Month: September 2007

Moon X Prize

A morning brainstorm featuring Google’s Larry Page and Virgin’s Richard Branson had already turned up scores of possible new X Prize targets, from early cancer detection to ultracheap solar energy. During a break for lunch, Page dropped one more on X Prize chief Peter Diamandis: He and Google cofounder Sergey Brin had been “kicking around” the idea of sending low-cost robotic landers to the moon. Diamandis, who has been launching extraterrestrial enterprises since he was an MIT undergrad in the 1980s, grabbed his laptop and disappeared, returning half an hour later with a freshly minted PowerPoint deck. Page looked it over, then said, “Talk to Sergey.” That evening, as the guests sipped cocktails in the shadow of the little white spaceplane, Diamandis cornered the Google technology chief and pitched. Brin loved it. “Some endeavors are too speculative, even for venture capital. If they’re really worth doing, you try to find some other way.”

this is why i love this place. not just puny crap like the guys in sunnyvale.

Travelodge living

For most of us who visit a Travelodge, it is a fleeting pleasure. Park the car, go to bed and get away as early as possible in the morning. But for David and Jean Davidson, it is home. They arrived in 1985, and enjoyed it so much that they never left. Even when the couple crossed the Atlantic for a 3-week holiday in Savannah, Georgia, they booked into a Travelodge.

Social Media Consumption

The study found that while the mainstream media talked about important issues like immigration (10%) and Iraq (6%), the only story gaining traction on social news sites was the iPhone. No surprise there. The study does concede that these user generated newsfeeds may not mirror the important news of the day because they may serve has an auxiliary source. Moreover, the study of social sites reveals what users are actually reading, whereas the mainstream news statistics point only at what they’re writing. Much of that “hard-hitting” journalism may not be getting the readership the coverage suggests.

it makes you dumb if you look at short tail crap.

Future of New York

“Jane Jacobs and the Future of New York highlights an approach to urban theory and planning that remains powerfully relevant in a city that is experiencing an unprecedented influx of wealth and development. We hope that this effort informs the development process and energizes a new breed of activist.” This interactive exhibit explores contemporary New York through Jacobs’ groundbreaking views on the elements of a healthy city, the value of small blocks, the importance of civic activism and the benefits of a diverse and dynamic neighborhood. It also encourages citizen involvement by helping visitors to engage in community-building efforts in their own neighborhoods.

woo, that looks cool. my plan: ban dogs for health reasons. their constant urination makes nyc into a stinking, medieval cloaca.