Saturday, February 09, 2008

David Russell on Preserving Enthusiasm

Wise words from a wise man. Russell addresses issues that most musicians have to deal with on a frequent basis.

David Russell plays Barrios

One of the most profound guitar players of all time and one of my personal favorites plays "El Ultimo Cancion" by Barrios. He usually performs once every few years at the Herbst Theatre in San Fran. Enjoy.

Monday, February 04, 2008

Google's Official Statement on the Microsoft Bid for Yahoo

http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/02/yahoo-and-future-of-internet.html

"2/03/2008 11:45:00 AM
Posted by David Drummond, Senior Vice President, Corporate Development and Chief Legal Officer

The openness of the Internet is what made Google -- and Yahoo! -- possible. A good idea that users find useful spreads quickly. Businesses can be created around the idea. Users benefit from constant innovation. It's what makes the Internet such an exciting place.

So Microsoft's hostile bid for Yahoo! raises troubling questions. This is about more than simply a financial transaction, one company taking over another. It's about preserving the underlying principles of the Internet: openness and innovation.

Could Microsoft now attempt to exert the same sort of inappropriate and illegal influence over the Internet that it did with the PC? While the Internet rewards competitive innovation, Microsoft has frequently sought to establish proprietary monopolies -- and then leverage its dominance into new, adjacent markets.

Could the acquisition of Yahoo! allow Microsoft -- despite its legacy of serious legal and regulatory offenses -- to extend unfair practices from browsers and operating systems to the Internet? In addition, Microsoft plus Yahoo! equals an overwhelming share of instant messaging and web email accounts. And between them, the two companies operate the two most heavily trafficked portals on the Internet. Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors' email, IM, and web-based services? Policymakers around the world need to ask these questions -- and consumers deserve satisfying answers.

This hostile bid was announced on Friday, so there is plenty of time for these questions to be thoroughly addressed. We take Internet openness, choice and innovation seriously. They are the core of our culture. We believe that the interests of Internet users come first -- and should come first -- as the merits of this proposed acquisition are examined and alternatives explored."

Sunday, February 03, 2008

Eric Schmidt at NASA 50th Anniversary Lecture Series

Eric Schmidt gives a speech at NASA's 50th Anniversary Lecture Series, demonstrating Google Street View, Google Earth, along with touching up on a slew of other topics. A good watch.