One might think we live in feudal times, what with an unelected bureaucrat being able to tax companies arbitrarily and retroactively. However, since it’s an “anti-trust” issue, the European Commission gets around calling it a tax or tariff, and thus can charge whatever the Commission decides. There is no rate schedule to adhere to, no trade agreements to abide. Didn’t we get past this kind of thing hundreds of years ago? ..
Paul Buchheit, whom I’ve never read prior, has a very nice article about what makes a successful company: You can take the smartest, most experienced, most connected, most brilliant people in the world and have them build the most stunningly designed and technically advanced product in the world, but if people don’t want it, then you will fail.This is roughly what happened with the Segway, for example. […]Even if you aren’t the smartest person around, and your product is kind of ugly and broken, you can still be very successful, if you just build the right product. YouTube and MySpace are both fine examples of this. ..
A great story about TJ Rodgers’ personal green revolution. Rich: UN committees. Reach: entrepeneurs. Advantage: reach. ..
When we talk about regulations, in housing or agriculture or the Internet, it is usually sold as being intended to protect some “little guy” — be it the “family farm” or the file sharer. The insight that is most lacking is that regulations often have the opposite effect, which is to weaken consumers, the poor, or the upstart competitor. ..
Whenever I see a new ad for a product or industry, I am relieved and encouraged. Why? Isn’t advertising the most crass, manipulative expression of our capitalist system? ..
The good folks at Technology Liberation Front asked me on to discuss the ideas behind this post, broadband policy and net neutrality. Be sure to grab someone you love, crack open a Colt .45 (“works every time”) and give a listen. ..
Internet diversity & cut cables Following on to my previous post that multiple broadband strategies are better than a single one, we’ve been hearing quite a bit about cut cables in the Middle East and India. While not perfectly analagous to our domestic infrastructure, these events point out a fundamental quality of the Internet: diversity. ..
Over at Ars, the normally reasonable Nate misses the point on a national broadband strategy. He despairs over the fact that “we”, meaning the government, have no broadband strategy. ..
Last week, Time-Warner announced that it is experimenting with metered Internet pricing in a couple of markets. The same week, HBO (owned by TW) announced that it will be offering a number of its shows free over the Internet to existing HBO cable subscribers. ..