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"Apple always prefers not to be dependent on third-party technologies. It is at a place where it..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 09:57:11 -0700

“Apple always prefers not to be dependent on third-party technologies. It is at a place where it designs its own software and hardware, even down to the chips and battery and almost all of the key apps that come with iOS devices — with the exception of the Maps app and YouTube. In other words, moving from a third-party solution to an in-house one eventually would be very much in line with Apple’s philosophy and history.”

- Apple mapping a future without Google in iOS 6? — Apple News, Tips and Reviews

Rafer sez:
Two important add-ons: Apple will want in on local commerce at some point, and they have to stop sharing map data with Google before that. And, once Apple has traction on maps, Google Search is next to go.

(via rafer)

I’m just surprised apple hasn’t already kicked google out of mobile safari. Not quite sure what they are waiting for.

"70% of advertising/marketing professionals were aware of Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” digital..."

Fri, 11 May 2012 08:47:59 -0700

“70% of advertising/marketing professionals were aware of Burger King’s “Subservient Chicken” digital marketing campaign vs. 8% of the general population;”

- Infographic Confirms It: Advertising People Are Not Normal | Co.Create: Creativity \ Culture \ Commerce

Boy I sure feel this now that I mainly work in tech. Before, everyone had heard of it, now I feel vaguely absurd when a person asks someone on my behalf if they’ve heard of it as part of an intro. The answer, these days, is almost always a confused no.

(via rickwebb)

@rickwebb - don’t feel bad - you would shocked at the # of people who’ve never heard of LOLcats or ICanHasCheezburger - and I am not talking about normals - I’m talking about PROFESSIONAL DIGITAL MARKETING/ADVERTISING people. Never underestimate lack of awareness/knowledge.

"Someone who isn’t so insecure that he lies on his resume and so unapologetic that he doesn’t even..."

Mon, 07 May 2012 21:50:17 -0700

“Someone who isn’t so insecure that he lies on his resume and so unapologetic that he doesn’t even have the stomach to resign after he’s been caught. Someone better than that.”

- Someone better than that « Uncrunched

@Arrington commenting on the CEO mess at Yahoo

"A new smartphone application empowers air travelers to make complaints about profiling by airport..."

Tue, 01 May 2012 15:19:33 -0700

“A new smartphone application empowers air travelers to make complaints about profiling by airport security in real time. Until now, no easy way has existed for travelers who feel they have been unfairly treated to make such complaints.
The app, called Fly Rights, was developed by the Sikh Coalition, the largest Sikh civil rights group in the United States, with offices across the country including in Fremont.”

- App catches airport profiling in the act - SFBay

Rafer sez:
Awesome.

(via rafer)

"he convinced himself that his actions were acceptable because they had been signed off by the firm’s..."

Tue, 01 May 2012 10:28:07 -0700

“he convinced himself that his actions were acceptable because they had been signed off by the firm’s lawyers, accountants, and board and were disclosed in the financial reports. He told himself his actions were systemic, it is the way the game is played.”

- If the Auditors Sign Off, Does That Make It Okay? - Lawrence Weiss - Harvard Business Review (via jryu)

"How important is display advertising to Sony Music and why? It’s crucial. We are an image..."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:11:35 -0700

“

How important is display advertising to Sony Music and why?

It’s crucial. We are an image business, and our asset is people at the end of the day. Amazing, talented and creative human beings. They need to be displayed, which means we need to showcase them in the most beautiful way. While A&R [talent development] and sales and publicity and the other engines of our business are cornerstones, our design and imaging really are what build our brands. So much so that we created an agency at Sony Music called Arcade Creative Group which now applies that talent to brands. The display market has so aggressively evolved that it’s quite fascinating. From behavioral to trading desks to a whole market dedicated to data, there really is nothing quite like it. Don Draper’s head would pop off if he were around now.

”

- Sony Music Exec Predicts Google Plus Demise | Digiday

"What digital channels are most important to Sony Music and why? The most important channels are..."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 11:10:55 -0700

“

What digital channels are most important to Sony Music and why?

The most important channels are the ones that drive business for us naturally. It does vary by artist, label, audience, strategy, etc. But to start, search is, of course, a key lever for us. It provides a direct mechanism for artists’ core fans to get access to what they crave from us immediately. Social channels are also significant drivers for us, but I think we are all trying to understand their role. The jury is still out on whether we believe it is a true sales mechanism. I am a huge proponent of display advertising. The intersection of imaging, interactivity, video, laser addressability and other attributes display brings is unparalleled. In fact, you see companies desperately trying to replicate the same approach in traditional media like TV.

”

- Sony Music Exec Predicts Google Plus Demise | Digiday

The pro-display advertising comment is an interesting counter to the current display advertising’s dead we just don’t know it meme.

"Most of the buzz about the city’s reforms focuses on the banishment of organized labor and the..."

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 09:51:28 -0700

“

Most of the buzz about the city’s reforms focuses on the banishment of organized labor and the proliferation of charter schools, which enroll nearly 80 percent of public school students, up from 1.5 percent pre-Katrina. But what really distinguishes New Orleans is how government has redefined its role in education: stepping back from directly running schools and empowering educators to make the decisions about hours, curriculum and school culture that best drive student learning. Now, state and school-district officials mostly regulate and monitor — setting standards, ensuring equity and closing failing schools. Instead of a traditional school system, there is a system of schools in what officials liken to a fenced-in free market. Families have more choice about where their children can best succeed, they say, and educators have more opportunity to choose a school that best aligns with their approach.

One teacher I spoke with during a recent trip talked about the luxury of being pursued by different charter networks willing to pay for her talents. After 11 years of teaching, she said, it was the first time she felt she was being treated as a professional. I visited the classrooms of Sci Academy, where 99 percent of the students are minorities and 92 percent are eligible for free and reduced-price lunch. They have some of the city’s highest scores on statewide tests, and more than 90 percent of Sci Academy seniors have already been accepted to a four-year college or university. At O. Perry Walker College and Career Preparatory High School, one of the first charters to open after Katrina, the mostly African American student body has turned in dramatic gains in achievement. (The school’s academic performance, as graded by the state, went from 48.1 in 2006-07 to 68.4 in 2009-10.) To those who argue that the overarching effects of poverty prevent children from learning, Principal Mary H.L. Laurie has a terse answer: “Then don’t come to work here.”

”

- The Big Easy’s school revolution - The Washington Post

Public school education reform that I can believe in. Teachers often talk about getting the system to get out of their way and let them teach - sure seems like an interesting way to do just that.

ourpresidents: On this day in 1945, President Harry S Truman...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 09:55:25 -0700

ourpresidents:

On this day in 1945, President Harry S Truman was briefed on the United States’ efforts to build an atomic bomb. Truman had been in office for 13 days since the unexpected death of Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In this top secret memo, Henry Stimson, Secretary of War alerts the President that:

“I think that it is very important that I should have a talk with you as soon as possible on a highly secret matter.”

April 24, 1945.

from the Truman Library

This is what email looked like in 1945.

"The 1908 London Games established what is now the customary distance of the marathon. The reason? To..."

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 13:14:24 -0700

“The 1908 London Games established what is now the customary distance of the marathon. The reason? To provide a better view for the royal family at the start at Windsor Castle and the finish in the Olympic Stadium. The result, Wallechinsky said, was a distance that was “completely arbitrary.””

- The Marathon’s Accidental Route to 26 Miles 385 Yards - NYTimes.com

"So how much client budget is actually being dedicated to mobile? The budgets are so small that..."

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:09:56 -0700

“

So how much client budget is actually being dedicated to mobile?

The budgets are so small that they’re barely worth reporting on. Mobile is still a far, far larger portion of mindshare than it is budget. Sometimes mobile is baked into a multichannel program, so it’s harder to break out, but it’s still hugely under-invested. It’s well into the single digits, even just within digital budgets. On the media side, I’d say it’s less than 1 percent.

”

- Confessions of an Agency Mobile Specialist | Digiday

"Point being: Not all Kickstarter projects will succeed. It’s inevitable that some will fail. This is..."

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 11:32:05 -0700

“Point being: Not all Kickstarter projects will succeed. It’s inevitable that some will fail. This is one reason why Kickstarter is very particular about using the term “backer” and avoiding the term “investor.” Dent explains, “It is not actually an investment in the legal sense of the word. The contributor is actually buying something to be part of the game.” Backers get tangible rewards in exchange for their dollars: shirts, videos, forum access, and (typically) a copy of the game if and when it is completed. It’s a purchase, not an investment. Of those projects that do manage to ship, some will be good games and some will be awful, with most winding up somewhere in the middle. This is the reality of game development in the real world, and projects funded by Kickstarter are no different. The unfortunate truth is that many backers of game projects are buying the ability to wait 18 months to play a mediocre game.”

- The PA Report - The ugly side of Kickstarter: the risks in backing game dev campaigns are greater than you think

"way too many assumptions here. ultimately it is impossible to evaluate this deal until we know the..."

Fri, 13 Apr 2012 08:57:08 -0700

“

way too many assumptions here.

ultimately it is impossible to evaluate this deal until we know the breakdown of cash vs stock for this deal, as well as when the shares vest and what the final price of those shares will be when they vest.

some comparisons are useful, though. amazon paid 775 million (all cash) for kiva systems, a real company that has real assets, revenues, customers, and non-simple technology. fb pays 1bn for 12 employees and 35 million users, the majority of whom were already facebook users.

back in 2006 google spent 1.6 billion, all stock purchase, for youtube. youtube had billions of views per month — literally, billions of views per month — and 67 employees.

not to be overlooked are the VCs turned daytraders who invested in an instagram round a week before flipping to facebook to drive valuation up. short-term flipping is a textbook symptom of a bubble. not hating on short-term traders, they’re just playing the game as it has been distorted and i consider it prudent for them to do so, but this type of price action signals unsustainable price appreciation. daytraders in bubble 1.0, condo flippers in the housing bubble, and now VC flippers in bubble 2.0. history repeats……

”

- kidmercury in his comment to Albert Wenger’s post on Facebook’s acquisition of Instagram. (via caterpillarcowboy)

I just can’t past the whole stock vs cash comment. For a public (or near-public) company: STOCK = CASH. There is NO difference. Public companies ALWAYS pay for acquisitions with cash (mergers, true mergers, are different and swap stock).

(via sawickipedia) Rafer sez: No way. I’d much rather have a buck of fb stock today than a buck in cash. That IPO will be nuts. (via rafer)

There’s also different tax implications depending on cash vs. stock.

(via jryu)

@rafer - facebook paid in stock, but it’s stock is essentially liquid thus a cash equivalent independent of whether you view facebook stock as potentially undervalued. The original post was making a fallacious statement on how a cash buyout was some holier-than-thou better statement about the acquirer b/c they could afford cash.

@Jryu - Yes there are different tax consequences for a merger (stock swap) vs acquisition, but my point is from a financial perspective liquid stock is cash. Whether the acquired company wants cash or stock due to tax or the acquirer wants to pay with stock or cash for say liability reasons, it is not a value judgement but a financial/business consideration.

"Marijuana probably provides less than 25 percent of the cartels’ revenues. Legalizing it would..."

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:27:36 -0700

“

Marijuana probably provides less than 25 percent of the cartels’ revenues. Legalizing it would take perhaps $10 billion from some bad and violent people, but the cartels would still make much more money from cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines than they would lose from marijuana legalization.

Sixteen states and the District of Columbia have legalized “medical marijuana,” a messy, mendacious semi-legalization that breeds cynicism regarding law. In 1990, 24 percent of Americans supported full legalization. Today, 50 percent do. In 2010, in California, where one-eighth of Americans live, 46 percent of voters supported legalization, and some opponents were marijuana growers who like the profits they make from prohibition of their product.

Would the public health problems resulting from legalization be a price worth paying for injuring the cartels and reducing the costs of enforcement? We probably are going to find out.

”

- Opinion | The 80/20 ratio: rethinking America’s drug-control strategy | Seattle Times Newspaper

"way too many assumptions here. ultimately it is impossible to evaluate this deal until we know the..."

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 12:15:49 -0700

“

way too many assumptions here.

back in 2006 google spent 1.6 billion, all stock purchase, for youtube. youtube had billions of views per month — literally, billions of views per month — and 67 employees.

"The Hacker Way may just not be compatible with the Quarterly Way."

Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:22:29 -0700

“The Hacker Way may just not be compatible with the Quarterly Way.”

- Instagram and why Facebook should stay private | Frederic Destin

As a VC, you want Facebook to go public because it increases the relative competitive advantage for new startups if Facebook has to start answering to the Street.

Private companies (startups) will always have this advantage against public companies.

(via jryu)

Facebook’s voting and management structure won’t make it have to answer to Wall St. Facebook is effectively solely operated and controlled by one Mark Zuckerberg. Until that changes it likely won’t matter whether Facebook is public or not.

"Did my position on this issue evolve over the last 12 months? I am not ashamed to admit that it..."

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 09:21:22 -0700

“Did my position on this issue evolve over the last 12 months? I am not ashamed to admit that it certainly did. The more I became educated on the realities of these issues, the more I came to the realization that a mandated technical solution just isn’t mutually compatible with the health of the Internet.”

- Former MPAA tech policy chief Paul Brigner speaking to CNET about SOPA. (via bijan)

"Fifty years ago Bobby Fischer published a famous article, “A Bust to the King’s..."

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 09:07:30 -0700

“Fifty years ago Bobby Fischer published a famous article, “A Bust to the King’s Gambit”, in which he claimed to have refuted this formerly popular opening. Now chess programmer IM Vasik Rajlich has actually done it, with technical means. 3000 processor cores, running for over four months, exhaustively analysed all lines that follow after 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 and came to some extraordinary conclusions.”

- ChessBase.com - Chess News - Rajlich: Busting the King’s Gambit, this time for sure

I just love the problem solving logic inherent in this - fascinating stuff.

50 Seattle Startups Learn from Experience | Computer Training Schools

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:14:25 -0700

50 Seattle Startups Learn from Experience | Computer Training Schools

cdixon: tastefullyoffensive: [via] Yes, I never understood...

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:53:59 -0700

cdixon:

tastefullyoffensive:

[via]

Yes, I never understood why kids don’t have to wear seat belts on buses. Please explain?

Actually classic cost/benefit analysis - the high seats are actually a pretty good safety feature and the addition of seat belts hasn’t been shown to cost effectively reduce injuries. It was a case study in one of my public policy/econ classes back at college.