To the video above…

As bad as the past 8 years have been for our country (and no matter which “side” you are on, you gotta admit, they ain’t been the shiniest in our country’s past…) if there is a silver lining to the Bushed-up Cloud, it is the energy around the upcoming election. It’s a shame that it takes periods of suffering to create this type of movement, but it is a testament to something…that things like the above can be created.

Regardless of the outcome this November, I think, and hope, that we will be feeling the positive repercussions of this energy for decades to come.

I don’t know if it has anything to do with anything, but this, I think, is pretty amazing.

I got a call today from the San Francisco Chronicle. The number has shown up at least once a day for the past week. I never answered it and today, I decided to put an end to this. As a side note, to telemarketers, please, either leave a message or don’t call back. Calling me once or twice a day for a week really doesn’t put me in the right mood if you ever get through to me.

Back to the story. The Chronicle offered me a six month deal for 4 days a week (including the big Sunday paper). $10 dollars for 6 months. Some quick numbers:

- At 26 weeks that’s $0.38 per week
- At 4 days a week, that’s just under $0.10 a day

I said no. My reasons:

1) I already get a daily New York Times and Wall Street Journal. For global, financial and national news, I barely can justify needing both.
2) For local news, I only need to check in at a local site, and I do that at sfgate, the Chronicle’s online version.
3) Despite the side of me that can’t pass up a good deal (and no matter what you think of the Chronicle’s editorial issues, less than a dime a day is a SCREAMING deal), I can’t see the need to have more resources put towards bringing another paper to my door.

Why the Times and the Journal? Because they have the only thing that will save any newspaper in the long term: Strong editorial content that you can’t get anywhere else. Without that, papers large and small, are doomed. Doomed I say!

Less than a dime a day and I said no.

Did I mention I used to work at the Chronicle…

There is a saying about some people that they cannot “get out of their own way”. Socially this refers to someone’s one personal issues preventing them from having that which they want most. In sports, it’s usually a reference to a person who’s ability is so low, that they are a risk to themselves, in addition to those around them. In cycling it’s the guy/girl who you never, ever want to ride too close behind…

Yesterday eBay bent to it’s Powersellers (who make up over 80% of it’s revenue) and lowered fees a second time in the past month. Yahoo is being wooed (threatened?) by Microsoft and it looks like regardless of Microsoft’s pursuit, they will be challenged to do anything other than continue to lose market share to Google.

So the question bears asking…can a company, however once powerful it may have been, get out of it’s own way as it grows? Is Google destined for the same destiny in 5, 10, 20 years?