."

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Where There's Vision, There's Fire

"People rally around leaders with a compelling vision and a clear sense of purpose.

Creating a strong vision is one of the most important functions a business leader can perform. A vision statement compels people to do something, change something, and become something. It is this drive that can transform a business into a strong, vibrant, rewarding opportunity for everyone who comes into contact with it.

Business leaders can reap the benefits of a strong vision by defining the core values of their companies, defining their purpose, describing what they see for the business in the future, and then clearly articulating, communicating, and living the vision at every opportunity...

A good vision:

Identifies direction and purpose

Builds loyalty through involvement

Sets standards of excellence that reflect high ideals and a sense of integrity

Is persuasive and credible

Inspires enthusiasm and encourages commitment

Is well articulated and easily understood

Is ambitious and calls for a shared commitment

Challenges and inspires people to align their energies in a common direction

Fits with the business' unique culture and values

Results in efficiency and productivity

Reflects the company's unique strengths..."

Read more in this article by Dave Dolak.

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Meditation is Good for Business

"Researchers are beginning to show that meditation directly affects the function and structure of the brain, changing it in ways that appear to increase attention span, sharpen focus and improve memory...

The forms of meditation...scientists are studying involve focusing on an image or sound or on one's breathing. Though deceptively simple, the practice seems to exercise the parts of the brain that help us pay attention...

Not surprisingly, given those results, a growing number of corporations—including Deutsche Bank, Google and Hughes Aircraft—offer meditation classes to their workers...Making employees sharper is only one benefit; studies say meditation also improves productivity, in large part by preventing stress-related illness and reducing absenteeism.

Another benefit for employers: meditation seems to help regulate emotions, which in turn helps people get along...So, for a New Year's resolution that can pay big dividends at home and at the office, try this: just breathe."

Read more in How to Get Smarter, One Breath at a Time -- TIME
Also see Meditation goes to work

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You Can Teach an Old Brain New Tricks

"For decades, the prevailing dogma in neuroscience was that the adult human brain is essentially immutable, hardwired, fixed in form and function, so that by the time we reach adulthood we are pretty much stuck with what we have. Yes, it can create (and lose) synapses, the connections between neurons that encode memories and learning. And it can suffer injury and degeneration. But this view held that if genes and development dictate that one cluster of neurons will process signals from the eye and another cluster will move the fingers of the right hand, then they'll do that and nothing else until the day you die. There was good reason for lavishly illustrated brain books to show the function, size and location of the brain's structures in permanent ink...

But research in the past few years has overthrown the dogma. In its place has come the realization that the adult brain retains impressive powers of "neuroplasticity"--the ability to change its structure and function in response to experience. These aren't minor tweaks either. Something as basic as the function of the visual or auditory cortex can change as a result of a person's experience of becoming deaf or blind at a young age. Even when the brain suffers a trauma late in life, it can rezone itself like a city in a frenzy of urban renewal. If a stroke knocks out, say, the neighborhood of motor cortex that moves the right arm, a new technique called constraint-induced movement therapy can coax next-door regions to take over the function of the damaged area. The brain can be rewired."

Read more in How The Brain Rewires Itself--TIME

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Amazing Saturn Photos Released

"NASA's Cassini spacecraft has captured never-before-seen views of Saturn from perspectives high above and below the planet's rings. Over the last several months, the spacecraft has climbed to higher and higher inclinations, providing its cameras with glimpses of the planet and rings that have scientists gushing.

In the pictured photo, dark and sharply defined ring shadows appear to constrict the flow of color from Saturn's warmly hued south to the bluish northern latitudes.

Aside from the color differences, the cloud morphology is quite different in the polar regions compared to the mid-latitudes. Bright, isolated clouds dot the high latitudes, while Saturn's middle is characterized by flowing cloud bands and the occasional bright or dark vortex.

This view looks toward the lit side of the rings from about half a degree below the ring plane."

For more information about the Cassini-Huygens mission visit Cassini-Huygens Home.

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Leadership Lessons from Tony Dungy

"Tony Dungy is always cool and calm when addressing his players. He never swears or berates his team. He treats his staff and players like professionals. It’s the way all people should be treated.

When players are given respect they return that respect. A lot of leaders (coaches) try to command respect through fear. Fear based leadership usually breaks down and causes dissention. Fear is not an emotion that people want to hold within themselves, so they eventually will rebel – mentally then physically. If a coach can command respect through positive action then the players will willingly follow because they are emotionally in agreement with the coach’s philosophy. They understand his thought process and the goals they are committing themselves to...

Dungy is an abnormality in a “Yell First” football tradition. That’s what makes him a great person. He built his team his own way. He trusted his beliefs and didn’t try to copy anyone else. Being the first black coach to ever win a Superbowl is not the greatest part of his achievement. His greatest achievement is showing the rest of the world that dignity and respect should go hand in hand with leading an organization."

Read more in this Mind Body Blog post.

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Bracketology Breakdown from Brother Sam

Here are the latest March Madness NCCA college basketball brackets projections and some observations from my brother, Sam who (is really good at this and) explains:

"I try to match them up into regions - so that teams from same conference won't play each other until the regional final. Some seeds reflect this.

Some other observations:

I try not to look at RPIs, SOS, etc. if I can help it. I like looking at quality wins especially out of conference, and how they play collectively against their conference teams.

West Virginia is in for only one reason - beating UCLA - but they better win some games soon or they will be gone.

Don't see what the love affair a lot of people have with the MVC and especially Creighton. What great win do they have other than Xavier at home? None on the road against a team outside the conference. SIU has beaten Virginia Tech. The biggest win was by MO State who beat Wisconsin on a neutral court. If Creighton stumbles in conference tournament, they will be out too. Two not three from the MVC.

VCU, who won the CAA regular season may be odd team out if they lose to Drexel in CAA tournament. Their out of conference record is not good against "bubble" and other potential tournament teams - losses to Xavier, Toledo, Appalachian State and Bradley. In the end, only two teams will go from the CAA.

GA Tech makes it this time. Good non-conference wins against Purdue and Memphis on neutral courts. Also beat Georgia at home. GA Tech, Clemson or Florida State will get a bid - the only conference having a team with a losing conference record.

Xavier should get a bid even if it loses in their conference tournament and they deserve it. Non conference wins include VCU, Villanova, Illinois and Kansas State.

Kansas State is out. A closer look shows they haven't beaten anyone out of conference except USC. Unbalanced conference record will keep them out when compared to all other deserving teams.

Appalachian State beat Virginia, Vanderbilt on neutral courts. And also beat VCU. Wouldn't you rather see what they can do in tournament than another team from the Big Ten, SEC or ACC or a third team from the MVC? I would.

Midwest (#1 region)

1 Ohio St - B10
2 Kansas- B12
3 S. Ill - MVC
4 Maryland - ACC
5 Marquette - BEAST
6 USC - P10
7 Boston College - ACC
8 Air Force - MWC
9 Stanford - P10
10 Purdue - B10
11 West Virginia - BEAST
12 Davidson - Southern (Champ)
13 Sam Houston State - SLand (Champ)
14 Toledo - MAC (Champ)
15 Austin Peay - OVC (Champ)
16 Central Ct. St - NEC (Champ)
16 Mississipi Valley State - SWAC (Champ)

West - #2 Region

1 UCLA - P10
2 Georgetown - BEAST
3 Nevada - WAC (Champ)
4 UNLV - MWC
5 Vanderbilt - SEC
6 Butler - Horizon (Champ)
7 Virginia - ACC
8 Notre Dame - BEAST
9 Texas Tech - B12
10 Illinois - B10
11 Old Dominion - CAA
12 Georgia Tech - ACC
13 Gonzaga - WCC (Champ)
14 Long Beach St - BW (Champ)
15 Oral Roberts - Mid Con (Champ)
16 Weber State - Big Sky (Champ)

South (#3 Region)

1 Wisconsin - B10
2 Florida - SEC
3 Memphis - USA (Champ)
4 Duke - ACC
5 BYU - MWC
6 Virginia Tech - ACC
7 Texas - B12
8 Louisville - BEAST
9 Arizona - P10
10 VCU - CAA
11 Syracuse - BEAST
12 Creighton - MVC
13 Winthrop - Big South (Champ)
14 Penn - Ivy (Champ)
15 South Alabama - Sun (Champ)
16 E. Tenn St - Atl Sun (Champ)

East - #4 Region

1 North Carolina - ACC
2 Texas A & M - B12
3 Pitt - BEAST
4 Wash St - P10
5 Tennessee - SEC
6 Indiana - B10
7 Oregon - P10
8 Mich St - B10
9 Villanova - BEAST
10 Kentucky - SEC
11 Xavier - A10
12 Drexel - CAA
13 Holy Cross - Patriot (Champ)
14 Vermont - Am East (Champ)
15 Marist - MAAC (Champ)
16 Del St - MEAC (Champ)

Last 4 In

Purdue
West Virginia
Georgia Tech
Creighton

Last 4 Out

Missouri State
Georgia
Florida State
Kansas State

Love to hear comments and any apparent mistakes or disagreements."

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A Great Pick-Up Line

"Playing pick-up basketball is more than good exercise and camaraderie. It's a microcosm of society in general and the business office in particular...I constantly find myself evaluating employees and new contacts against the same criteria that I value in good teammates on the basketball court. Are they team players or are they selfish? Do they understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and role? Can they put points on the board? Will they take on tough assignments? Do they help others out? Are they good communicators and a positive influence? Are they winners or whiners?

However, there's more at play here than personnel profiling. There are a number of leadership principles that translate from the basketball court to the business office...here are my top five:

See the court...
A true leader is not only constantly looking for the new opportunities, but they're also looking to get the ball to teammates who are best positioned to take advantage of the situation...

Score points and keep score
Pick-up basketball is all about winning the game and holding the court. It's no different in business....

It's OK to wear short pants and canvas sneakers.
Sure, the young players can run faster and jump higher, but old-school fundamentals may be more necessary today than ever...

The whole is greater than the parts...

Don't lose touch.
Your job, your skin color, and your bank account mean nothing in a pick-up basketball game...I know how easy it can be to become disconnected. Playing pick-up ball reminds me of the constant need to stay in touch..."

Read more in Shirts and Skins found via this post from Be Excellent™.

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Buy the Client Lunch - At Her Office

"One tool for getting an audience to hear you out early in the selling process is bringing the story to them. Instead of asking a potential customer to take time out of their busy day to travel to a meeting, eliminate any time or effort barriers - buy them lunch at their office. Pick up some pizzas, have sandwiches delivered or order from the prospect’s cafeteria. Free food is a surprisingly strong draw and will make it much easier to get a foot in the door.

Even better, have the prospective customer arrange a conference room and also invite the prospect’s colleagues along for free food in exchange for 45-60 minutes of listening about a cool new offering..."

Great advice from this 2-Speed post.

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HR Problem Prevention Checklist

"Management concerned with employment law liability should be focused on prevention: preventing lawsuits, preventing employee morale problems, and preventing the day-to-day hassles personnel issues can create. The road to success in this area is not paved with good intentions, however. Employers must understand basic human resources principles to avoid the employment law pitfalls that await.

Ensure someone in the organization is familiar with human resources...
Communicate...
Implement legally sound employment documents...
Require employment candidates to pass a background check...
Provide discrimination, harassment, and retaliation prevention training to all employees...
Conduct a wage-hour audit...
Mmanage leave and accommodation issues...
Consider requiring employees to sign a mandatory arbitration agreement...
Ensure all employee benefit plans comply with ERISA...
Communicate. Yes, it bears repeating..."

Read more in this Shaw Valenza LLP article found via the Employment Law Information Network newsletter.

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Startup Venture Toolbox

A great resource is the Startup Venture Toolbox,created by David Rex.

"The goal of the Toolbox is to provide entrepreneurs with the tools and assistance necessary to help achieve their desired goals as well as to provide a forum for the exploration of entrepreneurial ideas and issues.

The Toolbox is organized in the order that most entrepreneurs follow in taking their ventures from idea to exit.

First, test out the validity of your idea from the investor's point-of-view with the Business Proof of Concept Test.

Then, check out your idea against the world's public databases of intellectual property filings with the Intellectual Property Advisor.

If your idea passes these two tests then create a Business Plan and financial statements with the Business Plan Advisor and the Financial Statement Advisor.

Informational and educational assistance can be found in the Process of Forming a Company, Venture Life Cycle, Articles & Information and Suggested Readings sections.

The Basic Legal Information & Documents section contains certain legal documents and information necessary to get your venture organized, protected and operating..."

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Resistance is...Automatic

Nagging spouse? You may have an excuse for not responding

New research findings now appearing online in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology began with a professor’s desire to understand why her husband often seemed to ignore her requests for help around the house.”My husband, [Gavin Fitzsimmons] while very charming in many ways, has an annoying tendency of doing exactly the opposite of what I would like him to do in many situations,” said Tanya L. Chartrand, an associate professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business...

Working with Duke Ph.D. student Amy Dalton, Chartrand and Fitzsimons have demonstrated that some people will act in ways that are not to their own benefit simply because they wish to avoid doing what other people want them to. Psychologists call this reactance: a person’s tendency to resist social influences that they perceive as threats to their autonomy.

The team found that people do not necessarily oppose others’ wishes intentionally. Instead, even the slightest nonconscious exposure to the name of a significant person in their life is enough to bring about reactance and cause them to rebel against that person’s wishes...

Read more in this post from Press Esc.

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Keys to Transformational Leadership

"Four key functions collectively define a successful role for the CEO in a transformation:

Making the transformation meaningful. People will go to extraordinary lengths for causes they believe in, and a powerful transformation story will create and reinforce their commitment. The ultimate impact of the story depends on the CEO’s willingness to make the transformation personal, to engage others openly, and to spot- light successes as they emerge.

Role-modeling desired mind-sets and behavior. Successful CEOs typically embark on their own personal transformation journey. Their actions encourage employees to support and practice the new types of behavior.

Building a strong and committed top team. To harness the transformative power of the top team, CEOs must make tough decisions about who has the ability and motivation to make the journey.

Relentlessly pursuing impact. There is no substitute for CEOs rolling up their sleeves and getting personally involved when significant financial and symbolic value is at stake."

Read more in The McKinsey Quarterly: The CEO's role in leading transformation.

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Information Technology Audit Checklist

This Audit Checklist from the IT Compliance Institute offers:

"228 specific checklist items to help assess your audit-readiness
A breakdown of suggested management, operational, and technical controls
Clarification on what auditors want to see
Pointers on audit preparation, testing, and reporting

The paper supports an internal audit of the organization’s information security program with guidance on improving information security programs and processes, as well as information on assessing the robustness of your organization’s security efforts. The paper is intended to help IT, compliance, audit, and business managers prepare for an audit of information security and, ultimately, to ensure that the audit experience and results are as productive as possible."

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Why Should Anyone Want to Be Led by You?

"We've yet to hear advice that tells the whole truth about leadership. Yes, everyone agrees that leaders need vision, energy, authority, and strategic direction. That goes without saying. But we've discovered that inspirational leaders also share four unexpected qualities:

They selectively show their weaknesses. By exposing some vulnerability, they reveal their approachability and humanity.

They rely heavily on intuition to gauge the appropriate timing and course of their actions. Their ability to collect and interpret soft data helps them know just when and how to act.

They manage employees with something we call tough empathy. Inspirational leaders empathize passionately—and realistically—with people, and they care intensely about the work employees do.

They reveal their differences. They capitalize on what's unique about themselves.

You may find yourself in a top position without these qualities, but few people will want to be led by you."

Read more in this article excerpt from HBS Working Knowledge.

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Small Business Resources from Dell

"Dell launched a couple nice small business focused resources recently. The first, called Studio Dell, features well made videos of folks talking about small business and tech solutions as well as case studies and small business stories...In addition, they launched another nice resource for small business called Dell Small Business 360. They bill it as a comprehensive website designed to help you build your business.

The plans are to grow this new portal with content and resources from small business experts and add a community and advice section. At the moment the site is pretty tech heavy as you might expect..."

See this Duct Tape Marketing Blog post from which the foregoing was quoted for live links to the Dell sites.

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Go For It - Make It Happen

There are times in our lives when all the signs seem to be pointing us in a particular direction. Our thoughts and dreams are echoed in the songs and stories we hear and the media we see. Maybe the message we are getting from the universe doesn’t even make sense in the “real” world, but somewhere inside, these urges feel right. Maybe you feel you are being told to move to a new city although your life where you are is just fine. Or maybe you feel the desire to pursue a new direction in your career when it never really interested you before. When we spend time getting in touch with our higher selves, our intuition sends us directives to lead us to become our best and most fulfilled selves. And when we are open and listening, the next step is to take action and go for it.

Once we make the decision to pursue our inner urgings, the universe sets into motion the means for all sorts of details to fall into place. A sense of peace will come over us, because we know that any questions will no longer make us wonder if our dreams are possible, but how to make them happen. Instead of deterring us from our goal, these questions only serve to clarify our focus to move us forward. We need not throw caution to the wind to follow our dream. The positive shift in our energy affects everything around us. Like a rush of water, it goes ahead to clear debris from our path so that we can go forward. Our new attitude also attracts likeminded people. Sometimes even the most unlikely angels arrive to help us along our way with the information and support we need.

Wherever your dreams are pointing you today, take a step. Take action and manifest your inner urges and soul whisperings.

From DailyOM - Nurturing Mind Body & Spirit

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Anthony Cerminaro 2006 Movie List

I love movies. Set forth below is my ranking of the films I caught that were released in 2006.

The Best for My Money - Remarkable - Four Stars

Pan's Labyrinth - A Magical Mystical Tourdeforce
Volver - Amazing Almodovar with enchanting Cruz in control
Babel - Cultural crossroads and tragic intersections
Blood Diamond -"amazingly orchestrated chaos" --Richard Roeper
United 93 -"masterful and heartbreaking" --Rogert Ebert
The Departed - Stunning performances, over the top violence
Letters from Iwo Jima -"fascinating, existential tale of heroism." -- Rick Honeycutt
Dreamgirls -"this slick flick sizzles" --Matt Stevens
The Queen - Helen Mirren is marvelous
The Last King of Scotland - Ditto for Forest Whitaker

Great Flicks - Memorable - Three and a Half Stars

Flags of Our Fathers
Superman Returns
Little Miss Sunshine
Apocalypto
Casino Royale
Borat - Cultural Learnings...
Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest
The Prestige

More Favorites - Special - Uplifting - Three Stars

Facing the Giants
Flushed Away
A Prairie Home Companion
Akeelah and the Bee
ATL
For Your Consideration
Quinceanera
Wordplay
Tsotsi
The Nativity Story
Stranger Than Fiction
Rocky Balboa
Invincible
Glory Road
We Are Marshall

Movies I enjoyed surprisingly - nearly Three Stars

V for Vendetta
The Descent
Underworld - Evolution
X-Men - The Last Stand
16 Blocks
Last Holiday
The Lake House
All the King's Men
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby
Nanny McPhee
Cars
Garfield - A Tail of Two Kitties
The Omen
Poseidon

Movies I liked less than the critics - nearly Three Stars

The Illusionist
Notes on a Scandal
Children of Men
World Trade Center
The Devil Wears Prada
Thank You for Smoking

Disappointments - Mixed Bag - Two Stars at best

Happy Feet
A Scanner Darkly
Over the Hedge
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
The Da Vinci Code
Snakes on a Plane
Open Season

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Wisdom from Warren Buffett

Darren D. Johnson shares five things he learned from spending 6 hours in Omaha with Warren Buffett:

1. Be Grateful
2. Be Ethical & Fair
3. Be Trustworthy
4. Invest in your Circle of Competence
5. Do What You Love,

Found via Warren Buffet Gets It and evelynr's favorites on del.icio.us

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