Today's 'Training'

So this weekend I've enrolled in a valuation course called "Training The Street", taught by an ex-Wall Street investment banker that spans all weekend. It's been a great experience learning more about the process used in valuating a company either as a stand-alone entity or as part of a merger or acquisition. The material can be dry at times, but the instructor is pretty good so that helps. I particularly enjoy learning about where actual practice differs from academia's recommended approach and why.

On an unrelated note I'm learning more and more that I often let competition get the best of me. Traits that were virtues when I was an athlete are much more unattractive in a social setting and I have a hard time separating the two. I'll often get into a debate just to see if I can win, creating conflict rather than cohesion. Hopefully I can put myself in training to keep this competitiveness at bay when needed.

Windows Live Writer

Microsoft just released a suite of applications that represent a broader range of their Windows Live strategy. Many of these programs attempt to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds. The first of which I tried was the new Live Mail application which seems to be something in between Outlook and the Web 2.0 version of Hotmail. It actually seems pretty cool, but for now I'm a Gmail guy so I won't be using it much. The second program I tried is Window Live Writer. In fact, this post was composed on it. It appears to be Microsoft Word with stripped down features, but designed for your blog. One great feature is that it can import the format of your blog so that you can see what posts will look like. It's great so far, however most of this functionality is already in the new Office 2007, where you can choose in Word to create a new document or a new blog post. Either way its pretty cool. They also seem to have similar applications for photo uploads, instant messaging, a toolbar for your browser, and a new blog service called "Spaces". If you're interested in any of these things, or if you just want to reserve the email address sexycat69@live.com before John O'Neill can then head over to get.live.com.