World's Manliest Hotels

This Australian hotel was not included on Linda Zavoral's list.
(Image: tripadvisor.com.au)

San Jose Mercury News journalist Linda Zavoral cooked up a list of the planet's ten manliest hotels. While she specifies what qualifies each accommodation as manly, she doesn't offer a precise definition of the term. It doesn't matter: the list is fun to read.

US Economic "Recovery": A Tale of Two Workforces

It's fascinating to explore perceptions of the US economic situation. Many people assert the country has "recovered" from the financial disaster called the Great Recession. Things "are better now," is the common phrase. Major league insiders repeat this message via the media. Rather than believe their own eyes, some folks uncritically repeat what these hired corporate hands and their political allies disseminate.

Graph: motherjones.com

Living in the New York area, with its high concentration of one-percenters and those culling favor with that group, one could be convinced of the "recovery" by the drumbeat of supposedly good economic news, and signs (such as filled restaurants) suggesting a surfeit of disposable income. However, the shadow of the "others" who "did not participate in the recovery" lingers like muggers lurking in society's dimly lit streets. The dimensions and human qualities of the non-participants are inconvenient and largely ignored by those enjoying the continued, relentless, and ruthless wealth transfer from the have-somethings to the have-plentys.

A story in today's San Jose, California-based Mercury News discusses the phenomenon of the have-less, and focuses on issues "older workers" face. The bleak news, quietly tucked away on a low readership national holiday weekend, is sobering. The article summarizes its points as follows:

• A recovery that for many older workers doesn't feel like one.
• Two-thirds of baby boomers between ages 55 and 64 who found work after losing it in the recession are making less than they did in their previous jobs.
• Their median salary loss is 18 percent, compared with a 6.7 drop for 20- to 24-year-olds.
• The re-employment rate for this older age group is 47 percent, and 24 percent for those over 65, versus 62 percent for 20- to 24-year-olds.
• Finding another job takes far longer, too: 46 weeks for boomers, compared to 20 weeks for young workers.

The Mercury News piece cites a recent report from the California Budget Project to deliver these unpleasant facts and conclusions. Economic "progress," the story notes

is complicated by a triple whammy of wage stagnation, a dramatic growth of low-wage jobs in hospitality and food services, and the staggering number of jobs lost in California during the recession -- 1.4 million, nearly half of which have yet to come back.

The California report could easily be repeated in nearly every other state in the Union. Does this sound like "progress" to you?

IRS Considers Taxing Perks At Iconic Silicon Valley Firms

Photo: applieddatalabs.com

The Mercury News reported today that the Internal Revenue Service is rumored to be considering a tax on free meals employees offered at major Silicon Valley firms. The story offers a revealing glimpse into the sense of entitlement employees at firms such as Google and Facebook embrace.

One former Google employee was quoted as maintaining the free food was not "compensation," but "a phenomenal convenience..." Apparently, that line of reasoning was sufficient to dodge the taxman. Meanwhile, the Mercury News article cited a story from the late, lamented Gourmet magazine raving about the Google dining room's sensational cuisine, including "'porcini-encrusted grass-fed beef.'" That's not exactly "convenience" food. Some of the Valley's employees and chefs claimed the high-quality dining was essential to a firm's culture, growth prospects, and hiring attractiveness.

The meals were for everyday employees, and not restricted to executive dining rooms. Somehow, the brains that turn out the secret sauce known as "proprietary algorithms" could not possibly function effectively without tax-free meals. The tech firms and their satellite dependencies would have one believe that instituting a government levy on corporate cafeterias would somehow diminish the appeal of working in the global epicenter of technological innovation. Sorry, I'm not buying it.

I admit I typically don't pay tax for my work lunches. Then again, I usually bring my own lunch from home. I manage.

California Legislature Considers Bill to OK Robot Cars on Public Highways

Google's "driverless car"
(photo from Edmunds Inside Line)

Would you get into a robot-driven car? How would you feel if you shared the road with such a vehicle? If you are a pedestrian, would you feel "comfortable" knowing robot cars are sharing the intersection you're about to cross?

Well, the California legislature is currently considering a motion that would permit robot-driven vehicles to travel on the state's public highways. The measure has already passed the state assembly and is expected to reach a state senate vote soon, according to a story in today's San Jose Mercury News. Governor Jerry Brown is expected to sign the measure.

The notion of robot-driven cars is not far fetched. Google engineers and their Stanford University counterparts have each created and tested vehicles in which computers do the driving. There does seem a sense of inevitability about humans taking a figurative back seat. According to the Mercury News story, humans can intervene during the drive. I suppose that offers some comfort, but computers don't handle "watch out" warnings very nimbly.

The story also raised a number of intriguing issues, such as insurance liability and legal culpability in the event of an accident. The possibility of issuing a moving violation to a computer was great fun to contemplate. Finally, the article raised the question of a computer crash leading to a vehicle crash. And, despite the smug assurances of electrical engineers, computers do crash, sometimes with disastrous results.

If I were a hitchhiker, I would view computer-driven cars with distaste. The chance of a robot vehicle stopping to pick up someone with their thumb out are nearly zero. Driverless hitchhikers, along with other extraneous "human elements," just don't add up for a computer-driven vehicle.

Former Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson Lands New Job

Scott Thompson

The first of Yahoo's three CEOs for 2012 has found a new job. Scott Thompson, who was forced to leave Yahoo after allegedly misrepresenting his prior employment experience, is now the big banana at ShopRunner. Thompson's new firm provides "shipping perks from a variety of websites," according to a story in today's Mercury News.

Of course, most people who get caught lying about their resume generally don't get rehired a few weeks after the fact. I would think that would be especially true for a highly publicized case, such as Thompson's. However, the former Yahoo boss has many friends in the tech world. He also might be a value pick that ShopRunner's sharp-eyed owner may have plucked from the scrap heap.

Stranger things have happened on the road to reputational rehabilitation.

Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg Gets 1.05% Home Mortgage

What is the interest rate on your mortgage? If you signed off on a two percent mortgage, you would be thrilled at your deal. Yet, you would still be paying 95 basis points above the deal that Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg scored recently.

The tech world's wunderkind, according to a story in the Mercury News, refinanced his Palo Alto digs with "a 1.05 percent adjustable rate mortgage on a loan of $5.95 million"from First Republic Bank.

It's the closest thing to free cash that money can buy. If you're Zuckerberg, what's not to like about that deal?

Silicon Valley History Video Released

Silicon Valley Birthplace Marker
(photo from LA Times)

The early days of Silicon Valley seem like a dream now. That was a time when the late Steve Jobs, Larry Ellison, Andy Grove, and other tech royalty were not Valley blue bloods. In fact, Silicon Valley hardly had the aura it commands today. Some useful histories of that period are available. A recent contribution to that collection comes from self-styled Valley historian John McLaughlin. He's put together a five-part video series that includes interviews with tech A-listers, such as Jobs (in a blue work shirt and full beard) and Meg Whitman.

I haven't seen the series, but it's tempting to want to pay to see the content. Journalist Mike Cassidy wrote a fun story in today's Mercury News about the video series. Check it out: The article includes video samples from McLaughlin's work.

Judge Rules Twitter Must Provide Tweets, IP Addresses to Prosecutors

Malcolm Harris

Earlier this week, a New York criminal court judge ruled that Twitter was compelled to release user information to prosecutors. In the ruling, the Manhattan DA won the right to access a user's tweets, IP address, saved and deleted messages, and other information that could possibly identify a user's location at specific points in time.

The defendant, Malcolm Harris, is charged with disorderly conduct stemming from Occupy Wall Street activities.

Twitter fought the court order to compel disclosure.

The story was reported in arstechnica.com, Talking Points Memo, and the San Jose Mercury News, and other media outlets.

New Wi-Fi Protocol to Triple Data Speeds

Broadcom has produced 5G capabilityin its wireless chips

If you watch streaming video, move data from a smartphone to a tablet, or simply want to get fast Internet downloads to your laptop, then 802.11ac will interest you.

That's the new Wi-Fi protocol intended to upgrade wireless coverage inside one's home, according to a story in today's siliconvalley.com, a website affiliated with the San Jose Mercury News.

The major push for this Wi-Fi boost comes from the insatiable demand for video. What's fascinating is the article's note that "one million minutes of video content will race across networks every second by 2015, and the number of gadgets connected to the Internet will be twice the world's population. Between 2010 and 2015, mobile data traffic is expected to soar 26 times."

The implication is that the tech industry believes its infrastructure for the sexy data flows will keep pace with the public's service expectations. Better hope the industry's optimism is justified.

New NBA Franchise Owner Has Tech Roots

Robert Pera
(photo from Forbes, which received it
courtesy of Mr. Pera)

Why do tech zillionaires want to own NBA franchises? Recently, Ubiquiti Networks' boss Robert Pera purchased the Memphis Grizzlies for what ESPN reported was $350 million. That's a lot of money, even for a newly minted billionaire such as Pera. Well, at least he was a billionaire on paper. That status changed earlier this year when the stock value of his firm, Ubiquiti Networks, was cut approximately in half.

Nonetheless, David Stern let Pera join the club, so to speak. The other three tech wizards who can claim ownership of an NBA team are Paul Allen (Portland Trail Blazers), Mark Cuban (Dallas Mavericks), and Joe Lacob (Golden State Warriors).

The San Jose Mercury News ran an interesting profile on Pera, noting his self-made man status and his business acumen.

While Pera is making his introductions in the NBA, so is the pro basketball franchise in Oklahoma City. What Commissioner David Stern probably won't like to discuss is how OKC moved from Seattle.  It's a tawdry story, complete with back room dealings and saddened fans. Les Carpenter wrote in Yahoo!Sports today about the sale of the Seattle franchise and its move to Oklahoma. Included in the meandering, yet interesting article are comments by Shawn Kemp, who was once a star for the Seattle team and now owns a bar in the Emerald City.

Promoters of Seasteading Meet in San Francisco

They're called "Seasteaders," a 21st Century twist on the 19th Century Homestead concept. Their ambition is to build freestanding political entities in the Pacific Ocean off the San Francisco coastline. Among the enthusiasts are ex-Pay Pay zillionaire Peter Thiel, and Patri Friedman, nephew of free-market theorist Milton Friedman.

"Seasteaders" are currently meeting in San Francisco to discuss and celebrate their ideas for creating these artificial island oases. The San Jose Mercury News has covered the story, noting some of the Silicon Valley wizards and financiers involved in the event.

What's so striking about the participants' goals and ambitions is their reasoning for embarking on such a project. Their stated (pardon the pun) common denominator is a concept of freedom hatched in libertarian philosophy. The world, in their view, has become a hopelessly restrictive arena. Their proposed, man-made islands would presumably create the libertarian paradise these partisans to the cause so devoutly desire.

There's something profoundly sad about this phenomemon. These disaffected libertarians often possess considerable wealth. They're largely free to do whatever they want. Yet, the messy, demanding world continues, in their view, to be inconvenient, even obstreperous. The inability of these libertarians to reconcile themselves to those that do not share their political and philosophical perspective creates a sense of melancholy, combined with a craving for release from the coarse, gross everyday world. The subsequent desire to a more "pure" environment leads to schemes for the realization of utopian ideals.

The Swimming City
an example of a seastead

History shows this drive for a utopian state tends to breed intolerant regimes. The development of philosophically "pure," isolationist-style political entities is also entirely in the American vein (the Puritans and the Mormons come to mind). Ironically, the desire to live on artificially created Pacific islands hugging the California coastline continues the westward movement of restless American expansion partly generated by this lust for political freedom.

The Seasiders, over time, might make a different, unwanted contribution to the American story. It's entirely possible the "Big One" Californians have dreaded may shake San Francisco right into the Pacific. Then the island Seasteaders can reinvent the Atlantis myth for their island-born grandchildren.

Sotheby's To Auction Original, Working Apple 1 Computer

Apple-1 computer

My wife owns a Mac 512K, complete with a cassette tutorial that includes musical background by Bill Evans. Now, my bride is a deeply committed Apple user, but she's not an engineer. And she's anything but a nerd. She's also not a collector of vintage computers. However, there is a growing crowd that's interested in original issue computers. Will they pay top dollar for scarce, historic items? They're starting to do so.

In the coming days, Sotheby's will auction off a rare, bootable original Apple-1 computer. According to a Mercury News article about the event, the auction is expected to draw some deep pocketed collectors. Their entry into the realm of computer collection is a relatively new, expensive development.

Mechanical devices always seem to find a following. When I was in high school, my best friend collected phonographs, old recordings, and musical instruments. All three categories didn't simply sit on a shelf: he actively played and used what he bartered for or bought outright. To have witnessed my friend's delight on obtaining a rare phonograph remains a sweet memory.

Hopefully, the Apple-1 will find a new home and an appreciative owner who won't purchase the computer simply, and coarsely, for its supposed "investment value."

PS. Sotheby's auctioned the Apple-1 for the "hammer price" of $310,000; the actual payment price was higher, as the auction house's fee and taxes needed to be added to the purchase price. According to the Mercury News feature on the sale, one computer collector asserted the auction price "'takes us across a boundary line to where you have to start looking at these things as art pieces, like Monets.'"

Do You Know "Pinger"?

Greg Woock (left) and Joe Sipher,
Pinger's co-founders
(photo from Forbes)

Until this evening, I had no idea what "Pinger" was. It's still a little fuzzy to me, but millions of people are familiar with the firm and grateful for its eponymous product. As I understand it, Pinger essentially enables iPod users to text for free. The company makes money from mobile advertising displayed to its customers. The enterprise is not exactly small potatoes. According to Forbes, Pinger is the seventh largest phone carrier in the United States.

The brains behind the operation is Greg Woock. His background is a little different from the characteristic Silicon Valley profile, in that he's not an engineer nor does he have an MBA. If you're unfamiliar with Woock and with Pinger, take time to read the brief interview the interesting San Jose Mercury News reporter Peter Delevett recently conducted with Woock. You'll find, as I did, Woock is a breath of fresh air in the Valley's hothouse environment.

Yahoo CEO Blames Exec Search Firm for His False Credientials

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson
(photo from CNN)

The Yahoo CEO story is a gift that keeps on giving. I noted in a blog post earlier this week how a Yahoo board member has significant ties to Las Vegas gaming interests. The latest Yahoo installment involves Scott Thompson, the embattled Yahoo boss, and his false academic credentials. Thompson's background information, filed with the SEC and signed by Thompson, stated he had earned a computer science degree. In fact, Thompson does not, and never had had, a computer science degree.

This story has overtones of Tom Cruise's character in the movie Magnolia (Frank T.J. Mackey) portraying his dodgy academic background. However, Scott Thompson's tale gets even better than anything movie director P.T. Anderson dreamed up. The San Jose Mercury News' Pete Carey reported that Thompson is now claiming an executive search firm "wrongly included a computer science degree in his background data years ago." (The executive search firm's stance on Thompson's assertion was not noted in Carey's article.)

One can infer that either Thompson did not read material the search firm prepared or he is prevaricating. Also, noboby, including former employers such as Pay Pal, took time to fully vett Thompson's credentials. At least Pay Pal apparently asked for a resume. According to Carey's story, Yahoo didn't even bother to do that. Given these facts, do you wonder what other skeletons are in the closets of America's supposedly best and brightest?

Texas City Gets Eyeful of Nude Maid Service

National Ranching Heritage Center,
Lubbock TX

Lubbock, Texas is a conservative city in a conservative state. That has not stopped one of its residents from starting a nude maid service. According to an Associated Press story picked up by the San Jose Mercury News, founder and West Texas native Melissa Borrett has launched her nudist enterprise in a moment of fiscal desperation. She just couldn't make ends meet (no pun intended) as a waitress. Something had to be done, and that realization became the genesis of her business venture.

There are now three maids on staff. While her firm's rates are $100 per hour for one maid, Borrett does offer a discount to law enforcement.

Girl Scout Cookie App Now Available

Girl Scout Cookies poster, circa 1950s
(image from the Washington Post)

I purchased four boxes of Girl Scout cookies at work this week. I did this the old-fashioned way. Someone has a daughter for whom the initials "GS" don't mean Goldman Sachs, at least not yet. His sales approach was more soft sell than hard push, and that made it much easier to want to say "yes." However, the cookies really sell themselves. I'm a sucker for the shortbread variety and the thin mints. (One of every four Girl Scout cookies sold is a thin mint.) As soon as the boxes arrived, I ate a couple of shortbread cookies and felt thoroughly satisfied.

The personal touch always seemed essential to the ritual of Girl Scout cookies. That's why I was so surprised to read a story in today's online edition of the San Jose Mercury News about an app for Girl Scout cookie purchases. And, yes, you can now use a credit or debit card to pay for your sweet GS indulgences. I suppose it's a sign of the times, but buying Girl Scout cookies still needs the inefficient, but sweet human touch rather than going through the motions with an efficient, but soulless app.

Dorothea Lange Photos Depict World War II Japanese-American Internment

Just About to Step into the Bus
at the Assembly Center
Dorothea Lange, 1942
(photo from Sacramento Bee
and Oakland Museum of California collection)

In the aftermath of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Federal officials organized the internment of Japanese-Americans. This episode, one of the most shameful in American history, has received its deserved share of notoriety. What's less well known is that the government commissioned photographer Dorothea Lange to document the event. She was a curious choice, given her Depression-era images of people struggling to survive that grim period. Lange was also known to have objected to the de facto imprisonment of those Americans of Japanese ancestry.

Nonetheless, Lange undertook the project. Unsurprisingly, her images were suppressed during the war years. They are available for viewing now. The San Jose Mercury News has collected sixty-five photographs from Lange's project, along with an interactive map identifying Bay Area photo locations that could be positively identified. Some of the photos are moving, some are beautiful, and all share a very scary context. Yes, it could -- and did -- happen here.

For a comprehensive look at Lange's work, the Oakland Museum of California is the place to visit. The photographer bequeathed 25,000 of her images to the institution; some of them are available to view online now.

Asking Price for Jeremy Lin Middle School Yearbook in the Thousands

Jeremy Lin

The hype over NBA player Jeremy Lin has me a little intrigued. The mass fascination over Lin has really come out of nowhere. In the space of a couple of games, this formerly unknown Asian-American pro baller and Harvard grad has captured an international audience. While a big deal has been made out of Asians, especially Chinese, watching Lin's performances, his following goes far beyond the Great Wall of China. Why that happened so quickly and so broadly is something I just don't know. However, as I said, the phenomenon does intrigue me.

Apparently, anything Lin touched has become valuable. The San Jose Mercury News reported that enterprising people have put their Palo Alto, California middle school yearbook, complete with photographs including the young Lin, for sale. According the the Mercury News story, the asking price for an unsigned middle school yearbook is over two thousand dollars. You have to double down to get a copy Lin allegedly autographed.

What would you pay for a piece of Harvard's second NBA player?

Apple Makes Its Move Into Education Publishing's Fortress

Apple, in a splashy New York announcement, made a strong move into reshaping education publishing. In essence, Apple has attempted to reshape aspects of learning via its software's ability to combine video, text, and (ahem) existing materials into a unique "textbook." One key impact is in the area of "personalized learning," a current and very hot buzzword in education.

Apple found big-time education publishing allies for the initiative. One interesting overview of today's events, with some hyperbole, appears in the San Jose Mercury News.

Apple's salvo into educational publishing will have its strongest immediate impact among college and high school students and faculties. However, the Cupertino firm has its eye on younger students, whose "personalized learning" will require much more trained, adult management.

For all the fuss over the entry of gadget-enhanced education, the fact remains students will still need to master readin', writin', and 'rithmetic. Those challenges are eternal ones that resist "abracadabra" solutions.

Silicon Valley's Historical Electric Treasures

Just a quickie tonight: some of America's most important electrical gadgets, some of which influenced development of further gadgets, are housed in some boxes in San Jose. The artifacts need a true home, and a sense of organization. This amalgamation of stuff, known as the Perham Collection, is connected to a project called History San Jose. The story in today's San Jose Mercury News goes into details.