When the hockey star Sean Avery took an internship at Vogue earlier this summer, the work uniform that the fashion-besotted left wing chose included a shorts suit that showcased his athletic calves.

“Why go to work and be hot?” he asked last week, adding that there was no compelling business reason to look modest and dull on the job. “You can look good and not have that boring-type look,” said Mr. Avery, who signed with the Dallas Stars this summer after several seasons with the Rangers. “Why are women allowed to do it and not men?”

I write a lot about politics so I was a bit amused by the characterization of this style as being borne from “left-wing” thinking in the fashion industry.  Well, it definitely is NOT conservative.. but the style isn’t really “liberal” — it’s just uhh what is the word I’m looking for.

Ahh yes, DUMB.

Well, to each their own I guess. If you’re interested in flirting with getting fired at your top notch law or accounting firm, by all means give it a try. You can read more about this business fashion blunder and the reasoning behind the fashion statement, here.

On Wednesday, LinkedIn will announce that it has raised $53 million in capital, primarily from Bain Capital Ventures, a Boston-based private equity firm. The new financing round values the company at $1 billion. That heady valuation is more than the $580 million that the News Corporation paid for MySpace in 2005, but less than the $15 billion value assigned to Facebook last year when Microsoft bought a minority stake.

According to Science Now,

Many vaccines contain adjuvants, nonspecific agents that help jolt the immune system into action. “Alum,” a term referring broadly to aluminum hydroxide and several aluminum salts, has this effect, as was accidentally discovered in the 1920s. It has been widely used in human vaccines since the 1950s, and it’s still the only adjuvant allowed in the United States. “But we didn’t really have a clue about how it worked,” says immunologist Harm HogenEsch of Purdue University’s School of Veterinary Medicine in West Lafayette, Indiana.

I generally like to know why certain forms of treatment are needed whenever I turn to medical professionals for help.  I guess as long as we ‘know’ it isn’t dangerous, some people are more willing to stick anything in their bodies!

The KC-767 has a superior survivability rating and will have greater operational utility to the joint commander and provide better protection to aircrews that must face real-world threats,” said former U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff and retired Gen. Ronald Fogleman, in a Boeing statement.

 Factoring in two or three days for the bill to arrive, two or three days for the check to get back to AT&T, and a Sunday or two, that leaves three to five days for customers to pay their bills before the angry letters and phone calls begin.

In the age of the Internet, this may seem reasonable because payments should be in on or around the due date, except the problem in this case is that notices of late payment or non-receipt come only a few days before collection harassment officials are notified.

The article is “World Billionaires – 2008” – here’s the list:

Virtual Pressroom

Microsoft Makes Strategic Changes in Technology and Business Practices to Expand Interoperability

February 21, 2008

Microsoft today announced a set of broad-reaching changes to its technology and business practices to increase the openness of its products and drive greater interoperability, opportunity and choice. These changes are codified into four new interoperability principles and corresponding actions: 1) ensuring open connections; 2) promoting data portability; 3) enhancing support for industry standards; and 4) fostering more open engagement with customers and the industry, including open source communities.

The Microsoft site has the details, audio and video highlights of the press release and changes in MS policy.

Engadget published this piece on the cynicism that is widespread in the industry regarding this latest MS statement.

Echoing the reactions of many to Microsoft’s decision to open things up this morning, the European Commission issued a statement this morning saying that while it welcomes any moves towards “genuine interoperability,” it’s not going to believe it until it sees it — it’s counted four similar announcements by Redmond in the past, with nothing to show for it. Of course, Microsoft is currently being investigated for antitrust violations in Europe, so there’s a whispered belief that the new steps are a ploy to derail that process, but that’s pretty doubtful — and the EU’s not having it anyway, saying that “Today’s announcement by Microsoft does not address the tying allegations.”

Meanwhile, the WSJ had commentary on possible motives, but seemed more trusting of the Silicon Valley giant.

Skeptics will argue that it’s a peace offering to regulators in Europe, where Microsoft is under constant scrutiny, and to regulators in the U.S., where a successful acquisition of Yahoo would undergo close scrutiny.

Finally, Venture Beat has an interesting spin on the future of Microsoft that is not laced with spite and distrust as most commentary on the story.

With Ray Ozzie taking over as chief software architect for the departing Bill Gates, there is certainly a chance the company actually means to change its ways going forward. Ozzie, a veteran of Lotus Notes and Groove, two collaboration-based applications, would seem to have a mindset more in line with the open Internet. However, as they say, actions speak louder than words.

Here are a few links from Yahoo’s Tech section that could come in handy if you need to catch up on the drama:

In response to eBay’s recent announcement that it would no longer allow sellers to leave negative feedback for buyers, the uproar has been deafening. How deafening? So loud that a boycott has been planned, set to begin tomorrow on February 18, 2008 and run for (at least) a week.

The article seems to suggest that the boycott won’t last because there are few other options available for merchants.  I’d tend to agree with the author and I think in the end this is the right thing to do for consumers.  If certain consumers act in bad faith, it’s easy to report them or even take legal action if necessary.   You can read more about this issue, here:  “eBay Boycott Begins Tomorrow: Will it work?“

Well, one expert thinks this is not a good route for venture capitalism to take.

Paul S. Kedrosky, a venture capitalist and the author of the Infectious Greed blog, said that his industry was indeed inefficient at picking winners; typically, 90 percent of venture investments are not home runs. But he does not particularly trust a company that professes to be able to do better than venture capitalists.

Kedrosky makes an excellent point about the value of such a start-up company to venture capital firms:

“If their tool did such a good job, they’d raise a fund themselves and beat the tar out of us,” Mr. Kedrosky said. “It’s hard to imagine what their mathematical combination of factors is.”

In essence, these young entrepreneurs are taking a risk that may only pay off for their start-up by sucking in investors that are intrigued with the idea of simplifying the start-up process.  What’s the big deal anyway, millions are thrown away on useless companies.. if this one pans out it could investors billions in the future.   The question is, can you put your faith and future in the hands of two young guns from the valley?

Bob Goodson, left, and Kirill Makharinsky  Photography: NY Times / Peter DaSilva

They apparently have some big supporters backing them up.

YouNoodle’s financial backers include Paypal co-founders Max Levchin and Peter Thiel, and the Founders Fund, a venture capital firm.

In addition to the  venture prediction tools, the company is working on a network for early-stage companies and will provide tools to create business plan competitions, business school classes and more.  While these tools will be free, entrepreneurs exchange their private data to help refine the predictor algorithm.  If you’re not sold on the idea, it’s ok, you can try out a watered down version of their software and pay the bucks after you’ve given it a try.

Now for the funny part:  Can YouNoodle predict its own success?

“So far, we haven’t run ourselves through it,” Mr. Goodson said, adding that the results could prove baffling. “If it says we’ll fail, and it’s right, that’s something of a paradox.”

Considering that 90% of ventures tend to fail, I’m betting that the tool would give it little chance of hitting a home run, but hey.. I’m just human what do I know?  I don’t plan on investing in young start-ups any time soon, but if you are, you may want to check them out.  YouNoodle

First and foremost, online ads are ineffective because, point blank, people are programmed to ignore and look past them. This is largely due to the active nature of web-browsing.

T.V vs. Internet

When people watch TV, they passively sit there as information is displayed across the screen. Watching TV is akin to saying “I’m going to sit down here, not think, and just absorb whatever is on the screen.” Internet browsing, however, is a much more involved activity, and one that puts the user in complete control. Instead of passively sitting on the couch, you’re actively browsing through a variety of websites, mouse in hand. Because of that, advertisements on the web are seen as a nuiscance, an intrusion of sorts. Rightly or wrongly, people have not accepted ads on the Internet in the way that they accept commercials on TV, and as a result, ads on the web are rarely absorbed and are mostly tuned out as people ignore them.
Confined Space

A problem with web advertising, as opposed to other mediums, is that ads on the web don’t exist within their own separate space. As opposed to Magazine or Television ads, online ads sit side by side next to the content, and because of that, there is only so much you can do with an online ad. Advertisers operate within such a confined space that the odds of producing a riveting and memorable ad is practically zero. Some websites have had moderate success with placing ads on digital media, such as being forced to watch 2-3 commercials on ABC.Com if you want to watch one of their Television shows online, but that example, not surprisingly, is related to TV. Watching 2-3 30 second commercials in exchange for watching LOST is something most consumers can agree to. On the other hand, ads emblazoned on web articles are lost in the shuffle and largely ignored because consumers feel they have a right to access web content for free with no hassle. Some companies have realized the futility of the banner ad and some websites have started showing full page ads before redirecting you to the article you were searching for – but there is always a button that says “Click here to skip this Ad” and undoubtedly the majority of websurfers click it. At best, a company might have some success with targeted ads, but even those are often ineffective as a marketing tool.

Does Volume overcome all?

Some successful websites generate over a million hits a day, and some argue that the general ineffectiveness of web ads is counteracted by the sheer volume of people who use the web. They claim that even if only .001% of users see and click on an ad, .001% of an insanely large viewing number becomes significant. This is a valid argument, but killing consumers on a volume basis has never proven to be an effective means of advertising. Another problem is the fact that up to 50% of ad click throughs are done by 6% of Internet surfers, otherwise known as serial clickers.

But aren’t companies and people making millions off of ads?

Yes, Google and co. are making millions off of online ads. But where is that money coming from? It’s coming from corporations who don’t necessarily understand the web and feel that any advertising is good advertising. I’ve been browsing the web for over 10 years and can’t remember more than 2 online advertisements that I’ve ever seen. In contrast, I could probably name 5 commercials that I’ve seen on TV in the last week.

Many companies are under the impression that online advertising is the next big thing. They assume that people will see their ads on blogs and popular websites, and in turn, their company will gain exposure leading to an increase in business and profitability. But online advertising doesn’t create exposure because the online medium is not conducive to advertising in any way, shape, or form.

Online Ads are like Casinos
Casinos make a ton of money because, in the end, the house always wins. That’s not to say that you can’t make money gambling, a lot of people do. But generally speaking, the average gambler is not going to come out on top. When it comes to online ads, Google and Microsoft are the Casinos. They’re gong to be making money and the Corporations are the gambling addicts who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars today, but will soon cure their addiction tomorrow when they see that the expected increase in brand awareness and profitiablity is non-existant or not even close to what they expected.

The Future of Online Advertising

Some say that because the internet is the future, that online advertising is the future. While that makes for a great tagline, companies will have to figure out how to do ads correctly before online advertising actually becomes effective. The advertising paradox, however, is that a good online ad is one that people don’t notice is there. So until someone figures out how to do online ads correctly, the underlying problem with internet advertising will continue to rear its ugly head — that being that the online medium simply doesn’t lend itself to creativity when full page ads are seen as nothing more than an intrusion. At the end of the day, people ignore ads, look past them, and forget that they were even there.

Well, some new research suggests that up to 50% of the clicks on advertisements are done by serial clickers.   These people make up 6% of the total Internet population, but their attention is grabbed by ads in a way that overwhelms and throws off previous research on the topic.  With a potential 6% of Internet surfers responsible for 50% of the clicks online, does that make branding and CPM ads that more important?  The research claims that although this small percentage of Internet users are online for hours more than others, they are not as likely to purchase the goods after they click.

The average salary of these surfers — that in my non-professional opinion I’d attribute to OCD — is below 40,000 / year.

The study was carried out by the media agency Starcom USA, behavioral targeting network Tacoda, and digital consumer insight company comScore.  They worked on research that would study click-through rates, their source, and the effect it has on online advertising.

The study reveals that a very small group of consumers who are not representative of the total U.S. online population is accountable for the vast majority of display ad click-through behavior. 

This is an interesting story because online advertising is such a hot topic right now and every major Silicon Valley company is trying to gain ground in a market that Google currently dominates.

While many online media companies use click-through rate as an ad negotiation currency, the study shows that heavy clickers are not representative of the general public. In fact, heavy clickers skew towards Internet users between the ages of 25-44 and households with an income under $40,000.

Their relatively younger age tells us a lot about their behavior alone.  I’d imagine that this group is the prime targeting group for marketers as they probably tend to be more impulsive and more easily distracted from the content by animations and vivid marketing visuals.

Heavy clickers behave very differently online than the typical Internet user, and while they spend four times more time online than non-clickers, their spending does not proportionately reflect this very heavy Internet usage. Heavy clickers are also relatively more likely to visit auctions, gambling, and career services sites – a markedly different surfing pattern than non-clickers.

While this may be seen as a ‘negative’ because conversion rates are low, it’s an obvious benefit to the ad serving companies like Google because they can leverage the additional hits for CPM ads and also use the inflated hit count to negotiate better deals.  As far as CPM ads are concerned, the analysis that came about as a result of the research did not allow them to conclude that there is a correlation between  branding and click ratios.

Starcom data suggests no correlation between display ad clicks and brand metrics, and show no connection between measured attitude towards a brand and the number of times an ad for that brand was clicked.

Of course, advertisers will probably use this data to try and shift the burden on ad servers to yield better production or reflect this fact in the price.  It’ll be interesting to see if any companies budge on this matter, though, since Google itself dominates the industry and has a virtual monopoly on online quality ads and sites.  They are also cutting down on spam sites and domain parking exploitation of ad serving — although not entirely, as Google has deals w/ companies like Go-daddy to serve their ads.

“There is more and more emphasis by advertisers for greater return-on-objectives in campaigns, particularly in the digital space where the accountability data is so readily available,“ says Starcom USA Director of Connections Research and Analytics Grant Prentice. “Natural Born Clickers shows us that we can’t count on click-through rate as our primary success metric for display ads; Starcom is more reliant on shifts in brand attitude metrics and analytics tying on-line exposure to sales as the true measures of online advertising efficacy.” 

This doesn’t mean a whole lot because of how ad publishing works though.  Basically the market decides how much each click is worth, marketing agencies and departments have to decide how much they are willing to pay for targeted traffic.  Sometimes branding is more important than selling products, especially early on and CPM might actually be less effective than a CPC type model.

 “While the click can continue to be a relevant metric for direct response advertising campaigns, this study demonstrates that click performance is the wrong measure for the effectiveness of brand-building campaigns,” said Erin Hunter, executive vice president at comScore.

“For many campaigns, the branding effect of the ads is what’s really important and generating clicks is more of an ancillary benefit. Ultimately, judging a campaign’s effectiveness by clicks can be detrimental because it overlooks the importance of branding while simultaneously drawing conclusions from a sub-set of people who may not be representative of the target audience.”

I  know that bloggers and small business providers are usually at the bottom of the food chain when it comes to their revenue interests, but it sure would be nice if research would yield results that benefits the little guy, too!  In my view, I don’t think advertisers are paying enough for sites with quality content.  If they want to pay peanuts then serve their ads at spam sites.  For producers of strong original content maybe the big boys should consider raising prices based on venue. This may actually encourage higher quality content online rather than mass producing garbage sites to make a dime off unsuspecting Internet users.

Dell’s move caused a stir online that the company tried to tamp down.  A spokesman, David Frink, called the development — which Dell disclosed to consumers on the company’s Web site — “not even all that interesting.”

“We regularly adjust our product offerings and how customers can purchase those products,” he said. “The majority of our consumer AMD-based systems are available through our retail partners and telephone sales.”

This helps to explain why Apple has chosen to account for iPhone sales on a subscription basis, choosing to amortize the phones over a 24 month period.  In doing so, Apple can provide iPhone users with new features without having to charge them.

Apple is planning to further expand its worldwide retail presence by opening up stores in Germany, Switzerland, Australia and Mexico.

This is a significant move as Apple’s retail stores have been an integral part of Apple’s resurgence and in the company’s meteoric stock performance over the past 4 years.  Apple’s retail stores account for approximately 20% of its revenue, and not only that, but they also generate revenue that comes in at more than $4,025 per square foot, besting typical leaders such as Tiffany’s and Best Buy by as much as $3000 per square foot.

Apple currently operates over 200 retail stores in the U.S., Great Britain, Canada, Ireland, and Japan.

Yahoo’s board has decided Microsoft’s $31-per-share offer “massively undervalues” the company, according to a report in The Wall Street Journal. Yahoo is expected to formally reject Microsoft’s offer, the Journal reported.

“Massively undervalues” tells me that it is a negotiation tactic.  The reason I believe this is the case is because when the news of Steve Ballmer’s offer was spreading like wildfire, Yahoo’s stock was in the process of a massive decline over the prior year and down under $20.  A company of Yahoo’s standing and success, branding and prominence in the Silicon Valley and globally, has the right to argue that it is worth much more than $31 a share.  Usually, initial offers are either low-ball offers to test the waters, or made to get the negotiation process rolling and expect to pay a premium over that offer price.

It looks like from here on out, it’s a lawyer’s game and I expect Microsoft might bite or maybe make an offer between $35 and $38 dollars a share.  What Yahoo suggests may sound like pocket change in the grand scheme of things for Microsoft, but I am sure the Silicon Valley giant will consider its options and inevitably acquire Yahoo.  The only way this falls through is if a bidding war breaks out with another company that can afford Yahoo.  At that point all bets are off.  One thing is certain, Yahoo is sitting pretty in all of this and I’m pretty sure the board isn’t going to blow this one — stockholders and employees should prepare to celebrate.

If some Mississippi legislators had their way, they’d put forth a law that would ban obese people from being served at restaurants.

State Rep. John Read, a Republican who is one of the bill’s three authors, says he wasn’t trying to offend anybody and never even expected the plan to become law.

“I was trying to shed a little light on the No. 1 problem in Mississippi.”

This may sound humorous as you read along, but this isn’t a spoof.  Obesity is a real problem with consequences for Americans and we’ve been unable to solve this growing epidemic without the use of drugs or surgery to solve the issue.  Of course, exercise and dieting is ideal, but helping to fight obesity isn’t like having the flu or acquiring a chronic disease that can be cured drinking a Slimfast(tm) every morning.

The question that should be asked is whether the Republican Representative crossed the line by proposing such legislation.  If you take him at his word that this was not a serious proposal, but intended to shed light on a serious problem in Mississipi, then maybe he has done his state a great service.  Obesity is much like other sensitive subjects, e.g. Affirmative Action.  No one wants to talk about it because it is a pretty prickly subject and people get hurt in the process no matter which way you roll on the issue.

Steve Holland, the Democratic chairman of the House Public Health and Human Services Committee, said in a statement he will “pocket veto” the bill. “It’s dead on arrival at my desk.”  Although he appreciates the “efforts of my fellow House members to help curb the obesity problem in Mississippi, this is totally the wrong approach.”

How can you not laugh at the public press that the issue is receiving?  First, you have a candidate with the gall to put forth such an ‘idea’, then you have a Democrat coming out to fight the ‘good fight’ and defending the rights of the obese.   Way to stick up for the little… errr, big guy? Again,this is a serious problem so why are we walking on eggshells to get to the heart of the problem?  Eventually, it may be policy makers that help America shed the weight.

About one-third of Americans are obese (30 or more pounds over a healthy weight), and 66% are overweight or obese. Even so, obesity experts are outraged by the bill.  “It would be hard to concoct something more ridiculous,” says Kelly Brownell, director of Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity.

I’m no Yale expert and I haven’t spent my life studying the problems with obesity like Mr. Brownell, but maybe it is good to call a spade a spade?  Instead of dealing with emotions that inevitably arise out of the hate and frustration, self-esteem problems and depression, maybe we should focus on the problem itself and find ways to encourage the masses to help combat the problem?  Maybe this noise will help push obese people to stay away from the super-size or learn more about all the foods and drinks that are most dangerous to our health.

I don’t want to be insensitive about the issue, but it’s just not a simple problem to solve.  Showing love and support isn’t everyone’s forte, so it’s a futile effort to try and control what politicians, celebrities and ‘experts’ say.  The problems that stem from humiliation, shame and guilt are not trivial and it does offend and hurt some people:

“This brings bias against obese individuals to a new and appalling level, and at a time when significant progress is being made in the effort to stop blaming obesity on the people who have it and to address the social and political conditions that drive it.

Again, I cannot agree with the expert, it seems he’s too involved and has a hard time being objective.  In my view, it never really is about blaming obese people, most people don’t think of it in those terms unless you push the issue.  How often do you think “maybe he should stop eating, doesn’t he have self-control?”  Most Americans don’t go about their lives thinking, “darn, she sure is fat, why doesn’t she just exercise or go on a diet?!”

If anything, the question most Americans are asking is “Am I fat and what can I do to keep myself looking good.”  Sadly, the same areas of society that encourage obesity indirectly (e.g. super models, strip clubs, television and Hollywood) are also the ones that discourage people from eating that extra french fry.   It’s easy to blame these vices on the problem of teenage anorexia, but in my view, both anorexia and morbidly  obese people are also suffering from severe mental disease or stress and require the help of a mental health expert in addition to a physical fitness expert.

“Are these legislators fighting to get rid of soft drinks in schools? Are they working to stop the relentless marketing of unhealthy foods to children? Are they doing anything about the fact that poor people do not have access to healthy foods?”

This is the best argument made against legislators who would dare bring up obesity under such crass legislative proposals.

Restaurants and Corporations Encourage America’s Obesity Problem

Consumers are provided incentive to purchase fatty foods because they cost a lot less than the ‘premium’ low-calorie foods.  Fast food restaurants are serving up individual meals that have as much as 50 to 75% of a typical calorie intake for the day and maybe doubling or tripling the fat intake.  Consumers do have a responsibility to moderate their intake, but with obesity you have a special self-perpetuating cycle of guilt.  People eat to deal with stress, they eat to socialize with co-workers, eat to handle depression and settle impulsive behaviors that would best be handled by psychiatric help.

While this is a problem that involves many factors, people have to be careful not to entirely shed the blame of obesity on society.  Society is part of the problem, there is no doubt about that.  We have to remain cognizant of the fact that shedding personal responsibility might be one of the biggest reasons that combating obesity has become so difficult to solve.  It won’t be long before pharmaceutical companies or scientists design a solution that won’t increase the risk of heart failure or death.  Until that happens, it is the duty of all Americans to help fend off this problem and it starts with YOU.

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In reverse order, here are a few videos that show without a doubt that Steve Ballmer and Yahoo are a perfect match.  I mean, could you argue that there is a bigger Yahoo in silicon valley than Steve Ballmer?  I didn’t think so!

#5 The iPhone… what a joke, that concept will never fly!

Click here to view the embedded video.

#4 Steve Ballmer gets pwn’d

Click here to view the embedded video.

#3  Remember when Redmond introduced its latest product to flop? Microsoft Deodorant

Click here to view the embedded video.

#2 In the 80s, did anyone predict Ballmer would be the CEO of a multinational corporation?

Click here to view the embedded video.

#1 Steve Ballmer, I’ve got four words for ya:  Prozac!

Click here to view the embedded video.

So is there any doubt now that Steve Ballmer’s era of MS is a match for Yahoo? I didn’t think so.

Speculation is mounting that Google is plotting the launch of a mobile phone in partnership with computer giant Dell.

For the sake of innovation and the competition in the market that mobile niche that Apple currently dominates, let’s hope that Google and Dell can get it together on this potential alliance!

Senior industry sources claim the two companies will reveal their plans at next month’s 3GSM telecoms conference in Barcelona, al-though Google insiders deny an announcement is due in the near future.  But the rumors will once again throw the spotlight on Google’s mobile strategy, which has been the subject of much conjecture over the last year.  There had been widespread talk of Google launching its own handset, known as the “Gphone”, to go up against Apple’s iPhone, which launched in November last year.

We may be dealing with rumors and hype, but it seems that the rumors of Google’s interest in the mobile market are all consistent with their desire to launch their own  handset and mobile software.

Google recently announced its operating system for mobile phones, dubbed “Android.”  The purpose of the software is to create a platform for developers to create mobile applications that will easily run on handsets.

Dell might see the potential of expanding its reach into this market and it’s an interesting storyline given that Apple and Dell have a cute little rivalry going on that Apple is easily winning at this point.

There was a time when Yahoo! melting into Microsoft seemed laughable. After all, they were two different companies with two different cultures and two different visions. Now with everyone chasing Google, many are proclaiming that this deal makes a lot of sense. Google currently has such a huge lead in search that it dwarfs Microsoft and Yahoo! put together. But is there any reason to think that Microsoft and Yahoo! can accomplish together what they weren’t able to accomplish on their own?

One interesting aspect to this deal, however, are the reasons underlying Microsofts offer. Does Microsoft really feel that this offer to purchase Yahoo! will really “synergize” the company and lead to some great new products and/or services? Does it geniunely feel that a Microsoft/Yahoo! combo can give Google a run for its money? Or, is Microsoft, which is lagging severely behind Google, completely out of ideas. Is buying Yahoo! a hail-mary attempt by Microsoft to catch up with a company that it can’t compete with otherwise? Microsoft has a history of trying to catch up to where the competition IS, instead of focusing on where an particular industry is headed for in the future. I would hope that a Microsoft-Yahoo! deal, should it go through, would result in innovative and original ideas that range beyond simple re-branding.

In my opinion, however, Super Bowl commercials have lost their relevance.  Why?  Well, in case you aren’t already aware, we are now bombarded with advertisements at every corner and every turn.  In turn, it’s getting increasingly difficult for today’s consumer to be that impressed with a commercial.  After all, we’re exposed to media advertising nearly every waking hour.  With the cost of Super Bowl advertising getting costlier every year, it makes sense that only some of the biggest name-brands would be willing to shell out the cash necessary for a 30 second spot.

And that, I feel, is what has caused a general ‘blandness’ to envelop what was once a showcase for the best ads on the planet.  With only a few companies being able to compete for the most sought after spots during the Super Bowl, it only makes sense that the commercials that make it to air aren’t necessarily the best in show.  Rather, they are the best in show for the companies that actually afford a Super Bowl spot in the first place. They’re still great commercials, but I feel that the day of the Super Bowl commercial as a defining marketing tool is a thing of the past.

From USA Today: 

Domino’s claims the system is accurate to within 40 seconds, regardless of whether you placed your order online or by phone. The only thing that won’t be tracked is the actual journey of the pizza from the store to your house, but Domino’s will give you the exact time your pizza left the store.

Honestly, with the resources of a large corporation, tracking pizza and other delivery outlets can’t be far behind.  Set up a network that tracks devices on all company vehicles and allow users to see the delivery online.  That would be a nice marketing gimmick and whoever does it first will probably make a pretty buck off of the advertising campaign that follows.

Rival Pizza Hut is unimpressed. PizzaHut.com already provides an estimated time when customers will receive their orders, says Bob Kraut, vice president of marketing.

Way to try and take the wind out of their sails, Pizza Hut!  You’re just jealous!  On a side note, I don’t know that the technology is going to compensate for the ‘bleh’ pizza at their regular prices, but I guess for Super Bowl parties it really doesn’t matter.

According to the Wall Street Journal:

Microsoft Corp. offered $44.6 billion to buy Yahoo Inc., in a bold attempt to dramatically expand its online business and compete more effectively with Google Inc. in services ranging from email to Internet advertising sales.

Adding to the drama, here’s the best part of it all — Microsoft decides to bully it’s rival:

The offer was made in a letter sent Thursday by Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to Yahoo’s board of directors. One person familiar with the matter said that Microsoft decided to “go hostile” with its bid within the last few weeks after Yahoo ignored its latest overtures.

The offer, $31 a share in cash and stock, is a 62% premium to Thursday’s closing price.

Aside from a larger market share on internet search, Yahoo may have a leg up with their YPN ad publisher program.  Additionally, Yahoo stock has been plummeting and with rumors of previous flirting between the silicon valley giants, it seems like now is a good time for Yahoo to consider such an offer.  Though, I don’t know if you can call it flirting if one party seems consistently interested and the other is generally turned off by the proposition.

Not surprising, but the Dow is reacting positively to the news. 

 Google takes a stand against exploiting domain names for profit

Google’s AdSense program would exclude those names so no one can generate advertising revenue from claiming them temporarily, a practice known as domain name tasting — the online equivalent of buying expensive clothes on a charge card only to return them for a full refund after wearing them to a party.

“We believe that this policy will have a positive impact for users and domain purchasers across the Web,” Google spokesman Brandon McCormick said.

Name tasting exploits a grace period originally designed to rectify legitimate mistakes, such as registrants mistyping the domain name they are about to buy. But with automation and a burgeoning online advertising market, entrepreneurs have generated big bucks exploiting the policy to test hoards of names, keeping just the ones that turn out to generate the most revenue.

Oddly enough, one of the major criticisms of Google’s empire is that it is quick to profit off of such kiting schemes.  It looks like the higher ups have had a change of heart and Google can now claim once again to be a proud member of the “Do No Evil” society.

Within the Church of Scientology, you are taught that Scientology is the one and only solution to all mankind’s problems, and during this narrow window of opportunity in mankind’s history it is possible to “clear the planet” (ie give everybody auditing) and save humanity from itself. Most other goals pale in comparison and anything that detracts from Scientology, or its expansion is in essence a mortal sin against humanity. This belief is strong enough to get people sign up the Sea Organization [wikipedia.org] (LRH’s private navy) on a billion year contract (ie you are in for the long haul… and not just this lifetime)

Anyone who attacks the church is either a suppressive person (2.5% of the population who are evil – think Hitler), PTS due to a connection to an SP (Potential Trouble Source – 20% of the population), or has committed various other overts and withholds (ie sins and secrets) and it trying to justify their own actions by making the Scientology seem less (because if you admitted to yourself that Scientology was the “one and only solution” then your otherwise small crime would have to weigh fairly heavily on your conscience). Anyone who commits various sins and suppressive acts, will be subconsciously aware of this, and slowly do themselves in (ie get sick, have an accident) to prevent themselves from committing more crimes.

You can read the insightful comment in detail at slashdot: “Internet Group Declares War on Scientology”

L Ron Hubbard is rumored to have suggested that the best way to make money is Religion, that’s where the money’s at!  Whether he said it or not, that is so damned true.  People will pour millions of dollars into any religion that is ‘legitimized’ by the masses.  In the case of Scientology, it has become a life philosophy for the rich and powerful to learn to hone their “skills” and improve their lifestyles.

A funny thing happened the last time Apple released its earnings.  Looking forward to Q1 2008, Apple, which is notoriously conservative when it comes to earnings guidance, projected an aggressive EPS of $1.42 a share.  With Apple’s conference call set for tomorrow, analysts are expecting an EPS of $1.60.   And when all is said and done, look for Apple to release earnings tomorrow that will blow both of those numbers out of the water.

Though its stock price might indicate otherwise, Apple has never been better positioned to succeed, improve, and impress.  Apple’s line of Macbook laptops are selling at a record pace.  The iphone turned the telecommunications industry on its head and was able to garner an impressive share of the smartphone market in less than 8 months.  Apple stores are constantly packed with customers, its lineup of ipods has never been more diverse, and that’s just the beginning of the story.

How does this translate into higher earnings? 

1) iPods

Put simply, Apple is selling more ipods than anyone could have anticipated last October, save perhaps Apple.  For months, analysts were droning on about how the market for mp3 players was becoming saturated and that everyone who wanted an ipod most likely already had one.  What no one envisioned was just how popular Apple’s newest line of mp3 players (the ipod Touch and the updated ipod nano) would sell.  Even as I write this now on Wednesday afternoon, 5 of the top 8 items on Amazon’s bestselling electronics list are ipods.  Wall Street is expecting ipod sales of around 24 million units, but don’t be surprised to see Apple with a number close to, if not more than, 25 million units sold. 

Apple has been successful in continuously introducing new ipod models.  But more importantly, each new ipod model has something more to offer when compared against earlier models.  This is what continues to drive the phenomenal sales growth of Apple’s lineup of music players and what will undoubtedly be the reason why ipod sales will be larger than expected.

2) Macs

Looking past the mp3 player market, Apple’s refreshed line of imac desktop computers are also selling at an unprecedented rate.  In a recent note about Apple, RBC said that 25% of Best Buy representatives contacted noted that Macs were the number one selling PC at their stores.  This is an impressive number considering that Apple only accounts for 3 or so percent of the OS market share.  With that said, the bulk of Apple’s Mac revenue will be coming from its fleet of notebook computers, the macbook and macbook pro.  Just this summer, reports came out showing that 1 out of every 6 laptops purchased is a Mac and there is no reason to think that this trend was any different this past holiday season.

Apple’s Leopard (OS X.5) operating system has also been selling extremely well, and has decidedly outpaced sales of its previous operating system, Tiger (OS X.4).  Leopard was released this past October and it was impossible to predict how the release (which was delayed) would turn out.  Would there be bugs?  Would users care about its new features?  In fact, the release of Leopard was initially delayed so that Apple could devote more of its resources towards the iphone rollout in June ‘07, and there were definitely some questions as to whether or not Leopard was even polished enough to be released.  As it turns out, Leopard has been a resounding success.  Though there have been a few bumps along the way, users are by and large happy with Leopard and can expect to see a slew of  free incremental updates to the OS in the next few months.  Tellingly, a recent report noted that in the last month and a half, 81% of Apple buyers indicated that they were happy with their purchase of a Leopard loaded computer..  In comparison, around 50% of Windows XP owners were satisfied with their purchase, and only around 25% of Vista owners were pleased with theirs.

When you take all of this together, it’s clear that Apple desktop and notebook sales are surging.  Leopard is also selling extremely well, and might even be behind the explosive growth in Macs this past quarter.  That said, expect to see stronger than expected Mac sales announced tomorrow.

3) iPhone

Steve Jobs recently announced at Macworld that Apple has already sold 4 million iphones.  Wall Street was seemingly unimpressed as it was hoping for sales of 5 million.  The fact of the matter is that the 5 million magic number was never a goal of Apple’s nor even desired by Wall Street analysts.  “5 million iphones sold” was a rumor that made its way around the net with no substantive evidence to back it up.  What Apple has stated, however, is that it would like to sell 10 million iphones by the end of 2008, and before 2008 even began, Apple had almost reached 50% of its goal.

Apple is likely to see impressive iphone sales this past quarter given its recent and controversial price cut, coupled with sales overseas.  While there are reports out of Britain that the iphone is selling a little bit more lightly than expected, sales in other countries, such as France, are doing significantly better than expected.  All in all, the margins on Apple iphone’s are pretty high, and when one factors into the equation the monthly stream of revenue Apple receives from AT&T, Apple’s bottom line is looking pretty good this quarter.

Conclusion

Apple’s initial guidance was $ 1.42 a share on revenue of $9.42 billion, with Wall Street expecting an EPS of $1.60.  Given all of the above, however, look for Apple to destroy those earnings estimates with an EPS closer to $1.83 dollars a share and revenue well above $9.5 billion.  There is no doubt that Mac computers, ipods, and iphones are selling extremely well, and after tomorrow’s earnings report we’ll see that they’ve been selling even better than anyone could have anticipated. 

A young Steve Jobs announced the arrival of the Macintosh computer.

Click here to view the embedded video.

ScienceDaily (Jan. 9, 2008)

The new study documents a dramatic and unprecedented therapeutic effect in an Alzheimer’s patient: improvement within minutes following delivery of perispinal etanercept, which is etanercept given by injection in the spine. Etanercept (trade name Enbrel) binds and inactivates excess TNF. Etanercept is FDA approved to treat a number of immune-mediated disorders and is used off label in the study.

Positive and strong reversal effects within minutes? That seems highly improbable, but scientists have shown that this medication seems promising and is very real.

“It is unprecedented that we can see cognitive and behavioral improvement in a patient with established dementia within minutes of therapeutic intervention,” said Griffin. “It is imperative that the medical and scientific communities immediately undertake to further investigate and characterize the physiologic mechanisms involved. This gives all of us in Alzheimer’s research a tremendous new clue about new avenues of research, which is so exciting and so needed in the field of Alzheimer’s. Even though this report predominantly discusses a single patient, it is of significant scientific interest because of the potential insight it may give into the processes involved in the brain dysfunction of Alzheimer’s.”

While the article discusses one patient, many other patients with mild to severe Alzheimer’s received the treatment and all have shown sustained and marked improvement.

The new study, entitled “Rapid cognitive improvement in Alzheimer’s disease following perispinal etanercept administration,” and the accompanying commentary, entitled “Perispinal etanercept: Potential as an Alzheimer’s therapeutic,” are available on the Web site of the Journal of Neuroinflammation.

The Countrywide Financial Corporation fabricated documents related to the bankruptcy case of a Pennsylvania homeowner, court records show, raising new questions about the business practices of the giant mortgage lender at the center of the subprime mess.

The documents — three letters from Countrywide addressed to the homeowner — claimed that the borrower owed the company $4,700 because of discrepancies in escrow deductions. Countrywide’s local counsel described the letters to the court as “recreated,” raising concern from the federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the case, Thomas P. Agresti.

“These letters are a smoking gun that something is not right in Denmark,” Judge Agresti said in a Dec. 20 hearing in Pittsburgh.

The emergence of the fabricated documents comes as Countrywide confronts a rising tide of complaints from borrowers who claim that the company pushed them into risky loans. The matter in Pittsburgh is one of 300 bankruptcy cases in which Countrywide’s practices have come under scrutiny in western Pennsylvania.

Just another case of unchecked corporations behaving badly.

“The technology exists right now to move cars without a driver,” Mr. Fosgard said, adding that a self-driving vehicle would “know where all the vehicles are around it, dramatically reduce accidents and even reduce congestion.”

G.M. hopes that the prospect of a driverless car will make the company, which has struggled to shed its image as a lumbering industrial-age behemoth, appear more cutting-edge.

The vehicle that G.M. is showing this week won a contest sponsored by the Defense Department that required vehicles to drive themselves for 60 miles in a mock urban setting. The government believes this type of technology can dramatically reduce traffic deaths, most of which occur as a result of human error.

Full article: “GM to show a vehicle that drives by itself.“

The SCO group filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy and will be delisted from Nasdaq and trading suspended as of this morning.

The SCO Group, Inc. (”SCO”) (Nasdaq: SCOX – News), a leading provider of UNIX® software technology and mobile services, today announced that it received a Nasdaq Staff Determination letter on December 21, 2007 indicating that as a result of having filed for protection under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code, the Nasdaq Listing Qualifications Panel has determined to delist the company’s securities from the Nasdaq Stock Market and will suspend trading of the securities effective at the open of business on Thursday, December 27, 2007.

I don’t write about issues related to film and entertainment that much, but this story is too funny to pass up. To be honest, I know very little about Jessica Simpson other than she looks great in a Bikini.

Her hot bod wasn’t enough to bring the perverts or the ladies to see her latest flick, though! Blonde Ambition averaged $48 per screen on Friday for a total box office of $384. Based on an $8 ticket price, it means 6 people paid to see the movie at each theater (avg) and only 48 people went to see the flick.

Ouch! I guess that’s what she gets for distracting the Dallas Cowboys last week! In case you’re not a sports fan, they lost for only the second time this season to the lowly Philadelphia Eagles — at home!

Coffee Drinkers’ 1,013 Good Deeds

MARYSVILLE, Wash. (AP) — One woman’s kindness to a fellow Starbucks patron resulted in more than a thousand others spreading the holiday-season generosity in this northwest Washington town. A regular patron at the chain had paid for the person in line behind her a few times before, according to The Everett Herald. But on Wednesday, her good deed set off a chain of 1,013 customers paying for the next person’s drink.

Many coffee shop patrons tacked on an extra $10 or $20, which shift manager Sarah Nix said Starbucks Corp. will donate to its ongoing holiday toy drive.

This is such a nice story to read during a holiday season that is burdened by a weakened economy and the never-ending War in Iraq. From a business standpoint, it’s great for Starbucks too.. makes me want to go out and buy a nice warm coffee.

Would anyone seriously want to use their phone to film a video response to someone dropping a turkey? Do the creators of this ad really think that people talk like this: “Busted!”? And call me cynical, but I’d be somewhat surprised if this feature works as quickly and as simply as it seems to work in the commercial. All too frequently, companies attempt to cram in as many features as possible into their devices without ever stopping to think of whether or not people would actually have any practical use for it. This might be a perfect example of that. Maybe I’m needlessly ranting here, but take a look for yourself and see. DISCLAIMER: I find the girl in this commercial to be extremely annoying, so perhaps that’s clouding my better judgment.

Life changes when the money starts rolling in, corporate profits and greed corrupts, what else is new?

Two privacy groups filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission today asking the commission’s chairwoman, Deborah Platt Majoras, to recuse herself from the commission’s review of Google’s merger with DoubleClick.

Ms. Majoras’s husband, John M. Majoras, works at Jones Day, a law firm representing DoubleClick as the merger is considered. Ms. Majoras also worked at Jones Day.

Privacy groups have been fighting Google’s proposed acquisition of DoubleClick, an ad-serving company, because they say it would give Google access to too much data about Web users. The Center for Digital Democracy and the Electronic Privacy Information Center jointly filed the complaint today. The two organizations have filed other complaints about the proposed merger.

Jones Day announced that it was representing DoubleClick on Nov. 17, long after the commission began considering the deal. Google announced the $3.1 billion deal with DoubleClick in April.

I’m not sure what the answer is to this DoubleClick drama, but Google needs to fess up if they screwed up on this.  Google ad sense currently has bloggers and small businesses by the balls, pardon my French.  They own online PPC marketing and advertising and their only competition is the “bottom feeding” affiliates and crappy porn advertising companies like Ad Brite.

I’d like to see Google become good.  I have no problem with them making tons of money off of it either, but right now they have a bad operation going on and something has to give.

Click here to view the embedded video.

If you want to hate on Microsoft some more, read my angry “Microsoft and Windows sucks” article and add your own experiences.

“My husband and I were having a conversation about what foods could and could not be made better with the addition of bacon. Sure, that was a good salad, but it would have been so much better with bacon. That was a delicious baked potato.. I wish it had some bacon on it. You know what was missing from breakfast this morning?- bacon. I think we’ve come up with so many foods which bacon can enhance, that we really were wondering what foods it wouldn’t.”

A woman after my own heart! I know what you’re thinking right now, “oh no, they didn’t…”

Yes, yes they DID!

Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies with Bacon

I just about fell out of my chair when I saw the beautiful cookies.

I was excited and I wanted to share the news of chocolate chip bacon cookies with my friends. Only one problem, all of my buddies on IM at the time were Jewish. As funny as it sounds, I thought it might be offensive or taken improperly and maybe I’d seem culturally insensitive so I sent it to my non-Jewish friend.

He happens to have Polish roots and I thought to myself, hey, “Polish Sausage!” I knew for sure he’d love it! Here’s how he responded:

M: 12/10/07 2:56 PM: Oh God.
M: 12/10/07 2:56 PM: That is so disgusting.
Fred: 12/10/07 2:57 PM: No man, so delicious!
M: eeeeeeew

Well, I guess Chocolate covered cookies with bacon may not be ready for prime time. I personally love the idea and I think it could be the next million dollar project, but you never know how fickle consumers will react.

This got me thinking, with proper marketing and a solid recipe, who knows, maybe it could work?

This is one of the reasons why I need great people around me when it comes to making business decisions. I get so excited and want to take over the world with bacon covered chocolate chip cookies. My advisers and friends tell me that it’s not a wise move and I should consider something more “safe”, like… bacon-flavored ice cream.

Glad I asked!

Click here to view the embedded video.

About a month ago, we released a new feature called Beacon to try to help people share information with their friends about things they do on the web. We’ve made a lot of mistakes building this feature, but we’ve made even more with how we’ve handled them. We simply did a bad job with this release, and I apologize for it.

This is a good move from a personal standpoint, it probably helps relieve some of the personal anxiety that comes with being responsible for so much outrage out there. It’s also a great move for the company, because if anything, this privacy issue has created some real resentment between long time users of Facebook’s platform.

While I am disappointed with our mistakes, we appreciate all the feedback we have received from our users. I’d like to discuss what we have learned and how we have improved Beacon.

All of the negative press won’t be enough to overwhelm Facebook in the long term, but I’d be surprised if it’s potential for growth slows due to the bad press. Hopefully this is a lesson for all hot companies that look to act as data-mining operations and conduits for corporate preying and exploitation of social web users.

Mashable put up a poll to gauge the public reaction to Facebook’s drama.

The American Dollar is now worth marginally more than the Canadian funny money.  I’m not sure who to feel sorry for.

1. Americans, for being in this embarrassing economic situation; or
2. Canadians for having funny money that is a disgrace to currency worldwide!

Recently, AT&T’s CEO, Randall Stephenson announced that there would be a 3G iPhone from Apple released sometime in 2008. Everyone knew that 3G IPhones were inevitable. After all, more than any other feature, the slow browsing capability of the IPhone on AT&T’s sluggish Edge network has garnered numerous complaints. Apple initially chose not to make the IPhone 3G capable because the 3G chipsets at the time were battery hogs and would have rendered a user intensive phone such as the IPhone a hassle to maintain. Now, it’s only a matter of time before the IPhone goes 3G as battery effecincies have improved. In fact, Steve Jobs himself has alluded to this!

So what does AT&T do? They announce to the public what many have already been aware of. Oddly enough, what shouldn’t have been a particularly newsworthy story has spawned an avalanche of animosity claiming that AT&T has pulled a fast one on Apple because their holiday IPhone sales are going to take a hit as a result. The argument is that a number of people looking to buy IPhones this holiday season will instead hold off until a 3G IPhone is released sometime in 2008.

Some have suggested that this will cost Apple millions in sales. This seemingly logical mental leap doesn’t hold any weight, however, when scrutinized closely. Potential iPhone customers can be categorized into two groups. First, you have the tech-savvy consumers who read articles like this one and get all wound up by any news (good or bad) related to apple and their products. Then you have your average holiday shoppers who has no interest in nonsensical terms such as 3G. Okay, are you with me? Good! Tech-savvy consumers would likely already be aware that a 3G phone is in the works. So if they were planning to wait for a faster iteration of the IPhone from the get go, then they weren’t going to be making any IPhone purchases this holiday season to begin with.

Any techie who was willing to endure the Edge network this holiday season would have been willing to endure it last June (when the IPhone came out) and probably owns one regardless of that fact. Average mainstream consumers tend to be entranced by the “coolness” factor and features the iPhone has to offer. This is definitely the case with AT&T’s Edge Network — which may as well be undecipherable code as far as the average consumer is concerned.

Your average consumer is probably familiar with wi-fi and that is probably how most will browse the web on first generation iPhones. Further, Apple has been continuously updating and revamping one of their most profitable products for years — the iPod. Apple will always have “the next best thing” in the works and the lifespan of any iPod is finite, duh! Does the fact that a ‘better’ ipod is always just around the corner impede iPod sales in the interim? Nope. The sales figures from Apple can back me up on that one.

In fact, analysts are predicting this current quarter will be Apple’s most sucessfull iPod quarter in HISTORY. The fact remains that the iPhone is technologically superior to any other phone on the market and people will be lining up in droves to purchase them for themselves and as gifts for family and friends. Is it 3G? Who cares! It has a touch screen. Google Maps. Photos. A WideScreen IPod. The list can go on an on.

3G gets lost in the shuffle as a “geek” term that will have no bearing on the decision making process of the masses. In short, anyone (for the most part) waiting for a 3G iPhone wouldn’t have been contemplating an iPhone purchase to begin with. So did AT&T “give a smackdown” to Apple? Nah.

Did AT&T just cost Apple millions in holiday sales? Not a chance.

This article is an offshoot of Guy Kawasaki’s article, “in search of inexperience“. Guy Kawasaki’s article was itself a piggyback off of Glenn Kelman’s article on the Entrepreneur 2.0 phenomenon. Enjoy.

In case you don’t have time to read the articles, I’ll briefly touch on both articles. Both gentlemen discuss the problem of entrepreneurs who strike success early and hope to replicate that success with new start-ups by employing similar tactics. The conclusions are decidedly pessimistic about second timers, but for good reason. They discuss the importance of recruiting talent and finding the best and brightest to help create a successful business, but both are skeptics when the same business model approach is taken to drastically different business problems.

What makes the talented first-timer a potential success is that s/he is hungry during the first attempt and it’s much more difficult to predict how the young entrepreneur will fare a second time around once the motivating factors are diluted. In some cases, sheer dumb luck allows “entrepreneurs” to strike gold, but that’s another story.
Glenn Kelman’s opinion on Entrepreneur 2.0:

Second-time entrepreneurs are so intent on replicating their success that they manufacture an inferior idea where the first one grew naturally out of a problem that had been bothering them. Some become so obsessed with how great their first company was that they spend all their time trying to copy it rather than building something different and new. They often hire top-heavy teams from past ventures, or strain to grow fast enough to meet higher expectations. Most strike out on their own without the partners they depended on for candor in their first success.

And for all the rhetoric about working just as hard the second time around, few second-timers operate at the same level of savagery that drove the early, destitute years of their first startup. Most don’t even try. A friend of mine had a great idea, raised money from his old investors, then took a three-week yachting trip. Another is often reported by his subordinates to be “golfing in outer space,” a catchphrase for exotic vacations that mere mortals could never afford.

Now for Guy Kawasaki’s points, I’ll publish some of his words, but you should read his entire article if you’re interested in the issue. Kawasaki’s article is one of the better supplements I’ve read on issues of advancing technology and business and the relationships between creative energy, innovation and the motivation that makes it happen.

My favorite points related to “the serial entrepreneur”

1. Serial entrepreneurs don’t (or can’t) work as hard. When you have a 5,000 square foot house, a second house in Montana, a car made by a company whose name ends in “i,” a spouse, and kids, attitudes change. Indeed, attitudes should change or people never grow up. However, it’s one thing to work to survive and another to work for fulfillment. They can say they’re just as hungry this time, but the point is that no one had to ask if they were hungry the first time.
2. Serial entrepreneurs don’t get smacked around enough. Life is good as a serial entrepreneur: they walk in, tell people that their last company was sold for a bazillion dollars, and now they’re starting another one, and it’s a privilege and honor to invest. Who’s going to poke holes in their strategy when Sequioia, Kleiner Perkins, et al are issuing term sheets and ever lesser venture capitalist is sucking up? No one. And that’s too bad because they won’t get anyone checking their sanity.
3. Serial entrepreneurs hire their buddies who were with them the first time. Thus, the entire founding team suffers from all the problems listed above. People who don’t know what they don’t know are few and far between, but a startup needs this kind of people to push the boundaries of what’s possible in what ways. Ignorance is not only bliss; it’s also empowering.

Take a look at the arguments, very simple:

1. Serial entrepreneurs can’t or won’t work as hard once they’ve tasted success.
2. Investors will throw money at them because they’ve “been there before…”
3. ‘Teams’ working on multiple efforts are problematic… see #1, #2 above.

The process of self-discovery, motivation and purpose

As one of the budding “inexperienced entrepreneurs” – depending on how you define it – in the industry, I love reading Guy Kawasaki’s blog.

I feel connected to him because his words help me understand who I am and how my talents can be put to use. Like you, I have a hunger and burning desire to be the next silicon valley success story. Who wouldn’t want to be “that guy” (or gal). We all know that it isn’t enough to simply want to be the next Bill Gates or Steve Wozniak, you have to be a special kind of person to experience the American dream.

What makes you special, can you hack it in a pool of sharks?

I’ll tell you what makes me special and you can see if you fit the same mold or have similar thoughts. For starters, here’s a cheap one: I ‘just know’ I’ve got the makings of CEO / visionary. Without going through a laundry list of defining characteristics, do you have a reasonable self-confidence that is unshakable and arrived at logically based on what you’ve been able to accomplish in your lifetime? I rarely pay attention to arbitrary measures of the Self, I find that my psychological profile places me in good company. If you are a thinker, a creative genius or simply curious, you should take the “Myers-Briggs” test. The results can help you find out whether you are suited to embark on certain career paths. It’s obviously a guide more than anything, but I find it’s pretty accurate in predicting my actions and responses to certain stimuli. My result: ENTP personality and under some detailed analysis of the ENTP, it’s explained that this group tends to be comprised of entrepreneurs, politicians, engineers and lawyers. Sadly, this group also has a good amount of people who will never escape the lower rung of society because they simply aren’t wired like your average Joe and environment and genetics will play a role in their ultimate fate.

This subject is not an easy one to broach, so as I attempt to explain what moves young entrepreneurs and talented minds, forgive my tone of it offends you. Your intellect and mindset are key to your success. What drives you and how do good are you at interacting with people necessary to make your team or company successful? Do you have the makings of an entrepreneur and should you consider making the move and taking the plunge? It’s not an easy question to answer and you better be sure about it before you make the move.

You have to ask yourself what motivates you and drives your desire to “succeed?”

For me, it’s not just a desire to “make money”. The articles referenced above considered the financial motivation behind young entrepreneurs as compared to their post-success wealth. I have no doubt I’ll make it rain with one or more of my “brilliant” ideas, how about you? Before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s consider why? What is it about you that makes you special and ready for prime time?

What is your goal or post-success strategy? I know that my money will serve as a catalyst for bigger and better things, but it isn’t the end all be all to life, heck for many of us it’s just beginning. Ahh, ambition, what a beautiful thing. I don’t care about cars, big homes, living the lavish lifestyle and meeting with celebrities at the playboy mansion, do you? Damn, I have to admit that I had to think twice about that playboy mansion! Seriously, though, what I care about is achieving (relative) and stimulating my mind.

Beyond that, I also want to share my spirit with all who’d dare get close enough to my aura of optimism and obsessive desire to make it rain. If there’s anything you can learn from this exchange, remember that in order to crush the obstacles in your way, you need more than just ambition to be “successful”. Entrepreneurs are a special breed of human and unlike Guy and Glenn, above, I don’t include the “lucky bastards” in this class.

It’s not just about confidence, intelligence, creativity, it’s about the mind, psyche and personality.

Consider the jack-of-all-trades character that we like to frown upon in society. What happens when you give Mr. Jack an injection of passion, creative genius, and reason? When this happens, Jack becomes an ace-in-the-hole for budding young companies. The problem is that it’s difficult to find these people. The “master of none” in my view is a misnomer. In my world, we call them “dumb” or “untalented”, but to refer to Jack as a hopeless case is a mistake.

A true “jack of all trades” (Jack) probably became that way because of an overwhelming myriad interests and high level of intelligence. The only thing lacking from Jack’s arsenal is 1) time to master all trades, and believe me they would if they could, and 2) support or guidance that helps them channel their minds into their passion.

Do you fit the mold of the Visionary?

Throughout my life, I can tell you that my brain has explored just about every area of intellectual thought imaginable. Psychology and the mind are invaluable areas of study if you want to understand people and relationships, and you should want that. Ask yourself what distinguishes movers and shakers from dead weight or people that aren’t cut out for business? I’m convinced that 75% of the personality types out there are not well suited for the entrepreneur’s lifestyle. It’s crucial to seek out the talent that will propel your operation to the top and if judging character and drive isn’t “your thing”, then you have to find a way to make yourself discoverable for someone who does the psychology of business.

Engineers, lawyers and doctors are often great fits for the entrepreneurial spectrum to go along with the lifers (e.g. undergrad business, an MBA, and career in the industry). One problem tends to trip up the majority of would-be entrepreneurs. People who are forced to think entirely through the ‘logical’ looking glass are incapable of “stepping outside the box”. This is why I say you need a special brand of human for entrepreneurial work, but that’s a good thing. Bottom line: You need to figure out what your skills are and whether you are ready for the riskier, lonelier, but potentially more lucrative and exciting lifestyle that entrepreneurs lead.

This gem below will allow me to get started on my quest to squash the angry mob that is constantly looking for a reason to bash Apple’s latest gadget.

Lately, it seems that everyone and their mother is suing Apple. “iTunes is a monopoly”, they chant. “iTunes is unfairly tied to the iPod”, they scream. “My iPod is too shiny and it’s hurting my eyes”,they yell. Recently, a lawsuit has emerged from the depths of Florida alleging that Apple unfairly ties its iPod music player to iTunes. Among the allegations is that content purchased via iTunes cannot be played on any other media player and that Apple disabled support for rival media formats. In short, the suit claims that Apple has attained (drum roll please….) MONOPOLY POWER. Big words for such a frivolous lawsuit. In any event, it has become en vogue to accuse Jobs and co. of having monopolistic power and some even go so far as to compare Apple to the Microsoft of old.

In the 1990’s, Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer with Windows in such as way as to unfairly influence (some might say force) users to make and keep IE as their default browser. Moreover, Microsoft nefariously tied IE to the operating system itself, thereby making attempts to toss IE into the recycle bin an effort in futility, or worse, disaster. In effect, with over 95% of the computer market, Microsoft was essentially able to force consumers to use Internet Explorer, or at the very worst, not allow them to throw it away. Recently, critics and Plaintiffs alike have asserted that Apple similarly and unfairly ties and bundles the iTunes store to its iPod media players.

One particularly ridiculous tech analyst recently wrote the following: ” Want to buy music from Apple? Guess what? You must install iTunes. Want an Apple cell phone from AT&T? Yes! ITunes is required if you want only to make phone calls. Want to buy ring tones for your Apple phone? iTunes. Apple not only “bundles” iTunes with multiple products, it forces you to use it. At least with Internet Explorer, you could always just download a competitor and ignore IE.”

Lawsuits alleging monopolistic practices against apple are absurd!

Please don’t confuse me with an apple “fan boy” who can’t stand to hear Apple criticism. I just get really tired of seeing blog spam filled with animosity that seems misguided or forced.

Anyone with an iPod is familiar with the iTunes software. If you want to buy music from Apple, you’re forced to go through iTunes. So what, where’s the scandal? Every person has the right to their opinion, but the best way to talk to the company is through your wallet! If you don’t want to download music from Apple or use iTunes, then just don’t! It’s that simple.

Apple created the iPod for a reason, it’s called business and making a profit for its investors. The company makes money off of sales of its hardware and software, sounds simple enough! Is it so wrong for Apple to take a sound business position on iTunes that will compliment it’s products and company business strategy?

The reason the iPod has been successful is because Apple controls the user experience. If that doesn’t float your boat, don’t use iTunes. Heck, if it really bothers you, don’t purchase apple products in the future. When people clamor about Apple being monopolistic, they seemingly forget that there are a number of other avenues out there whereby consumers can purchase music. Buy a Zune. Buy a SanDisk player. Hit up some sleek looking Samsung devices.

Visit any Best Buy store or your gadget vendor of choice and you’ll see that the iPod is just one of many options out there for consumers. And when it comes to music management software, itunes is hardly the only game in town. Go to the Zune marketplace or Amazon, for example. Hell, why not take it old school and go out and buy a CD?

You don’t have to use iTunes or the iPod, it’s not like Microsoft Windows in the early 90’s. Calling Apple’s attempt to monopolize and engage in anticompetitive practices is reaching a bit. The apple attack squad, aka “fan boy haters” ignore the vast competition that exists in the digital marketplace. Apple is successful because they’ve created the best overall user experience, bar none. They’ve created a gated community, sure, but you’re not bound to it if you don’t want to be.

Why can’t I use other music management software and sync it to my iPod?

Allowing the iPod to sync up to other music software would cause a bevy of technological and usability hurdles that would turn the iPod into a subpar device. More importantly, the iPod is an Apple product and Apple thinks iTunes is the best way for the ipod to interact with digital media. It is not Apples job, responsibility, or obligation to ensure that third party software runs smoothly on its iPod players. Should people be suing Microsoft because PS3 games won’t run on their 360? The iPod/iTunes experience has not changed since day one. If anything, it has become more open with advent of the drm-free section of iTunes.

The iPod is just one of many mp3 players, yet it attracts the most attention because it has been the most successful — largely due to the fact that it is the easiest to use and provides the best user experience. Again, it is important to remember that Apple has been able to provide that experience because it controls all facets of the ipod ecosystem. If you don’t like iTunes, then don’t use an iPod. If you love your iPod so much that you can’t live without it, then recognize that iPods are so great precisely because it’s tied so closely to iTunes. If you love iTunes but have another music player, then buy some DRM-free music. There really is no need to go to court over this.

Monopolistic allegations against Apple are, (no pun intended), fruitless. The iPod is not the only media player in town nor is the iTunes the only way to attain digital media. A slew of other companies exist that provide a number of different ways to organize and access media content on portable devices. A cursory glance at what a Monopoly truly is, legally speaking, and it makes you wonder what kind of lawyers are actually taking on this ridiculous and overtly frivolous case. Apple is ahead of the pack because it has the best product on the market. It doesn’t stifle innovation, and if anything, it has encouraged it by continuously churning out amazing and groundbreaking products that leave competitors scratching their heads and heading back to the drawing board.

Unfortunately, people are stuck in the Microsoft mindset that if a company has a huge lead in market share, it must be the result of a monopolistic wielding of power. A few minutes with an iPod and it’s easy to see that Apples market share is the result of impressive innovation and nothing more.

I received an e-mail from Dan Greenshields, president of ShareBuilder. Apparently, now was a good time to sell the company and ING Direct made the move to help increase it’s already market share in the financial market.

ShareBuilder has some important news. As of November 15, ShareBuilder has been acquired by ING DIRECT, the nation’s largest direct bank with over 5.5 million customers and $75 billion in U.S. assets (part of Netherlands-based ING, NYSE: ING). ING DIRECT shares our vision of helping Americans increase their savings. Rest assured there have been no changes made to your ShareBuilder account.

I’m more of a fan of E-trade myself, but I can see why ShareBuilder is a valuable acquisition for ING. For those of you out there who have had the privilege of using E-trade, you know that there are so many invaluable features, in fact, the future looks bright. For the technologically advanced and business savvy, e-trade accounts decentralize the banking industry in a sense. You no longer have to worry about where you bank, as e-trade refunds ATM fees in exchange for your business. You don’t have to go in and talk to financial advisers, you have all the information you need to make good financial decisions.

Here’s an excerpt of a news article about the acquisition at the News Observer website:

WILMINGTON, Del. – ING DIRECT USA, the nation’s largest direct bank (part of Netherlands-based ING NYSE: ING) announced today that it has completed its acquisition of ShareBuilder Corporation, a privately-held Seattle-based online financial services company. The acquisition which is part of ING DIRECT’s latest step toward meeting the financial needs of Main Street, USA, will add cost-effective, simple investment options to ING DIRECT’s consumer product offerings, which currently include online savings and checking accounts, CDs, Mutual Funds and mortgages. Through this transaction, ING DIRECT, through its broker-dealer subsidiary ING DIRECT Securities, Inc., has acquired 100% of ShareBuilder Corporation’s outstanding equity-related interests, including its subsidiary ShareBuilder Securities Corporation.

Sharebuilder is nice because it’s cheap and has a massive user base. The web interface, last I checked, is solid and it’s tough to get that much information in a centralized location at the low cost of membership, (it’s FREE to join). Anyway, this isn’t an article about the sites, just wanted to publish the news of merger. This shouldn’t have any kind of affect on users, but makes ING’s portfolio even more attractive for investors.