| Is 2008 the year the telcos crack SaaS?
If the world is converging on The Big Switch to utility computing, then where are the telcos? As utility providers of the access and transmission infrastructure of the Internet, you'd think they'd be at the forefront of the SaaS revolution. But they're not. The history of software-as-a-service — especially if you go back to the era of ASPs — is littered with the costly carcasses of failed initiatives pursued by a losers' gallery of deep-pocketed telcos and ISPs. Yet despite these prior setbacks, they bravely keep on stepping up to the breach. Just a few of the initiatives I noted last year included Verio's November launch of a SaaS suite targetting SMBs, the introduction of a partner edition of Google Apps, and the much-trumpeted launch of BT Tradespace, an online marketplace for SMBs including a special section for SaaS applications.
January 2008 - Posts
Over the weekend, Barack Obama got two Kennedys (Kennedies?) for the price of one. First, Caroline Kennedy, daughter of JFK, penned a gushing op-ed in the New York Times endorsing the senator from Illinois. Then on Sunday, the campaign announced that Read More... .
Science Tough Roads Loom Ahead for U.S. Pharmaceutical Giants
Traditionally, one of the largest and most profitable industries in America has been pharmaceuticals. Pharmaceutical companies are interesting in that they make products that no one wants, but hundreds of thousands of people must have to survive. The pharmaceutical industry as we know it is due for some big changes. Last month, DailyTech reported that former Intel CEO Andrew S. Grove ripped the pharmaceutical industry for its underperforming research operations. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that high profile medications coming off patent between now and 2012 will result in a loss of about $67 billion USD in income for top U.S. pharmaceutical companies. That amount is about half what the pharmaceutical industry made in combined sales during 2007. Few will feel sorry for the declining sales of these pharmaceutical giants since many Americans are literally forced to decide between food and their life saving medications each month.
Will Black Voters Desert Obama?
President Obama will not be bringing troops home, but he knows that mouthing anti-war sentiments will bring in votes from Democrats tired of being dismissed by party leaders. I agree with the premise that some white voters see, in Barack, a chance to atone for past sins, perhaps an easy absolution. However, I also think that premise defeats some of the logic of the rest of the piece. To state the obvious, I am not black, and I can never know what it's like to be black in America. All I can do is try. I believe that, all other things being equal, there's nothing wrong with tilting your vote toward someone with whom you share a unique bond, whether it's women for Hillary, blacks for Obama, or slackers with Fred Thompson. I would very much like to see a black president. However, if you advance the premise that the only way for a black man to gain the presidency is to keep his "blackness" below the radar, how do you then criticize the candidate for doing so? It is a bit of a "Catch 22", but which is better: electing a black president and hoping he's responsive to you when he gets into power, or continuing the status quo? Kimberley tries to defeat the "wait 'til he gets there" argument by invoking Clarence Thomas.
|
