April 2011
54 posts
“De Bont sees a steady shift away from purely applied, product-based solutions...”
– How One School Redesigned Design Education - Technology Review
“In other words, very specifically: What does Arianna Huffington stand for in...”
– Arianna Huffington Ethics and the Gladwell Media Diet | MediaWorks - Advertising Age
MediaPost Publications Apple Out-Profits Microsoft... →
While Microsoft just reported strong sales and profits for the third quarter, some analysts took note of the fact that, for the first time in 20 years, the software maker achieved a smaller quarterly profit than Apple. Microsoft’s “Net income was $5.23 billion, eclipsed by the $5.99 billion reported by Apple last quarter,” notes Bloomberg Businessweek.
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“By rejecting his citizenship, Superman will now work on a grander international...”
– Superman Renouncing American Citizenship In ‘Action Comics #900’
“The real win here is to get away from the 40-60% discounts and get toward true...”
– Groupon Says “No Deal” for Whrrl | IncSlingers
I think that the Media may have buried the lead in... →
Note: With Walter’s passing, the oldest living man is Jiroemon Kimura of Japan. The oldest living person is still Besse Cooper of the United States who was born almost a month before Walter Breuning.
Lesson to Congress: iPad Doesn’t Kill Jobs,... →
He is right. Lots of once proud occupations have been replaced: town criers, buggy-whip makers, candle makers, blacksmiths, farm laborers, elevator operators, typewriter repairmen, travel agents, and silent-picture pianists have all seen their numbers dwindle. Difficult for those involved, but better for society as a whole.
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Facebook Deals enables Facebook Credits to... →
Facebook Credits: Tonight’s reports say you’ll be able to buy Deals with Facebook Credits! They will be the first real-world, non-virtual goods that will be available for purchase with this new currency. Kids are going to burn through this stuff like there’s no tomorrow. Load up with Credits with the intention of giving it to Zynga for Cityville crap and end up spending it at The...
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“The Number One Killer Feature of Facebook Deals: Structured, verified,...”
– Facebook Deals Launches Tonight & Groupon Doesn’t Stand a Chance (Updated)
“Facebook Deals is going to be much, much more interesting for everyone -...”
– Facebook Deals Launches Tonight & Groupon Doesn’t Stand a Chance (Updated)
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Madoff believes that post Picard, "victims" will... →
He told me in the very first visit something that shocked me so that I included it in the prologue of the book: He said that with the money that investors had already gotten out of the Ponzi scheme and with the money that the bankruptcy trustee was going to be able to raise for them and return to them, his victims were probably going to make out better than people who were legitimately invested in...
“The air they breathe is trust. A Ponzi scheme cannot grow in an environment...”
– Inside The Mind of Madoff: NYT’s Diana Henriques Discusses New Book ‘Wizard Of Lies’
“Do you believe the story that she had no idea about the Ponzi scheme?
I do....”
– Inside The Mind of Madoff: NYT’s Diana Henriques Discusses New Book ‘Wizard Of Lies’
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“Madoff was never the most charming man in the room. But, he could make you feel...”
– Inside The Mind of Madoff: NYT’s Diana Henriques Discusses New Book ‘Wizard Of Lies’
Donald Trump: Robert De Niro 'Not The Brightest... →
“In terms of the general election, my record is very good,” he said. “Generally-speaking, I like to vote. I’m a believer in voting, I will tell you.”
Donald Trump: Obama Too Dumb for Ivies - The Daily... →
Obama graduated Magna cum Laude from Harvard Law, a distinction which is awarded only to the top 10% of graduating students. How does Trump explain that? I suppose there is another conspiracy involving Harvard, Obama, the American Bar Association, all of Obama’s subsequent employers. Oh, and the State of Hawaii! I’m sure Hawaii is involved in some way.
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Cheat Sheet - Breaking News, World, U.S. &... →
An Al Jazeera cameraman was held for six years for questioning about the television network’s supposed training program.
“I am equally sure that we are in the glass is half full part of the cycle....”
– http://www.avc.com/a_vc/2011/04/the-word-bubble.html
What Should You Do With Your Crappy Little... →
“Don’t raise venture capital for this business. Ever. And stop effing around trying to create a product company.”
MediaPost Publications Media M&A Booming: $13.8B... →
In terms of individual transactions, AOL and WebMediaBrands were the most active acquirers in first-quarter 2011, based on the number of announced transactions — each with four businesses purchased either directly or through a partner or affiliate. AOL bought up: About.me, Outside.in, The Huffington Post and GoViral. AOL’s acquisition of The Huffington Post was for $315 million, the...
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The Future of Manufacturing is Local - NYTimes.com →
Industries like the record business, publishing and technology are constantly evolving in order to survive. Both SFMade and its New York cousin, Made in N.Y.C., are increasingly able to share success stories of how manufacturing has developed new models for doing business in the 21st century. The monolithic single-industry model has evolved as manufacturers see the benefits of being smaller and...
Ticketmaster Launches 'Dynamic' Pricing To Counter... →
The San Francisco Giants baseball team started using a dynamic pricing system created by a company called Qcue Inc. in 2009. The team found that adjusting prices in real time to reflect sales data, league standings and which opposing team was visiting helped sell more tickets.
“Well, I’m a much bigger businessman,” Trump said on CNN’s...”
– Donald Trump Faces Republican Attacks In Mulling Presidential Run
Gov. Brewer Vetoes Birther Bill, Guns on Campus →
Gov. Brewer said in part: “I never imagined being presented with a bill that could require candidates for President of the greatest and most powerful nation on earth to submit their ‘early baptismal or circumcision certificates’… this is a bridge too far. This measure creates significant new problems while failing to do anything constructive for Arizona.”
Teaching a 'Lean Startup' Strategy — HBS Working... →
There’s a core problem inherent in pivoting—the risk of looking disloyal to the company vision. A startup’s founders have worked so hard to sell employees, investors, customers, and partners on an idea that switching gears can feel almost like a betrayal.
“So much of what a CEO has to do is talk people into things,” Eisenmann says. “If you have to take people away...
Millionaire's Tax: How to Do It Right - The Daily... →
More importantly, it would make a useful distinction between today’s “super rich” and what might be called the “working wealthy.” These hard-working strivers are not living the lives of the rich and famous. They are not kings of high finance or CEOs. They are small business owners or mid-level managers. In many regions, they might still find themselves struggling to stay in the stability of the...
Millionaire's Tax: How to Do It Right - The Daily... →
A smarter option would be to recognize the increasing wealth disparity in America and adjust the top rate accordingly—raising it to $500,000 or even $1 million per year per household. This would match the Democrats’ “millionaires” rhetoric with reality. It would also be politically impossible for Republicans to oppose at a time when we need to pay down our deficit and our debt.
Super rich see federal taxes drop dramatically -... →
The Internal Revenue Service tracks the tax returns with the 400 highest adjusted gross incomes each year. The average income on those returns in 2007, the latest year for IRS data, was nearly $345 million. Their average federal income tax rate was 17 percent, down from 26 percent in 1992.
Is Three Cups of Tea Writer Greg Mortenson a... →
It turns out that Mortenson’s allegedly questionable practices were an open secret in the charity and nonprofit world, but few were willing to discuss them with outsiders. One concern was that Mortenson is larger than life and intimidating, said an executive at a nongovernmental organization with extensive experience in education issues in Central Asia. “That’s someone you don’t want to cross,”...
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'Atlas Shrugged' Movie And The Rampant Rise Of Ayn... →
Rand’s dystopian tale taps into the fears of conservative Americans about government spending, deficits and the social priorities of a Democratic president like Obama, Burns says. “On the one hand, Rand’s popularity points to the vigor and growth of the American right, particularly as seen in the Tea Party. On the other hand, it points to a certain intellectual weakness amid the...
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Playboy Mansion Illness: Hot Tub Bacteria To Blame →
Epidemiologists used social media to contact the conference attendees.
Technology firms weigh in on debit card swipe fees... →
The issue for the lobbying group is online security. It argues that banks and card companies may be forced to cut back on investment in online security due to the reduced revenue from interchange fees. The theory behind interchange fees originally was that the revenue would help pay for security measures.
“…private equity fund managers went out of business last year at the...”
– More private equity firms go out of business - FierceFinance
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Jay Walker Goes Nuclear: Priceline Founder Sues... →
Walker explains that—just like Allen—he believes the whole economy owes him money because of inventions he created in the mid-1990s. But Walker’s view is a bit more expansive. Whereas Allen seems to believe he’s owed money for basic functions of the internet, Walker thinks he should be paid royalties for online games, banking and payment systems, and GPS navigation, among others. Walker says that...
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Interesting Comment to Blog Post Related to...
New scientific results are always cool, but let’s never forget that 3-sigma results are not 5-sigma, and that even though all 5-sigma started out as 3-sigma, the vast majority of 3-sigma results went nowhere. They can gussy up these results all they want, but it remains sad to see the Tevatron at Fermilab “fishing” if you will, if that’s all this turns out to be. Careers are in jeopardy here, and...
Legal disclaimers: Spare us the e-mail yada-yada |... →
Many disclaimers are, in effect, seeking to impose a contractual obligation unilaterally, and thus are probably unenforceable. This is clear in Europe, where a directive from the European Commission tells the courts to strike out any unreasonable contractual obligation on a consumer if he has not freely negotiated it. And a footer stating that nothing in the e-mail should be used to break the law...
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Stewart And Colbert Tag-Team To Demolish John Kyl... →
Cisco Shutters Flip Camera Maker - NYTimes.com →
According to analysts, Tuesday’s move is an admission by Cisco that it made a mistake and that it paid too much for a company it didn’t really need.
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“Cablevision’s agreements with programmers allow us to deliver cable...”
– Viacom: Cablevision Has ‘Seized’ Rights It Does Not Have With iPad App - 2011-04-08 16:51:40 | Multichannel News
Book a Better Hotel Room With Room 77 →
As it stands, Room 77′s greatest shortcoming is it merely solves the information asymmetry piece of the problem; it does little to help the customer book the specific room he wants. Users that find the perfect room can, however, hit the “Request a Room” option for tips on how to book their preferred room number.
The startup recognizes this manual process is far from ideal, it’s working on another...
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“A lot of this sounds like science fiction but it’s actually happening...”
– Humble printer moves to 3D | TECHNOLOGY News
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“[The Open Compute Project] really is a big deal because it constitutes a general...”
– The Open Compute Project: Why Facebook Is Giving Away The Goods
“Republican Jon Kyl took to the Senate floor to say that 90 percent of what...”
– Government Shutdown: How Obama Rose Above - The Daily Beast
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No Innovator’s Dilemma Here: In Praise of Failure... →
When it comes to failure, I’m trumped by Edison who famously said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Those 10,000 detours resulted in the Dictaphone, mimeograph, stock ticker, storage battery, carbon transmitter and his joint invention of the light bulb. In the end, 10,000 flops fade into insignificance alongside Edison’s 1,093 patents.
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Nocera's Take on the GE Tax Imbroglio: The... →
The real villain here isn’t G.E. for gaming the corporate tax system. Rather, the villain is a political system that makes the corporate tax system so easy to game.
