Checking the search rank

I was thinking it would be great if Google allowed to see the search rank for a specific site for a search term. This would make a lot of sense for retailers who want to see if their site is moving up in the rankings or not and it would also help bloggers see if the site is becoming more visible or not. Maybe there is already a tool out there that provides this basic service but I guess I will have to google it!!!

Process for innovations

Nottingham-Spirk, a company I had never heard of, has an interesting process for coming up with the next best seller product. The article is in the June 11, 2007 edition of Fortune (sorry, I cannot find it online).

They first start with brain-storming where the ideas are categorized from 'mild to wild'. Then they have a second meeting where everyone votes using three cards - wow, nice and who cares. The person who came up with the idea presents the idea and the voting is done at the same time. Any idea that ends up in a vote of 'wow' from everyone is a potential future best seller.

I really like this approach as everyone is free to come up with their ideas and also vote without any intimidation from the senior management present in the room. No wonder the company has had several successes like the Crest SpinBrush, SwivelStraight Christmas tree, etc.

Invest in a plane?

I recently read that you can get amazing returns if you buy or invest in a plane like a Boeing 737. The challenge is finding a plane to invest in. The airline industry looks like is booming again. I wonder if they are at a point where they will not only come out of bankruptcy but also be able to return the money that was 'loaned' to them by the Federal government.