Quick links, cheap shots, bon mots…
1. Larry Lessig, the most eloquent commentator on issues of law and technology, publishes an excerpt from his new book Remix. Worth reading.
2. Is the freemium business model over?
3. Jason Calacainis’ widely read Start-up Depression post was a bit over the top, in my opinion, but contained some great pointers including this line on execution:
Execution is the easiest thing to fix, and you can do it one of two ways: get the people in your organization to perform at a higher level, or get higher-level folks into your organization. It really is that simple: folks can either step up or step out.
4. Soon to be college-grads who were first thinking Wall Street are now studying for the LSATs. Here’s a surprising stat about lawyers and what they make after law school in this blog post:
Nine out of ten law students will make $60-70k after graduation, and only a select few will make $140k…[T]he kids making $140k right out of school have a 10% chance of making partner in their firms.
5. How to fight a rumor. If you want to deny it, don’t just issue a denial — come up with a rebuttal that “will create a new truth, including an explanation of why the rumor exists and who is benefiting from it.”
6. A video of George Bush 10 years ago in the Texas governorship debates. He’s shockingly articulate. What happened? The video is titled “Is George Bush Getting Alzheimer’s?”
Airline Industry News
1. Here’s an interesting Reason Foundation report on the next generation of air traffic control technology. Its premise is that building lots of new runways at airports ain’t going to happen for political / environmental reasons. This sucks because, at least according to this book, 25 new runways would eliminate most air travel delays in America. So, this report asks, “What kind of technology can we implement within our existing airports that would solve our problems?”
2. New York airports are going to auction off landing slots. Notwithstanding airline protests, this is a smart move.
3. The New Republic had a doomsday article recently titled The End of Aviation. It argues that the end of cheap oil and rise of environmentalism (specifically global warming concerns) may mean the end of mass, commercial airline travel. It’s a sobering read. I’m still bullish on the long term prospects of the industry. Here are some stats from Felix Salmon about how airline travel is outstripping population growth.
4. The air taxi model continues to evolve. Here’s the latest from Southern California –on-demand flights from a choice of 40 different airstrips.
“6. A video of George Bush 10 years ago in the Texas governorship debates. He’s shockingly articulate. What happened? The video is titled “Is George Bush Getting Alzheimer’s?””
I think the answers even more simplier, he talks slow because Karl rove thought it would win him more votes/support. He talks down to people by seeming more folksy.