Netflix and the Complex Operation

Netflix may appear to have a very simple business model, but making it work actually involves a very complex operation:

 

The Topless Meeting

Has your company tried a "topless" meeting yet - no laptops, iPhones, BlackBerries or other interest diverters? Think about it...

StockTwits.com

Just started using StockTwits.com. More on the service from Tech Ticker: http://bit.ly/2SvhPV.

IPO Market Comeback?

IPO market to make a comeback of sorts with post-bubble tech companies going public? http://bit.ly/2kxWfB

Entrepreneurs Find Opportunity in New Orleans

Great little WSJ story on entrepreneurs doing start-ups in New Orleans, four years removed from Katrina: http://bit.ly/12mGbb.

Goldman May Face More PR Challenges

Goldman Sachs "Trading Huddles" likely much ado about nothing, but GS may still face PR problems at bonus time: http://bit.ly/2qwedn.

Founders at Work

Just started reading "Founders at Work" on the Kindle. Delivered in less than a minute from Amazon: http://bit.ly/39Qbig.

DVD-By-Mail Strong as Long as the Postal Service Stays Solvent

Aaron Kessler believes the DVD-By-Mail business may be strong for years. Guess that assumes the USPS remains in place: http://bit.ly/4fTRfh.

Kelly Slater Riding an Ironing Board

Someone once said I could rip on an ironing board - a compliment. Here's Kelly Slater basically RIDING an ironing board: http://bit.ly/pPSoh.

Yanks vs. Sox, and Why It's Always Important

Why is there so much interest in this weekend's Yankees/Red Sox series? Fox Sports counts the (many) reasons: http://bit.ly/iJ8C3.

Dina Kaplan on Traditional vs. New Media

blip.tv founder Dina Kaplan talks about content creators and their expectations of traditional vs. new media: http://bit.ly/zywHq.

Boom to Bust, Las Vegas Looks Toward a Comeback

Laughing out loud (yes, LOL) while reading the first paragraph of this extensive article on Vegas in Time: http://bit.ly/Bj1b1.

On Social Media, Newspapers and PR

PR experts who spend time downplaying the value of social media should spend at least as much time thinking about declining newspaper readership and the aging demographics of those who read papers.

Underpenetrated Smartphone Market Lifts All Boats?

RBC analyst - Apple, RIM, Palm all set to grow their smartphone biz as an "underpenetrated" market lifts all boats: http://bit.ly/3szCb.

Win a Trip to Hawaii This Fall

With several corporate partners, I just helped launch a big giveaway of 25 free trips for two to Hawaii: http://bit.ly/jbfHr.

"...capturing lightning in a bottle."

A new short film focuses on the making of the next Pearl Jam album, Backspacer. Turn your speakers up!

Pearl Jam - Backspacer Short

"Doctor's Hours?"

I'm no expert on what primary care physicians do, but am I wrong in estimating the doctor in this story only sees patients 20 hrs a week? http://bit.ly/YaoW0

The Decline of Dubai

If you're the type that takes any type of pleasure in bubbles bursting, check out this Fast Company slideshow on Dubai: http://bit.ly/1IwL1.

CubeGuard

From the "what can they think of next" bin comes CubeGuard. Doubt this would have stopped Bill Lumbergh in Office Space: http://bit.ly/39JAzO

Employment Outlook Improving, Slowly

Slowly, things are turning around on the jobs front, as employers prepare to unfreeze salaries and begin hiring again: http://bit.ly/vk2ko.

Another Zany Zappos Story

Tour Zappos and you're exposed to its zany culture. A just-as-zany story (somewhat) related to Zappos' sale to Amazon: http://bit.ly/urvRu.

Skateboarding Legend Tony Hawk on Branding

Skateboarding legend Tony Hawk shares his three simple tips for branding success in a Business on Main webisode: http://bit.ly/9cvKv.

The Changing Landscape of Hedge Funds

Interesting Tech Ticker discussion about Atticus Capital shutting down and the changing landscape of hedge funds: http://bit.ly/yjy6e.

FriendFeed's Real Value: Its Team

Seems what Facebook was really after in acquiring FriendFeed was its all-star roster of former Google employees: http://bit.ly/16DAFp.

2010 Chevy Volt: 230 City MPG?

GM believes the EPA estimate of 230 city miles per gallon for the $40,000 2010 Chevy Volt is actually conservative: http://bit.ly/rTXVI.

Mark Cuban on Selling Content Online

Blogger Mark Cuban provides some unsolicited advice to Rupert Murdoch on selling content on the internet: http://bit.ly/J0mT0.

Timmy & Monkee: Cats at Play

Okay, so I know that most of my posts offer links to oh-so-serious business stories. Time to lighten up a bit with video of my two one year-old black cats at play:

Jack Welch Works with Domino's Execs

Former GM CEO works with Domino's execs on attracting the best, brightest franchisees and appointing a "lunch czar:" http://bit.ly/JNdz9

OpenTable and a Moderately Successful IPO

OpenTable surprised many by pulling off a moderately successful IPO this Spring. Sarah Lacy talks to CEO Jeff Jordan: http://bit.ly/ixe06.

Twitter as CRM Tool

Comcast's Eliason on using Twitter as a CRM tool; that is when Twitter isn't experiencing a denial of service attack: http://bit.ly/4Cb9ZQ.

Diller/Silverman Venture Draws Plenty of Interest

Just returned from dinner with colleagues and chatting about the Barry Diller/Ben Silverman venture, then found this: http://bit.ly/tSygF.

PR Uses of Twitter by Businesses

Crisis management, conflict resolution, employee empowerment and Twitter - from the Wall Street Journal: http://bit.ly/3lD3HF.

Read This Before Joining a Reality TV Show

Ran across an article that's basically a "must read" for anyone considering joining the cast of a reality TV show: http://bit.ly/2UzsvO.

A Discussion on the Microsoft/Yahoo Search Deal

Erick Schonfeld, Nick Wingfield and Steven Levy discuss the Microsoft/Yahoo search deal on the Charlie Rose show: http://bit.ly/uX0eR.

Wall Street Journal to take on LinkedIn?

Could the Wall Street Journal be serious about putting together a serious competitor to LinkedIn? http://bit.ly/3nJkh9

Back in Honolulu

An omelete, some fruit, a nap, some tapping on my laptop, some Kindle reading and I'm back in Honolulu. Now...time to surf.