Random notes by slowblogger

Startups in 13 Sentences

Tue, 24 Feb 2009 23:32:13 +0900

Paul Graham’s lessons for startups. These are great lessons.

Once Again, The AP Tries To Redefine Fair Use; Goes After Shepard Fairey For Obama Poster

Sun, 22 Feb 2009 19:11:46 +0900

Once Again, The AP Tries To Redefine Fair Use; Goes After Shepard Fairey For Obama Poster :

An interesting issue on copyright. If people got permission before creating and distributing a derivative work, there would be fewer disputes. But people usually don’t work that way.

Time for the Government to Stop Subsidizing Shareholders of Insolvent Banks - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:32:10 +0900

Time for the Government to Stop Subsidizing Shareholders of Insolvent Banks - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com:

“…giving the system much needed new equity capital, which, at this time, can come only from the government.”

I am not sure what you mean by agreeing to the statement.

Here is a question. Let’s say you auction an insolvent bank, starting price being $0 and lowering the bid price to be negative (meaning removing some liability obligation). If the bank is too large, you could divide it into pieces and sell them. Do you think there won’t be any bidder other than the US government?

Are you saying “no” to this question or “yes” but a temporary owner is necessary for the process to find new owners?

Something for Nothing - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 00:31:14 +0900

Something for Nothing - Freakonomics Blog - NYTimes.com:

Successful innovations tend to start as a complementary good to the incumbent. So, they create a new market, adding to the existing and sometimes helping the incumbent. It is necessary strategically, to avoid direct competition with the strong incumbent and find a room for growth.

However, some, if not many, of them will start substituting the incumbent over time, depending on whether it remains different (remaining a complementary) or becomes similar, meaning addressing the same problems (becoming a substitute).

The reason why the TV study mentioned in the post can be misleading is that being a complementary is rather a predicted path in the beginning. A more relevant question is “will it remain complementary or start replacing the incumbent?”

Same can be applied to Google Docs (vs. MS Office), Twitter vs. Blog, or Skype vs. traditional phone. Do the study and you’ll find that they are not substitutes and even complementary. It is predictably counter-intuitive. But that does not mean they will remain so.

Greg Mankiw's Blog: News Flash: Economists Agree

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 09:46:45 +0900

Greg Mankiw's Blog: News Flash: Economists Agree:

Greg Mankiw seems a very reasonable and balanced economist. I started reading his blog.

FT.com / Columnists / Stefan Stern - The hot air of CSR

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:26:05 +0900

FT.com / Columnists / Stefan Stern - The hot air of CSR:

You have to survive, to do whatever good. I guess that’s the message.

"Art - what's the point?" in Journal - RedBubble - RedBubble

Mon, 02 Feb 2009 14:07:29 +0900

"Art - what's the point?" in Journal - RedBubble - RedBubble

Welcome - A Nation of Wimps

Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:17:57 +0900

Welcome - A Nation of Wimps:

This book may be for Korean parents, too.

Bits Of Destruction

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 16:36:11 +0900

Bits Of Destruction:

Yes! Give freedom to entrepreneurs and we will make the world better!

Remove required capital (which is huge) to start a new bank. The worst regulation of all is “barrier entry regulation”. Allow a guy with an idea and little money to start a new “different” bank. The government officials (at least in Korea) did not grant a license even if you do have the initial capital, saying they need to protect the financial stability. This is non-sense. Small banks won’t create the dilemma of “too big to fail”.

And, add “Art” to your list. I am working on it.

Correspondence Is Making A Comeback

Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:42:58 +0900

Correspondence Is Making A Comeback:

I really agree with you. There are some problems (opportunities?) to address.

- Discussions don’t last long. This is a major problem. Some topics (such as market vs. regulation) deserve much more than just 2 days of popularity. There should be slow-pace solutions.

- The discussions can happen anywhere, which is good and bad. It would be great if one can see interesting discussions in one convenient place.

- When a discussion gets popular, similar comments can be made here and there. I would like to see similar comments first, so that I can determine whether I really need to elaborate or just approve existing one.

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive

Sat, 27 Dec 2008 22:13:17 +0900

Bloomberg.com: Exclusive:

A great article about Chicago school of economics. I guess we’ll know this time better after some years.

After Credentials

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 11:13:47 +0900

After Credentials:

A great, as usual, article about education and credentials. He mentioned Korea, and I agree with him.

The Long Tail - Wired Blogs

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:30:37 +0900

The Long Tail - Wired Blogs:

Regarding this issue, I agree with Chris Anderson mostly. I think the most effective way for a poor startup (including artists) is to create a market, not just a product in an existing market. What does it mean to create a market? Create a product that’s different enough so that users cannot associate with an existing category.

The Long Tail - Wired Blogs

Fri, 26 Dec 2008 10:14:26 +0900

The Long Tail - Wired Blogs:

An issue on the long tail. Essentially the question is “do the tails have a chance?” I think the answer is “yes, if you become the head of your own niche.”

OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN | The Art of Customer Service

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 22:06:51 +0900

OPEN Forum by American Express OPEN | The Art of Customer Service:

Richard Branson serves Guy Kawasaki.

See the photo!

myartspace>blog: For the Love of God: Damien Hirst Threatens Young Artist with Legal Action

Sun, 21 Dec 2008 17:57:36 +0900

myartspace>blog: For the Love of God: Damien Hirst Threatens Young Artist with Legal Action:

The copyright issue is everywhere.

Times Extra: The New York Times Opens Web Front Page to Outside Content - ReadWriteWeb

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 14:28:37 +0900

Times Extra: The New York Times Opens Web Front Page to Outside Content - ReadWriteWeb :

Newspapers need to decide what they will become, a content creator or a content distributor. They can mix both, but need to have one or the other as their primary identity. It is like either Techcrunch or Techmeme. Either can work, but not trying to be both with one site.

If they want to be a content aggregator, then they have another choice of how to prioritize the news. Broadly, you can base it on the public (show what they want to see) or on yourself (show what you want them to see).

What Exactly Is Adult Content? Google Forces Ning Onto A Slippery Slope.

Wed, 10 Dec 2008 11:57:22 +0900

What Exactly Is Adult Content? Google Forces Ning Onto A Slippery Slope. :

Unless you accept that this kind of classification is inherently subjective judgment (by the people at the top of Ning or Google or whoever), people will waste time discussing what is objective or ‘right’.

The best that Ning can do is to make it as clear as possible so that future users do not invest time setting up a network, only to find later that they have violated Ning’s policy.

No matter how stupid it looks ‘to you’, it is not your call. If you don’t like Ning’s policy, just leave (unless Ning is violating their initial agreement with you).

Pulitzer Prize Makes Nice With The Web As Print Media Stumbles

Tue, 09 Dec 2008 13:58:43 +0900

Pulitzer Prize Makes Nice With The Web As Print Media Stumbles :

It seems that The Pulitzer Prize itself is trying to remain relevant, but not enough yet…

The High-Res Society

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 22:55:06 +0900

The High-Res Society:

Startup will take the leading role that large companies used to play… I agree.