Categories
Business Technic

Yahoo going head-to-head with Google

<![CDATA[Yahoo opens up its search toolbox to developers | CNET News.com:

Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang is expected to announce Tuesday that the company’s search network will embrace Web services and its commercial subsidiary will take a new name.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company has created the Yahoo Search Developer Network at http://www.developer.yahoo.com, and plans to unveil it at the Search Engine Strategies Conference here. The network will allow software developers to create new applications (with the aid of application programming interfaces, or APIs) on top of Yahoo search, including images, video, news and local search.

So much for a quiet ascent for Google. Real competition is here, now.]]>

Categories
Impolitic Life

Dan's wrong about this….

<![CDATA[403 Forbidden:
You don’t have permission to access /dan_gillmor_on_grassroots/2005/02/tribune_kills_a.html on this server.
According to my RSS feed, Dan Gillmor wrote about a Boondocks cartoon that was spiked today by the Chicago Tribune (but I get a page forbidden message when trying to read the page):

Tribune Kills Anti-Bush Cartoon

It’s over the top, I agree, but the paper explained its decisions to readers, according to Romenesko, this way: “Today’s original Boondocks strip presents inaccurate information as fact.”

Maybe someone should tell the Trib about those horoscopes it runs, not to mention at least some of the advertising…

I don’t agree that it is over the top, it’s just satire. We need more of it. The Trib’s excuse is incorrect. Bush has been recorded saying “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.” That is an admission he smoked pot. And given the long-standing suggestions from many sources that Bush used cocaine, this is a perfectly reasonable satire—hell, during the Clinton era, people accused the president of hundreds of scandalous things that were unfounded, but the satire flowed freely. It’s not time to be polite, it’s time to offend sensibilities that have been protected for far too long.
UPDATE: The link is working now.]]>

Categories
Business Impolitic

How do you think Harry Truman got to be president?

<![CDATA[Investigative Journalism | Personal Democracy Forum:

The best investigative journalism is no longer happening solely in the traditional newspaper industry. I bring you exhibit A, the new report from the Committee on Government Reform on the politicization of Social Security internal communications. The Congressman who heads this effort is Henry Waxman, who has worked tirelessly to expose abuses in contracting in Iraq and the prescription drug boondoggle.

Well, how did Truman become president? He made himself the voice of reason in defense contracting during World War II. Where’s the Democrat, heck, where is anyone willing to stand up for honest contracting during the War on Terror?
Investigations eventually happen during every era. The people finally get tired of the corruption and rebel through research. The press has never had a monopoly on investigative excellence.]]>

Categories
Business Economic Impolitic

It's right there on the border of sanity

<![CDATA[John Robb’s Weblog:

Newsmax. The weakness of the U.S. dollar is no accident, billionaire George Soros says – it’s the result of Russian and Middle East oil exporters switching some of their oil transactions from dollars to euros. Where’s the tipping point on this?

John asked, so let me just say: It’s right at the moment the Chinese and Europeans decide they want to punish the United States without a war. The oil states are already shifting business from making oil to using it at a lower cost than they sell it (that’s why the Persian Gulf is the home of the most new airlines), but they’ll happily gut our economy if the price is right and the spoils ripe for the plucking.
NewsMax tries to blame Soros, who is prepped to take advantage of any currency move, not just dollar moves, but the blame lies with the ham-handed foreign policy of the Bush Administration. The president and his cronies make more enemies in a month than the previous 10 presidents made during their entire terms.]]>

Categories
Impolitic Life Technic

Another confrontation at the edge of the network My blog's in Cambridge, but my heart is in Accra : Ethan's Weblog – My blog is in Cambridge, but my heart's in Accra

<![CDATA[My blog’s in Cambridge, but my heart is in Accra : Ethan’s Weblog – My blog is in Cambridge, but my heart’s in Accra :

Global Voices ally and contributor Jeff Ooi was taken in for questioning this morning by Malaysia’s Criminal Investigation Division regarding a Septmeber 2004 post on his weblog, Screenshots. Jeff was questioned for two hours and released. It’s unclear whether the authorities will close the case regarding Jeff’s weblog, or whether he may be subject to future questioning and harrasment.

As I was saying this morning….]]>

Categories
Business Economic Technic

Did someone just notice this?

<![CDATA[CyberJournalist.net: Study: Online news use grows:

A rapidly growing number of Americans are increasing their use of online sources for news and information at the expense of other media , according to a national segmentation study conducted by washingtonpost.com in partnership with Nielsen//NetRatings and Scarborough.

“In the twelve months ending December 2004, 47% of respondents reported significantly increasing their usage of online media for news and information. A smaller number (4%) of those surveyed reported decreasing their usage of the internet for news during the same time period. In contrast, traditional media showed modest gains with radio at 16%, television at 18%, newspapers at 12% and magazines at 15%. However, similar declines were noted for each at -12%, -20%, -18% and -18%, respectively.

Of course, but it’s not 24/7, it’s the fact the news is available now rather than waiting for the next broadcast, top-of-the-hour newsbreak or the paper to slap onto the porch in the morning. It’s immediacy, not just accessibility.]]>

Categories
Business Economic Technic

Remix thy product, become thine own vendor

<![CDATA[The Customer Remix Culture :: AO:

The more open a product (or for that matter, an organization) is, the more customer remixes can occur. And this, as Martha says, is a “good thing.”

Imagine remixing the product, the service and revenue stream, becoming a partner in the ventures you buy from.]]>

Categories
Business Economic Impolitic Life Technic

Compare and Discuss, an open thread

<![CDATA[Contrast and discuss:
Joho the Blog: Why tagging matters — Notes and Rip, Mix, Burn, Autolink
Tagging absolutely matters, but it comes with a raft of consequences.]]>

Categories
Business Economic Impolitic Life

An excellent set of links on the return of the Gilded Age

<![CDATA[A gilded tomorrow | MetaFilter:

An American paradox: Why so many families report being financially less secure even as the nation has grown more prosperous. The answer lies in a quarter-century-long shift of economic risks from the broad shoulders of business and government to the backs of working families.

Worth the reading…. Love the story about the $200,000-a-year itinerant executive with a Hobbit name; and the comments include a good summary of how the credit card industry is looking for more advantages vis-a-vis the consumer. Basically, if the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 passes, you will no longer be able to declare bankruptcy without having to pay of most or all of your debts (which is what caused your bankruptcy). Now, lest this sound perfectly fair, consider that the credit card company still could declare bankruptcy and walk away from its debts and the shareholder’s equity would be lost. Corporations are better (or, at least, far more advantaged) than individuals in Bushworld.]]>

Categories
Business Technic

Yes, he said. Yes, yes….

<![CDATA[Forbes.com: The Venture Capital Beggar’s Banquet:
Guy Kawasaki is asked by Forbes:

Has the internet boom-to-bust made VCs more cautious/apprehensive?



Yes.

Which demands we ask the question: Hasn’t every new industry gone through similar over-investment-with-limited-payoff cycles and, if so, why would VCs be more cautious about Net stocks now than before when they should be better equipped by the experience to make risky, but informed, investments?]]>