This book has been has been pretty popular over the past year and for good reason. The authors try to develop a framework for what would allow or enable a firm to identify, develop and execute a successful leap into new markets. The book is a bit skimpy on details; sometimes, I get the feeling that most authors write these books in order to land fat consulting jobs.

The book does have a strong fascination for me because I kept comparing it to my time with Frost & Sullivan as an industry analyst where I covered the hot, emerging Wi-Fi marketspace. There were some parallels between the book and that industry but I don’t see Wi-Fi as a blue ocean by itself and all the while I kept wondering how firms such as Linksys and Netgear were going to move beyond the red oceans that they are finding themselves in?

The book is a relatively easy read and I’d recommend it for anyone who’s interested in strategic management.

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*ugh* there’s about six hours of my life that I wish I could have back! Bland and formulaic. One wonders how Friedman could ever have been a bestselling author?

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I didn’t expect the weather to cooperate today but by early morning it was clear that the day was going to be a lot better weatherwise than expected the day before. So, I decided to conduct a moderate-range ride. Encountering the wind, which gusted to over 45 km/hr, my plans soon shifted to a short-range ride and, then finally, to a shorter-range ride. I almost gave up at the 13 km mark but managed to do a total of 40 km in the end. When the geese are walking almost as fast as you riding that’s a stiff wind!

Cycling against the wind, one naturally hopes that it will be at one’s back on the return portion but that was not to be. Sure, it was there but it seemed to be a bit more fitful than before. Still glad that I did it because every little bit helps!

I also realized that I’m going to need to replace my Pearl Izumi lobster claw gloves that my ex-housemate had worn holes in when she’d borrowed them a couple of years back. Maybe I’ll ask for a new set of winter biking gloves for Xmas? Alternatively, I could always duct tape around the holes.

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With the coming of cooler weather, one of the greatest obstacles to longer distances is rearing its ugly head and that is the lack of bathroom facilities. I’ve found that my “bladder limit” is about 60-70 km which is considerable for most people but it’s extremely limiting to one who’s intent on doing rides of 200+ kilometers. The flip side is that I don’t need as much water when the weather cools which also means that I do not need to carry as much with me. I know that many people would simply pop into a retail establishment such as a gas station but I’m pretty paranoid about leaving my bike unattended and it’s an unfair burden on them since I am not going to buy anything.

I’ve noticed that the City of Toronto has closed its public washroom facilities along the Lakeshore in preparation for winter and porta-potties such as the ones over at the Lakeview Generating Station have been taken out. Oddly, but thankfully, the City of Mississauga seems intent on keeping its facilities open there. I’m not sure why but I plan on taking advantage of them as much as possible. It’s also pretty cool that I can ride straight into them since they are little-used during the off-season.

Maybe I will have to get over my reluctance over using restaurants such as MacDonald’s and stations such as Essos if I am to continue logging long distances.

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Cycling down near Ontario Place this morning, I heard some swans honking and a loud pattering sound. Looking to my left, I saw a pair of swans running atop of the water in an effort to get aloft. Wow! Never saw this before except in nature shows. Everytime I’ve seen swans they’ve been usually atop of the water or mooning me as they hunt beneath the water for food.

These two didn’t get very far but it was still a great sight.

I also broke the 7000 km mark recently. Onwards and upwards!

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Did a short ride along the Humber Bay Bridge area and noticed a brown furry lump in the grass by the side of the road. It wasn’t dead because it was moving a bit. I immediately thought that it was a groundhog and circled back to have a closer look

It was really not perturbed by me at all and continued to happily dig away/munch grass/lick itself as I cycled slowly past it. Very cute! I think I’ve seen a bigger one but really didn’t expect one this close to the downtown core.

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This is a fascinating book about how widespread and pervasive the American military is around the world securing the “empire”. Kaplan makes no bones that there is an American empire and he illustrates how individuals and small groups of men are working to implement policy and secure their nation’s interests in some of the world’s hotspots.

He is a strong advocate of the use of Special Forces and believes that these men can make a difference when they are inserted/embedded within a host country’s armed forces and institutions. Consequently, he eschews Big Infantry armies/actions such as what is happening in Iraq which he also visits.

There are some interesting insights such as the fact that Afghanistan’s President Karzai is actually from the Pashtun tribe and how the Phillippines were conquered/subdued at the turn of the century. Many lessons from the latter and other insurgent actions of the past were forgotten by the U.S. military in the aftermath of the world wars and are now being re-learned.

At times, I felt that Kaplan was a bit of a right-winger but he seems to have kept those leanings under control so the book does feel balanced to a great degree. I’d be very interested in reading the second volume of this series when it finally comes out. Assuming, of course, that the author survives his travels through America’s Empire.

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Ok, not a great day at all today!

Went for a medium-range ride early this morning and only managed what I would term a short-range ride of about 57 km. The lack of opportunities for pit-stops, the porta-potties have been taken away, really shortened the ride. I also had to make it back for around 7:30 am in order to get to the Fall Bike Show. Arriving back home, made a big breakfast and waited for an acquaintance to call to see if they wanted to go to the Bike Show and when. The call came around 8:20 so had to wait around a bit.

Slightly frustrating but it was an opportunity to play a computer game for a bit. We met up and headed down to the show and got in at a good time. Hugely crowded this year because they simply kept letting people in. For some reason this year, there was a huge selection of bikes. Everywhere you looked it was just more and more bikes.

I had a small list of gloves and rear bike light but it was simply not really possible to shop for them. The rear light I wanted was not there and it was a zoo to check through the clothing. After an hour, I sort of gave it up as a bad deal. My companion had better luck or so they thought. The cassette they bought turned out to be the wrong size. Oops!

We left around noon and walked towards Urbane Cyclist. They had to take off because they were supposed to drive someone to the airport at 2. More bad news for them because their travelling friend had made a mistake and his flight didn’t leave until 6. I picked up the rear light I wanted after much hemming and hawing and an abortive purchase of an alternative.

Walked home and sort of collapsed. The show is simply not worth it, in my opinion, unless you’ve got something that is relatively expensive to purchase or you can be a bit flexible in your choices.

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Been standing down for far too many days this month due to poor weather. Honestly, I can’t recall October being this wet. I’m thinking that I may have to put on fenders sometime if I want to put on more mileage.

I was going to go riding this afternoon but it’s now supposed to rain. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow too! But, there is a short window of opportunity in the pre-dawn where I may be able to sneak in a medium-range ride. That could be extended if I decide not to go the City of Toronto’s Public Auction tomorrow morning. Of course, the Fall Bike Show/Sale is the next thing up on the schedule for the morning.

I can’t ride later in the afternoon on Saturday because it’s supposed to rain then! Grrrr…

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I currently have one cat (Lucky) but my sis wants to get another. I don’t know if that’s a good idea or not? Ever since my housemate moved out and took her cats with her, Lucky has been pretty happy with all of the attention.

A few months back, I found a feral cat colony beneath the boxcars that make up the Town and Country Restaurant. Lot of cats down there and so my sis and I started to feed and water them on occasion. She became interested in one of the young calicos because it’s very friendly. This past Saturday, she went down to grab/rescue it for a life of pampered luxury and it turned out that the entire litter was all gone! Shocking!

It turned out that Annex Cat Rescue had taken them! Grrrr…we went to their booth at the St. Lawrence Market to find out what happened. Almost felt like busting up their booth in order to get the cat. hehehe Anyways, the litter had been taken in for neutering and adoption. So, my sis now has to figure out what to do since the calico she wants may have already been spoken for by that Ryerson student I met a couple of weeks back. How ironic.

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