"THE APPRENTICE"... I LOVE AMERICAN TV
One reason it's awesome to be back in the U.S. is TV programming. I never really watched TV so much in my life, but choice is always good. I love my ESPN, cable news, and some TV shows. The reality TV thing is a bit too much lately, but "The Apprentice" is a good show.
Last week, my friend told me that Friendster is doing a marketing campaign for "The Apprentice," so we checked out the site. I thought it was funny, so I entered a brief testimonial for Stacie J.
After the first show, I thought she was slightly paranoid and delusional, so I wrote "You one crazy lady!!" I didn't think she or they would post it up, but they did. Anyways, it was a one minute waste of effort that reveals I need to grow up at times... or I just need to buy a PS2 to deal with my idle time effectively.
Junto Boyz
Thursday, September 30, 2004
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GLOBAL LESSONS IN E-VOTING... GOOD SERIES FROM NEWS.COM
India reports success, while Venezuela fears fraud. What can the United States learn? (full article)
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India reports success, while Venezuela fears fraud. What can the United States learn? (full article)
Wednesday, September 29, 2004
INSIDE THE MINDS OF VENTURE CAPITALISTS... VIA BLOGS
HatTip to Doug. Ross Mayfield has a good post providing links to various VCs and their thoughts the investment process. Good cheat sheet for entrepreneurs seeking venture capital.
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HatTip to Doug. Ross Mayfield has a good post providing links to various VCs and their thoughts the investment process. Good cheat sheet for entrepreneurs seeking venture capital.
DICK MORRIS ON KERRY
Decent commentary on Kerry's campaign from Morris... "Kerry’s losing because he keeps punching the pillow"
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Decent commentary on Kerry's campaign from Morris... "Kerry’s losing because he keeps punching the pillow"
Tuesday, September 28, 2004
FURTHER ANALYSIS OF ORACLE ACQUISITION OF PEOPLESOFT
An article from ZDNet with views from various industry analysts. Deeper analysis from Knowledge@Wharton.
From AlwaysOn... "Oracle's Chairman wonders: Why do Oracle's acquisition attempts face so much more hostility than Microsoft's?"
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An article from ZDNet with views from various industry analysts. Deeper analysis from Knowledge@Wharton.
From AlwaysOn... "Oracle's Chairman wonders: Why do Oracle's acquisition attempts face so much more hostility than Microsoft's?"
Monday, September 27, 2004
DECOMPRESSION FROM KOREA... MANGLED WORDS FROM GREY MATTER
Over the past few months, I found myself at times pausing and searching for words or phrases in English. What is worse is when I cannot find the right word at all or I mangle the English language. After four years in Korea, even though I primarily spoke English there, my language skills have deteriorated to a minor degree. Speaking with other friends that have gone through similar transitional periods, I found this typically lasts between three to six months. During this time, I can only laugh at myself and endure some of my friends calling me "FOB" (Fresh Off the Boat) or enjoy making them laugh hysterically.
Last week, while at Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco, I was searching in my head for the branded chocolate cheesecake they carry.
"God-via?"
"What??" my friend exclaimed.
Immediately, the correct pronunciation came to mind and I quickly said, "Godiva... Godiva cheesecake..."
"BAWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Godvia? Hahahaha...."
SCRABBLED ENGLISH
Writing about this reminded me of some other situations among friends. One time some of my friends were playing Scrabble. There was "boot" on the board and one person put down a "f" on top of the "b" of "boot."
Then you hear a loud, "Foot?! What's "foot?" There's no such word as "foot!" ('foot' like 'boot', not 'fut' as it should be pronounced)
"Dude, you're saying it wrong"
"Nooo! There is no such word as "foot!"
After a few minutes, he realized his little pronunciation error. It was more hilarious because he was so adamant for minutes that "foot" wasn't a word.
DOUBLE CHECK STREET SIGNS AND DIRECTIONS
My friend was getting directions from a person who said to go down "No-Yes Street."
"No-Yes?... You mean Noyes Street ('noise')?
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Over the past few months, I found myself at times pausing and searching for words or phrases in English. What is worse is when I cannot find the right word at all or I mangle the English language. After four years in Korea, even though I primarily spoke English there, my language skills have deteriorated to a minor degree. Speaking with other friends that have gone through similar transitional periods, I found this typically lasts between three to six months. During this time, I can only laugh at myself and endure some of my friends calling me "FOB" (Fresh Off the Boat) or enjoy making them laugh hysterically.
Last week, while at Cheesecake Factory in San Francisco, I was searching in my head for the branded chocolate cheesecake they carry.
"God-via?"
"What??" my friend exclaimed.
Immediately, the correct pronunciation came to mind and I quickly said, "Godiva... Godiva cheesecake..."
"BAWWWAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA... Godvia? Hahahaha...."
SCRABBLED ENGLISH
Writing about this reminded me of some other situations among friends. One time some of my friends were playing Scrabble. There was "boot" on the board and one person put down a "f" on top of the "b" of "boot."
Then you hear a loud, "Foot?! What's "foot?" There's no such word as "foot!" ('foot' like 'boot', not 'fut' as it should be pronounced)
"Dude, you're saying it wrong"
"Nooo! There is no such word as "foot!"
After a few minutes, he realized his little pronunciation error. It was more hilarious because he was so adamant for minutes that "foot" wasn't a word.
DOUBLE CHECK STREET SIGNS AND DIRECTIONS
My friend was getting directions from a person who said to go down "No-Yes Street."
"No-Yes?... You mean Noyes Street ('noise')?
SUMNER REDSTONE ENDORSES BUSH... HONEST MAN? VERY SMART MAN?
Sumner Redstone recently stated that he was voting for Bush. Hmmm... is he covering his ass and investment to quell the growing backlash against CBS News? A strong "liberal Democrat" throughout his life and a media empire under his seat. What does this man have to fear? Another four years under a Republican White House and a strongly divide nation where partisanship can drive away eyeballs from his media properties.
Redstone is a smart man. If you were to place bets on this race now, Kerry has a greater chance of being the loser. Even if everything is equal among the public, it might as well be with the projected winners of the White House. Not good to have enemies from that house for four years.
With the scandal at CBS still festering, questions are being raised about whether a felony was committed when the network broadcast apparently forged memos in an attempt to discredit George W. Bush. Yesterday, the chairman of CBS's parent company chose Hong Kong as a place to drop a little bomb. Sumner Redstone, who calls himself a "liberal Democrat," said he's supporting President Bush.
The chairman of the entertainment giant Viacom said the reason was simple: Republican values are what U.S. companies need. Speaking to some of America's and Asia's top executives gathered for Forbes magazine's annual Global CEO Conference, Mr. Redstone declared: "I look at the election from what's good for Viacom. I vote for what's good for Viacom. I vote, today, Viacom. (full article)
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Sumner Redstone recently stated that he was voting for Bush. Hmmm... is he covering his ass and investment to quell the growing backlash against CBS News? A strong "liberal Democrat" throughout his life and a media empire under his seat. What does this man have to fear? Another four years under a Republican White House and a strongly divide nation where partisanship can drive away eyeballs from his media properties.
Redstone is a smart man. If you were to place bets on this race now, Kerry has a greater chance of being the loser. Even if everything is equal among the public, it might as well be with the projected winners of the White House. Not good to have enemies from that house for four years.
With the scandal at CBS still festering, questions are being raised about whether a felony was committed when the network broadcast apparently forged memos in an attempt to discredit George W. Bush. Yesterday, the chairman of CBS's parent company chose Hong Kong as a place to drop a little bomb. Sumner Redstone, who calls himself a "liberal Democrat," said he's supporting President Bush.
The chairman of the entertainment giant Viacom said the reason was simple: Republican values are what U.S. companies need. Speaking to some of America's and Asia's top executives gathered for Forbes magazine's annual Global CEO Conference, Mr. Redstone declared: "I look at the election from what's good for Viacom. I vote for what's good for Viacom. I vote, today, Viacom. (full article)
Friday, September 24, 2004
"THE WHINING WINDSURFER"... JOHN PODHORETZ IS MONEY
HatTip to Lucianne.com. New York Post's John Podhoretz is money in his commentary on Kerry's recent whining. Especially about how Kerry is similar to some of Ben Stiller's characters who take themselves too seriously... uptight, annoying dorks who think they are entitled to the world, and haughty too. Very haughty... stick your nose up in the air haughty.
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HatTip to Lucianne.com. New York Post's John Podhoretz is money in his commentary on Kerry's recent whining. Especially about how Kerry is similar to some of Ben Stiller's characters who take themselves too seriously... uptight, annoying dorks who think they are entitled to the world, and haughty too. Very haughty... stick your nose up in the air haughty.
AP POLL ON MONEY AND HAPPINESS... MASLOW WAS RIGHT TO SOME DEGREE
Interesting poll money and happiness:
People who make more than $75,000 a year are far more likely than those who make $25,000 or less to say are "very satisfied" with their lives — 56 percent of the higher-income group compared with 24 percent of the lower-income group, according to Associated Press polling.
Money alone doesn't equal satisfaction, however. People who are married and have college degrees were more likely to be "very satisfied" than others who had equal incomes, the polling found. (full article)
I guess this supports Abraham Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs.
The Jones' friends from my prior post must be part of the 44% of those earning more than $75,000/year that are not "very satisfied" with their lives.
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Interesting poll money and happiness:
People who make more than $75,000 a year are far more likely than those who make $25,000 or less to say are "very satisfied" with their lives — 56 percent of the higher-income group compared with 24 percent of the lower-income group, according to Associated Press polling.
Money alone doesn't equal satisfaction, however. People who are married and have college degrees were more likely to be "very satisfied" than others who had equal incomes, the polling found. (full article)
I guess this supports Abraham Maslow's theory of hierarchy of needs.
The Jones' friends from my prior post must be part of the 44% of those earning more than $75,000/year that are not "very satisfied" with their lives.
GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS SPEAKS OUT AGAINST KERRY'S STUPIDITY
Good article and commentary from Belmont Club. Here's part of General Franks recent statement:
"Senator Kerry's contradictions on Iraq are the wrong signal to send to our troops on the ground, to our coalition partners, to the Iraqi people and to the terrorists seeking our destruction. On the eve of Prime Minister Allawi's visit to the United States, Senator Kerry today said that America and the world are 'less secure' now that Saddam Hussein is out of power.
"The American people disagree and last December, so did Senator Kerry. At the time he said that those who believe the world was safer with Saddam Hussein in power 'don't have the judgment to be president.' I agree."
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Good article and commentary from Belmont Club. Here's part of General Franks recent statement:
"Senator Kerry's contradictions on Iraq are the wrong signal to send to our troops on the ground, to our coalition partners, to the Iraqi people and to the terrorists seeking our destruction. On the eve of Prime Minister Allawi's visit to the United States, Senator Kerry today said that America and the world are 'less secure' now that Saddam Hussein is out of power.
"The American people disagree and last December, so did Senator Kerry. At the time he said that those who believe the world was safer with Saddam Hussein in power 'don't have the judgment to be president.' I agree."
"DAN RATHER: FAIRLY UNBALANCED"
HatTip to Lucianne.com... decent article from Ann Coulter. Also I heard from a CNN report that Dan Rather was upset about Dick Thornburgh's appointment to the independent review panel examining CBS News '60 Minutes' story on President Bush.
UPDATE: "Fake but accurate" has to be one of the best cover-up phrases in modern political history. How could an establishment such as CBS News use a phrase to inaccurately paint reality? Their reality of using deception to smear the President of the United States is very disappointing. Anyway, more from Power Line on this topic.
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HatTip to Lucianne.com... decent article from Ann Coulter. Also I heard from a CNN report that Dan Rather was upset about Dick Thornburgh's appointment to the independent review panel examining CBS News '60 Minutes' story on President Bush.
UPDATE: "Fake but accurate" has to be one of the best cover-up phrases in modern political history. How could an establishment such as CBS News use a phrase to inaccurately paint reality? Their reality of using deception to smear the President of the United States is very disappointing. Anyway, more from Power Line on this topic.
Thursday, September 23, 2004
"KOFI ANNAN'S POORLY TIMED CRITICISMS"
I read a good article at the blog called Iraq The Model. Omar posted this:
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Mr.Joseph Ghougassian, a former ambassador of the USA to Qatar who also worked as a CPA advisor in Iraq. He had wrote an article about Kofi Annan's latest statement that the war on Saddam was illegal. He asked me to post his essay in our blog. I read it and I found myself agreeing with everything in it, so I decided to post it and share it with our readers. (read essay)
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I read a good article at the blog called Iraq The Model. Omar posted this:
Yesterday, I received an e-mail from Mr.Joseph Ghougassian, a former ambassador of the USA to Qatar who also worked as a CPA advisor in Iraq. He had wrote an article about Kofi Annan's latest statement that the war on Saddam was illegal. He asked me to post his essay in our blog. I read it and I found myself agreeing with everything in it, so I decided to post it and share it with our readers. (read essay)
Wednesday, September 22, 2004
NETFLIX AND TIVO'S VIDEO-ON-DEMAND SERVICE
It's interesting to read about video-on-demand's continuing progress and promises, which has been ocurring for over a decade. Warners Bros. will be going through a VOD trial with Netflix:
Warner Bros. has agreed to license some films to Netflix as part of a test run of the Internet company's upcoming movie-download service, according to sources familiar with the plan.
The agreement lends strength to speculation that Netflix and TiVo plan to jointly introduce a video-on-demand (VOD) service in the coming year.
These deals are of personal interest since my first startup was a video-on-demand company utilizing a set-top box with a harddrive over cable or satellite systems. When Jimmy, Peter, and I were starting the company back in 1998, Tivo and Replay were just launching their services... sometime in 1999 if I remember correctly. It was a fun time starting a company from ground zero, pitching our idea to investors, developing the prototype, closing deals, traveling around the U.S.... not getting paid for a while, putting in our money or our parents money, signing up for lots of credit cards, getting rejected by lots of investors, eating rice and spam or hotdogs everyday... okay, it wasn't that fun. Maybe more exciting, but nothing I would change about those times... I was joking about the spam and hotdogs. I ate decently.
Anyway, I was actually reading over our old business last week in preparation for some of my interviews, so I might as well post up some of it:
Our Company
ViewPlus, Inc. is a unique video-on-demand (VOD) service company. We are a seed-stage venture with a patent-pending video-on-demand technology and strategy that distinguishes us from the rest of the field. While most of our competitors are focused pointcast (one-to-one) systems, our service utilizes a multicast (one-to-many) system that is more efficient and economical for our cable and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) partners. Our cost-effective, flexible video-on-demand solution will immediately generate new revenue streams and increase the service appeal for their customers. Additionally, our patent-pending video ordering process and correlating broadband movie portal, with web-based video ordering, will greatly enhance the convenience for our customers and separate us from our competition.
...
Many companies are striving to deliver one convenient package of voice, video, and data to businesses and households. Video-on-demand is one technology within this parcel of interactive services that many companies believe will be a killer app for the future. There are several issues facing our potential partners and competitors:
• Bandwidth availability and allocation.
• Heavy reliance on infrastructure (two-way plants, growth of DSL ).
• High head-end and terminal costs.
• No current video-on-demand solution for DBS operators.
• Slow return on investment for cable operators and video-on-demand providers.
Some cable executives hope that video-on-demand will be the "DBS killer." Current DBS systems do not have two-way capabilities and face bandwidth issues similar to cable companies in providing a point-to-point service. Many cable companies with infrastructure upgrades believe video-on-demand and other two-way interactive services will provide the competitive advantage over DBS services. So DBS companies, such as DirecTV and EchoStar, have no direct counter-measure in sight until they deploy high-powered Ka-band satellites.
For the cable industry, a gap exists until true VOD services will be available to the mass market. For ATM or MPEG Transport based VOD services, widespread infrastructure investment and upgrades are necessary. Industry analysts believe these VOD systems will not become a prevailing reality for at least five years in the U.S. DSL technologies, which are being promoted by telephone carriers, are already being outpaced by cable modem providers. The cable industry is fully confident DSL services and copper wires are not suitable to carry high-quality video. Furthermore, almost every company is focusing on the advent of digital television or other services. Even as cable giants, such as AT&T and Comcast, push for digital service offerings, the reality is approximately 95% of cable systems are still analog-based . All these developments are marred by upgrade costs, competing standards, and movie studios concerned about copyright issues. Given these obstacles, it seems that offering an economically feasible and executable VOD service may not be possible in the immediate future.
Our Solution
ViewPlus was forged to take advantage of these market conditions to provide cable and direct broadcast satellite companies with a cost-effective and scalable video-on-demand solution for their customers. Our flexible patent-pending system can utilize existing hybrid-coaxial cable and satellite broadcast networks which will yield a rapid return-on-investment.
Our solution is a limited version of true VOD. Video orders will go through a short delay before they are fulfilled (an average of 5 minutes for 80% of the requests and no longer than 30 minutes for the remainder). Unlike pay-per-view and near-video-on-demand systems, our solution provides viewers with improved convenience and access to a library of hundreds of movies.
The leading VOD solutions base their technical design on the following premise: subscribers' movie orders and times will greatly varying for each household. In order to support this assumption, a pointcast system seems to be the ideal choice. However, implementing a pointcast system not only requires costly infrastructure upgrades, but the usage of high-end delivery and receiving equipment. Furthermore, market research shows that subscriber video orders do not varying infinitely but actually converge on the top twenty movies, and subscribing times and patterns can be anticipated. Based on these findings, ViewPlus presents a better VOD solution.
We believe ViewPlus offers cable and DBS operators a compelling value proposition to provide our service to their customers. Our competitors utilize pointcast technology (ATM or MPEG Transport), which sends one data stream for each video order. Not only does this solution consume bandwidth, but limits the revenue potential for each stream. Recently, PaineWebber analyst Christopher Dixon stated it would not make sense for AT&T to offer video-on-demand because of the bandwidth a two-hour movie would occupy. He believed companies would provide services that produce the highest return, which is currently voice traffic. For example, under AT&T’s current model it charges 10 cents per minute, so for equivalent network use it would have to charge $12 for a two-hour video stream.
Our major competitors state their system's cost is $350 per video stream with a server supporting 2,000 video streams. They assume for cable operators:
• One system covers 100,000 households with a 20% digital penetration rate, which equates to 20,000 households.
• 10% concurrent usage rate, which results in 2,000 video streams.
• 500 household node with 10% concurrent use rate, which is fifty users at any given moment for each node.
• For fifty users, true video-on-demand solutions are using five 6MHz channels to deliver fifty 3Mbps MPEG2 video streams.
• A 6MHz channel has a transfer rate around 30Mbps , which means 10 simultaneous users can be serviced with one channel .
In examining these assumptions, our competitors face various dilemmas, such as system capacity and subscriber bottlenecks, which can be solved through additional equipment and infrastructure upgrades by cable operators. As the buyrate and number of concurrent users increase, so does the cost for the system operators. In other words, these systems have a fix cost associated with each video stream delivered, while our cost per video stream drops as more consumers use it.
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It's interesting to read about video-on-demand's continuing progress and promises, which has been ocurring for over a decade. Warners Bros. will be going through a VOD trial with Netflix:
Warner Bros. has agreed to license some films to Netflix as part of a test run of the Internet company's upcoming movie-download service, according to sources familiar with the plan.
The agreement lends strength to speculation that Netflix and TiVo plan to jointly introduce a video-on-demand (VOD) service in the coming year.
These deals are of personal interest since my first startup was a video-on-demand company utilizing a set-top box with a harddrive over cable or satellite systems. When Jimmy, Peter, and I were starting the company back in 1998, Tivo and Replay were just launching their services... sometime in 1999 if I remember correctly. It was a fun time starting a company from ground zero, pitching our idea to investors, developing the prototype, closing deals, traveling around the U.S.... not getting paid for a while, putting in our money or our parents money, signing up for lots of credit cards, getting rejected by lots of investors, eating rice and spam or hotdogs everyday... okay, it wasn't that fun. Maybe more exciting, but nothing I would change about those times... I was joking about the spam and hotdogs. I ate decently.
Anyway, I was actually reading over our old business last week in preparation for some of my interviews, so I might as well post up some of it:
Our Company
ViewPlus, Inc. is a unique video-on-demand (VOD) service company. We are a seed-stage venture with a patent-pending video-on-demand technology and strategy that distinguishes us from the rest of the field. While most of our competitors are focused pointcast (one-to-one) systems, our service utilizes a multicast (one-to-many) system that is more efficient and economical for our cable and direct broadcast satellite (DBS) partners. Our cost-effective, flexible video-on-demand solution will immediately generate new revenue streams and increase the service appeal for their customers. Additionally, our patent-pending video ordering process and correlating broadband movie portal, with web-based video ordering, will greatly enhance the convenience for our customers and separate us from our competition.
...
Many companies are striving to deliver one convenient package of voice, video, and data to businesses and households. Video-on-demand is one technology within this parcel of interactive services that many companies believe will be a killer app for the future. There are several issues facing our potential partners and competitors:
• Bandwidth availability and allocation.
• Heavy reliance on infrastructure (two-way plants, growth of DSL ).
• High head-end and terminal costs.
• No current video-on-demand solution for DBS operators.
• Slow return on investment for cable operators and video-on-demand providers.
Some cable executives hope that video-on-demand will be the "DBS killer." Current DBS systems do not have two-way capabilities and face bandwidth issues similar to cable companies in providing a point-to-point service. Many cable companies with infrastructure upgrades believe video-on-demand and other two-way interactive services will provide the competitive advantage over DBS services. So DBS companies, such as DirecTV and EchoStar, have no direct counter-measure in sight until they deploy high-powered Ka-band satellites.
For the cable industry, a gap exists until true VOD services will be available to the mass market. For ATM or MPEG Transport based VOD services, widespread infrastructure investment and upgrades are necessary. Industry analysts believe these VOD systems will not become a prevailing reality for at least five years in the U.S. DSL technologies, which are being promoted by telephone carriers, are already being outpaced by cable modem providers. The cable industry is fully confident DSL services and copper wires are not suitable to carry high-quality video. Furthermore, almost every company is focusing on the advent of digital television or other services. Even as cable giants, such as AT&T and Comcast, push for digital service offerings, the reality is approximately 95% of cable systems are still analog-based . All these developments are marred by upgrade costs, competing standards, and movie studios concerned about copyright issues. Given these obstacles, it seems that offering an economically feasible and executable VOD service may not be possible in the immediate future.
Our Solution
ViewPlus was forged to take advantage of these market conditions to provide cable and direct broadcast satellite companies with a cost-effective and scalable video-on-demand solution for their customers. Our flexible patent-pending system can utilize existing hybrid-coaxial cable and satellite broadcast networks which will yield a rapid return-on-investment.
Our solution is a limited version of true VOD. Video orders will go through a short delay before they are fulfilled (an average of 5 minutes for 80% of the requests and no longer than 30 minutes for the remainder). Unlike pay-per-view and near-video-on-demand systems, our solution provides viewers with improved convenience and access to a library of hundreds of movies.
The leading VOD solutions base their technical design on the following premise: subscribers' movie orders and times will greatly varying for each household. In order to support this assumption, a pointcast system seems to be the ideal choice. However, implementing a pointcast system not only requires costly infrastructure upgrades, but the usage of high-end delivery and receiving equipment. Furthermore, market research shows that subscriber video orders do not varying infinitely but actually converge on the top twenty movies, and subscribing times and patterns can be anticipated. Based on these findings, ViewPlus presents a better VOD solution.
We believe ViewPlus offers cable and DBS operators a compelling value proposition to provide our service to their customers. Our competitors utilize pointcast technology (ATM or MPEG Transport), which sends one data stream for each video order. Not only does this solution consume bandwidth, but limits the revenue potential for each stream. Recently, PaineWebber analyst Christopher Dixon stated it would not make sense for AT&T to offer video-on-demand because of the bandwidth a two-hour movie would occupy. He believed companies would provide services that produce the highest return, which is currently voice traffic. For example, under AT&T’s current model it charges 10 cents per minute, so for equivalent network use it would have to charge $12 for a two-hour video stream.
Our major competitors state their system's cost is $350 per video stream with a server supporting 2,000 video streams. They assume for cable operators:
• One system covers 100,000 households with a 20% digital penetration rate, which equates to 20,000 households.
• 10% concurrent usage rate, which results in 2,000 video streams.
• 500 household node with 10% concurrent use rate, which is fifty users at any given moment for each node.
• For fifty users, true video-on-demand solutions are using five 6MHz channels to deliver fifty 3Mbps MPEG2 video streams.
• A 6MHz channel has a transfer rate around 30Mbps , which means 10 simultaneous users can be serviced with one channel .
In examining these assumptions, our competitors face various dilemmas, such as system capacity and subscriber bottlenecks, which can be solved through additional equipment and infrastructure upgrades by cable operators. As the buyrate and number of concurrent users increase, so does the cost for the system operators. In other words, these systems have a fix cost associated with each video stream delivered, while our cost per video stream drops as more consumers use it.
Tuesday, September 21, 2004
GENIUSES AT ROH MOO HYUN'S STAFF STRIKE AGAIN
South Korea's President Roh and his staff are collective idiots. I'm sure they are some intelligent and maybe even kickass professionals on his staff, but the majority of them including Roh are just idiots. Here's another reason to support this line:
South Korean officials and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Chung Byung-Man, a consular officer in Los Angeles, actually worked for South Korea's National Intelligence Service.
A spokesman for the South Korean consulate office said Chung was sent home in May amid ``speculation'' he became involved with the Kerry campaign and Democratic Party through contacts with fund-raiser Rick Yi and that his identity couldn't be discussed further.
...
The department believes Chung's contacts with donors and fund-raisers, if accurately described in reports, were ``inconsistent'' with the 1963 Vienna Convention that prohibits visiting foreign officials from interfering in the internal politics and affairs of host countries, a spokesman for its legal affairs office said. (full article)
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South Korea's President Roh and his staff are collective idiots. I'm sure they are some intelligent and maybe even kickass professionals on his staff, but the majority of them including Roh are just idiots. Here's another reason to support this line:
South Korean officials and U.S. officials told The Associated Press that Chung Byung-Man, a consular officer in Los Angeles, actually worked for South Korea's National Intelligence Service.
A spokesman for the South Korean consulate office said Chung was sent home in May amid ``speculation'' he became involved with the Kerry campaign and Democratic Party through contacts with fund-raiser Rick Yi and that his identity couldn't be discussed further.
...
The department believes Chung's contacts with donors and fund-raisers, if accurately described in reports, were ``inconsistent'' with the 1963 Vienna Convention that prohibits visiting foreign officials from interfering in the internal politics and affairs of host countries, a spokesman for its legal affairs office said. (full article)
BLOGS... THE NEW BANDWIDTH HOG?
I Left My Stomach in Chicago... Can San Francisco Replace It?
I wanted to post this a couple days ago, but things have been hectic. I got into San Francisco yesterday, had an interview this morning, looked at apartments for about five hours straight, dropped off my girlfriend at the airport, going for meetings with other job leads, visiting more apartments in the next few days, visiting a few mentors, seeing friends, go back to Chicago for the weekend, move more stuff to SF, etc.
Anyway, here is an interesting article on Microsoft's struggle on the issue of blog development and growth:
As Web logs gain in popularity, critics warn that they are increasingly becoming the Internet's new bandwidth hog.
The issue has been in the spotlight for much of this month, following a decision by Microsoft to abbreviate developer blogs both on its Web site and in syndication, citing a bandwidth crunch. The Redmond, Wash., software giant stopped delivering the full text of postings on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) to blog subscribers, requiring them instead to follow a link to read the postings in their entirety. Facing a clamor of criticism from its own developers, Microsoft on Tuesday backtracked on that decision.
Microsoft's flip-flop is a red flag for large enterprises and other groups that host and syndicate bloggers. As the practice gains popularity, network administrators could face tough choices in meeting a demand that promises to put new strains on server resources. (full article)
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I Left My Stomach in Chicago... Can San Francisco Replace It?
I wanted to post this a couple days ago, but things have been hectic. I got into San Francisco yesterday, had an interview this morning, looked at apartments for about five hours straight, dropped off my girlfriend at the airport, going for meetings with other job leads, visiting more apartments in the next few days, visiting a few mentors, seeing friends, go back to Chicago for the weekend, move more stuff to SF, etc.
Anyway, here is an interesting article on Microsoft's struggle on the issue of blog development and growth:
As Web logs gain in popularity, critics warn that they are increasingly becoming the Internet's new bandwidth hog.
The issue has been in the spotlight for much of this month, following a decision by Microsoft to abbreviate developer blogs both on its Web site and in syndication, citing a bandwidth crunch. The Redmond, Wash., software giant stopped delivering the full text of postings on the Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) to blog subscribers, requiring them instead to follow a link to read the postings in their entirety. Facing a clamor of criticism from its own developers, Microsoft on Tuesday backtracked on that decision.
Microsoft's flip-flop is a red flag for large enterprises and other groups that host and syndicate bloggers. As the practice gains popularity, network administrators could face tough choices in meeting a demand that promises to put new strains on server resources. (full article)
MORE OF THE MESS BY CBS... HOW DEEPLY INVOLVED WAS THE KERRY CAMP?
Dan Rather and CBS News finally apologize. More mess is being uncovered though since "Mapes (CBS Producer) suggested Lockhart (Kerry Adviser) contact retired officer Burkett"... Burkett is "the man who provided the documents to CBS, denied forging the documents but admitted he lied to CBS about who provided them."
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Dan Rather and CBS News finally apologize. More mess is being uncovered though since "Mapes (CBS Producer) suggested Lockhart (Kerry Adviser) contact retired officer Burkett"... Burkett is "the man who provided the documents to CBS, denied forging the documents but admitted he lied to CBS about who provided them."
Sunday, September 19, 2004
SHOULD YOU REALLY BE A LAWYER?... BOOK PARTY IN NYC
My friend, Deborah, has been doing a tour for her new book that's coming out, "Should You Really Be A Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During and After Law School."
There's an upcoming event for those in NYC. A book party...
Tuesday, October 5th, 6:30pm
The Library Bar in the Hudson Hotel
356 W 58th St (btwn 8th and 9th Avenue)
(212) 554-6317
I mentioned Deborah before here. She's an awesome person, so I'm definitely pluggin for her book here. Check out her site, which I linked above, for other events in D.C., Chicago, LA, and other cities. A few supporting reviews:
"Law school was the Vietnam of the Brady Bunch generation. Too many otherwise-smart people have been ushered down a career path of least-resistance only to find a quagmire of their own. Here's a brilliant little book that asks the hard questions that need to be answered by every would-be lawyer and some of those who already are. Hey-Hey! Ho-Ho! Read this book before you go!"
— Mark Katz, speechwriter, humorist and author of Clinton & Me: A Real Life Political Comedy
"As the former Assistant Dean of a law school, I wish more of the students and alumni I counseled could have read this book before they made their biggest career decisions. With well-reasoned arguments and balanced, concrete discussions of legal education and law as a career field, Should You Really Be A Lawyer? is a must-read for anyone contemplating law school, currently in law school or considering leaving the practice of law." — Wendy L. Werner, Principal, Werner Associates (a career counseling and legal consulting firm)
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My friend, Deborah, has been doing a tour for her new book that's coming out, "Should You Really Be A Lawyer? The Guide to Smart Career Choices Before, During and After Law School."
There's an upcoming event for those in NYC. A book party...
Tuesday, October 5th, 6:30pm
The Library Bar in the Hudson Hotel
356 W 58th St (btwn 8th and 9th Avenue)
(212) 554-6317
I mentioned Deborah before here. She's an awesome person, so I'm definitely pluggin for her book here. Check out her site, which I linked above, for other events in D.C., Chicago, LA, and other cities. A few supporting reviews:
"Law school was the Vietnam of the Brady Bunch generation. Too many otherwise-smart people have been ushered down a career path of least-resistance only to find a quagmire of their own. Here's a brilliant little book that asks the hard questions that need to be answered by every would-be lawyer and some of those who already are. Hey-Hey! Ho-Ho! Read this book before you go!"
— Mark Katz, speechwriter, humorist and author of Clinton & Me: A Real Life Political Comedy
"As the former Assistant Dean of a law school, I wish more of the students and alumni I counseled could have read this book before they made their biggest career decisions. With well-reasoned arguments and balanced, concrete discussions of legal education and law as a career field, Should You Really Be A Lawyer? is a must-read for anyone contemplating law school, currently in law school or considering leaving the practice of law." — Wendy L. Werner, Principal, Werner Associates (a career counseling and legal consulting firm)
Friday, September 17, 2004
FORMER CBS REPORTER SPEAKS OUT ON RATHERGATE
Good commentary.
60 Minutes of Fame
If Dan Rather's source turns out to be a partisan, say goodbye to CBS's reputation.
The Wall Street Journal
BY BERNARD GOLDBERG
Friday, September 17
On Feb. 12, 1996, I picked up a phone at CBS News in New York and called Dan Rather, who was in Des Moines covering the Iowa caucuses. It was a call that I--then a CBS correspondent--wasn't anxious to make. I'd written an op-ed for this page about liberal bias in the news that was going to run the next day. I knew I had to give Dan a heads up. "I wrote a piece for the Journal, Dan, and my guess is you won't be ecstatic about it." I hadn't given him any details yet, so he had no idea what the op-ed was about. Dan was gracious; he always was when we spoke. "Bernie," he said, "we were friends yesterday, we're friends today, and we'll be friends tomorrow. So tell me about it."
I did, and the more I told him the more tense the conversation got. After listening for a while, Dan told me, "I'm getting viscerally angry about this" and the call soon ended. And then the man who was my friend yesterday, today, and tomorrow told a number of our colleagues that he'd "never" forgive me for what I'd done.
What I'd done was not simply to say that there really was a problem with liberal bias in the news (if it matters, I'd never voted Republican in my life), I'd also broken a taboo, doing what no mainstream journalist (to my knowledge) had ever done: I'd given ammo to "the enemy" by very publicly saying, in effect, that the conservatives had been right all along. (full article)
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Good commentary.
60 Minutes of Fame
If Dan Rather's source turns out to be a partisan, say goodbye to CBS's reputation.
The Wall Street Journal
BY BERNARD GOLDBERG
Friday, September 17
On Feb. 12, 1996, I picked up a phone at CBS News in New York and called Dan Rather, who was in Des Moines covering the Iowa caucuses. It was a call that I--then a CBS correspondent--wasn't anxious to make. I'd written an op-ed for this page about liberal bias in the news that was going to run the next day. I knew I had to give Dan a heads up. "I wrote a piece for the Journal, Dan, and my guess is you won't be ecstatic about it." I hadn't given him any details yet, so he had no idea what the op-ed was about. Dan was gracious; he always was when we spoke. "Bernie," he said, "we were friends yesterday, we're friends today, and we'll be friends tomorrow. So tell me about it."
I did, and the more I told him the more tense the conversation got. After listening for a while, Dan told me, "I'm getting viscerally angry about this" and the call soon ended. And then the man who was my friend yesterday, today, and tomorrow told a number of our colleagues that he'd "never" forgive me for what I'd done.
What I'd done was not simply to say that there really was a problem with liberal bias in the news (if it matters, I'd never voted Republican in my life), I'd also broken a taboo, doing what no mainstream journalist (to my knowledge) had ever done: I'd given ammo to "the enemy" by very publicly saying, in effect, that the conservatives had been right all along. (full article)
MONEY AND FRIENDSHIPS... SHALLOW GROUND SOME PEOPLE WALK ON
HatTip to my friend, Dave, out in Korea and whom I've known since junior high. Good article by columnist Terri Cullen below. Some parts overlapped with a post I wrote a while back on friendship.
I posted most of the relevant parts of Cullen's article and a side story that is in some ways more meaningful than the rest of the piece. I agree with Cullen who at the end of her article writes, "If a friend is unable or unwilling to be supportive of you through both poverty and prosperity, maybe it's not a friendship worth sustaining."
It sounds like some of these friends mentioned stood on shallow ground in the first place. They might be friends from being neighbors, whether childhood or adulthood, some convenience, or professionally driven. This reminds me of an incident one of my cousins (one of almost 30 first cousins:) went through. He was working at a strategic consulting firm a few years ago and he got promoted to manager in a very short time. One of his friends at the same firm saw him on the day he found out, briefly congratulated him, and then started telling him how difficult it would be and how he thought he wasn't ready. He was the only person not to offer a wholly joyful congratulations. Later that day during a meeting, the same person started to criticize him to a strong emotional degree about a minor issue on the project they were on. During the meeting, the guy got a call and notice that he had been promoted from manager to the next level and all of a sudden everything changed. No tongue lashing or doubts stated about my cousin's fast rise. My cousin said that it was odd and he didn't expect his friend to behave in such a manner since he was one of those nice guys with an even temperament. I knew differently and saw this person in a pressure situation before, so it didn't surprise me. I told my cousin this after holding it in for over a year, and also mentioned that he was too nice in not calling the guy on his behavior, which I would have done.
It's funny how some people can get competitive to such a degree that it would damage their friendship. I guess it can be that their ideals of friendship are shallow and weak or that they are so self-consumed that in the end nothing really matters besides their success, financial wealth, and ego.
I've been blessed with friends from all walks of life, and I cannot ever imagine using money as a measuring stick. I'm sure people have friends that have choosen the road of less money and more time for their lives and family. Some of my friends have left investment banking to the corporate life, or the corporate world for missions abroad. Some of my most intelligent and talented friends are in the ministry, so obviously they are never destinied to compare houses or toys and they could care less. I want to spend a chunk of my professional career in the public sector, so I could care less. Do I live in a bubble? Are a large percentage of society like my cousin's friend and those in the article below? Truth probably lies in the middle. I'm just blessed with great friends:)
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
FISCALLY FIT
By TERRI CULLEN
Lasting Friendships Can Be Tough When Your Friends Are the Joneses
'The Rock' Stirs Jealousy In a Close Circle of Friends
September 16, 2004
Growing up, Phil Layman often felt second best to one of his close buddies.
"Throughout our lives he always seemed to make more money than me," the 35-year-old network engineer says. "He bought his own townhouse first, and I wasn't able to do it until I got married."
But as Mr. Layman's fortunes changed over the years, so did the friendship. After Mr. Layman and his wife sold their townhouse in the Washington, D.C., area a few years ago, they purchased a single-family home in the pricey suburb of Ashburn, Va.
"When I told my friend we were buying in Ashburn, he seemed a little off put by it. He kept calling it 'Cashburn,' trying to infer that the place was only for people who make a lot of money," Mr. Layman says. "It was the first time I realized that he would always make backhanded comments like that whenever I shared an accomplishment or success of mine." The two have rarely spoken since then.
While loaning or borrowing money may be the fastest way to deep-six long-lasting relationships, just as often it's a shift in household finances that causes friendships to drift apart.
"Money isn't just currency for goods and services in American society, it's who we are. Money is the equivalent of power, status, love, career, and so many other things," says Margaret Shapiro, assistant director at the Council for Relationships, a family counseling and research center in Philadelphia. "When the balance of money changes in a relationship, the meaning of all those underlying things changes as well."
As part of our Keeping Score6 series this week, Fiscally Fit looks at how family finances can interfere with long-term relationships and offers advice on how to keep money from spoiling a friendship.
When Good Friendships Go Bad
Some friendships are seasonal -- blossoming, developing and eventually dying as personal circumstances change. College buddies grow apart after they enter the work force; married people spend less time with their single friends; couples with children gravitate toward other parents; work friendships end with a move to a new position or company.
But money issues also can cause friendships to stumble. (full article/subscription needed)
'THE ROCK' AND MRS. JONES
It's wasn't until our family became the Joneses that I got to see the bad blood that can spill when money and friendship collide. A few months ago, my husband surprised me with an expensive, three-stone diamond ring for our 10th wedding anniversary. (You know, the kind that says you'd marry her all over again -- only now you're willing to go into hock to do it.) While not exactly a showstopper when compared with some engagement rings you see today, the ring dwarfs the hopelessly flawed jewel he popped the question with more than a decade ago. For us, the new ring is "The Rock."
As news of the ring rippled through our circle of friends, the initial response was typical: Women friends raved at my husband's good taste; their mates murmured, "very nice," and needled my husband about the cost.
Later, though, wives who are nearing their 10th anniversaries started dropping not-so-subtle hints to their husbands that they expected similar engagement-ring "upgrades," while those with more than 10 years under their belts flat out demanded it. One male friend angrily pulled my husband aside at a get-together and berated him for setting the precedent.
It's my hope that soon the situation will play out in typical "Keeping Up With the Joneses" fashion: Our married friends will be sporting even more pricey upgrades of their own, and my ring will go back to being what it was intended: a romantic gesture from a generous husband to a fortunate wife.
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HatTip to my friend, Dave, out in Korea and whom I've known since junior high. Good article by columnist Terri Cullen below. Some parts overlapped with a post I wrote a while back on friendship.
I posted most of the relevant parts of Cullen's article and a side story that is in some ways more meaningful than the rest of the piece. I agree with Cullen who at the end of her article writes, "If a friend is unable or unwilling to be supportive of you through both poverty and prosperity, maybe it's not a friendship worth sustaining."
It sounds like some of these friends mentioned stood on shallow ground in the first place. They might be friends from being neighbors, whether childhood or adulthood, some convenience, or professionally driven. This reminds me of an incident one of my cousins (one of almost 30 first cousins:) went through. He was working at a strategic consulting firm a few years ago and he got promoted to manager in a very short time. One of his friends at the same firm saw him on the day he found out, briefly congratulated him, and then started telling him how difficult it would be and how he thought he wasn't ready. He was the only person not to offer a wholly joyful congratulations. Later that day during a meeting, the same person started to criticize him to a strong emotional degree about a minor issue on the project they were on. During the meeting, the guy got a call and notice that he had been promoted from manager to the next level and all of a sudden everything changed. No tongue lashing or doubts stated about my cousin's fast rise. My cousin said that it was odd and he didn't expect his friend to behave in such a manner since he was one of those nice guys with an even temperament. I knew differently and saw this person in a pressure situation before, so it didn't surprise me. I told my cousin this after holding it in for over a year, and also mentioned that he was too nice in not calling the guy on his behavior, which I would have done.
It's funny how some people can get competitive to such a degree that it would damage their friendship. I guess it can be that their ideals of friendship are shallow and weak or that they are so self-consumed that in the end nothing really matters besides their success, financial wealth, and ego.
I've been blessed with friends from all walks of life, and I cannot ever imagine using money as a measuring stick. I'm sure people have friends that have choosen the road of less money and more time for their lives and family. Some of my friends have left investment banking to the corporate life, or the corporate world for missions abroad. Some of my most intelligent and talented friends are in the ministry, so obviously they are never destinied to compare houses or toys and they could care less. I want to spend a chunk of my professional career in the public sector, so I could care less. Do I live in a bubble? Are a large percentage of society like my cousin's friend and those in the article below? Truth probably lies in the middle. I'm just blessed with great friends:)
THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
FISCALLY FIT
By TERRI CULLEN
Lasting Friendships Can Be Tough When Your Friends Are the Joneses
'The Rock' Stirs Jealousy In a Close Circle of Friends
September 16, 2004
Growing up, Phil Layman often felt second best to one of his close buddies.
"Throughout our lives he always seemed to make more money than me," the 35-year-old network engineer says. "He bought his own townhouse first, and I wasn't able to do it until I got married."
But as Mr. Layman's fortunes changed over the years, so did the friendship. After Mr. Layman and his wife sold their townhouse in the Washington, D.C., area a few years ago, they purchased a single-family home in the pricey suburb of Ashburn, Va.
"When I told my friend we were buying in Ashburn, he seemed a little off put by it. He kept calling it 'Cashburn,' trying to infer that the place was only for people who make a lot of money," Mr. Layman says. "It was the first time I realized that he would always make backhanded comments like that whenever I shared an accomplishment or success of mine." The two have rarely spoken since then.
While loaning or borrowing money may be the fastest way to deep-six long-lasting relationships, just as often it's a shift in household finances that causes friendships to drift apart.
"Money isn't just currency for goods and services in American society, it's who we are. Money is the equivalent of power, status, love, career, and so many other things," says Margaret Shapiro, assistant director at the Council for Relationships, a family counseling and research center in Philadelphia. "When the balance of money changes in a relationship, the meaning of all those underlying things changes as well."
As part of our Keeping Score6 series this week, Fiscally Fit looks at how family finances can interfere with long-term relationships and offers advice on how to keep money from spoiling a friendship.
When Good Friendships Go Bad
Some friendships are seasonal -- blossoming, developing and eventually dying as personal circumstances change. College buddies grow apart after they enter the work force; married people spend less time with their single friends; couples with children gravitate toward other parents; work friendships end with a move to a new position or company.
But money issues also can cause friendships to stumble. (full article/subscription needed)
'THE ROCK' AND MRS. JONES
It's wasn't until our family became the Joneses that I got to see the bad blood that can spill when money and friendship collide. A few months ago, my husband surprised me with an expensive, three-stone diamond ring for our 10th wedding anniversary. (You know, the kind that says you'd marry her all over again -- only now you're willing to go into hock to do it.) While not exactly a showstopper when compared with some engagement rings you see today, the ring dwarfs the hopelessly flawed jewel he popped the question with more than a decade ago. For us, the new ring is "The Rock."
As news of the ring rippled through our circle of friends, the initial response was typical: Women friends raved at my husband's good taste; their mates murmured, "very nice," and needled my husband about the cost.
Later, though, wives who are nearing their 10th anniversaries started dropping not-so-subtle hints to their husbands that they expected similar engagement-ring "upgrades," while those with more than 10 years under their belts flat out demanded it. One male friend angrily pulled my husband aside at a get-together and berated him for setting the precedent.
It's my hope that soon the situation will play out in typical "Keeping Up With the Joneses" fashion: Our married friends will be sporting even more pricey upgrades of their own, and my ring will go back to being what it was intended: a romantic gesture from a generous husband to a fortunate wife.
Thursday, September 16, 2004
MESSED UP DEMS... HATERS HAVE ISSUES
I don't care what Dems shoot back when it comes to the issue of hatred during this election year. To me it has always been clear and obvious that many of the far-left are driven by their hatred of Bush, but to an unnerving degree. MoveOn.org comparing Bush to Hilter, death chats, etc. They can argue that the right or far-right are driven by hatred... yada, yada, yada, but are we? I don't know if I ever heard of comparable emotions against Kerry, or even to the level of "hate."
"... but Kerry hasn't done anything on the level of Bush... Bush gives us reason to hate..."
If it was solely about Bush, why do this??
"Three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries while sitting on her father's shoulders. Her Bush-Cheney sign was grabbed by Democratic thugs and ripped to pieces, reducing the child to tears..."
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I don't care what Dems shoot back when it comes to the issue of hatred during this election year. To me it has always been clear and obvious that many of the far-left are driven by their hatred of Bush, but to an unnerving degree. MoveOn.org comparing Bush to Hilter, death chats, etc. They can argue that the right or far-right are driven by hatred... yada, yada, yada, but are we? I don't know if I ever heard of comparable emotions against Kerry, or even to the level of "hate."
"... but Kerry hasn't done anything on the level of Bush... Bush gives us reason to hate..."
If it was solely about Bush, why do this??
"Three-year-old Sophia Parlock cries while sitting on her father's shoulders. Her Bush-Cheney sign was grabbed by Democratic thugs and ripped to pieces, reducing the child to tears..."
Wednesday, September 15, 2004
A9.COM LAUNCHED... A SEARCH ENGINE WITH A MEMORY
Amazon.com has jumped into the pool with Google, MSN, and Yahoo! through the launch of their new search engine, A9.com. Check it out!
"A9.com gives people an incredible amount of power to discover information from diverse and comprehensive data sources and to manage that information effectively and easily," said Amazon.com CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos. "The search landscape is evolving at such a rapid pace that we must continue working hard to build innovative technologies that offer a great user experience."
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Amazon.com has jumped into the pool with Google, MSN, and Yahoo! through the launch of their new search engine, A9.com. Check it out!
"A9.com gives people an incredible amount of power to discover information from diverse and comprehensive data sources and to manage that information effectively and easily," said Amazon.com CEO and Founder Jeff Bezos. "The search landscape is evolving at such a rapid pace that we must continue working hard to build innovative technologies that offer a great user experience."
CONTINUING SAGE OF ORACLE AND PEOPLESOFT
Great coverage by News.com who has a "special coverage" page. Some select articles below. And a few here... slant on how this might spur consolidation in the software industry and the shift to Europe for this battle.
Despite ruling, PeopleSoft battles to stand alone
By Laurie J. Flynn and Andrew Ross Sorkin
The New York Times
September 11, 2004
The federal court ruling issued Thursday that allows Oracle to proceed with its hostile bid to acquire PeopleSoft removes a major roadblock to the merger. (full article)
Oracle ruling highlights complexity of market
By Alorie Gilbert
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 13, 2004
The U.S. Justice Department's dramatic defeat in the Oracle antitrust trial underscores the unique character of software: It's a fast-paced, dynamic industry that makes a lousy target for trustbusters.
...
Observers praised Walker for a ruling they said was well-reasoned and practically appeal-proof. "I think it's one of the most comprehensive and thorough merger decisions ever," said Paul Griffin, an antitrust litigator and partner at Thelen Reid & Priest. "I think it will be difficult to appeal."
(full article)
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Great coverage by News.com who has a "special coverage" page. Some select articles below. And a few here... slant on how this might spur consolidation in the software industry and the shift to Europe for this battle.
Despite ruling, PeopleSoft battles to stand alone
By Laurie J. Flynn and Andrew Ross Sorkin
The New York Times
September 11, 2004
The federal court ruling issued Thursday that allows Oracle to proceed with its hostile bid to acquire PeopleSoft removes a major roadblock to the merger. (full article)
Oracle ruling highlights complexity of market
By Alorie Gilbert
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
September 13, 2004
The U.S. Justice Department's dramatic defeat in the Oracle antitrust trial underscores the unique character of software: It's a fast-paced, dynamic industry that makes a lousy target for trustbusters.
...
Observers praised Walker for a ruling they said was well-reasoned and practically appeal-proof. "I think it's one of the most comprehensive and thorough merger decisions ever," said Paul Griffin, an antitrust litigator and partner at Thelen Reid & Priest. "I think it will be difficult to appeal."
(full article)
NORTH KOREA BRED SPIES USING WHITE AMERICANS?
Odd, weird, and scary if true. HatTip to my friend, Mingi... He has a theory some of these spies are part of MoveOn.org now. Hahahahaha... hehehe... ha.
North Korea 'bred spies using former US soldiers'
The Sunday Telegraph
By Damien McElroy
September 5, 2004
An American army sergeant who spent 40 years in North Korea has revealed that the Stalinist state operated a programme to breed spies who could pass themselves off as Westerners.
As a part of a plea-bargain with the American military, who want him court-martialled on desertion charges, Charles Jenkins has made the extraordinary claim that other former American soldiers living in North Korea were used to father children who are now operating as spies abroad. (full article)
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Odd, weird, and scary if true. HatTip to my friend, Mingi... He has a theory some of these spies are part of MoveOn.org now. Hahahahaha... hehehe... ha.
North Korea 'bred spies using former US soldiers'
The Sunday Telegraph
By Damien McElroy
September 5, 2004
An American army sergeant who spent 40 years in North Korea has revealed that the Stalinist state operated a programme to breed spies who could pass themselves off as Westerners.
As a part of a plea-bargain with the American military, who want him court-martialled on desertion charges, Charles Jenkins has made the extraordinary claim that other former American soldiers living in North Korea were used to father children who are now operating as spies abroad. (full article)
KERRY LOSING GROUND IN ILLINOIS... HUGE UPSET IF THIS KEEPS UP
You know Kerry is hurting when there is a possibility that he can lose Illinois to Bush. Illinois! Home of the Daley "Democratic Machines," American stateman Adlai Ewing Stevenson, and Jesse Jackson. This is a gimme of electoral votes for Democrats over the past decades. If Kerry loses Illinois, it's like a NBA player missing a layup during pre-game warmups, it's like the National Spelling Bee champ losing on the word "candy," it's like Fat Albert getting full on a happy meal,...
Kerry Losing Lead Over Bush In Illinois
Sep 15, 2004 6:05 pm US/Central
The presidential election is just 48 days away now, and according to an exclusive new poll of Illinois voters, George W. Bush and John Kerry could be in a virtual dead heat.
The turn in this election tide could set up a political stunner. Illinois is a Democratic powerhouse in national elections, and John Kerry does maintain a small lead in our exclusive CBS 2 poll, but President Bush appears to be gaining support among voters.
Illinois no longer looks like a sure thing for Democrat John Kerry. His once 13 percentage point lead is now down to four points. That's exactly our survey's margin of accuracy, meaning the contest could be a dead-heat. (full article)
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You know Kerry is hurting when there is a possibility that he can lose Illinois to Bush. Illinois! Home of the Daley "Democratic Machines," American stateman Adlai Ewing Stevenson, and Jesse Jackson. This is a gimme of electoral votes for Democrats over the past decades. If Kerry loses Illinois, it's like a NBA player missing a layup during pre-game warmups, it's like the National Spelling Bee champ losing on the word "candy," it's like Fat Albert getting full on a happy meal,...
Kerry Losing Lead Over Bush In Illinois
Sep 15, 2004 6:05 pm US/Central
The presidential election is just 48 days away now, and according to an exclusive new poll of Illinois voters, George W. Bush and John Kerry could be in a virtual dead heat.
The turn in this election tide could set up a political stunner. Illinois is a Democratic powerhouse in national elections, and John Kerry does maintain a small lead in our exclusive CBS 2 poll, but President Bush appears to be gaining support among voters.
Illinois no longer looks like a sure thing for Democrat John Kerry. His once 13 percentage point lead is now down to four points. That's exactly our survey's margin of accuracy, meaning the contest could be a dead-heat. (full article)
TONY COELHO RIPS KERRY CAMP... ANOTHER SHRUM CAMPAIGN?
HatTip to Lucianne.com. Poor Bob Shrum. Runs the Dukakis campaign, gets "Heismaned" by Clinton, runs Al "Crazyman" Gore's campaign, and now helps in John "Three Purple Hearts" Kerry's run for the White House... officially, he's 0-7 for presidential runs, which is not good news for Kerry. Tony Coelho vents since he thinks there will be no gold at the end of this rainbow. Check it out if you want:
"There is nobody in charge and you have these two teams that are generally not talking to each other," says Coehlo, who ran Al Gore's campaign early in the 2000 presidential race. As Coelho and other detractors see it, there is a civil war within the Kerry campaign.
Sen. Ted Kennedy’s former staff members, Mary Beth Cahill, the Kerry campaign manager, and veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum are at odds with recent additions who served under President Clinton.
"Here are two groups that have never gotten along and have fought, and it is a lot over money," says Coehlo. "Because in the Democratic Party the consultants get paid for the creation and the placement of [advertising]. Republicans only pay you for the creation." (full article)
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HatTip to Lucianne.com. Poor Bob Shrum. Runs the Dukakis campaign, gets "Heismaned" by Clinton, runs Al "Crazyman" Gore's campaign, and now helps in John "Three Purple Hearts" Kerry's run for the White House... officially, he's 0-7 for presidential runs, which is not good news for Kerry. Tony Coelho vents since he thinks there will be no gold at the end of this rainbow. Check it out if you want:
"There is nobody in charge and you have these two teams that are generally not talking to each other," says Coehlo, who ran Al Gore's campaign early in the 2000 presidential race. As Coelho and other detractors see it, there is a civil war within the Kerry campaign.
Sen. Ted Kennedy’s former staff members, Mary Beth Cahill, the Kerry campaign manager, and veteran Democratic strategist Bob Shrum are at odds with recent additions who served under President Clinton.
"Here are two groups that have never gotten along and have fought, and it is a lot over money," says Coehlo. "Because in the Democratic Party the consultants get paid for the creation and the placement of [advertising]. Republicans only pay you for the creation." (full article)
MORE ON RATHERGATE
And some funny stuff here on Matley's lack of skillz.
Expert Cited by CBS Says He Didn't Authenticate Papers
The Washington Post
By Michael Dobbs and Howard Kurtz
Tuesday, September 14, 2004; Page A08
The lead expert retained by CBS News to examine disputed memos from President Bush's former squadron commander in the National Guard said yesterday that he examined only the late officer's signature and made no attempt to authenticate the documents themselves.
"There's no way that I, as a document expert, can authenticate them," Marcel Matley said in a telephone interview from San Francisco. The main reason, he said, is that they are "copies" that are "far removed" from the originals. (full article)
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And some funny stuff here on Matley's lack of skillz.
Expert Cited by CBS Says He Didn't Authenticate Papers
The Washington Post
By Michael Dobbs and Howard Kurtz
Tuesday, September 14, 2004; Page A08
The lead expert retained by CBS News to examine disputed memos from President Bush's former squadron commander in the National Guard said yesterday that he examined only the late officer's signature and made no attempt to authenticate the documents themselves.
"There's no way that I, as a document expert, can authenticate them," Marcel Matley said in a telephone interview from San Francisco. The main reason, he said, is that they are "copies" that are "far removed" from the originals. (full article)
VIEW ON THE FCC FROM THE CONGRESSMAN FROM THE STATE OF MICHIGAN
Interesting points. Check it out. (means i'm too lazy to provide my thoughts right now)
Broadband needs a nonpartisan FCC
CNET NEWS.COM
By John Conyers
September 14, 2004
In seeking to formulate an economic policy for the technology sector, President Bush last spring identified a seminal goal: providing every American household not only broadband service by 2007, but also a choice of broadband provider.
"There's nothing like choice, by the way, if you're a consumer, to make sure that (broadband) stays reasonably priced," the president said at the time.
But right now, a handful of telecom titans are hard at work carving up the potential broadband marketplace.
Most consumers feel they have little, if any, choice in providers. As such, they are relatively disinclined to purchase pricy services from what they see as a monopoly or duopoly marketplace. In rival countries like Japan, by contrast, where 60 percent of the DSL (digital subscriber line) market is now controlled by competitors rather than the incumbent telephone monopoly, prices have dipped to the lowest anywhere in the world--ranging from $17 to $25 a month--and usage is near ubiquitous.
Unfortunately, after massive lobbying assaults by the regional Bell companies, the Federal Communications Commission has left us on the wrong road--moving away from telephone competition and choice. It seems that years of political infighting at the FCC will likely only produce a new set of rules set to squelch telephone competition, ceding the markets essentially to those who own (or in the case of the telephone industry, were given) the networks. (full article)
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Interesting points. Check it out. (means i'm too lazy to provide my thoughts right now)
Broadband needs a nonpartisan FCC
CNET NEWS.COM
By John Conyers
September 14, 2004
In seeking to formulate an economic policy for the technology sector, President Bush last spring identified a seminal goal: providing every American household not only broadband service by 2007, but also a choice of broadband provider.
"There's nothing like choice, by the way, if you're a consumer, to make sure that (broadband) stays reasonably priced," the president said at the time.
But right now, a handful of telecom titans are hard at work carving up the potential broadband marketplace.
Most consumers feel they have little, if any, choice in providers. As such, they are relatively disinclined to purchase pricy services from what they see as a monopoly or duopoly marketplace. In rival countries like Japan, by contrast, where 60 percent of the DSL (digital subscriber line) market is now controlled by competitors rather than the incumbent telephone monopoly, prices have dipped to the lowest anywhere in the world--ranging from $17 to $25 a month--and usage is near ubiquitous.
Unfortunately, after massive lobbying assaults by the regional Bell companies, the Federal Communications Commission has left us on the wrong road--moving away from telephone competition and choice. It seems that years of political infighting at the FCC will likely only produce a new set of rules set to squelch telephone competition, ceding the markets essentially to those who own (or in the case of the telephone industry, were given) the networks. (full article)
Tuesday, September 14, 2004
MORE JUN CHOI FUNDRAISING EVENTS
The recent event with Senator Bill Bradley was a success. If you're in D.C. or LA, consider coming out and supporting Jun.
Washington, DC
Congressman Mike Honda invites you to a reception:
Friday, Sep 24, 2004
See below for details
Los Angeles, CA
Angela Oh, Attorney and Activist, invites you to a reception:
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004
7:00pm to 9:30pm
S-Bar on Wilshire (at New Hampshire)
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The recent event with Senator Bill Bradley was a success. If you're in D.C. or LA, consider coming out and supporting Jun.
Washington, DC
Congressman Mike Honda invites you to a reception:
Friday, Sep 24, 2004
See below for details
Los Angeles, CA
Angela Oh, Attorney and Activist, invites you to a reception:
Tuesday, Oct 12, 2004
7:00pm to 9:30pm
S-Bar on Wilshire (at New Hampshire)
POCKET PC USERS GET FREE CALLS... SKYPE STRIKES BACK!
Brief article on Skype's recent move into the wireless space. Another view from FierceWireless:
VoIP software provider Skype released VoIP software for Pocket PC devices, taking the company's product into the wireless market. The Pocket PC soft phone is available for free from the company's website and only works on Microsoft Pocket PC 2003-enabled devices. This is a major new development as it allows Pocket PC users to make free calls from a WiFi hotspot or AP, sans any hotspot connection fees.
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Brief article on Skype's recent move into the wireless space. Another view from FierceWireless:
VoIP software provider Skype released VoIP software for Pocket PC devices, taking the company's product into the wireless market. The Pocket PC soft phone is available for free from the company's website and only works on Microsoft Pocket PC 2003-enabled devices. This is a major new development as it allows Pocket PC users to make free calls from a WiFi hotspot or AP, sans any hotspot connection fees.
KARL ROVE EVIL?... MOVEON.ORG EVILER!
I liked this from James Taranto:
MoveOn.org, along with an outfit called Win Without War, is sponsoring a series of "candlelight vigils" tonight to "honor" the servicemen who "have given their lives in service to our country." An e-mail announcing the event, from MoveOn's Peter Schuman, contained this statement: "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld diminished their deaths by calling the toll 'relatively small.' " Here is what Rumsfeld actually said:
If you take all of those patrols, and look at the number of incidents, they're relatively small. If you look at them from our standpoint, a single loss of life is large, and it's a life that's not going to be lived. I don't know how to calculate it or calibrate it for you any better than that.
It truly takes chutzpah for MoveOn.org to portray itself as "honoring" the troops when in fact it is using their deaths in an effort to score cheap political points.
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I liked this from James Taranto:
MoveOn.org, along with an outfit called Win Without War, is sponsoring a series of "candlelight vigils" tonight to "honor" the servicemen who "have given their lives in service to our country." An e-mail announcing the event, from MoveOn's Peter Schuman, contained this statement: "Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld diminished their deaths by calling the toll 'relatively small.' " Here is what Rumsfeld actually said:
If you take all of those patrols, and look at the number of incidents, they're relatively small. If you look at them from our standpoint, a single loss of life is large, and it's a life that's not going to be lived. I don't know how to calculate it or calibrate it for you any better than that.
It truly takes chutzpah for MoveOn.org to portray itself as "honoring" the troops when in fact it is using their deaths in an effort to score cheap political points.
COLLEGE SPORTS TV... HMMMMM
College football, college basketball,... 24 hours? I guess this should work. Not a niche market with all those college sports fans and loyal students. Probably the difficulty would lie in deciding which sports to focus on and which schools would draw the largest audience without turning away viewers. Anyway, from PE Week Wire:
College Sports Television (CSTV), a New York-based operator of a 24-hour cable television network devoted to college sports, has received $25 million in new private equity funding. Soros Private Equity led the deal, and was joined by veteran sports executive Dave Checketts. Checketts will become co-chairman of CSTV, and also will oversee Mountain West TV, a new regional sports network being launched by CSTV and the Mountain West Conference. Checketts also has sold SportsWest Communications, a Salt Lake City-based syndicated college sports broadcaster, to CSTV for an undisclosed amount.
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College football, college basketball,... 24 hours? I guess this should work. Not a niche market with all those college sports fans and loyal students. Probably the difficulty would lie in deciding which sports to focus on and which schools would draw the largest audience without turning away viewers. Anyway, from PE Week Wire:
College Sports Television (CSTV), a New York-based operator of a 24-hour cable television network devoted to college sports, has received $25 million in new private equity funding. Soros Private Equity led the deal, and was joined by veteran sports executive Dave Checketts. Checketts will become co-chairman of CSTV, and also will oversee Mountain West TV, a new regional sports network being launched by CSTV and the Mountain West Conference. Checketts also has sold SportsWest Communications, a Salt Lake City-based syndicated college sports broadcaster, to CSTV for an undisclosed amount.
DEATH OF A SENATOR: HELL?
A powerful senator dies after a prolonged illness. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the guy.
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.
"I'm sorry but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a club and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him, everyone is very happy and in evening attire. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that, before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
"Now it's time to visit Heaven."
So 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity."
He reflects for a minute, then the senator answers, "Well, I would never have said it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck.
"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning... Today you voted for us!"
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A powerful senator dies after a prolonged illness. His soul arrives in heaven and is met by St. Peter at the entrance.
"Welcome to Heaven," says St. Peter. "Before you settle in, it seems there is a problem. We seldom see a high official around these parts, you see, so we're not sure what to do with you."
"No problem, just let me in," says the guy.
"Well, I'd like to but I have orders from higher up. What we'll do is have you spend one day in Hell and one in Heaven. Then you can choose where to spend eternity."
"Really, I've made up my mind. I want to be in Heaven," says the senator.
"I'm sorry but we have our rules."
And with that, St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. The doors open and he finds himself in the middle of a green golf course. In the distance is a club and standing in front of it are all his friends and other politicians who had worked with him, everyone is very happy and in evening attire. They run to greet him, hug him, and reminisce about the good times they had while getting rich at the expense of the people.
They play a friendly game of golf and then dine on lobster and caviar. Also present is the Devil, who really is a very friendly guy who has a good time dancing and telling jokes. They are having such a good time that, before he realizes it, it is time to go. Everyone gives him a big hug and waves while the elevator rises. The elevator goes up, up, up and the door reopens on Heaven where St. Peter is waiting for him.
"Now it's time to visit Heaven."
So 24 hours pass with the head of state joining a group of contented souls moving from cloud to cloud, playing the harp and singing. They have a good time and, before he realizes it, the 24 hours have gone by and St. Peter returns.
"Well then, you've spent a day in Hell and another in Heaven. Now choose your eternity."
He reflects for a minute, then the senator answers, "Well, I would never have said it, I mean Heaven has been delightful, but I think I would be better off in Hell."
So St. Peter escorts him to the elevator and he goes down, down, down to Hell. Now the doors of the elevator open and he is in the middle of a barren land covered with waste and garbage. He sees all his friends, dressed in rags, picking up the trash and putting it in black bags. The Devil comes over to him and lays his arm on his neck.
"I don't understand," stammers the senator. "Yesterday I was here and there was a golf course and club and we ate lobster and caviar and danced and had a great time. Now all there is, is a wasteland full of garbage and my friends look miserable.
The Devil looks at him, smiles and says, "Yesterday we were campaigning... Today you voted for us!"
Monday, September 13, 2004
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FUTURE OF ONLINE MUSIC... WHARTON TAKES A STAB
Good article on the future of online music and an overview of Apple vs. Microsoft... from Knowledge@Wharton:
Combat in High C: Microsoft vs. Apple
Last week the opening shots were fired in the long-anticipated battle between Microsoft and Apple to gain command of the online music business. Microsoft unveiled its new beta Windows Media Player and announced the launch of a so-called built-in Digital Media Mall that offers access to online music stores such as Napster, Musicmatch, MusicNow and Wal-Mart Music Downloads. Microsoft's MSN Music service offers 500,000 songs at 99 cents each and is compatible with more than 70 music players. As such, it directly challenges Apple Computer, whose iTunes music service dominates the online music industry with a 70% market share, though songs from iTunes Music store can be played only on Apple's iPod music players (unless they are converted to formats compatible with other players).
The stakes in this battle are high. Research firm JupiterResearch estimates that digital music sales are expected to double to $270 million in 2004 compared to 2003. By 2009, though, Jupiter projects that digital music sales will increase to $1.7 billion, totaling 12% of consumer music spending. Whether Apple will retain its lead of this fast-growing market or be dislodged by Microsoft - or whether the online music market will be fragmented among a number of providers - will be determined by the course of this conflict over the coming years.
So which company is likely to prevail? For now, Apple, which has sold 125 million songs since it launched the Windows version of iTunes in 2003, has a huge lead over Microsoft. Moreover, Microsoft's offering is just half that of iTunes, which provides one million songs to its customers. Little wonder that Apple hasn't done much so far to respond to Microsoft's foray, though it did announce the launch of an affiliate program for iTunes on the same day that Microsoft launched its music service. Some analysts are upbeat about Apple's prospects. "The more the digital music landscape changes, the more it stays the same," notes Steve Lidberg, an analyst at Pacific Crest, a brokerage firm. "Microsoft's music launch offers nothing new to the consumer, and we believe it will do little to challenge Apple's leadership position." Over time, though, as Microsoft improves its music offering by going through more releases of its software, experts at Wharton and elsewhere believe that Apple may be vulnerable because of at least two strategic issues.
The first has to do with Apple's strategy of using its software (iTunes) to sell hardware (iPods). Wharton professors say that Apple, by not opening its iTunes format to other music players, could be repeating the mistake it made with its operating systems (OS) for Apple and Macintosh computers back in the 1970s and 1980s. The fact that Apple's OS software was a closed system that worked only with its own hardware - in contrast to Microsoft, which licensed its operating system software widely and eventually emerged as the industry standard - isolated Apple. Despite its early lead in developing personal computers, Apple's market share in personal computers today is less than 5%. "Apple chose to go with a closed system, refused to license its software and made pricing mistakes," says Eric Clemons, a Wharton professor of operations and information management. Potentially, iTunes faces a similar risk of being isolated from the mainstream because of its dependence on iPod players. Although iPod is successful at present - it has a market share of 58% among music players and analysts say it will account for 15% of Apple's revenues this year, compared with 8% in 2003 - it could become a low-margin business as rivals figure out how to match its features, says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader. "This could look similar to what happened to Netscape and Apple's own history," he says. Fader sees RealNetworks recent efforts to crack the iPod code as a potential boon to Apple, which instead responded by blasting RealNetworks.
Clemons agrees, up to a point. Clemons is an Apple fan and thinks the company - now led again by co-founder Steve Jobs - can hold its own; it has made a habit of "refusing to collapse." Competing with Microsoft, however, is a tough prospect for even the most resilient companies. "Microsoft picks a target area, announces a product that's not that great, says it will outspend you to death on it to freeze development, and then beats you with the third generation of software," says Clemons. This approach has worked with Internet browsers, word processors and spreadsheets. The catch? Once Microsoft takes the lead, its products don't improve dramatically. Clemons says a case in point is Microsoft's web browsing software, Internet Explorer; it dominates the market but has so many security flaws it's a "national disgrace."
In contrast, Clemons says, a closed system isn't so bad. For one thing, Apple can argue it is more secure. Clemons says the music industry should be wary of Microsoft. If security and anti-piracy are big issues for the industry, why should it trust Microsoft with its security track record in Windows XP and Internet Explorer, he asks.
Downloads vs. Streaming
The second factor that could make Apple vulnerable, according to Fader, is that as part of its iTunes and iPod business model, the company has been steadfast in its belief that downloads are the future. Apple believes that consumers want to own their music, not rent it. However, many online music services - including the popular Rhapsody from RealNetworks - rely on streaming music. Customers pay a monthly fee and then get rights to the music library. Fader believes Microsoft ultimately will succeed because its music store is just the first step toward piping songs through its MSN Internet service. "The key is what's down the road," says Fader.
The main technology Microsoft has included in its latest Media Player is called Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10, code-protection software that would give portable music players access to all-you-can-eat subscription music services. If Microsoft and other services can convince consumers that monthly subscription services are better than downloading songs a la carte, Apple could face problems since it apparently has no plan to offer a streaming music service. Napster plans to offer a portable subscription service for $14.95 a month. "Apple is trying to disparage streaming, but customers will ultimately speak for themselves," says Fader. "Once streaming services are accepted, Apple could be in trouble." Clemons agrees that subscription services have a future. Indeed, he listens to XM Satellite Radio, which is a form of renting music. (full article)
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Good article on the future of online music and an overview of Apple vs. Microsoft... from Knowledge@Wharton:
Combat in High C: Microsoft vs. Apple
Last week the opening shots were fired in the long-anticipated battle between Microsoft and Apple to gain command of the online music business. Microsoft unveiled its new beta Windows Media Player and announced the launch of a so-called built-in Digital Media Mall that offers access to online music stores such as Napster, Musicmatch, MusicNow and Wal-Mart Music Downloads. Microsoft's MSN Music service offers 500,000 songs at 99 cents each and is compatible with more than 70 music players. As such, it directly challenges Apple Computer, whose iTunes music service dominates the online music industry with a 70% market share, though songs from iTunes Music store can be played only on Apple's iPod music players (unless they are converted to formats compatible with other players).
The stakes in this battle are high. Research firm JupiterResearch estimates that digital music sales are expected to double to $270 million in 2004 compared to 2003. By 2009, though, Jupiter projects that digital music sales will increase to $1.7 billion, totaling 12% of consumer music spending. Whether Apple will retain its lead of this fast-growing market or be dislodged by Microsoft - or whether the online music market will be fragmented among a number of providers - will be determined by the course of this conflict over the coming years.
So which company is likely to prevail? For now, Apple, which has sold 125 million songs since it launched the Windows version of iTunes in 2003, has a huge lead over Microsoft. Moreover, Microsoft's offering is just half that of iTunes, which provides one million songs to its customers. Little wonder that Apple hasn't done much so far to respond to Microsoft's foray, though it did announce the launch of an affiliate program for iTunes on the same day that Microsoft launched its music service. Some analysts are upbeat about Apple's prospects. "The more the digital music landscape changes, the more it stays the same," notes Steve Lidberg, an analyst at Pacific Crest, a brokerage firm. "Microsoft's music launch offers nothing new to the consumer, and we believe it will do little to challenge Apple's leadership position." Over time, though, as Microsoft improves its music offering by going through more releases of its software, experts at Wharton and elsewhere believe that Apple may be vulnerable because of at least two strategic issues.
The first has to do with Apple's strategy of using its software (iTunes) to sell hardware (iPods). Wharton professors say that Apple, by not opening its iTunes format to other music players, could be repeating the mistake it made with its operating systems (OS) for Apple and Macintosh computers back in the 1970s and 1980s. The fact that Apple's OS software was a closed system that worked only with its own hardware - in contrast to Microsoft, which licensed its operating system software widely and eventually emerged as the industry standard - isolated Apple. Despite its early lead in developing personal computers, Apple's market share in personal computers today is less than 5%. "Apple chose to go with a closed system, refused to license its software and made pricing mistakes," says Eric Clemons, a Wharton professor of operations and information management. Potentially, iTunes faces a similar risk of being isolated from the mainstream because of its dependence on iPod players. Although iPod is successful at present - it has a market share of 58% among music players and analysts say it will account for 15% of Apple's revenues this year, compared with 8% in 2003 - it could become a low-margin business as rivals figure out how to match its features, says Wharton marketing professor Peter Fader. "This could look similar to what happened to Netscape and Apple's own history," he says. Fader sees RealNetworks recent efforts to crack the iPod code as a potential boon to Apple, which instead responded by blasting RealNetworks.
Clemons agrees, up to a point. Clemons is an Apple fan and thinks the company - now led again by co-founder Steve Jobs - can hold its own; it has made a habit of "refusing to collapse." Competing with Microsoft, however, is a tough prospect for even the most resilient companies. "Microsoft picks a target area, announces a product that's not that great, says it will outspend you to death on it to freeze development, and then beats you with the third generation of software," says Clemons. This approach has worked with Internet browsers, word processors and spreadsheets. The catch? Once Microsoft takes the lead, its products don't improve dramatically. Clemons says a case in point is Microsoft's web browsing software, Internet Explorer; it dominates the market but has so many security flaws it's a "national disgrace."
In contrast, Clemons says, a closed system isn't so bad. For one thing, Apple can argue it is more secure. Clemons says the music industry should be wary of Microsoft. If security and anti-piracy are big issues for the industry, why should it trust Microsoft with its security track record in Windows XP and Internet Explorer, he asks.
Downloads vs. Streaming
The second factor that could make Apple vulnerable, according to Fader, is that as part of its iTunes and iPod business model, the company has been steadfast in its belief that downloads are the future. Apple believes that consumers want to own their music, not rent it. However, many online music services - including the popular Rhapsody from RealNetworks - rely on streaming music. Customers pay a monthly fee and then get rights to the music library. Fader believes Microsoft ultimately will succeed because its music store is just the first step toward piping songs through its MSN Internet service. "The key is what's down the road," says Fader.
The main technology Microsoft has included in its latest Media Player is called Windows Media Digital Rights Management 10, code-protection software that would give portable music players access to all-you-can-eat subscription music services. If Microsoft and other services can convince consumers that monthly subscription services are better than downloading songs a la carte, Apple could face problems since it apparently has no plan to offer a streaming music service. Napster plans to offer a portable subscription service for $14.95 a month. "Apple is trying to disparage streaming, but customers will ultimately speak for themselves," says Fader. "Once streaming services are accepted, Apple could be in trouble." Clemons agrees that subscription services have a future. Indeed, he listens to XM Satellite Radio, which is a form of renting music. (full article)
Friday, September 10, 2004
SHAKEY JOURNALISM AT CBS NEWS... WHAT'S UP WITH DAN RATHER?
Dirty Dirty Politics From The Kerry Camp... Carville On Board Changes The Game
Huge waves hitting the blogosphere with the Wednesday's 60 Minute II segment utilizing possibly forged documents to smear President Bush. It is known Rather doesn't like our President, but is he becoming a tool for the DNC? Did he receive these documents from Kerry's camp? I think I smell Carville's hand in this one. Dirty cajun tactic burning my nostrils...
Check out Power Line's extensive info on this and Rather recently putting his neck on the line.
Instapundit has stuff here and here with some questions about how could a group of bloggers have more stringent than a news organization like CBS. Well, how many people would challenge Dan Rather at CBS when he's sticking his neck out on the line? Power and pecking order talk in organizations such as CBS.
Great article on some of the internal dealings with this forgery by The Prowler. Best lines:
"The problem was we had one set of documents from Bush's file that had Killian calling Bush 'an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot.' And someone who Killian said 'performed in an outstanding manner.' Then you have these new documents and the tone and content are so different."
The CBS producer said that some alarms bells went off last week when the signatures and initials of Killian on the documents in hand did not match up with other documents available on the public record, but producers chose to move ahead with the story. "This was too hot not to push. If there were doubts, those people didn't show it," says the producer, who works on a rival CBS News program.
...
According to one ABC News employee, some reporters believe that the Kerry campaign as well as the DNC were parties in duping CBS, but a smaller segment believe that both the DNC and the Kerry campaign were duped by Karl Rove, who would have engineered the flap to embarrass the opposition.
Karl Rove? Holy paranoia by the left! But if it was Karl Rove by some distant chance... Bawhahahahaha... I would call him Dr. Eeeevillll! No... Yoda... Master Yoda!
UPDATE: Picked up by News.com... "Bloggers drive hoax probe into Bush memos"
Recent post from Captain's Quarters.
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Dirty Dirty Politics From The Kerry Camp... Carville On Board Changes The Game
Huge waves hitting the blogosphere with the Wednesday's 60 Minute II segment utilizing possibly forged documents to smear President Bush. It is known Rather doesn't like our President, but is he becoming a tool for the DNC? Did he receive these documents from Kerry's camp? I think I smell Carville's hand in this one. Dirty cajun tactic burning my nostrils...
Check out Power Line's extensive info on this and Rather recently putting his neck on the line.
Instapundit has stuff here and here with some questions about how could a group of bloggers have more stringent than a news organization like CBS. Well, how many people would challenge Dan Rather at CBS when he's sticking his neck out on the line? Power and pecking order talk in organizations such as CBS.
Great article on some of the internal dealings with this forgery by The Prowler. Best lines:
"The problem was we had one set of documents from Bush's file that had Killian calling Bush 'an exceptionally fine young officer and pilot.' And someone who Killian said 'performed in an outstanding manner.' Then you have these new documents and the tone and content are so different."
The CBS producer said that some alarms bells went off last week when the signatures and initials of Killian on the documents in hand did not match up with other documents available on the public record, but producers chose to move ahead with the story. "This was too hot not to push. If there were doubts, those people didn't show it," says the producer, who works on a rival CBS News program.
...
According to one ABC News employee, some reporters believe that the Kerry campaign as well as the DNC were parties in duping CBS, but a smaller segment believe that both the DNC and the Kerry campaign were duped by Karl Rove, who would have engineered the flap to embarrass the opposition.
Karl Rove? Holy paranoia by the left! But if it was Karl Rove by some distant chance... Bawhahahahaha... I would call him Dr. Eeeevillll! No... Yoda... Master Yoda!
UPDATE: Picked up by News.com... "Bloggers drive hoax probe into Bush memos"
Recent post from Captain's Quarters.
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
DEBUNKING "SUPER SIZE ME"... TOLD YOU SO
As I wrote before, Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" was questionable in its results. I honestly believe I could easily eat McDonald's for every meal, which is typically four a day, and be in good health... well, my definition of "good health" which is maintaining my status quo (e.g. 220 lbs, which is 40 lbs over my college weight, healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, and a diet like Texas Toast... hot and buttered).
Now Dr. Ruth Kava has scientific proof from two "McDieters" to provide a different story than Spurlock's twisted tales (the only thing I like twisted are fries with cajun spices):
In contrast to Ms. Whaley, Mr. Weaver made no attempt to restrict his calories (he said he was not trying to lose weight). Indeed, he sometimes consumed 4 or 5 substantial meals per day during his McDonald's month. On average, he took in 4321 calories per day (more than Morgan Spurlock claims to have eaten, according to his movie). It's worth mentioning again that Mr. Weaver, a fitness aficionado and weight lifter, spent over an hour a day working out at his gym. Since he lost eight pounds during the month, he obviously used up more calories than he consumed.
Like Soso Whaley, Chazz Weaver over-consumed fat, compared to the Dietary Guidelines (30%). His average total fat intake was 44% of calories, and 14% of his caloric intake came from saturated fat (4% greater than suggested level). Carbohydrates supplied about 39% of his calories, somewhat less than the 35% that is usually recommended as a minimum. His cholesterol intake was very high -- over 1200 milligrams per day, four times the recommended level. One deficit was dietary fiber: Mr. Weaver consumed about 17 grams per day, which was only 69% of the recommended minimum of 25 grams.
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So the lowdown on our McDieters' diets: they could have been better, but they weren't awful. Ms. Whaley's task was the harder one, and one that should be brought to the attention of other dieters. A person who limits caloric intake has to pay particular attention to food selection in order to obtain all the necessary nutrients (or take supplements). Could she have avoided the deficits we found while eating at McDonald's? To some extent, yes. She could have consumed more fiber by eating salads more frequently; that would also have helped her get more folate. (This would be particularly important for a woman during child-bearing years, since adequate folate can help protect against some types of birth defects.) Her low intake of iron might have been helped by more meat and iron-fortified grain products, also by more eggs. Fat intake would drop with consumption of nonfat dairy products. More potassium could be obtained from increasing orange juice consumption (also by eating other fruit sources like bananas -- not served at McDonald's, to my knowledge), and even eating more French fries. (full article)
SIDENOTE: I began my "new health program" recently after suffering from tirades by my girlfriend and mother.
My mother turns to me while walking in the woods with my girlfriend after dinner,"Dear, in your condition if you have children, they will be fat... And if they are fat, I'm not going to visit you..."
"Whatever, Mom. Like you won't..."
This was a deadend motivational tactic by my mother.
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As I wrote before, Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me" was questionable in its results. I honestly believe I could easily eat McDonald's for every meal, which is typically four a day, and be in good health... well, my definition of "good health" which is maintaining my status quo (e.g. 220 lbs, which is 40 lbs over my college weight, healthy blood pressure and cholesterol, and a diet like Texas Toast... hot and buttered).
Now Dr. Ruth Kava has scientific proof from two "McDieters" to provide a different story than Spurlock's twisted tales (the only thing I like twisted are fries with cajun spices):
In contrast to Ms. Whaley, Mr. Weaver made no attempt to restrict his calories (he said he was not trying to lose weight). Indeed, he sometimes consumed 4 or 5 substantial meals per day during his McDonald's month. On average, he took in 4321 calories per day (more than Morgan Spurlock claims to have eaten, according to his movie). It's worth mentioning again that Mr. Weaver, a fitness aficionado and weight lifter, spent over an hour a day working out at his gym. Since he lost eight pounds during the month, he obviously used up more calories than he consumed.
Like Soso Whaley, Chazz Weaver over-consumed fat, compared to the Dietary Guidelines (30%). His average total fat intake was 44% of calories, and 14% of his caloric intake came from saturated fat (4% greater than suggested level). Carbohydrates supplied about 39% of his calories, somewhat less than the 35% that is usually recommended as a minimum. His cholesterol intake was very high -- over 1200 milligrams per day, four times the recommended level. One deficit was dietary fiber: Mr. Weaver consumed about 17 grams per day, which was only 69% of the recommended minimum of 25 grams.
...
So the lowdown on our McDieters' diets: they could have been better, but they weren't awful. Ms. Whaley's task was the harder one, and one that should be brought to the attention of other dieters. A person who limits caloric intake has to pay particular attention to food selection in order to obtain all the necessary nutrients (or take supplements). Could she have avoided the deficits we found while eating at McDonald's? To some extent, yes. She could have consumed more fiber by eating salads more frequently; that would also have helped her get more folate. (This would be particularly important for a woman during child-bearing years, since adequate folate can help protect against some types of birth defects.) Her low intake of iron might have been helped by more meat and iron-fortified grain products, also by more eggs. Fat intake would drop with consumption of nonfat dairy products. More potassium could be obtained from increasing orange juice consumption (also by eating other fruit sources like bananas -- not served at McDonald's, to my knowledge), and even eating more French fries. (full article)
SIDENOTE: I began my "new health program" recently after suffering from tirades by my girlfriend and mother.
My mother turns to me while walking in the woods with my girlfriend after dinner,"Dear, in your condition if you have children, they will be fat... And if they are fat, I'm not going to visit you..."
"Whatever, Mom. Like you won't..."
This was a deadend motivational tactic by my mother.
SHARE... NEW RESTAURANT IN NYC
My high school buddy's cousin, Kay Chun, opened a new restaurant in NYC called "Share." It's seasonal cuisine presented in a style like tapas or dim sum. Small portions that you share.
The restaurant received some good reviews so far, so check it out if you're in NYC or visit there.
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My high school buddy's cousin, Kay Chun, opened a new restaurant in NYC called "Share." It's seasonal cuisine presented in a style like tapas or dim sum. Small portions that you share.
The restaurant received some good reviews so far, so check it out if you're in NYC or visit there.
FRANK QUATTRONE SENTENCED TO 18 MONTHS... FALL OF BOOM TIME ICON
CSFB's Frank Quattrone was to investment banking what Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker was to equity research during the boom times. He led several high-fliers, such as Amazon.com, Cisco, and Netscape, to the public markets and major acquisition deals.
Quattrone became a target of the government for the excesses of the Internet bubble, and they starte to probed into supposed kickbacks he received from CSFB's favored clients in exchange for getting shares of hot IPOs. His downfall was an email:
The Quattrone case turned on a 22-word e-mail that Quattrone forwarded to CSFB bankers on Dec. 5, 2000, encouraging them to "clean up" their files before the holidays. (full article)
Older commentary and opinion from News.com's Charles Cooper, "Scapegoats on Trial."
UPDATE: Just visited Chris Nolan's site and she has a lot more on Frank Quattrone. Some great articles from the past for background info.
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CSFB's Frank Quattrone was to investment banking what Morgan Stanley's Mary Meeker was to equity research during the boom times. He led several high-fliers, such as Amazon.com, Cisco, and Netscape, to the public markets and major acquisition deals.
Quattrone became a target of the government for the excesses of the Internet bubble, and they starte to probed into supposed kickbacks he received from CSFB's favored clients in exchange for getting shares of hot IPOs. His downfall was an email:
The Quattrone case turned on a 22-word e-mail that Quattrone forwarded to CSFB bankers on Dec. 5, 2000, encouraging them to "clean up" their files before the holidays. (full article)
Older commentary and opinion from News.com's Charles Cooper, "Scapegoats on Trial."
UPDATE: Just visited Chris Nolan's site and she has a lot more on Frank Quattrone. Some great articles from the past for background info.
STEVE JURVETSON'S NEW BLOG... THE J CURVE
One of the best VCs, Steve Jurvetson, has a blog now. Check it out.
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One of the best VCs, Steve Jurvetson, has a blog now. Check it out.
Tuesday, September 07, 2004
"VOIP'S POINT MAN"... FROM FORBES
Decent article on Powell. Another reason to vote for Bush. :)
Michael Powell may be the best friend an up-and-coming communications system ever had. The Federal Communications Commission chairman has been a staunch supporter of voice over IP--technology that sends phone calls over the Internet--and is pushing hard to make sure the emerging service can grow and prosper.
"I do believe that the VoIP industry has been served very well by having Chairman Powell at the helm," says Jeff Pulver, chief executive of Pulver.com, and founder of its subsidiary Free World Dialup, a VoIP service provider based in Melville, N.Y. "He really gets it. He's a technologist at heart, and he sees the future and how the Internet is changing things."
Powell's presence on the FCC has helped contribute to the rise of VoIP--and now, his potential departure has some observers concerned. Powell's ongoing support is critical to the budding service, since many users of the technology--and investors in its vendors--worry that if VoIP is controlled and taxed like conventional telephony, the price of calls will rise and the profitability of service providers will fall. (full article)
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Decent article on Powell. Another reason to vote for Bush. :)
Michael Powell may be the best friend an up-and-coming communications system ever had. The Federal Communications Commission chairman has been a staunch supporter of voice over IP--technology that sends phone calls over the Internet--and is pushing hard to make sure the emerging service can grow and prosper.
"I do believe that the VoIP industry has been served very well by having Chairman Powell at the helm," says Jeff Pulver, chief executive of Pulver.com, and founder of its subsidiary Free World Dialup, a VoIP service provider based in Melville, N.Y. "He really gets it. He's a technologist at heart, and he sees the future and how the Internet is changing things."
Powell's presence on the FCC has helped contribute to the rise of VoIP--and now, his potential departure has some observers concerned. Powell's ongoing support is critical to the budding service, since many users of the technology--and investors in its vendors--worry that if VoIP is controlled and taxed like conventional telephony, the price of calls will rise and the profitability of service providers will fall. (full article)
SERENA WILLIAMS SLAMMED BY JUDGING ERROR... KOREA PROTESTS
Serena Williams was wandering through her quarterfinal match with Jennifer Capriati when chair umpire Mariana Alves made a grievous mistake -- the first of several.
Serving the first game of the third set at deuce, Williams hit a thundering backhand past Capriati, a clear winner. The ball correctly was called good by the lineswoman -- replays showed it barely grazed the inside of the line -- which should have made it advantage-Williams. But the Portugese umpire, on the opposite side of the court, saw the ball out and overruled the call, giving the advantage to Capriati.
When Williams heard the score, she wheeled and started walking toward the umpire's chair.
"No!" Williams shrieked. "No, no, no, no. What's going on? Excuse me? That ball was sooo in. What the heck is this? It was not out. Do I need to speak another language?"
Capriati eventually won the game, and Williams never seemed quite the same. It was the No. 8-seeded Capriati who advanced to the semifinals with a strange and unsatisfying 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory Tuesday night. In the match's final, frenetic game, the No. 3-seeded Williams was clearly wronged by at least three line calls -- and Alves failed to overrule any of them.
Later, the USTA acknowleged the incorrect overrule and tournament referee Brian Earley said that Alves would not officiate another match at the 2004 Open. (full article)
Soon afterwards Korean officials began protesting the poor judging and declared that Alves was too pro-American.
"As with Paul Hamm, these judges only found favor with Capriati. Typical manipulation by Americans within sporting events."
One Korean began protesting by sitting in the middle of a court hours before a doubles matched was scheduled to begin. U.S. Open officials simply removed the man and NYPD escorted him to his dormroom at NYU while no charges were pressed.
Soon after the match local Korean broadcast stations were declaring that the USTA admitted to cheating Capriati's opponent to suppress the development of Koreans throughout the world. This questionable journalism was similar to broadcasts sent out after the Paul Hamm incident a couple weeks ago.
Finally, through a translator, attorneys representing the USTA informed the Korean officials that Serena Williams, Capriati's opponent, was also an American. The Korean officials turned beet red and shouted in unison how the USTA and Americans were lying about the nationality of the "woman who was cheated by Americans." After a few more attempts by the attorneys, the Korean delegation at the U.S. Open stormed out with a few choice battle cries.
"LSAT in Korean is next!..."
"You gave us spam but we gave you kimchi! Unfair trade!...
"Give us Fort Lee!"
(Ok. I was amusing myself. After the "full post" everything is a lie except the reference to the Korean broadcast stations lying about the Olympic committee's response to the judging mistakes)
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Serena Williams was wandering through her quarterfinal match with Jennifer Capriati when chair umpire Mariana Alves made a grievous mistake -- the first of several.
Serving the first game of the third set at deuce, Williams hit a thundering backhand past Capriati, a clear winner. The ball correctly was called good by the lineswoman -- replays showed it barely grazed the inside of the line -- which should have made it advantage-Williams. But the Portugese umpire, on the opposite side of the court, saw the ball out and overruled the call, giving the advantage to Capriati.
When Williams heard the score, she wheeled and started walking toward the umpire's chair.
"No!" Williams shrieked. "No, no, no, no. What's going on? Excuse me? That ball was sooo in. What the heck is this? It was not out. Do I need to speak another language?"
Capriati eventually won the game, and Williams never seemed quite the same. It was the No. 8-seeded Capriati who advanced to the semifinals with a strange and unsatisfying 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 victory Tuesday night. In the match's final, frenetic game, the No. 3-seeded Williams was clearly wronged by at least three line calls -- and Alves failed to overrule any of them.
Later, the USTA acknowleged the incorrect overrule and tournament referee Brian Earley said that Alves would not officiate another match at the 2004 Open. (full article)
Soon afterwards Korean officials began protesting the poor judging and declared that Alves was too pro-American.
"As with Paul Hamm, these judges only found favor with Capriati. Typical manipulation by Americans within sporting events."
One Korean began protesting by sitting in the middle of a court hours before a doubles matched was scheduled to begin. U.S. Open officials simply removed the man and NYPD escorted him to his dormroom at NYU while no charges were pressed.
Soon after the match local Korean broadcast stations were declaring that the USTA admitted to cheating Capriati's opponent to suppress the development of Koreans throughout the world. This questionable journalism was similar to broadcasts sent out after the Paul Hamm incident a couple weeks ago.
Finally, through a translator, attorneys representing the USTA informed the Korean officials that Serena Williams, Capriati's opponent, was also an American. The Korean officials turned beet red and shouted in unison how the USTA and Americans were lying about the nationality of the "woman who was cheated by Americans." After a few more attempts by the attorneys, the Korean delegation at the U.S. Open stormed out with a few choice battle cries.
"LSAT in Korean is next!..."
"You gave us spam but we gave you kimchi! Unfair trade!...
"Give us Fort Lee!"
(Ok. I was amusing myself. After the "full post" everything is a lie except the reference to the Korean broadcast stations lying about the Olympic committee's response to the judging mistakes)
Monday, September 06, 2004
RELIGIOUS, UNCOOL RIGHT SHOULD TREAD CAREFULLY
Some amusing commentary on the influence of the "religious right" on the Republican party, which should be taken seriously to some degree by the leadership in the party:
"At the convention, I am going to be confronted with something far more significant, my deepest fear about Republicans - that they are really and truly square. As a card-carrying member of the Generation of 68, I have an allergy to square that makes me break out in hives and lose my lunch in dark alleyways. I'm cool. Don't ever forget it. And that lineup of entertainment these Red Staters are advertising, I wouldn't wish it on...," wrote Roger Simon, a long-time Democrat supporting Bush.
Rob Long at Slate writes, "It won't all be Christian rock, of course. According to the most recent RNC press release, conventioneers will be treated to country music acts such as Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Darryl Worley, and Donnie McClurkin. They'll be joining Michael W. Smith, Daniel Rodriguez, Daize Shayne, Sara Evans, and Dana Glover on the podium. Sounds exciting, no?
I'm aware that I'm going to sound like one of those liberal Democrat media snobs—which is unfair, because I'm a conservative Republican media snob—but who are these people?" (full article)
Cox & Forkum has a more serious view on this topic.
I'm a Christian and listen to Christian music, but I don't think the Republican convention should have been dominated by Michael W. Smith, Jaci Velasquez, and other leading Christian artists. And the alternative lineup should not have been Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, and other country music stars. Couldn't they have gotten at least one mainstream, hip artist? Someone that the Christian Right would not have scorned? Someone like a Craig David or a professed Christian like Beyonce Knowles? Of course cutting out the booty-shaking. They should have gotten a balanced lineup that wouldn't turn-off the younger generation or the urban dwellers. Why let MTV capitalize on this generation and allow "them" to bash our party during their music awards?
More importantly, the leadership (fuzzy, vague term) within the Republican Party has to walk a delicate balance not to alienate the social liberals the party has recently attracted through its stronger actions against terrorism, the growing number of racial minorities in the party, and other secular groups. I'm a conservative Christian and I don't want "them" to dominate the party. Religious causes should not dictate the party platform because it would not only be bad for Republicans but bad for Christians. C.S. Lewis in "The Screwtape Letters" warned not to be a "Christian with a cause" but simply a Christian. While Satan in the book wanted Christians to be deceived:
"Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the "cause," in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce in favour of the British war-effort or of Pacifism... Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing."
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Some amusing commentary on the influence of the "religious right" on the Republican party, which should be taken seriously to some degree by the leadership in the party:
"At the convention, I am going to be confronted with something far more significant, my deepest fear about Republicans - that they are really and truly square. As a card-carrying member of the Generation of 68, I have an allergy to square that makes me break out in hives and lose my lunch in dark alleyways. I'm cool. Don't ever forget it. And that lineup of entertainment these Red Staters are advertising, I wouldn't wish it on...," wrote Roger Simon, a long-time Democrat supporting Bush.
Rob Long at Slate writes, "It won't all be Christian rock, of course. According to the most recent RNC press release, conventioneers will be treated to country music acts such as Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, Darryl Worley, and Donnie McClurkin. They'll be joining Michael W. Smith, Daniel Rodriguez, Daize Shayne, Sara Evans, and Dana Glover on the podium. Sounds exciting, no?
I'm aware that I'm going to sound like one of those liberal Democrat media snobs—which is unfair, because I'm a conservative Republican media snob—but who are these people?" (full article)
Cox & Forkum has a more serious view on this topic.
I'm a Christian and listen to Christian music, but I don't think the Republican convention should have been dominated by Michael W. Smith, Jaci Velasquez, and other leading Christian artists. And the alternative lineup should not have been Brooks & Dunn, Lee Ann Womack, and other country music stars. Couldn't they have gotten at least one mainstream, hip artist? Someone that the Christian Right would not have scorned? Someone like a Craig David or a professed Christian like Beyonce Knowles? Of course cutting out the booty-shaking. They should have gotten a balanced lineup that wouldn't turn-off the younger generation or the urban dwellers. Why let MTV capitalize on this generation and allow "them" to bash our party during their music awards?
More importantly, the leadership (fuzzy, vague term) within the Republican Party has to walk a delicate balance not to alienate the social liberals the party has recently attracted through its stronger actions against terrorism, the growing number of racial minorities in the party, and other secular groups. I'm a conservative Christian and I don't want "them" to dominate the party. Religious causes should not dictate the party platform because it would not only be bad for Republicans but bad for Christians. C.S. Lewis in "The Screwtape Letters" warned not to be a "Christian with a cause" but simply a Christian. While Satan in the book wanted Christians to be deceived:
"Then let him, under the influence of partisan spirit, come to regard it as the most important part. Then quietly and gradually nurse him on to the stage at which the religion becomes merely part of the "cause," in which Christianity is valued chiefly because of the excellent arguments it can produce in favour of the British war-effort or of Pacifism... Once you have made the World an end, and faith a means, you have almost won your man, and it makes very little difference what kind of worldly end he is pursuing."
LETTER FROM IRAQI
From Hugh Hewitt's Blog:
I was forwarded an e-mail from a Marine Corps Captain, which I know to be authentic, and requested permission from the Captain's friend who sent it to me to reprint it. I expect to receive it since the forwarding list was pretty long, but I haven't received that permission yet, so I am deleting the Captain's name, and the names of his children until I get the go-ahead. Here's the message, along with the intro note:
Friends,
All I could say is 'Wow' and 'Amen' when I read this latest from my friend in Iraq.
Rob
_____________________________________________
Subject: Why I missed the first day of school
Dear friends,
I'm sitting here listening to the hourly updates on the hostage situation in Chechnya. As I write this, I am looking directly at the picture that I have sent all of you. It's a picture of my girls' first day of school. On Tuesday, _____ started 5th grade, _____started 3rd grade, and my little 5 year old started Kindergarten. _____was so excited the night before that she could hardly sleep. ___told me that she rushed right into her classroom. Others in her class, like her best friend, _______, were a little more unsure. Still, our girls went to school with great expectations of what the year held in store for them.
Now I want you to imagine if what has just transpired over the last 72 hours in Chechnya happened in our country. If terrorists took over any number of our schools, and held our children hostage. What would you do? How would you feel?
Friends, this war is called The Global War on Terrorism for a reason. It's not the American War on Terrorism. Terrorists don't care what country you hail from. They don't care who they hurt. They don't care if they terrify kindergarteners, leaving them to run out of their school in only their underwear.
...
And that's why I'm here in Iraq, and why I believe we need to be over here - because what has happened in Chechnya, could very well happen in the United States if we sat back and "hunkered down" praying that the terrorists won't hit us again. (full post)
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From Hugh Hewitt's Blog:
I was forwarded an e-mail from a Marine Corps Captain, which I know to be authentic, and requested permission from the Captain's friend who sent it to me to reprint it. I expect to receive it since the forwarding list was pretty long, but I haven't received that permission yet, so I am deleting the Captain's name, and the names of his children until I get the go-ahead. Here's the message, along with the intro note:
Friends,
All I could say is 'Wow' and 'Amen' when I read this latest from my friend in Iraq.
Rob
_____________________________________________
Subject: Why I missed the first day of school
Dear friends,
I'm sitting here listening to the hourly updates on the hostage situation in Chechnya. As I write this, I am looking directly at the picture that I have sent all of you. It's a picture of my girls' first day of school. On Tuesday, _____ started 5th grade, _____started 3rd grade, and my little 5 year old started Kindergarten. _____was so excited the night before that she could hardly sleep. ___told me that she rushed right into her classroom. Others in her class, like her best friend, _______, were a little more unsure. Still, our girls went to school with great expectations of what the year held in store for them.
Now I want you to imagine if what has just transpired over the last 72 hours in Chechnya happened in our country. If terrorists took over any number of our schools, and held our children hostage. What would you do? How would you feel?
Friends, this war is called The Global War on Terrorism for a reason. It's not the American War on Terrorism. Terrorists don't care what country you hail from. They don't care who they hurt. They don't care if they terrify kindergarteners, leaving them to run out of their school in only their underwear.
...
And that's why I'm here in Iraq, and why I believe we need to be over here - because what has happened in Chechnya, could very well happen in the United States if we sat back and "hunkered down" praying that the terrorists won't hit us again. (full post)
ASSOCIATED PRESS = DEMS WHIPPING BOY
Roland Prinz = Jason Blair?
Power Line has a very informative post on the recent media blitz led by the Associated Press on Schwarzenegger's supposed false comments on his childhood. He didn't lie. The AP and Roland Prinz lied about his comments, and spun it against Arnold. I don't believe media outlets just didn't check on the transcript of his speech to see part of this blatant smear on the RNC Convention and the "Governator."
This criticism is absurd. Arnold didn't say that he saw Soviet troops in Styria; on the contrary, he made it clear that he was talking about the Soviet zone:
When I was a boy, the Soviets occupied part of Austria. I saw their tanks in the streets. I saw communism with my own eyes. I remember the fear we had when we had to cross into the Soviet sector.
So what's the point? There isn't any. What Arnold said was precisely accurate.
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Roland Prinz = Jason Blair?
Power Line has a very informative post on the recent media blitz led by the Associated Press on Schwarzenegger's supposed false comments on his childhood. He didn't lie. The AP and Roland Prinz lied about his comments, and spun it against Arnold. I don't believe media outlets just didn't check on the transcript of his speech to see part of this blatant smear on the RNC Convention and the "Governator."
This criticism is absurd. Arnold didn't say that he saw Soviet troops in Styria; on the contrary, he made it clear that he was talking about the Soviet zone:
When I was a boy, the Soviets occupied part of Austria. I saw their tanks in the streets. I saw communism with my own eyes. I remember the fear we had when we had to cross into the Soviet sector.
So what's the point? There isn't any. What Arnold said was precisely accurate.
THE NEW YORK TIMES UNHINGED... THOMAS LIFSON UNPLUGGED
Great post by Thomas Lifson at The American Thinker on "Conspiracy theorists at the Times."
The left wingers on the op-ed page of the New York Times are becoming unhinged. Frank Rich today joins Paul Krugman in articulating conspiracy theories to explain the success of the political movement backing President Bush.
...
It must be Karl Rove's fault, or Fox's, or a lack of diligence from the non-Fox press.
There you have it: naked paranoia. It is simply impossible for independent-minded people to come to a conclusion differing from Frank Rich's opinions. The only possible explanation is that evil forces have conspired in secret, and their influence is vast.
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Great post by Thomas Lifson at The American Thinker on "Conspiracy theorists at the Times."
The left wingers on the op-ed page of the New York Times are becoming unhinged. Frank Rich today joins Paul Krugman in articulating conspiracy theories to explain the success of the political movement backing President Bush.
...
It must be Karl Rove's fault, or Fox's, or a lack of diligence from the non-Fox press.
There you have it: naked paranoia. It is simply impossible for independent-minded people to come to a conclusion differing from Frank Rich's opinions. The only possible explanation is that evil forces have conspired in secret, and their influence is vast.
DENTING DENNY'S BOTTOMLINE... EATING STORIES V
Saturday night I went to Buffalo Joe's (best chicken wings in the world... visit them if you are in chicago) with some friends and we were chatting about old times and the topic of Denny's came up for some reason. Naturally, this led to a story about our good friend, Joong.
"Remember the time when Joong drove up for U of I during the night of his birthday?"
University of Illinois is about a two hour drive south of Chicagoland.
"He knew you get free meals at Denny's on your birthday, so he was determined to stop at every Denny's on the way up to Chicago... He said he went to eight Denny's that night."
Eight? I know he didn't take a straight path. Joong probably drove to and all around Chicago that evening, showing his driver's license, and getting free meals.
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Saturday night I went to Buffalo Joe's (best chicken wings in the world... visit them if you are in chicago) with some friends and we were chatting about old times and the topic of Denny's came up for some reason. Naturally, this led to a story about our good friend, Joong.
"Remember the time when Joong drove up for U of I during the night of his birthday?"
University of Illinois is about a two hour drive south of Chicagoland.
"He knew you get free meals at Denny's on your birthday, so he was determined to stop at every Denny's on the way up to Chicago... He said he went to eight Denny's that night."
Eight? I know he didn't take a straight path. Joong probably drove to and all around Chicago that evening, showing his driver's license, and getting free meals.
JUN CHOI FUNDRAISER RECEPTION
For those in the NYC/NJ area who are Democrats and supporters of Asian Americans, consider going to this reception to support my graduate school friend.
"Cocktails at the Friars Club with Special Guest, Senator Bill Bradley"
A BENEFIT RECEPTION TO SUPPORT
JUN CHOI FOR NEW JERSEY STATE ASSEMBLY
THE FRIARS CLUB
57 EAST 55TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY (BTW MADISON & PARK)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2004
5:00 - 8:00 PM
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (908) 217-6233 OR VISIT: www.junchoi.org
DONATION: $1,000 PER PERSON
YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: $250
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For those in the NYC/NJ area who are Democrats and supporters of Asian Americans, consider going to this reception to support my graduate school friend.
"Cocktails at the Friars Club with Special Guest, Senator Bill Bradley"
A BENEFIT RECEPTION TO SUPPORT
JUN CHOI FOR NEW JERSEY STATE ASSEMBLY
THE FRIARS CLUB
57 EAST 55TH STREET, NEW YORK, NY (BTW MADISON & PARK)
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2004
5:00 - 8:00 PM
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CALL (908) 217-6233 OR VISIT: www.junchoi.org
DONATION: $1,000 PER PERSON
YOUNG PROFESSIONAL: $250
Friday, September 03, 2004
REPUBLICAN CONVENTION REVIEW
I didn't have time to keep up with all the reviews and opinions of the Republican Convention this past week. So here's a roundup:
Great review by Matthew May at The American Thinker.
Roger Simon's wrap up and how Kerry is getting nervous.
Power Line's wrap up. And running commentary on Bush.
Vodkapundit's wrap up:
For all its faults, for all its overtly- and overly-religious tones, this small-l libertarian prefers George Bush’s America to John Kerry’s. I don’t care for NASCAR. I’m not much for country music, Sundays at church, blue-eyed soul, or faith-based initiatives.
But Bush made me feel welcome all the same. No, wait – let me amend that statement, too. Bush made me feel like his place is somewhere I’d like to spend some time and get to know the locals. You know -- down a few beers, chat up the natives and learn their quaint customs.
Captain's Quarters on Bush. And his review of Senator Miller's "beating" of Chris Matthews on Hardball.
Andrew Sullivan on Bush's speech. He believes in most of Bush's ideals and positions, but he's not supporting Bush because of the gay marriage issue? This personal and social issue outweighs our fight against terrorism, the spread of freedom and liberty, and conversative fiscal policy? Whatever.
From the left. Chris Nolan on Bush:
"Is that it? When Kerry gave his acceptance speech, I thought he sounded like President Reagan: American glory, fiscal responsibility."
Excuse? Reagan?? What was she watching??? Obviously, we weren't watching the same thing, or we were but maybe someone had a little too much something.
Hugh Hewitt on Arnold. Also his short comments on Zell Miller's speech and the reaction from the liberal media and a transcript of his interview on Air America with Al Franken.
Oxblog on McCain and Giuliani. On Cheney... "Presidential."
Also President Bush gets his bounce in the polls (52%-41%). Funny that some liberal commentators predicted he wouldn't get a bounce like Kerry didn't after the DNC Convention. I heard one person state that the undecided are too small in this election to provide any bounce in the polls after either convention.
More on the bounce from Power Line:
Pollster Frank Luntz said Bush did very well with his MSNBC focus group of 21 swing voters in the much-watched state of Ohio — 17 had a positive reaction to the speech and only four were negative.
"This was a home run — that's the second strongest positive reaction I've ever had to a speech. Only Al Gore in 2000 did better," said Luntz, adding that 13 of his 21 voters switched to Bush from "undecided" or Kerry after the speech.
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I didn't have time to keep up with all the reviews and opinions of the Republican Convention this past week. So here's a roundup:
Great review by Matthew May at The American Thinker.
Roger Simon's wrap up and how Kerry is getting nervous.
Power Line's wrap up. And running commentary on Bush.
Vodkapundit's wrap up:
For all its faults, for all its overtly- and overly-religious tones, this small-l libertarian prefers George Bush’s America to John Kerry’s. I don’t care for NASCAR. I’m not much for country music, Sundays at church, blue-eyed soul, or faith-based initiatives.
But Bush made me feel welcome all the same. No, wait – let me amend that statement, too. Bush made me feel like his place is somewhere I’d like to spend some time and get to know the locals. You know -- down a few beers, chat up the natives and learn their quaint customs.
Captain's Quarters on Bush. And his review of Senator Miller's "beating" of Chris Matthews on Hardball.
Andrew Sullivan on Bush's speech. He believes in most of Bush's ideals and positions, but he's not supporting Bush because of the gay marriage issue? This personal and social issue outweighs our fight against terrorism, the spread of freedom and liberty, and conversative fiscal policy? Whatever.
From the left. Chris Nolan on Bush:
"Is that it? When Kerry gave his acceptance speech, I thought he sounded like President Reagan: American glory, fiscal responsibility."
Excuse? Reagan?? What was she watching??? Obviously, we weren't watching the same thing, or we were but maybe someone had a little too much something.
Hugh Hewitt on Arnold. Also his short comments on Zell Miller's speech and the reaction from the liberal media and a transcript of his interview on Air America with Al Franken.
Oxblog on McCain and Giuliani. On Cheney... "Presidential."
Also President Bush gets his bounce in the polls (52%-41%). Funny that some liberal commentators predicted he wouldn't get a bounce like Kerry didn't after the DNC Convention. I heard one person state that the undecided are too small in this election to provide any bounce in the polls after either convention.
More on the bounce from Power Line:
Pollster Frank Luntz said Bush did very well with his MSNBC focus group of 21 swing voters in the much-watched state of Ohio — 17 had a positive reaction to the speech and only four were negative.
"This was a home run — that's the second strongest positive reaction I've ever had to a speech. Only Al Gore in 2000 did better," said Luntz, adding that 13 of his 21 voters switched to Bush from "undecided" or Kerry after the speech.
JUDGES GIVE GEICO GREENLIGHT TO SUE GOOGLE
Insurance giant Geico can sue Google and Overture Services for allegedly selling advertisements linked to its trademarks, a federal judge has ruled, CNET News.com has learned.
Interesting how this will turn out since it can damage Google and Overture's revenue streams and overall business model.
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Insurance giant Geico can sue Google and Overture Services for allegedly selling advertisements linked to its trademarks, a federal judge has ruled, CNET News.com has learned.
Interesting how this will turn out since it can damage Google and Overture's revenue streams and overall business model.
Thursday, September 02, 2004
VONAGE GETS $105 MILLION SERIES D ROUND
I've been meaning to post this up for a few days, but we got into Chicago a couple days ago after winding down in NYC. Now my girlfriend and I are preparing for our move to the Bay Area, but also taking time to celebrate our one year together tonight.
Anyways, Vonage received $105 million in venture capital last week, so this was interesting to me since VoIP has been making a revival. During the boom times, Dialpad, a Korean company which I believe is based in the U.S. now, was getting attention from a lot of Koreans and other foreigners calling their relatives in the U.S, but the quality of their service was mediocre at best and their primarily user-base was small. Also Net2phone was receiving investment from Yahoo! and AT&T in 2000, so VoIP was getting a lot of hype back then. This is clear in my memory because my old company, HeyAnita, was striking up a partnership with them when all these deals were occuring.
These services never took off because the quality wasn't there yet and the majority of users weren't comfortable talking over a microphone attached to their PC. Over the past couple years, VoIP quality has become great and new companies have been surfacing within this space, such as Skype. Vonage was a company that made a slight innovation on the user's end to give a phone jack on top of a person's Internet connection. This is great for Vonage since it used the existing IP infrastructure while some previous VoIP companies used a mix of IP and the old public telephone network, which was more costly.
VoIP services are great especially for those looking to cut down on their long-distance bills. A couple weeks ago, one of my friends brought to Korea a new phone he got from Vonage with a Bay Area telephone number and used it from there, so when I called that number from my home in Chicago I got billed domestic long-distance rates while he was in Korea. Anyway, here's is another clip on Vonage's recent capital raise:
VentureWire Alert
By Scott Austin
August 26, 2004
Vonage, a company that enables customers to make phone calls using a touch-tone phone over an Internet connection, undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers Tuesday in the traditional phone business. Vonage doubled its venture capital backing with a $105 million Series D round, as investors race to pour money in a space with no clear leader and ripe for competition. Lead investor New Enterprise Associates injected $40 million to make it the company's second largest shareholder, under founder and technology pioneer Jeffrey Cintron; 3i said Vonage is now the firm's largest U.S. investment; and Meritech Capital Partners claimed its investment is one of the largest deals in the fund's history.
Why such passion? The old telecom industry is dismantling quickly as U.S. households rapidly adopt high-speed broadband connections and the technology involving Internet calling becomes remarkably cheaper. Throw in easy access to a glut of fiber-optic capacity, and suddenly you have dozens of companies all clamoring to knock down the traditional consumer phone business. The regional phone companies are seeing the number of local phone lines droop for the first time since the Great Depression. Vonage is certainly one of the top in the Internet phone business, already signing up nearly 250,000 paying customers in just two years. But it will face a stiff fight from big carriers such as AT&T and cable operators like Time Warner in the effort to bring inexpensive VoIP services to the world. "Vonage is swimming in the same waters with some pretty sizeable sharks," as NEA's managing general partner put it.
UPDATE: Debates on Vonage's Growth Strategy
Fred Wilson, at Flatiron Partners, has links and comments here. Bill Burnham has a good analogy here. His post reminds me of Tellme, our primary competitor at HeyAnita. Vonage now raised $208 million in venture capital. Tellme in 2000 raised about $238 million, the most out of any startup that year, and an amazing $125 million during the end of the boom cycle at the end of 2000.
|
I've been meaning to post this up for a few days, but we got into Chicago a couple days ago after winding down in NYC. Now my girlfriend and I are preparing for our move to the Bay Area, but also taking time to celebrate our one year together tonight.
Anyways, Vonage received $105 million in venture capital last week, so this was interesting to me since VoIP has been making a revival. During the boom times, Dialpad, a Korean company which I believe is based in the U.S. now, was getting attention from a lot of Koreans and other foreigners calling their relatives in the U.S, but the quality of their service was mediocre at best and their primarily user-base was small. Also Net2phone was receiving investment from Yahoo! and AT&T in 2000, so VoIP was getting a lot of hype back then. This is clear in my memory because my old company, HeyAnita, was striking up a partnership with them when all these deals were occuring.
These services never took off because the quality wasn't there yet and the majority of users weren't comfortable talking over a microphone attached to their PC. Over the past couple years, VoIP quality has become great and new companies have been surfacing within this space, such as Skype. Vonage was a company that made a slight innovation on the user's end to give a phone jack on top of a person's Internet connection. This is great for Vonage since it used the existing IP infrastructure while some previous VoIP companies used a mix of IP and the old public telephone network, which was more costly.
VoIP services are great especially for those looking to cut down on their long-distance bills. A couple weeks ago, one of my friends brought to Korea a new phone he got from Vonage with a Bay Area telephone number and used it from there, so when I called that number from my home in Chicago I got billed domestic long-distance rates while he was in Korea. Anyway, here's is another clip on Vonage's recent capital raise:
VentureWire Alert
By Scott Austin
August 26, 2004
Vonage, a company that enables customers to make phone calls using a touch-tone phone over an Internet connection, undoubtedly ruffled a few feathers Tuesday in the traditional phone business. Vonage doubled its venture capital backing with a $105 million Series D round, as investors race to pour money in a space with no clear leader and ripe for competition. Lead investor New Enterprise Associates injected $40 million to make it the company's second largest shareholder, under founder and technology pioneer Jeffrey Cintron; 3i said Vonage is now the firm's largest U.S. investment; and Meritech Capital Partners claimed its investment is one of the largest deals in the fund's history.
Why such passion? The old telecom industry is dismantling quickly as U.S. households rapidly adopt high-speed broadband connections and the technology involving Internet calling becomes remarkably cheaper. Throw in easy access to a glut of fiber-optic capacity, and suddenly you have dozens of companies all clamoring to knock down the traditional consumer phone business. The regional phone companies are seeing the number of local phone lines droop for the first time since the Great Depression. Vonage is certainly one of the top in the Internet phone business, already signing up nearly 250,000 paying customers in just two years. But it will face a stiff fight from big carriers such as AT&T and cable operators like Time Warner in the effort to bring inexpensive VoIP services to the world. "Vonage is swimming in the same waters with some pretty sizeable sharks," as NEA's managing general partner put it.
UPDATE: Debates on Vonage's Growth Strategy
Fred Wilson, at Flatiron Partners, has links and comments here. Bill Burnham has a good analogy here. His post reminds me of Tellme, our primary competitor at HeyAnita. Vonage now raised $208 million in venture capital. Tellme in 2000 raised about $238 million, the most out of any startup that year, and an amazing $125 million during the end of the boom cycle at the end of 2000.
SWIFT BOAT VETERANS FOR TRUTH IGNORE BUSH
"Swift Boat group ignores Bush's plea"... of course they do... bawhahahahaha...
"On Tuesday, the Kerry-Edwards campaign renewed its call on the president to do more to stop the Swift Boat group's ads."
Of course they do... bawhahahaha... gotta love politics. Bush playing dumb on the ads while his staff must be laughing behind the curtains since the Swift Boat ads are damaging Kerry's run.
One way you can look at this is that playback is sweet. When MoveOn.org played its ads comparing Bush to Hitler, did you hear Kerry plea for them to stop such foolish and extreme comparisons?
The Kerry camp is like the bully in grade school who was really is a whimp. With their $60+ million and less effective slams on Bush, they were loving the "527" groups they controlled and influenced. Finally, one kid stands up to him and whacks him in the face and the bully starts crying, running to the teacher, and blaming the kid. With a few million, the Swift Boat Veterans have been throwing a few solid punches into Kerry's campaign.
A VIEW on Kerry's campaign from The American Thinker.
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"Swift Boat group ignores Bush's plea"... of course they do... bawhahahahaha...
"On Tuesday, the Kerry-Edwards campaign renewed its call on the president to do more to stop the Swift Boat group's ads."
Of course they do... bawhahahaha... gotta love politics. Bush playing dumb on the ads while his staff must be laughing behind the curtains since the Swift Boat ads are damaging Kerry's run.
One way you can look at this is that playback is sweet. When MoveOn.org played its ads comparing Bush to Hitler, did you hear Kerry plea for them to stop such foolish and extreme comparisons?
The Kerry camp is like the bully in grade school who was really is a whimp. With their $60+ million and less effective slams on Bush, they were loving the "527" groups they controlled and influenced. Finally, one kid stands up to him and whacks him in the face and the bully starts crying, running to the teacher, and blaming the kid. With a few million, the Swift Boat Veterans have been throwing a few solid punches into Kerry's campaign.
A VIEW on Kerry's campaign from The American Thinker.
Wednesday, September 01, 2004
SWIFT BOATS AND DOUBLE STANDARDS... FROM THE WASHINGTON POST
Good response and article from Benjamin L. Ginsberg:
A $500,000 ad buy made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth brings searing media scrutiny and "proof" of illegal coordination based on a lawyer (me) representing both the Bush-Cheney campaign and the Swift Boat Veterans; on an accountant working for Tom DeLay's political action committee; and on a $200,000 contributor to the group who is not a major donor to Bush-Cheney 2004 but who does know Karl Rove.
Meanwhile, the media give practically no scrutiny to a $63 million, five-month, negative-ad buy done by Democratic "527" groups (the Media Fund, MoveOn.org and others) with a revolving door of connections to the Kerry campaign. (full article)
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Good response and article from Benjamin L. Ginsberg:
A $500,000 ad buy made by Swift Boat Veterans for Truth brings searing media scrutiny and "proof" of illegal coordination based on a lawyer (me) representing both the Bush-Cheney campaign and the Swift Boat Veterans; on an accountant working for Tom DeLay's political action committee; and on a $200,000 contributor to the group who is not a major donor to Bush-Cheney 2004 but who does know Karl Rove.
Meanwhile, the media give practically no scrutiny to a $63 million, five-month, negative-ad buy done by Democratic "527" groups (the Media Fund, MoveOn.org and others) with a revolving door of connections to the Kerry campaign. (full article)
BLOG LEADS TO DISMISSAL OF FRIENDSTER EMPLOYEE
Maybe I should rethink about my blog as my girlfriend and I move to the Bay Area and start my job search there. I don't know the details behind Joyce Park's firing, but I do wonder if it really was about her blog. I remember reading about another firing earlier this year, but I believe it was because the blog criticized her company and colleagues. In this recent case, it could have been about a preventative measure but I assume they would have given her a warning. I'm guessing it was about something else. Maybe an excuse to fire her for another reason, such as when companies dismiss someone for minor expense account mishaps.
Friendster, known for breaking new ground in online social networking and promoting self-expression among peers, fired one of its employees Monday for her personal Web log, or online diary. Joyce Park, a Web developer living in Sunnyvale, Calif., said her managers told her Monday that she stepped over the line with her blog, Troutgirl. They declined to elaborate, except to say that it was CEO Scott Sassa's ultimate decision, Park said.
"I only made three posts about Friendster on my blog before they decided to fire me, and it was all publicly available information. They did not have any policy, didn't give me any warning, they didn't ask me to take anything down," said Park, 35. (full article)
|
Maybe I should rethink about my blog as my girlfriend and I move to the Bay Area and start my job search there. I don't know the details behind Joyce Park's firing, but I do wonder if it really was about her blog. I remember reading about another firing earlier this year, but I believe it was because the blog criticized her company and colleagues. In this recent case, it could have been about a preventative measure but I assume they would have given her a warning. I'm guessing it was about something else. Maybe an excuse to fire her for another reason, such as when companies dismiss someone for minor expense account mishaps.
Friendster, known for breaking new ground in online social networking and promoting self-expression among peers, fired one of its employees Monday for her personal Web log, or online diary. Joyce Park, a Web developer living in Sunnyvale, Calif., said her managers told her Monday that she stepped over the line with her blog, Troutgirl. They declined to elaborate, except to say that it was CEO Scott Sassa's ultimate decision, Park said.
"I only made three posts about Friendster on my blog before they decided to fire me, and it was all publicly available information. They did not have any policy, didn't give me any warning, they didn't ask me to take anything down," said Park, 35. (full article)
Business & Technology, Politics, and Random Posts from the Left, Right, and Elsewhere
Place of Birth: Seoul, Korea
Hometown: Northbrook, IL USA
Lived in: Seoul, Chicago (Villa Park & Northbrook), Madison, WI, Springfield, IL, St. Louis, New York City, Chicago (Glenview), Seoul, San Francisco
Also blogs at: AlwaysOn, Coro Blog, SportsBlog
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Max Yow
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Sports: combative sports, sports you play with a ball, sports with no swimming, sports you can play while drinking and smoking (pool, darts, bowling, video games).
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"You cannot go on explaining away things over forever or you will find that you have explained even explanation itself away. You cannot go on seeing through things forever because the whole point of seeing through something is to see something else through it." - C.S Lewis
December 11, 2005
"This telephone has too many shortcomings to be seriously considered as a means of communication. The device is inherently of no value to us." - Western Union internal memo, 1876
December 4, 2005
"You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individual. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful." - Marie Curie
November 27, 2005
"One cannot step into the same river twice." - Heratidus
November 20, 2005
"The death of democracy is not likely to be an assassination from ambush. It will be a slow extinction from apathy, indifference and undernourishment." - Robert Maynard Hutchins
November 13, 2005
"We are moving away from the old idea of leadership -- leadership has less to do (now) with heroism. We don’t look for... unblemished omnipotent heroes, but leaders who are complex, dependent, changeable... We do not need one dominant authority structure telling all our inner voices to shut up..." - Walter Truett Anderson
November 6, 2005
"To know oneself is to know one’s [country]. It is also... paradoxically a form of exile from that world... to know oneself is, above all, to know what one lacks. It is to measure oneself against Truth, and not the other way around. The first product of self-knowledge is humility, and that virtue is not conspicuous in any national character." - Flannery O’Connor
October 30, 2005
"Men content themselves with the same words as other people use, as if the very sound necessarily carried the same meaning." - John Locke
October 23, 2005
"In order to thrive in a world of change and chaos, we will need to accept 'chaos' as an essential process by which natural systems, including organizations, renew and revitalize themselves." - Margaret Wheatley
October 16, 2004
"Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary." - Robert Louis Stevenson
October 9, 2004
"We will be better and braver if we engage and inquire than if we indulge in the idle fancy that we already know - or that it is of no use seeking to know what we do not know." - Plato
October 2, 2004
"Man's mind stretched to a new idea never goes back to its original dimensions." - Oliver W. Holmes
September 25, 2004
"What you learn intellectually lies in the shallow pools among the wrinkles of your brain. What you learn through the skin of experience sinks deep into your roots." - Hank Taft
September 18, 2004
"In commanding us to glorify him, God is inviting us to enjoy him." - C.S. Lewis
September 11, 2004
"A society is judged by how it treats its least desirable people." - Anonymous
September 4, 2004
"This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one; the being a force of nature instead of a feverish, selfish little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the whole community and as long as I live it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work the more I live. I rejoice in life for its own sake. Life is no "brief candle" to me. It is a sort of splendid torch which I have got hold of for the moment, and I want to make it burn as brightly as possible before handing it on to the future generations." - George Bernard Shaw
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