Tom Asacker: Interesting Week 21 of 2009

Interesting Week 21 of 2009

1. Recession Leadership: On Sinking the Boat, Missing the Boat, and Rocking the Boat

From Rice Krispies to the iPod, many great products were born in hard times -- but only because of leaders willing to take a risk, author and entrepreneur Bill Taylor points out. "[D]on't use the long shadow of the economic crisis as an excuse to downsize your dreams or stop taking chances," Taylor writes. HarvardBusiness.org/Practically Radical blog

2. Look at This Article. It's One of Our Most Popular

Although the use of top-10 rankings of articles on news sites are on the rise, popularity is no indicator of quality or significance but more a sign of the importance of peer pressure, Carl Bialik writes. The Wall Street Journal

3. Achieving Fame, Wealth And Beauty Are Psychological Dead Ends, Study Says

A University of Rochester study finds that those who obtain "extrinsic" goals experience more shame, anger and symptoms of anxiety. "The things that make your life happy are growing as an individual, having loving relationships, and contributing to your community," one researcher says. ScienceDaily

4. Mini Versions of Big-Box Stores

Big-box retailers such as OfficeMax, Wal-Mart, RadioShack and Best Buy are opening smaller concept stores. The stores are not only less expensive to build, but they also might attract customers not interested in visiting larger locations. The New York Times

5. The Ten Biggest Tech Failures Of The Last Decade

Sirius XM Radio clocked in at No. 6 on the list of the top 10 tech failures of the past decade from financial blog 24/7 Wall St. As the article points out, despite initial growth, "Neither Sirius nor XM ever made a dime." YouTube made their list as well. 24/7 Wall St.