Chris Anderson: Google Has Eliminated the Scientific Method
According to Chris Anderson, “the future of business is selling less of more” (even though it’s not). And “every industry that becomes digital eventually becomes free” (except that there is no such thing as a truly free lunch).
In my opinion, Anderson is a master of exaggeration. He takes observations about business and technology that alone are usually marginally interesting and exaggerates them into grandiose theses that serve as the foundations for appealing, marketable books.
While I certainly expected Anderson to continue finding new subjects to exaggerate about, I didn’t quite expect his latest exaggerration: “the data deluge makes the scientific method obsolete.”
Web 2.0 Summit Runs Out of Web 2.0 Hype
While I, unlike some individuals neck deep in the crazy world of Web 2.0, tend not to declare entire industries “dead,” it’s hard not to notice the ongoing rapid decline of Web 2.0.
From the increasing recognition that after years of hype, Web 2.0 is nowhere closer to delivering profits to the fact that some shareholders of the hottest still-independent Web 2.0 startup are trying to dump their stock, all indications are that the kool aid is really starting to wear off quite quickly.
The Wisdom of Drama - July 7, 2008
Drama 2.0 says:
Men have a tendency to marginalize that which they have and to romanticize that which they don’t.
The Wisdom of Drama - July 4, 2008
Drama 2.0 says:
Politicians are to men as wolves are to sheep.
VCs Respond to The Venture Capital Crisis
Earlier this week, I discussed the “crisis” that has hit the world of venture capital. Last quarter, not a single VC-backed company went public.
Mergers and acquisitions activity is also down. According to a Dow Jones VentureSource report, last quarter saw the “slowest pace of merger deals involving venture-backed companies in at least a decade.”
The National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) is obviously concerned and as most American industry associations do when times get tough, is putting the government on alert. In a press release, NVCA president Mark Heesen stated, “We need to put regulators, legislators, presidential candidates, and the private sector on notice that this situation represents a serious problem that will have long reaching economic implications if not addressed.”
Instablogs to Keyser Söze: These Are Times of Great Change
I often receive emails that look to promote a startup or a product launch. Most are rarely worth writing about, let alone reading in the first place.
But congratulations are in order for “citizen journalism” blog network Instablogs for sending me what could be the most humorous promotional email of the year:
Dear Keyser Söze,
As you know, these are times of great change.
There is a powershift going on throughout the world.
Individual citizens are garnering more and more control over all aspects of their lives.
University of Minnesota Discovers “Tremendous Educational Potential” in Social Networks
Researchers from the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Minnesota’s (UMN) believe they’ve stumbled onto something amazing: the educational benefits of social networking services like MySpace and Facebook.
In their “first-of-its-kind study,” the UMN researchers have come to the conclusion that “students using social networking sites are actually practicing the kinds of 21st century skills we want them to develop to be successful today.”
How exactly did UMN researchers find out what students were learning from social networks? Apparently, they simply asked them what they learn from using social networking sites:
Rollback Pricing Now Available on Facebook Stock
Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Facebook stock is now on sale. If you previously wanted to buy shares of the hottest social networking startup in the world but the $15 billion valuation scared you off, you’re in luck. On aisle 3, existing Facebook investors have rolled back pricing on Facebook stock to bargain basement prices - shares are now available at valuations as low as $3 billion!
In a sign that some Facebook investors are itching to sell while Facebook still has value (or before the financial markets implode), it is being reported that blocks of Facebook stock are being shopped around.
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