Archive for January, 2009

Michael Phelps’ $10 million dollar bong hit

Michael Phelps, the man with the wingspan of a large bird, has been photographed using a bong. It is very likely that he was smoking some marijuana.
Since this is a business blog, I want to discuss the problems the ‘morality clause‘ can cause for endorsements. A morality clause usually says that a contract can be [...]

Google AdWords targeting is weird

 
 
 
 
 
I saw these two very weird ads from AdSense.  You gots to do better, Google!

If the SEC were dogcatchers, our streets would be overrun with mutts

 
I saw this interview, more like a three year old’s tantrum, posted on the NYTimes. The former head of the SEC,(also known as the world’s most toothless agency), Arthur Levitt, says everything was A-OK under his watch.
If you had a cancer growing inside of you for two eight years, and your oncologist didn’t detect it, [...]

Timothy Geithner: A bad, bad choice

Geithner is Obama’s choice for Treasury secretary. There are several reasons to reject his appointment, although I think our current rubber stamp, do-nothing Senate will wave him through with the equivalent of a slap on the wrist.
He is in favor of the bailout, not just the current bailout, but the last five bailouts. There have [...]

Coke’s VitaminWater marketing upsets nonprofit group

Coke is always introducing new products, and this one is causing some ire. Coke basically takes a lightly carbonated beverage, tosses in a some vitamins (vitamin powder to be exact) and packages it like a medicine (meaning so splashy graphics or cartoon characters). The CSPI, a respected scientific organization, objects and sues them.
The unexplored story [...]

Overcapacity of cars is causing storage problems

 
More photos here courtesy of the Guardian 
 
This photo is amazing. First, I would like to know why Nissan would build a test track in the U.K. Are UK drivers really that different from Japanese drivers? Nissan and its predecessor, Datsun, did fine for 20 years before building a test track in the UK. Second, it shows [...]

Increasing the irrelevance of traditional broadcasters: inauguration online

With the emergence of the Internet and now with TV over Mobile, traditional broadcasters have become more irrelevant.
Here is a great post from NY Observer on how to watch the 2009 Presidential Inauguration Online

Excellent Review. Makes you want to run out and buy the product.

Storage is the biggest problem most of us face. I have several external drives lying around, containing music, videos, photos, etc. Once every few months I buy yet another drive that is bigger than the sum of all my existing drives, and copy everything onto that drive, and dump that drive at the safe deposit [...]

Ralphs’ Supermarket homepage (and stores) need a makeover!

 
Ralph’s is a supermarket that is owned by Kroger’s. This company is facing strong competition from Fresh & Easy, which is run by Tesco. It is also fighting off Trader Joe’s. 
I don’t think Ralph’s will survive another five years. It does not have Trader Joe’s focus on private labels and turnover, and it does not [...]

Citibusiness Business Credit Card Website times out … bad design

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
This is Citibank’s Business Credit Card account website. There are several problems with it: The URL does not explicitly mention Citibank or credit card. The security certificate pops up a warning in Firefox.
But the biggest problem is how it times out. Come on now! This is not some cheap joke-a-day website. Citibank of all people [...]