Lyft vs Uber in a Broader Cultural Context

About a week ago I wrote about how the United States was reindustrializing, and how a personal connection to the production of goods, or a personality in the case of services, was a key component of the new offerings. Today Mashable wrote an article called "Why Lyft is trimming its pink mustache" that speaks to this topic in the context of the Lyft vs Uber, David vs Goliath battle.

I Read the NY Times Offline. It Sucked. Here Are Eight Reasons Why

A while ago, a migraine forced me to read the NY Times in its print edition, something I haven't done in years. It was such an awful user experience. Here are the reasons why:

Not to Defend the North Koreans, But ...

Did it occur to anyone that making a movie about assassinating the leader of another country, in peacetime no less, might be in really bad taste? Not even a historical leader, like Hitler, but an actual, living, sitting leader.

I don't find it offensive; I wouldn't advocate for Sony to be censored; nor do I condone cyberattacks on Sony or making terrorist threats on movie theaters. It's just that the premise of the movie is in bad taste.

The Reindustrialization of America

Society is undergoing a process of reindustrialization. Unlike the previous century of industrialization, which produced most of the basic tools and features of our daily lives, the current reindustrialization is less about inventing new categories and more about rethinking how things are done from a new perspective. [1]

Web 3.0 Is Already Here

I had this realization as I was reading my friend Matt Turck's TechCrunch post, The Internet of Things Is Reaching Escape Velocity. Matt referred to the Web 1.0 giants as being Google and Amazon, and Web 2.0 being Facebook and Twitter. The speculation then, is will there be a similar pair of giants to come out of Web 3.0?

Let the Russians Have PBR

There's been a lot of activity on the Twittersphere today about the purchase of 170 year-old Pabst Brewing Company by six year-old Oasis Beverages of Russia. Yes, that's right folks, the Russians now own such iconic American brands as PBR, Colt 45, Schlitz, Ballantine, and National Bohemian ("Natty Bo"). Some see this as something to mourn for. I say, thank you Russia for the $700M in cash.

Reid Hoffman and Carl Icahn Are Both Right

Reid is right that commerce and payments are a powerful combination, not disparate platforms, but Icahn is right that eBay is covering up PayPal's value.

Google's Sneaky New Map Trick

Google maps stopped showing you addresses. Huh?