Why are so many things broken? In a hilarious talk from the 2006 Gel conference, Seth Godin gives a tour of things poorly designed, the 7 reasons why they are that way, and how to fix them.

Big exalted brains create big expensive solutions! Rory Sutherland says many flashy, expensive fixes are just obscuring better, simpler answers. To illustrate, he uses behavioral economics and hilarious examples.

Imagine spending $1 Billion on security for a two week event for the G8 and G20 summits in Toronto. WOW! It's absurd! OK it's an important event. But over $1 billion! Just on security! Were (are) there any other options?

It seems some progress has been made with the latest attempt at containment however, if I read things correctly the "solution" will be a "relief" well that will likely be completed in August. August? Three more months of spewing oil into the Gulf? Wow!

The G8 and G20 summits are being held in Canada this year, specifically in Toronto and cottage country a few hours north of the city. Kudos to the world leaders for taking the time for some face-to-face conversation and hopefully we will see some alignment on the critical global issues we face today. All fine and good ... however ... It's been reported that the cost of security for the event is over $1 billion. Really?

The disaster in the Gulf is terrible, horrible, and what grief and damage will be caused as the hurricane season gets underway. So many questions ...

Many years ago I penned a rant on the complexities and clutter created by exalted executives. The gist of the piece was this: Are the minds of senior managers and executives just so complex that they can no longer grasp fundamentals - the simple truths - the basics? Here's the start of a new rant - blog - series. Send your contributions if inclined.