Why is the Department of Justice filing charges against Apple and book publishers?
by tom acox on April 13, 2012
There have been a whole lot of articles breaking down the he said/she said controversy in the publishing world. But the two central things involved are being lost in all the banter.
- The Department of Justice has brought collusion charges against Apple and the major publishers. Essentially, accusing them of all getting together and agreeing on a (higher) price point for eBooks.
- This stems from Amazon rejecting the ‘agency model’. In short the agency model is where the publisher of the book sets the price. Amazon would like to be able to set its own price (often selling eBooks at a loss).
Point #1 is addressed by Macmillan CEO John Sargent’s letter. For Macmillan, the decision to go with the agency model was made by Sargent alone in his basement on an exercise bike at 4am. It is a little ludicrous to think that fierce publishing rivals could somehow convene a secret meeting in which they all were able to reach an amicable (and illegal) agreement to keep prices artificially high on eBooks. This is also not the image Apple has meticulously crafted.
Point #2 is interesting . Amazon is fine with the agency model in theory. They use it in their Kindle Store! When you self-publish in Amazon’s Kindle Store you set the price they charge for your book. A few years back Macmillan refused to acquiesce the right to price their own eBooks. At the same time Apple was ramping up operations on its iBook store. This obviously upset Amazon, the world’s largest book-seller. Amazon wants to be able to set the price on the stuff it sells on its site. Their site, their price. Makes sense, right?
Here is the thing — Amazon adds no value to the content it distributes. It does not author, edit, develop, code or build any of the eBooks it is selling. It is the market leader because of 1) the discounted price it sells its books at — often at a loss 2) the convenience – easily overcome by another online retailer. Can you say iBooks or Barnes and Noble (despite their recent short-term loss in value)?
So, Amazon wants the government to come in and tell private companies that they must play ball with Amazon or else?
“The irony of this bites hard: our government may be on the verge of killing real competition in order to save the appearance of competition. This would be tragic for all of us who value books and the culture they support”.
And really, cheaper eBooks are great…but is anyone being forced into poverty because of this? Can’t the DoJ’s time be better spent?
Tax Day Humor
by tom acox on April 7, 2012
Gather your reciepts. Get your finances in order. And if your dad is not your accountant (thanks, Dad) then get ready to fire up Turbo Tax or head to your local CPA (skip H&R Block!!)
Dear accountants,
Sorry.
Love,
Everyone.
————
Note the Time Swipe.
————
Good News: you made it into the alumni magazine.
Bad News: everyone knows what a cheap ass you are.
————
Dear Dad,
What is your favorite part of doing my taxes?
Thomas
-
getting you money!
Dad
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That’s my favorite part, too. It is a shame the time for positive externality of my job of you not having to pay for my economics textbooks is chronologically incongruous.
Thomas
-
Yes, that is a shame.
Dad
————
————
HT: Lou
Send/comment on your funny tax day humor (thomas.acox@gmail.com)!
Why stop at Facebook background checks?
by tom acox on March 21, 2012
When you interview for a job they often check your criminal record and credit history and now via DigitalTrends
the Associated Press reported that when a New York City man interviewed for a job, the employer asked him to disclose his Facebook username and password. She was attempting to search for his profile on the popular social network when she came across his private page. When she asked for the man to supply his account information, he decided to withdraw his application and cited that he would not be comfortable working for a company that wanted that much private information.
So, why stop there? Facebook is just a static site – pictures and status updates. How many of us have ‘friends’ who use the site to ‘posture’ – inventing some sort of fake reality they want everyone to envy? If companies really want to get to the brass tax, they shouldn’t just be requested credit history. Forget the ‘reality’ they cultivated have on Facebook. Companies need to grow a pair and ask for some credit card statements! A month of debit card history! See what people are really spending their money on and what they are doing with their time.
If you’re asked to relinquish your Facebook log-in information (which is often tied to subscription/paid services that involve credit cards) then why not just ask for those, too? Totally legitimate, right?
Did sunny weather lead to the Tea Party?
by tom acox on March 20, 2012
At Bloomberg Justin Wolfers and Betsey Stevenson discuss the role nice weather in 2009 played in launching the Tea Party. In short a string of sunny days coincided with a bunch of the early Tea Party rallies–specifically, the tax day rally on April 15th, 2009. This helped turnout and media coverage garnered by the crowds.
Prior to this winter I had been saying most of the country should relax regarding disruptions caused by the Occupy Wall Street protests. After all, last year’s epically miserable winter would naturally disperses the crowds. And of course we have one of the mildest winters on record–hippie liberals benefiting from climate change!!–and the OWS crowd quite ably survives. Whoopsadaisy.
I can only conclude Justin had been following and inspired by my weather related-OWS Facebook rants over the winter, culled together actual data, and posted this Tweet with a link that I had shared on Facebook yesterday of a Slate slide show where one must guess whether the the person in question is a member of Occupy Wall Street or The Tea Party.
To summarize, I will continue making intuitive but data-less claims on Facebook with the belief that talented and important people are reading and will do the heavy lifting. It’s fun to live in a fantasy world where you are the center of said world.
What is a hamburger worth?
by tom acox on January 31, 2012
Rev at BurgerConquest and Bundle examine price/value of burgers around the country (currently, this is my current favorite graph).
Both In-N-Out and Minetta Tavern have huge followings: Celebrities Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Paris Hilton have all been spotted at In-N-Out, while Minetta Tavern’s Black Label Burger has been described as “without question a riveting experience” by former New York Times food critic Frank Bruni. So, is it worth paying $26 for a burger when you can get equal enjoyment from one that costs $3.75?
To figure this out, we examined 30 of the most celebrated burger joints in America according to Epicurious, GQ, Food & Wine, and Rev Ciancio from the well-regarded burger blog Burger Conquest, who we called up to chat about hamburgers.
Click here to see the chart in high resolution, and see the list of top 30 burger joints here.
The burger joints on and to the right of the red line are considered absolutely worth it because of their very high rating. We’ve sectioned off the burger joints that are worth it by price point, so you’ll know where to go if you’re looking for a good, inexpensive burger under $10, a moderately priced burger between $10 and $15, and an expensive burger over $15. Both Minetta Tavern and In-N-Out make the cut, while the popular New York burger chain Shake Shack gets left behind due to its lower number of repeat customers (its popularity makes it a popular destination for tourists who eat once and don’t come back). But remember, a score of 50 to 80 is also considered relatively good, so although they’re not considered a “must visit” they’re still worth some consideration.
Smoke Signals
by tom acox on December 13, 2011
I feel like this bodega is sending mixed signals…
HT: Josh R
Why people don’t like Occupy Wall Street
by tom acox on December 12, 2011
I am generally sympathetic in that I think the system is broke and at least these people are engaging in an attempt to have a conversation about it. But, this drives me crazy. This is like a citizen’s arrest meets reverse eminent domain.
Dear New York MoveOn member,
Occupy Wall Street, having been violently evicted from Zuccotti Park, is desperately searching for a new home in Lower Manhattan. Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church has a vacant lot just a mile away that could be an ideal location.
As a group of Occupiers put it in an open letter, “We have asked the Church time and time again to grant us political sanctuary on their unused lands. It is time for Trinity to decide whether it is a Church or a real estate company.”
The group began a hunger strike at the site over the weekend, and Trinity responded by calling the New York Police Department and having the protesters arrested.
That’s why I created a petition to the Rev. Dr. James H. Cooper, Rector of the Trinity Wall Street Episcopal Church, on SignOn.org, which says:
With Occupy Wall Street facing a crackdown from the Bloomberg administration, the faith community needs to continue standing with the 99%. Trinity Church, don’t let the NYPD arrest any more people on your property—offer sanctuary to Occupy Wall Street!
Will you sign the petition? Click here to add your name, and then pass it along to your friends:
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=
268566&id=33637-10383768-WM% 3DHOFx&t=2 Thanks!
–Nick Sementelli, Faithful America
Markets in Holiday Girlfriends
by tom acox on November 30, 2011
Be my girlfriend for the holidays. And only for the holidays.
How it works:
You reply with a picture and a brief bio (250 words max. To give you an idea, this posting is 499). If it seems like a good fit we’ll set up a casual mini-date (coffee, beer, or whatever). If that’s a success and we’re both feeling it, we’ll date until 11:59PM, January 2nd, 2012. After that we can still be friends (unless we hate each other, then we can downshift to the occasional drunken booty call).The benefits:
• You have someone to keep you company on these witch-tit-cold San Francisco nights. Did I mention I’m an excellent cuddler? (I have references.)
• I like to cook. Especially for others. Nothing too fancy, but always tasty and satisfying. As long as you’re an omnivore, you win.
• Having done it professionally for some years to pay for school, I know my way around a bar. Same goes for wine cellars and beer coolers. Homemade winter warmers? Done.
• Hate holiday music? Me too. Seeing as every other establishment or event you step into will be playing it, I’ll spare you the excess.
• Love taking photos? Sweet. Let’s wear gaudy holiday attire and make ridiculous Xmas postcards to send your friends and family. Just for the lulz.
• Worried about finding someone to kiss on New Year’s Eve who doesn’t look (or sound) like Sloth’s cousin? Boom! Got you covered.
HT: Amelia
Addendum: Apparently, Amelia is also on the market for a holiday boyfriend.
Yao Ming Likes Cabernet
by tom acox on November 28, 2011
Mr. Yao’s appreciation for wine grew in parallel with its acceptance in his home country—wine consumption in China doubled from 2005 to 2009. But wine imported into China came predominantly from France, and he spotted a market opportunity for Californian wines.
Sidenote: I didn’t realize Yao was only 31 and retired already.
Yao Ming Courts China’s Wine Boom
