I think there’s a benefit to being one of six people that no one knew. No VCs would return our calls and we were broke and bootstrapping it and operating under the radar so we could focus on the most important things: the product, the users, what we were building. There’s all this noise, the tech-crunch, which you have to tune out if you want to build a good product. None of that stuff is additive; it all takes away from building a product.
—Caterina Fake on developing in obscurity.
Such are the joys of listening to a true libertarian unfiltered.
The Tea Party crowd may get GOP voters to go ga ga over the likes of Kentucky Senate candidate Rand Paul — son of Ron (but not named after Ayn). But that’s only because the “mainstream” GOP is so extreme that they barely noticed how anarchical a pure libertarian is.
Fundamentally, libertarians think the government should be out of the civil rights and regulation business entirely. Environmental harm should be dealt with through private lawsuits. Safety regulations should either be nonexistent or left to local officials. I hope we get more tough interviewers exposing his dangerous views.
Today, ABC News’ Good Morning America today, host George Stephanopoulos pushed Paul on “how far” he would “push” his anti-government views. The answer is pretty damn far, as this video (via TP) reveals:
STEPHANOPOULOS: But you don’t want to get rid of the EPA?
PAUL: No, the thing is is that drilling right now and the problem we’re having now is in international waters and I think there needs to be regulation of that and always has been regulation. What I don’t like from the president’s administration is this sort of, you know, “I’ll put my boot heel on the throat of BP.” I think that sounds really un-American in his criticism of business. I’ve heard nothing from BP about not paying for the spill. And I think it’s part of this sort of blame game society in the sense that it’s always got to be someone’s fault. Instead of the fact that maybe sometimes accidents happen. I mean, we had a mining accident that was very tragic and I’ve met a lot of these miners and their families. They’re very brave people to do a dangerous job. But then we come in and it’s always someone’s fault. Maybe sometimes accidents happen.
Uhh, yeah, accidents happen — to companies run with Recklessness, Arrogance, and Hubris.
We now have a pretty clear understanding that BP was grossly negligent — and still is (see “Should you believe anything BP says?” and “NWF: BP cover-up begins to unravel“). BP has been working overtime to hid the true scale of the undersea gusher from the nation — but for Paul, apparently that really isn’t anybody’s business but the executives of British Petroleum.
Paul’s hypocrisy is staggering. In the worldview of extreme libertarians like Paul — and yes, the phrase is a somewhat redundant — it is government that is to blame for all of our woes. That’s why Paul demands utterly unfettered capitalism, as in this 2010 interview with a local newspaper, The Middlesboro Daily News:
MDN: Regarding energy policy, on your website, you wrote: ‘By subsidizing certain new energies like solar and wind, we distort the marketplace and make it impossible for companies to know what is really the most efficient solution.’ Can you elaborate on your idea of sound energy policy?
RP: I would say that my energy policy is let the marketplace decide through capitalism. So it shouldn’t be me saying: ‘I like wind mills and I hate coal, so therefore I’m going to give all these benefits to wind mills and punish coal.’ That’s kind of what I think the Obama administration is doing. Mine would be more of: let’s step back and let the marketplace decide. Coal’s still pretty cheap and it’s a cheap form of producing electricity. As far as the mining aspect of it, it should be decided in Perry county and Pike county and all these individual counties should make the rules for how the mining occurs. I don’t think Washington should have anything to do with the mining.
Yes, the federal government should have nothing to do with overseeing the mining industry. Now that position just happens to be pretty close to what Bush and Cheney believed and enacted. The result:
It seems like Paul shares the Darwinian worldview of the Massey CEO — Don Blankenship warned West Virginia that he believes in “survival of the fittest”
He blames government for everything, including our energy crisis. But when a self-regulating, self-certifying oil company recklessly causes a tragic catastrophe, he attacks anyone who tries to blame them.
Well, at least he is intellectually consistent — except, of course, when he isn’t (see TP’s Rand Paul opposes government spending — except for when it benefits him).
Rand Paul is a good face for the Tea Party extemists and the new Republican Party. Let’s hope he continues to get as much airtime as possible with people who know how to ask reasonably tough questions.
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As we all know, merchants are generally not supposed to mandate minimum credit card purchases. It’s a violation of the merchant agreements they sign with the credit card companies. (For more info, check out this article.) The proposed finance bill, however, may legitimize those handwritten signs if it ends up passing.
The NYT says that current Senate version of the bill will allow such minimums as long as there is no discrimination between which type of card the customer is using. A Bank of America card, for example, could not have a $10 minimum while an Amex had none.
On the other had, offering discounts to certain preferred card holders would be allowed. So you could get a $1 discount for having a MasterCard while people with Visa were stuck paying full price.
The provision is part of a larger reworking of the way merchant fees are handled. The credit card companies are against it, because it would require banks to lower fees for merchants who use debit cards. The banks currently use those fees to pay for things like rewards programs and free checking accounts — products that are attractive to consumers and easy to market.
“This is an incredible con job,” MasterCard’s general counsel, Noah J. Hanft, told the NYT. “Under the guise of helping small business, this is just a shrewd and cynical effort that ultimately harms consumers.”
Yes, one of my favorite subjects to talk about is the Vision Tyrano truck (which I had the pleasure of checking out in person recently), because it is in class of its own, literally. The Tyrano is a heavy duty class 8 truck weighing 80,000 lbs that runs on compressed hydrogen gas and hybrid electric energy.
The Vision Tyrano has 3,300 lbs.-ft. of torque available and a range of around 200 miles which can be extended to 400 miles over an 8 hour shift. The Tyrano is quiet, uses zero fossil fuels and gives off zero emissions.
This is why the U. S. military is interested in such a vehicle. Vision Industries has just signed an agreement to have Burtek Incorporated represent them in the U. S. defense marketplace.
According to Dr. James I. Finley, President and Chief Executive Officer of Burtek, “Consider the fact that a full 80 percent of all United States Marine Corps fatalities occur in convoys; 40 percent of which are primarily involved in the transport of both water and fossil fuels. Reducing or eliminating the need to transport fossil fuels and water further entrenches the value of the hydrogen-fuel solution in saving American lives.”
Now, it’s obvious to me on how the Tyrano will help reduce the hauling of fossil fuels in military situations, but I’m not sure how the truck will help reduce the need for water. Will water not still be needed for the troops to drink and for the creation of hydrogen?
Be that as it may, the U. S. military is known for testing leading edge transportation technology. And whether it is being used in active duty or not, the Tyrano truck stands a good chance of being part of the Defense Department’s lineup of heavy vehicles for years to come.
Older stairwells were apparently not designed to handle the massive boxsprings that come with today’s double beds. When Sarah ordered a mattress set from Hampton Inn, she didn’t realize this, and ran up against a no-return policy and an inexplicable $500 markup for a split boxspring.
I recently purchased a mattress and box spring set from Hampton Inn Home Collections, thinking “why not have as good night sleep in my own house as in hotels!” I read the website carefully, and understood the no return policy. What I didn’t understand was the inability of the box spring to fit up my home’s narrow 1920s stairwell.
The delivery men tried for about an hour, ripping into paint on the wall and doorframe, which I told them was acceptable because I was so bound and determined to get that box spring up the stairs. Finally, we all relented and I sent the box spring back with the delivery men, keeping only the mattress (and the old box spring we had which I guess was worn enough to have fit up the stairs).
I inquired about receiving a split or low profile queen box spring to the company through email. They called and said that, yes, they could offer a split box spring for $500. I already paid over $1000 for the set, so inquired whether the box spring I had just returned to them would count against that $500. No, was the response. So the cost of the mattress set just went up by 39%? I refused and said that I would like the split box spring at a lower cost. End of conversation. Oh, they did offer to send the original box spring back to me, but I would need to pay for shipping.
My husband is a diamond member of the Hilton chain, and has brought me along to his brand loyalty over the years. This has definitely set me back in terms of my views of their customer service though. Especially since the customer service person told me “well, you should have measured it before you bought it,” when there are no measurements available on their website.
This sounds like a ripe situation for an executive e-mail carpet bomb. Launch one, and remind the company of your husband’s loyalty. And, perhaps, that posting measurements on the site would be wise.
The oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico has put fishery closures in the headlines, but closures are nothing new or unusual. In fact, numerous fisheries are closed every year. In an era of declining fish stocks, managers essentially have two tools at hand to meet the legal requirement of ending overfishing and rebuilding stocks – closures or catch shares. Closures have been used extensively and increasingly.
Finalmente, depois de um tempo de espera, a Hyundai acabou de lançar o seu coupé Genesis em solo argentino. Agora o veículo está disponivel em suas duas versões, sendo a menor delas a 2.0 turbo, com 200 cv de potência, e o Coupé atual possui um motor 3.8 V6 de 310 cv de potência.
O Genesis 3.8 possui todos os itens do modelo 2.0 turbo, ou seja, tem seis airbags, freios ABS, ESP e controle de tração inclusos. Também possui um revestimento interno totalmente em couro e teto solar, além do sistema de abertura de portas sem chave, pela proximidade do motorista.
Existem duas opções de câmbio, sendo automático ou manual de , e a troca de marchas é feita no volante. O Genesis Coupé 3.8 V6 com câmbio manual está custando US$ 44.000, aproximadamente R$ 80.800, enquanto a versão com câmbio automático sai por US$ 47.000 (R$ 86.300). Já o Genesis 2.0 Turbo está saindo por US$ 37.000.
Via | Carplace
The iPad is a huge hit in the United States Congress. I mean, passing any sort of meaningful banking reform is apparently out of the question with these guys , but there’s always time for the iPad. Just amazing, really.
The story is that several members of Congress, including Sen. Claire McCaskill of Missouri, are head-over-heels in love with the iPad. My immediate reaction was, “Um, you do know that the American people have a very low opinion of you guys right now, right? It’s probably not the time to be gloating about how your $500 toy is the new hotness. There’s a lot of people out there who are out of work and would love to have an extra $500 to blow on a shiny piece of plastic, but that’s not going to happen any time soon.”
That was my first reaction. Then I cooled down a bit and thought to myself, “Well, if they’re just using the iPad to replace their BlackBerry, reading and sending e-mail to their staff, checking their calendar, and so forth, then that’s probably not such a big deal.”
There’s an “iPad caucus,” too, which I guess is trying to extol the merits of the device. Said one member, Rep. Rob Wittman of Virginia:
We are really trying to engage people about ways to apply this technology. This is definitely the wave of the future. … We’re explaining to people that this could actually make us all more efficient, especially when you only have 24 hours in the day.
See? Innocent enough.
But then you read something like this:
A small crowd of lawmakers gathered last week in the House Republican cloakroom, cheering on Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) as he wildly steered Chaffetz’s iPad in his hands, the tablet serving as the steering wheel for an iPad-compatible race car game.
Yeah, that’s pretty ridiculous.
Isn’t Congress great? I turn 25 next year, maybe I should run? My platform will be, “I won’t spend all day screwing around on my iPad. Oh, and I love America.”
Poison singer has been admitted once again in hospital after suffering a TIA. While recovering, doctors are questioning his plans to get back in business by the end of the month.
According to Bret Michaels report on its website, Thursday he had to return to hospital after suffering a TIA, which for a short time prevents blood from flowing properly to the brain.
In late April, the former lead singer of Posion and U.S. TV star had to be in the hospital which left him in critical condition. Fortunately, two weeks later was able to leave the medical center.
However, Michaels, 47, returned to the hospital after starting to notice some numbness on the left side of his body “predominantly in their hands and face,” says the website.
In Bret’s scans, doctors found that he has a ‘hole’ in his heart, but they do not believe that it’s related to the TIA he suffered last month.
The medical team said that both the TIA and the hole in the heart are treatable, but has challenged the singer to return to the stage later this month as planned or resume his appearances on Celebrity Apprentice.
“Without a doubt, is determined to get well and recover one hundred percent. Clinically speaking is a fantastic attitude both mentally and physically for him,” says neurosurgeon Joseph Zabramski.
However, neither the brain nor the body of Bret Michaels “is a hundred percent yet, especially with the hole in his heart that we have found,” added the doctor, who in any case considered “good news” that they have found the problem so quickly.
For its part, the singer’s representative, Janna Elias, has assured fans that Michaels is optimistic about his recovery, tired of being in the hospital and is ready to return to action again.
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It’s going to take almost 10 years for the sale of LTE devices to overtake 3G devices, according to an analyst who follows the industry. Keith Mallinson, founder of WiseHarbor, estimates the tipping point between LTE and 3G will occur in 2019 and said the U.S. will be an early leader when it comes to deploying the technology, in part because of the National Broadband Plan’s reliance on mobile. Mallinson also expects China to move quickly to LTE because its largest mobile operator, China Mobile, doesn’t like being forced to use Chinese developed 3G technology.
In the last few days, I’ve received several LTE reality checks, such as the news that by 2014 there will only be 150 million LTE subscriptions, or AT&T’s belief that true LTE handsets that are as diverse in features as the current 3G handsets won’t even hit the market until 2014 (even though Verizon is bringing five LTE handsets to market next year).
Still, I’m optimistic, mostly because I can see faster speeds on the horizon. For those upset at my focus on speeds at the expense of network quality and capacity, I’m encouraged by LTE for two reasons: the technology itself is more efficient, which means we can cram more bits into each hertz, but it is also being deployed in new spectrum, which will help meet capacity and bandwidth needs as well. Of course, it’s not going to provide the quality or consistency of wireline broadband, but expecting that would be kind of like believing in the tooth fairy.
Related GigaOM Pro content (sub req’d):
Everybody Hertz: The Looming Spectrum Crisis
Economic crises like the current one have devastating economic and
social costs, but they also give rise to major rounds of technological
innovation. That’s why I call them Great Resets. There was a significant spike in patents in the wake of the Panic and Long Depression of 1873 — and subsequent decades
saw the rise of major new innovations from the light bulb, phonograph,
and telephones to systems innovations like electric power, telephone
systems, and urban transit (i.e. street cars, cable cars, and subway
systems). The Great Depression was far and away the most
“technologically progressive decade of the 20th century,” according to
the detailed research of economic historian Alexander Field, outpacing the high-tech boom of the late 20th century by a considerable margin.
Joseph Schumpeter
long ago showed how economic crises give rise to the gales of creative
destruction — as new entrepreneurial individuals and enterprises seize
the opportunity to forge new business models, and new industries
revolutionize and transform the economy. The British economist of
innovation, Christopher Freeman,
found evidence that innovations not only accelerate but bunch up during
economic downturns only to be unleashed as the economy begins to
recover, ushering in powerful new waves of technological change.
A study
released today by the Kauffman Foundation (h/t: Ian Swain) provides
additional evidence that our current crisis takes the form of a Great
Reset. According to the study, 2009 was a banner year for new business
start-ups. As the graph above shows, more than 550,000 new businesses
were started over the course of the year. The report found that “the
340 out of 100,000 adults who started businesses each month represent a
4 percent increase over 2008, or 27,000 more starts per month than in
2008 and 60,000 more starts per month than in 2007.” This represents
the highest rate of new business start-ups in 14 years. The start-up rate
for African Americans also surged to record levels, according to the
study.
Joseph Schumpeter – Business – Great Depression – Innovation – Economic history
Highly versatile new level indicators with float from ELESA.
HFL/E and HFLT/E level indicators with float can be used to detect the minimum or maximum level of liquid in a tank.
Both models consist of:
– a polyamide-based technopolymer body,
– a connector with sensor block, with protection class IP 65 according to UNI 529 table.
– a dipstick (AISI 304 stainless steel tube for HFL/E model and polyamide-based technopolymer for HFLT/E model)
– a float (in NBR synthetic rubber for HFL/E model and polyamide-based technopolymer for HFLT/E model)
For these indicators, maximum continuous working temperature is 80°C.
HFL/E indicators are available with normally open contact for minimum level detection, or with normally closed contact for maximum level detection.
Two standard executions are available for assembly: with threaded coupler or flange with holes for screw fastening.
The dipstick enables detection at a control quota of 500 mm from the tank maximum level. Cutting the dipstick according to the specifications shown on the technical data sheet allows to reduce the control quota up to 120 mm.
HFLT/E indicators allow to reverse the polarity of the magnet so as to use the same indicator for both minimum and maximum level detection.
Easy access is provided to the magnet by simply loosening the fastening nut.
The technopolymer dipstick features two raised scales marking the exact cutting point so as to obtain the desired set point in the presence of oil or water.
Free from magnetic parts, the float is integral to the dipstick making this level indicator ideal for use in tanks containing dirty liquids, water, oil, coolant oil, also with iron metal parts or foams. Moreover, the operation is independent of the fluid electrical conductivity.
To ensure utmost safety, the electrical components are separated from the tank and perfectly sealed by means of ultrasound welding.
For product sheets including drawings and part number/size table visit our homepage at www.elesa.com
How many times have you wondered what was that tune playing on the radio or at a store? Now you can know! Just whip out your Windows Phone & load up Midomi SoundHound, and voilà the app tells you the name of the song, the album its from and the artist. It can even go ahead and search the song on youtube. Find the lyrics from Google or even lets you buy that song. Want to know more ? Of course you do, this is a great app so check out our full review..
Read more at BestWindowsMobileApps.com
Good news: Spain holds successful bond auction after shaky one earlier in the week.
Join the conversation about this story »
Filed under: Car Buying
Along with eight-cylinder engines and manual transmissions, six-cylinder motors appear to be on the outs, relatively speaking. In the first quarter of this year, USA Today notes that four-cylinder lumps made up 46.5 percent of new car sales, almost a five percent jump over the same period last year.
This movement to fewer cylinders is likely to continue, as more and more mainstream models like the Hyundai Sonata, Suzuki Kizashi and Buick Regal are only being offered with four-cylinder powerplants. That’s partially because modern technologies, including direct injection and forced induction, have closed the power deficit, and partly because automakers’ need to raise their CAFE figures and play to growing consumer appetites for better fuel economy.
The trend has caused J.D. Power to raise its four-cylinder sales prediction for 2012 from 48 percent to 51 percent. If that ends up being the case, that will leave 35 percent for six-cylinder cars, and just 17 percent for V8s.
[Source: USA Today]
USA Today: Four-cylinder engines powered nearly half of all new car sales last month originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 21 May 2010 09:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Audi A8 offers in-vehicle Wi-Fi access
The new 2011 Audi A8 is allegedly the first car in the world to offer an optional factory-installed WLAN hotspot for Wi-Fi access. Of course, this means that all your passengers will probably spend less time talking to you and more time on their laptops, Apple iPads and iPhones or netbooks.
Look how simple it is to get everyone to ignore you:
Using the WLAN hotspot is remarkably simple. To activate Internet access with speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s, the driver merely needs to insert a data-capable SIM card into the Bluetooth online car phone. Alternatively, an Internet connection can be established via Bluetooth by using a compatible mobile phone with a SIM Access Profile. Any existing mobile phone contract can be used for this – often coupled with a flat-rate data plan.
All this is made possible through a rooftop antenna of the Audi A8 via the car’s own UMTS module. This enables the most connection stability with great reception quality.
We’re guessing this is moving Audi closer to allowing drivers to download iPhone-style software directly into their vehicles. Read more about that here.
Refresher: Power for the 2011 Audi A8 comes from a 4.2L FSI direct-injection V8 that makes 372-hp and a maximum torque of 328 lb-ft. Mated to an 8-speed tiptronic automatic transmission, the 2011 A8 will go from 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds with a top speed of 155 mph.
– By: Omar Rana
Earlier this week, we looked at an unusual disclosure provision that was added to the Senate financial-regulation reform bill. But now that the Senate has passed the nearly 1,600-page legislation, with a 59-39 vote last night, it’s worth looking at some of its other, farther-reaching measures with the potential to reshape disclosure and corporate filings in coming months and years.
The House passed its own Wall Street reform bill in December, of course, and now the two chambers must reconcile the language — inevitably a horse-trade in which some measures are stripped out, others modified and, on occasion, wholly new provisions inserted. But it’s safe to say that many of the Senate’s provisions, and quite possibly most of them, will make it into law in some form, in one form or another. (Of course, the House could also simply pass the Senate bill, sending it to President Obama’s desk.)
So without further ado, culled from the bill itself as well as supporting material posted on the Senate Banking Committee website, here are some provisions likely to make waves for companies, investors, securities lawyers and the rest of us who rummage around in corporate filings:
Say on pay: Perhaps most prominently, the bill would give investors an up-or-down vote on a broader range of executive pay than they currently have, albeit a non-binding vote. Companies have resisted similar, company-specific proposals made during the existing proxy process, but we hear that some directors are cheering it on — quietly, to avoid alienating management. After all, if investors have given the thumbs-up to a pay package, it gets harder to accuse the board of feathering management’s nest.
Proxy access: Another provision could make proxy battles more routine than dramatic novelty. It would give the SEC authority to let investors nominate directors using the proxy that companies distribute, instead of forcing them to launch an expensive proxy campaign with separate mailings if they want their own candidates elected. Investor advocates call it a powerful tool to make boards more accountable to shareholders (and therefore companies as well). Managers fret about environmental or union activists winning board seats and causing a ruckus. Much may depend on how the SEC implements any new requirement, but given that a similar provision is in the House bill, expect something along these lines to wind up in the final law.
Majority voting: The bill would also require directors in uncontested elections to receive a majority of votes cast to retain their seats. At least one recent version of the bill would require defeated directors to tender their resignation — and the board to accept it, unless it votes unanimously to keep the director on and makes its explanation public. Last year, the Council of Institutional Investors says, 45 companies kept 95 directors on their boards even after they failed to win a majority of votes.
Pay & governance grab-bag: Other provisions would require compensation committees to be made up of independent directors, with the authority to hire a consultant separate from management’s. Companies restating their financials would be required to claw back incentive pay from executives that was higher than it should have been because of the errors, a provision similar to one some large companies have already begun adopting. The SEC would also have to review its compensation-disclosure requirements — among other things, requiring a 5-year comparison of executive pay to stock performance, which “may include a graphic representation of the information required to be disclosed.” A new Investment Advisory Committee would give investors a formal voice within the SEC, offering advice on regulatory practices and priorities.
Corner-office qui tam: Health-care companies and defense contractors have had to worry about whistleblower lawsuits for years, thanks to laws that give plaintiffs in successful “qui tam” lawsuits a cut of the recoveries in cases over defrauding the government. Now more companies could face similar risks under a provision that would allow those reporting securities violations to collect as much as 30% of any funds recovered, according to a bill summary posted on the Senate Banking Committee site.
Good for the gander: The banking committee’s bill summary suggests CFOs everywhere may get to experience a little schadenfreude as they prepare the 10-K each year: One provision would require the SEC to suffer through its own annual review of internal supervisory controls, and orders up a study of “SEC management” from the Government Accountability Office.
Image source: scott*eric via Flickr
I have a Weber grill and I like it, but I’ve never done the crazy dances that the people do in this ad from rabble+rouser. But the dancing is only one of the points of interest here. When I think grilling, I picture the standard fat suburbanite, but here the actors are a bit more upscale and quirky, reflecting the brand’s aspirational tilt. There’s a woman who looks like Tina Fey, for instance, and a young Elvis Costello-y guy—not the types you’d associate with grillin’. The Costello guy is even on a rooftop surrounded by other hipsters, giving the illusion that barbecuing is all the rage in Williamsburg right now. (Maybe it is, for all I know.) Will Weber grills become the trucker hat of the summer of ’10?
—Posted by Todd Wasserman
Latest news about the BP oil spill tell us that it is growing every singel day. But what have experts to say about this whole thing?
According to scientists the spill can grow up to 130 million gallons in the worst case scenario according to their calculations. Since April 20, if you sum up everything, the total spill is at 102 gymnasiums.
Despite of these estimations, it is not yet clear if this whole thing started last April 20, 2010 when it exploded or on April 22 when the rig sank into the water. Its also possible that it started April 24 when the coast guard first noticed two leaks.
On the picture which was provided by NASA, you can see the huge spill. Beside of the large patch, also a long ribbon like shape went to the southeast.
Currently there are even live streaming video feeds that show the progress of the oil spill.
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