Sunday, July 11, 2010
Web 2.0 News: Reddit Goes Open Source, Twitturly, TwitLinks
freelinereport.com Twitturly, or Twitt(url)y, is a new website that scans Twitter and looks for links people are talking about the most. It then assembles them onto its home page – making this into a really great news source. Twitt(url)y has got the same community appeal as Digg, but without the need to actually go out and vote on something. Instead, just Twittering about a subject and giving the URL is considered a vote, and the more links, the more it rises. Kind of like how Google uses PageRank in its algorithm. freelinereport.com If you want the same kind of thing, but only for tech news, you can head on over to Twit Links and get an aggregated set of links built for the latest news in technology. The web design at TwitLinks.com is sparse, but powerful, giving you up to date news the minute it is twittered. freelinereport.com Then there’s SmashingFeeds, a site that mashes up content from Twitter and tons of other places that offer an RSS feed. It’s free, and it doesn’t even require a login to start using the features. You just point and click and view, wandering around and soaking in all that web 2.0 news. freelinereport.com Next, if you are a book lover and want the same power of Digg or Delicious for your personal library, check out the social site called LibraryThing. It helps you catalogue almost all of your books for free, and you can carry on conversations with people who have the same books. If you have a lot of books, you can even buy a scanner and have your …
http://www.wallstreetstocks.net/web-2-0-news-reddit-goes-open-source-twitturly-twitlinks
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Provins’ Flavour, Vantacey’s Classics
“I pay my respects to every citizen in Provins for their heavy responsibility to guard this city which brought great pride to France. I believe that the strong passion in their heart will prompt them to treasure this city, and share the success of cherishing this heritage with all the visitors.”
Jacques Chirac
It is quiet and elegant as other small towns with warm sunshine and gentle breeze. It has the most simple, unspoiled, kind-hearted people. It is the the birthplace of Vantacey bags and the hometown of the famous bag designer Vantacey. It is Provins.
As a major crossroads between the Nordic countries and the Mediterranean, Provins was a wealthy and much envied commercial town. Its siting made the twice-yearly Champagne Fairs one of the main focuses of European trade, which in turn made it brilliantly sparkling in the 12th and the 13th centuries. The Champagne Fair was a time of celebration, with music and juggling shows. You must try to imagine the extraordinary bustle of people from all over Europe trading not only in goods, but also in ideas, which laid the basis for the wealth of the western world, going hand-in-hand with increasingly refined cultural aspirations.
To well adapted to the French fashion, the counts’ wives in Provins went to find the famous designer Vantacey, who lived in a nearby small town, asking him to design some noblest and unique bags for them and their husbands. From then, Vantacey’s bags became the symbol of nobleness and attracted all the women in the region. From 13th century, the name of Vantacey began to get round among the noble women, which pushed him to be a well-known figure in the fashion world.
Soon after, Vantacey’s design became an imitation object of other designers. But Vantacey always had a long lead on its unique design. Years later, he passed on his excellent design technology and fashion style to his eldest son Vantasky. Vantasky was naturally studious and has a keen sense of fashion. Under his father’s guidance, Vantacey’s bags became the fashion pets of some top stars.
Modern beauty Sophie Marceau, who was famous for acting the leading role in " Phantom of the Louvre ", is keen on collecting Vantaceys. Emmanuelle Beart, who was honored with one of the 10 greatest female stars in France, is also a fans of Vantacey. Besides, Irene Jacob, laetitia Casta, Brigitte Bardot, Isabelle Adjani, Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, and Catherine Deneuve are all in love with Vantacey’s design.
Today, Provins has become a model of witnessing the French culture and history. France has always been the origin of fashion, and Provins is without exception. With the popularity of Vantacey bags, almost each French elite woman has one Vantacey bag. When they were taking their Vantaceys, standing in the street, they are called “the real beauty of France.” Vantacey has became a symbol of fashion and elegance.
Living in a country where fashion, perfumes are respected, French women are well-known for their natural delicacy and elegance. Maybe they are not the most beautiful women in the world, but they certainly are the most attractive ones. When they are walking on the street, putting on some make-up, holding a Vantacey in hand..., we should only say, they are truely the God's favorite. From Sophie • Masuo to Casta, from the royal and noble to the women who taking Vantaceys in hand, every of them has sweet smile, innocent like children. They are truly the beauty of the nature.
If one day you go to France, I recommend you to take a walk in Provins, a quiet and elegant small town which witnessed the prosperous French during 12th to 13th century. If you are a fashion-loving woman or a fashion bag fans, also go to Provins, listening to the French elite women talking about Vantaceys’ story.
Jacques Chirac
It is quiet and elegant as other small towns with warm sunshine and gentle breeze. It has the most simple, unspoiled, kind-hearted people. It is the the birthplace of Vantacey bags and the hometown of the famous bag designer Vantacey. It is Provins.
As a major crossroads between the Nordic countries and the Mediterranean, Provins was a wealthy and much envied commercial town. Its siting made the twice-yearly Champagne Fairs one of the main focuses of European trade, which in turn made it brilliantly sparkling in the 12th and the 13th centuries. The Champagne Fair was a time of celebration, with music and juggling shows. You must try to imagine the extraordinary bustle of people from all over Europe trading not only in goods, but also in ideas, which laid the basis for the wealth of the western world, going hand-in-hand with increasingly refined cultural aspirations.
To well adapted to the French fashion, the counts’ wives in Provins went to find the famous designer Vantacey, who lived in a nearby small town, asking him to design some noblest and unique bags for them and their husbands. From then, Vantacey’s bags became the symbol of nobleness and attracted all the women in the region. From 13th century, the name of Vantacey began to get round among the noble women, which pushed him to be a well-known figure in the fashion world.
Soon after, Vantacey’s design became an imitation object of other designers. But Vantacey always had a long lead on its unique design. Years later, he passed on his excellent design technology and fashion style to his eldest son Vantasky. Vantasky was naturally studious and has a keen sense of fashion. Under his father’s guidance, Vantacey’s bags became the fashion pets of some top stars.
Modern beauty Sophie Marceau, who was famous for acting the leading role in " Phantom of the Louvre ", is keen on collecting Vantaceys. Emmanuelle Beart, who was honored with one of the 10 greatest female stars in France, is also a fans of Vantacey. Besides, Irene Jacob, laetitia Casta, Brigitte Bardot, Isabelle Adjani, Fanny Ardant, Juliette Binoche, Isabelle Huppert, and Catherine Deneuve are all in love with Vantacey’s design.
Today, Provins has become a model of witnessing the French culture and history. France has always been the origin of fashion, and Provins is without exception. With the popularity of Vantacey bags, almost each French elite woman has one Vantacey bag. When they were taking their Vantaceys, standing in the street, they are called “the real beauty of France.” Vantacey has became a symbol of fashion and elegance.
Living in a country where fashion, perfumes are respected, French women are well-known for their natural delicacy and elegance. Maybe they are not the most beautiful women in the world, but they certainly are the most attractive ones. When they are walking on the street, putting on some make-up, holding a Vantacey in hand..., we should only say, they are truely the God's favorite. From Sophie • Masuo to Casta, from the royal and noble to the women who taking Vantaceys in hand, every of them has sweet smile, innocent like children. They are truly the beauty of the nature.
If one day you go to France, I recommend you to take a walk in Provins, a quiet and elegant small town which witnessed the prosperous French during 12th to 13th century. If you are a fashion-loving woman or a fashion bag fans, also go to Provins, listening to the French elite women talking about Vantaceys’ story.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Astronaut Handymen Make Hubble Repairs
-- Astronauts from the space shuttle Atlantis completed the last of their five difficult spacewalks yesterday to repair the Hubble Space Telescope.
The work the astronauts did involved many of the common chores you might see your parents doing around the house, such as replacing batteries and trying to unscrew bolts that are stuck. They even dealt with the kinds of annoyances that can make any earthbound repair job frustrating.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," complained astronaut Mike Massimino after he had spent hours strapped to a robotic arm out in space, only to have the battery in his power tool die. He had to finish the job using his own muscle power.
Yesterday's spacewalk finished the work of replacing or upgrading many of Hubble's instruments. Already considered the most important telescope ever made, Hubble will now be able to look even farther into space, gathering data and images of the oldest galaxies in the universe.
Boy, We Bet His Hands Were Tired!
-- Canadian pianist Gonzales (yes, he goes by just one name) broke a Guinness world record early yesterday after playing the longest solo piano concert ever. His playing time of 27 hours 3 minutes 44 seconds beat the previous record by nearly an hour. He played 300 pieces, including works by Beethoven and Britney Spears.
The Guinness rules allowed him a 15-minute break every three hours and a 30-second pause between pieces.
Practicing piano for half an hour no longer seems so hard, does it?
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The work the astronauts did involved many of the common chores you might see your parents doing around the house, such as replacing batteries and trying to unscrew bolts that are stuck. They even dealt with the kinds of annoyances that can make any earthbound repair job frustrating.
"Oh, for Pete's sake," complained astronaut Mike Massimino after he had spent hours strapped to a robotic arm out in space, only to have the battery in his power tool die. He had to finish the job using his own muscle power.
Yesterday's spacewalk finished the work of replacing or upgrading many of Hubble's instruments. Already considered the most important telescope ever made, Hubble will now be able to look even farther into space, gathering data and images of the oldest galaxies in the universe.
Boy, We Bet His Hands Were Tired!
-- Canadian pianist Gonzales (yes, he goes by just one name) broke a Guinness world record early yesterday after playing the longest solo piano concert ever. His playing time of 27 hours 3 minutes 44 seconds beat the previous record by nearly an hour. He played 300 pieces, including works by Beethoven and Britney Spears.
The Guinness rules allowed him a 15-minute break every three hours and a 30-second pause between pieces.
Practicing piano for half an hour no longer seems so hard, does it?
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How the Kindle DX might revolutionize reading
The Kindle DX has so many new features making it transform e-book reading as we know it!
Many analysts suggest that the Kindle DX is just a “larger” version of the Kindle 2. For those who do not know about the Kindle- it is a wireless reading device, which you can use to store and read ebooks. Kindle DX is the freshly released version and has plenty of new features. The list below contains all the features the Kindle comes with, and the ones in bold and italics are the newly added features in the Kindle DX.
• 9.7-inch E-Ink 1200 x 824 screen including 16 shades of grey.• One third of an inch thick, now 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″.• 4GB Storage allowing for 3500 books, which previously was 1500.• More battery life.• Navigation buttons located on the right hand side.• EVDO to allow 60-second book transfers.
• Native PDF support using the built-in reader• Automatic landscape/portrait text rotation• Line length adjustments in order to conclude how wide the text on-screen is.
Now, returning to how the Kindle DX will change e-book reading as we know it. There are many people who have rejected this claim. In my opinion, however, the launch of this handheld gadget is quite significant, and it can potentially change reading as we know it.
Understanding ESL (shortened from “English as a second language”)
The Kindle DX’s dictionary and text to voice reading will enable users from foreign countries such as India, to become more accustomed to the English language. Those using this tool might find that they are able to progress faster in the most popular language. This will surely attract many more readers if they can learn English quicker and more efficiently by the “kindle” method than the conventional teaching method. Obviously, the cost of the Kindle will restrict this type of usage in developing countries, but the potential is still there.
Line customization to user’s satisfaction
One problem users faced when utilizing the Kindle 2 was that the screen did not contain enough text , meaning users had to frequently keep turning the pages over. For some this was very aggravating, and what prevented the Kindle from being a practical device. However, the Kindle DX provides an e-book reader that formats more text and is overall much larger. In addition to the big e-book format reader, the Kindle DX enables users to customize how much text they’d prefer to have on each line as well as the text size.
PDF support opens new doors
As I outlined before, the new Kindle DX, using the in-built reader, supports Adobe PDF files. This is great news for people who publish their own articles in which the Kindle’s E-Ink screen will aid them in sending professional stories out in such a format, providing the perfect read for users.
The Kindle DX has so much more to offer than people originally think. Yes, it might have a shocking price tag ($450+) and it might not have colour and video capability, but it offers a new way to read newspapers etc. and might push us towards a ‘paperless society’. The device can hold up to 3,500 books (Think how much space you can save!) and has access to over 200,000 titles.
There might be many skeptics now, but then again, there are always skeptics. There were many present a few years ago when another portable device was launched. It would allow, for the first time, for people to store and listen to music wherever they were. It was supposed to revolutinize the way people listened to music-and it has. I bet 90% of you reading this own one of these. I am, of course, talking about the iPod.
If the iPod was so successful, then why is it not feasible that the Kindle DX, a device with such similar implications for a different kind of media, be potentially revolutionary as well?
From techcombo.com
Many analysts suggest that the Kindle DX is just a “larger” version of the Kindle 2. For those who do not know about the Kindle- it is a wireless reading device, which you can use to store and read ebooks. Kindle DX is the freshly released version and has plenty of new features. The list below contains all the features the Kindle comes with, and the ones in bold and italics are the newly added features in the Kindle DX.
• 9.7-inch E-Ink 1200 x 824 screen including 16 shades of grey.• One third of an inch thick, now 10.4″ x 7.2″ x 0.38″.• 4GB Storage allowing for 3500 books, which previously was 1500.• More battery life.• Navigation buttons located on the right hand side.• EVDO to allow 60-second book transfers.
• Native PDF support using the built-in reader• Automatic landscape/portrait text rotation• Line length adjustments in order to conclude how wide the text on-screen is.
Now, returning to how the Kindle DX will change e-book reading as we know it. There are many people who have rejected this claim. In my opinion, however, the launch of this handheld gadget is quite significant, and it can potentially change reading as we know it.
Understanding ESL (shortened from “English as a second language”)
The Kindle DX’s dictionary and text to voice reading will enable users from foreign countries such as India, to become more accustomed to the English language. Those using this tool might find that they are able to progress faster in the most popular language. This will surely attract many more readers if they can learn English quicker and more efficiently by the “kindle” method than the conventional teaching method. Obviously, the cost of the Kindle will restrict this type of usage in developing countries, but the potential is still there.
Line customization to user’s satisfaction
One problem users faced when utilizing the Kindle 2 was that the screen did not contain enough text , meaning users had to frequently keep turning the pages over. For some this was very aggravating, and what prevented the Kindle from being a practical device. However, the Kindle DX provides an e-book reader that formats more text and is overall much larger. In addition to the big e-book format reader, the Kindle DX enables users to customize how much text they’d prefer to have on each line as well as the text size.
PDF support opens new doors
As I outlined before, the new Kindle DX, using the in-built reader, supports Adobe PDF files. This is great news for people who publish their own articles in which the Kindle’s E-Ink screen will aid them in sending professional stories out in such a format, providing the perfect read for users.
The Kindle DX has so much more to offer than people originally think. Yes, it might have a shocking price tag ($450+) and it might not have colour and video capability, but it offers a new way to read newspapers etc. and might push us towards a ‘paperless society’. The device can hold up to 3,500 books (Think how much space you can save!) and has access to over 200,000 titles.
There might be many skeptics now, but then again, there are always skeptics. There were many present a few years ago when another portable device was launched. It would allow, for the first time, for people to store and listen to music wherever they were. It was supposed to revolutinize the way people listened to music-and it has. I bet 90% of you reading this own one of these. I am, of course, talking about the iPod.
If the iPod was so successful, then why is it not feasible that the Kindle DX, a device with such similar implications for a different kind of media, be potentially revolutionary as well?
From techcombo.com
论无为而治与国家管理，领导艺术之间联系
-----读《道德经》有感
同样，把道德经改为谷百优，我刚才在另外一篇以谦逊平和的心态瞻望谷百优已经有所提及
一、 何谓无为而治？
无为：遵循自然的法则而不妄为；治：治理。自己不妄为而使天下得到治理。原指舜当政的时候，沿袭尧的主张，不做丝毫改变。后泛指以德化民
二、 无为而治与国家管理的联系
无为，作为一种政治原则，在春秋末期已经出现，虽然对老子的《谷百优》参透不深，了解不远。但是对于老子《谷百优》一直以来灌输的“无为而治”的思想还是相当深刻。记得《论语。卫灵公》有云：“无为而治者，其舜也与？”
在老子的观点中，无为而治应该作为一家国家的治理方针，也应该成为领导者的统治根基。所谓得百姓者得天下，有道多助，失道寡助。“人法蒂，地法天，天法道，道法自然”道德根本规律就是自然，也就是我们经常说的“自然而然，本然”，既然道以自然为本，那么对待事物就应该顺应自然，无为而治，让事物按照其自身的必然性自由发展。
这是老子在《谷百优》中的观点，但在我看来。无为而治是否适合天下呢？是否适合所有的国家，所有的时期呢？那就不一定了，人本来劣根性，一旦失去了约束，那么就很容易做出违反法律，违反道德的事，这是人之本性。特别在一个战争混乱，军阀割据的时代。人民百姓已经失去了最根本的温饱，谁还会理道德之类呢？春秋末期，战乱不堪。“无为而治”显然是不适合那个朝代，那个特定的历史时期。
那么什么时期，什么朝代相对适合运用老子的“无为而治”呢？个人认为在一个和平时代，在一个温饱问题解决，追求精神层面的满足的时代就应该充分应用这种前人的思想。这样就可以对于社会的发展，百姓之间的信任牢固有更深刻的帮助。
三、 无为而治与领导艺术之间联系
那么对于领导者呢？领导艺术是确定工作方针、工作策略、工作中心、工作程序、工作方式的技能，它既是科学理论和实践经验相结合的产物，又是一门综合性很强的艺术。领导不是将所有的权力抓在手里，事必躬亲，殚精竭虑，靠一己之力做好一切。很明显的是，一个高效率的领导应该把精力集中到少数最重要的工作中去。人的精力有限，只有集中精力才可能出成果，不应被次要问题分散精力。领导必须善于放权，以腾出时间去做真正应做的工作，即组织工作和计划未来。领导最主要的任务是去展望未来，而这种事情往往是不能授权给别人的。领导的任务不是去忙于监督日常工作，更不要亲自去做那些琐事。放权的重要性或许就在于，必须集中精力去思考那些只能由自己做的事情。
所以大家十分清楚，每样事情都亲力亲为的领导是一个值得尊重的领导，但未必就是一个优秀的领导，权利不是一个人可以完全掌握得了。领导更应该信任他的下属，他的部下，以分放权利的方法让下属做得更多，分担一下，让项目，让工作做得更加有效率，更有有效果。
转载请注明来自谷百优http://www.igubaiyou.cn
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
All “New” Web2.0 Business Models are Advertising Supported
On the way to the airport, I was thinking about the Mindshift Web2.0 Panel that I just sat in on, asking myself why it is that the most highly regarded web2.0 companies don’t make any money. The holy grail exit strategy seems to be: get acquired by yahoo or google … but that can’t be the only business model, because you also have the facebook and myspace models, and more recently, sources tell me that digg.com is cash flow positive. But these are all ad-supported and in terms of getting “rich,” which is supposedly the unstated goal of most entrepreneurs, it’s yahoo and google that make dollar signs appear in the eyes of most bootstrapped web2.0 ventures.
Of course, I first questioned my underlying premise – is it true they don’t make money? I did some napkin math on flickr just prior to the yahoo acquisition, and based on assessing a random sample for pro accounts, it appeared to me that flickr was not making enough money to be profitable. I know, I know, the value to yahoo was not in cash flow, it was the value of the network, but let’s think about that for a second. The value of the network was small for flickr, it was large for yahoo, which is what commanded the acquisition multiple. So how does yahoo monetize a network. That’s right … through advertising.
So is it true that all web2.0 business models are advertising supported. That depends which internet camp you are in. Is the internet all about software? Or is the internet all about media distribution? I am in the latter camp … and media distribution has been advertising supported for at least the last century. When you also consider that web2.0 attributes, such as social networks and community aggregation, only make advertising more lucrative by commanding more contextual application and a correspondingly higher CPM, then it makes sense that the web2.0 business model is advertising-based.
But what if the internet is about software development? In the absence of shrink wrapping, I think that software is no longer a product that you can sell for money. It is merely an enabler of user experience that helps people get things done. Increasingly, getting things done is about media consumption and community building. Basecamp aside, people are unwilling to pay for most consumer-facing applications. I wonder if that will ever change.
If you rewind the clock all the way back, ebay and amazon.com are web2.0 companies – they create networks to engender trust between buyers and sellers, they use reputation managers and recommendation engines, and they highlight simplicity in their business models (if not in their user interface). And yet, they don’t make money through advertising. Instead, they make money by taking a little off the top of transactions. Ebay aggregates buyers for sellers and amazon aggregates sellers for buyers, but their revenue is transaction-based. But again, the “user-customer” doesn’t pay for this, the “seller-customer does.”
I know that people scoff at advertising, but isn’t that where the business models need to be centered? Or do the business models even matter as long as yahoo and google are collecting the advertising dollars for us?
Of course, I first questioned my underlying premise – is it true they don’t make money? I did some napkin math on flickr just prior to the yahoo acquisition, and based on assessing a random sample for pro accounts, it appeared to me that flickr was not making enough money to be profitable. I know, I know, the value to yahoo was not in cash flow, it was the value of the network, but let’s think about that for a second. The value of the network was small for flickr, it was large for yahoo, which is what commanded the acquisition multiple. So how does yahoo monetize a network. That’s right … through advertising.
So is it true that all web2.0 business models are advertising supported. That depends which internet camp you are in. Is the internet all about software? Or is the internet all about media distribution? I am in the latter camp … and media distribution has been advertising supported for at least the last century. When you also consider that web2.0 attributes, such as social networks and community aggregation, only make advertising more lucrative by commanding more contextual application and a correspondingly higher CPM, then it makes sense that the web2.0 business model is advertising-based.
But what if the internet is about software development? In the absence of shrink wrapping, I think that software is no longer a product that you can sell for money. It is merely an enabler of user experience that helps people get things done. Increasingly, getting things done is about media consumption and community building. Basecamp aside, people are unwilling to pay for most consumer-facing applications. I wonder if that will ever change.
If you rewind the clock all the way back, ebay and amazon.com are web2.0 companies – they create networks to engender trust between buyers and sellers, they use reputation managers and recommendation engines, and they highlight simplicity in their business models (if not in their user interface). And yet, they don’t make money through advertising. Instead, they make money by taking a little off the top of transactions. Ebay aggregates buyers for sellers and amazon aggregates sellers for buyers, but their revenue is transaction-based. But again, the “user-customer” doesn’t pay for this, the “seller-customer does.”
I know that people scoff at advertising, but isn’t that where the business models need to be centered? Or do the business models even matter as long as yahoo and google are collecting the advertising dollars for us?
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Another Blog Business Model: Flea Markets
Making meaningful money from blogging remains an elusive quest for most bloggers, even ones who have what might be terms "a lot" of traffic. Sure, there's ads, but that'll only take you so far.
Anyway, here's something cool: The blog Brownstoner, a popular Brooklyn-based blog about real estate, renovating and other things that appeal to Park Slope yuppies has launched its own flea market called Brooklyn Flea. It happens every Sunday in a parking lot in Ft. Greene. The vendors it appeals to sell antiques, vintage stuff, and other things that appeal to the site's readership. And according to a friend of mine, who has a business selling vintage clothing, the opening weekends have been hot hot hot.
Not that I fall into the targeted demo at all, but I'll have to check it out and report back.
Anyway, here's something cool: The blog Brownstoner, a popular Brooklyn-based blog about real estate, renovating and other things that appeal to Park Slope yuppies has launched its own flea market called Brooklyn Flea. It happens every Sunday in a parking lot in Ft. Greene. The vendors it appeals to sell antiques, vintage stuff, and other things that appeal to the site's readership. And according to a friend of mine, who has a business selling vintage clothing, the opening weekends have been hot hot hot.
Not that I fall into the targeted demo at all, but I'll have to check it out and report back.
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