When Microsoft offered nearly fifty billion dollars last year to acquire Yahoo I thought this was the stupidest thing Redmond had ever done, and in hindsight not accepting the offer was indeed the stupidest thing Yahoo had ever done. In a new development this week Yahoo has announced that it was ditching search and concentrating on its ad service in a 10-year agreement with Microsoft. Effectively Microsoft ended up getting almost as much control over Yahoo as they would have by owning it but for a fraction of the cost, while sidestepping antitrust regulations that would have resulted from an acquisition. In the end it goes to show that Yahoo really has been managed by the dumbest people in the IT business for the past couple of years…
How NOT to do public relations.
First, spot a blogger who finds a relatively minor, non-critical bug in your web site. Second, make sure some of your staff insult him personally and call him a liar, and make sure they do so from their office computers (read the comments on that first link). Third, have your PR department make a statement that bloggers are idiots and lunatics. Fourth… profit?
Ryanair seems like one place left in this world where PR men still enjoy their three-martini lunch!
Like 1994 all over again!
Ah, the good old days of dialup internet and restricted university access, a time when people started wanting to know what this “internet” thing was about… may they never come again, except perhaps in parody form: Mastering the Internet and Mastering the Internet Part 2.
Documentaries to watch in 2009
I’ve been watching a lot of documentaries on YouTube recently, so I figured it might be a good idea to recommend a few. I think all of them are well worth seeing, if you haven’t viewed them already.
Money for nothing…
Just how much are mobile phone companies ripping us off when they charge us fees to send (or even receive) text messages? Even more than you think. Mobile phone messages cost providers nothing. That’s right, absolutely nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zero. Any amount they charge you is pure profiteering.
What do you mean, “becoming”?
CBC’s Search Engine asks, “Is Canada Becoming a Digital Ghetto?“. Canadians reply, “hasn’t it always been one?”
And the Canadian consumer takes it in the shorts again.
We Canadians get the short shrift on just about everything, be it mobile phone services, or cars, but now someone’s come up with a comparison of broadband internet providers that shows just how much we’re getting screwed here north of the 49th parallel.
Livestation
I’ve had broadband internet access for over 10 years now, about as long as it’s been available, and many times I’ve seen claims of “TV over the internet” trumpeted but prove disappointing when put to a real-world test. That being said, Livestation delivers. If you’ve always wanted to see Al-Jazeera English, BBC World and news stations from France, Germany, the United States and around the world on your PC, give it a try. Why not, it’s free…
iPhoneless
I’m usually the one in my family and circle of friends with the latest & greatest electronic gadgets, so every once in a while a friend of mine will ask me not if, but when did I get Apple’s latest phone and how I find it. Inevitably I have to disappoint them because I don’t in fact have an iPhone, nor do I intend on getting one, and the reason for that is not the phone (which seems very slick and fun) but the network provider for it in Canada, Rogers Wireless (and its Fido subsidiary).
Punk4Punks
For those of you looking for the best punk station on the internet, look no further! This station has a good mix of old and new.