Online Fun and Business

The growth of the Internet has seen traders look more at the use of futures trading software as a way to increase their profit potential.

Today, many vendors are selling futures trading software packages that make 50% annualised gains a reality.

While there are many good systems, there are also many that don’t perform. This article is all about picking the ones that do and making big profits.

So what should you look for when choosing a futures software package to trade?

Here are some tips to help you choose correctly.

1 - Don’t buy a “black” box system.

A black box system does not reveal the logic the system uses to trade the markets and this presents two concerns:

Firstly, futures and commodity trading is all about discipline and it’s a fact you will have more confidence in a system if understand the logic it is based upon. If you don not, you will not have the confidence to follow it through inevitable periods of losses.

Secondly, many unscrupulous vendors simply create a track record that makes profit by tweaking the rules to fit the data.

This is known as “curve fitting” and is one of the main reasons a huge majority of futures trading software fails to make profits.

2. Curve fitting

Many traders buy systems that are “curve fitted” to the data and they see different rules to trade individual commodities.

If a system uses different rules to trade individual contracts its “curve fitted” and likely to fail.

“Curve fitting” is simply fitting the rules of the system to the data to make a profit. When the system enters the real world and trades you can’t curve fit in hindsight!

The result is inevitable, losses.

A clue to a “curve fitted” system is one that has lots of different variables and “unique” rules to trade individual commodity contracts.

If a system is based on sound logic then it should work on any commodity that, trends with the same rules and parameters.

Most of these systems have hypothetical track records with low drawdowns and should be avoided

3. The best systems are simple and easy to understand

The best systems tend to be simple to understand and only contain a few rules or parameters. Many traders make the mistake of thinking you need a complicated system to trade successfully, but this is totally incorrect.

4. Hypothetical v real time track records

It’s always best to look for real time performance; this can be in the form of audited figures or figures from a rating agency such as Futures Truth that trades systems with realistic commission and slippage in real time.

If a vendor is selling futures trading software without trading it themselves or independent verification of results, then don’t buy it. If they won’t risk their funds why should you?

5. Commodities traded

Try and look for systems that trade long term and focus on trending markets such as:

Stock indices

Bonds

Currencies

Energies

These markets tend to be the best for technical trading and are likely to produce the best results.

6. Diversified or individual commodities?

This is really a matter of choice. If you trade an individual commodity your reward may be higher but so to is your risk. A diversified portfolio may have less profit potential but the diversification should reduce risk.

It’s a matter for each trader to decide, but diversified systems tend to perform better
than ones that focus on a single commodity and have less downside volatility.

Final words…

The above are general guidelines and will help you choose futures trading software that can help you target above average capital gains potential.

Many systems are sold and many look to be good to be true and more often than not they are. Hypothetical track records with only small drawdowns are not the reality of futures and commodity trading.

Use the above guidelines to choose your futures trading software then take a long term view and follow your system with discipline and you could be making the above average profits all traders desire.

For more FREE information from a company dealing in futures trading systems for over 25 years with a futures software packages that has a proven realtime track record of above acerage profits visit our website at:

http://www.gann.co.uk

Real Estate Giants Inject Rs. 2,200 Crore in Tri-City
After Mumbai and Bangalore, it is the turn of Chandigarh and its
peripheral areas to become the most sought after destination for
integrated townships. From all over the country, real estate giants i.e. DLF, PACL, Ansal, Janta, Unitech, Omex, Eldeco and numerous others are flooding the area vying to construct quality residential complexes to the tune of Rs. 2,200-crore.

Property markets in the area, spurred by IT growth and a shortage of real estate are some of the hottest in the market, but it is expected increasing availability of residential and commercial property is bound to bring real estate price down as colonisers and others pour in. Already, many of the housing projects have gained the Punjab Government’s clearance while others are slated to get it soon.

The growing demand for high-quality entertainment and leisure facilities has prompted several builders in Zirakpur, Mohali and Mullanpur Garibdas to plan multiplexes in the area, and the government has reserved 1,431-acres of Mohali land for commercial use. Mohali, located on the Chandigarh-Samrala-Ludhiana road has most of the proposed projects within its grid framework, and a railway station on the Kambala railway line is scheduled to come up in the near future.

The next destination of choice for housing developers is the
Zirakpur-Patiala road, also a hot spot for investors due to its
strategic location and direct linkage with Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Ropar, Patiala, Ambala, Ropar and Simla. Fast emerging as an important tourist centre and the electronic city of Punjab, with a number of MNCs setting base here, it is important residential requirements of people be met. High prices and low availability of real estate in the tri-city and peripheral areas made it difficult to buy property in the area, but availability of 10,000 housing units is likely to bring them down.

To suit the pocket of buyers, both plots and flats are on offer, and already, 29,000-acres of land in Sector 107, 30,000-acres for group housing, and 10,200-acres for housing plots in the Mohali sectoral grid have been ear-marked for the same. Apart, from housing projects with an investment of Rs. 100-crore, there are smaller ones of less than 10-acres that have been cleared by the town planners, and could well be a better option.

The government too has set aside Rs. 32.24-crore for augmenting city infrastructure, widening and strengthening roads, besides setting up canal water and sewerage treatment facilities.

All those who wish to settle in the region, are likely to see these new townships bring down property prices within reach of the common man. Only a matter of time, quality housing will be available for those willing and with the pocket to buy.

This article is sponsored by: www.indiarealestateblog.com

We are real estate business and wants to provide information about india real estate

When a landscape artist wants to get the essence of a beautiful scene, they make a quick pencil sketch of it.

The artist doesn’t want to represent the entire landscape as it is, but as they feel it to be. A few lines scribbled here and there indicate the feelings the artist wishes to convey. We musicians can do the same thing! We can quickly sketch out our ideas on paper by using chords and a chord chart.

A chord chart is just a way to notate when chords change through time. You can write out 8-bars to begin with (as I do). Now let us suppose you have the urge to capture something musically. What do you do? Well, for starters, you can pick a key to compose with.

For example, let’s choose the Key of C. Now after deciding that, we know that the piece will have a Major sound to it. We also know that we have 6 chords to create with from the C Major scale. With these primary decisions out of the way we now can focus on notating our musical ideas and capturing a mood. Here’s how I do it:

I start by just improvising and letting the music come out naturally. For example, I play a C Maj. 7 chord and I like what I hear. I’ll write down the first 2-bars of the melody, then place a chord symbol on top of the chart so I now have the musical idea in place.

My goal is to finish charting the 8-bar phrase with chords all the way through. Once this is accomplished I have the first section of music. If more is to come, I simply write out another 8-bar phrase and keep adding more music.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music’s online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Stop by now at http://www.quiescencemusic.com/piano_lessons.html for a FREE piano lesson!

Here’s a proven, and truly easy way to start increasing your
sales, immediately.

All you need to do is add these 2 words to your selling system,
and you’re good to go.

In fact, this trick’s so good, I wish I could take credit for
coming up with it, but the truth is, it comes from a
little-known marketing legend.

Here’s the deal:

In 1947, Elmer Wheeler was one of the best-known salesmen of
his time. His “Wheeler Institute of Words” developed a “best
practices” of selling, by testing a variety of words in over 19
million selling situations.

I’m right in the middle of reading one of Elmer’s most famous
books, “Tested Sentences That Sell”.

And here’s a great little selling trick that comes straight out
of this book:

Ever go into a restaurant and order a drink?

Of course you have.

And what does your server usually ask you, right after you
place your order?

They usually say “Small or large?”, right?

Well, imagine for a moment… you’re the owner of this
restaurant.

Do you have any idea how much your sales would increase over
time, if… instead of saying “Small or large?” after your
customers ordered their drinks … you told your servers to
instead, say…

“Large one?”

Let me take the guess-work out of this and make your job easier
for you.

Elmer Wheeler tested this experiment out in five-thousand
separate selling situations. And the results showed, when your
server asked “Large one?”…

7 out of every 10 people, answered “Yes!”

So, let’s say a large soda costs you 35¢ more than a small soda
– are you with me on this? This means, by saying “Large
one?”… 7 out of every 10 customers that walk through your
door, end up giving you an extra 35 cents!

Now you may be thinking, “So what?… It’s only 35 cents.”

A-h-h-h, but remember….

Little Hinges Swing Big Doors Open!

Follow me here for a minute: If you’ve got 5 servers… and
each of them does this with 100 customers a day, this means each
of them will be serving large sodas to an extra 70 people a day.

That’s an extra 350 large soda sales a day. (5 servers x 70
large sodas each).

350 extra sales, at 35¢ each, is $122.50 a day in extra gross
sales for you… which translates into $857.50 extra a week, and
over 52 weeks, this turns into…

$44,590 Dollars A Year… With ZERO Extra Marketing Costs
Involved!

Not bad, hey?

And if your large sodas cost 50¢ more than your small sodas, in
that case, your annual bump in gross sales would be $63,700
Dollars!

70¢ more? O.K., that one’s easy — just double the 35¢ figure
– now you’re selling $89,180 Dollars more!

See how easy this stuff is?

It’s insane, isn’t it?

But what if you don’t have a restaurant?

How can you use this trick in your business?

Well, let’s say you own a photography store. When people are
filling out their forms to get their pictures developed, instead
of saying “Singles or doubles?”, you can say “Doubles?”.

If you own a landscaping company, instead of asking “Shrubs and
lawn?”, you’d say “Whole yard?”

And if you’re a hairdresser, instead of asking “Cut and
shampoo?”, you just say “Shampoo?”

Make sense?

When it comes down to it, the basic premise of this selling
trick, is…

If You Don’t Ask… You Don’t Get!

But polishing your request up so it’s “benefit-oriented” to
your prospect… makes this work smoothly… effectively… and
without looking like you’re trying to “sell more”.

Notice how you’re not asking “Do you want a large soda?” –
you’re just saying “Large one?”

See, you’ll have to experiment a little bit to find out what
works best in your situation, but not you’ve at least got one
helluva head start on things, no?

And can you think of any easier way to make this kind of extra
money?

Elmer Wheeler really was a “selling genius” and you’ll pick up
quite a bit from him.

And, from the excitement and enthusiasm he comes across with,
you know he enjoyed his work.

Here are a few of Elmer’s famous quotes:

“Your first 10 words are more important than your next 10,000.”

“People seldom want to walk over you until you lie down.” And…

“Don’t sell the steak, sell the sizzle.” Unfortunately,
Wheeler’s books are all out of print. You’ll find them showing
up pretty consistently on e-bay though, and, you can also find
some of them on www.abebooks.com or www.alibris.com.

Several of my readers asked me whatever happened to Joe
Sugarman, who I mentioned in last week’s Tip, “What Never Ever
To Say To Your Prospects…”.

Joe’s living on Maui now, and he publishes the Maui Weekly
newspaper. He’s also still involved with Blu Blocker sunglasses,
and I’m sure, a number of other things as well.

Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a brain disorder that causes unusual shifts in a person’s mood, energy, and ability to function. Different from the normal ups and downs that everyone goes through, the symptoms of bipolar disorder are severe. They can result in damaged relationships, poor job or school performance, and even suicide. But there is good news: bipolar disorder can be treated, and people with this illness can lead full and productive lives.

More than 2 million American adults, or about 1 percent of the population age 18 and older in any given year, have bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder typically develops in late adolescence or early adulthood. However, some people have their first symptoms during childhood, and some develop them late in life. It is often not recognized as an illness, and people may suffer for years before it is properly diagnosed and treated. Like diabetes or heart disease, bipolar disorder is a long-term illness that must be carefully managed throughout a person’s life.

“Manic-depression distorts moods and thoughts, incites dreadful behaviors, destroys the basis of rational thought, and too often erodes the desire and will to live. It is an illness that is biological in its origins, yet one that feels psychological in the experience of it; an illness that is unique in conferring advantage and pleasure, yet one that brings in its wake almost unendurable suffering and, not infrequently, suicide.”

There are many symptoms of bipolar that one should be mindful to look at if they feel they may be suffering from a mental health illness.

To read the rest of this article please visit our website at HelpingDepression.com. Here you will also find helpful articles on mental health disorders that affect millions of people today.

To plan a Golf Outing, the three key factors to consider are Season and Size plus Day of the Week.  When contacting area golf courses the prices quoted and availablilty will depend on these 3 factors.

SEASON….Outing prices can vary depending on the time of year.  While weather can be less reliable in the Spring or Fall, many courses offer a slight discount on green fees during the Spring or Fall.  In states like Michigan, the Spring season runs approximately April 1 - Memorial Day.  The Fall season would be mid September until snow fall, mid November.

DAY OF WEEK…Common sense would make this an obvious factor.  Golf Courses like to fill their course, like an Airline works to fill their planes prior to take off.   Saturday and Sunday are the busiest golf days and often require less work in filling tee times.  Booking outings on the weekends are less desirable for many golf courses because they know their tee times will be sold to daily fee golfers.  However, there are many golf courses that are more than willing to guarantee their tee times are filled by hosting a Golf Outing.  To book an outing on a weekend, however, the outing planner may not be forgoing a large outing discount in exchange for booking on a Saturday or Sunday.   One way to receive a weekend date as well as a discount would be to schedule the outing during the beginning of the season.  In this case you would be locking in a Saturday or Sunday but taking a chance on weather.

SIZE…..Size does matter.  A small outing would be considered 24 golfers or less.  A large outing would be 90 plus golfers. 

For a small outing, a course would block off a series of tee times in an hour time frame on the schedule.  Discounts would not be huge, but for a golf course to ‘pre-sell’ that block of times the group could look forward to some kind of discount.  

A larger outing of 90 or more golfers two options.  The first is to organize a Shotgun start, the second is to block the course for the estimated number of golfers.    What is a Shotgun start?  This is when the golf course shuts the course down and clears the course prior to the outing to allow all golfers to begin at the same time.  All 90 plus golfers are led onto the course at the appointed start time.  Each group of four golfers is placed at one of the 18 holes on the course.  For Par 3 holes, two groups will be placed.  Play begins at the same time which is generally denoted by a blast from the Golf Course warning siren.  The golfers progress around the course until they have played all 18-holes in progression.  A shotgun start is the best option when dinner follows the outing because all golfers end play at approximately the same time.

By: Stonebridge Golf Club - Ann Arbor’s Premier Public Golf Course & Driving Range

http://www.stonebridgegolfclub.net

In any number of cookbooks and recipes you will find advice on
which herbs go with what. I’m not going to take that route.

While there certainly are marriages that are tried and tested,
such as tomatoes and basil or lamb and rosemary, the reality is
that the use of herbs is every bit as much a matter of personal
taste as any other aspect of cooking.

Consequently, what I want you to do is to sample as many herbs
as you can and try to marry up the flavors with the foods you
are familiar with. That’s not as difficult as it sounds. Just
close your eyes and think about it.

You will find, after a while, that you will instinctively know
which flavoring to use, when to use it and how much of it you
need. Do this with both fresh and dried herbs. Crush a little
between finger and thumb and smell it. This is much more
important than your sense of taste.

Something magical will happen. You will come to realize that
fresh herbs are not better than dried ones, they simply impart a
different flavor. There are two major exceptions to this.

One is mint, which has a strange musty flavor when dried, and
the other is chives, which are so delicate that the flavor
rarely survives cooking. Using dried chives is therefore pretty
pointless.

One other point to watch out for is that some dried herbs can
remained inedible even after thorough cooking. Rosemary is a
very good example of this and needs to be filtered out of any
liquids in which it has been used as a flavoring.

In any case, fresh or dried, it is better to chop up herbs such
as this before using them.

Using herbs in cooking

Many herbs, such as basil and coriander (sometimes called
Chinese parsley and cilantro in the USA) are terrific simply
torn up in salads. Note that I said torn up and not cut; only
cut herbs if you intend to cook them.

It’s important to recognize that some herbs lose flavor with
extended cooking, even in their dried state. Fortunately it’s
fairly easy to spot which those are.

Tough leaved herbs such as bay can be safely added at the start
of cooking time and will maintain their flavor. In fact, they
may need to be in the food for as long as possible in order for
their flavor to fully develop.

Herbs with light and delicate leaves, however, will lose their
flavor very quickly once in contact with heat. To use basil in a
soup, for example, you needed to add it, not to the hot liquid
as you might expect, but rather to the warm plate you intend to
serve the soup in. Then pour the soup on top of it.

Alternatively, simply sprinkle it on top of the soup and leave
it there. It will make an attractive decoration and impart a
wonderful aroma as you take the soup to the table.

What’s that? You want to use a tureen and server the soup at the
table? No problem. Sprinkle the herb in its raw state on top of
the soup anyway. The effect, when you remove the lid, will be
the same. Just stir it in as you serve.

The spices of life

Most people, including most professional chefs, use spices that
have already been prepared.

That is to say they have been ground up, ready to use. The main
exception to this is probably black pepper, which you should
always grind yourself. Not difficult. You can buy a pepper
grinder just about anywhere and the peppercorns are available in
any supermarket.

Of course you can, if you wish, go to the trouble of buying a
pestle and mortar, tracking down the raw spices and then grind
them yourself. If you do this, you will be richly rewarded with
deep and penetrating flavors. You may also find that you get
tired of doing it very quickly. However I would highly recommend
it for a special occasion, or a wet weekend in Bargo.

Generally speaking, though, the shop bought variety are fine,
providing you don’t keep them hanging around in a cupboard for
too long. They will lose their flavor.

As with herbs, it’s very important that you learn the taste and
smell of each individual spice and, uniquely, its pungency. This
last item is one that is frequently overlooked, even by
experienced cooks.

Just about everybody is aware that chili needs to be used
carefully for obvious reasons. But for some reason they do not
pay the same attention to turmeric,– which is quite delicate,–
and, say, star anise which can strangle an incautious palate at
a hundred paces. Both give themselves away, however, if you
simply take the lid off the jar and sniff them.

Mixing spice

Generally speaking, it is a rare thing to add more than a couple
of spices to the same dish. The obvious exceptions to this are
Asian and Indian dishes, where the carefully blended mix of
flavors will be both traditional and subtle.

You have a choice with these. You either follow a recipe, or you
use one of the many excellent pre-prepared pastes that are now
available. I tend towards the latter choice, although I do still
mix my own spices from time to time.

You should do the same. It’s fun and you learn a great deal
about which spices mix well and which are best kept as an
individual flavoring.

However you choose to cook with spice, treat it with respect and
always add it a little at a time, tasting as you go.

Remember also, that the flavor will change with the length of
cooking time. It may deepen, or it may lessen in its effect.
Only experience will teach you what each individual spice does
and how quickly it does it.

One excellent way to test the effect of adding spice, is to cook
your rice with something like cardamom seeds. These come in
little pods that needed to be cracked open and the seeds
extracted. Do this by placing them on a stable surface, place
the flat of a cleaver blade over them and apply a bit of
pressure. They will open easily. Use about two pods for one dish
of rice.

You could also add some turmeric to the same rice dish. This
will turn it yellow and also add a subtle flavor which
complements the pungency of the cardamom. Call it saffron rice
if you like, very few people will be able to tell the difference.

Rice is a good way to test any number of flavorings. Personally
I find it a bit boring on its own, and I frequently add
something to it to jazz it up a little. Experiment. You will be
pleasantly surprised at what a difference a new flavor can make.

You will also be pleasantly surprised at your growing reputation.

     This coming year looks to offer some exciting investment
opportunities. Alternative fuels, the housing market, inflation,
gold, silver, and auto manufacturing will be economic headlines
for the year 2006.

Screws Continue to Tighten On Energy
     2006 will see oil
prices rise upwards due to increased oil demand from the world’s
fastest growing economy, China. This rise in price is also due
to increased oil supply falling short of meeting increased oil
demand. This will force economies around the globe to seriously
consider alternative fuel.

     These alternative fuels
will mainly be Synfuel because of Synfuel’s ability to integrate
with the world’s existing infrastructure. This will become the
cheapest and most efficient method of combating rising energy
prices while being able to appease environmentalists. While new
alternative fuel plants will not necessarily be brought online
this year, steps will be taken to promote Synfuel
technology.

     While Synfuel solves the problem of
continued oil demand, nuclear power will ease the natural gas
power plant problem. U.S. Congress will continue to seriously
consider the benefits of nuclear power.

Suffering in the Housing Market
     2006 will set the
trend for the housing market for the next few years. Look for
the price of an average house in major cities to drop because of
higher energy prices, increased unemployment, outstanding debt
of the average American, and more houses for sale than houses
being bought. Continued fed rate hikes might be the initial push
into housing’s decline in value. When the housing market runs
into trouble expect more media coverage than the O.J. trial
because most people own a home, whereas if the stock market runs
into trouble most people don’t invest. One can expect congress
try ineffective - even counterproductive - methods to ease
suffering in the housing market.

Bernanke vs. Gold
     With the ascension of Ben Bernanke
to the throne of Federal Reserve Chairman, expect Bernanke and
The Fed to continue interest rate hikes until a piece of the
U.S. economy experiences disaster. Coupled with Bernanke’s
philosophy of monetary inflation, this will bring utopia for
gold investors and other sound money advocates.

    
Not only is the value of gold moving up against the dollar, gold
is moving up against most currencies world-wide. Because gold
and sound money policies have been ignored by the world over,
and the decline in currency value, investors - private and
public alike - are beginning to purchase solid assets. Therefore
expect the price of gold to continue in the up direction.

Silver - Icing On the Cake
     Silver is gearing up to be
this year’s sleeper investment. This is due in part because
silver could not be purchased at a better value. Also, silver is
being used faster than it is being mined creating a supply and
demand imbalance that could likely lead to a shortage. World
stockpiles of this precious metal have already diminished to a
multi-decade low. Investors leveraging their money in the silver
mining sector should experience reasonable gains on their
investments.

Driving Around In 2006
     Another big story for 2006 will
be the thousands of layoffs experienced by American auto
manufacturers. Look for business restructuring including a
strategy of bringing cost effective and fuel-efficient vehicles
to market. U.S. auto manufacturers’ stock value will continue to
decline throughout 2006. Serious automobile investors will look
towards Japan, especially companies like Toyota, when evaluating
auto investment opportunities.

This coming year will provide profitable speculative investment
opportunities. Explosive Speculations Newsletter is designed to
capitalize on the economic weakness that 2006 will likely bring.
Don’t miss out on valuable information that can help bring that
“extra something” to your investment portfolio.

No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this
article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot
links included. Questions and comments can be sent to href="mailto:info@explosivespeculations.com" rel="nofollow">
info@explosivespeculations.com

Perhaps the most simple, convenient and affordable form of insurance that exists for a specified tenure is Term life insurance. Term life insurance is insurance for a short period of time and is deemed to be pure protection, as it builds no cash value. If the insurer dies within the specified duration of the insurance, the death benefit goes to his or her beneficiary. As the term expires the insurer is not required to payout.

Term life insurance is an incredibly beneficial policy. The policy has proved its worth at the time of natural disasters and other calamities. For instance term life insurance was a great financial support and source of mental peace to the survivors of 9/11 and Katrina.

The popularity of term life insurance is witnessing a surge day by day. Term life insurance is cited as one of the hottest products in the latest Fitch ratings. As per the annual 2005 Review and 2006 Outlook for the US insurance industry, term life insurance is the hottest pick in the insurance industry today. In terms of Julie Burke, managing director, Fitch Ratings, “a product like term life insurance can create reserving and capital changes for insurers, which can be addressed by scale”.

The primary reason behind the booming popularity of term life insurance is a drop in the premium rates of the policy. Even though term life policy comes at very low interest rates yet a major drop in the premium rates of insurance is expected this year. According to Insurance Information Institute, the premium rates for insurance are expected to drop by 3 percent in 2006. The drop is a consequence of immense competition in the market and the diminishing mortality rate amongst human beings.

However the case is not the same in China. China Life Insurance Co. has increased the rates for term life product. China Life has increased the premium rate on the Kangning Term by 30%.

Lately Kanetix, Canada’s leading insurance marketplace and MetLife, renowned insurance company have made it to the news because of their new attempts in the field of term life insurance. Kanetix has launched a new term life insurance quote service, with standard and preferred rates highlighted for insurance shoppers. The quotes are in an easy-to-read and comparables format. The quotes are available for a coverage of $250,000 and above and the preferred rates can cause saving of up to 30% off the standard rate. According to the company nearly 50% of the people applying for life insurance coverage through the portal can benefit from some savings. The estimate so made is on behalf of the past study of the portal. The portal would permit the shoppers to review the price range offered and make an informed choice.

MetLife has come up with three term life insurance products for people who seek to have a non-permanent insurance. The three products are One Year Term Insurance, Scheduled Term Insurance and Level Term Insurance. These three forms are ideal for individuals who require a large insurance cover but have limited budgets.

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.

There are distinct processes that enhance problem identification and idea generation and, similarly, distinct processes that enhance idea selection, development and commercialisation. Whilst there is no sure fire route to commercial success, these processes improve the probability that good ideas will be generated and selected and that investment in developing and commercialising those ideas will not be wasted.

However, commercial success is not the only measure of success. One other method of gauging success is the effect on culture and the market – is it significant or not? Examples include:

a) Napster – so successful it went bust. It influenced Kazaa, whose founders went on to start Skype – free international telephone calls for everyone. Forced Telecoms companies to realise that their future revenues will not come from fixed line income but content delivery.

b) Concorde – technically superior. Elegant. World famous. Bust.

c) Xerox invented the mouse and graphical user interface. But they didn’t invest in its potential.

d) The big Studios didn’t see the potential of toy licensing before Star Wars. They learned a big lesson.

e) New Coke. Please don’t mess with out cultural icon.

These topics are covered in depth in the MBA dissertation on Managing Creativity & Innovation, which can be purchased (along with a Creativity and Innovation DIY Audit, Good Idea Generator Software and Power Point Presentation) from http://www.managing-creativity.com.

You can also receive a regular, free newsletter by entering your email address at this site.

Kal Bishop, MBA

You are free to reproduce this article as long as no changes are made and the author’s name and site URL are retained.

Kal Bishop is a management consultant based in London, UK. He has consulted in the visual media and software industries and for clients such as Toshiba and Transport for London. He has led Improv, creativity and innovation workshops, exhibited artwork in San Francisco, Los Angeles and London and written a number of screenplays. He is a passionate traveller. He can be reached on http://www.managing-creativity.com.