To my mind, the idea is "king." It doesn't make much difference if it's the product of a large organization or a small organization, as long as it makes it through the "clutter and noise" to my little corner of the world.

One of the best ideas in the history of the personal computer was the Visicalc electronic spreadsheet created by Dan Bricklin and Bob Frankston. I acquired Visicalc in January 1980 and my respect for its novelty and for its creators has only grown since.

Dan Bricklin's take on the pc world from his quarter-century perspective is always a joyful read. His post today is Small Players Matter: "While large players and big media companies act like they are the main reason for the web and Internet and therefore should drive policy decisions, the numbers show that the contributions of the myriad of small players -- individuals, non-profits, and small businesses -- are crucial to the vitality of the web and its value to people."

At the other end of the idea scale is William Dunk's Global Province, coming from his always insightful global perspective. This week he unveiled the annual William Dunk's 2002 Annual Report On Annual Reports:
Long on Words; Short on Ideas: Krispy Has Right Recipe. If it seems that the world's corporations are "circling the wagons" and "battening down the hatches" in the wake of 9/11 and Enron, their annual reports seem to confirm it.

A rare exception to this is Krispy Kreme, tempted by a legal but less than ethical lease scheme last year. Their response? "As Chairman Scott Livengood said in Krispy Kreme’s Annual Report: 'In the current economic climate, investors are understandably paying closer attention to the financial strength of companies and the way they conduct business. We have taken the position that there is no reason for us to do anything that could be misinterpreted, regardless of how legal and acceptable it may be.'"

The right recipe, indeed!