The "long tail"? Read this:
from: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/31/fashion/31apps.html
A survey of iPhones, iPod Touch and Android users conducted in July 2009 by AdMob, an advertising network that helps people promote their applications on smartphones, found that people discover apps most often by browsing app stores. And even though the iTunes store is bloated with offerings, people tend to gravitate to the most popular.
“For all the tens of thousands of apps out there, the odds of being exposed to more than a thousand are very small,” said Stewart Putney, the founder and chief executive of Moblyng, a company in Redwood City, Calif., that develops applications for mobile devices.
“The top apps featured at the store do change out,” Mr. Putney said. “But most users will never see more than 1 percent of the total apps available.”
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Obama, Jobs, jobs and The Vision Thing Vision
Q: What's Just as Good as My White 13" MacBook?
A:Except for the smaller screen, the lack of hardware extensibility, the missing keyboard, a pocket sized operating system on an attache case sized device? Give up? You know.
I hope to Job we don't have to hear much more about this. At least not like the silly opinion piece in this morning's Washington Post - SOTU for CEOs: More like Jobs, less like Obama - (oh wait, it's not an opinion piece, it a "Guest Insight") in which Jobs' vision for iPad trumps Obama's vision for jobs (and presumably everything else).
Never mind that Obama's vision has to be implemented by people who are elected, polarized and sensitive to the whims of their constituents.
Never mind that Obama's vision has to be sold over the drone of conjecture from a host of media hosts who are almost universally shallow and often nasty, while Jobs' vision has been pre-sold by a host of fawning techie press gurus who are almost universally out of their environment when it comes both technology and business.
Never mind that Obama's vision is complex and, by necessity, intertwined with many issues while Job's vision is a retail product.
Never mind that Obama's vision and the change that it entails is scary to most people while Jobs' has delivered a vision of a status symbol that no one really needs and everyone must have.
Other than that, the guest insight is very.... insightful.
I do agree with the author's observation that corporate vision is essential for success. But I disagree about the nature of the success (and failure). Most CEOs neither have nor communicate effective vision. But it's usually the company, the employees and the stockholders who suffer. The CEOs usually ride on until the company goes under (or at least until the rats are packing their little fanny packs). Corporate vision is essential for a company. But CEOs and their legions of loyal management seem to get by just fine without it.
A:Except for the smaller screen, the lack of hardware extensibility, the missing keyboard, a pocket sized operating system on an attache case sized device? Give up? You know.
I hope to Job we don't have to hear much more about this. At least not like the silly opinion piece in this morning's Washington Post - SOTU for CEOs: More like Jobs, less like Obama - (oh wait, it's not an opinion piece, it a "Guest Insight") in which Jobs' vision for iPad trumps Obama's vision for jobs (and presumably everything else).
Never mind that Obama's vision has to be implemented by people who are elected, polarized and sensitive to the whims of their constituents.
Never mind that Obama's vision has to be sold over the drone of conjecture from a host of media hosts who are almost universally shallow and often nasty, while Jobs' vision has been pre-sold by a host of fawning techie press gurus who are almost universally out of their environment when it comes both technology and business.
Never mind that Obama's vision is complex and, by necessity, intertwined with many issues while Job's vision is a retail product.
Never mind that Obama's vision and the change that it entails is scary to most people while Jobs' has delivered a vision of a status symbol that no one really needs and everyone must have.
Other than that, the guest insight is very.... insightful.
I do agree with the author's observation that corporate vision is essential for success. But I disagree about the nature of the success (and failure). Most CEOs neither have nor communicate effective vision. But it's usually the company, the employees and the stockholders who suffer. The CEOs usually ride on until the company goes under (or at least until the rats are packing their little fanny packs). Corporate vision is essential for a company. But CEOs and their legions of loyal management seem to get by just fine without it.
Friday, January 22, 2010
The Google Event Horizon
You know that it's all "in there" - assuming that it's been digitized by Google or it's available on-line for crawling. But you will not find it unless you already know exactly what you're looking for. That's unlikely if it's not a personal memory or something that you learned in history class. And history is soooo yesterday.
As what people discover becomes more and more influenced by what most people have already been able to discover through search engines, the event horizon (or maybe the fact horizon) gets closer and closer to the present.
An example. If you're millenial (hate that) you probably think that the use of cute abbreviations is owned by SMS, IM and Twitter. Let's channel through the horizon with the help of Kent Engineers, who have compiled a list of early radio abbreviations:
http://www.kent-engineers.com/abbreviations.htm
http://www.kent-engineers.com/prosigns.htm
http://www.kent-engineers.com/qcode.htm
Of course Kent seems to be in the UK, where history is still acknowledged (though perhaps only as a fetish). In addition to coveting several of Kent's Morse keys, I'm thinking about how Morse code is, by itself, neither analog nor digital. It's temporal (the dashes are longer, the dots are shorter).
Maybe Google or someone can find a way of opening the event horizon. One possibility, an algorithm that can correlate recent events with older ones and present results in an historical context. That still weights things towards the now. But it would be a start.
As what people discover becomes more and more influenced by what most people have already been able to discover through search engines, the event horizon (or maybe the fact horizon) gets closer and closer to the present.
An example. If you're millenial (hate that) you probably think that the use of cute abbreviations is owned by SMS, IM and Twitter. Let's channel through the horizon with the help of Kent Engineers, who have compiled a list of early radio abbreviations:
http://www.kent-engineers.com/abbreviations.htm
http://www.kent-engineers.com/prosigns.htm
http://www.kent-engineers.com/qcode.htm
Of course Kent seems to be in the UK, where history is still acknowledged (though perhaps only as a fetish). In addition to coveting several of Kent's Morse keys, I'm thinking about how Morse code is, by itself, neither analog nor digital. It's temporal (the dashes are longer, the dots are shorter).
Maybe Google or someone can find a way of opening the event horizon. One possibility, an algorithm that can correlate recent events with older ones and present results in an historical context. That still weights things towards the now. But it would be a start.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
The Lost Carrot Process
This recipe came from The Chief Cook's sister, who happens to be The Chief Cook of The East. You slice some carrots (about 1 pound shown here).
And saute, stirring frequently, in butter and olive oil until they begin to caramelize. How far you go is up to you. I like them slightly blackened around the edges.
Season at the last moment. Just salt and pepper for me. You'll notice that the carrot volume has decreased considerably. I was talking with The Berkeley Daughter while I was cooking this dish and I'm sure that she would agree that a large quantity of carrot flogiston has returned to the aether.
You can squeeze a dash of lemon juice over the carrots before serving. In the original recipe, you're supposed to pulverize the carrots after cooking. But I like em like this. According to The Chief Cook, "You're not supposed to serve carrots with pasta". But I did. And the following proof is published against her wishes.
And saute, stirring frequently, in butter and olive oil until they begin to caramelize. How far you go is up to you. I like them slightly blackened around the edges.
Season at the last moment. Just salt and pepper for me. You'll notice that the carrot volume has decreased considerably. I was talking with The Berkeley Daughter while I was cooking this dish and I'm sure that she would agree that a large quantity of carrot flogiston has returned to the aether.
You can squeeze a dash of lemon juice over the carrots before serving. In the original recipe, you're supposed to pulverize the carrots after cooking. But I like em like this. According to The Chief Cook, "You're not supposed to serve carrots with pasta". But I did. And the following proof is published against her wishes.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Software Solutions, The Hard Way
Software product developers are often thoughtless (ok clueless) about how their solutions are deployed, maintained and used. That's why we have Microsoft Word and J2EE.
But this isn't about that.
Literally, the term "I.T." implies involvement and mastery of the entire computer science / information science domain. In practice, I.T. usually involves operational aspects of software solutions including the solutions themselves as well as storage, network, support, security and compliance.
I.T. organizations that are asked to develop software solutions are often managed by people who are inexperienced in product design and totally focused on operational stability and risk reduction (as they should be).
That's why you get over-budget, unfinished, eternally "enhanced" expensive systems that are very secure and often highly dysfunctional. Those systems run along side non-secure and impossible to support "stovepiped" VB and Excel solutions and "legacy platforms" that are so covered in band-aids that no one remembers what they looked like. The monsters can never be killed because they plug the functional gaps in the "real" systems.
So you end up with the least cost effective solutions on the books and the least secure, most difficult to integrate solutions on the desktops.
No amount of process will solve this problem (ok that's my opinion). ITIL, which has been very very good for ITIL consultants, authors and internal governance groups, may or may not be great for improving operational performance. But solution development?
If I.T. departments were hotbeds of innovation and magnets for the best product developers, perhaps a bit of process could tweak the bottom line. But that's not the case. The problem is not lack of process. It's lack of experience, vision and skills (for product managers even more than for developers). In most cases, I.T. organizations, because of their responsibility to focus on running long term cost effective programs to ensure operational stability and minimize risk, present the very opposite of the environment in which innovation is possible. Not just technical innovation, but innovation in the processes behind software product development. That translates into lowered expectations and solutions that are delivered at the highest cost, with the longest development cycle and the lowest probability of customer acceptance. Extensibility? Interoperability? That's a whole other post.
Even Google, as it has grown, has had to deal with this reality. Your organization delivers product as well as Google does? You can stop reading here.
If you're a business manager with a problem that needs a technical solution, you can spend a lot of money and time trying to teach your I.T. organization to cook by having them read books about dish washing. Or you can go out and hire a few guys (and or gals) in a garage. Your choice.
You can even buy the garage. But, unless you enjoy watching flowers wilt, I wouldn't recommend that.
Added 1-18:
Here's a now well known example: http://science.house.gov/Press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=2289
It seems as though 1/2 billion dollars and 800 contractors just wasn't enough. A more detailed account (PDF) can be found here: http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/Staff_Memo_toBM_terror_watch_8.21.08.pdf
But this isn't about that.
Literally, the term "I.T." implies involvement and mastery of the entire computer science / information science domain. In practice, I.T. usually involves operational aspects of software solutions including the solutions themselves as well as storage, network, support, security and compliance.
I.T. organizations that are asked to develop software solutions are often managed by people who are inexperienced in product design and totally focused on operational stability and risk reduction (as they should be).
That's why you get over-budget, unfinished, eternally "enhanced" expensive systems that are very secure and often highly dysfunctional. Those systems run along side non-secure and impossible to support "stovepiped" VB and Excel solutions and "legacy platforms" that are so covered in band-aids that no one remembers what they looked like. The monsters can never be killed because they plug the functional gaps in the "real" systems.
So you end up with the least cost effective solutions on the books and the least secure, most difficult to integrate solutions on the desktops.
No amount of process will solve this problem (ok that's my opinion). ITIL, which has been very very good for ITIL consultants, authors and internal governance groups, may or may not be great for improving operational performance. But solution development?
If I.T. departments were hotbeds of innovation and magnets for the best product developers, perhaps a bit of process could tweak the bottom line. But that's not the case. The problem is not lack of process. It's lack of experience, vision and skills (for product managers even more than for developers). In most cases, I.T. organizations, because of their responsibility to focus on running long term cost effective programs to ensure operational stability and minimize risk, present the very opposite of the environment in which innovation is possible. Not just technical innovation, but innovation in the processes behind software product development. That translates into lowered expectations and solutions that are delivered at the highest cost, with the longest development cycle and the lowest probability of customer acceptance. Extensibility? Interoperability? That's a whole other post.
Even Google, as it has grown, has had to deal with this reality. Your organization delivers product as well as Google does? You can stop reading here.
If you're a business manager with a problem that needs a technical solution, you can spend a lot of money and time trying to teach your I.T. organization to cook by having them read books about dish washing. Or you can go out and hire a few guys (and or gals) in a garage. Your choice.
You can even buy the garage. But, unless you enjoy watching flowers wilt, I wouldn't recommend that.
Added 1-18:
Here's a now well known example: http://science.house.gov/Press/PRArticle.aspx?NewsID=2289
It seems as though 1/2 billion dollars and 800 contractors just wasn't enough. A more detailed account (PDF) can be found here: http://democrats.science.house.gov/Media/File/Commdocs/Staff_Memo_toBM_terror_watch_8.21.08.pdf
Thursday, January 14, 2010
And Speaking of Entropy...
Shannon wrote "A Mathematical Theory of Communication" in 1948.
Fourteen years earlier, Eliot wrote:
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from GOD and nearer to the Dust.
(from "The Rock", 1934)
Fourteen years earlier, Eliot wrote:
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Knowledge of words, and ignorance of the Word.
All our knowledge brings us nearer to our ignorance,
All our ignorance brings us nearer to death,
But nearness to death no nearer to GOD.
Where is the Life we have lost in living?
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
The cycles of Heaven in twenty centuries
Bring us farther from GOD and nearer to the Dust.
(from "The Rock", 1934)
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
How to Monetize AIM
"Monetize" is a ridiculous word, up there with 'hydrate" (like when you drink a - presumably way overpriced - liquid) and "strategize" (like when you sit around - at a presumably way overpriced hourly rate - trying to figure out what to do). Those words imply that some fabulous process will get you to some glorious place. Good luck.
How can AOL monetize assets like AIM? Easy, stick ads on everything and give most of the "momo" to Google. They'll invest part of it in whatever it takes to make your base product into a commodity. Don't like Google? Microsoft will be happy to take your money. That's it. Strategy 2.0.
How can AOL make money with assets like AIM? If I had a fully functional asynchronous (push) network with 10s of millions of authenticated users, I might want to explore the ways in which that network could deliver, meter and bill content and other services on behalf of publishers. That's one technical and business model that could make money for AOL.
The business and technical realities of an end to end asynchronous distribution network in which all endpoints can be authenticated, metered and billed by a single federated source while delivering content directly to conventional and mobile desktops should give companies like Google a bit of indigestion. The search gatekeeper is replaced by a content gatekeeper. And the model is actually a service to content publishers (not an awful reality that they just have to accept). Too bad AOL doesn't consider this as they hire investment bankers to sell off ICQ (and who knows if AIM will be next).
If anyone's left at AOL, give me a call.
How can AOL monetize assets like AIM? Easy, stick ads on everything and give most of the "momo" to Google. They'll invest part of it in whatever it takes to make your base product into a commodity. Don't like Google? Microsoft will be happy to take your money. That's it. Strategy 2.0.
How can AOL make money with assets like AIM? If I had a fully functional asynchronous (push) network with 10s of millions of authenticated users, I might want to explore the ways in which that network could deliver, meter and bill content and other services on behalf of publishers. That's one technical and business model that could make money for AOL.
The business and technical realities of an end to end asynchronous distribution network in which all endpoints can be authenticated, metered and billed by a single federated source while delivering content directly to conventional and mobile desktops should give companies like Google a bit of indigestion. The search gatekeeper is replaced by a content gatekeeper. And the model is actually a service to content publishers (not an awful reality that they just have to accept). Too bad AOL doesn't consider this as they hire investment bankers to sell off ICQ (and who knows if AIM will be next).
If anyone's left at AOL, give me a call.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Orange Savarin
According to http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/231frex.html
Zest (The Chief Cook specifies only the very outer skin)
Batter. It was unbelievably delicious. An archetypal taste. We could have stopped right there.
There was really no need for the whipped cream or rum. But maybe next serving.
Zest (The Chief Cook specifies only the very outer skin)
Batter. It was unbelievably delicious. An archetypal taste. We could have stopped right there.
There was really no need for the whipped cream or rum. But maybe next serving.
Full Body Scans
Problem with full body scans?
Why not allow each passenger to pay extra to have the scan automatically posted to Facebook, along with a tweet containing the requisite tiny url (nothing implied here). And I'm sure that someone will be able to squeeze a reality show out of this.
They'll be lining up to go through twice.
Why not allow each passenger to pay extra to have the scan automatically posted to Facebook, along with a tweet containing the requisite tiny url (nothing implied here). And I'm sure that someone will be able to squeeze a reality show out of this.
They'll be lining up to go through twice.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
The Wonder of the Apple tablet
According to MG Siegler at Tech Crunch ( "The Wonder of Apple's Tablet" ), the still ontologically challenged Apple tablet is a "must have". And all tablets that came before it "sucked up until now".
The wondrous Apple tablet is wondrous because it's being described as wondrous before anyone outside of Apple is sure that it exists. The thing is the "Snakes on a Plane" of consumer gadgetry. Everyone has been talking about it. So now Apple may deliver it. Then we'll all have to buy it.
The iPhone was a transformational product because, oddly enough, it was the first mobile phone to take design and usability seriously. Its success was as much a credit to the (continuing) stupidity or callousness of the rest of the market as it was to Apple's willingness to take design and the associated expense seriously.
However, tablets have been around for years. They've been used widely in industry and in sales. They do not all suck. Some of them were pretty cool. Fujitsu alone made some very nice onessee note. But none of the tablets were successfully marketed to "gotta have it" consumers. So maybe it's fair to say that the marketing sucked. But please, not all of the tablets.
Note (added 1-28-10): It took about a month, but according to The New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/technology/companies/29name.html ) the folks at Fujitsu have realized that they are pad leaders, not pad followers.
After reading the "Mad Men" reference to the Carousel projector (which, like slates, was widely used commercially), I'm reminded of the one that I used to own. At this point, I'm more likely to head to eBay for a Carousel than to the line at the genius store.
On the other hand, I do need something to fill the critical gap between my netbook and my phone. I can only dream that the netbook (MSI for me) / notebook (MacBook) gap will be addressed soon. Then there will be more gaps. And more. How about a product line called "zeno"?
One last thought. Siegler mentions the problems that he and apparently many other users have been having with their large iMac displays. In the glow of the famous "1984" Mac ad, it's hard not to see a touch of irony. Maybe the hammer was a boomerang?
The wondrous Apple tablet is wondrous because it's being described as wondrous before anyone outside of Apple is sure that it exists. The thing is the "Snakes on a Plane" of consumer gadgetry. Everyone has been talking about it. So now Apple may deliver it. Then we'll all have to buy it.
The iPhone was a transformational product because, oddly enough, it was the first mobile phone to take design and usability seriously. Its success was as much a credit to the (continuing) stupidity or callousness of the rest of the market as it was to Apple's willingness to take design and the associated expense seriously.
However, tablets have been around for years. They've been used widely in industry and in sales. They do not all suck. Some of them were pretty cool. Fujitsu alone made some very nice onessee note. But none of the tablets were successfully marketed to "gotta have it" consumers. So maybe it's fair to say that the marketing sucked. But please, not all of the tablets.
Note (added 1-28-10): It took about a month, but according to The New York Times ( http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/29/technology/companies/29name.html ) the folks at Fujitsu have realized that they are pad leaders, not pad followers.
After reading the "Mad Men" reference to the Carousel projector (which, like slates, was widely used commercially), I'm reminded of the one that I used to own. At this point, I'm more likely to head to eBay for a Carousel than to the line at the genius store.
On the other hand, I do need something to fill the critical gap between my netbook and my phone. I can only dream that the netbook (MSI for me) / notebook (MacBook) gap will be addressed soon. Then there will be more gaps. And more. How about a product line called "zeno"?
One last thought. Siegler mentions the problems that he and apparently many other users have been having with their large iMac displays. In the glow of the famous "1984" Mac ad, it's hard not to see a touch of irony. Maybe the hammer was a boomerang?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
They've Got You by the Bits
There's a piece in today's NY Times (Business Section) about a company that sells greeting cards on line. According to the article, the business has a team that analyzes and adjusts (thanks for not using the O word) the strategy for the company's "search ads".
For businesses that can't afford a strategy team, here's some free information.
1. Any garden variety search engine can find a literal phrase (e.g. "they've got you by the bits") and the number of results can be proportional to the content crawled.
2. Any garden variety search engine can do a good job of ranking results when the number of results is low. For example, a Google search for "they've got you by the bits" returns the most relevant results on the first page. Because there are only 2 results. It may be counter intuitive, but "needle in a haystack" searches are the easiest to present.
3. A common method for prioritizing search results involves popularity (e.g. how many people choose a result, how many people link to the content). That type of prioritization can tend to be self-fulfilling. Results become relevant because of their perceived relevance. And relevance can even be spammed. That's what the art of "search engine optimization" is often about.
4. Some search engines provide a means around all of that by allowing people to bid for placement. Yes, it's not necessarily placement in the result set. But from a user experience point of view it may as well be.
5. The type of search engines described in 4 (above) have become gatekeepers in a marketplace where "presence" is the only competative advantage. They've got you by the bits.
End of Strategy.
(And now, perhaps there will be three results).
__________
The importance of presence can lead to a nostalgic invocation of the old marketplace, where every merchant had a stall. But in that case, a shopper could touch the wares (quality) and shoppers could become loyal to a favored merchant (brand). That certainly doesn't seem to have been the case with the company that's profiled in The Times. Here's a link:
"The Science of Managing Search Ads", NY Times 12-22-09
The increase in the use of social media may bring things a bit closer to the original marketplace. But beware the mobs.
Added 12-28-09. Similar thoughts about Google in today's NY Times (Op Ed):
"Search, but You May Not Find", Adam Raff
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/opinion/28raff.html
For businesses that can't afford a strategy team, here's some free information.
1. Any garden variety search engine can find a literal phrase (e.g. "they've got you by the bits") and the number of results can be proportional to the content crawled.
2. Any garden variety search engine can do a good job of ranking results when the number of results is low. For example, a Google search for "they've got you by the bits" returns the most relevant results on the first page. Because there are only 2 results. It may be counter intuitive, but "needle in a haystack" searches are the easiest to present.
3. A common method for prioritizing search results involves popularity (e.g. how many people choose a result, how many people link to the content). That type of prioritization can tend to be self-fulfilling. Results become relevant because of their perceived relevance. And relevance can even be spammed. That's what the art of "search engine optimization" is often about.
4. Some search engines provide a means around all of that by allowing people to bid for placement. Yes, it's not necessarily placement in the result set. But from a user experience point of view it may as well be.
5. The type of search engines described in 4 (above) have become gatekeepers in a marketplace where "presence" is the only competative advantage. They've got you by the bits.
End of Strategy.
(And now, perhaps there will be three results).
__________
The importance of presence can lead to a nostalgic invocation of the old marketplace, where every merchant had a stall. But in that case, a shopper could touch the wares (quality) and shoppers could become loyal to a favored merchant (brand). That certainly doesn't seem to have been the case with the company that's profiled in The Times. Here's a link:
"The Science of Managing Search Ads", NY Times 12-22-09
The increase in the use of social media may bring things a bit closer to the original marketplace. But beware the mobs.
Added 12-28-09. Similar thoughts about Google in today's NY Times (Op Ed):
"Search, but You May Not Find", Adam Raff
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/28/opinion/28raff.html
Monday, December 21, 2009
A Train Runs Through It
Slushy weekend in this town.
Nice to live in a place where you can walk to "somewhere" - in this case including coffee, bakery, lunch, grocery, hardware, a real "non-chain" pharmacy, of course a CVS, of course a Walgreens, a post office, a library, a Thai restaurant and a bunch of tchotchke shops. Now if only I could take the train from here to ..... downtown? Chicago? New York? The rail line used to be the B&O. I wonder if Truman passed through here on his trip home after leaving office?
In the meantime:
Wonder what kind of counseling...
Nice to live in a place where you can walk to "somewhere" - in this case including coffee, bakery, lunch, grocery, hardware, a real "non-chain" pharmacy, of course a CVS, of course a Walgreens, a post office, a library, a Thai restaurant and a bunch of tchotchke shops. Now if only I could take the train from here to ..... downtown? Chicago? New York? The rail line used to be the B&O. I wonder if Truman passed through here on his trip home after leaving office?
In the meantime:
Wonder what kind of counseling...
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Resistance Substitution Decade
Ok, that's a pretty obscure title. Here's a list from Washington Post of the "Worst Ideas of the Decade":
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/opinions/outlook/worst-ideas/
In the intro, but not on the list, is Y2K itself. From an Information Technology (both dubious words) perspective, Y2K postponed the inevitability of the dot com deflation. Sarbanes-Oxley, which is on the list, may be the new Y2K. With its legions of arcane and dubiously effective processes, governance boards and consultants, SOX may be creating an appearance of activity by pouring money into the I.T. drain while addressing the rules but not the spirit behind the measure. If nothing bad happens, that may be a result of nothing happening at all. All fine as long as there's a budget,
If Y2K was the curtain around the dot com failure, is Sarbanes-Oxley (and its attendant busywork) the curtain around the failure of everything? Hope not.
If you're curious, here's the reference:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=123223&sid=e1696fbbec1f957889832aeeb8b93a20
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/opinions/outlook/worst-ideas/
In the intro, but not on the list, is Y2K itself. From an Information Technology (both dubious words) perspective, Y2K postponed the inevitability of the dot com deflation. Sarbanes-Oxley, which is on the list, may be the new Y2K. With its legions of arcane and dubiously effective processes, governance boards and consultants, SOX may be creating an appearance of activity by pouring money into the I.T. drain while addressing the rules but not the spirit behind the measure. If nothing bad happens, that may be a result of nothing happening at all. All fine as long as there's a budget,
If Y2K was the curtain around the dot com failure, is Sarbanes-Oxley (and its attendant busywork) the curtain around the failure of everything? Hope not.
If you're curious, here's the reference:
http://www.antiqueradios.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=123223&sid=e1696fbbec1f957889832aeeb8b93a20
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Dry, Refreshing and Scary
from Gavin Clark, The Register:
"It took Microsoft 20 years to shift from technology David challenging tech giants to opaque corporate entity of dark and unclear motives that screwed partners and the competition. Google achieved that in half the time".
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/16/noughties_review/page6.html
Apparently Apple has become so dark that the author couldn't see past its event horizon. Can Steve Jobs tunnel to another universe and come out as Ruppert Murdoch?
I wonder how Moore's Law applies to this trend.
Just noticed that the Register link points to Page 6. Uhoh.
"It took Microsoft 20 years to shift from technology David challenging tech giants to opaque corporate entity of dark and unclear motives that screwed partners and the competition. Google achieved that in half the time".
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/16/noughties_review/page6.html
Apparently Apple has become so dark that the author couldn't see past its event horizon. Can Steve Jobs tunnel to another universe and come out as Ruppert Murdoch?
I wonder how Moore's Law applies to this trend.
Just noticed that the Register link points to Page 6. Uhoh.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Low Hanging Coast
People have been pretty happy about the defeat of the "anti-rail" proposition 9 that was on the Cincinnati ballot last month. And they should be happy because the proposition would not only have had a negative impact on the area's economic infrastructure, passage would have been an international embarrassment, right up there with the meter stuffing grandma (if you remember her).
I'm just a tea party in reverse. I've been working downtown, but I don't live there. So I'm willing to be taxed without being represented. The real tea party was about representation, not about taxation (if you remember the real tea party). So I'll have to represent myself. Maybe it's time to stop being superior to COAST ( http://coast-usa.blogspot.com/ ). That's not really much of an accomplishment (sort of like kicking an empty can) and this isn't just another cross-town shootout. Is it?
Now would be a good time to start talking about how to achieve a real, valuable public transit solution for Cincinnati. It took Portland over 30 years (and $billions) to build its light rail system (they have a trolley too). We don't have a commuter rail system on the roadmap (yes I know) and we haven't begun to try to understand the model of community and government involvement, vision and cooperation that's required to build a system that works for the whole area. Not just for soapbox city.
It's sort of clear that the trolley would be an important influence in the development of the Vine Street corridor between UC and Downtown. Of course, the initial phase doesn't include the UC link. But as hard as it seems to have been to get people to understand the value of the trolley, it's going to be a lot harder to get the many organizations that govern the inner and outer reaches of "tri state" to understand the "business value" of commuter rail. That's a problem, because that's where the real value will be.
Business Courier ( http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/08/10/editorial1.html ) forecasts a 25% commercial vacancy rate for the Central Business District. If you want to attract the kind of people and businesses that can fill the vacancies, take risks, diversify The City's business base and put an end to the ever expanding, empty center, donut model of progress, all participants will have to understand and buy into the part that public transit plays. That includes the inner and outer burbs, especially if you want to have a chance at financing new infrastructure. As far as I can tell , very few of the suburbs have a clue about how their relationship to downtown is critical. That includes those that understand what's happening to them ( http://thenewmetropolis.com/a_crack.html ) as development and investment continues to creep outward. It even includes communities located along existing railroad rites of way.
And that's just commuter rail. How about intercity? Which do you think would bring more "quick start" value to Cincinnati? A 6 1/2 hour ride to Cleveland ( http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/3CDocs.aspx#EA ) or a 4 1/2 hour ride to Chicago?
So now that the coast is clear, isn't it time to start talking about the hard stuff?
Early failures will make future wins difficult or impossible.
How about some uses case? How would different kinds of riders use the trolley? Commuter rail? Intercity rail? What's the real benefit for each?
I'm just a tea party in reverse. I've been working downtown, but I don't live there. So I'm willing to be taxed without being represented. The real tea party was about representation, not about taxation (if you remember the real tea party). So I'll have to represent myself. Maybe it's time to stop being superior to COAST ( http://coast-usa.blogspot.com/ ). That's not really much of an accomplishment (sort of like kicking an empty can) and this isn't just another cross-town shootout. Is it?
Now would be a good time to start talking about how to achieve a real, valuable public transit solution for Cincinnati. It took Portland over 30 years (and $billions) to build its light rail system (they have a trolley too). We don't have a commuter rail system on the roadmap (yes I know) and we haven't begun to try to understand the model of community and government involvement, vision and cooperation that's required to build a system that works for the whole area. Not just for soapbox city.
It's sort of clear that the trolley would be an important influence in the development of the Vine Street corridor between UC and Downtown. Of course, the initial phase doesn't include the UC link. But as hard as it seems to have been to get people to understand the value of the trolley, it's going to be a lot harder to get the many organizations that govern the inner and outer reaches of "tri state" to understand the "business value" of commuter rail. That's a problem, because that's where the real value will be.
Business Courier ( http://cincinnati.bizjournals.com/cincinnati/stories/2009/08/10/editorial1.html ) forecasts a 25% commercial vacancy rate for the Central Business District. If you want to attract the kind of people and businesses that can fill the vacancies, take risks, diversify The City's business base and put an end to the ever expanding, empty center, donut model of progress, all participants will have to understand and buy into the part that public transit plays. That includes the inner and outer burbs, especially if you want to have a chance at financing new infrastructure. As far as I can tell , very few of the suburbs have a clue about how their relationship to downtown is critical. That includes those that understand what's happening to them ( http://thenewmetropolis.com/a_crack.html ) as development and investment continues to creep outward. It even includes communities located along existing railroad rites of way.
And that's just commuter rail. How about intercity? Which do you think would bring more "quick start" value to Cincinnati? A 6 1/2 hour ride to Cleveland ( http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Rail/Programs/passenger/3CisME/Pages/3CDocs.aspx#EA ) or a 4 1/2 hour ride to Chicago?
So now that the coast is clear, isn't it time to start talking about the hard stuff?
Early failures will make future wins difficult or impossible.
How about some uses case? How would different kinds of riders use the trolley? Commuter rail? Intercity rail? What's the real benefit for each?
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Aimez Vous Peru? Cookup - 11-01
We used to have "cookups" back in Sag Harbor where there was little else to do. We've been talking about doing it here (in Cincinnati). And we finally got around to it last month with Donald and Wendy (Wendy is a food critic from LA who's parked in Lexington). More about Donald later.
The theme was Peru. We had Seco de Res and Pisco Sours for the first time at Flor De Mayo on The Upper West Side. We've been back many times and, if you're ever in the area and you're hungry.. nuff said.
View Larger Map
Seco de Res was prepared by The Chief Cook. I made "green rice". Wendy made a bean dish on which I hope she'll elaborate as a comment below.
Seco de Res is a stew that's made with marinated beef (cilantro and dark beer - Negra Modelo seems to work well).
The Chief Cook has a technique for removing the leaves from the stems. That comb is part of Mandolin.
While the beans and Seco de Res cooked -- tapas and Pisco Sours! Ok tapas are not really Peruvian. But neither are we.
A bit of irrational exuberance followed. Donald, who is normally a pillar of rigorous rationality, was forced to participate. This was not a result of the Pisco. Probably a reaction to the egg whites.
I made green rice. Rice with a mixture of cilantro, garlic, oil, peas, carrots. Both the Seco de Res and the green rice contained peas and I know that the peas and carrots have a soup kitchen connotation. But it's authentic and it works.
Wendy made a bean dish. And I hope she'll describe it soon.
The table before....
....and during..
I guess the Asahi Super Dry connection could have something to do with Alberto Fujimori. But I doubt it.
We're gonna do this again. Maybe you're interested?
The theme was Peru. We had Seco de Res and Pisco Sours for the first time at Flor De Mayo on The Upper West Side. We've been back many times and, if you're ever in the area and you're hungry.. nuff said.
View Larger Map
Seco de Res was prepared by The Chief Cook. I made "green rice". Wendy made a bean dish on which I hope she'll elaborate as a comment below.
Seco de Res is a stew that's made with marinated beef (cilantro and dark beer - Negra Modelo seems to work well).
 |  |
The Chief Cook has a technique for removing the leaves from the stems. That comb is part of Mandolin.
While the beans and Seco de Res cooked -- tapas and Pisco Sours! Ok tapas are not really Peruvian. But neither are we.
 | The mystery ingredient in Pisco Sour is pisco, a grape liquor. Sugar syrup, lemon (sometimes lime) are added and shaken with egg white. Sprinkle a few drops of bitters on top. |
A bit of irrational exuberance followed. Donald, who is normally a pillar of rigorous rationality, was forced to participate. This was not a result of the Pisco. Probably a reaction to the egg whites.
 |  |
I made green rice. Rice with a mixture of cilantro, garlic, oil, peas, carrots. Both the Seco de Res and the green rice contained peas and I know that the peas and carrots have a soup kitchen connotation. But it's authentic and it works.
Wendy made a bean dish. And I hope she'll describe it soon.
 |  |
The table before....
 |  |
....and during..
I guess the Asahi Super Dry connection could have something to do with Alberto Fujimori. But I doubt it.
We're gonna do this again. Maybe you're interested?
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Concert:Nova - Playing With Light
Last night's performance at Concert:Nova's space on Reading Road. Playing with light in the dark is best. So forgive the photos. The performance, which featured many players from Cincinnati Symphony, was fantastic. They always are. Next up, in February, "The Essential Mahler". Will Schoenberg return as "Der Mahler"?
It began with coffee - all good things do.
Lot's of people. The concert had to be delayed while new seating was brought in.
Light play begins.
And music...
Fratres (Arvo Part). What's your favorite scoring? Recording?
It began with coffee - all good things do.
Lot's of people. The concert had to be delayed while new seating was brought in.
Light play begins.
And music...
Fratres (Arvo Part). What's your favorite scoring? Recording?
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Problems? Solutions?
Wendell Berry says that "simple solutions will always lead to complex problems, surprising simple minds" and, as Tonya says, I agree. But I've seen simple solutions solve complex problems. And (much) more often, I've seen complex solutions lead to complex problems --- much to the delight of the simple minds that knew there was at least another year of problem solving to keep them occupied.
According to Berry, who, at least as far as Wikipedia knows, has never had to write poetry or prose to please a corporate manager, "good and responsible use of family-sized holdings cannot be expected of people with the subservient mindset of corporate employees..". I agree with that as well. But it's unlikely that simpleminded corporate mindset is going to go away any time soon. Especially when it's bolstered by mindless media mindset. For me, it's hard to tell which drives which. Is it media -> corporate? Corporate -> media? Or even people -> media -> corportate? No one gets off the hook. Berry would like to see "leadership from the bottom". If leadership implies the ability to solve problems, I would be happy to see leadership from anywhere.
Maybe some of the uhmmm... use cases that are floating around the internet in the name of "social media" will eventually worm their way into the corporation and, if those tools are not "corp-opted" (or media-ated) and turned into Crisco, corporations will become a bit less leadership deprived, less simpleminded, less "top down".
Then those of us who don't want to have chickens in our back yards won't have to.
According to Berry, who, at least as far as Wikipedia knows, has never had to write poetry or prose to please a corporate manager, "good and responsible use of family-sized holdings cannot be expected of people with the subservient mindset of corporate employees..". I agree with that as well. But it's unlikely that simpleminded corporate mindset is going to go away any time soon. Especially when it's bolstered by mindless media mindset. For me, it's hard to tell which drives which. Is it media -> corporate? Corporate -> media? Or even people -> media -> corportate? No one gets off the hook. Berry would like to see "leadership from the bottom". If leadership implies the ability to solve problems, I would be happy to see leadership from anywhere.
Maybe some of the uhmmm... use cases that are floating around the internet in the name of "social media" will eventually worm their way into the corporation and, if those tools are not "corp-opted" (or media-ated) and turned into Crisco, corporations will become a bit less leadership deprived, less simpleminded, less "top down".
Then those of us who don't want to have chickens in our back yards won't have to.
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Penne from Heaven
Abby is a friend who used to babysit for our kids. She grew up quite nicely and opened several restaurants. Camaje, which we've been to, is in Greenwich Village. Abigail is in Prospect Heights (or, if you're a bit older, Crown Heights).
Most afternoons we succumb to a sort of anxiety about what to have for dinner. Yesterday, for some reason, I thought of Abby as an inspiration. The result was a home cooked version of the "Spicy Italian Sausage and Local Swiss Chard" (the chard was purchased at a local market) from the Abigail menu.
While I was talking with a contractor about our upstairs bathroom, The Chief Cook removed the sausage from its casing - something that I wouldn't have done.
Not sure how it turns out at Abigail. This is what happened here:
According to The Chief Cook, I've shown too much food on the plate. She's probably right. But since there was a strong intent to eat what was shown, I'm not too concerned.
Most afternoons we succumb to a sort of anxiety about what to have for dinner. Yesterday, for some reason, I thought of Abby as an inspiration. The result was a home cooked version of the "Spicy Italian Sausage and Local Swiss Chard" (the chard was purchased at a local market) from the Abigail menu.
While I was talking with a contractor about our upstairs bathroom, The Chief Cook removed the sausage from its casing - something that I wouldn't have done.
Not sure how it turns out at Abigail. This is what happened here:
According to The Chief Cook, I've shown too much food on the plate. She's probably right. But since there was a strong intent to eat what was shown, I'm not too concerned.
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Prime Directive
Here's a story about a cultural anthropologist who uses his knowledge of universal cleanliness to help P&G sell its products in a global economy. It all makes sense. And I'm sure that the people of Nuer, where the men decorate their faces with dung ash, make up a fertile market in which women, just like the Madeira daughter who fears soiling her mother's white socks, can swiff their guilt away.
I like anthropology and I'm a dyed in the compressed fabric bits fan of Swiffer. But shouldn't an anthropologist's first allegiance be to the prime directive instead of a campaign to "give cleaning a whole new meaning"?
I like anthropology and I'm a dyed in the compressed fabric bits fan of Swiffer. But shouldn't an anthropologist's first allegiance be to the prime directive instead of a campaign to "give cleaning a whole new meaning"?
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