BNET Blogs

Pfizer's R&D Cuts Render Kelo v. New London Eminent Domain Case a Waste of Time

Jim Edwards — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:56:15 PST

Pfizer (PFE) will close its New London, Conn., site and consolidate operations there at the nearby Groton, Conn., site in a swathe of R&D closures as the company seeks 19,500 job cuts in the wake of its merger with Wyeth. Pfizer's abandonment of its plans for New London render moot the U.S. Supreme Court's decision on eminent domain in Kelo v. New London.

Now it's Murdoch vs. the World as He Threatens to Sue the BBC

David Weir — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:50:21 PST

Besides threatening to block Google from searching his content sites, media titan Rupert Murdoch is threatening to sue the BBC for allegedly stealing his content, as well. Murdoch appears increasingly frustrated by his inability to erect a paywall around his newspaper sites.

Three More Web Services You Should Be Using

Rick Broida — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:45:38 PST

Stop using flash drives to ferry files between PCs. Stop taking notes on messy scraps of paper. And stop scheduling meetings the hard way. These three free Web services offer much simpler solutions.

The Real Life Don Draper: Ad Exec Who Disappeared to Lead Double Life Is Found

Jim Edwards — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 08:22:20 PST

Nicholas Francisco, a former Publicis executive, is the real life Don Draper -- the Mad Men character who abandoned one life for another using a secret identity. Francisco disappeared after leaving Publicis in Seattle in February 2008. His discarded Toyota Paseo was found outside a condominium complex. It was revealed on Monday that he is alive and well, and living out a secret double life in California.

Capacity Restraint Leads to Fewer Empty Airline Seats in October

Brett Snyder — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:43:10 PST

You have to marvel at the airlines' collective ability to keep capacity in check. In the past, airlines were hesitant to cut capacity for fear of losing market share, but since last year, they've effectively been in lock step with each other. Nobody wants to add too many seats since the airline industry is still on shaky ground, but demand has held up in the face of low fares. That means that the number of seats filled continues to be very high.

Close Every Open Window in a Hurry

Dave Johnson — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 07:00:04 PST

It was with a program called CloseAll, which does exactly what it sounds like. Run this app, and CloseAll will instantly tell every running program on your desktop to close (and it won't lose any data along the way, either).

Unusual Origins of 15 Innovative Companies

Steve Tobak — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:55:42 PST

Entrepreneurs worry too much about what they're going to develop, make, or market. What's more important is that they make, develop or market something! Here are 15 companies that became famous, not for what they started doing, but for something that came later.

MannKind's CFO Pfeffer Upbeat on Afresa's Future

David Phillips — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:54:36 PST

MannKind Corp.‘s announcement last month that no partnership deal was in the offing for its inhaled-insulin product Afresa this year has lead to widespread commentary about the actual clinical and commercial viability of this investigational prandial drug therapy for diabetes care. In a phone call with me on Wednesday, chief financial officer Matt Pfeffer suggested that although uncertainty regarding Afresa's approval had made it difficult to secure a partnership deal, MannKind remained optimistic that the FDA would complete the drug approval process on time.

Apple iPhone vs. Google Android: Machine vs. Platform

Erik Sherman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:46:26 PST

The handset market is seeing a battle of device versus platform. And history suggests that the natural winner will be platform, much to the pleasure of Google and eventual dismay of Apple.

Don't Believe Everything You Read Online

Yann Gourvennec — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:37:11 PST

I've been thinking about how bad information can go global thanks to the internet. Morgan Stanley's July 2009 report, "Media & Internet: How Teenagers Consume Media", is one of the most striking examples of instant information circulation worldwide. This was the report put together by 15-year-old intern Matthew Robson. In a flash, his insights into how his peers used the Web were on everyone's lips (or everyone's desktops) and widely used as a perfect representation of Generation Y's use of media and the Net. That a survey of one might appear representative of a 60 million population says a lot about how adults, not teenagers, consume media. Revisiting Robson's report does raise some issues about accuracy online. Here are my...