Daily Sport
30/05/08 00:12
There's an irony
that strikes me about the current national 'crisis'.
My opinion is that 95% of the problems that we
currently face are the result of factors not under
the control of our national government. Granted, I
don't think that Brown has managed the perceptive
issues around this downturn particularly well, but I
hardly think that he can control the upward cost of
crude oil.
The irony comes when one realises that the people moaning about the increased cost of living, and who are demanding a cut in fuel duty/tax/food prices are those same Daily Mail reading, middle-England xenophobes who constantly deride the welfare state and believe that the government should not interfere in people's lives. They want a hands-off government when they are making money, and handouts when times get tough.
As a final point - is it a bad thing that house prices are falling? Weren't people demanding action to help first time buyers? Do we all have short-term memory issues?
The irony comes when one realises that the people moaning about the increased cost of living, and who are demanding a cut in fuel duty/tax/food prices are those same Daily Mail reading, middle-England xenophobes who constantly deride the welfare state and believe that the government should not interfere in people's lives. They want a hands-off government when they are making money, and handouts when times get tough.
As a final point - is it a bad thing that house prices are falling? Weren't people demanding action to help first time buyers? Do we all have short-term memory issues?
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Everything's coming up roses
19/05/08 13:14
NY
Times explains Microsoft's attempts:
'to
refute what we might call the Single-Era Conjecture,
the invisible law that makes it impossible for a
company in the computer business to enjoy
pre-eminence that spans two technological eras. Good
luck to Steven
Ballmer,
the company’s chief executive since 2000, as he
tries to sustain in the Internet era what his company
had attained in the personal computing era.
Empirical evidence, however, suggests that he won’t succeed. Not because of personal failings, but because Mother Nature simply won’t permit it.
It’s unfortunate, as a $300 billion prize could be collected by Microsoft shareholders: that would be the increase in market capitalization, should the share price return to its high of $59.56, attained in 1999, from its current price of $29.99. (Maybe this was why Mr. Ballmer flirted withYahoo)
That prize, however, seems a mirage. You can’t merge-and-acquire your way around the Single-Era Conjecture. Just ask IBM, which gobbled up Lotus Development Corporation to no avail.'
Empirical evidence, however, suggests that he won’t succeed. Not because of personal failings, but because Mother Nature simply won’t permit it.
It’s unfortunate, as a $300 billion prize could be collected by Microsoft shareholders: that would be the increase in market capitalization, should the share price return to its high of $59.56, attained in 1999, from its current price of $29.99. (Maybe this was why Mr. Ballmer flirted withYahoo)
That prize, however, seems a mirage. You can’t merge-and-acquire your way around the Single-Era Conjecture. Just ask IBM, which gobbled up Lotus Development Corporation to no avail.'
But why would anyone want it?
16/05/08 14:46
(Fortune)
-- Microsoft and the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)
initiative announced Thursday that the Windows
operating system would soon be available on the
so-called XO, also known as the "$100 laptop." In
interviews, executives made it clear that this could
be a catalytic shift in perception and market success
for the innovative but up-to-now aberrant laptop
intended for the poor children of the world.
The Windows version of the XO will go on sale by September. Like the regular, Linux-based version, it will at first actually cost closer to $200, because the project has not yet achieved the volumes that could drive costs down.
The Windows version of the XO will go on sale by September. Like the regular, Linux-based version, it will at first actually cost closer to $200, because the project has not yet achieved the volumes that could drive costs down.
No Way Back
13/05/08 18:32
Just
a quick missive on purely promotional business. There
are a few dates coming up for shows, all seemingly
grouped around the end of May. We have the Boot Hill
Records Revue on the 25th May, which will feature
Hannah Martin playing a lovely solo set, as well as
Tom Allen and others not yet confirmed. On the 27th,
I will be in Plymouth, at a venue as yet unknown to
me, whilst on the 28th, I'll be at 11a in Exmouth.
Daddy Ho! shows should materialise soon, too; I'm aiming for Beautiful Days for our triumphant return to live performance.
On a related matter, anyone who finds themselves at a loss this Thursday evening should head to the Amber Rooms, Exeter, for this:
Daddy Ho! shows should materialise soon, too; I'm aiming for Beautiful Days for our triumphant return to live performance.
On a related matter, anyone who finds themselves at a loss this Thursday evening should head to the Amber Rooms, Exeter, for this:
Vacilar
06/05/08 23:08
Just
a little note about Boot Hill Records. I'm very
pleased to note the release of Tom Allen's EP
'Vacilar' on the Boot Hill site; Tom has been a great
friend and staunch supporter of mine for some time,
and it's great to see his stuff gaining a wider
audience. If you live London-way be sure to check out
his myspace for upcoming gigs:
www.myspace.com/tomallen400. Alternatively, just look
for the zebra skin cowboy hat at this year's
festivals.
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05/05/08 21:11