60 minutes on Sunday presented a report on a worm virus lying dormant in millions of computers worldwide awaiting instructions from China or Russia or wherever it was hatched that could instantly bring down the web. This morning, CNN reported that this virus has a name: “Conficker.” CNN also reported that it may go “live” […]

My folks are visiting from Chicago. My Dad, Harry M. Peterson Jr., 86, is, among many identities, a war hero, entrepreneur, comedian, lover of the arts, author, husband, Rotarian, and all around great guy. Throughout his life, he also has been a tinkerer with new technology, being one of the early adopters of plastic bottling […]

As I was cleaning out files the other day, I got to wondering if folks around the country are cleaning out their files like I am right now. A long-time friend of mine in the consulting business is reducing her number of offices from 7 to 3 and was cleaning out files over the past […]

Last week I had the pleasure and privilege of attending and addressing the annual Payments Automation conference of The Association for Work Process Improvement (TAWPI). Like most conferences this year, it was not as broadly attended as it had been in the past. But, in speaking with my friend Debbie Bianucci, President of the […]

Remember when Victor Kiam ran ads about his experience shaving with Remington Electric Razors saying “I liked it so much I bought the company?” Well, I’ve observed a recurring theme amongst blog posts, e-magazines, television interviews and industry conversations about the next generation of banks that brought Kiam’s ad to mind. Why? Bear with me. […]

Several years ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Ray Kurzweil in which he described his process for new product development; “First, I write the brochure.” The inventor of the first text-to-voice computer technology shared how he had conceived of what he felt was another useful concept to aid the blind. His […]

I was in Washington on February 19 attending the inaugural meeting of a non-partisan, non-profit organization that could best be described as a “Project” or “Think Team.” Unlike “Think Tanks” with resident scholars who apply their thinking to pressing political and economic issues as they evolve, the “Financial Regulation Reform Collaborative” or simply, “The Collaborative” […]

A week ago, I watched 60 minutes followed by The Grammy’s. What a great night of TV! Steve Croft’s rare interview of Cold Play and Paltrow’s main-man, Chris Martin, shared a beautiful metaphor for our times. And, then, the Grammy’s stunningly fantastic line-up of collaborations delivered another metaphor for winning in this era.
Martin […]

The morning news programs were blathering about Wells Fargo pulling the plug on its $20 million, annual “2-week bash” that had been scheduled for later this spring at the new Wynn Encore in Las Vegas. When my wife and I went to Las Vegas for our annual pre-Christmas two-day respite, we stayed at the […]

I was in the Washington Regan National airport the other day and one of the weekly news magazines carried the headline “What Now?” under their photo of President-elect Obama. Other headlines on the newsstand covered Citibank’s makeover, Bank of America’s $20 billion capital shortage, and preparations for the inauguration, including 4,000 portable toilets for 2-3 […]