On the one hand, Google has to maintain quality control and consistency to make sure Android can sync up with hardware and software made by other companies. On the other hand, getting other players to “do what we want” sounds like a monopoly in the making.
Author: CBPS
Peter Mehit is co-founder and Managing Partner of Custom Business Planning and Solutions, a business consulting firm that provides problem solving, planning and process help. He has worked from private equity to the Fortune 100 at all stages.
He can be reached at pmehit@wbpllc.com or at 800-741-8444.
Ahmadinejad allies charged with sorcery | The Guardian
Clo
se allies of Iran’s president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have been accused of using supernatural powers to further his policies amid an increasingly bitter power struggle between him and the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Like this is a surprise – Ed.
Sony breach could cost card lenders $300 million | Reuters
Each customer request to replace a credit card would cost lenders about $3 to $5 per card, several analysts told Reuters on Wednesday and Thursday. Those costs would include the new piece of plastic itself, postage, and various customer service costs.
Hackers earlier in April broke into Sony’s PlayStation Network, stealing names, addresses and possibly credit card details from 77 million users. Sony shut down the network on April 19 but waited about a week to disclose that the system had been hacked and users’ data could have been stolen.
How Credit Card Data Is Stolen and Sold | NYTimes.com
Hackers who claim they are responsible for the Sony breach wrote on underground forums last week that they had access to over 2.2 million credit cards. If these millions of new stolen cards were sold online, the price could fall to well below the standard rate to as low as $1 or $2 each.
Actress sues over ‘Elly May Barbie’ doll | CNN.com
“She was a slice out of my own life. And of course ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’ was a story about the American Dream. No matter who tried to slicker us or take advantage of us, we always came out on top.”
Microsoft Buys Skype for $8.5 Billion. Why, Exactly? | Wired.com
Last year, Skype had revenue of $860 million on which it posted an operating profit of $264 million. However, it overall made a small loss, of $7 million, and had long-term debt of $686 million. It was the second time Skype has been bought out; after being started in 2003, it was purchasd by eBay in 2005 for $3.1 billion. eBay then sold the majority of its stake in 2009 to a private investment group for $1.2 billion less than it paid.
Homeless Turn Skyscraper into World’s Tallest Squat | Domus
Twenty years ago, Venezuelan financier David Brillembourg dreamed of a shimmering, glass-clad financial center in downtown Caracas to symbolize the nation’s economic prowess. The destiny of Torre Confinanzas was another—to become home to an informal community of 2,500 homeless people who are gradually colonizing, and completing, the unfinished 45-story building.
Karma Matters | Peter Mehit
Karma is the concept that what you do is done to you. You do dirt, you get dirt. You do good, good comes to you. The problem is that a lot of people want to specify their karmic reward. It doesn’t work like that. The good you do today is not instantly rewarded, or placed on account like frequent flier miles. It is distributed based on forces unknown and unseen to us. Your karmic good may not come back to you in ways you recognize, but that does not change your duty to do it. It is more faith than science but it is real and it is in operation all the time.
Recently, I’ve witnessed tea party enthusiasts recoiling in horror when Jerry Brown had the temerity to do what they say they want done, slash spending. “It’s okay to kill other people’s programs, just not mine,” they exclaim. I’ve seen progressives dismiss those concerned about the massive debt as knuckle dragging throwbacks in an attempt to keep the money flowing. What I don’t see very often is truth or constructive conversation. Budgets will be cut, pain will be felt. It will be exquisitely bi-partisan.
Weekly Economic Update | LAEDC
THIS WEEK’S HEADLINES:
- First Quarter 2011 Economic Report Card
- Global Economic Monitor
- Events of Interest
- May 18, 2011: International Trade Outlook
Could Goldman Sachs Fail? | The Baseline Scenario
Intellectually speaking, the bankers have no clothes. Unfortunately, the officials in charge of making policy on this issue are still unwilling to think through the implications; capital requirements need to be much higher.
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Dispatches From The Front 