DISQUS

As a former writing center tutor, I think this site is a great idea. I will admit freely that it will be abused. Students who just don't care about their education (alas, a seemingly robust group) will certainly try to use the site to cheat. Wily professors should probably stop them in their tracks by simply failing any who do try, failing them for the course and reporting them to university administrators so they can be expelled. All that said, however, when there are serious students who want to bridge the distance gap to study and share ideas with like-minded students around the globe, this site helps them do just that. Kudos!

I love the concept. I'm involved in various businesses as an entrepreneur, and one area of interest is online job boards. The trend there (as the folks at HourVille are no doubt aware) is niche/vertical. In short, Monster is out, niche job boards are in. No one is claiming that these verticals will individually overtake Monster, but that collectively they will far outstrip that ubiquitous company's growth and innovation - that latter of which shouldn't be too difficult, IMO.

One word...Sweet! I guess I'm dating myself by saying that I don't like "new" gaming systems and games (the Wii excepted), so this 8-bit Renaissance is in my wheelhouse. Of course, I'm still playing my Tecmo Super Bowl on and old NES (who needs Madden?), so this was pretty much made for me!

This is a great example of the marriage of social/charitable causes with real-world capitalism. The two aren't mutually exclusive, so why not bring them together in new and interesting (and highly effective) ways?

WorldTraveller noted : "Unfortunately, I do not envisage that Obama will stray away from the path of blanket support for Israel that has been the hallmark of the US government for decades." True, there is no indication that U.S./Israeli relations will change. Obama's desire to "reboot" America's image around the world (particularly in the Muslim world) is note going to come to fruition if we continue our unquestioning support for Israel. I'm certainly not saying that supporting that country is wrong, but it appears that other countries in the Middle East have a legitimate gripe that *all* of our support in the region goes to Israel (not technically true, but that is the appearance).

I like the analysis - while I've only spent a very small percentage of my working life in an "enterprise" (unless you consider my 4-person company, of which I was the head, an enterprise), I remember well the misguided approach that my employer (who shall remain unnamed) took in promoting people. Not surprisingly, it wasn't the VSPs. Those folks got buried by the corporate ladder climbers, many of whom in my company created their own work - while simultaneously ignoring what they were supposed to be doing - in order to ingratiate themselves with upper management. Again not surprisingly, this approach was very efficient in getting the ladder-climbers what they wanted. That the company started going downhill even as this was all going on was, of course, not a surprise.

Also at the risk of seeming "presentist" I'm going to have to go with the shoe-throwing video. Now, it's somewhat ridiculous that the thing got as much play as it did, but Bush's response is what makes it so indicative of his approach, i.e. - trying to rekindle the "lost years" when he was in college, charming the co-eds and frat brothers alike, and then taking that approach and applying it to the U.S. presidency. This isn't a comment on Bush per se, just on his overall persona, which is unmistakably laid-back, almost aloof.

Good points in all. I'm especially cognizant of something you said - "Valuations are low, and many companies are looking for buyers to bail them out" playing out in "my" industry as well, i.e. - the heavily battered real estate market. Banks are actually requiring that investors use much less leverage than during the "boom" years, and even during so-called normal years. Standard operating procedure seems to be a maximum of 60% LTV, meaning that investors who are heavy on cash are the ones that can swing deals. Kind of wondering if some type of creative financing will emerge from this as well (note: not the type of "creative financing" that put folks earning about $40K per year into $400K homes, but financing that is *actually* creative without being downright stupid). Obviously, lenders are skittish right now, and it's driving would-be buyers crazy because rates are so low. Still, people are fearful of the real estate market...Buffet, of course, would suggest buying.

Vlad - I was only poking around in the code for this page. Looks like the HTML code I posted to show the rel='external nofollow' was actually turned into a link to your profile in my comment! But yes, the code on this page does have nofollow on it. Probably the result of needing to reactivate a plugin or something, as you've noted.

P.S. - just a note (and FYI) - your links actually are "nofollow" on this blog. Doesn't matter to me, of course. I'm an indiscriminate commenter :-). But I do have "nofollow" links highlighted by my browser as well. Here's the link to your IntenseDebate profile: Vlad Zablotskyy. Note the "external nofollow" part. ~Matt

Thanks for introducing me to this Vlad - I don't use any particular comment management on my blog (other than what WP offers), but I do tend to actually READ the comments on blogs that use Disqus (and now, probably, that use intensedebate). The reason is that the comments on blogs that use these and other "dofollow" plugins *always* seem to have the most thought-provoking comments. It's odd - you would expect that "dofollow" would draw spammers like flies to...well, you know...but instead, it seems like people that comment are actually saying something. At any rate, I'm ashamed as a former SEO that I'd never heard of the concept of "dofollow" or the movement to use this on blogs - guess I've got to get my head out of the sand!

Good points all...when I first planned to start my own business, there were many naysayers. Some were aggressive in claiming that what I was doing was foolhardy, while others simply asked me what my "backup plan" was, assuming that what I was doing was risky and, perhaps, should not have been attempted. Of course, it's been quite some time since I made that big step and things have worked out fine. Thinking back, however, I would have been more comfortable listening to informed opinions about what I'd be facing rather than the tepid support I so often received.

This current market is nothing but an opportunity. While others are desperately trying to sell houses and emptying out their 402(K)s and IRAs, those who are smart are buying, buying, buying. It's tough to convince most people to "go against the grain," but it is exactly the people who are willing to do so who are the most successful.

It is working, indeed, though there is an interesting side effect to the rumors that interest rates may be "forced" down to 4.5% (courtesy of the Treasury buying mortgage-backed securities), i.e. - some folks who were going to refinance are now deciding to sit and wait for those great rates (that may or may not come to fruition). Some folks who were serious about buying a house are also considering waiting for those rates. Something of a double-edged sword.

From a philosophical/idealist perspective, "government" and "happiness" entering the same universe in any conversation is disheartening. Practically speaking, the powers that be (in the U.S. anyway) have made government such an intricate (and some would say invasive) part of our lives that we no longer can do without it/them. Perhaps any discussion of happiness or happiness research should revolve around removing government from the everyday lives of all citizens.

As one who prefers everything being under my control (at least as it pertains to my websites), I have to applaud this innovation.

Alas, I've started about a dozen blogs and have to admit that I doomed one to purgatory. Just one though. The others chug along thanks to my relentless desire to specifically not damn more blogs to purgatory...well, it's more than just that...Also have a "blimbo" blog, but we won't even go there.

First off, the generalization is what I take issue with the most. I'm certain that there are millenials that fit Brokaw's description, but when speaking of a generation as a whole, it's very difficult to make blanket statements and expect no one to have a problem with it (I'm a Gen X'er and I'm NOT a slacker). Brokaw's "greatest generation" surely included some slackers, so how did the generation ever become the greatest? Also, we live in a world where age is becoming more relevant. An 18-year-old in today's society is, by virtue of living in our current society, not as developed socially as an 18-year-old from 1940. Natural life expectancy has skyrocketed since 1940, meaning that 18 back then was probably about what 25 is now. Writing off ANY generation before it's really had a chance to establish itself is just a mistake (and shortsighted).

I think that there is a concept that pervades the way the standard employee thinks. Not to bash the 9-5 crowd or anything, but it is my experience that the average American thinks that having a well-paying job is a right rather than a privilege. The concept is probably reinforced vigorously in, say, the U.S. auto industry (to use a highly relevant example from the present) and many others, where people seem to think the role of the company is to provide for their employees. But, folks, employees work for a company to MAKE THE COMPANY MONEY. If they don't, they have to go. It's a very simple concept, but one that appears lost on the coddled public. I'll get off the soapbox now though...don't want to turn this into lesson in misanthropy.

I couldn't agree more with the concept of multitasking as, essentially, a time waster. Basically, on the rare occasions when I *try* to multitask (i.e. - when I'm forced into it), I will focus about 40% of my attention on two individual tasks each (for example), for a total attention level of 80%. When I focus on ONE item at a time, I give it my 100% attention. The extra 20% of attention that's lost in the multitasking scenario floats into the ether somewhere, where I hope to find it one day and apply it to my laser-focused "singletasking." Anyone who thinks they can effectively multitask is probably just fooling themselves.

I was struck most by your comment that "As a businessman myself, I believe there’s no better time to start a company than when the playing field has been leveled by broad macro-economic factors." Kind of a contrarian approach, as most people don't actually see opportunity in a market/economy like we have now. That's really all it is though...an opportunity (alas, the majority of folks are a bit too squeamish to see it that way).

Google, in the process of "opening up" their goodie bag to developers via the API will likely be the source of many more such innovations in the future as well. Mashups, alternate search engines (and vertical search engines) are all likely. This particular flu example shows us all how powerful user search data are. Pretty impressive.

I've been talking about this for about a month now (to anyone who will listen, anyway!). In the states, at least, I would be buying real estate and S&P 500 index fund shares if I had the means to do so. Borrowing money to invest is risky, of course, but equity markets have shown, time and time again, that over the long haul they are a wise investment. As for those selling shares right now - well, it's just too reactionary and sure to be a bad move in hindsight down the road.

I don't think there's any doubt that technology contributed to the financial crisis, if for no other reason than technology of various forms has essentially helped to spawn so many new investment vehicles and derivatives as well as such a fast pace of business in general. Mortgage backed securities, for instance, aren't all that new, but certainly technology has helped the proliferation of the concept. And, given that ready secondary market for mortgages, banks and brokers are encouraged to make loans, as are the investment houses that are bundling the mortgages into securities. They've done so, alas, without truly knowing who that money is going to...the second part of the communication breakdown.

I've often heard of those who rehab homes for a living do just that, i.e. - live in a house as they rehab it one room at a time, build equity naturally over the 2 years and sweat equity in addition, then sell tax free after 2 (or more) years. If you don't mind moving often, it's a great plan, because the taxes can be brutal (getting more brutal soon?).