Hillary Clinton's Cleavage

Am I the only one offended by this Washington Post story about Hillary Clinton's "cleavage"?

From the Post story:

She was talking on the Senate floor about the burdensome cost of higher education. She was wearing a rose-colored blazer over a black top. The neckline sat low on her chest and had a subtle V-shape. The cleavage registered after only a quick glance. No scrunch-faced scrutiny was necessary. There wasn't an unseemly amount of cleavage showing, but there it was. Undeniable.

This is incredible. It's not like Clinton is wearing something that could be considered slinky. It is as prim and proper as it gets.

Is the Post realizing for the first time that Hillary Clinton is a woman and like all women she does have breasts and there's no getting away from that?

And I find it unbeleivable that even when you are a Senator running for President, there are journalists out there looking to see if you can see a "hint" of cleavage. Gosh!

The story is by one of my favorite Post writers, fashion and style correspondent, Robin Givhan. But this is a total mis-step.

Stop The Ka-Ching!

CNBC is driving me nuts with the use of "Ka-Ching". Clearly their favorite word, it features in their On the Money show every day! Ka-Ching for Apple, Ka-Ching for Facebook, Ka-Ching for Research in Motion. ..

Please, please find some other way to say 'money'. Ka-Ching is cute. Ka-Ching is adorable. Ka-Ching is fun. But saying Ka-Ching everyday for some story or the other needs to stop!

May I suggest alternatives? "Set the registers ringing" or "More Money" or even "Cha-Ching." But please enough with the "Ka-Ching."

We have three monitors at the office running CNBC all day. Maybe that's what is really bothering me.

Ask The Pilot

One of my favorite columns on the Internet is Ask The Pilot in Salon, which deal with myriad traveler related issues.

Today they talk about the "world's worst airport." Their choice: Léopold Sédar Senghor International Airport, in Dakar, Senegal.

There is nowhere to sit, no seats. Which really is all right because the worst thing you can do is cease moving. The approximately 5-to-1 scoundrel-to-passenger ratio ensures you'll never remain unmolested for more than a few seconds. The moment you stop, somebody is hovering over your shoulder, mumbling incoherently. Brush him away, and he is instantly replaced by a man asking if you'd like to buy a plastic watch or a counterfeit phone card.

Cyrus, who has been to Senegal recently, agrees.

I have added Senegal to my list to places I want to travel to in this lifetime.

TheFind.com

After reading the news today that comparison shopping engine, TheFind.com bagged $15 million in series C funding I decided to check the site out.

I remember meeting Siva Kumar, the CEO of TheFind.com at a party last year. Siva and I were scheduled to have a greater discussion at the Red Herring office but I moved to TheStreet.com before we could make it happen.

I wish now that I had a chance to chat with him. I loved the site today when I tried it out. I use Google product search regularly but it is so bad I have almost given up on it. It amazes me that Google, which can do a pretty good job with web search, can't handle vertical search at all.

On TheFind.com I first searched for "quilt covers" and "gym bag", both products I am looking to buy. The results were great, neatly categorized by brand, price, and with excellent pictures.

Google's product search results for the same terms is terrible.

Meanwhile, Like.com, a "visual search" engine is going from bad to worse. I can never seem to find anything I want on it and I think it is just not an effective product.

It's an interesting comparison between TheFind.com and Like.com. The former is a low-profile company with a very exciting and effective technology while the latter was at one point a big Silicon Valley blogger favorite that I think just doesn't deliver the goods.

Google better watch out. In TheFind.com it has some real competition.

Fake Steve Cracks Me Up

In just about a year, the Fake Steve blog has become one of the must-reads in Silicon Valley. I love the blog--it is funny, biting, self deprecating and most of the times it says the truth as it is.

Guessing the identity of Fake Steve has become a past time for many tech reporters I know. Yesterday, I read this hilarious, and a masterpiece of an interview that Fake Steve granted to an Indian web site.

It is so funny--I just love it.

A must read if you want a good laugh. It's even better if you understand if you understand some of the inside jokes that Fake Steve has made.

Here's the interview.

Next On My Reading List

The House of Mondavi: The Rise and Fall of an American Wine Dynasty. Even someone not very familiar with wines probably recognizes the Mondavi brand and I have bought a few bottles myself (though I wasn't very impressed with it).

I saw the reviews of this book and it didn't compel me to add it to my reading list. But this back story about author, Julia Flynn Siler, and how the book finally happened has me excited.

Seven months after signing a book contract, Julia Flynn Siler found herself wondering about the viability of a nonfiction business book in which the author could not convince a single principal player in a legendary story to sit down for an interview.

I can't wait to read the book now. But first I need to finish James Stewart's Disney Wars.

The Lines Between Old and New Media are Blurring

Jim Louderback, the editor-in-chief of PC Magazine (which I think is as tech "old media" as it can get) will be the new CEO of Revision 3, reports my former colleague Liz Gannes at NewTeeVee.

At the same time, Veronica Belmont, who does video for CNET and who has made some recent appearances on CNET will be going to Jason Calacanis' Mahalo, says NewTeeVee.

With the lines between old and new media blurring, I wonder how long the blogosphere will hold on this demarcation of media.

Meanwhile, I am wondering is the use of a blogging software platform such as Wordpress or Typepad the only distinguishing characteristic of the blogosphere?

Corporate Doublespeak (Or When Companies Lie)

I sometimes wonder if I am being excessively critical or cynical when companies issue statements or answer questions.

But in the last few days I have seen some blatant examples of corporate "doubespeak". First, Sony and the PlayStation 3 price cut.

When fliers from Circuit City's upcoming sales ad surfaced on the Internet Thursday, they showed a $100 price-cut on the PS3. I reached out to a Sony spokesperson who said the company doesn't want to comment on "unsubstantiated claims."

The next day, Sony President Ryoji Chubachi told Reuters in an interview that Sony has no plans to cut price of the console "at present."

Sorry, if I am being dense, but I would think that means Sony is not planning a price-cut at least in the next few days, if not weeks.

Turns out "at present" is literally that. For three days later, Sony announced the price cut.

I am not sure what kind of credibility the company has if its senior executives lie outright to the media. Mr. Chubachi doesn't need to talk to the press if he isn't aware of what the management is really thinking or what its moves will be. But I am positive his interviews with Reuters was with the blessing of other Sony higher-ups.

The right thing for Sony to have done here is accept that there was a leak and immediately announce the price cut. Sure they would have had to advance their intended announcement by four days but that's a small price to pay.

My next example: Microsoft. For months and months Microsoft denied it had a problem with the Xbox 360. In February when I reached out to the company about increasing reports of hardware failure with the Xbox 360, Microsoft PR dismissed my concern. Their response? The failure rate was within "normal range" for electronic devices.

So why did Microsoft say Thursday it will take a charge of $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion in additional warranties for the Xbox 360? Microsoft admitted it was receiving a lot of complaints about the console's problems from its users.

There's a chance that Microsoft didn't know the complete extent of the problems in February when I reached out to them but I find that hard to believe. I think Microsoft knew it had an issue but didn't want to admit it. They wanted to see if it would go away quietly.

When it didn't, or maybe got worse, they spun the story as one where the company was concerned about the users and so offering extended warrantly.

Not surprisingly, Microsoft gets so much flak from the media.

That brings me to the question of the day: When being less than truthful is not okay in personal life, how do executives go to work and think it is fine to do so? Don't professional standards come from an individual's personal ethics? Or do you need a split personality to survive in the corporate world?

To me it is shocking that a company's senior management would not place integrity and credibility on top of its must-have professional values.

Sigh.

Back After A Break

It's been a few weeks since I updated my blog. I am back now after a vacation from Hawaii. I should be posting more often and regularly in the days ahead.

Loving Widgets

I recently got a new laptop with Vista and discovered widgets or gadgets as they are called in Vista.

I have four gadgets in my Windows sidebar that I can't live without now: the clock, a sticky notes, a RSS feed box and a personal pictures slideshow.

Excited after some weeks of using the gadgets I tried adding a few to my blog (and promptly removed some of them). Yahoo!, I found, has a widgets channel, which is great except that when you try to download one widget you get a whole Yahoo! widget taskbar on your desktop. The Yahoo! taskbar itself is annoying since I didn't want it (I am looking to get just one widget!). It was difficult to move around on the desktop and I ended up uninstalling it along with widgets I had downloaded from the channel.

Anyway, I found on the Yahoo! Widgets channel that most widgets are variations of the four kinds that I already have on my desktop.

Meanwhile, Engagdet has Niall Kennedy write a column called Enwidget. So far it has a grand total of two posts.

Is the widget fad over?

More Mainstream Media Bashing

Roger Ehrenberg, who has an excellent blog that I read regularly, has a post today about what he sees as the reasons for the "decay of mainstream media."

I left this longish comment in Roger's blog responding to some of the reasons that Roger has listed about "why mainstream media (MSM) sucks."

Roger>>>A giant portion of what's created is not original, either the ideas or the commentary around them.

I think it is unfair to say that a large portion of what MSM creates is not original. I would say percentage of original content in MSM is much larger than blogs. Most of the blogs I read are either linking to MSM content and adding some context/analysis. MSM drives original reporting and I seriously doubt the blogosphere would be so riled up or have much to comment about if the MSM didn’t do the original reporting in the first place. What blogs do very well is add perspective/analysis but lets not forget that very few bloggers are on the phone everyday or talking to other people with the intention of finding new information.

>>>>It is hard to separate the good from the garbage, as such a high percentage of MSM content is, in fact, garbage.

The same can be said of any content. A lot of blogs are garbage but there are a few very good ones out there. A lot of software programs are garbage but there are a few very good ones out there. A lot of movies are crap but a few good ones keep up the joy of watching movies. I am not sure if MSM is any different.

>>>>The medium is not designed to have a conversation, an exchange of ideas that is dynamic and has life and can help readers achieve greater understanding.

I think MSM, at least online MSM is changing there and introducing comments/communities etc. Tech sites like CNET have very vibrant communities, the big MSM papers from the NYT to the Post offers a place for comments. Sure, the pace of change has been slower than it should be and it could be more interactive but I don’t think MSM has completely closed itself out.

>>>>It is not by the people, for the people. It is by a small group of individuals for a small group of individuals. And that is ok - but then don't call yourself "mainstream" and purport to be serving a higher purpose. Mainstream is now the blogosphere.

That seems quite contradictory to what we are seeing and hearing about the blogosphere. The blogosphere works best because it targets niche interests very well. MSM works well to serve the largest common denominator—maybe that’s why it is called “mainstream.”

The reason MSM is under so much pressure has more to do with the delivery models than with the media itself. The online arms of most MSM organizations (even those under pressure) are flourishing, while the print business is fighting to hold its own. I see this not as a problem with the content itself but more as an issue of how the reader’s consumption habits are changing. Software companies face a similar distribution challenge. Packaged retail software is giving up to online subscription services. Does this mean the software itself is bad or not working for the customers? Not really. It is just that they want access to the product in a different, simpler way.

I think mainstream media bashing could be fun but serves no other purpose. What could work better is a discussion on what the blogosphere does better and what MSM does better and how the two can learn and work with each other. I don’t think this is an either-or situation. There’s no clear lines drawn between the two. MSM and the blogosphere feed off each other and this debate about which one is superior is best retired.

Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

Los Angeles Times' bureau chief, Megan Stack, has written this amazing piece about her experience as a woman living and working in Saudia Arabia, a country where the sexes are completely segregated.

The first-person story is so powerfully written that I could feel her every emotion as I read the story--the rage, helplessness, frustration, and bewilderment.

The part that resonated with me the most was this:

The same U.S. government that heightened public outrage against the Taliban by decrying the mistreatment of Afghan women prizes the oil-slicked Saudi friendship and even offers wan praise for Saudi elections in which women are banned from voting. All U.S. fast-food franchises operating here, not just Starbucks, make women stand in separate lines. U.S.-owned hotels don't let women check in without a letter from a company vouching for her ability to pay; women checking into hotels alone have long been regarded as prostitutes.

I understand that corporations don't want to get involved with the cultural nuances of every country. But making women stand in separate lines is outrageous.

Don't American businesses have some responsibility to not be a part of something if it doesn't feel right to them? Or can everything be just explained away by saying: It's nothing personal, it's just business.

In the quest for profits, where do you then draw the line?

Palm Defends Its Deal

Palm sold 25% of its stake to Elevation Partners on Monday and did a cash distribution of $8.50-a share.

The deal itself was a little unusual because it had a private equity firm buying just a quarter of the company, while Palm paid out a huge sum (a total of $940 million) to its shareholders.

I spoke with Ed Colligan, CEO of Palm, and Roger McNamee, one of the founders of Elevation Partners yesterday. After my discussion with them, I thought the deal was a great move on part of Palm.

Here's my story from TheStreet.com explaining why:

Palm may have just bought its freedom.

The smartphone company, in selling a 25% stake to private-equity firm Elevation Partners on Monday, got the one thing that its core management has fought hard for over the years: the ability to be an independent player and control its destiny.

The $325 million deal will also buy Palm the two executives it hopes can help revitalize its business -- Jon Rubinstein, former senior VP of hardware engineering and head of the iPod division at Apple , and Fred Anderson, Apple's former CFO.
...

Now, with happy shareholders, potential predatory moves thwarted and some of the sharpest minds in Silicon Valley on board, Palm believes things can only get better.

Read more here.

A Different Way to Play the Wii

Nintendo has created a huge hit in the Wii. Clearly, the company's investors are very happy with its performance. But there are other ways to play the video game cycle. Chip makers like Analog Devices, Qimonda or Broadcom, whose components power the Wii, are some other interesting bets to make for those who would want to capitalize on the Wii's success.

From my article in TheStreet.com:

Chip Stocks Win With Wii

Inside the box were names such as Analog Devices and ST Microelectronics, both of which supply the sensors in the console's remote that enable and interactive feeling when playing the game; Broadcom, whose Wi-Fi chips connect the Wii remote (wirelessly) to the screen; and memory chipmaker Qimonda.
...
The Wii could eventually account for 40% to 45% of all hardware sales for this generation, Nintendo executives have said. That could translate into 40 million to 50 million units sold throughout the life of this console cycle, says Roger Ehrenberg, president of financial intelligence firm Monitor 110. Ehrenberg, who follows the games sector closely, does not own stocks in any of the gaming or chip companies mentioned in the story.

"As sales of the Wii kick in, I am sure these other companies will benefit either in terms of a near-term bump in EPS and/or an intermediate-term increase in market cap," says Ehrenberg.

Pirates of the Caribbean III Rocks

We saw the movie on Saturday night and loved it. At nearly three hours long, I feared the movie would get boring in parts but they managed to pull it off.

I love the Pirates series and I couldn't wait to see how it was all going to end. When the reviews came in mixed, I was disappointed. But I thought the movie rocked. It was well paced, and tied up all the loose ends well, at least when it came to the key characters.

I am going to miss Captain Jack Sparrow!

On another note, what's up with Metreon in San Francisco? They weren't showing either Pirates of the Carribean III or Shrek 3 on any of their screens on Saturday!!!!!

And I thought it was one of the best theaters in the city.

Well.. at least we got a chance to hang out at the really cool Sony store.

A new laptop!

I bought a new HP dv2000 series laptop this weekend! It came with Windows Vista, an OS I was apprehensive about when I bought the laptop. Much has been written about how buggy Vista is and how many users have been asking for XP on their computers instead of Vista.

So far, Vista is doing well for me. The user interface is very slick and I love the gadgets feature. I also have Office 2007 on my computer.

My only complaint with the new laptop experience is that it comes with so much bloatware! Removing all that and getting the programs I want (including Firefox etc) took nearly two hours. Thanks to R. who did all that

I am so excited about my new laptop!

The Sharesleuth.com Experiment isn't Working

Sharesleuth.com, Mark Cuban's investigative journalism website, had its first update after three months on Wednesday.

The site started about a year ago to offer "independent Web-based reporting aimed at exposing securities fraud and corporate chicanery." I was pretty intrigued then and have been a regular visitor to the site--well as regular as a site that updates once in three months can have.

The most interesting thing about Sharesleuth.com was its editor and sole reporter, Chris Carey, positioned it as a new-media investigation journalism venture, while suggesting that the site's patron, Cuban, would be shorting stocks to benefit from the stories on the site.

That seemed like an outrageous conflict of interest to me. But over the year, Sharesleuth.com did just three stories and at least two were a huge yawn. The articles were dry, and rather dull.

Now Gary Weiss has a post pointing out that Cuban's short efforts based on Sharesleuth.com stories aren't working out either.

I think the Sharesleuth.com experiment is dead and its time to acknowledge that.

I would love to hear Chris Carey's perspective on what he thinks of the venture and how it has worked out so far compared to his expectations.

This story from India needs to be retired

Every few weeks I see a story in the American media about dabbawallahs, a network of delivery men who carry freshly cooked lunches to office workers every day.

Dabbawallahs are very popular--I have used the service when I was working in Mumbai (Bombay). They are inexpensive, accurate and always on-time. Fortune and other magazines have done a story on them. Prince Charles visited them on his trip to Mumbai and even wedding one of the dabbawallahs to his wedding to Camilla. More from Wikipedia.

Now I see this piece from The New York Times.

It seems as if every writer who goes to Mumbai and sees the dabbawallahs wants to do a story on them, never mind the exact same thing has been written about many, many times before.

I wonder if they even check Factiva/Lexis Nexis before they pitch the story.

The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill

I saw this beautiful documentary on PBS last night and it was amazing. The documentary follows a homeless street musician, Mark Bittner, as he interacts with a flock of wild parrots on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco.

It was a wonderful documentary and brought tears to my eyes in many parts. But then I am a sucker for heart-warming animal stories!

Nearly 15-hours later I can still remember the names of the main characters (all parrots!) from the film and I think Bittner is a remarkable person. I would love to meet him someday and talk to him about his experience and his life now.

Here's the link from PBS about the documentary.

Foleo is Palm's Folly

It's been a very busy day.

After months of anticipation and secrecy Palm finally revealed its new device today. The gadget called Foleo looks like a small laptop and is intended as a companion to your smartphone. It will let users edit documents, email and surf the Net on the go.

Palm had been saving news of this announcement for the All Things D conference.

I did a first take that just talks about the device. When I saw the first pictures of it, my reaction was "Is this it?." My second thought: "What was Palm thinking?"

Most analysts I called felt the same.

From my second story on Foleo: Foleo is simply too limited in its use: It doesn't have a hard drive, runs the Linux operating system and falls into an in-between space, being larger than a phone and smaller than a laptop. The device basically just adds to the gadget clutter that users want to free themselves from, say analysts.

For the detailed story, click here.

I think Palm miscalculated badly with this device. I also think it is a company out of touch with reality and the only thing driving the stock now is the buyout speculation.

And the whole thing with Foleo will only make them an even more attractive buyout bait.