Liberty Egg:

January 2009

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Chinese Word of the Day

So Chris Mathews posed an interesting theory a week ago...he suggested that Al Gore might run in 2008 and that he will run to the left. Is Gore the liberal standard bearer that Dean will beget? As I said in a previous post after the election, it seems the new conventional wisdom in politics is running to energize the base. This explains the election of Dean as DNC Chairman and the concept of running to the left in 2008.

What will be interesting is to see if Dean's energizing will serve the fundraising and grassroots organizing purpose for which it is best suited without pulling the party out of the center for national elections.

I am slightly concerned that the centrist candidate now mentioned for 2008 is Hillary!

Currently Reading

Chris Anderson: The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More
This book is a brilliant examination of what the internet has really unleashed with e-commerce. Bricks and Mortar can't afford to stock anything but best -sellers, because retail space costs money. Digital downloads in particular cost almost nothing to store and therefore a long tail of niches offerings can add up to real money. (*****)
John Battelle: The Search: How Google and Its Rivals Rewrote the Rules of Business and Transformed Our Culture
This is a brilliant history of the search business. It not only is an entertaining account of the rise of Google, it also poses a good many concepts to ponder about the future of business online...will Google offer free WiFi? (they already are trying)...will Search replace the local yellow pages?...Does search threaten our civil liberties. Good stuff for those who think about the future of tech and business.
James Clavell: Gai-Jin
If you read Shogun a million years ago and enjoyed it, this will give you plenty more (1200 pages more) of what you liked in the first place. If you also liked Clavell's Tai-pan and Noble House and wanted more about the Struan family and business, you will be in heaven. (****)
Thomas L. Friedman: The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century
Friedman again hits the nail on the head. Without political agendas for big business or big labor, he clearly reviews the changing landscape of global trade and competition. Read this book to learn why your children should not expect to grow up and be "accountants" or "computer programmers", but rather why they should focus on being "tax-advisors" or "systems architects"... (*****)
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: Longitudes and Attitudes : The World in the Age of Terrorism
An interesting contrast to Imperial Hubris. Friedman contends that Bin Ladenism does target our way of life...I'm not sure I agree, but I do agree with Friedman's insights on how Islamic leaders need to step up and present a moderate modern version of Islam and a real future for Arab countries... (****)
Anonymous: Imperial Hubris: Why the West is Losing the War on Terror
While the author is clearly more of an analyst than an author or pundit, he clearly lays out why and how we are getting it wrong thus far in this war... (****)