Best of the Web, November 5th

Best of the Web, November 5th

Microsoft Kinect and the future of gaming; How to Stop Good Ideas from Getting Shot Down; The best place to start a business is…

November 5, 2010 12:37 by Rasha Reslan

Microsoft Kinect and the future of gaming

Remember how fascinated you were when you first saw the Wii? Remember how cool you thought the new and improved form of controller was? Well, get ready to be impressed. What if we told you that Microsoft is developing technology which gets rid of the controller altogether – that’s right, you guessed it: the user will be the controller. According to this article, Microsoft’s new gaming system, Kinect, which goes on sale on November 10, ‘translates whole body movement to on-screen action’. Incubation director for the Xbox 360 and the man behind turning Kinect into reality, Alex Kipman (no Kipp relation here, we’re afraid) says ‘With Kinect, you are the controller (…) Our vision for this platform was simple yet profound: we wanted to transform not just the notion of gaming, but of entertainment.”

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Five Secrets of Charismatic Leadership

Spiderman’s uncle Ben may have said that ‘with great power comes great responsibility’ (he was the first to say that, wasn’t he?) but he failed to mention that with power also comes the need to show your subordinates that you are able to lead. Well, what can we say? No one ever said being a leader was an easy job – but this article points to five secrets of charismatic leadership. Written by the author of The Impulse Factor: An Innovative Approach to Better Decision-Making and the vice-president of R and D at Monarch leadership, Nick Tasler, the article says the first step is to use story-telling methods to get your message across.

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How to Stop Good Ideas from Getting Shot Down

The notion that all you need to get ahead at work is a good work ethic is admirably idealistic, but unfortunately very naive. Let’s be honest: Office politics means that often you need to dress up potentially brilliant business ideas with fanfare worthy of pre-recession Dubai glamour. But the question is, what kind of tactics are good enough to get you the attention you deserve? John Kotter, emeritus professor at Harvard Business School and co-author ‘Buy-In: Saving Your Good Idea from Getting Shot Down’ spills the beans in this video. We’ll give you a teaser: The big secret is inviting everyone to come in and watch. Unclear? Watch and learn.

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The best place to start a business is…

Trying to start up a business is intimidating enough. But setting up a company internationally is nothing short of scary. There are so many factors to consider, but if this is the cup you have been handed then this article might just help lessen the burden. This article, which documents the top 20 places to set up a business, says the number one place to set up a business is Singapore. Among the various factors that make a destination tempting for new firms, this article looked at paying taxes, trading across borders and enforcing contracts.

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Cars That Lose Their Value Fastest

Buying a car is tough enough decision without having to think about depreciation values. But the cold and hard fact that you might just have to sell your indulgence on wheels one day is just something you need to face. While you’re dealing with the facts, you might as well become just a little more knowledgeable about the world of depreciation. Though you may know that all cars do not depreciate at the same rate, you will be impressed at this list. If you thought sports cars and flashy SUVs depreciate the most you are in for a surprise.