Boycott publishers of overpriced Kindle books.

Serial entrepreneur, perennial innovator and venture capitalist gadfly, Guy Kawasaki, has released a new book. Published by Penguin, you can buy it on Amazon. It’s available in both hardcover and Kindle format.

I’m was about to buy it – but will not. What’s the rub? Penguin’s pricing policy has caused Amazon to charge MORE for the Kindle version than the hardcover.

Does Penguin set Amazon’s price? No. Instead they set their pricing so the Kindle version costs MORE than the hardcover. The effect is the same.

Does this sound familiar? Brain-dead publishers, such as Penguin, are following in the footsteps of their music industry brethren. They are going to new and absurd measures to forestall the future of their industry. As consumers, we can only vote with our dollars to express our displeasure with this short-sighted, ham-fisted strategy.

Physical media’s requisite costs - from felling trees, to printing books, to trucking them to the store – have been removed. Removing these product and supply chain costs would serve to lower the final cost to consumers. Kindle certainly believes this is true. Millions of book lovers agree.

To be clear, I fully support their right to charge whatever they want for their books. They can make the Kindle version $100 if they want to. It is their choice. My choice however is to not do business with publishers that adopt this pricing strategy. I encourage others to consider how their purchases will influence the future of the publishing industry as well.

Do you read Kindle books? If so, consider refusing to purchase books (electronic or otherwise) from publishers that show such contempt and disrespect for the marketplace.

That’s my view. I look forward to hearing yours.

^Carl Melville

A Hero. A Man. A Legend. We lost such a man this weekend. Ron Santo, legendary Chicago Cub finally succumbed to the disease he’d been fighting since he was boy. At age 70 Ronny had spent his entire career in professional baseball, but his life and legend were much bigger than that.

During his 15 year career he was a nine-time All Star and perennial Chicago favorite. If there was ever a Camelot age for Chicago Cubs baseball, it was during Ronnie’s playing days – including the mythic 1969 season.

After leaving the field, Ron went on to coach, and then to provide 21 years of color commentary, calling every Cub game – home or away. When Type 1 diabetes took both his legs, Santo would hobble in on crutches or roll in with a chair. Nothing was going to keep him from enjoying and sharing his life’s passion. No one held or communicated the spirit of Chicago Cubs baseball better than Ron Santo.

Jack Brickhouse, Harry Carey, and Ron Santo. Three legendary broadcasters. Each was ‘the voice of Cubs’ sometime during the past fifty-plus years. Jack has a statue at the Chicago River. Harry has his signature restaurant and numerous area icons. Ronnie has his immortal playing legend within the walls of Wrigley Field – and in the hearts of millions of Cub fans around the world.

Thanks Ronnie. Rest in peace. You will be missed.

In an odd footnote, Ron Santo is probably the most gifted player to ever NOT be inducted at Cooperstown. Now that he’s gone there will no doubt be an outpouring of emotion and nostalgia – but where were those emotions when the man was still here to revel in them? This is more a reflection on the jaded institution than on Ronnie’s career.

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you are aware of the cacophony of growing outrage about the full body screening and “Touch my Junk” procedures now in place at 43 US airports. Once again, the administration – and in particular the TSA – has coughed up the ball by failing to properly communicate with the flying public. They are now reaping the results of that failure – and thwarting their own objectives.

“Much to do about nothing” was my first reaction to this new procedure. What could the big deal be? Well, last week I flew from Seattle to San Diego – and found out this system leaves much to be desired. The problems come down to communications and training.

Every successful administration knows the public hates surprises. The TSA has done a miserable job explaining and preparing the public for this process. Had they taken a nuanced approach — versus the dictatorial approach they selected — the public would be more inclined to accept and tolerate this latest impingement of privacy. Sending out a press release and doing a 20/20 segment is simply not adequate. They failed.

At the Seattle airport the incompetency continued. I was accosted by a poorly trained and ill mannered TSA agent that, without explanation, randomly selected me and told me to enter their new gizmo. “Empty your pockets. Take off your belt. All your pockets.”  Bad scan. I forgot my wallet – so he took it from me and sent it through the luggage scanner. All my credit cards, my IDs, my cash – and I’m now separated from it with hordes of people in between. Finally they get a clean picture of me. My stuff, piled up at the of belt, is a mess. My wallet? It was lying there as well. All the care and respect you would expect from uncaring bureaucrats.

Rude, uncaring, insolent, abrasive, dismissive. Civil service attitudes have arrived at he TSA. The dolt that accosted me? He was already off to randomly select the next victim.

I don’t care one wit that someone gawked at a screen of me minus my clothes (what a horrible job that must be), or that some dude needed to pat down my crotch (yuk). My issues were with the treatment of passengers, the lack of communication, and the complete lack of adequate training. All of this combined to produce a program that the public is now rebelling against.

Now, in addition to this poorly trained civil servant – and presumably his incompetent supervisors – is the larger issue that they did NOTHING to communicate – at an airport level – what we as passengers were in store for, what we could expect, or how we could best adjust our behaviors to make the process smooth.

By the way, as I was leaving, a dangerous looking grandmother was heading into the machine. I felt much safer knowing her and her underwear were free of pyrotechnic devices.

The Camp Pendleton wildfires are back – Big Time.

In an October 8th post I shared photos of the 1,000 acre wildfire on Camp Pendleton near my home. Photos of that fire can be seen here. Well, the fires are back – and they are MUCH closer this time.

The Santa Anna winds were blowing again today. That hot, dry wind started a new fire on Camp Pendleton. This one is smaller, but so close that the air here is thick with smoke. Friends called to ask if I was evacuating.  Evacuating? Are they that close? Turns out they were. Homes only a few miles away were evacuated. The top photo was taken from my driveway looking down the street. The lower photo was taken about three blocks away. To see a few more of today’s photos click here.

On my way home from the airport last night I saw a glow in the sky to the north. Since it was clearly past sunset, and since it’s California, that can only mean one thing. Wildfires. Turns out that part of Camp Pendleton, the huge US Marine base was ablaze. 

The fire consumed over 1,000 acres. While that is a lot of area, Pendleton is over 125,000 acres (it’s huge) and this fire was in a remote area of the base.

I took these shots at about 9pm last night at a spot about three blocks from my home. The actual fires were much further away. We were never in danger and the fire was largely under control by this morning. I apologize for the quality as these were handheld shots. To see this one in more detail, or to view more of them click here.

As far as I know, no one was hurt.

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

I’ve gotten emails from several folks asking why I’ve not commented on the Cubs and the thrashing they received from the Dodgers. Short answer: I was in mourning.

I concede that it’s silly to get that invested in a baseball season. After all, there are real problems in the world. However, this year was special. For the first time since 1969 I really beleived that this was the year. Even in 2003 when hapless Steve Bartman was blamed for breaking the streak, I was holding back my enthusiasm. This year however, it as all out there. It had been 100 years – and this would be the big one.

In fact, I had already budgeted $1,500 and 25,000 air miles to fly home to Chicago, catch a game at Wrigley, party with friends, and fly back to San Diego. The Cubs were going to be in the World Series – and it was going to be in Chicago – and I was going to be there. So much for plans.

Is there a curse?  It’s fun to talk about, especially when such talk is fueled by good friends and some cold beer. There is high entertainment value in it – and something to focus on while we look to the future.

Growing up in Chicago as a South Side Cubs Fan (a rare creature frequently subjected to Sox fan ridicule), there were three truths which anyone from that time and place can relate to:

1. Vote early / vote often
2. Never chew gum in church
3. There’s always next year

So, here we are again. 100 years and counting. I keep remembering that 104 year old man throwing out the first pitch at the first playoff game.  How old will I be when the Cubs finally pull it off?

To next year. Eamus Catuli.

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

I get that the point of this bailout is not punishment. However, if I made a ten million dollar mistake I would probably be fired. If one of my people made such a mistake, they would get the axe – assuming the company even survived.

So how is that the smartest guys in the room can make mistakes that total over $1.3 trillion — and get away with it? Why is it that people that were prudent are bailing out the no-limit morons that took on debt loads they cannot afford? Why are we rewarding this? 

By the way, the most guilty party of all, the US Congress (along with the Clinton and Bush administrations) lit the fuse and kept stoking this fire. I doubt you will hear many mia culpas from their ranks.

Once again, the party is over. Once again we are cleaning it up. Time to clean the erasers.

– Carl / Blogvious

Hank Paulson took to the airwaves yesterday pitching his plan to (again) save the financial system with a huge $1.3 trillion (total) bailout.

That’s a big bet.  Plus, we get to increase the national debt by another 10% – to well over $11 trillion.

He says we are doing all of this to calm the stock and bond markets, releive the credit crunch and restore confidence in the American economy.  Um…OK, but I have a question.

Who is doing the ‘restoring’here?  Just who is on this team to restore confidence?

• Is this the same team that took us into Iraq?
• The same team that coughed up the ball once we were there? 
• The same team that squandered tens of billions cleaning up self-generated messes in that failed execution? 
• Is this the same team that responded to Katrina? 
• The same team that was as inept as the clueless Governor and Mayor of that corrupt state / city?
• The same team that appointed cronies to key positions of responsibility and oversight?
• Is this the same team that turned a blind eye to lax regulation?
• The same team that allowed congress to use Fannie / Freddie as a third-party enrichment tool?
• Is the team that has run up big government deficits that would make LBJ and FDR blush?

Is this the team that is RESTORING confidence?  Am I missing something here?

The air is thick with talking heads and know-it-alls espousing tons of theories on why Paulson is wrong or right. The truth is none of them know. Let me repeat that. None of them know. Nor do the walk-and-talks that are repeating someone elses’ less than grounded assessment. We’ve not been here before and I’ve not seen a single historic parallel that provides a solid analog – which is itself an assessment on my part.

The reason we are seeing all of this chattering – in addition to the magnificent egos spewing it forth – is the reality that we have so little confidence in this team to get it right, and at a time when the stakes could not possibly be higher.

Economic historians now agree that moves made by Republican and Democratic administrations created, deepened and prolonged the Great Depression. The thing is, it took 50 years to figure that out. It may be our kids that finally determine if what we are doing now is the right course of action, or a path of folly.

Were this action coming from an administration founded on solid principals and with a roster of significant wins and accomplishments, I (and many others) would be much more comfortable.

You are a smart and well-respected man Mr. Paulson, but your team has some credibility issues. Restore confidence? OK Mr. Paulson, but it begins at home.

– Carl / Blogvious

A few weeks ago I blogged about this being the 100 year anniversary of the Cubs last World Series win. Well today, just moments ago, they took the first big step in that direction. No matter what else happens this year the Chicago Cubs are the Central division National League champions. For those keeping track, they were also the Central division National League champs last year, however this year is different.

Try as I might, I just could not get excited about the Cubs last year. This year, by comparison, I am walking on the ceiling. For some reason, maybe it’s the 100 years, maybe it’s something in the air, all I know is this is the most excited I’ve been about the Cubs chances since 1969. I was eight years old then but honestly believe I’m every bit as excited as that eight-year-old boy. Could this be the year?

Well, the season’s not over yet. What they did do today was mathematically lock in the Central league title. Compared to most years within the last 100, that alone is an impressive feat. I’d like to write some more about this but I need to go look through some old T-shirt boxes to find some of my long-stored Cubs gear.

See you at the World Series. Eamus Catuli!!!

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

A dear friend forwarded an article that went to great pains blaming the flawed and idealistic policies of the Clinton administration for the current financial mess.  Really?  The article has merit – but at the same time misses the point entirely. If you begin lining up culprits, the line will be long indeed.

Let’s find some guilty parties:

Mr. & Mrs. America: If you’ve defaulted on a mortgage, a bank, car, or credit card loan – and I really don’t care what your story is – you are part of the problem. That does not make you a bad person, but you are adding to the turmoil. ::That’s Personal responsibility.

Mr. & Mrs. No Limits: If you are living in a home you cannot afford with a mortgage you should never have qualified for – and again I don’t care about your story – you are part of the problem. We’ve already shoveled $100 billion to help these geniuses. Those of us that took personal responsibility are quite puzzled by this one. ::It’s called Common Sense

Mortgage Industry: If you were a high-flying mortgage banker, loan processor, or broker (or agent) that was moving fast and loose with paper that was not yours, lying to people on both sides to close the deal, you should probably be shot (and I am quite serious here). ::It’s called Integrity.

Too Smart: If you were one of the “brightest guys in the room” that helped design these exotic mortgage bundles and then syndicated them far and wide to avoid any concentrations (so the financial system would be safe) you are part of the problem. ::It’s called Character.

Financial Stalwarts: If you were an investment bank, insurance company or other bastion of financial integrity prized for your strength and power, and you bought these risky, bloated instruments to make a quick buck, you are part of the problem – and are now feeling incredible pain. ::It’s called Prudence.

Watchdogs: If you were one of the many trusted institutions or appointed officials charged with monitoring and regulating the banking and financial markets, you have truly fallen asleep at the switch. Those of you that did raise your voices were shouted down. Too bad. Regulators do not win popularity contests. You are all part of the problem.  ::We call this Accountability.

National Leadership: If you sat in the Oval Office during the Clinton or Bush eras, or advised either man during this run-up, you to have much to answer for – and are part of the problem.  :: We call this Judgement.

Elected Officials: Lastly, if you were an esteemed member of Congress, getting fat on dollars from a myriad of lobbists, or were hawking your populist credentials by browbeating regulators (such as Barney Frank, Chairman of the Banking Committee) to lower their standards while your friends were getting rich from sweetheart deals with Fanny and Freddie you are among the biggest offenders of all. You certainly are part of the problem.  I’m about out of adjectives, but ::Corrupt, comes to mind.

– Carl  Melville / Blogivous

Not long ago you had to look your banker in the eye while he probed the depth of your character. We discarded that system to make it more uniform, fair and to minimize risks. Today’s mess is the face of progress.

When I bought my first new car, I sat across from a man that asked me how I was going to pay back the loan, should he deem to give me one. Forms were filled out and boxes were checked, but what he really did was take a measure of my character. Was I someone that could be counted upon to pay back this loan regardless of future circumstances?

Years later (1991), when I purchased my first home, I sat across from a banker. His name was Mark. He was the vice president of lending. There were many more forms, but his main agenda was sizing me up as someone that could be trusted with money from his depositers. After all, he knew many of his customers and he actually lived in the community. His level of responsibility and accountability ran deep.

These days are indeed gone forever. Before anyone pulls out a grandpa sticker, let me say that I realize we cannot go back to that model of lending. Thousands of small institutions have morphed into a few large money center banks. For all but the most wealthy or traditional individuals, the face of your banker is now an ATM machine, an online account, and an occasional visit to an actual edifice – though I doubt you know anyone there personally. 

We can no longer afford the cost of the old one-to-one relationship and potential biases that were possible when charcter counted. I borrowed three times as much money to buy my current home yet never spoke to anyone but a paper pusher and had only the sketchiest of probes into my ability to pay. Is this progress? Those holding now worthless investment paper — or families living in a home they cannot afford may have a different answer now.

Still, I wonder where we would be today if each person that signed that dotted line had to look a vested party in the eyes and explain how they could afford this commitment and would honor it for the next 30 years. We may not be going back there – but you can bet we will change.

 – Carl / Blogvious

I’m sitting in San Francisco International Airport waiting for my flight. It’s 9/11/08. Seven years ago today the world was going mad. Today the air is thick with 9/11 tributes, which I find completely fitting and proper. Those touched personally of course have a special kinship with the event that the rest of us have been spared. I was home in San Diego when it happened. I was up early and saw plane number two hit in real time. It was like a surreal nightmare which one could not fully comprehend – or awaken from. No one I knew personally was touched, but like all Americans, I was forever changed.

When I was two years old JFK was assassinated. I grew up in a world of adults frequently asking one another ”where were you when…?”  Because I was a baby, I never experienced the horror of that event. The closest I ever came to understanding it was in 1985 when the Challenger exploded, killing all aboard, including the first teacher in space. Nothing of course could prepare any of us for the atrocities of seven years ago today. Now I too ask, “Where were you…?”, as do so many others.

There was also a frequent refrain about how much the world had changed since that day in Dallas. Phrases like ‘the end of innocence’ and ‘the end of Camelot’ were frequently used. Since I did not know a world before that date, I could not relate to any change at all. Was the world better?  Was the world worse? We tend to idealize the past. It’s a universal human tendency – and it’s usually incorrect. The world is a much better place today than it was 40-odd years ago, but it certainly is different as well. 

How about the the youngest among us today?  They are born into a world of color coded threats, encroachments on civil liberties, US troops fighting in far off lands, stringent security and global terrorism (and global warming). They do not know life before this…then again, they will not know of ‘duck and cover’, ‘cold war’, ‘mutually assured destruction’ or other relics from a nightmare era I hope we have left in the dust bin of history. Their world, on balance, is a better one from many perspectives.

Is the world better overall? Is the world worse on balance? People tend to find what they are looking for, so the answer to both could be yes. If you want to believe the world is worse since 9/11, you can find ample evidence. If you want to believe the world is better in spite of 9/11, and that humanity, for all the warts and indiscretions, continues an upward spiral of accomplishment, then there is plenty of evidence for that as well. As an optimistic realist, I strongly hold the latter view.

However, and regardless of your world view, today is a day for all Americans to reflect on what has happened, what changed, and what we learned. To remember that the world can be a dangerous place, and that ideas do matter. Some of those ideas are worth defending at any cost. I’m not wrapping myself in the flag here. Our nation was based on dissension and revolution. We need many voices in the public square. Today however is a day to quiet those voices and reflect.

The sun will come up again tomorrow, and we can again begin our quarrelsome discussions. It’s also a good time to ask someone “where were you when…?”

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

So today finds me at CTIA in San Francisco and in a twelve hour news blackout. Imagine my surprise when upon leaving the Mascone center I get back-to-back calls from two friends regarding my blog post yesterday where I predicted that Obama / Axelrod might throw the dead weight of Joe Biden over the rail or under the bus in favor of Hillary, whom they should’ve taken in the first place. Seems I may have called the play.

Today Biden actually said that “perhaps he was not the best choice for the VP slot”. Now that he has opened the door, he certainly made it much easier for the Obama people to call an audible and replace him with a woman who should be at the top of their ticket. To the detractors from yesterday, I would just like to say “I told you so.”

Keep in mind, my views here are strictly Machiavellian. Under full disclosure I hope that Obama does not switch horses. Give human nature, enough middle-of-the-road voters currently swayed towards McCain could in fact swing back if they had the genuine article, rather than a stand-in to vote for.

This does not mean I believe Sarah Palen is a stand-in. To the base of the party she is certainly the real thing and replacing Biden would have no impact on their votes. However we need to keep in mind that this election will be a squeaker and if the Obama Axelrod team can pick up an extra point or two with Hillary but they will make the move.

What I know for sure it’s going to be an interesting eight weeks.

– Carl / Blogvious

There were two historic milestones in 1908. The world saw the Ford Model-T for the very first time, and the Chicago Cubs won the World Series for the very last time. Even my beloved Wrigley Field was not built until six years later, 1914. Could this be the year? Could this be the end of the curse? Was the 20th century simply a rebuilding century? As many diehard cub fans know, we’ve been down this road before.

The last time that I was this excited about the prospect of the Chicago Cubs entering the World Series was 1969. I was eight years old, and with childlike curiosity and glee I watched as the season unfolded and the Cubs continue to rack up victories. Ron Santo. Billy Williams. Don Kessinger. And of course the beloved Mr. Cub himself, Ernie Banks. George Will said that the golden age of baseball was whenever you are 10 years old. In my case he was off by two years but I certainly understand his point of view.

Those of you that follow baseball may remember that 1969 was also the year of the so-called Miracle Mets. What seemed like a miracle to the rest of the world seemed like a nightmare to me as my first place cubbies continue to lose game after game after game, all the while the Mets — who had been in the cellar all season long continue to rack up late-summer victories. My Grandfather, one of the greatest Cubs fans that’s ever lived, tried to warn me that fading in the fall was something the Cubs were known for. You can guess – or remember how the story ended. The Cubs didn’t go to the World Series, they didn’t win the National League pennant, they didn’t even win their division. It was also when I became familar with the Cubs mantra “There’s always next year”.

It’s now almost 40 years later and the Cubs are once again poised to go all the way. This could be the year, and what a way to end a century of losses. As I write this, the Milwaukee Brewers are four games behind the Cubs and have a better won / loss record in the last 10 games. The only thing worse than losing to the Mets again would be losing to the Cheeseheads from Wisconsin. The fact that the Milwaukee Brewers are even in the National League (vs. American) is surely a sign of the coming apocalypse. If you see a Packers fan of horse, run for cover.

I’m over 2000 miles away from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field now, but if the Cubs managed to make it, I will find a way to get back home and see at least one game. This is one that simply can’t be missed. However, if they fade, I will do what all true Cub fans do; I look forward to next year. Being a Cub fan from an early age has taught me to both deal with adversity and have faith in the future. Eamus Catuli. Go Cubbies!

– Carl Melville / Blogvious

On a personal note, I have a problem that is both frustrating and engaging at the same time. Those that know me are aware of the considerable girth I have unwisely accumulated in the past few years.  Much of it is still in place but a considerable portion is melting away.

The problem you ask?  None of my clothes fit.  I’m writing this on my way to a meeting wearing slacks that have been taken in twice already – and are hanging on me like kid wearing his Dad’s pants.

Given a choice between problems, this one is not a bad one to have.  Happy Monday.

– Carl / Blogvious