Monthly Archives: April 2011

When disaster strikes “someplace else,” first send money

You know the need. At times like this, in the first days of such widespread disaster as Thursday’s southern storms, the immediate need those of us not on the scene can help with is always first and foremost: money. And … Continue reading

Posted in observation | 2 Comments

The value of new metaphors vs. old metaphors (magazine publishing vs. curation-aggregation)

A few weeks ago, I ran across this quote from Media Bistro’s FishbowlNY: “Ah, curation. Another lofty new* label. As far as we can tell, “curation” is to “aggregation” like “online magazine” is to “blog.” The quote was in reference … Continue reading

Posted in observation | 1 Comment

VRM: I’ll show you mine if you’ll show me yours

While I’ve mentioned the wonkish topic before on this blog, I’ve held off (for years) writing about Vendor Relationship Management (VRM). When I say wonkish, I mean it is still in a phase that is conceptual and academic, more than … Continue reading

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Amazon fails, big time

Back in the early days of Amazon, around 1995 or so, a friend of mine placed an order that got botched. He mailed a letter (not email, but the real kind) to Jeff Bezos and never heard back: no acknowledgement, … Continue reading

Posted in amazon | 10 Comments

Why Apple analysts under-perform vs. Apple bloggers

[Source: Fortune (Click to enlarge)] Apple 2.0, the blog maintained by Fortune magazine’s Philip Elmer-DeWitt, has an on-going feature in which he (with the help of some number-crunching elves) compares the “amateurs” and “professionals” who analyze and forecast Apple earnings. … Continue reading

Posted in apple | 1 Comment

I assume everything I do is being tracked

Yesterday, these guys revealed how iPhones and iPads (the models with cell-phone connectivity) maintain about a year’s worth of data related to the cell locations they’ve encountered. What’s more, every time an iPhone/iPad owner syncs the device to their computer, … Continue reading

Posted in apple, google, iphone, maps | Tagged | 1 Comment

You decide: Jane Austen with appendicitis or an Oil of Olay offer

On May 3, Amazon will start shipping the “Kindle with Special Features,” a $114 wifi-enabled Kindle ebook reader. The device costs $25 less than the technically-identical $139 Kindle model, the “special features” being money-saving coupon offers that show up as … Continue reading

Posted in amazon, kindle | 2 Comments

My theory: Cisco shot the Flip from a grassy knoll*

In my post the other day about Cisco killing the Flip camera, I wrote, “While there are those who say the iPhone and other smart phones have killed the need for the Flip, those people tend to be the same … Continue reading

Posted in internet, video | 4 Comments

Off-topic: Daughter update

Several people have emailed me with kind comments about a series of tweets I posted Monday night regarding an accident my daughter was involved in. Taking advantage of the beautiful weather in New York City, she decided to leave her … Continue reading

Posted in All other | Tagged | 4 Comments

Flips, Kindles and bumps along the content distribution channel

For years, at different publishing industry gatherings, I’ve heard people say things like, “at our company, we’ve discussed giving our subscribers free [eBook readers, netbooks, Kindles, iPads, or whatever else was the current technology] who will agree to continue their … Continue reading

Posted in amazon, apple, kindle, observation | 9 Comments

My once-a-year bluegrass post: Steve Martin’s Rare Bird Alert

While some of you may know my friend @bobcarrigan for that tech media gig he has or maybe for that internet advertising thing he does. However, for me, Bob Carrigan is my go-to source on all things banjo. Bob’s the … Continue reading

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Posted in review | 1 Comment