truck driving on the internet
Friday, April 04, 2003
Thursday, April 03, 2003
Wednesday, April 02, 2003
We've been tickling Steinway's ivories and draping ourselves over their sandalwood and rosewood veneers for over 150 years. To celebrate all that fine craftsmanship, Steinway & Sons is opening up shop for a Steinway Factory Tour every Thursday in April, in order to give the public a sneak peek at producing those quality pianos. Originally located at Varick Street on the west side, Steinway long ago moved shop to Long Island City and expanded operations to create 5,000 pianos each year. But before shlepping into Queens bright and early, dial the factory up and secure a space. Steinway Factory, 1 Steinway Pl., Queens, (718) 721-2600. 9:30 a.m. Free.
Tuesday, April 01, 2003
Adam Osborne, Portable Computer Pioneer, Dead at 64
Mon Mar 24, 6:00 PM ET Add Technology - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Eric Auchard
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adam Osborne, whose successes and failures pioneering the first portable computer became one of Silicon Valley's great cautionary tales, is dead at 64 after a long illness.
Osborne, a British immigrant and long-time resident of Berkeley, California, died in his sleep in Kodiakanal, a village in southern India last Tuesday, his sister, Katya Douglas, told Reuters on Monday.
His death ended a decade-long battle with an organic brain disorder that caused him to suffer an endless series of mini-strokes.
The popularity of the 23-pound luggable computer he introduced in 1981 made his start-up, Osborne Computer Corp., the fastest-growing company up to that time, thanks in part to his willingness to cut the cost of computers nearly in half compared with rivals such as first-to-market Apple Computer.
But the rigors of "hypergrowth" -- a term coined to describe his company's rise -- ended in an even quicker plunge into bankruptcy two years later, making Osborne's legacy a textbook study of the perils of undisciplined growth.
A later generation of dot-com entrepreneurs would come to repeat his mistakes on an even more spectacular scale.
Friends and former colleagues said they remembered Osborne as a man brimming with ideas, an engineer turned early computer publisher, then pioneering computer executive, for whom concepts ruled and business was secondary.
"My appreciation of him was that he was too much of an entrepreneur and not enough of a jack-of-all-trades," recalled Lee Felsenstein, another co-founder of Osborne Computer.
"He had the perfect personality to become a dot-com billionaire," but arrived too early, said John C. Dvorak, a columnist for PC Magazine. Dvorak helped Osborne write the first Silicon Valley CEO confessional following Osborne Computer's collapse, inspiring a mini-genre since then.
NEARLY FORGOTTEN PIONEER
Born in Thailand to British expatriate parents, Osborne spent his childhood in southern India, the son of an author of comparative theology who helped popularize Eastern religion to the West.
After attending public school and university in England, he married and moved to the United States to pursue a career in chemical engineering with Shell Oil. He later became a U.S. citizen. Osborne gambled on a new career in technical writing and publishing during the formative years of the PC industry.
Seeing an opportunity to challenge Apple Computer after its initial success in 1977, Osborne turned to developing the first commercially viable portable computer. He received backing from renowned Silicon Valley venture capitalist Jack Melchor.
In 1981, the company's first year, Osborne sold $5.8 million worth of the Osborne-1 computer. By the end of 1982, he had sold $68.8 million, or as many as 10,000 units a month.
Then his classic business misstep occurred. Osborne boasted in early 1983 of an improved second generation of his product -- months before it was ready to ship. Sales of older models of his portable sewing-machine-sized computers plummeted.
The inventory build-up that resulted led Osborne Computer to collapse in September 1983.
"His enthusiasm for the next big thing meant Adam couldn't keep a secret," recalled Felsenstein, who lives in Palo Alto, California, where he continues to work as a computer hardware designer and also working on a low-cost wireless computer system for villagers in Laos.
Compaq Computer Corp., now a part of Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP - news) picked up where Osborne left off when Compaq introduced its first product -- a portable computer -- in 1983.
Undaunted by his company's failure, Osborne published a memoir of his experience in 1984 entitled "Hypergrowth." He then jumped into a new venture he called Paperback Software -- based on the idea that software could be sold like mass-market paperbacks.
That venture ran aground after Paperback was sued by rival Lotus Development Corp. in a high-profile case that alleged Paperback's spreadsheet program too closely resembled Lotus' own 1-2-3 program. Osborne and Paperback parted ways in 1990.
Osborne's health began to decline in 1992, leading him to move to India to live out the rest of his life with his sister, Katya.
He was buried on Tuesday in a local cemetery near his sister's home, in Kodiakanal, an isolated village whose closest major city is Chanai.
Osborne married and divorced twice. Survivors include his first wife, Cynthia Geddes, and their three children, Marc, Paul and Alexandra Osborne, and his second wife, Barbara Burdick.
Mon Mar 24, 6:00 PM ET Add Technology - Reuters to My Yahoo!
By Eric Auchard
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Adam Osborne, whose successes and failures pioneering the first portable computer became one of Silicon Valley's great cautionary tales, is dead at 64 after a long illness.
Osborne, a British immigrant and long-time resident of Berkeley, California, died in his sleep in Kodiakanal, a village in southern India last Tuesday, his sister, Katya Douglas, told Reuters on Monday.
His death ended a decade-long battle with an organic brain disorder that caused him to suffer an endless series of mini-strokes.
The popularity of the 23-pound luggable computer he introduced in 1981 made his start-up, Osborne Computer Corp., the fastest-growing company up to that time, thanks in part to his willingness to cut the cost of computers nearly in half compared with rivals such as first-to-market Apple Computer.
But the rigors of "hypergrowth" -- a term coined to describe his company's rise -- ended in an even quicker plunge into bankruptcy two years later, making Osborne's legacy a textbook study of the perils of undisciplined growth.
A later generation of dot-com entrepreneurs would come to repeat his mistakes on an even more spectacular scale.
Friends and former colleagues said they remembered Osborne as a man brimming with ideas, an engineer turned early computer publisher, then pioneering computer executive, for whom concepts ruled and business was secondary.
"My appreciation of him was that he was too much of an entrepreneur and not enough of a jack-of-all-trades," recalled Lee Felsenstein, another co-founder of Osborne Computer.
"He had the perfect personality to become a dot-com billionaire," but arrived too early, said John C. Dvorak, a columnist for PC Magazine. Dvorak helped Osborne write the first Silicon Valley CEO confessional following Osborne Computer's collapse, inspiring a mini-genre since then.
NEARLY FORGOTTEN PIONEER
Born in Thailand to British expatriate parents, Osborne spent his childhood in southern India, the son of an author of comparative theology who helped popularize Eastern religion to the West.
After attending public school and university in England, he married and moved to the United States to pursue a career in chemical engineering with Shell Oil. He later became a U.S. citizen. Osborne gambled on a new career in technical writing and publishing during the formative years of the PC industry.
Seeing an opportunity to challenge Apple Computer after its initial success in 1977, Osborne turned to developing the first commercially viable portable computer. He received backing from renowned Silicon Valley venture capitalist Jack Melchor.
In 1981, the company's first year, Osborne sold $5.8 million worth of the Osborne-1 computer. By the end of 1982, he had sold $68.8 million, or as many as 10,000 units a month.
Then his classic business misstep occurred. Osborne boasted in early 1983 of an improved second generation of his product -- months before it was ready to ship. Sales of older models of his portable sewing-machine-sized computers plummeted.
The inventory build-up that resulted led Osborne Computer to collapse in September 1983.
"His enthusiasm for the next big thing meant Adam couldn't keep a secret," recalled Felsenstein, who lives in Palo Alto, California, where he continues to work as a computer hardware designer and also working on a low-cost wireless computer system for villagers in Laos.
Compaq Computer Corp., now a part of Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE:HWP - news) picked up where Osborne left off when Compaq introduced its first product -- a portable computer -- in 1983.
Undaunted by his company's failure, Osborne published a memoir of his experience in 1984 entitled "Hypergrowth." He then jumped into a new venture he called Paperback Software -- based on the idea that software could be sold like mass-market paperbacks.
That venture ran aground after Paperback was sued by rival Lotus Development Corp. in a high-profile case that alleged Paperback's spreadsheet program too closely resembled Lotus' own 1-2-3 program. Osborne and Paperback parted ways in 1990.
Osborne's health began to decline in 1992, leading him to move to India to live out the rest of his life with his sister, Katya.
He was buried on Tuesday in a local cemetery near his sister's home, in Kodiakanal, an isolated village whose closest major city is Chanai.
Osborne married and divorced twice. Survivors include his first wife, Cynthia Geddes, and their three children, Marc, Paul and Alexandra Osborne, and his second wife, Barbara Burdick.
Monday, March 31, 2003
http://www.rense.com/general36/mel.htm
Michael Moore Teams With
Mel Gibson For Next Documentary
By Michael Fleming
3-28-3
NEW YORK (Variety) - Michael Moore, who didn't endear himself to the Oscar audience last Sunday, will doubtless arouse further ire with his next documentary.
The project will depict the allegedly murky relationship between President Bush's father and the family of Osama bin Laden. And it will suggest that the bin Laden family was greatly enriched by that association.
Moore is making a deal with Mel Gibson's Icon Prods. to finance "Fahrenheit 911," a documentary that will trace why the U.S. has become a target for hatred and terrorism. It will also depict alleged dealings between two generations of the Bush and bin Laden clans that led to George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden becoming mortal enemies.
While the words "fevered auction" and "documentary" should never be used in the same sentence, they fit the post-Oscar bidding battle orchestrated by the Endeavor talent agency. Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon won with a bid worth eight figures in upfront cash and potential backend profits.
The deal comes as Moore's Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine" moves toward the $40 million worldwide gross mark. The $3 million film is one of the most successful documentaries ever.
"The primary thrust of the new film is what has happened to the country since Sept. 11, and how the Bush administration used this tragic event to push its agenda," Moore said. "It certainly does deal with the Bush and bin Laden ties. It asks a number of questions that I don't have the answers to yet, but which I intend to find out."
Moore has put a year's worth of research into the film. He'll finish it in time to be submitted for Cannes, 2004, and released in time for the presidential election that fall.
The Bush-bin Laden tie, if only circumstantial, begins with a business relationship between the former president and Mohammed bin Laden, the Yemeni-born father of Osama who was a Saudi construction magnate. He died and left his future terrorist son about $300 million that has been used to finance global violence. The young bin Laden was among the freedom fighters propped up by the CIA as they battled the Soviets in Afghanistan when the elder Bush headed that agency. And bin Laden's Al Qaeda campaign began after Bush put U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. A decade later, bin Laden's Twin Tower attacks made the battle against terrorism the prime focus of George W.'s presidency.
"The senior Bush kept his ties with the bin Laden family up until two months after Sept. 11," Moore said. "The bin Ladens invested heavily in the Carlyle Group, which has its hands in a number of pies and is the 11th largest defense contractor even though it mostly buys failing defense companies and sells them for profits."
The mood in Hollywood was mixed over whether Moore would be ridden out of town after his anti-war speech. He admitted his passion was partly fueled from the research he's done on the new movie and said public and industry reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
"I'd always watched and felt a little odd seeing actors win an Oscar and go off on some tangent cause. I'd just been given a standing ovation and an Oscar for a movie that deals not only with American gun violence, but how Bush manipulates the public with fear and how we are violent to people around the world. I expressed exactly what was in the film and instead of being blacklisted, I've not only gotten a deal to fund 'Fahrenheit 911' but offers on the film after. Presales on ("Columbine's") video release ran ahead of 'Chicago' this week, and my book is returning to the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list. It's because the majority of Americans agree with me see the economy in the toilet and didn't vote for George W. People are now realizing you can question your government while still caring about the soldiers. We are all still filled with rage over Sept. 11 and have every right to seek vengeance on the bad guy. But not any old bad guy."
Moore said he was mildly surprised by the speech reaction, since it was a carbon copy of what he said at the Spirit Awards the previous day: "I didn't write an Oscar speech because I never thought we'd win. The last documentary that was a box office success and won the Oscar was 'Woodstock,"' Moore said.
Michael Moore Teams With
Mel Gibson For Next Documentary
By Michael Fleming
3-28-3
NEW YORK (Variety) - Michael Moore, who didn't endear himself to the Oscar audience last Sunday, will doubtless arouse further ire with his next documentary.
The project will depict the allegedly murky relationship between President Bush's father and the family of Osama bin Laden. And it will suggest that the bin Laden family was greatly enriched by that association.
Moore is making a deal with Mel Gibson's Icon Prods. to finance "Fahrenheit 911," a documentary that will trace why the U.S. has become a target for hatred and terrorism. It will also depict alleged dealings between two generations of the Bush and bin Laden clans that led to George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden becoming mortal enemies.
While the words "fevered auction" and "documentary" should never be used in the same sentence, they fit the post-Oscar bidding battle orchestrated by the Endeavor talent agency. Gibson and Bruce Davey's Icon won with a bid worth eight figures in upfront cash and potential backend profits.
The deal comes as Moore's Oscar-winning "Bowling for Columbine" moves toward the $40 million worldwide gross mark. The $3 million film is one of the most successful documentaries ever.
"The primary thrust of the new film is what has happened to the country since Sept. 11, and how the Bush administration used this tragic event to push its agenda," Moore said. "It certainly does deal with the Bush and bin Laden ties. It asks a number of questions that I don't have the answers to yet, but which I intend to find out."
Moore has put a year's worth of research into the film. He'll finish it in time to be submitted for Cannes, 2004, and released in time for the presidential election that fall.
The Bush-bin Laden tie, if only circumstantial, begins with a business relationship between the former president and Mohammed bin Laden, the Yemeni-born father of Osama who was a Saudi construction magnate. He died and left his future terrorist son about $300 million that has been used to finance global violence. The young bin Laden was among the freedom fighters propped up by the CIA as they battled the Soviets in Afghanistan when the elder Bush headed that agency. And bin Laden's Al Qaeda campaign began after Bush put U.S. troops in Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. A decade later, bin Laden's Twin Tower attacks made the battle against terrorism the prime focus of George W.'s presidency.
"The senior Bush kept his ties with the bin Laden family up until two months after Sept. 11," Moore said. "The bin Ladens invested heavily in the Carlyle Group, which has its hands in a number of pies and is the 11th largest defense contractor even though it mostly buys failing defense companies and sells them for profits."
The mood in Hollywood was mixed over whether Moore would be ridden out of town after his anti-war speech. He admitted his passion was partly fueled from the research he's done on the new movie and said public and industry reaction was overwhelmingly positive.
"I'd always watched and felt a little odd seeing actors win an Oscar and go off on some tangent cause. I'd just been given a standing ovation and an Oscar for a movie that deals not only with American gun violence, but how Bush manipulates the public with fear and how we are violent to people around the world. I expressed exactly what was in the film and instead of being blacklisted, I've not only gotten a deal to fund 'Fahrenheit 911' but offers on the film after. Presales on ("Columbine's") video release ran ahead of 'Chicago' this week, and my book is returning to the top spot on the New York Times bestseller list. It's because the majority of Americans agree with me see the economy in the toilet and didn't vote for George W. People are now realizing you can question your government while still caring about the soldiers. We are all still filled with rage over Sept. 11 and have every right to seek vengeance on the bad guy. But not any old bad guy."
Moore said he was mildly surprised by the speech reaction, since it was a carbon copy of what he said at the Spirit Awards the previous day: "I didn't write an Oscar speech because I never thought we'd win. The last documentary that was a box office success and won the Oscar was 'Woodstock,"' Moore said.
Cobra Command's mission-theme:
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/video/cobra02.avi
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/video/cobra03.avi
Mirrors the current war (you could see why better, if it had video too):
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/audio/cobra02.mp3 <= audio only :(
These video/audio files and more all found here:
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/community/media/
(Select "Cobra Command" from the menu, and click on "Go")
Main page, with screenshot photo gallery :)
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/pages/cobra.asp
(To see how to build a Cobra Command game, click on Tech Center)
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/video/cobra02.avi
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/video/cobra03.avi
Mirrors the current war (you could see why better, if it had video too):
http://www.bionicmonkey.com/dlp/audio/cobra02.mp3 <= audio only :(
These video/audio files and more all found here:
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/community/media/
(Select "Cobra Command" from the menu, and click on "Go")
Main page, with screenshot photo gallery :)
http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/games/pages/cobra.asp
(To see how to build a Cobra Command game, click on Tech Center)
The First Trillion-Dollar Company? [3/28/2003 11:36:42 AM ET]
The Forbes website has an interesting article that speculates on what the first trillion-dollar U.S. company could be.
While the report indicates that Citigroup passed the trillion-dollar mark last year, with $1.1 million in assets, the article concentrated on Forbes 500 companies who could eventually hit the mark in sales.
It shouldn't be a surprise that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is the top contender to break the trillion-dollar mark. The company has grown an average of 16 percent in each of the last five years, reporting 2002 sales of $244 billion. If the company maintains that growth, it will hit one trillion in sales by the year 2013.
General Electric was the only other company given a shot at hitting the elusive dollar figure. That company has grown at a rate of about eight percent a year in terms of sales over the last five years. If it continues that pace, it wouldn't be until 2029 before it had one trillion in sales.
No other Forbes 500 company, at their current pace, could surpass the trillion-dollar mark in the next 50 years.
The Forbes website has an interesting article that speculates on what the first trillion-dollar U.S. company could be.
While the report indicates that Citigroup passed the trillion-dollar mark last year, with $1.1 million in assets, the article concentrated on Forbes 500 companies who could eventually hit the mark in sales.
It shouldn't be a surprise that Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., is the top contender to break the trillion-dollar mark. The company has grown an average of 16 percent in each of the last five years, reporting 2002 sales of $244 billion. If the company maintains that growth, it will hit one trillion in sales by the year 2013.
General Electric was the only other company given a shot at hitting the elusive dollar figure. That company has grown at a rate of about eight percent a year in terms of sales over the last five years. If it continues that pace, it wouldn't be until 2029 before it had one trillion in sales.
No other Forbes 500 company, at their current pace, could surpass the trillion-dollar mark in the next 50 years.
Sunday, March 30, 2003
