brandonkm

Awesome site! Enjoyed the kaws interview, he's one of my favorites.

> The only exception: Facebook.

To provide a little context, Googles revenue in the UK alone was $200 million more than Facebook's highest revenue reports ($500 million).

http://investor.google.com/releases/2009Q3_google_earnings.h...

On earnings calls, every quarter, the report on revenue growth is centered around various metrics with search advertising. Search advertising continues to be the most profitable form of advertising on the web. Facebook has impressive statistics, but I don't see them challenging Google in any one of Google's core businesses. When Facebook becomes a public company and matures more and has a solid way of generating revenue then they might be in a position to challenge Google.

I don't think that particular move highlights the health of the company as much as it underscores the ability of the founders to pursue their strategies independently of the board of directors. I don't think that upper management would have protested an acquisition (in 2005) that would have moved the company into the mobile space. Android is certainly interesting, but I doubt Larry and Sergey buy companies without a clear plan of how that acquisition will (eventually) grow the bottom line.

I don't think the current one looks bad. I would even say the design is great. Maybe not aesthetically, but its very functional and is consistent with the purpose of the site.

The proposed redesign has too much transitional volatility associated with it. Although functional, subtracting from the current width makes the site look weird. Theres also too much text on the front page which is a departure from the way forums typically work with just the thread title (submission) and other essential info (comments, etc.).

authlogic is great. Used it recently in an app I worked on. After doing a bit of research on all of the rails authentication options, I'm really happy I went with it.

In addition to this, SAS institute is an absolutely great place to work. All the employees there that I've talked to love it, are super dedicated and have no desire to work anywhere else.

The link between Jobs/Wozniak and Zuckerberg is interesting. I would certainly consider Zuckerberg a hacker, but not nearly in the same realm as Jobs and Wozniak.

Facebook is a product of the modern day web environment. Its longevity has yet to be seen. If 2015 rolls around and its a public company that is still innovating then thats one thing, but if it becomes more of a cluttered site in its pursuit to be more like -insert recently popular site here (currently twitter)- then thats another.

I have this on my G1. Very useful app. For finding new places its a whole different experience than anything I've seen. Layar in addition to Google Places Directory helps me find whatever I need, wherever I am (mostly places to get coffee).

> perhaps someone could enlighten me as to what I'm looking for?

You're looking for information. If you tried out Twitter and you didn't get it, you probably weren't receiving the information you were looking for. Its really amazing how people hype up Twitter and then when someone tries it out "they don't get it". There isn't anything to get but updates about things you're interested in. What you get out of Twitter is directly correlated to how well you tune your twitterstream. Twitter is valuable to me because it provides me with real time news and updates about the things I'm interested in. It really is that simple.

Netscape 4 was indeed a crime against humanity. Great video and very informative. I always enjoy Douglas Crockford's talks.

Great idea, would love to see something like this in the LA area.

I like it a lot better than the old one. They made a sensible and easier to navigate homepage while keeping the 'portal' concept at the forefront. Doubt this will turn the tide in their favor against competitors, but it is a good aesthetic step in the right direction. I also like the video they made for this http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?cl=14758196 .

Heres the official Google blog post that explains everything a bit more http://googleresearch.blogspot.com/2009/06/google-fusion-tab...

I have to think that marketing is a key component. The iPhone has a very particular ecosystem associated with it. The ads are the best example of this. While Android is a great OS (I absolutely love my G1 with Android 1.5), It will be difficult to become as pervasive as the iPhone is without marketing it in some capacity. I know Google has only very recently done tv ads and has traditionally used word of mouth to spread its products, but I think that getting the word out about Android beyond word of mouth is important. As more devices in different form factors come out with Android, I think it would be in Googles and the OHA best interest to market what Android is all about better. If they are unable to do that, the iPhone and other mobile platforms will always be ahead.

I think saving right now is one of the smartest financial moves families can make. One reason being that if people have a stronger asset base then you not only have the ability to transfer value over periods of time, but you are in more sound financial condition when you buy a house. Think about the scale of the sub prime mortgage market, then think about how things would have turned out during the housing boom (2005, 2006, early 2007) if even 30% of those subprime borrowers had more savings to their names (the vast majority had none). While the financial crisis would have still occurred, maybe banks wouldn't have been hit as hard because a larger percentage of people saving could possibly translate into less people defaulting on their mortgages.

The second reason is the resulting taxpayer bailout of the financial institutions. The increase in taxes from all of these recent programs aimed at removing toxic assets from banks balance sheets, increasing liquidity in the credit markets, etc. haven't even hit taxpayers yet. Saving now enables people to react better financially when taxes rise later down the road. I don't think increased consumer spending (on credit) is as reliable a metric of the overall health of the economy as it was, because while the U.S. is a credit driven economy, using lots of credit and having any or little savings are one of those things that led us to where we are now.

I highly disagree. To argue that articles like this have a macro effect on the economy (short term) is categorically false. If we want to focus on economic recovery as a function of consumer spending then we really can't zero in on a strong correlation between magazine articles and how the public feels about the economy without the data to back that up.

Furthermore, it is absolutely essential that everyone learns more about the current recession and are realistic about a recovery.

http://baselinescenario.com/2009/05/25/recession-and-recover...

I would in fact argue that economic education for the public helps the economy, because if more people are educated on the many factors that contributed to the current recession (negative U.S. savings rate being one major one) then they now have the knowledge to change their actions. On a wide scale (larger percentage of people saving more) this would have a net positive effect on the economy.

I really like the idea of doing Econometric work with R. Currently, I've been looking for a more hands on way to run some regressions and test data, this guide looks to prove immensely useful.

Battery life on the G1 is terrible. I have to bring my charger with me, if I plan on using it quite a bit that day. I hear that its the way the Android OS interfaces with the device thats the primary reason behind this. If they sorted out the battery life and added what was mentioned above, it would almost be the perfect first gen device.

I've found the 'The Elements of Typographic Style Applied to the Web' to be immensely useful. http://webtypography.net/toc/

> For someone who has consolidated power in a company that could rival Google

I think you may be getting ahead of yourself on that one.

This seems to be a microcosm of the problem Facebook is facing. Everyone is on it, yet significant (public company esque) profits have yet to materialize. It is definitely a social phenomenon, but unlike eBay and Yahoo monetizing the service is proving to be difficult at very large scales.

Theres also the problem of advertising on a social networking site. If we could observe everyone in that US Airways lounge's average Facebook session, how many ads would we see people click on out of that group? How many people brought something or signed up for something after clicking those ads? Advertising dynamics on a social networking site are fundamentally different. A question I always ask people when the topic of Facebook comes up is "have you ever clicked an ad on there? I don't think I have" and the answer is always some variation of "actually, now that I think about it I haven't". I'm not going to extrapolate too much on this given my sample size, but if this is the standard response to this question everywhere, then Facebook has a serious problem (despite its phenomenon status).

From the stories I've read over the years on Jeff Bezos, this is perfectly in line with his management style and persona. If it was anyone else I would probably questions motives a bit more, but this seems to simply be wanting to experience the work and environment on the ground level. Its gaining valuable perspective that helps effective CEOs run their companies better.

I understand where you're coming from, but a lot of what I'm seeing in this discussion is analyzing this lady's situation out of the context of this ad.

This was a 'her situation is similar to me' type of ad mixed with an 'incentive to find exactly what you need'. Arguably, two very potent advertising concepts executed in a short and effective commercial.

The targeting of these 'i'm a pc' ads and this particular one is 'I'm a person, with dynamic requirements as to what I need in a computer, one of those happens to be a 17" screen on an affordable laptop'. Contrast this with the Apple ads. There are people (read: average consumers) that see those ads and then walk into the Apple store (without knowledge of all the particulars that comprise the Mac experience) and think "wow, these are really nice, but a bit out of my budget". They then go into Best Buy, see something in their price range, and settle on that. I'd be willing to bet this happens everyday. More often than not, these are satisfied customers who could really care less about owning a Mac because they didn't just pay $1799 extra for a similar (in their mind) machine.

No, the ad was pointing out that you if you're looking for a 17" laptop for under $1000, you can't get a Mac without doubling your budget. How many people out there right now can just throw down an extra $1000 to meet that requirement? Is having a mac that essential?

Her first stop was the Apple store because thats the first stop of a lot of people who are shopping around for laptops. If you're in the same boat as the lady in this ad then she basically saved you a trip. Unless, you want to go and look at all the laptops you can't afford.

I think its a bit of a stretch to forecast the current redesign to something that will be happening decades later. I can't accept the fact that even in 2015 it will be the same game on the internet much less 2035. Scoble sometimes has some insightful writeups, but somehow correlating the facebook redesign to technology ubiquity in the future is a murky forecast at best. No one can predict what will happen then. The future on the web remains to be built.

Indeed. You get the sense when reading it, that the author was having a blast writing it, which makes learning Ruby fun. Also, the way its written is almost like a captivating book, so you can't help but dive further in.

I remember picking up 'The Ruby Programming Language' written by Matz, got to the 2nd chapter before I hopped online and found the poignant guide. Made for a much more interesting time learning Ruby.

This used to be really handy, but with the release of jQuery 1.3 the API browser may be more useful. http://api.jquery.com theres also an AIR app there as well, which is pretty neat.

John Resig's presentation starts at slide 115.

I agree with some of what you're saying. However, I don't think Apple is playing the position of scooping up customers who are 'underserved by Microsoft'. They are playing the position of making intuitive, well designed products that anyone can use while locking you into their ecosystem.

Most users don't care about design? I think the number of the different Apple products sold say otherwise. A phone that anyone can pick up and use many of the features without reading a manual, thats a byproduct of brilliant design on many levels. Whether people care or not, they connect with it and are put in a position where they now have feelings for a piece of technology. When they then decide to make that purchase they very much care about design.

Microsoft products have indeed been successful, but other than the xbox (and we're talking consumer electronics here not OS's) what has been the other runaway hit they've made? The zune is a great media player, but came about after msft assembled a team and put them in a room with an ipod and told them to make something better.

The growth in sales from Apples products combined with their increasing marketshare in the desktop and mobile spaces are very indicative of consumers demanding better designed stuff. Apple's in-house iterative process is best positioned and most efficient at making products that are in line with that.

This is exactly the reason Apple's products have been so successful throughout the years.

Not only that, but they are masters of creating a 'design ecosystem'. Browse apple.com, then head to the apple store, its a seamless experience. This is arguably one of the competitive advantages that has helped Apple maintain it's position in the market and with consumers everywhere.