"THE Failure of free markets" = complete nonsense

Asking whether the current market crisis proves THE failure of free
markets is akin to asking whether the fall of ancient Greece proved
THE failure of democracy. (It didn't; there have been some decent
democracies since then.)

The error stems from a poorly phrased question. At most, this crisis
proves one failure of free markets, or maybe the complete failure of
one free market. Not all free markets are the same, just like all
democracies aren't. After all, our democracy doesn't decide whether
to go to war by popular vote, as the first democracy did :-).

Who knows anything, anyway

I have a few longer posts in draft form on the way, including one on
the recent events in the market.

What stirkes me most about the recent market turmoil is the degree to
which it was not foreseen and is still not understood. It is a simple
enough fact, but still pretty staggering. A decade that has now had a
few major crises on American soil (9/11, Katrina, this) that caught us
off guard would hint that our ignorance will be a theme of the 21st
century.

Get a preview of the Linkspank Firefox extension

This week the Linkspank Firefox extension will be available for
testing. Here's what you should know:

1. If you're not using Firefox, you should. It is the best way to
access the web in terms of speed, security, and sweet features.

2. The Linkspank extension is a one-click installation that will
change your life. It will help you find articles and videos you would
have missed, save and share them faster than you thought possible.

3. The extension is private and won't break your Firefox. Our protoype
of the extension was tested for months so this will be safe.

4. It works well even for uncluttered browsers. The extension adds a
toolbar to your Firefox window, but you can hide it and still use the
functionality of the extension using shortcut keys.

If you'd like to be among the first to try it, contact me at
www.linkspank.com/contact. All are welcome (there is no level
requirement).

Creating toolbar to help you if you're a tool

I have a couple big posts to do. One to answer the Faq "how is Linkspank doing," another to answer the Faq "how are you doing," and the third to answer the Faq, "why did you invite me to facebook?"

For now I'll just note that today I worked on the new version of the linkspank toolbar for Firefox. The previous toolbar was well received by testers and a version for the latest edition of Firefox has been requested. It will be useful even to people (like me!) who prize screen space and are wary of anything that might take up that space.

And if you don't know what a toolbar is, well this toolbar will be cool enough for you to learn. But in short summary, it will provide you with the magic of Linkspank wherever you go on the web, and will allow you to save and share web pages with one click. And, if you're not a Firefox user, you should be, because despite other options it's still the best way to browse the web.

If you're a firefox user and you want to experience the toolbar glory early, just let me know.

PS the Cowboys suck.

Building the New Google

Soon I will write about the Facebook invitation bonanza that you may have noticed, but today I'll just drop a note about a current project.

Linkspank Version 2, coming in a couple weeks, will feature a "New Google."  How's that for a bold promise?  It's called the "New Google" for two reasons.  First, it's not Google, so if it's any form of a Google it's a new Google.  But there is a second and better reason to call it a Google, which is that it is going to be a Google (search engine) for "new" stuff.  

We are testing the search engine and it's already totally sweet.  It does something that is really obvious and needed, but for some reason no one is providing it right now.  Hence I'm predicting you'll be all over it.  To prove me right or wrong, stay tuned to this blog.  And get prepared to pump it up to your friends and stalkers when it comes out.

In the meantime... see you on Facebook :-).

facebook Andrew Mitchell has: 572 friends 11 photos 73 notes 72 wall posts 31 groups Check out my Facebook profile Hi Inside, I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile. Thanks, Andrew Here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=657320649&k=YZD2Y4SXW35M5FMAP1V4UP&r&v=2 This e-mail may contain promotional materials. If you do not wish to receive future commercial mailings from Facebook, please opt out. Facebook's offices are located at 156 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

oops! Linkspank is down.

Should be back online in the next 2-5 hours.

Sorry for the inconvenience!  

Coming this Week: Winner of the iPhone/ iPod Touch

The winner of the contest for the iPhone or iPod Touch has been determined and will be announced this week.   The result was delayed a bit massively by my staycation + vacation in August but I'll work on getting the Appledom into the hands of the new Spankmaster as quickly as possible.  

Personally, my Blackberry Curve + iPod Touch combo has been working pretty well for me.  The Curve has actually given me a couple little problems (trouble with my Blackberry account; some crashing as well, due possibly I think to my Google talk application on it) but I'm retaining hope that it will be the perfect device with an improvement or two on my part.  

I will affirm strongly that, if you're often in the presence of wi-fi, the iPod Touch is a sweet sweet thing to have, especially if you don't have iPhone.  I have some beefs with iTunes and Apple, but the iPod Touch is SO great at lots of stuff (as is the iPhone!).  If you haven't checked out Pandora for the iPhone or Touch, you really oughta do that.  A little investment in Pandora goes a long way and I will heap praise on Pandora in an upcoming post.  

All our great problems are unsolved

The world around us tries to convince us that the great problems have
been solved, that the Internet or your field of science or business is
coming to a state of maturity. People state and imply that there isn't
much more to be done...or that what's left to be done is merely the
extension of what we've already achieved (e.g., bringing the web to
mobile devices).

Don't fall for this idea. It's wrong. Thomas Kuhn, the coiner of
"paradigm shift", eloquently explains to us just how difficult it is
to think outside the narrow tracks of cotemporary research and
development.

For Internet, the classic mantra is that search is "done". Maybe it
is, in a way. But people said that pre-Google and I can think of some
big shortcomings with what the Google homepage gives us, brilliant
though it is.

For one thing, searching only works if you can state what you are
looking for. Sometimes you don't know how to state it, and sometimes
it just can't be stated easily (e.g., when you're browsing).

Linkspank Version 2 will present more than one new twist on searching
and browsing. So I'm psyched about that.

So there you have it: a little plug to stay thirsty for version 2, and
a little reminder about pushing the edge of the paradigms.

Chrome (by Google) is the Usain Bolt of Browsers

With Chrome, you can find cool crap on Linkspank faster than ever before

When I heard about Google Chrome coming out as an alternative to browsing the web with Firefox or Internet Explorer (among others), I wasn't too interested at first.  I just saw the browser's appearance as part of the big G's strategy to provide everything online that you are formerly used to installing on your computer (e.g., Microsoft Office).

But I heard that Chrome was really fast, so I downloaded it.  BY GOD this browser is fast.  It's also nice to see that Linkspank works well in it.  I'm personally quite excited.

From a Linkspank perspective, Chrome underscores the mighty power of Google.  I often look at Linkspank's so-called competitors and I'm stunned by just how little they achieve.   What have all those big teams doing for all these years (quite a few years, for some of them)?  Google, on the other hand, can come in and change the game quickly.  For Linkspank, it means that we have to use our smallness as an advantage, which is an ongoing consideration in the strategy.

The Punchcard Method

When the subject of exercise comes up in conversation, I usually share my love for what I call the "punchcard method."

In the work environment, "punching the timecard" has become a synonym for doing little more than showing up. But I've found that approach to be helpful for staying in shape.

Here are my rules for myself: it doesn't matter how hard I exercise, how long I exercise, or what I do. The only rule is that I try to do *something* on a regular basis. Sometimes it's just a few pushups or a headstand or a ten-minute job.

This method has worked well for me for years. I wouldn't dare attribute all my luck at exercise to this method (I think in fitness as elsewhere people greatly underweight the importance of the cards they are dealt). But it's worked well enough that I ask myself if I can copy the success elsewhere.

Maybe the method is most appropriate for cases in which you have a plan, or at least a shred of a plan. Punching the card on a doomed startup idea probably won't go anywhere. On the other hand, punching the card on that basic idea or that area of passion may get somewhere eventually. Hmm...now it sounds like nothing more than a tale of persistance. Maybe it boils down to the division between planning and execution.

FIN.

Darkspank Preview

Here's a flavor of Darkspank, one of the upcoming skins for Linkspank:


As mentioned earlier, there will be other skins too, for those of us who don't want a dark, brooding spank experience.