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February 1, 2008
Microsoft and Yahoo: The Bid Heard 'Round the Web
Early today, Microsoft announced its bid to acquire Yahoo! for $44.6 billion. The offer amounts to $31 per share, a 62 percent increase over Yahoo's stock price of $19.18 on Thursday. The proposed deal, as widely reported, signals Microsoft's intensified aggression against Google, which dominates Internet search with 60 percent of the market, as well as online advertising. The bid, if accepted, would be Microsoft's priciest acquisition to date.
Can Microsoft and Yahoo's combined force, which would represent about 30 percent of the Internet search market, effectively rival Google? The answer remains to be seen, of course -- besides whether or not Yahoo will accept Microsoft's bid, there's the legal question of whether the acquisition would violate antitrust regulations. Most reports, however, suggest the inevitability of this effort. The New York Times outlines Microsoft and Yahoo's failed discussions of a merger in May, leading to Microsoft's current "hostile" bid and the possibility of mounting a proxy contest for control of Yahoo's board.
Continue reading "Microsoft and Yahoo: The Bid Heard 'Round the Web"
Posted by April Joyner at 4:02 PM
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November 7, 2007
The Inflatable Rat: The Striking Writers' Lightweight Heavy
It's a nearly ubiquitous balloon animal, but it won’t be joining friendly floaters such as Big Bird in the upcoming Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It's a different breed. Angry. Unsightly. We're talking, of course, about The Rat: The giant inflatable creature with the menacing buck teeth, long claws, and red, beady eyes. It scored another cameo in The New York Times yesterday, looming over the TV and movie writers on strike.
The term rat has long referred to businesses that hire non-union labor. These days, it's a broader symbol of injustice, used to target companies, industries, and governments that come up short in any number of ways, from inadequate health-care coverage to environmental violations to writer-unfriendly policies on digital rights.
It was another busy year for this indefatigable inflatable. It crouched outside a hotel construction project in Buffalo and the annual meeting for Smithfield Foods in Williamsburg, Virginia. It glared at the State Capital in St. Paul, Minnesota and the Kennedy Space Center in Orlando.
A few years ago I tracked down the origin of the Rat.
Continue reading "The Inflatable Rat: The Striking Writers' Lightweight Heavy"
Posted by Chuck Salter at 7:14 PM
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October 3, 2007
Innovation Wednesday: Wal-Mart Surpasses Goal to Sell 100 Million Compact Fluorescent Light Bulbs Three Months Early; CEO H. Lee Scott Celebrates with Some Hamburger Helper.
Wal-Mart, take your victory lap.
Wal-Mart announced yesterday that the company has blown past an ambitious goal of selling 100 million compact fluorescent light bulbs by the end of 2007 -- three months early. This is no small deal for the Arkansas based retailer, or the environment. Over the lifetime of the CFLs, Wal-Mart estimates that these energy-saving bulbs will have the effect of taking 700,000 cars off the road or conserving the energy needed to power 450,000 single-family homes. And although the swirly bulbs are pricier (at least for now) than their incandescent cousins, Wal-Mart customers can save up to $350 a year on average by making the switch, the company says.
Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott clearly deserves a lot of credit for this. To understand the impact of his decision to make CFLs a priority for Wal-Mart, I’d recommend re-reading my pal Charles Fishman’s award winning analysis, How Many Light Bulbs Does It Take To Change The World? Not only does Fish do the detailed math of what the bulb means for the consumer and the environment, he tells a nail-biter of a story of how Lee Scott convinced GE's Jeffrey Immelt to radically disrupt GE's own light bulb business. Fish writes: “Once Wal-Mart decides to make swirls an important product, the appeal for GE also becomes clear. It's the power of the big dog: GE can either help Wal-Mart sell swirls, or some other lightbulb company will. In either case, GE's regular-bulb business shrivels.” Tough call. We now know who won. Everybody.
Posted by Ellen McGirt at 1:00 AM
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June 1, 2007
What Will CBS do With last.fm?
Last night when I logged into my last.fm account, I noticed a couple of new features, or at least better organization and display of tools on my music profile page. But this is nothing new. It's what I've come to expect of the social networking music site, where members share their listening habits by scrobbling tracks they've been listening to either through the Last.fm downloadable application or a separate plugin that works with their computer music player of choice.
I've been a paid subscriber of last.fm since 2005, and over the course of time, I've watched the site grow in membership and grow in the number of tracks available for listening pleasure on radio stations demarcated by friend, group, artist, genre, or tag. Lately there's been a lot of action on the social network's site to partner with labels and independents to make video available as well. Overall, last.fm has also rolled out more new features and improvements to its UI (user interface) than any other site I've used in the last couple of years. Let's just say that I'm a believer in the product and a very big fan.
So when I heard the announcement that CBS scooped up the Web 2.0 company for $280 million and intended to keep on its management, I both lauded and lamented the acquisition. It's great news for the Last.fm guys if they can actually continue to build the product according to their mission.
What I lament is what every social networker does once their favorite site, app, or tool has been gobbled up by a larger media player. It's something called the foreseeable future, the time when exciting developments begin to cease and the community becomes stagnant. It could even mean that the site becomes an entirely new entity -- one that bears no resemblance whatsoever to the one you once loved.
And so this brings me to the big question -- what will CBS do with last.fm? Like every major media company, CBS needs to figure out how it can fit into the era of portable media, where the public listens to music or watches movies or television when and wherever they want to -- on any device they choose. It's easy to assume that the radio and television broadcasting behemoth will do exactly what was reported in The New York Times yesterday:
"CBS said the deal provided an opportunity to extend its reach online, including adding some of its own programming to Last.FM."
And even more precisely, it could be, as Om Malik wrote very early this morning:
"Last.fm could be CBS’s hedge for its terrestrial radio operations."
Last.fm isn't CBS' first attempt at remaining relevant. The company also recently purchased Wallstrip.com, a popular video and blog financial news site, and made investments in social networking on-demand video site Joost.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 11:49 AM
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May 31, 2007
EMI's New Business Models: YouTube Viewing and DRM-free Music
EMI is testing out new business models and attempting to improve its relationship with consumers at the same time. Recent partnerships with iTunes, Amazon, and YouTube could prove successful for the record label's brand as it cozies up to some of music aficionados' favorite digital services.
The music giant's latest move will enable YouTube users to watch EMI artists' videos and also incorporate elements of the videos into their own user-generated content to create a mashup. As part of the deal, YouTube is required to track EMI content so that artists will be compensated. In some cases, the record label may still request the removal of copyright content from YouTube's servers.
EMI's YouTube partnership follows closely on the heels of Apple's release of iTunes Plus, where music buyers can now purchase songs without copy protection. Apple's new service currently only makes EMI music available without protection, but the rest of the music industry is expected to follow. iTunes purchasers will no longer be limited to listening to their downloads only on iPods as they'll now be able to play the music on any MP3 device.
EMI will also be Amazon's first partner when the online retailer launches it's DRM-free music store.
The music company could be taking a really big risk here, but with the dire straits that the music industry is in overall its better that the industry figure out what its consumers really want instead of blocking how they interact with music and music artists on every front.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 3:58 PM
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May 24, 2007
Verizon Plots iPhone Killer
This LG KE850 Phone is rumored as Verizon's possible answer to the iPhone. (image via gadgetell)
In a recent interview with Leslie Cauley from USA Today Denny Strigl, Verizon's chief operating officer said:
"We do have a very good response in the mill. You'll see that from us in the late summer."
Verizon originally passed on becoming the carrier for the iPhone. Verizon had concerns about Apple's need to have control over the device's pricing, distribution, and marketing. Apple's exclusivity clause was also a factor in Verizon deciding not to carry the iPhone.
Rumors abound that the LG KE850, also known as the Prada phone, could be a model for Verizon's future phone.
Of course this won't matter to die-hard Apple enthusiasts. Just look at their reaction on digg to our recent article, Why Apple's iPhone is Not the Next iPod."
If nothing else, Apple's iPhone will bring about innovation in the cellular market. The US has long been behind Europe, Japan, and Korea with 3G development. But the US also doesn't operate on one mobile platform.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 11:33 AM
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May 16, 2007
Motorola's New Cell Phone Two-Step
Yesterday morning, before a packed house on the west side of New York, Motorola unveiled its cellphones of the future, as well as a conflicting message about what it's trying to accomplish with the specter of the iPhone looming. Is the user interface the most important thing, or do people want their phones to make a fashion statement? Motorola claimed it was the former, but really only showed the latter.
It was one of those whiz-bang presentations, filled with the kind of corporate cheese that only Kraft could appreciate. (I've been to worse, though.) Ed Zander, Motorola's CEO came out, and posited the questions "What's after thin? What's after the Razr?" He, along with Jim Wicks, director of Motorola's consumer experience design (who was behind the Razr, arguably Moto's last significant phone), started off speaking at length about the user interface of the phone, and how the software and the user interface trumps the design of the phone itself. "The design language is moving from the physical to behavioral," said Wicks. "It's about experience design, and not thin for thin's sake." (If you want to read a liveblog of the event, Engadget's is pretty good.) And, to a large degree, they were right, as anyone who's tried to use Windows Mobile knows.
Unfortunately, everything that came after contradicted what they had just said. Over the course of an hour, they showed off several new phones (and a few that are already in use overseas) whose major significance was a new hardware design, chock full of software that already exists in one form or another.
The Moto Q got a facelift--now it's all black, and the keypad buttons are squared, and curved like a smiley-face. The smartest thing about this smartphone? The hotkeys that allow you to get to apps such as the music player, calendar, and camera with one button push. But that's a hardware work-around, and no word on if this phone chews up batteries like the one currently out on the market.
Another phone, the Z8, touted as "The Ultimate Mobile Entertainment Experience," features--wait for it--a new hardware design, called the kick slider: As the top of the phone slides upwards, it also angles in, to better fit the contours of a user's face, which is pretty smart, but like the Razr, will probably cost you just $50 two years from now. Oh yes, there's some multimedia stuff, like the ability to get live TV and watch movies (in fact, it'll come preloaded with The Bourne Identity--if you buy it in Europe), but who's going to watch movies on a screen that size that isn't even widescreen?
To demonstrate some of the features of these new phones, Motorola rolled out the big guns: Indy racecar driver Danica Patrick, soccer diva David Beckham, and Fergie, late of the Black Eyed Peas. In a series of videos that rated pretty high on the Unintentional Comedy scale, a bemused Becks, a deadpan Danica, and a flatlining Fergie pretended to use all the swell new features on the phone. Like buying a snowboard for Ed Zander! How wacky! (Note to all corporate event planners: Just because you can use a celebrity to hawk your products doesn't mean you should.)
But how was Zander's original question of "What's after the Razr" answered? Why, the Razr2, of course. Despite not being "thin for thin's sake," the phone is, well, 2 mm thinner than the original Razr. To be fair, it is a nice-looking phone, such as a larger display on the front (which, owing to its all-glass facade collects fingerprints like Columbo). But in the few minutes I had to play with it, didn't notice any radical departures from the way I navigate through the current Razr.
I left the event feeling somewhat disappointed. For all their sound and fury, Moto's event signified nothing. I realized, and this is what no one seems to get, why the iPhone, despite its $600 price tag, will probably sell very well: Like the iPod, It's not just cool hardware, but intuitive, and innovative software that makes it popular, and will keep it from being commoditized like every other gadget out there. Sure, 98 million Razrs have been sold to date, but when they're going for pennies on the dollar, you're creating demand based on price, not performance. And that's an easy call to make.
Posted by Michael Prospero at 9:00 AM
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May 10, 2007
David Neeleman out as JetBlue CEO
Now departing John F. Kennedy International Airport: JetBlue Founder and CEO David Neeleman.
JetBlue Airways said today its founder, David Neeleman, is stepping aside as chief executive officer and will be succeeded in that role by David Barger, Mr. Neeleman’s long-time No. 2 executive, reports The New York Times.
The moves come months after an operational breakdown at Kennedy Airport left hundreds of passengers stranded on JetBlue planes for hours, prompting Mr. Neeleman to start an overhaul of the carrier to avoid a repeat of the episode.
Neeleman, will stay on board at JetBlue as non-executive Chairman of the Board, according to the company's press release.
In the aftermath of JetBlue's Valentine's Day meltdown, Fast Company Senior Writer Chuck Salter caught up with Neeleman to see what the company had learned. Though the notoriously involved CEO (he even blogged) appeared "burdened, testy, exhausted" and even snapped at Salter's questions, he expressed his sincere disappointment in himself and his company and seemed anxious to rebuild the airline's image. One of his first moves was instituting a forward-thinking (but expensive) Consumer Bill of Rights reimbursing customers for ground delays.
JetBlue stood poised to overcome the February fiasco because of the seven years of goodwill it had built with its loyal customers, experts in customer trust and corporate crisis management told Salter. JetBlue--and specifically its visionary founder--cared that it screwed up, and that meant the world to the airline's customers.
But a big part of that trust and consumer loyalty was based Neeleman's personal agency in the company's structure, culture and values. His departure raises the question: What does it mean when a company loses its visionary founder and the entrepreneur responsible for the culture and strategy that made it a success?
And more importantly, will new CEO Barger blog?
Posted by Alex Pasquariello at 12:05 PM
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May 1, 2007
Dow Jones; Protect the Journal
Dow Jones Co. Inc., owners of The Wall Street Journal, received an unusual and surprising offer this morning. According to CNBC, Rupert Murdoch and his company News Corp. offered $60 a share for all outstanding shares in order to purchase the preeminent newspaper company. The asking price for a share of Dow Jones Co. at the time of the proposal was a little over $36. This comes out to an estimated $5 billion if Dow Jones accepts.
I can understand News Corp.’s plan. Buy up the financial paper, plus Dow Jones Newswire, MarketWatch and Barron’s around the same time it plans to launch a business news channel under the Fox name. This would give Murdoch and his company a quick, albeit expensive path into the business news world.
Continue reading "Dow Jones; Protect the Journal"
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at 2:53 PM
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April 17, 2007
ATV Training Wheels
Over 40,000 children injure themselves every year from riding all-terrain vehicles. Manufacturers want to appease parents concerns about this number, and the solution proposed; make children vehicles bigger and faster, according to the Wall Street Journal. (Subscription required)
The manufacturers believe if there was a larger, faster vehicle available for children above 14, then the teenagers would not switch to an adult vehicle so early. The article says 90% of the injuries occur while a kid rides an adult ATV, which can go faster than 70 miles per hour and weigh over 600 pounds. The kids are not ready for the size of the machine which leads to crashes. This opens the door for the “Y-14 model.” It has a top speed of 38 mph and weighs less than 500 lbs.
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at 12:39 PM
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Virginia Tech--and America--Mourn on Facebook
As we all mourn the loss of 32 Virginia Tech students, it should come as no surprise that Americans--and particularly college students--have congregated on Facebook to grieve together. Many memorial groups have made Facebook pages, including one entitled, "A tribute to those who passed at the Virginia Tech Shooting" with more than 107,000 members and 550 discussion boards as of 11 a.m. EST today.
Sometimes in all the hype about Web 2.0 and the technology and money behind it, it's easy to lose track of an important component of this brave new world--people. Today Facebook reminds us of the power of social networking to bring us together. Much will be written on this blog and others about Facebook's role—a mix of mourning and newsgathering--in the aftermath of the tragic events of April 16, 2007 in Blacksburg, Va. But for now...
Posted by Alex Pasquariello at 11:10 AM
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April 12, 2007
Outting Imus
If I were Don Imus I would stay home for a while. Not just in the house, but in bed, with the shades drawn.
With all the invectives being slung around -- about his comb-over, his lack of sexual prowess, his tired rants -- it's better just to hibernate out of sight than to feed the fire. But the problem with Imus, which is what got him into trouble in the first place, is that he doesn't know when to stop, stick his foot in his mouth, and call it a day.
First came the announcement that Imus wanted to publicly apologize to the Rutgers University women's basketball team. NBC initially suspended him for two weeks before realizing just how much was at stake and ultimately canceled his MSNBC simulcast of his CBS radio show, which has now also been dropped by CBS completely. Imus is finally being hung out to dry and with any luck he'll completely disappear from the public stage.
Continue reading "Outting Imus"
Posted by Ruthie Ackerman at 4:40 PM
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April 6, 2007
The Cars of Tomorrow
What will replace the fossil-fuel burning car as we know it? Will it be ethanol? Hydrogen? Electricity? Despite the gas-guzzling Hummers, pickup trucks, and SUVs whose four-wheel-drive, offroad capabilities most Americans will never, ever need, there were signs that things are changing at this year’s New York International Auto Show. I met with three different companies and checked out their visions for the future of cars. One was an established German auto maker, another an inventive American startup, and the last, well, they spurred the start of the space tourism industry.
On Tuesday, I test drove BMW’s H7, a car that runs on both gas and hydrogen, and is an attempt to solve the chicken-and-egg dilemma of hydrogen-powered cars. Namely, the lack of hydrogen refilling stations. At the moment, there are only a handful in the world, and the nearest one to New York City is in Washington, DC. So whaddya do? Make a car that runs on gasoline as well. It’s not a perfect solution, but it is a practical German one. The car itself is a modified 760Li, the larger of the 7-series sedans, and, I must say, very luxurious. The hydrogen tank, which is about the size of two of those backyard grill propane tanks stacked end to end, is situated in the trunk right behind the rear passenger seats. It's made of carbon fiber, and is insulated so well, the BMW rep told me, that if you put a cup of coffee inside it, it'd stay hot for 15 days. The car gets about 140 miles on hydrogen alone, and when you run out, you simply press a button on the steering wheel and the car automatically switches to gasoline. It's that easy--there's a little thump as the valves for the gas tank open up, and a little bit difference in engine noise, as the car sounds more like a diesel when it's running on hydrogen. BMW's only making about 100 of these cars, mainly to prove a point that making a dual-fuel car is possible and practical.
Another car out to make a point is Hybrid Technologies' L1X-75, an all-electric supercar. This one was real fun to drive: Being small, light, and electric, as soon as I stomped on the gas--er, pedal--the car took off like a rocket. A prototypical $100,000 sports car, this thing was a pain to get into, cramped once you got there, but man, was it fast. It's the equivalent of 600 horsepower, and quiet: All you heard from the car is a faint hum from the electrical system. To quote Ferris Bueller, "it is so choice. If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."
Several people stopped and asked us about the car when we were stopped, which wasn't often. But the flashiness of the car is mainly to prove a point, says Richard Griffiths, Hybrid's head of business development. The real key, he says, is putting this technology into cars that the general public will be able to afford. To that end, Hybrid Technologies is making a business of adapting traditional cars, such as the Mini Cooper, the PT Cruiser, and the Smart Car, into all-electric vehicles. If you're in New York and you happen to see a PT Cruiser taxi cab that doesn't make any noise, that's Hybrid Technologies rig.
Afterwards, I met with Cristin Lindsay, the senior director of the Automotive X Prize. This is the same organization that we wrote about last year, and who was behind the Ansari X Prize, which was won by Burt Rutan's SpaceShipOne, now being adapted for commercial space flights, courtesy of Richard Branson. The automotive X Prize, says Lindsay, is to not only produce a car that can get 100 miles to the gallon, or its equivalent, but must be able to be mass-produced for the public. "We don't want concept cars or science projects," she says. "Teams will have to prove that they have the business plan and infrastructure to sell the cars." While the X Prize foundation feels that there is a lot of creative things going on in the world of alternative-fuel cars, things aren't moving fast enough, and "we want to act as a hub for that innovation by bringing a spotlight" to the field, Lindsay says. The foundation recently posted the rules of the contest, and opened them up for a 60-day comment period. They're also in the process of finalizing the prize purse, which Lindsay says will be larger than the $10 million prize offered for the space contest. Already, they've received around 100 requests for letters of intent from possible contestants. As with their previous prize, the sky's the limit.
Posted by Michael Prospero at 12:15 PM
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April 3, 2007
Soldiers' Education Never Ends, Even When Watching Television
As if whizzing bullets and mortar bombs were not enough of a headache for the troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, now the American Forces Network has begun to use the soldiers’ time-off from the field to educate them about life lessons, according to the Wall Street Journal. (subscription required)
“’Sometimes we all go a little overboard at the mall,’ the announcer intones emphatically in one spot. ‘But understanding the difference between an occasional splurge and a serious spending problem is important for financial well-being,’” the article quotes.
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at 12:23 PM
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March 15, 2007
A Tired Excuse
Attorney General Alberto Gonzales learned a lot from the corporate scandals of the past few years. Unfortunately, he learned the wrong stuff. "As we can all imagine in an organization of 110,000 people, I am not aware of every bit of information that passes through the halls of the Department of Justice, nor am I aware of all decisions," he said at a press conference on Tuesday, trying to justify the mess at the Justice Department following the dismissal of eight federal prosecutors.
Sound familiar? It's the same defense mounted by former Enron exec Ken Lay and Bernard Ebbers of WorldCom, as well as other corrupt executives prosecuted by Gonzales' Justice Department. So how'd the "I didn't know, I'm only the CEO" defense work out for them?
It's pretty audacious to mount the same defense as those your department successfully prosecuted, and expect it to work.
Ironically, at the same press conference, Gonzales compared his department to corporate America: "Like every CEO of every major organization, I am responsible for what happens at the Department of Justice."
It's often said that government should be run like business, but not like this.
Posted by Michael Prospero at 4:36 PM
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March 14, 2007
Mel Karmazin's Greatest Hits
As XM and Sirius await to see if their $13 billion merger proposal passes muster with the FCC (which specifically prohibited such a thing when it awarded the two companies their licenses), let's take a look back and see what Mel Karmazin's thinking has been about the subject since he took over as Sirius CEO two years ago.
“I’ve been with the company about eight weeks. This is about my third rumor that I’ve confronted. I have not met with the chairman [of XM]. I have not met with the CEO. So I have no idea where any of this came from.”
--The Washington Post, January 27, 2005
“It would be great if there was a monopoly, but the second best thing is a duopoly….There is nothing inherent that would preclude the companies from having interoperable radio or shared content. It’s not the current business plan, but nothing would stop that.”
--Advertising Age, April 11, 2005
“I don’t look at XM at all. A merger is not in our business model and there have been no discussions at all.”
--Financial Times, May 9, 2005
“We’d be very happy to consider acquiring (XM), but the body language I’m seeing is they’re not interested.”
--Daily Variety, June 8, 2005
“I certainly think there would be advantages if the two companies merge, with cost savings and the like, but our business plan doesn’t contemplate that…There’s a lot of competition for satellite radio. If there’s a lot of competition, then the arguments of market power seem to go away.”
--The Hollywood Reporter, September 26, 2006
“We believe this is the next logical step in the evolution of satellite radio.”
--Teleconference, February 20, 2007
Posted by Michael Prospero at 11:52 AM
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March 13, 2007
The Google Backlash
Poor YouTube. It seems that this innovative idea that once attracted the world's amateur filmmakers to put their work out there for the world to see has become a target since it's purchase by behemoth search-provider Google, dooming everyone's favorite at-work pastime to fall prey to the insecurities of media giants trying to bring down Google before the quirky search company can dominate every realm of the Web.
In recent months, Google has been the target of everyone from Microsoft to Viacom to The American Association of Publishers, with a host of others trying to edge in on Google's (what used to seem inevitable) takeover of everything Internet.
Google's latest (and on-going) thorn in its paw has come from Viacom in the form of a $1 billion lawsuit. Just a month after Viacom asked Google's YouTube to remove all of its content from the site, Viacom says that the video-sharing site is participating in "massive intentional copyright infringement."
Despite YouTube's efforts to comply with the plethora of complaints that have been ushered in throughout the last few months about copyrighted material, it seems that the site is not policing its content adequately enough for its attackers. (YouTube has a policy to remove copyrighted material when asked.)
YouTube's original appeal came with the freedom it allowed the world to share content, much like the once-popular Napster, it seems that YouTube will eventually be destroyed by the legal ramifications that the openness of the Web allows. As a frequent viewer of YouTube, I feel that the site has already been tainted and lost that special something that once made it so interesting to visit. The mass appeal of the site has brought out a slew of other companies posting their own content to the Web in hopes of competing with the traffic that YouTube generates.
Did Google's acquisition of the company bring unwanted attention to YouTube's copyright issues? Or was YouTube doomed to follow the path of Napster from the start? Will all content eventually go the way of sites like iTunes, making the amateur filmmaker just an amateur once again?
Posted by Lisa LaMotta at 12:08 PM
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February 27, 2007
Say it Isn't so Taco-Bell
As a fast-food connoisseur, I enjoy many different take-out eateries from Chik-fil-A, to Subway, and even McDonalds at times, but my favorite place has always been Taco-Bell. The tacos, flavorful, the nachos, deliciously messy and filling, and the hot sauce plentiful, but while living in New York the chain’s debacles has, sadly, left me gun-shy.
I had almost built up enough courage to enter the establishment after the e-coli breakout. I had a craving for a 7-Layer Burrito, and was willing to concede that it was not the fault of Taco-Bell, but the fault of its onion distributor. Then the rats were found. The guilty restaurant happens to also be the location I went to, to get my chalupa fix. Now, I will not go to the one near the lower East side, or enter any other Taco-Bell because of what I have seen.
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at 5:52 PM
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February 23, 2007
Oscar Takes on a Green Sheen
With awards season in full-swing and the Oscars set to take center stage on Sunday, all eyes will be on the Red Carpet or now -- more appropriately -- the Green Carpet. With the world up in arms about climate change and everyone from Al Gore to Richard Branson proposing a solution, the entertainment industry has teamed up with the automobile industry to make green cars the new bling of celebrity awards shows.
Chevrolet jumped in on the trend in August when it hired Chip Foos to custom build a green car to take alt-rock band, The All-American Rejects, to the MTV Video Music Awards as part of the Auto giant's ReduceUrUse campaign.
But it is Global Green USA that is really making the world a cleaner place -- 30 pimped out green celebrity rides at a time. The organization first starting supplying celebrity rides five years ago at the Academy Awards and is now creating buzz with stars vying to step out into the flashbulb light from the fuel-efficient transport. Big names like Leo DiCaprio (a hybrid driver) and Penelope Cruz will reportedly be arriving to the Academy Awards in the super-chic, earth-friendly style.
Posted by Lisa LaMotta at 10:00 AM
| 1 Comment
February 22, 2007
Not So Good With Names (Update)
Last week, I wrote about Apple Inc. and Cisco Systems dispute over the right to use the name iPhone. They settled yesterday and according to an article in today's New York Times, the companies will no longer have any legal disputes and the oh so witty monicker will be given to Apple's smartphone due out in June. Yet, Cisco wasn't the big loser in the settlement. The company secured the right to also use the name for products that will be compatible with Apple's iPhone. It seems Cisco achieved exactly what it was hoping for when it set out with its legal venture six weeks ago.
Posted by Lisa LaMotta at 12:49 PM
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February 19, 2007
Merging Questions
Fast Company first wrote about the competition between XM and Sirius a couple of years ago, and while rereading the piece might not be a lesson in "I told you so," the companies' recent merger (subscription may be required) might be of interest.
For me, the merger raises several questions. One, does the merger indicate that the very idea of satellite radio has promise -- or that it might be an idea before its time? If there's truly a sizable business opportunity here, might it not be able to support more than one company? Secondly, I'm somewhat confused by broadcasters' plans to challenge the merger. Mightn't another satellite radio company be formed some day? Is a company a trust if there's still the opportunity for other businesses to enter a market?
And thirdly, what's the appeal? I personally have little interest in satellite radio. I'm not an avid radio listener, and part of me still feels like satellite radio is basically Music Choice (the cable television audio music channels) without the lame trivia questions and karaoke-quality visuals. I'm also curious whether the company's attempts to differentiate themselves content-wise is working. Is Howard Stern appeal enough to sign up for the service?
Maybe the market's too small for one company.
Posted by Heath Row at 8:48 PM
| 3 Comments
February 16, 2007
Go Ahead Stick Your Head in the Sand, Just Don't Do it in Haiti
As globalization bridges the gap between the developed and the developing world, countries and cultures that were once off-limits are now as close as a mouse click away. Not only is it possible to look up information about the Dominican Republic on the Web, but within hours you can be sitting on its white sandy beaches, appreciating the local food, and learning about the culture. So, what is the responsibility of the world traveler who ventures into another country, camera and dollars in hand? Is it a right or a privilege? And does all tourism by default help the local economy?
Pro-poor tourism is tourism that consciously gives back to poor people, helping to alleviate poverty from the ground up. A pro-poor tourist may decide to stay in a locally owned hotel or buy locally made products, instead of going on a package tour. Or they may decide to go with a package deal to save money, but venture out of the confines of the hotel in order to spread their wealth around. Another option is to book travel with a company that gives back a percentage of the profits to boost the local economy.
Continue reading "Go Ahead Stick Your Head in the Sand, Just Don't Do it in Haiti"
Posted by Ruthie Ackerman at 3:16 PM
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February 14, 2007
Buying American Citizenship…on Credit
While comprehensive immigration reform simmers on the political backburner in Washington D.C., banks are embracing the nation's 12 million-plus illegal immigrants, targeting their financial products--checking accounts, mortgages and, now, credit cards--to help them achieve the American Dream, even if they're not American.
Bank of America (BofA) has "quietly" begun issuing credit cards to customers without social security numbers or credit history in Los Angeles--typically illegal immigrants, the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) reported yesterday.
The new program is open to people without a Social Security number or credit history, as long as they have held a checking account with the bank for three months without an overdraft, according to the Journal. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based bank has been testing the program at five Los Angeles branches since last year and last week expanded it to 51 branches in Los Angeles County, home to the largest concentration of illegal immigrants in the U.S. The bank hopes to roll out the program nationally later this year.
Immigration may be a hot-button issue, but BofA 's credit program is based on profits, not politics.
Continue reading "Buying American Citizenship…on Credit"
Posted by Alex Pasquariello at 3:30 PM
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No iPod Street Crossings
Put those Blackberries away, and take those headphones out of your ears if you work or live in New York. Well not yet, but the possibility has arisen. New York State Senator Carl Kruger (D) has proposed a bill that would fine anyone $100 caught using Blackberries or iPods while crossing the streets of New York.
"IPod oblivion" Kruger has dubbed it, and he uses the term to describe someone’s state of mind when he/she walks down the street with a Blackberry, iPod, cell phone, and or video game. Instead of paying attention to the street in front of them, one focuses on the electronic tool in front of them and causes injury to oneself because of the inattention to the crosswalk signs.
Posted by Ryan Derousseau at 11:39 AM
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February 9, 2007
Global Warming: Lucrative and Sexy
Economists believe that market forces, not government policies, will provide the most efficient solutions to the looming global warming crises. But why wait for the market to tip the balances in the planet's favor when you can create your own market altogether?
Airline tycoon Sir Richard Branson announced a $25 million prize for the first person to come up with a way of scrubbing greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere, reports Reuters.
To cash in, the winner will have to devise a method of removing one billion metric tons of carbon gases a year from the atmosphere for 10 years.
"Unless we can devise a way of removing CO2 (carbon dioxide) from the earth's atmosphere we will lose half of all species on earth, all the coral reefs, 100 million people will be displaced, farmlands will become deserts and rain forests wastelands," Branson said at the conference announcing the prize.
Gee, if you put it that way Richard, the situation sounds kind of grim. Luckily, Italian designer Diesel reminds us that Armageddon can still be sexy.
Continue reading "Global Warming: Lucrative and Sexy"
Posted by Alex Pasquariello at 12:25 PM
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January 25, 2007
Lives Defined by Work, Even in Death
There's no more telling example of how people identify themselves--or are identified-- by what they do, than in the current argument over the 9/11 memorial plans for Ground Zero. When the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation announced that victims' names would be displayed without specifying, among other things, what company they worked for, a group of their families denounced the plan, saying that not displaying these affiliations "robs victims of the human qualities that rallied and sustained the nation" on the web site Take Back the Memorial.
The differences in their proposal, along with the foundation's, are highlighted in this New York Times article, where the victims relatives also specify that ages, floor locations, and in the case of uniformed workers, ranks, should also be included.
Which do you think is the better proposal? Will having the 2,979 names appear unadorned better represent the great tragedy of that day, or, by including other information, better tell the story of those who died?
How do you define yourself? When you're first introduced to someone, how early in the conversation do you ask them what they do? When does what you do come into the conversation? Most importantly, is that how you want to be remembered?
Posted by Michael Prospero at 10:33 AM
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December 19, 2006
User Generated Content Gets Kudos
On Sunday, after first hearing about Time magazine's person of the year, I thought about blogging about it. Seeing the cover, with it's iMac image with a YouTube controller, reminded me of the early '80s when the personal computer was chosen as the person of the year. Though, this time, it wasn't actually the computer, but instead, "You." You, in the sense of the users of all the Web 2.0 tools out there -- the MySpacers, YouTubers, Diggers, vloggers, and the like.
And while I wanted to blog about it I didn't. Even yesterday, as I sat and watched the conversation unfold over at Techmeme, Technorati, and via Google alerts.
But like Robert Scoble, I thought everyone would be blogging about it anyway. And then after Darren Rowse, "Time Wins Linkbaiter of the Year Award," became one of the most widely read posts on the topic, I really decided not to blog about it.
So why am I here blogging about it today? Because I realize that while Web 2.0 and user generated content has taken off, and Time has ordained everyone who participates in the culture, there's still a mass of folks who have no idea what an RSS reader is, have never used YouTube, or don't have a Linkedin, Facebook, or MySpace account. In fact, there are many who don't know, or don't care to know what these tools and social networking sites are all about. There are even those, reading this very post, who don't even realize that this is a blog entry and not a daily news report. It is for you -- the luddite, the technophobe, the newbie -- so that you too may know what all of the hype is about, and learn how much the world around you is changing.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 12:25 PM
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December 16, 2006
What's the Deal With Jetrosexuals?
A few years ago, a new sexual classification emerged on the scene. As funny as I thought it was when I first heard the term "metrosexual," I think it's even funnier that it stuck around. Oh no, metrosexuals weren't just a passing fad --people now comfortably identify themselves as such. Now it appears there is a new name for members of the fashion-forward jetsetting set, "Jetrosexuals." Also known as "flash-packers," jetrosexuals revel in fashion and travel.
Applied to individuals who travel worldwide in search of fashion bargains, jetrosexuals are known for having their passport ready to go at a moment's notice, and an eye for stylish, cheap faux couture clothing. Most commonly found travelling from the US to Asia in search of a bargain, jetrosexuals are known to carry little more with them than an iPod and the latest issue of Vogue.
Apparently, the new trend is being fueled by two things: Ridiculous airline discounts that chop $1000 fares to Asia to less than $50 from gateway cities, and the booming Asian textile industry.
And it's not just the jetrosexuals who are evolving -- the money spent on textiles and fashion in Vietnam has brought about dramatic change in the economic and cultural landscape of Hoi An. Although still conjested and plagued with poverty, this city is now known as a tailoring hub. It all started years ago when European and American designers began outsourcing the production of their fabrics to Asia.
I was curious to find out what (besides a plane-ride across the Pacific) separates jetrosexuals from people who take the subway down to Chinatown to buy fake Louis Vuittons. Apparently, quite a lot. Jetrosexuals don't just take a copy of Vogue with them for reading on the plane -- they take it to show tailors how to copy the garments. So, in a matter of hours, a jetrosexual can arrive in Hoi An, point to a Marc Jacobs jacket in a glossy fashion mag, and get back on the plane to L.A. wearing what appears to be a $1000 couture coat. In other words, it's made-to-order knock-off couture.
Surprisingly, (unlike a fake Vuitton) this violates no copywright laws in the U.S. Unless a Marc Jacobs label is stuck in the back of the garment, there is nothing stopping a tailor from copying a designer garment.
What do you think? Is it worth the trouble to venture to Asia for discount couture clothing? And will "jetrosexuals" stick around?
Posted by Kathryn Tuggle at 4:38 PM
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December 15, 2006
Ahmet Ertegun, Atlantic Records Founder, Dies
It's impossible to read about the death of Ahmet Ertegun without reflecting on how much the media world has changed over the course of his lifetime. And how much it hasn't. When he started Atlantic Records in 1947 with $10,000 in borrowed money from a family dentist (seems like dentists have been angels for a long time) the music industry hadn't consolidated into the top-heavy beast it has become. Twenty years later, at the dawn of the merger era, Ertegun sold Atlantic to Warner Brothers-Seven Arts for $17 million dollars, or just slightly more than the omikase at Nobu, in 2006 dollars.
Because Ertegun had an uncanny ear for talent, and was respected as a class act in an industry where trust was never highly rated in the Billboard charts, Atlantic was able to survive and prosper as a label. While he discovered and sponsored titanic talents like Ray Charles and John Coltrane, over his career he witnessed mass-production take over the industry, and with that the slow death of individuality, as artists got swept up, packaged, made-over, homogenized, and exsanguinated.
Yet as we approach 2007, which will be the 60th anniversary of the founding of Atlantic, in a curious and welcome way the music industry is more open to the kind of unmediated originality that Ertegun lived for, than it has been since the days when he got going.
The arrival of MySpace and YouTube -- and, of course, the entire online distribution platform -- provide an opportunity for talent to bypass corporate blockages, institutional fearfulness and focus-group decision-making. It also provides an opportunity for talentlessness to take the same journey.
Which is why what Ertegun did so brilliantly, to find, filter and nurture, is more necessary now than it was in 1947. Indeed, the combination of a democratic distribution sysem and Ertegun's talent tropism is the killer app we've been waitiing for, but aren't likely to find. We're not likely to see his kind again, though we need him more than ever.
Posted by Adam Hanft at 4:35 PM
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In Today's Papers
From the reading pile:
- Al Shugart, 76; Was Silicon Valley Pioneer
An early innovator in hard drives died recently - The F-Word Finally Falls from Favor (Registration may be required)
A kindler, gentler comedy? - A Pentagon Agency Is Looking at Brains -- And Raising Eyebrows (Registration may be required)
Minding the military... literally - The Jetrosexual Look (Registration may be required)
"Custom tailoring in Asia now goes far beyond business suits. Our reporters on getting stylish clothes, cheap." - Pop-Ups Grow Up (Registration may be required)
"With Gossip, Phobias and Hitchcock, A Kids' Genre Gets New Dimensions" - Reviving FAO Schwarz (Registration may be required)
"How the Venerable Toy Store Hopes $22 Hot Wheels Cars Can Save It From Discounters" - Smart Spenders: The Global Innovation 1000
"Booz Allen Hamilton’s annual study of the world’s 1,000 largest corporate R&D budgets uncovers a small group of high-leverage innovators who outperform their industries."
Posted by Heath Row at 12:40 PM
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December 13, 2006
Set for Life
This Wednesday became Day One in ex-Enron CEO Jeffrey Skilling's 24-year sentence for securities fraud, insider trading, and making false claims to auditors.
According to prison officials, Skilling, 53, entered the Federal Correctional Institution in Waseca, Minn., around noon today.
A former university campus, the low-security facility has 1,123 beds and is located about 75 miles south of Minneapolis.
Skilling is currently appealing his conviction.
For more about recently locked up CEOs, check out CEOs in the Slammer.
Posted by Angus Loten at 6:14 PM
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December 11, 2006
In Today's Papers
Reading and ripping:
- Computer Provides More Questions Than Answers
The discovery of an ancient device highlights the allure of archaic technology - For Tower Records, End of Disc
"In Rockville, Reminders and Remainders of the Dying CD" - How a Highflier in Marketing Fell at Wal-Mart (Registration may be required)
"Racy Ads, Unusual Strategy Won Julie Roehm Buzz; Questions About Freebies" - Times Sq. Ads Spread Via Tourists’ Cameras
Location, location, location -- and Send to a Friend - To Retain Valued Women Employees, Companies Pitch Flextime as Macho (Registration may be required)
Businesses aim to overcome the stigma some associate with flexible work schedules
Posted by Heath Row at 12:29 PM
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December 7, 2006
CNET Editor James Kim Found Deceased
I had totally forgotten that a co-worker told me that CNET Senior Editor James Kim had passed away yesterday. That was until last night, while I was playing Santa online, and was in much need of some kid's electronics advice. During a search for a Disney Mix Stix review, I ran across this video, with James Kim delivering a first look at the player. And then it hit. And then I remembered.
Kim and his wife and two daughters were traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, driving from Seattle back home to San Francisco when they got stuck in the snow on a mountain road in Oregon. His wife says that he left the car on Saturday morning, seeking help. He told her he would return in five hours, according to reports. When both Kim and his wife did not show up on Nov. 28 for appointments they had, friends and family began to worry.
Kim's wife and daughters were found on Monday in their car, in good condition. He was not found until Wednesday, when rescuers located his body near the Big Windy Creek area, about seven miles from their car. Results of an autopsy on his body are to be released today. It's possible that he may have suffered hypothermia.
If you've ever watched CNET TV, then you've seen James Kim. He co-hosts a weekly video podcast for the Crave gadgets blog. Lately you may have even been following his Zune chronicles on CNET. He had been writing a book about the MP3 player.
I didn't know him personally, but I depended on him -- his insight on digital audio equipment will be sorely missed.
Friends and family have set up a site to take donations.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 12:35 PM
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In Today's Papers
From the reading pile:
- Alvin Toffler: The Thought Leader Interview
"Thirty-six years after his book Future Shock, the world’s most influential futurist sees the informal economy as a basis of revolutionary wealth." - At New Video Sites, Opening Up the Box Is a Ritual to Savor (Registration may be required)
"Unbaring of a PlayStation 3 Gives Tech Geeks a Thrill; Apple's 'Exotic' Packages" - Behind the Scenes, PR Firm Remakes Wal-Mart's Image (Registration may be required)
"Political Veterans at Edelman Tackle Woes of 'Candidate' But Sometimes Stumble" - Best Business Books: 2006 (Registration may be required)
As though we don't have enough to read already, these books on the future, economics, leadership, and strategy should be at the top of any reading pile - Online Clothes Reviews Give 'Love That Dress' New Clout (Registration may be required)
Appreciating and promoting quality plumage - Religious Order Runs Drug Lab For Cures, Ethics (Registration may be required)
"If it becomes a successful, albeit niche, player in the pharmaceutical industry, the order hopes to have bigger clout in pushing for more ethical business practices from the inside out." - Smart Spenders: The Global Innovation 1000
"Booz Allen Hamilton’s annual study of the world’s 1,000 largest corporate R&D budgets uncovers a small group of high-leverage innovators who outperform their industries." - Where Are the Women in Top Management?
"New Research Raises Troubling Questions"
Posted by Heath Row at 10:55 AM
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December 6, 2006
In Today's Papers
Reading and ripping:
- China's Sunshine Boys
Raking in the green with green business - Irrational Exuberance, Reconsidered (Registration may be required)
Who'd-a thunk that the mid-'90s exuberance was, in fact, rational? - Posting Your Resume on YouTube (Registration may be required)
"Young Job Hunters Try Using Video Clips to Stand Out; The Risk of Humiliation" - The Pursuit of Happiness: Six Experts Tell What They've Done to Achieve It (Registration may be required)
Turns out that "Can't Buy Me Love" might be not entirely true - Silicon Valley Moguls Support Microlenders, Just Not in the U.S. (Registration may be required)
Should microlenders make money? - Spam Doubles, Finding New Ways to Deliver Itself
Image spam can work around existing spam filters; improvements are needed - When iPods Die (Registration may be required)
"Gripes Over Breakdowns Grow As Players Become Ubiquitous; The Drop-Start Technique" - Why Some Cities Think Developing At Rail Stops Is a Mighty Good Road (Registration may be required)
Real estate developers might finally eye commuter hubs as mixed use hotspots
Posted by Heath Row at 3:44 PM
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December 1, 2006
Blogger Could be Sued for Copyright Violations
There's a story in the New York Daily News today, in which celebrity photographers are accusing hollywood gossip blog PerezHilton.com of using photos without proper credit. These photographers, and the agencies that represent them, want to get paid.
Seven of Hollywood's top photographers have reportedly banded together and are threatening to sue the site's owner for allegedly stealing pictures. It appears, PerezHilton.com is making a fortune off the site, by exploiting the work of these photographers. Often, scandalous celebrity pics are posted on the site, without proper credit given to photographers and their agencies, and photographers claim they are not being adequately compensated.
The photographers have written the site's owner a little, asking him to cough up the cash, or expect to be sued. In response to an e-mail sent by the Daily News, the site's owner, Mario Lavandeira said:
"I have yet to be personally served with this lawsuit. My lawyers and I will address the situation when we have an opportunity to review the materials."
This issue with the PerezHilton site could be the first of many similar issues as more entertainment and gossip blogs become popular and start to rake in significant revenue. Independent bloggers may find themselves becoming more like media companies after all. And I'm referring more to the business side of things, and all of the responsibility that comes with it.
Posted by Lynne d Johnson at 3:14 PM
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