MaoXian.com -- Archive > September 26, 2005

Reading Roundup - A Geek Whose Clothes Match, Sage Brennan, Skewering Platform Shift, Social Engineering, Caring for Your Introvert, Best of RottenTomatoes, etc.

Articles I've recently read with my comments in italics, and other miscellany:

Managing Google's Idea Factory, by Ben Elgin.

Interesting profile of a tall, striking blonde who works at Google.

"[Marissa Mayer] is 'a geek, but her clothes match' ... What Mayer thinks will be essential for continued innovation is for Google to keep its sense of fearlessness. 'I like to launch [products] early and often. That has become my mantra,' she says. She mentions Apple Computer and Madonna. 'Nobody remembers the Sex Book or the Newton. Consumers remember your average over time. That philosophy frees you from fear.'"

via Infectious Greed

RSS feed: This Week in China, by Sage Brennan

I think this is a new column at the Marketwatch site... I've never seen it before, but I've added it to my Bloglines blogroll. Sage Brennan (does he have a sister named Rosemary?) is based in Shanghai.

Newspapers, meet precipice: It's the product, stupid, by Bob Cauthorn.

Interesting reading if you care about the future of the newspaper business (which I do).

"Digital media will be recognized for exactly what it is: a full medium in its own right, with its own internal logic, unique advantages, specific shortcomings and opportunities. Newspaper companies will begin to ask the proper questions about digital media, instead of simply mumbling about cannibalization and print."

As Test Scores Jump, Raleigh Credits Integration by Income, by Alan Finder.

"'Low-income students who have an opportunity to go to middle-class schools are surrounded by peers who have bigger dreams and who are more academically engaged. They are surrounded by parents who are more likely to be active in the school. And they are taught by teachers who more likely are highly qualified than the teachers in low-income schools.'"

Duh, you don't have to be an "education expert" to know that social engineering works. It would be nice if they started to bus kids from Newark down to Princeton and West Windsor... hell will freeze over first, of course.

Caring for Your Introvert, by Jonathan Rauch.

"Are introverts arrogant? Hardly. I suppose this common misconception has to do with our being more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts. Also, it is probably due to our lack of small talk, a lack that extroverts often mistake for disdain."

I'm an arrogant introvert.

Best of Rotten Tomatoes

Nice lists (I love lists!) of the Top-Rated Movies at RottenTomatoes.

My three week stint of teaching English to middle school students will end tomorrow. It was sort of fun, but facing wave after wave of squealing 13-, 14-, and 15-year olds can be tiring.

We will be on vacation in the US for three weeks in October, so blogging will be light to non-existent during that time. We plan to visit San Francisco, Sonoma County, Charlotte, New York, and Chicago in case you happen to live in any of those places and would like to buy me dinner.

Posted on September 26, 2005 at 7:30, GMT


	Monday, September 26 Reading Roundup - A Geek Whose Clothes Match, Sage Brennan, Skewering Platform Shift, Social Engineering, Caring for Your Introvert, Best of RottenTomatoes, etc. Articles I've recently read with my comments in italics, and other miscellany: Managing Google's Idea Factory, by Ben Elgin. Interesting profile of a tall, striking blonde who works at Google. "[Marissa Mayer] is 'a geek, but her clothes match' ... What Mayer thinks will be essential for continued innovation is for Google to keep its sense of fearlessness. 'I like to launch [products] early and often. That has become my mantra,' she says. She mentions Apple Computer and Madonna. 'Nobody remembers the Sex Book or the Newton. Consumers remember your average over time. That philosophy frees you from fear.'" via Infectious Greed RSS feed: This Week in China, by Sage Brennan I think this is a new column at the Marketwatch site... I've never seen it before, but I've added it to my Bloglines blogroll. Sage Brennan (does he have a sister named Rosemary?) is based in Shanghai. Newspapers, meet precipice: It's the product, stupid, by Bob Cauthorn. Interesting reading if you care about the future of the newspaper business (which I do). "Digital media will be recognized for exactly what it is: a full medium in its own right, with its own internal logic, unique advantages, specific shortcomings and opportunities. Newspaper companies will begin to ask the proper questions about digital media, instead of simply mumbling about cannibalization and print." As Test Scores Jump, Raleigh Credits Integration by Income, by Alan Finder. "'Low-income students who have an opportunity to go to middle-class schools are surrounded by peers who have bigger dreams and who are more academically engaged. They are surrounded by parents who are more likely to be active in the school. And they are taught by teachers who more likely are highly qualified than the teachers in low-income schools.'" Duh, you don't have to be an "education expert" to know that social engineering works. It would be nice if they started to bus kids from Newark down to Princeton and West Windsor... hell will freeze over first, of course. Caring for Your Introvert, by Jonathan Rauch. "Are introverts arrogant? Hardly. I suppose this common misconception has to do with our being more intelligent, more reflective, more independent, more level-headed, more refined, and more sensitive than extroverts. Also, it is probably due to our lack of small talk, a lack that extroverts often mistake for disdain." I'm an arrogant introvert. Best of Rotten Tomatoes Nice lists (I love lists!) of the Top-Rated Movies at RottenTomatoes. My three week stint of teaching English to middle school students will end tomorrow. It was sort of fun, but facing wave after wave of squealing 13-, 14-, and 15-year olds can be tiring. We will be on vacation in the US for three weeks in October, so blogging will be light to non-existent during that time. We plan to visit San Francisco, Sonoma County, Charlotte, New York, and Chicago in case you happen to live in any of those places and would like to buy me dinner. Posted on September 26, 2005 at 7:30, GMT Picking a Top in Real Estate The sentiment has remained a bit complacent even though the Dow Jones US Real Estate ETF dropped sharply last week. I know better than to call a top, but "The Top" may very well be in for this sector. I reserve the right to be catastrophically wrong. IYR: Weekly Chart Posted on September 26, 2005 at 7:00, GMT Previous Entry >>> Google, CME, Valero		Home Archive © 2000 - 2005 Chairman MaoXian

Reading Roundup - A Geek Whose Clothes Match, Sage Brennan, Skewering Platform Shift, Social Engineering, Caring for Your Introvert, Best of RottenTomatoes, etc.

Picking a Top in Real Estate