(Monday, October 31)

My Wife, without suspenders.

(Sunday, October 30)

Amazon.com: DVD: Crash (Widescreen Edition)

(Saturday, October 29)

Dont invest in the bubble

I didn't believe it was a bubble until now. I got to admit, I thought myspace.com was a waste. After doing the research, I can see where Rupert might think it is valued above half a billion dollars. (Rumor has it it sold for 800million). I thought it was over blown, but it was Rupert looking for an in for the net, and I figured maybe I was just not seeing some inherent value. Then Weblogs sold. I don't know the figures, but if the little 'This blog is worth' meme tells me anything, I am not the only one that thinks that whatever it sold for was an insane price. Don't get me wrong, I see where the traffic might be from. I see the number of eyes, but maybe an adsense model was making decent money, so I gave it the benefit of the doubt also. Maybe I was just missing the value. Then came the story that a VC backed digg.com for 2.8 mil. Don't get me wrong. I love Digg. I think it is a great idea, and I do visit it generally once a day to see things. But 2.8 mill? For a news aggregator? not just an aggregator, but a socially constructed one? Where is the profit going to come from? I think it is surely more hyped than /. (and much more bearable to read without the griping) but 2.8 million? !!?!? The only thing I see that might be making them money know is the adsense and sponsorship from the podcasts. To the tune of 2.8 million though? No way. I started reading through the comments on the story (it was dugg of course) and two things pop'd into my head a.) What are they going to patent? What is the inherent value of the site? News Aggregation (been done for along time, look at Fark). The Ajaxian stuff? (also been around for awhile, its great UI, but nothing that is 'theirs' function wise (excluding design)) ? So what�s left? Are they going to try to patent the rating of stories (value of the dig) and apply it to other submarkets. Has that not been done all over? Displaying user submitted content based on some value has been done for a long time. Look at search engines. That toolbar you install is there to watch 'how' you surf, not just 'what' you search. Applying a value to members of a set based on user submissions isn�t anything new. So what is the killer money maker going to be? Conversion to a social network? That has been done all over the place. That�s not anything new. So what is the money maker? I honestly can't figure it out. b.) Do people (ie the people writing the congratulations comments) understand that they had just as much of a role in Digg making 2.8 in VC as anyone? Do they understand that (as of now) Digg makes money off adsense and advertsing that comes from user submitted content? I read a great argument about Flickr earlier in the week, and I really think that social generated content is the web 2.0 bubble. Don't get me wrong. As a developer I love the new level that APIs are operating at. I think it�s great that the "web 2.0" is a somewhat open one, and is based around organization. But do people really realize that the bulk of the content that these marketing and advertising programs are applied to is user generated content. The author of the piece I am referring too believes that he should be getting a part of any money Flickr is making off ads that are hosted by them of his pictures (his user submitted content). (The reason this piece caught my eye is because of it's reference to virtual economies). Don't get me wrong, he agreed to the service at some point, and of course they should be able to make money with his agreement, but it just seems that user generated content with and open API and a simple nice ajax interface is making people millions. I am honestly glad it is, but I would hate to hold and investment in the people making these investments. I just don't see the 'What is the inherent value of the company to us?" being asked anymore. It seems to be 'Where is the hype?'. Once they attain control over the 'hype site' it is going to drop like a rock. It will take people awhile to figure out 'how' to make money with the site, and by then something newer and more 'hyped' will have pop'd up. if you get a chance take a look at this article that sums up nicely the different kinds of bubble 2.0 apps that are coming out. I personally am glad that there is starting to be more investment in companies like this (it provides developers jobs). But in looking at a lot of this from a business perspective, it really does look like a bubble again. It also almost seems like it is tied to 'content hoarding by websites' specifically for the application of content identifying advertisements (like ad sense). Content is king and should always be in the search world. But in the marketing world? In the investment world? It sucks that someone would invest in something just on the whim that the content will be relevant to what people want to lay eyes on in the future. The funny thing is that the people I would blame this on would be the people who created this model of payment which would be Google in relation to adsense. If the payment gods pay for clicks on relevant content, then the more content the better (user generated or not). But what�s funny is that I seriously think that Google knows that one day people are going to sit down and say "Why on earth am I paying this much for advertising centered around this specific end of the tail subject matter?" Their answer to this is base.google.com (they knew it was coming). I will explain more about that in another post.

(Thursday, October 27)

Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 Available on MSDN Subscriber Downloads

It's out. Kirk Allen Evans' Blog : Visual Studio 2005 and SQL Server 2005 Available on MSDN Subscriber Downloads

(Wednesday, October 26)

Soul meet body.

Pluses, minuses to mortgage tax break - Oct. 25, 2005

It's weird, a lot of people I know supported Bush and his spend, spend, spend theories (from a 'conservative') in 2004. Terrorism? Spend on FEMA (we see how well that is working). Another 9/11, lets move the battle to Iraq (we see how well that is working). In hindsight, in looking at Kerry I understand why they decided they could not vote for him. I voted for him, but honestly I don't know how much of a better President he would have made. We might have been fighting the same spending wars on other fronts (SS, immigration, etc). But the piper is calling our debts and in the next 8-15 years we are going to have to start paying for Afghanistan (completely justifiable and needed) and Iraq (not sure if it was needed). So here come the beginnings of the Taxation (it WILL NOT END NOW, AND WILL CONTINUE THROUGHT THE NEXT PRESIDENTS TERM). Clinton got lucky with the inet bubble, when the big boys were flush with cash. I don't think the next Democratic candidate (pray its not Hillary) will have that luxury. I am pretty sure GW has done such a craptacular job that almost any Dem can take 2008 with ease, but with the budget raining in it is not going to be easy for whomever. Taxation is going to be a necessity created by the Bush Admin and Iraq. All those Halliburton boys forefathers are going to want their dough, and we can't keep borrowing from China (esp, when Rummsy is arguing about their military buildup, when they own 60%+ of the US Debt). GW has got us into a mess, and I feel bad for whomever takes it over in 2008 (from any party). They are going to have to make decisions like this that no one is going to like. Here's a look at some issues concerning the tax reform panel's proposal to trim mortgage breaks.

(Tuesday, October 25)

base.google.com

Word is ripping around the web that Google is testing a new subdomain called base.google.com. A screen shot - the site has been up and down - shows a Google database of sorts where you can 'Post your items on Google.' It's a tagged database of stuff that heads directly into the world of Paul Ford's classic 'Google Takes All' essay.

(Monday, October 24)

iBelieve

(Sunday, October 23)

Just call me Fistandanlius.

Holy shiat. No Lie got it the first time I did it (click to do the 'Which SciFi Char are you quiz thing'). Someone is trying to tell me something (That I will destroy all Gods one day in my thrist for power? or that I will befriend gully dwarfs?)

(Friday, October 21)

Baby Einstein at the Roxy this weekend

(Thursday, October 20)

No Google Pay For eBay (say 3x fast)

eBay has revised its policies to only allow one online payment service, PayPal. This comes after speculation that Google is preparing a payment service. So far the reaction among eBay users has been mixed.

(Monday, October 17)

Inside Line: First Drive: 2005 Honda Civic GX - Running on Fumes

"When we first began refilling our test car, CNG was $1.79 for the equivalent of a gallon of gasoline and cost about $8.50 for a typical fill-up. Only two weeks later the price had shot up to $2.50. (Because the fuel is pumped at different compression rates, the exact amount of fuel in the tank is difficult to gauge. Consequently, we couldn't provide our own fuel economy findings. All we can confirm is that the GX will go 200 miles on an average of $10 worth of CNG.) However, there is a very attractive alternative, a unit that can be installed in your garage called the Phill. The Phill costs about $4,000 installed, but there is almost $3,000 worth of tax incentives available. This electric-powered device connects to your ordinary city gas line and takes much longer to fill the GX (average of about 4 hours but up to 12 hours for a complete fill-up). But who cares if you are asleep anyway? Also, natural gas metered at homes costs much less; one Los Angeles GX owner reports it is nearly $1 a gallon equivalent. "

(Sunday, October 16)

The Only Difference between whining and winning is an �h�,�n� and work.

For five days, the government did not act. Lives were lost," Farrakhan said at the 10th anniversary of the Million Man March. "We charge America with criminal neglect." A crowd of thousands cheered as dozens of prominent speakers -- academics, activists, artists and media pundits -- spoke, recited poetry and sang songs in the 12-hour program on the National Mall.

(Friday, October 14)

Microsoft's Media Center strikes back at Apple

While so much attention has been paid recently to Apple's new video offerings at the iTunes Music Store, Microsoft has been quietly working on digital content distribution deals of their own. One name that you're likely going to be hearing much more about is Akimbo Systems. While Apple is happy to tout the availability of a few ABC TV shows, Akimbo has much larger designs. Through either their own dedicated player, or now through MCE, Akimbo offers content in 75 categories from 150 'providers.' Some of the major networks using the service are CNN, TLC, Animal Planet, iFilm, TCM, MLB.com, History Channel, A&E, and more. Most programs are of the 'on demand' ilk, but don't require a cable subscription. You can pay for content by the program, or by subscription, depending on what the content owner decides to offer. Akimbo service for MCE will start on October 25. Can Akimbo become a kind of broker for taking On Demand to the Internet? We'll see.

(Thursday, October 13)

Couple of Quick Thoughts on iPod Video and iTunes 6.0

Busy Today, but here is somthing to discuss: 1.) I think I have realized that I love my iPOD so much, becuase since it is Audio only I DON'T have to pay attention to it. I let it shuffle and can do somthing else. It is background ambiance. How will 'video' on the ipod change this? More car accidents? 2.) iTunes 6.0 Breaks JHYMN. WTF? DONT UPGRADE if you plan on using JHymn. I upgraded my laptop, not gonna upgrade the home comp yet. 3.) I DO enjoy the video feature in iTunes 6.0 though. Nice way to show all the video podcasts (CommandN, Digg, The System) that I watch. 4.) Who wants to pay $2.00 for a TV show in 320 horizontal pixels, when they can go grab a torrent in High Def? Seriously, Who would want to see Evangeline Lilly in only 320 pixels? 5.) The Pixar shorts on iTunes is neat. I always love the short animations before the actual movies. In short. Apple is gonna have to build a much bigger screen (think PSP) for me to even think about a video ipod.

Lautenberg: congratulations Halliburton and Vice President Cheney!

WASHINGTON -- Senator Frank R. Lautenberg reiterated his call for Vice President Dick Cheney to forfeit his continuing financial interest in the Halliburton Co (HAL), in light of the surging value of Vice President Cheney's Halliburton holdings. Vice President Cheney continues to hold 433,333 Halliburton stock options, now worth $9,214,154.93 (at close yesterday.) "As Halliburton's fortunes rise, so does the Vice President's, and that is wrong," said Senator Lautenberg. "Halliburton has already raked in more than $10 billion from the Bush-Cheney Administration for work in Iraq, and now they are being awarded some of the first Katrina contracts. It is unseemly for the Vice President to continue to benefit from this company at the same time his Administration funnels billions of dollars to it." All of Vice President's Cheney's stock options are "in the money" for the first time in years. According to the Vice President's Federal Financial Disclosure forms, he holds the following Halliburton stock options: 100,000 shares at $54.5000 (vested), expire 12-03-07 33,333 shares at $28.1250 (vested), expire 12-02-08 300,000 shares at $39.5000 (vested), expire 12-02-09

(Wednesday, October 12)

Live from the Steve Jobs Keynote

As some of you may or may not know, at this moment there is a big Apple Sales Shpeel going on in Cali, some people are bloggin it in real time. Here is a summary of the major points: Video iPod is out:

The new white iPod. And yes, it does video. Specs: Same width and height as current model, but thinner. QVGA (324 x 240) pixel 260,000 color 2.5-inch display. h.264 and MPEG-4 at 30 fps. TV out. 30GB and 60GB models. Same width and height. 30GB is 31% thinner than the curent 20GB model [Making it 0.44-inches thick�say wha?]. 60G is 12% thinner than 20GB. 30G up to 75 hours of video, $299. 60G up to 150 hours video, $399. Shipping in one week.

Stevie has iTunes 6.0 up there�only about a month after introducing iTunes 5.0. iTunes 6.0 will also feature video and the iTunes Music Store will feature Fairplay DRMed video downloads (big surprise, right?).

It�s not only music videos you can buy. No, Apple�s set up to allow you to purchase TV shows for $1.99 apiece. Get Desperate Housewives or four other ABC shows premiering on iTunes at two bucks an ep. Videos are native QVGA resolution.

Camel Toads [via Keith]

(Tuesday, October 11)

Microsoft announces new licensing policy for virtual servers

Microsoft announced today that they are changing their licensing policy for running Windows server operating systems inside a virtual machine (VM). The old licensing system required that every copy of a Windows server product stored on a server was required to be licensed, either individually or through a bulk licensing program. With the new system, only running instances of operating systems must be licensed. The server operator can legally store as many different copies and installations of the OS as desired, including copies for backup and recovery, without these copies adding to the license total. Licenses need only be purchased for the maximum number of operating systems that will be running at any one time. In addition, restrictions on moving instances between servers have been lessened, and some products that are currently licensed per physical processor can now be licensed for the number of virtual processors being used.

(Monday, October 10)

Mes Del Libro

(Sunday, October 9)

Nintendo needs Google, Google Needs more Eyes