Lawler's Rule

Apologies...

2005-08-17T06:21:00.000-07:00

...for the lack of posts, loyal readers. I recently started a new, stealth comedy blog that is the Next Big Thing. Unfortunately, it is anonymous so you'll have to find it on your own. But I'll give you a hint. When you come across a ridiculously hilarious blog, that's it!

I Wish I Could Buy Stock in Ray Lamontagne

2005-07-24T13:46:00.000-07:00

He is going to be a star. His music manages to sound fresh and, at the same time, completely familiar. My friend Will’s first question was “Is he playing covers?” And even though I knew they were originals, I had to briefly reconsider; the songs seem as if stolen from Ben Harper & Bob Dylan’s secret love child.

Get the album here.
Read this fairly bizarre account of how he became a musician.

Update: If you're going to download just one song illegally, download Trouble. If you're going to download just two more songs illegally, download How Come and Shelter.

Notable Quotes

2005-07-17T20:50:00.000-07:00

This quote shoots towards the top of my list:

"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Two more solid quotes:

"Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder." -George Washington

"One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors." -Plato

Via WILTW

Tracking Links

2005-06-30T16:34:00.000-07:00

I originally started this blog, in large part, to keep track of links to interesting articles and sites that I found. Now I've realized that del.icio.us is a much easier way to perform the same function. There's now a link in the upper right to my bookmarked pages. It will be much easier to track them in the future since del.icio.us allows you to tag each one with relevant keywords fairly easily. My only complaint is that the site's name -- while cool -- is annoying to type.

Music Industry Stubborness

2005-06-14T13:42:00.000-07:00

[Sony]'s use of the software, which is designed to limit consumers to making no more than three copies of a CD, reflects an effort to alter a format that is two decades old and contains music that can be readily copied and digitally distributed.

It's an open-ended question whether the music industry will ever understand their consumers. Sony has begun producing CDs with more restrictions even as the electronics side of the company continues to introduce music hardware with mangled DRM schemes. They are actively pushing their target customers to both piracy and competitors (what is the iPod to Walkman sales ratio these days?). They need to offer a compelling platform, music at a reasonable price, and then upsell on extras.

Flying Cars; About Time

2005-06-13T10:13:00.000-07:00

I am still bitter over the hundreds of flying car articles that I read in Popular Science when I was in grade school. Those were promised a long time ago and still haven't materialized. So it's pretty cool to see that some guy has developed a combo car-gyroplane that he drives from his house to the airport, flies and lands at another airport, and then drives to work. Seems like we're gradually getting closer.

Innovation in the Wireless Space

2005-06-03T10:40:00.000-07:00

The WSJ's Walt Mossberg claims that in the US wireless market, "the wireless phone carriers have used their ownership of networks to sharply restrict what technologies can actually reach users." Tom Evslin at Fractals of Change agrees and brings up the example of Hong Kong, where mobile phone companies do not have control of which phones and programs can run on their network. [Speaking of which, his posts on telecommunications are phenomenal.]

Their argument that the carriers are harming innovation, however, seems unfair and only true at the margin. The huge leap in innovation occurred when the carriers invested billions of dollars in the infrastructure necessary to create national networks and, again, when they invested billions to upgrade their networks for digital service, data capabilities, etc. Compared to this investment, innovations like the Treo are quite small and incremental.

Letting the carriers exercise ownership (i.e., control) of their networks is just another way of saying that they can seek to maximize profits. It's important that they do so because, in high initial investment, long payoff type industries such as wireless communications, cable, and satellite, companies are not profitable or cash flow positive until the network has been built out and deployed. In order to encourage future investment, development, and innovation in analogous situations, it's paramount that these companies earn a reasonable return on capital.

The Hong Kong market illustrates both the points both Tom and I are trying to make. It's true that, as a result of less carrier control, consumers there have more options when they look for phones, content, and mobile applications. However, it's also true that cutthroat competition prevents the carriers from justifying further investment outside of that required to sustain the current business.

It's not clear to me if Walt and Tom are calling for the carriers to willingly open their networks or if they are implying that regulators should take attention but I think competition will soon solve the issue. Considering that there are 4 large, national wireless carriers competing for customers, they will find it difficult to ignore innovative technologies for any sustained period of time. If customers demand the Treo, they will get it or else they will migrate carriers; the stodgy carrier will have to take notice or Wall Street will punish it for rising customer churn. On the other hand, forcing the carriers to open their networks through regulation will almost certainly lower the long-term returns of the carriers, crimping future investment and innovation.

On a side note, it's ironic to see Steve Jobs deploring the control that carriers exert over their network when he runs an even more closed system (iPod + iTunes) for music!

[Steve Jobs] is wary of producing an Apple cellphone because he would have to offer it through the “four orifices” – the major US cellular carriers – rather than being able to sell it directly to the public. We here in the US would have a far wider choice in wireless phone technology if wireless carriers did not have a veto over what is deployed on their networks.

Teaching Writing in the Times

2005-06-03T08:52:00.000-07:00

Typical, of course, that the Times would publish a lament on education in the form of a Fish editorial espousing an interesting-but-arcane way of teaching writing. Still an interesting article.

The next step (and this one takes weeks) is to explore the devices by which English indicates and distinguishes between the various components of these interactions. If in every sentence someone is doing something to someone or something else, how does English allow you to tell who is the doer and whom (or what) is the doee; and how do you know whether there is one doer or many; and what tells you that the doer is doing what he or she does in this way and at this time rather than another?

Stat Usage

2005-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

All I can think of is the public digesting Paul Krugman's argument that we spend more money on health care than countries with socialized medicine, we have the same longevity as those countries, therefore socialized medicine is more cost-effective.

In fact, we spend $2000 more per capita than other countries. Taking David Cutler's value of a life-year as $100,000, the critical value for whether that $2000 is cost-effective is whether it increases our longevity by one week. If you want to try to find that week by controlling for all the other factors that affect longevity (genetics, homicide rates, traffic fatality rates, etc.), go ahead. But I think it's like trying to call balls and strikes from a helicopter.

Quote of the Day

2005-05-23T22:44:00.000-07:00

"I want to see if what I believe in works."
-Rick Santorum

Who Writes This Stuff?

2005-05-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

As seen at the local multiplex:
"The Legendary Filmmaker Brings You His Ultimate Zombie Masterpiece"

The Show Will Start on Time; Will I Be There?

2005-05-04T15:49:00.000-07:00

The Loews theater chain has announced that they will start publishing the actual start time of the featured movie in addition to the start time for trailers and commercials. The increased number and length of pre-feature clutter (albeit frequently entertaining clutter) necessitated this move. If the theaters didn't do it themselves, there was rumbling that Congress might do it for them; after all, such legislation would provide a welcome distraction from the real business of government as the steroids scandal subsides.

Still, I regret this move somewhat. I am late to arrive everywhere, including to the movies. The commercials and trailers provide a welcome buffer for me. I anticipate that I will, now knowing the true start time, miss the opening scenes of more films than I do currently (an already impressive number).

Question of the Day

2005-04-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

Twenty years ago would you rather have been a B-student in Poughkeepsie or a genius in Shanghai? And today?
-Bill Gates in Wired

The Best Way to Conduct Important Business

2005-04-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

Back after some international trips and blogger malfunctions.

The WSJ has a great story about a Japanese businessman using Rocks, Paper, Scissors to determine the outcome of a business deal.

The highest end of the art market is fiendishly competitive, and especially so as the two auctioneers fight over a dwindling supply of classic Impressionist paintings. Each offered lavish proposals. But they were so similar, says the 74-year-old Mr. Hashiyama, that he couldn't pick a winner. He initially asked the two archrivals to decide between themselves who would get the Cezanne. That idea didn't fly. So Mr. Hashiyama informed Christie's and Sotheby's that they would play a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors to break the tie, a method he had used many times in the past to determine important business deals

The employee returned with the ballots. Christie's had picked scissors. Sotheby's picked paper. Per the game's rules, which automatically determine a winner -- paper covers rock, rock smashes scissors, scissors cut paper -- Christie's scissors triumphed over Sotheby's paper.
Christie's declined to say why it ultimately picked scissors. A Sotheby's spokesman said, "Sotheby's never comments on collections it is not offering for sale."

Quote of the Day

2005-04-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

In China, piracy is so entrenched that even the pirates complain about it.

Cool API Tricks

2005-04-10T08:16:00.000-07:00

This guy has combined Craiglist housing listings with Google Maps to show you real estate in your price range on a map. If the Craiglist posting has pictures, those can be viewed on the Google map as well. Having tried to use Craigslist before to try to find an apartment in NYC, this blows my mind.

Quotes of the Day

2005-04-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

We all profess to be in favor of more freedom. Freedom is the Platinum Visa card. We all want one. Responsibility is the credit rating. Not so much enthusiasm for the kind of discipline needed to earn one of those.

link

Many academics share the adolescent fantasy that government would be terrific if only the right leaders were in charge. They think that all of our problems would go away if only "the people" could get their way over the "special interests." Their model of politics is the old Jimmy Stewart movie "Mr. Smith goes to Washington."

A good way to cure the adolescent fantasy is to spend time in government. Up close, it is hard to tell the people from the special interests. The crusaders for more low-income housing turn out to be construction companies. The campaign for energy independence and clean-burning fuel turns out to be a plea for a subsidy to benefit a large ethanol producer. Conversely, those of us arguing against drug price controls do so not because we are industry stooges but because we believe that markets incentives lead to better treatments and cures.

link

Enforcing the HBP Rules

2005-04-05T11:56:00.000-07:00

The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first base) when...(b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit unless (1) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball; If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball. If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched.

When is MLB going to start enforcing the rules on hit batters? The rules clearly state that the batter must attempt to get out of the way and that a pitch in the strike zone is a strike, even if it hits the batter. Umpires currently ignore these rules, giving out free bases no matter the circumstances or how egregiously the batter leans into the plate or fails to make any attempt to get out of the way. The Yankees have really perfected the art of creating HBPs. I can't really blame them; if the umpires are going to allow this practice, the Red Sox need to start leaning in and taking some pitches. On the whole, though, it's quite frustrating.

The Long Tail of Complaining (pt 2 in a continuing series)

2005-04-01T06:01:00.000-08:00

Two new sites have been launched to capitalize on the Long Tail of Complaining theory espoused on this site earlier.

Customer Retaliations will be the umbrella site which provides links to all other consumer oriented blogs as well as short descriptions of the relevant company and problem.

Playersonly Is a Terrible Place to Gamble Online is the newest attempt to force changes in customer service. It will describe how Playersonly.com's online casino and sportsbook fails to deliver quality customer service or a good product.

PPR - Pay Per Rap Advertising

2005-03-29T18:24:00.001-08:00

[McDonald's] is willing to pay rappers $1 to $5 each time songs with the plug hit the radio, according to today's Advertising Age. McDonald's hopes to have its signature sandwich in several songs by summer.

I like the ingenuity displayed here; it's a cool idea from an advertising standpoint. If this catches on, I'm sure it will initially run to an extreme with product mentions and placements becoming obvious and annoying. Afterwards, I'm sure artists will figure out interesting ways to get the products involved in their work without being overly commercial. Or I hope they will.

Amazon Raising Prices of Items in My Cart

2005-03-21T21:27:00.000-08:00

Whenever I hear of an interesting book that I think I might like to read, I immediately go to Amazon and add the book to my cart. That way, it's saved for the future and I can also come back to review all my prospective purchases and determine which ones are priorities. Recently, I noticed that the items are frequently increasing in price (I have yet to see one decrease) while in my cart. For instance, the book "The Age of Federalism" has increased from $18.15 to $19.77 (or 9%) since I put it in my cart, which I believe was less than two weeks ago.

Given that this is the 5th or 6th time it's happened recently, and that I never noticed similar frequent price increases before, I'm curious as to how Amazon's pricing strategy is changing. They're already being undercut by a fair margin on a number of products by competitors like Overstock. Anyway, it's a huge deterrent to purchase to return 1-2 weeks later and find that a number of the items I am interested in have become more expensive.

'The Office' Star Working on a New Show

2005-03-21T20:26:00.000-08:00

The NYTimes has a quick profile on Ricky Gervais played David Brent, the boss from the BBC version of The Office.

He's working on a new show that sounds promising: "Extras" follows a group of unfulfilled actors on fictional big-budget films starring the likes of Kate Winslet, Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Stiller, who play variations of themselves à la "Larry Sanders." Mr. Gervais portrays one of the losers, a preening misanthrope with a colossal ego who believes that the world is full of idiots who inexplicably cannot appreciate his genius."

And he's clearly got good taste: "Lately Mr. Gervais has also realized a comic dream: writing an episode of "The Simpsons," which is to be recorded in the next few months. He has also pledged to appear in the next season - if there is one - of his current favorite sitcom, "Arrested Development."

Once Again, It Seems the Best Way to Start a Startup is to Start One

2005-03-17T19:51:00.000-08:00

If there is one message I'd like to get across about startups, that's it. There is no magically difficult step that requires brilliance to solve.

You need three things to create a successful startup: to start with good people, to make something customers actually want, and to spend as little money as possible. Most startups that fail do it because they fail at one of these. A startup that does all three will probably succeed.

In particular, you don't need a brilliant idea to start a startup around.

The author addresses his advice to technical students but most of the advice seems widely applicable. The more I read and hear from those who have successfully started a company, the more it becomes apparent that these people agree on the principles listed above. The hardest part is convincing yourself to make the leap.

The Long Tail of Complaining: Using Search Engines to Exact Revenge

2005-03-15T19:22:00.000-08:00

Until recently, the response set to a bad customer experience was fairly limited because the costs for an individual to retaliate were high. A letter written to corporate headquarters disappears into the ether. A sole proprietor doesn’t care about customer service. A complaint to the manager (in front of other shoppers) is embarrassing. And word of mouth is hard to start; it's inefficient to mention each negative experience to every friend and acquaintance since they may not be potential customers of the service and will quickly tire of your grumblings.

Search engines, however, can change the economics of complaining. Google, Yahoo, and MSN pick up information on all topics and serve them only to those who are interested. Writing a quick online review (on a blog, Yahoo Local, or elsewhere) has a real chance of impacting a person actively searching for information on that topic, someone likely to be in the process of a purchase decision.

This method will work best for smaller businesses and services since the reviews will rank higher on search engines for those businesses referenced online less often. That's fine. Word of mouth reviews form more readily on large entities since more people experience their service. Everyone knows to avoid Sprint wireless service if possible but how would you know to avoid a particular dry cleaner – who has an annoying habit of breaking every button – when in LA on business.

That’s the theory, anyway. In practice, I decided that I would no longer suffer bad service without revenge. I now plan to start a blog that will chronicle any particularly terrible customer service experiences, particularly with small, local, or online businesses, and will include specific business information. I think (and hope) that as the number of posts increases and others link to my site that its page rank on the major search engines will rise. At that point, my revenge will be complete.

Joining me in this venture will be my friend Will who, in a stroke of what is admittedly genius, came up with the same idea. His first venture into the space is a review of Docuharbor: Docuharbor is a Bad Service.

Look for a new consumer report blog coming soon.

Lawler's Rule

Apologies...

I Wish I Could Buy Stock in Ray Lamontagne

Notable Quotes

Blogroll Edited

Tracking Links

Music Industry Stubborness

Flying Cars; About Time

Innovation in the Wireless Space

Teaching Writing in the Times

Stat Usage

Quote of the Day

Who Writes This Stuff?

The Show Will Start on Time; Will I Be There?

Question of the Day

The Best Way to Conduct Important Business

Quote of the Day

Cool API Tricks

Quotes of the Day

Enforcing the HBP Rules

The Long Tail of Complaining (pt 2 in a continuing series)

PPR - Pay Per Rap Advertising

Amazon Raising Prices of Items in My Cart

'The Office' Star Working on a New Show

Once Again, It Seems the Best Way to Start a Startup is to Start One

The Long Tail of Complaining: Using Search Engines to Exact Revenge