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Better before cheaper, Revenue before cost

Management is all about making difficult tradeoffs. Exceptional companies approach these tradeoffs with two simple rules in mind:

  1. Better before cheaper: Companies re moire likely to succeed in long run it they complete on quality or performance than on price
  2. Revenue before cost: Companies have more to gain in the long run from driving up revenue (for e.g. by charging higher prices or appealing to more customers) than by driving down costs

[From Economist, July 13th 2013 Edition]

Food Sculptures

Photographer and visual artist Dan Cretu recreates everyday objects out of fruits and vegetables. With his sculptures, Dan transforms common everyday eatables into recognizable objects. You can follow his work here.

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Mosaiculture

Mosaiculture is a refined horticultural art that involves creating and mounting living artworks made primarily from plants with colorful foliage (generally annuals, and occasionally perennials). The colorful two- and three-dimensional drawings, designs, sculptures and reliefs thus created employ a wide variety of flora. This multifaceted and complex discipline, an ornamental art, draws on numerous practices: on sculpture for its structure and volume, on painting for its palette, and on horticulture in its use of plants in a living, constantly changing environment. Mosaiculture should be distinguished from topiary, which features mostly shrubs pruned to create different shapes.

Considered the world’s most prestigious competition of horticultural art, the 2013 edition of Mosaiculture is currently on display at Montreal Botanical Garden in Quebec, Canada. Mosaiculture originated in Montreal in 2000. It is now a prestigious international competition, staged every three years in a different city, with funding from governments and the private sector. Last time, it was held in Shanghai, before coming back to Montreal again.

 

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3D Latte Art

Japanese latte artist Kazuki Yamamoto has taken coffee art to an impressive new level. I’ve posted about latte art before, but this 26-year-old takes it to a whole new level. He specializes in building actual 3D latte foam sculptures, some of which even climb out of their cups and reach out for others. Some of the latest temporary masterpieces swirled out of Yamamoto’s cup include a detailed giraffe, a three-eyed alien and a Hello Kitty character peeking out of a mug.

Currently, Kazuki Yamamoto is working as a barista in Cafe10g in Osaka. To keep up with Yamamoto’s creations, check out his Twitter stream.

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