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Companies are using mapping and demographics tools and software to more efficiently site their stores. “Retailers take the annual sales of a store, then zero in on the surrounding area. The numbers can be crunched down to the spending habits of seperate groups in the same block, providing insight into what appeals to different ages, ethnic, and gender groups.”
Google, Hearst, and Goldman Sachs invest $100 million in company that delivers broadband over conventional power lines. I had no idea such a thing was being done. This could be huge for rural areas in the US and abroad.
Over on TrueHoop, Henry Abbott notes something interesting about Ray Allen’s just-signed contract with the Seattle Sonics:
Though the average yearly salary of the contract is $16 million, the starting salary for Allen has not yet been worked out. Allen’s side has given the Sonics the freedom to structure the deal however they choose in order to allow the team to surround Allen with talent, possibly by re-signing some of their own free agents or entering the free-agent market and signing top quality players.
Although I’m sure it freaks out the agents and laywers, that concession gives Ray Allen and the Sonics a much better shot at success.
I’ve always wondered why so-called “franchise” players on pro teams in leagues with salary caps (particularly in the NBA, where the number of players per team is so small) don’t do this type of thing more often. Well, besides the fact that their agents, who presumably work on commission, won’t let them. You get a guy like Kevin Garnett, who wants to win multiple championships, give him $3-4 million less per year than he could get on the open market (so he’s still making millions per year and much more in endorsements) on the condition that the #2-5 guys on the squad are also making below market level by a mil or two, and then spend that money on the bench or on a #3 guy who would be a #2 guy anywhere else in the league. Garnett wins championships, everyone on the team wins championships, everyone’s endorsements go up, the team makes more money, and the profile of everyone involved is raised (higher profile = increased future earnings potential). Of course it would never work, but what if it did?
Wage Slaves: a look inside video game sweatshops. Low-paid workers “farm” gold and other trickets in virtual worlds and make their employers thousands of dollars a month.
Interview with Jeff Bezos on the occasion of Amazon’s 10th anniversary.
It’s a great time to be an entrepreneur. Hardware is cheap, software is cheap, labor is cheap, and advertising is cheap.
Jet Set Lara, the newest callgirl blogger. Maybe this one’s actually real?
Jason Scott on why his BBS documentary will never make it onto TV.
When one company buys another company, which one benefits more?.
Pixar’s stock drops because of smaller-than-expected sales of The Incredibles DVD.
Great, sounds like we’ll be seeing a lot more advertisements before the movie at the theater.
Depressing article on how much hassle it was for the makers of Mad Hot Ballroom to clear all copyrighted music in the film. “If I had known all that I had to go through, I’m not sure I would have done it.”
Great ongoing collection of old mall photography. Includes shots of Southdale in Edina, MN, the very first mall ever built.
Finding a rough model for how films fare at the box office. “They assume that revenue relies on three major factors: the size of the possible audience, the initial desire of audience members to see the film (which is often dictated by the amount spent on marketing and publicity), and audience response to the film.”
Whole Foods’ stock is on the rise, but how are they doing consumer-wise?.
These SF entrepreneurs are funding their startup with online poker winnings.
Presentation: how to make a million dollars. “In America, starting a successful business is the surest, most controllable path available to you for making a million dollars”.
Surowiecki on crisis management. “Entrepreneurs are the cockiest of all. It may be that the very qualities that help people get ahead are the ones that make them ill-suited for managing crises.”
Six reasons why crunch mode doesn’t work. “There’s a bottom-line reason most industries gave up crunch mode over 75 years ago: It’s the single most expensive way there is to get the work done.”
On Silicon Valley’s super-rich but not rich enough serial entrepreneurs.
What the heck happened to Krispy Kreme?. “How could a company in business for nearly 70 years, with an almost legendary product and a loyal customer base, fall from grace so quickly?”
No more free pretzels on Northwest Airlines. They’ll save 10s of dollars!
Seattle coffee shop shuts down free wifi on weekends to liven up the place.
Some good thoughts from Paul Ford on the recent announcement from the NY Times about their TimesSelect offering. “The web should serve the needs of its users, not the needs of a few hundred advertisers. If that ends up costing money, so be it; this medium is not inherently free.”
Cringely on the future plans of Microsoft, Apple, and Google. MS is shipping their own PC, Apple is pushing into video on demand, and Google is building a massive supercomputer with the help of their customers.
John Battelle has some interesting thoughts on the NYTimes’ move to charge for some of its content. “The Times stated reason for doing this is to diversify its revenue mix, and I buy that logic. It’s scary to be totally leveraged over advertising.”
Why we shouldn’t pay that much attention to the box office gross. “Ticket sales from theaters provided 100 percent of the studios’ revenues in 1948; in 2003, they accounted for less than 20 percent.” And he doesn’t even mention inflation…Gone With the Wind is still the highest grossing film in history when you adjust for inflation.
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