It's not the seeds that matter, it's the flowers.

This article is in response to another article: Don't Post The Same Content On All Your Social Profiles.

It does not matter whether or not you post the 'same content' on multiple social networks.  There are many other examples of where the 'same content' is posted: direct mail, your answering machine, your website, the Associated Press, syndication, just to name a few.

What matters is that you converse with others (friends, family, followers, prospective clients, fans, whomever) wherever they choose to be.  I have many conversations.  I often forget whether I had a 'conversation' with someone in person, via email, via text message, or on social networks.  In all likelihood, it was some combination of the above.  It doesn't matter where or how the conversation occurs.  What matters is that the conversation occurs.

If the Associated Press thought that its stories would never get picked up, then it would stop writing them.  But AP wire stories often blossom and grow into other conversations.  Imagine if, based on advice from so-called social networking experts, the AP had to rewrite its headlines for each of it's target networks!

Some social networks make having conversations extremely difficult.  LinkedIn, for example, limits comments to 144 characters, so I hardly ever converse there.  But LinkedIn is important for other reasons.  Twitter.com is terrible for following conversations, but that's why the TweetDeck application was created.  When I blog, I get more comments on blog posts on Facebook than I do on my blog itself.  And lately my techie friends, many of whom are absent from other social networks, have been appearing on Google+, which is nice.

For the record, I moderate all comments on my blog (and other social networks) and delete all of those that add zero value to the conversation.  It's not hard to add value.  But just saying 'yah' or 'me too' isn't enough.  You actually have to do the hard work of thinking.

Yes, Virginia, social networking involves hard work.  So while I use services such as Ping.fm and Seesmic to coordinate my seed-planting across multiple social networks, I follow up personally.

When I was looking for office space, I got some good advice: go where the clients are.  My clients are on various social networks.  As such, I do not discriminate against social networks.  I'm even on Pinterest!  Plant the seeds of conversation on many social networks.  Then have the conversations wherever they take root.  Some seeds may rot, others may blossom.

But don't try to guess where conversations want to happen.  Unless you want to reap nothing.  Like information, conversations want to be free.  Free to happen anywhere.

And beware of self-appointed social networking experts peddling their wares.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

1. Drawing That Explains Why Google+ Doesn't Suck (8/31/2011)
   Any why Facebook is panicking.
2. Top 10 Questions To Ask Before Your Company Spends Money On Social Media (9/12/2010)
   Social networking is not magic.
3. Google Legal Summit NYC 2010 (4/28/2010)
   Innovation And Disruption As A Google Core Value.
4. Drawing That Explains Google Buzz Privacy Problems (2/14/2010)
   Think visually before launching technology products.
5. Drawing That Explains Contact Syncing (2/4/2010)
   Email is social networking glue.
6. RT @ErikJHeels How To Write Web Headlines That Work In #Twitter http://goo.gl/8MKDa (4/28/2009)
   All web pages are shareable items.  All titles are Twitter tweets.  Get used to it.
7. How To Be A Millionaire On #Twitter (2/25/2009)
   In two easy steps!
8. Three Free #Startup Ideas For The Taking http://goo.gl/DHiEB (2/13/2009)
   Ideas are cool, but execution is key.
9. How To Twittersquat The Top 100 Brands (1/8/2009)
   A call for the creation of the Uniform Username Dispute Resolution Policy.
10. Rolling Stone Announces More Five-Star Rated Albums And All I Got Was This Lousy Feed (11/25/2008)
    Want to know why the music business is broken?  Look at how Rolling Stone Magazine mismanages its most prized asset: five-star reviews.
11. Drawing That Explains Social Networking (11/3/2008)
    How to visualize social networking.
12. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: USAF (10/26/2007)
    Reese AFB, Lubbock, Texas.  Hanscom AFB, Bedford, Massachusetts.
13. FreakonomicsSucks.com (8/9/2007)
    In which Erik Heels demonstrates that domain names – not diamonds – are forever.
14. Funniest Movies Of The 2000s (7/29/2007)
    Funny movie clips from the 2000s.
15. Funniest Movies Of The 1990s (7/29/2007)
    Funny movie clips from the 1990s.
16. Funniest Movies Of The 1980s (7/29/2007)
    Funny movie clips from the 1980s.
17. Funniest Movies Of The 1970s (07/29/2007)
    Funny movie clips from the 1970s.
18. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: Cayman (12/26/2006)
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19. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: BBN (12/22/2006)
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20. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: Rautaruukki (12/19/2006)
    Rautaruukki OY, Raahe, Finland.
21. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: MIT (12/16/2006)
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology class of 1988.
22. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: CEHS (12/15/2006)
    Cape Elizabeth High School class of 1984.
23. LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: Verio (12/13/2006)
    Verio coworkers.
24. Business Is A Conversation (Or Clueful Lawyers) (10/1/2000)
    The business of law is a conversation.  Are you conversing?

9/11 Wars + Tax Cuts + Bailouts = Recession.

This article analyzes, chronologically, how the US got itself – and the world – into the current recession.  I wrote this post primarily for me, because I don't want to forget how we got into this mess.  But if others like it, that's gravy.

For the record, I have never belonged to any political party.  As it says under "political views" on my Facebook profile, "I vote for the smartest candidate.  It doesn't always work out."

1946-2001: Back Story

1. Book Review: Economics In One Lesson, by Henry Hazlitt (1946, Yes, 1946)
   The current recession began in 1946 when zero politicians bought this book.  You don't need to study economics in school.  You need to read this book.  Hazlitt explains, in simple terms, how classic economic mistakes are made by pursuing short-term policies that benefit only a select few at the expense of a long-term policies that could benefit many.
2. Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over' (2001-01-17)
   Under President Bill Clinton, the US enjoyed peace and prosperity.  With this story, [satirical publication] The Onion joked about what would happen after George W. Bush was inaugurated.  Now who's laughing?

2001-2008: The Big Four Expenses

President George W. Bush started two wars and created two windfalls (Bush tax cuts for the rich and TARP bailouts for Wall Street banks).  These are the Big Four expenses that started the current economic downturn.

1. Afghanistan War (2001-10-07)
2. Iraq War (2003-03-20)
3. Bush Tax Cuts (2003-05-23)
4. TARP Bailouts (2008-10-03)

2008-2010: Recession (Part 1)

President Barack Obama promised to end the two wars and the two windfalls (Bush tax cuts and TARP bailouts).  To date, he has done none of this.  In late 2010, Obama extended the Bush-era tax cuts.  So they are Obama's tax cuts now.

1. The Sub-Prime Primer (2008-05-07)
   The housing market started to collapse in 2008.  This presentation explains how and why the housing market failed.
2. The Crash Course: The Unsustainable Future Of Our Economy, Energy, And Environment (2008-10)
   First a video series, then a book, Crash Course will teach you why we're all screwed – unless we change now.  If you dare watch/read it.  For example, you'll learn why ordinary Americans are forced to invest their retirement savings in risky stocks just to keep up with inflation.
3. Chart: Debt With And Without Bush Tax Cuts (2008-12-02)
   Nearly four years ago, The New York Times warned about the impact of the Bush tax cuts.
   
4. Infographic of the Day: Our Lost Decade (2010-01-06)
   Zero percent job growth over the last decade.
5. Infographic of the Day: Just How Big Is the Deficit? (2010-02-03)
   Worst deficit since World War II (WWII, WW2).
6. Chart: VC-Backed IPOs and M&A Deals 1992-2009 (2010-05-31)
7. Infographic of the Day: The Entire History of the American Presidency (2010-06-10)
   This great poster gives context to politics and the economy from 1776 to 2010.
8. The Student Loan Scheme (2010-09-16)
   Amendments to the Bankruptcy Code in 2005 prevent student loan debt from being discharged in bankruptcy.
9. Comic: Puzzled by the Downturn (2010-11-05)
10. Chart: Economic DownTurn, Financial Rescues, And Legacy of Bush Policies Drive Record Deficits (2010-12-03)
    
11. Obama extends Bush-era tax cuts (2010-12-17)

2011-Present: Recession (Part 2)

Some economists have declared that the late 2000s recession is over.  But with US unemployment at 9%, it's safe to say that the 2008-present recession is alive and well.

1. Average Sole Proprietor's Net Income 1980-2007 (2011-01-10)
2. Scary Unemployment Chart (2011-02-07)
   
3. Rising Inequality Since 1970s: A Sharp Break From Shared Prosperity Of Earlier Era (2011-04-08)
4. Chart: Startups As A Percentage Of All Businesses 1977-2009 (2011-06-06)
5. US Budget: 20% Defense, 20% Social Security, 15% Medicare (Elderly), 8% Medicaid (Poor), 37% Other *http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Us_budget (2011-06-10)
6. Too Big to Fail: Inside America's Economic Downfall [Infographic] (2011-06-30)
7. The Truth About Who's Responsible For The Explosion In Government Spending (2011-07-11)
8. The Truth About Who's Responsible For Our Massive Budget Deficit (2011-07-11)
9. USA Inc. – Where We Are, How We Got Here, What May Be Next (2011-07-20)
   USA Inc. is a nonpartisan group that looks at the US federal government as if it were a business.
   
10. Chart: Policy Changes Under Two Presidents (2011-07-26)
    
11. Chart: Where Does U.S. National Debt Come From? [Infographic] (2011-07-27)
    
12. The Original 'Scariest Jobs Chart Ever' Is Still Plenty Scary (2011-08-05)
13. A timeline of events (2011-08-06)
14. US Debt Crisis Explained (2011-08-10)
    
15. The Onion predicts the future (2011-08-11)
    Bush: 'Our Long National Nightmare Of Peace And Prosperity Is Finally Over'
16. Remove Eight Zeros (2011-08-14)
    The best way for most Americans to understand the big numbers in the US budget is to remove eight zeros and pretend its a family budget.
17. The Limping Middle Class (2011-09-04)
The Great Prosperity 1947-1979 vs. The Great Regression 1980-2011 (2011-09-04)
18. WARREN BUFFETT CALLS BS ON TAX BS: Taxing Billionaires More Won't Hurt The Economy (2011-09-10)
    Buffet talks a good talk, but he rarely acts on his political ideas.
19. 9/11 anniversary: National Memorial in New York opens (2011-09-12)
20. The Middle Class Is Dead (2011-09-12)
21. US poverty rate hits record high (2011-09-14)
22. The lost decade for the middle class (2011-09-16)

2011-Present: #Occupy

The #Occupy Movement: The Frogs Figured Out That The Water Was Boiling. To late?  Or just in time.  (That first sentence is in init caps because it was going to be the title of this post.) I recall what one Occupy Boston protester said about why he was protesting: "The Bush Administration may have caused the recession, but the Obama Administration didn't do what it said it was going to do to end the recession (namely ending the wars, the Bush tax cuts, and the bailouts), and so we the Occupiers feel disenfranchised, with nowhere to turn but the streets."  Then, rather than arresting the politicians and bankers that caused the economic mess, the police started arresting the 99%!  Crazy.  Perhaps 10 years after 9/11, the terrorists have won.

1. Occupy Wall Street (OWS) Starts (2011-09-17)
2. 14 Reasons People Are Occupying Wall Street (2011-09-28)
3. 11 Ways America is Keeping Poor People Poor (2011-09-30)
4. One Third Of Veterans Don't Back Wars (2011-10-06)
5. Watch Protesters Take Wall Street as Fancy Bankers Look On [Video] (2011-10-06)
6. Finally, A Clear Explanation Of What The Wall Street Protesters Are So Angry About (2011-10-09)
7. Here's The Chart That Will Get Obama Fired (2011-10-09)
8. 72 Cities That Have Joined The Occupied Movement (2011-10-09)
9. Chart: Growth Of Family Income 1947-2007: We Grew Apart (2011-10-11)
   
10. What Would George Carlin Say About #OccupyWallStreet? (2011-10-12)
    NSFW but worth the read.
11. Here's What The 99% Are Angry About (2011-10-13)
12. The Protesters Are Getting Their Act Together! (2011-10-13)
13. Violence Erupts in Rome as Occupy Wall Street Goes Global (2011-10-15)
14. Four Charts That Explain What The Protesters Are Angry About (2011-10-15)
15. Amazing Charts Show How 90% Of The Country Has Gotten Shafted Over The Past 30 Years (2011-10-15)
16. NYPD Arrests Citibank Customer For Taking Money Out Of Own Account (2011-10-15)
    
17. Chart: US Debt Accumulation by President (2011-10-16)
    
18. Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance (2011-10-17)
    This is a great read.  Example:
    

    "11. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending."

19. U.S. Marine Demolishes NYPD, Defends #OccupyWallStreet (2011-10-17)
    
20. The Greatest #OccupyWallStreet Sign Ever (2011-10-17)
21. Occupy George, Occupy Wall Street Infographics Printed On Dollar Bills (2011-10-18)
22. 15 Great #OccupyWallStreet Political Cartoons (2011-10-18)
23. Libya's interim leader confirms Gadhafi killed (2011-10-20)
24. Chart: How Many Millionaires In Congress? (2011-10-20)
    
25. Chart: Self-Employment Income 2006-2011 (2011-10-24)
26. Top Earners Doubled Share of Nation's Income, CBO Says (2011-10-26)
27. Why Obama should call for a breakup of big banks (2011-10-26)
28. Before & After: Occupy Oakland (2011-10-26)
29. Jon Stewart: 'What the F*ck Happened in Oakland?' [Video] (2011-10-27)
30. Why the current revenue model of higher education is in trouble (2011-10-27)
31. If US Land Were Divided Like US Wealth (2011-10-28)
32. The Washington Post: What caused the financial crisis? The Big Lie goes viral (2011-10-31)
33. Congress' Net Worth Up 25% Since 2008 [The Rich] (2011-11-01)
34. College has been oversold (2011-11-02)
35. Super committee: Let Bush tax cuts expire and your work will be done (2011-11-02)
36. Why College? A Comic Strip People Should See In High School (2011-11-04)
37. Chart: Italy GDP Growth (2011-11-08)
38. Why American Roads Are So Bad (2011-11-08)
39. NEW POLL: Americans Want Everything [Video] (2011-11-08)
40. US poverty: Blame the government (2011-11-09)
41. Please Help Us Figure Out How To Solve The Inequality Problem (2011-11-13)
42. Police Destroy 5,000 Books In Their Eviction Of #OccupyWallStreet (2011-11-15)
43. How the rich stay rich (2011-11-15)
44. Occupiers occupied: The hijacking of the First Amendment (2011-11-16)
45. OUTRAGE OF THE MONTH: Insider Trading In Congress (2011-11-16)
46. Chart: The Popularity Of Congress Compared With Other Unpopular Things (2011-11-17)
    
47. Senator Bernie Sanders (Independent, Vermont), Senate Budget Committee (2011-11-18)
    
48. Lobbyists and Politicians Beware: First Street Reveals Your Hidden Connections (2011-11-18)
49. The real problem with Occupy Wall Street? This Google search: http://t.co/LMJRKSYs (2011-11-19)
50. Venn Diagram: Federal Government vs. Goldman Sachs (2011-11-20)
    
51. Egyptian State TV Uses The Police Response To #Occupy To Justify Their Own Brutality (2011-11-21)
52. CNN's David Gergen: Have they gone nuts in Washington? (2011-11-21)
53. Five reasons why the congressional supercommittee failed (2011-11-21)
54. Occupy Wall Street Moves Into New Phase With Student Debt Refusal Campaign (2011-11-21)

Summary

There are many problems with the world, its economy, and its denizens.

People have a short attention span.  Most have forgotten the Big Four and what preceded it (9/11).

People make decisions based on emotion, not on logic.

People don't understand large numbers like billions and trillions (hint: try removing eight zeros).

People take facts out of context.

News is entertainment.

Politicians know people.

So what happens?  Politicians prey on emotions to get people to vote in certain ways.

It's takes money to make money.

Power corrupts.

Lobbyists lobby, laws change.

Follow the money.

The rich get richer, the poor get poorer.

And instead of a government of the people, by the people, for the people, we have a government of the rich, by the rich, for the rich.

It is sad, but it is true.  Copyright law was long ago hijacked by Hollywood.  In 2011, patent law was hijacked by big business.

50% of those in Congress are millionaires.  Whose interests do you think they have in mind?

I don't know who the next US president will be.  But the formula for breaking the economy is well known:

9/11 Wars + Tax Cuts + Bailouts = Recession

Here's how to fix the economy:

End The 9/11 Wars + End The Bush Tax Cuts + End The Bailouts = End The Recession

There has been a failure of leadership in Washington, DC.  There been a failure of followership.  And there has been a failure of get-out-of-the-way-ship.  The 112th Congress will go down in history as one of the most political, least effective, and most corrupt ever.  Unless things change soon, this independent voter may end up casting protest votes in all contests for himself.  Again.

I'm pretty good at spotting trends.  Do you see the trend here?  The natives are getting restless.  The US government must reform now.

Said the king to his protesting subjects, "You have to do what I say or I can't be king anymore!"

Exactly.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

A newsletter by Clock Tower Law Group founder Erik J. Heels about trends in technology, intellectual property (IP) law (patent law, trademark law), baseball, and rock 'n' roll.

Greetings,

I, Erik Heels, a lawyer, do hereby swear and affirm that this is my LawLawLaw newsletter: read/subscribe at http://www.LawLawLaw.com.

LawLawLaw is about technology, law (mostly patents and trademarks), baseball (mostly Red Sox), and music (mostly rock).  Besides being an attorney, I'm good at spotting trends, connecting people on social networks, fixing things, solving Rubik's cube, and a handful of other things.

I try to keep LawLawLaw short (fail), relevant (win), and timely (draw).  Did you know that messages must be heard seven times before being acted on?  So please forward this to your friends.  Please please please please please please.  There.  My work here is done.  Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks!

Do not expose to direct sunlight.

Regards,
Erik
–
Clock Tower Law Group [Patent Law | Trademark Law]
2 Clock Tower Place, Suite 255, Maynard, MA 01754
phone: 978-823-0008 | fax: 978-246-0256
http://www.ClockTowerLaw.com
      


"The person who says 'it cannot be done' should not interrupt the person doing it." – Chinese Proverb

—snip—

LawLawLaw

Technology, Law, Baseball, Rock 'n' Roll

Client Stuff

Clock Tower Law Group has some wicked cool clients.  Here's what some of them are up to.  I mean, here's up to what some of them are.

1. The Founding of PatientsLikeMe (2011-07-21)
2. Is Encryption The Solution To Cloud Computing Security And Privacy? (2011-08-04)
3. Monetate Raises $15 Million For Realtime Testing And Targeting Platform (2011-08-04)
4. BuyWithMe Acquires Scoop St., Its Fifth Daily Deals Acquisition This Year (2011-08-16)
5. CloudSwitch to be Acquired by Verizon to Simplify Secure Cloud Services (2011-08-25)

Tech Stuff

We are now 16 years into the Internet age.  Newsweek magazine (remember magazines?) declared 1995 to be the year of the Internet.  But we're still working out the bugs.

Print publications are going away, websites are rushing to be mobile-friendly, music (and everything else) is moving to the cloud.

I wrote about the passing of Steve Jobs separately.  I purchased my first iPad the day after he died.  Note that Dilbert now refers to desktop PCs as "grandpa boxes."

1. Dilbert: Desktop Computers Are Grandpa Boxes (2011-08-03)

   

2. Drawing That Explains Why Google+ Doesn't Suck (2011-08-31)
   Any why Facebook is panicking.
3. As Yahoo Continues to Struggle, CEO Carol Bartz Is Fired (2011-09-07)
4. Advice For Startups From A Giant Robot Dinosaur: BE ON FIRE (2011-10-25)
5. Jess vs. The World: Startup Ipsum (2011-11-01)
   Need filler text for your startup?  Here you go.
6. In the Wake of Estonian FBI Bust, Have You Checked Your DNS Settings? (2011-11-10)

Law Stuff

Even though Internet technology continues to progress, laws continue to struggle to keep up.  Rather than adapting, the entertainment industry, in particular, keeps trying to pass bad laws to hold on to broken business models from another era.  I think it will take a full generation (30 years, i.e. until 2025) until the old guard lets go of its old ways and starts treating the Internet like a feature instead of a bug.

The patent backlog remains bad but has been getting slightly better lately.  See the USPTO patent dashboard (below) for the latest patent and trademark stats.

1. Patent First Office Action Backlog Dips Below 700,000 (2011-07-12)
2. USPTO patent dashboard (2011-07-12)
3. A Harvard Law School Professor Publishes A Study Of UDRP Decisions Involving "Fair Use" & Finds Cases Turn On Nationality (2011-07-20)
4. Jazon Kottke: Our Broken Patent System (2011-08-04)
5. Erik J. Heels's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week (2011-08-20)
6. Patent Litigation Is For Optimists (2011-09-03)

   

7. Post-Bilski Cases Fail To Clearly Define 'Abstract' Idea (2011-09-20)
8. Video On How PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet (2011-10-26)
   

   PROTECT IP Act Breaks The Internet from Fight for the Future on Vimeo.

9. How To Start A Boston Patent Law Practice (2011-11-08)
   Advice for new Boston patent lawyers.
10. VP Joe Biden Explains Why SOPA & PROTECT IP Are Anti-American & A Bad Idea (2011-11-15)
    
11. The Customer Is Frequently Wrong (2011-11-15)
    Especially when it comes to patents and trademarks.
12. EU Parliament Warns The US To Stop Censoring The Internet (2011-11-17)

Baseball Stuff

So – I'm going to pretend that September 2011 never happened.  The good news is that pitchers and catchers report in about three months!

1. Papi, Adrian, Ellsbury, Beckett named All-Stars (2011-07-04)
2. Tim Wakefield Wins His 200th Career Game (2011-09-13)
3. The Legend of Lavarnway (2011-09-28)
4. Dear 2011 #RedSox: Thanks for a great season. In 2004, zero starts missed due to injury. This year, not so much. Win or lose, we love ya! (2011-09-29)
5. How the Wild Card Redeemed Baseball (2011-09-29)
6. Thanks For Everything, Tito. Godspeed. (2011-09-30)
7. Ellsbury earns AL Comeback Player honors (2011-10-13)
8. Red Sox choose Cherington as GM (2011-10-13)
9. Done Deal: Theo Heading to Chicago on 'Massive' Five-Year Deal (2011-10-13)
10. Nothing But Class From Theo (2011-10-23)
11. Theo backed up his first words (2011-10-24)
12. 3 Dodgers, 3 Red Sox earn Gold Glove honors (2011-11-02)
13. Ortiz, Ellsbury, Gonzalez make Red Sox only MLB Team with Three Silver Sluggers (2011-11-03)
14. Orioles hire Dan Duquette as VP of baseball operations (2011-11-07)
15. Papelbon agrees to four-year deal with Phillies (2011-11-11)
16. Godspeed, Dances With Bud Light Box (2011-11-11)
17. Saying Goodbye to the Red Sox '04 and '07 World Series Teams (2011-11-15)

Music Stuff

In a span of three days, iTunes Match (iTunes in the cloud) and Google Music (music in the Google) launched.  Let the race to the cloud begin!

1. Amy Winehouse Found Dead (2011-07-23)
2. Infographic: The Death Of The Music Industry (2009-08-03)
   It's been like watching a predictable, avoidable, slow-motion train wreck.
3. Rolling Stone's Readers List The 10 Worst Songs Of The 1990s (2011-09-02)
4. Federal Judge Finds Cloud Music Lockers Do Not Violate Copyrights (2011-09-10)
5. Chilean Singer Sounds Just Like Eddie Veder (2011-09-23)
   
6. How Not To Make Music Social: The Way Spotify And Facebook Did It (2011-09-26)
7. Listen To 10 Seconds Of Every Hit Song Of The '70s (2011-11-10)
   This is pure awesome!
8. Apple Finally Launches iTunes Match, Servers Overwhelmed by Demand (2011-11-14)
9. How iTunes Match Works and Whether You Should Subscribe (2011-11-14)
10. No More Beta: Google Music Goes Live (2011-11-17)

Random Stuff

Than goodness for humor.  It's good to have happy diversions in times like these.  Enjoy!

1. Cancer Causes Cell Phones (2011-07-15)
   From the cause-and-effect department.
2. Government website hacked! (2011-08-01)
   From the hear-what-you-want department.
3. Drama (2011-08-02)
   From the deniers-gonna-deny department.
   
4. The Best Plan In The World (2011-08-16)
   From the like-it-or-leave-it department.
   
5. Angry Rich Startup Guy (2011-10-11)
   
6. If You're Happy And You Know It (2011-11-09)
7. The Beavis And Butt-Head Soundboard (2011-11-12)
8. The Best Of Turtlecalls (2011-11-14)
   For $2, Brian Spaeth will call a victim of your choosing and pretend to be a turtle.
9. Multiple flights (2011-11-15)
   I love architecture.  The site StairPorn.org is one of my guilty pleasures.
10. Marching Goose Band (2011-11-16)
    

The LawLawLaw newsletter, available at http://www.LawLawLaw.com, is a publication of Clock Tower Law Group.  The opinions in LawLawLaw do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Clock Tower Law Group, its employees, or the author.  Feel free to forward this to anyone who might enjoy it.  Send content/subscription questions to info@clocktowerlaw.com.  Thanks!

Especially when it comes to patents and trademarks.

Philosophy #1: The Customer Is Always Right.

Philosophy #2: Treat Customers As If They Are Always Right.

Which philosophy does your business follow?

My law firm follows #2.

Wrong Customers And The 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle)

What?  You don't want all customers?

That's right, I don't.  Most smart companies do not.  You want customers that are in your target market.

Here's an example.  When I worked for Verio (1997-2001), we followed philosophy #2.  Verio (at one point the world's largest web hosting company) bought 50 small business-oriented Internet service providers (ISPs) and rolled them up into one company.  Everybody at Verio did the same thing: turned 50 of something into one of something.  Whether the something was a billing system, HR system, product offering, or sales methodology.  We Verio-ized the companies we bought then sold Verio to NTT (the AT&T of Japan) for $6 billion cash in 2000.  The NTT-Verio deal is still the biggest cash acquisition for an Internet company ever.

I helped turn 50 Verio marketing and sales operations into one.  Verio's Boston office was the only one in the country offering dial-up UUCP access.  The UUCP offering was going away, there were only a handful of UUCP customers, and those customers used a disproportionate amount of customer support resources.  UUNet, the only other provider of dial-up UUCP at the time, charged ten times as much as Verio for its offering.

To solve our UUCP customer support issue, I wrote letters to our UUCP customers, told them that the UUCP offering was going away in 60 days, wrote them checks for 2 months of UUCP service, thanked them for their business, and turned off UUCP 2 months later.  The weeding out of the "bad" UUCP customers ended up saving Verio money in the long run.  Another solution could have been to raise the price of UUCP tenfold.  Verio did increase prices for other offerings that were priced incorrectly.  Verio would frequently conduct an 80/20 analysis on its product offerings and terminate the 20% of the product offerings that took up 80% of the support resources.

Verio never wanted 100% of its prospective customers.  Or even of its existing customers.  Verio wanted customers that were in its target market.

I did the same 80/20 analysis on my firm's client base a few years ago so that I could focus my firm's energy on the 20% of our clients that make up the 80% of our revenue.

How IP Clients Are Frequently Wrong

The truth is that Clock Tower Law Group's clients are frequently wrong.  They are wrong about patents, wrong about trademarks, wrong about domain names, wrong about usernames, wrong about branding, wrong about intellectual property (IP) strategy, wrong about IP valuation, wrong about just about everything IP-related.  Which is why they've hired us in the first place!

• You want to file a patent just to sue others?  You are a patent troll.  You are not our target market.  Wrong!
• You want to file a trademark just to send cease and desist (C&D) letters to companies in different markets?  You are a trademark bully.  You are not our target market.  Wrong!
• You want to register domain names and usernames that are confusingly similar to existing trademarks?  You are a cybersquatter.  You are not our target market.  Wrong!

The above examples are easy. Other examples of how clients (or prospective clients) are wrong are more subtle:

• Many companies waste money by filing patents on stuff that will be difficult – if not impossible – to patent.  Clock Tower Law Group frequently declines to file patent applications that have less than a 50% chance of issuing as patents.  You'll find other law firms who will file anything for you.  But we don't want you to waste your money on stuff that we think is not patentable.
• Many companies waste money on foreign patent filings.  We try to talk our clients out of filing most foreign patents.
• Many companies waste money by filing patents without doing a patent search.  Patent applications that we search issue at 2.5 times the rate of those that we do not search.  So we do patent searches as a rule.  Most other patent lawyers disagree with me on this point.  Most of them are wrong and lack data to support their positions.
• Many companies file overly broad trademarks.  I call this patent-style trademark filing.  If you are a gorilla and stand on a tree stump and pound your chest, then you will invite conflict in the jungle.  So too with filing overly broad trademark applications.  Inviting conflict is great for litigation attorneys, not so great for startups.

Treat Customers As If They Are Right, Teach Them To Make Better Decisions

That said, you should treat customers as if they are always right.  Or at least treat the customers you want – your target market – as if they are always right.

Take patents for example.  You are the inventor.  Our job is to educate you so that you can make the right business decisions to meet your business goals.  Your job is to teach us enough about your invention so that we can file the right patents and trademarks at the right time.

Our favorite clients are those who take our advice and have business success.  But not all of our clients succeed.

Just like a venture capital firm's portfolio.  Not all VC investments work out.  Most fail.  That's why VC firms need to get a 10x return on their investments that do work out.

Apologize When You're Wrong

What prompted me to write this blog post was an email exchange with a client who questioned an invoice for filing an Information Disclosure Statement (IDS) for a patent application.  The patent (and trademark, for that matter) application process involves filling out lots of forms.

The trick, of course, is not filling out the forms.  The trick is knowing what to put on the forms and how to file them.  For example, here's my IDS blurb:

IDS. Each individual associated with the filing and prosecution of a patent application has a duty of candor and good faith when dealing with the US Patent Office.  This duty includes a duty to disclose all information known to each individual to be material to patentability of the claimed invention.  This duty is deemed satisfied by filing an IDS.  Although it is possible to satisfy this duty without filing an IDS, it is in your best interest to cite all material prior art, because when patents issue, the documents listed in the IDS are printed on the cover of the patent as "References Cited," and there is a presumption that the patent's claims are patentable over these references.  If any person substantively involved in the filing and prosecution of the application becomes aware of additional information material to the patentability of the claimed invention, then that person has a duty to disclose this information to the USPTO to avoid loss of patent rights.  This is a continuous duty that applies to each pending claim of the application.

My firm uses hundreds of templates for emails and various filings.  If we gave all of our templates to our clients, it would not help because they don't know how, when, or whether to use them.  In fact, it would make matters worse by overwhelming and confusing them.

In my response to my client, I quoted from one of my favorite books, "Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing" by Harry Beckwith:

A man was suffering a persistent problem with his house.  The floor squeaked.  No matter what he tried, nothing worked.  Finally, he called a carpenter who friends said was a true craftsman.  The craftsman walked into the room and heard the squeak.  He set down his toolbox, pulled out a hammer and nail, and pounded the nail into the floor with three blows.  The squeak was gone forever. The carpenter pulled out an invoice slip, on which he wrote the total for $45.  Above the total were two line items (1) Hammering, $2; (2) Knowing where to hammer, $43.  Charge for knowing where.

My client's complaint was that we had apparently charged 40 minutes for "filling out a form."  When in fact we had charged zero minutes for filling out the form and 40 minutes for knowing which information was material and needed to be disclosed to the USPTO.

FWIW, the USPTO itself says that it takes four hours to "fill out the IDS form" (two hours for patent documents, two hours for non-patent prior art).  "Knowing where to hammer" takes a heck of a lot longer.

Was the client wrong?  Yes.

Were we wrong?  Yes.

We failed to adequately respond to our client's billing concern.  We failed to communicate what we charge for, and what we do not charge for.  We charge for knowing IP law and guiding smart companies through the minefield of IP law to reach their business goals.  We never charge for filling out forms.

Summary

Can we improve?  Absolutely.  No law firm makes zero mistakes.  Continuous improvement is our goal.

• If you're looking for a law firm that will file whatever patents and trademarks that you want, regardless of their merit, then Clock Tower Law Group is not for you.  That's not how we roll.
• If you want a law firm that will help you be a patent troll, trademark bully, or cybersquatter, then Clock Tower Law Group is not for you.  We have higher standards.
• If you're looking for a law firm with lawyers who have to meet billable quotas of 1800-2000 hours/year, then Clock Tower Law Group is not for you.  No quotas here.

But if you're looking for a law firm that will challenge your thinking about intellectual property law, about how patents and trademarks work in the real world, one that thinks differently and has been doing so for years (see links below), one that is not afraid to tell you when you are wrong, or to admit when it is, then Clock Tower Law Group may be for you.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

1. How To Start A Boston Patent Law Practice (11/8/2011)
   Advice for new Boston patent lawyers.
2. $2 Billion In Angel/VC Funding + 10 Acquisitions By Public Companies = @ClockTowerLaw's Winning Clients http://goo.gl/By5mt (5/24/2011)
   Clock Tower Law Group: Helping Smart Companies Get Richer(TM).
3. Men Of Great Genius: Venetian Senate, Patent Act of 1474 (4/11/2011)
   All modern patent statutes are derived from the Venetian Patent Act of 1474.
4. Patent Law 101 (1/26/2011)
   An introduction to patent law in plain English.
5. Top 10 Things Smart Companies Should Know About Intellectual Property (10/22/2010)
   Smart businesses should use all laws – including IP laws – to their advantage.
6. A Mere Mortal's Guide To Patents Post-Bilski (Or Why §101 Is A Red Herring) (7/9/2010)
   It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing
7. Stop Wasting Money On Patents (4/1/2010)
   Patent Law Is Broken
8. How I Sold My House In Acton 01720 In 5 Days (12/7/2009)
   For-Sale-By-Owner (FSBO) real estate transactions done right.
9. How To Register A Trademark: Part 1: Choosing A Good Name (2/11/2009)
   A trademark is to your business as a foundation is to your house.
10. How To Fire Your Lawyer (1/27/2009)
    Terminating your attorney-client relationship.
11. How To Twittersquat The Top 100 Brands (1/8/2009)
    A call for the creation of the Uniform Username Dispute Resolution Policy.
12. Madrid Protocol: Affordable International Trademarks For Startups (11/14/2008)
    The Madrid Protocol is a great option for startups who want foreign trademark protection but don't want to file trademarks in separate countries.
13. How To Find The Ideal Canadian Trademark Law Firm (4/24/2008)
    Problem, meet process.
14. Domain Name Law (1/28/2008)
    White hat domainers are not black hat cybersquatters.
15. Erik J. Heels Announces Start-Up Heels.com Shoe Store (11/12/2007)
    With the name Heels, Erik Heels was destined to be either a podiatrist or a shoe salesman.
16. Drawing That Explains Copyright Law (7/18/2007)
    Copyright rights, unregulated uses, and fair use.
17. The Brand Wars Are Coming, The Brand Wars Are Coming! (7/1/2007)
    How to defend your brands on the Internet.
18. Nine Principles of Baseball and Life (5/2/2007)
    Philosophy of Baseball: How to Play the Game of Life.
19. To Search Or Not To Search (12/5/2006)
    That is the (pretty simple) question.
20. Easy To Infringe (12/5/2006)
    Draft to the rule, don't draft to the exception.
21. How To Get And Defend A Patent Without Going Broke (8/2/2004)
    It is possible for independent inventors and small businesses to acquire patents and protect their ideas without going broke in the process.
22. Patents vs. Trade Secrets (2/5/2002)
    The advantages and disadvantages of protecting business ideas with patents and trade secrets.
23. Ease-of-Copying In The Digital Age – Turning A Negative Into A Positive (4/29/1996)
    Rather than worrying about ease-of-copying, owners of copyrighted works should use it to their advantage.

Remembering F-Flight On Veterans Day.

I was in the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) from 1984-1988 while a student at MIT, commissioned in 1988 as a second lieutenant, served on active duty until 1992, and was in the Inactive Ready Reserves (IRR) until 2006.

I always think of my service, and the people I served with, on this day, Veterans Day.  No matter how important you become in the military, the military will live on without you, so it is clear that the military needs nobody.  But as we fight with enemies foreign and domestic, tangible and intangible, it is also clear that everybody needs the military.

The photo above was taken at my four-week Air Force ROTC field training at Plattsburgh Air Force Base, New York, summer 1986.  (Plattsburgh AFB closed in 1995.) Many names I have forgotten, but some names and nicknames I remember, like Mr. Beautiful (front row, 2nd from right), Marine guy (front row, far left; yelled in his sleep in a fox hole), Kilper(sp) (fell asleep on the bus), astronomy guy (back row, far right; knew enough about the stars to get us lost in a swamp), Dave Doucet (front row, second from left), and Jeff Pennington (second row, far right).  I'm in the middle, second row.  I recently learned that Jeff Pennington is now Col. Jeffrey T. Pennington, which is awesome.  So, ladies and gentleman of F-Flight, maybe you can help fill in the gaps on this photo for me.

I am also in touch with several folks who served on active duty with me and remember them on this day as well.  See links below.

I don't really celebrate Veterans Day; I contemplate it.  I always come to the same conclusion: I am glad that I served, I am blessed for the friends I made, and I am thankful for those who continue to serve in these troubled times.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

• AFROTC: The 54 Commands (8/5/2011)
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• LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: USAF (10/26/2007)
  Reese AFB, Lubbock, Texas.  Hanscom AFB, Bedford, Massachusetts.
• Topping Survival Training (3/3/2007)
  Recalling the worst night of sleep of my life.
• LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: MIT (12/16/2006)
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology class of 1988.
• Captain Erik Heels Honorably Discharged From The United States Air Force (3/2/2006)
  I will have much to say about my Air Force years when the time is right.

Advice for new Boston patent lawyers.

I try to help everybody who contacts me.  Lots of patent lawyers ask for my advice when starting their own practice.  Here's what I tell them.

1. Quit your day job. To paraphrase Albert Einstein, success is 10% inspiration, 90% perspiration.  In order to succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to commit to it 100%.

2. Network.

Join the National Association of Patent Practitioners (NAPP) (http://www.napp.org/).  NAPP is like a bar association for patent agents and solo/small patent attorneys.  NAPP's mailing list is a good forum for Q&A for new patent practitioners.  NAPP can also help you get (and was formed to provide) malpractice insurance.

Join the Business Lawyers Network (BLN) (http://www.lexpertise.com/), started by my friend Roger Glovsky (http://www.indigoventure.com/attorneys/rglovsky.html).  The BLN offers lots of good interaction with business-focused lawyers in Greater Boston and Metro West.

Contact Arlington patent attorney Tom O'Connell (http://www.oconnellusa.com/) about his informal "patent lunch" list.  A bunch of Boston-area patent agents and attorneys meet for lunch the first Tuesday of each month.  I try to go at least once per year, I went much more when I was starting my firm.

3. Read. Read books about building a law firm and practicing patent law.  Ask others for books they recommend.  These are relevant to my practice because we have a lot of software patent clients.

"How To Start And Build A Law Practice" by Jay Foonberg
This book is a bit dated but still has lots of valuable advice for new lawyers.
http://apps.americanbar.org/abastore/index.cfm?section=main&fm=Product.AddToCart&pid=5110508
http://www.amazon.com/How-Start-Build-Law-Practice/dp/1590312473

"Patent It Yourself" by David Pressman
I don't agree with all of Pressman's advice but there is no better plain-English reference to patent law than this one.  Every inventor should have a copy of "Patent It Yourself."  If you have the time but not the money, this book can help you write and file your own patent application. Plus it explains patent law in plain English.
http://www.nolo.com/products/patent-it-yourself-PAT.html
http://www.amazon.com/Patent-Yourself-Step-Step-Filing/dp/1413310583

"Electronic and Software Patents: Law and Practice" by Steven Lundberg and Stephen Durant
http://www.bna.com/electronic-software-patents-p11919/
http://www.amazon.com/Electronic-Software-Patents-Practice-Second/dp/1570185077/

"Patent Prosecution: Law, Practice, and Procedure" by Irah H. Donner
http://www.bna.com/patent-prosecution-law-p11826/
http://www.amazon.com/Patent-Prosecution-Practice-Procedure-Before/dp/1570181888/

"Landis on Mechanics of Patent Claim Drafting" by Robert C. Faber
http://www.pli.edu/Content/Treatise/Faber_on_Mechanics_of_Patent_Claim_Drafting_/_/N-4lZ1z13igc?ID=44990
http://www.amazon.com/Mechanics-Drafting-Practising-Institute-ebook/dp/B0028TXR6U/

"How to Write a Patent Application" by Jeffrey G. Sheldon
http://www.pli.edu/Content/Treatise/How_to_Write_a_Patent_Application/_/N-4lZ1z13ibt?ID=55632
http://www.amazon.com/Write-Patent-Application-Jeffrey-Sheldon/dp/0872240444/

Check for used books at the usual locations (http://www.amazon.com/) (http://www.bn.com/) (http://www.ebay.com/).  For practice books, be sure to get the most recent editions.  Patent law has changed more in the last 10 years than in the previous 30 years.

4. Get plants. Because some days you are going to need a reason to go to the office.  Most startups fail.  But those that succeed are the ones that persevere through the tough times.  As my mentor once said, success is not so much a matter of being at the right place at the right time as it is a matter of being.  Just keep plugging.  Go to the office.  Water the plants.  Grow your business.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

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2. $2 Billion In Angel/VC Funding + 10 Acquisitions By Public Companies = @ClockTowerLaw's Winning Clients http://goo.gl/By5mt (5/24/2011)
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3. iPhone App Lawyers (3/30/2011)
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4. Books To Read Before Law School (1/26/2011)
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5. Patent Law 101 (1/26/2011)
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6. Top 10 Things Smart Companies Should Know About Intellectual Property (10/22/2010)
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7. How To Register A Trademark: Part 1: Choosing A Good Name (2/11/2009)
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8. How To Fire Your Lawyer (1/27/2009)
   Terminating your attorney-client relationship.
9. Book Review: Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing (11/18/2008)
   By Harry Beckwith.
10. Madrid Protocol: Affordable International Trademarks For Startups (11/14/2008)
    The Madrid Protocol is a great option for startups who want foreign trademark protection but don't want to file trademarks in separate countries.
11. Domain Name Law (1/28/2008)
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12. Drawing That Explains Patent Costs (08/17/2007)
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13. Friends Of The Firm: Indigo Venture (7/26/2007)
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14. Friends Of The Firm: Company Counsel (7/21/2007)
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15. Why I Respect Wolf Greenfield (11/15/2006)
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16. How To Get And Defend A Patent Without Going Broke (8/2/2004)
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Thomas Heels turns 75 today.

Today is the 75th birthday of my dad, Thomas (Tom) Heels.  Here is a sampling of photos of Tom from the 1960 to today.  This who know him well will tell you that he is a great father, husband, friend, and person.  My dad has many friends, few enemies. He has often been compared to Mister Rogers.

He's also got a great sense of humor.  And so I also include a video, inspired by http://www.LongAwkwardPose.com, below.  Because my dad can take a joke as well as he tells them.

Happy birthday, Dad!

Related Posts

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Stay hungry, stay foolish.

Apple founder Steve Jobs resigned on 08/25/11 and died on 10/06/11.  Much has been written about Steve Jobs over the past few weeks.  I'm not sure what more I can add, so I'll simply summarize some of my own favorite Apple-related articles below – as well as link to tributes better than my own.  I'm writing this with an iMac on my desk, an iPhone in my pocket, and a (new) iPad in my inbox.  I think that says a lot.  Cool products, cool leader.  Thanks, Steve.

4 Of My Favorite Apple-Related Articles

• How To Print OS X To XP (3/10/2007)
  How to print from a wireless Apple MacBook running OS X 10.4 (Tiger) to a shared printer on a Windows XP computer.
• Taking Computing Seriously (Or How The Red Sox Won The World Series) (3/1/2005)
  A strategy for preventing and curing computer problems.
• Zen And The Art Of Data Restoration (5/1/2003)
  Standardization is elusive, even though there are so many standards to choose from.  Or perhaps BECAUSE there are so many.  Nevertheless, for many years I have been pursuing an elusive goal of digitizing, standardizing, and archiving all of my data.  In this chapter of the journey, I ended up purchasing a 15-year-old computer to restore one file.
• Designing Good Internet Experiences (1/2/1998)
  The Internet will remain out of the reach of many consumers until computers are as easy to use as lamps.

49 Stories About Steve Jobs From Sites I Read

1. A Master Class in persuasiveness (2011-06-08)
2. Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO: Twitter Reacts (2011-08-24)
3. 11 Unusual Ways Steve Jobs Made Apple The World's Most Admired Tech Company (AAPL) (2011-08-25)
4. WATCH: Steve Jobs' Most Important Product Announcements, Ever (AAPL) (2011-08-25)
5. How Steve Jobs changed Apple (2011-08-25)
6. 10 Iconic Steve Jobs Moments [VIDEOS] (2011-08-25)
7. The Lost 1984 Video: Steve Jobs Introduces The Mac (2011-08-25)
8. Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry's Apple Story (AAPL) (2011-08-25)
9. Steve Jobs Has 313 Patents To His Name, Bill Gates Only Has 9 (AAPL) (2011-08-25)
10. A list of Steve Jobs's best quotes (2011-08-25)
11. The Steve Jobs Formula and Why It Works (2011-08-25)
12. The Steve Jobs Resignation FAQ (2011-08-25)
13. Steve Jobs’s most ambitious product: Apple Inc. (2011-08-25)
14. Shrine of Apple offers visual history of Apple's hardware (2011-08-30)
15. Apple stock performance under Steve Jobs (2011-09-09)
16. Steve Jobs on Apple in 1996, prior to his return (2011-09-19)
17. WATCH: Steve Jobs Talks About Cloud Computing In 1997 (AAPL) (2011-09-23)
18. Why Apple Employees Avoid Getting In The Elevator With Steve Jobs (2011-09-27)
19. Steve Jobs Has Passed Away (2011-10-06)
20. Apple Co-Founder And Chairman Steve Jobs Has Died (2011-10-06)
21. Steve Jobs Has Died (2011-10-06)
22. The 13 Most Memorable Quotes From Steve Jobs (AAPL) (2011-10-06)
23. Luminaries Respond To Steve Jobs' Death (2011-10-06)
24. Steve Jobs: 'Death Is The Destination We All Share' (2011-10-06)
25. Tribute Video to Steve Jobs [Video] (2011-10-06)
26. Steve Jobs Remembered: 10 of His Most Magical Moments [VIDEO] (2011-10-06)
27. #iSad: Twitter overflows with reactions to Steve Jobs’ passing (2011-10-06)
28. 15 Inspirational Steve Jobs Quotes (2011-10-06)
29. Steve Jobs narrates the first Think Different commercial 'Here's to the Crazy Ones' (Seth Weintraub/9to5Mac) (DATE)
30. 10 important products Steve Jobs helped bring to the world (2011-10-06)
31. The Full Text Of Steve Jobs' Stanford Commencement Speech (AAPL) (2011-10-06)
32. Videos: Watch Steve Jobs Introduce His Most Important World-Changing Products (AAPL) (2011-10-06)
33. 7 Inspirational Videos To Remember Steve Jobs By (2011-10-06)
34. Steve Jobs’s Other Amazing Companies: NeXT and Pixar (2011-10-06)
35. How The World's Newspapers Said Goodbye To Steve Jobs This Morning (2011-10-06)
36. Steve Jobs' Life-Saving Legacy (AAPL) (2011-10-06)
37. Steve Jobs Makes The Cover Of Time Magazine For The Seventh Time (2011-10-06)
38. Remembering Steve Jobs (2011-10-06)
39. Wozniak Tearfully Remembers His Friend Steve (AP/YouTube) (2011-10-06)
40. Here's to the crazy ones: a farewell to Steve Jobs (2011-10-06)
41. Steve Jobs Media Empire Timeline (2011-10-06)
42. Last American Who Knew What The F*ck He Was Doing Dies (2011-10-06)
43. CNN's Tribute To Steve Jobs (2011-10-06)
44. Steve Jobs' Legacy In the Pantheon of Great American Innovators (2011-10-06)
45. 6 of Apple's Greatest Mistakes (2011-10-06)
    Except that HyperCard was awesome!
46. So long Steve Jobs (2011-10-07)
47. STEVE JOBS: 'I Wanted My Kids To Know Me' (2011-10-07)
48. One More Thing: Classic Steve Jobs Surprise Announcements (2011-10-07)
49. Steve Jobs's secret legacy: Dying Apple boss left plans for four years of new products (Daily Mail) (2011-10-10)

Internet marketing is a process, not an event.

I'm redesigning my website again. So I've been thinking about how to most effectively tell my story.

Rick Klau recently commented that he was surprised how many startups were unable to succinctly state their value proposition:

It's amazing to me how many entrepreneurs aren't able to tell their startup's story. If you aren't passionate about your startup, and you can't communicate that passion to others, you have a very long road ahead.

So I decided to review some of the websites from ComScore's ranking of the top 50 US web properties to see how some of the most popular websites are telling their stories. In other words, if you went to these websites for the very first time, would you have any clue about what they do? If you've ever tried to explain Twitter to your parents or grandparents, then you know what I'm talking about.

In particular, I looked at the websites' visible titles, visible taglines, hidden description attributes, and hidden keywords attributes (the last two of which are meta elements). Then I compared them to my blog and website to see how I'm doing.

The Raw Data

Observations

Titles. Most companies used short titles without keywords. Notable exceptions were Microsoft and Facebook. Microsoft uses "Microsoft Corporation" in its title, even though I'm pretty sure that nobody refers to or searches for them by that name. Microsoft also – possibly desperately – includes "smartphones" in its title, something that they are not known for. Facebook's title begins with "Welcome to Facebook," which sounds a lot like the title for a website written in 1996.

Taglines. The biggest surprise here is how few website use taglines to explain what the heck they are. Microsoft's "Be what's next" is clearly the worst. Apple's "The new, faster MacBook Air" is clearly the best, not because it describes Apple, but because it is an example of Apple's laser focus on whatever product is currently hot.

Description. The (hidden) description attributes are all over the board. Microsoft's is short ("Get product information, support, news from Microsoft.") but doesn't actually say what the company does. WordPress.com's description ("Your Blogging Home") is OK, but their title ("Get A Free Blog Here") is even better.

Keywords. I was surprised that several of the top website use zero keywords. Perhaps I can get away with this approach in my redesign! Apple simply uses "Apple." Netflix, perhaps intentionally, misspells "movies" as "moves" in its keywords.

In comparison to the top websites, my titles, taglines, and description seem OK. My keywords are bad and need to be fixed or eliminated. But it's nice to know that even some of the top websites struggle with telling their story.

Related Posts

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• How To Twittersquat The Top 100 Brands (1/8/2009)

  A call for the creation of the Uniform Username Dispute Resolution Policy.

• Drawing That Explains Social Networking (11/3/2008)

  How to visualize social networking.

• A New Blog For My Birthday (6/6/2008)

  Out with the old blog, in with the new.

• How Switching To Gmail Prompted Me To Redesign My Website (02/14/2008)

  Goodbye static HTML, hello PHP.

• Paid Content = Invisible Content (01/23/2008)

  The more you hide your content, the less relevant it becomes.

• How Not To Sell Your Services (5/25/2006)

  A company should be able to explain, succinctly, its value proposition to its target market.

• Just Say Moo – How To Name And Brand Your Product To Make It Stand Out From The Crowd (12/8/2003)

  Good branding can separate your cow from the other cattle.

Erik J. Heels is a techie, lawyer, baseball fan, and musician. His IP law firm, Clock Tower Law Group, helps smart companies get patents, trademarks, and domain names. Given the subject matter of this blog post, he worked hard to get this paragraph right. How'd he do?

Never Forget.

[I wrote this post in third person.  For some reason, given the subject mater, it seemed more appropriate.  Except for this part: My prayers go out to those whose loved ones were killed or injured on 9/11.  My gratitude goes out to those who tried to save them.  And to all, including those in the military, who are trying to make the world a better place.]

Erik J. Heels launched his law firm, Clock Tower Law Group, the week of the September 11 terrorist attacks.  It was very quiet in his office in the fall of 2001 and the spring of 2002.  Two years later, he was featured in a cover story in the ABA Journal on lawyers as risk-takers.  The advice he gives to startups is this: "Get plants.  Because some days you are going to need a reason to go to the office.  Most startups fail.  But those that succeed are the ones that persevere through the tough times.  As my mentor once said, success is not so much a matter of being at the right place at the right time as it is a matter of being.  Just keep plugging.  Go to the office.  Water the plants.  Grow your business."

The last decade was no picnic for Heels: three surgeries (e.g. rotator cuff), two recessions (including the 2008-present one), and one divorce.  But he has a lot to be thankful for: "I have been impacted by 9/11, to be sure, but not nearly as much as others.  My son's friend lost his father on 9/11, for example.  I struggle with what to remember and what to forget about that day ten years ago.  We must be optimistic about the future, and we also must learn from history."

These photos, showing the twin towers of the World Trade Center, were taken in New York City about six weeks before 9/11.

This photo, taken last week, shows an American flag poster that was placed in Clock Tower Place the week of 9/11.  It is still there ten years later.

External Links

1. Ten years since 9/11 marked by US
2. How the Media Is Using Digital Tech to Tell the Story of 9/11
3. THE GREAT RECESSION: Life In "Tent City" In Lakewood New Jersey
4. 3 Ways to Commemorate 9/11 By Giving Back Online
5. Ten Good Things That Happened in the Last Ten Years [9/11]
6. Sept. 11 changed two Acton families forever
7. Boston Remembers: 9/11 Memorials Around the Hub
8. Time Magazine's 'Beyond 9/11'
9. The 911 Memorial App on iPad: Visit the 9/11 Memorial at Your Own Pace
10. 9/11 books: Which should you pick up?
11. The decade since 9/11 has eroded – and confirmed – American values
12. The footnotes of September 11
13. New York Magazine's 9/11 Encyclopedia Is Perfect
14. Forgetting About 9/11

Any why Facebook is panicking.

After two full months of using Google+, I can say, emphatically, that Google+ doesn't suck.  Google+ was Google's best product launch since Google launched Gmail on April Fools' Day, 2004.  And Google+ was the best social networking product launch ever.  I am adding Google+ followers (i.e. Google+ users are adding me to their "circles") at a rate second only to Twitter.  The quality of interaction is high.  And, much to my surprise, I find myself actually spending time on Google+ proper.  Much of this is by design.  Clever, startup-like, inspired design.

What Is Google+?

Google+ (or Google Plus) is a social networking platform that is like a cross between Twitter and Facebook.  LinkedIn launched in May 2003, Facebook launched in February 2004, Twitter launched in July 2006, Google+ launched in June 2011.  Does it matter that Google launched fourth?  Not really.  Google was not the first search engine either.  And when startups launch new products/services, they generally have to be first, finest, or they're f*cked.

Google+ is here to stay.  And it's great.

Layers vs. Umbrellas

When Google was struggling with how (or whether) to integrate a social networking layer into its ecosystems, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg famously dissed Google's efforts by saying (and I paraphrase) "Social is not a layer."

For Facebook, that is true.  Facebook started out as a social network.  Then started bolting on various other offerings.  Such as messaging, photo sharing, and video sharing.

Google, on the other hand, started out as a search engine.  Then added various other stand-alone offerings.  Such as messaging (Gmail in April 2004), photo sharing (Picasa in July 2004), and video sharing (YouTube in November 2006).

So there weren't a lot of options for Google other than adding a layer to its existing stand-along offerings.  The Google toolbar is the missing social layer that makes Google+ omnipresent.

In February 2011, Google started cleaning up its user interface (UI) with a social-friendly navigation bar.  In June 2011, the Google navigation bar turned black, a subtle change that forced users to notice the navigation bar.  Which forced users to notice Google+.

The black Google navigation bar is more than a layer, it is an umbrella, protecting and gluing together all of Google's properties under one roof.  Genius.  So when you are logged in to any Google property, you'll see, in the upper-right corner of the navigation bar, if you have any new Google+ notifications.  And you'll be able to share links by dragging them to the "Share…" box.

Why Is Facebook Panicking?

1. Because Google effectively created buzz.  Google launched Google+ slowly, intentionally, invite-only.  To create buzz.  To create exclusivity.  I was disgruntled when I was a Google+ outsider, I was pleased when I became a Google+ insider.  If you've seen The Social Network movie (aka the Facebook movie), you'll remember that Facebook created buzz in the same way.

2. Because you can't automatically post to Google+ from services such as Ping.fm.  Yet.  You have to go to Google+ to post to Google+.  So people are going to Google+.

3. Because you can't get feeds out of Google+ into feed/RSS readers such as Google Reader (for browsers) or Reeder (for iPhone, iPad, iMac).  Yet.  You have to go to Google+ to read Google+.  So people are going to Google+.

4. Because it will be hard for Facebook to spin out its proprietary services (messaging, photo sharing, and video sharing) into stand-alone properties.  Meanwhile, Google is using its stand-alone properties to increase membership in Google+.

True, Google+ doesn't do pages, groups, events.  Yet.  And Facebook does all of these well.  But Facebook didn't launch all of these services on day one either.  Google's roll-out has been cautious, intentional, incremental, smart.

Google+ can add the things it is missing.  Google+ can be – if Google wants to make it – the first open standards-based social network.  Standard APIs in, feeds out, data portability, etc.

Explaining My Love-Hate Relationship With Google

From 2005 to 2008, I paid over $20,000 for Google AdWords campaigns.  Which is a sh*tload of money for a small business like mine.  For my troubles, I got very few leads and fewer sales.  My Cost Per Sale (CPS) was, in fact, greater than the Average Revenue Per Unit (ARPU), meaning my Return On Investment (ROI) was negative!  Why?  Because at some point Google decided to change the rules.

Google added a "quality score" to AdWords keywords that automatically increased the minimum bid for keywords with low search totals (i.e. the long tail).  So the few profitable keywords that I used (such as "patent lawyer Maynard") were automatically deactivated.  Scott Jangro called this the Adwords Quality Score Spiral.

Google was supposed to be the great equalizer for small businesses like mine.  Instead, as a result of this change, Google AdWords became unusable.  I send wine to my best clients.  But Google never even sent me a coffee cup!

So this is where the Google hate comes from.  But I'm getting over it.  Google+ is definitely bringing back the Google love.

Not Problem-Free But Pretty Darn Good

I was a huge critic of Google's launch of Buzz, mostly due to Google Buzz privacy problems.  But everything Google did wrong with its launch of Google Buzz they did right with the launch of Google+.

Google's launch of Google+ was not problem free.  Paying Google Apps customers like me were not the first to get the Google+ goods.  Non-paying customers were first in line, which I thought odd.  I belong to Google's Trusted Tester program but also didn't get my Google+ invite that way, which I thought doubly odd.  But Google did effectively create buzz, even among its paying, trusted, skeptical customers.

On 08/02/11, I added Google+ to my email signature file.  At the same time, I removed links to my email newsletter and to Google Reader.  Proving that all Internet things have a beginning, a middle, and an end.  Has Twitter peaked?  Has Facebook?  I don't know.  But Google+ is just getting started.  And Google+ is too big and too good to ignore.

Related Posts

• Erik J. Heels's Favorite Techdirt Posts Of The Week
  from the forest-and-trees dept
• $2 Billion In Angel/VC Funding + 10 Acquisitions By Public Companies = @ClockTowerLaw's Winning Clients http://goo.gl/By5mt
  Clock Tower Law Group: Helping Smart Companies Get Richer(TM).
• Google Legal Summit NYC 2010
  Innovation And Disruption As A Google Core Value.
• Drawing That Explains Contact Syncing
  Email is social networking glue.
• Drawing That Explains Social Networking
  How to visualize social networking.
• Top 10 Google Products You Should Try
  You are at a fork in the road.  Time to choose between doing things the old way or trying something new.
• Gmail, Toast, and Frogs
  I heart Gmail.

External Links

1. Google+: The Latest (and Perhaps Greatest) Platform for Thought Leaders (2011-08-30)
2. Google+: 10 things it does better (2011-08-23)
3. Facebook Beware: Google+ Adds 25 Million Users (2011-08-22)
4. Google+ Games Going Live (2011-08-12)
5. Could Google+ be the first prominent open social network? (2011-08-02)
6. Google+ iPhone App Now Available (2011-07-19)
7. Want to post to Blogger from Google+? (2011-07-17)
8. The Google+ Cheat Sheet (2011-07-12)
9. Google To Retire Blogger & Picasa Brands in Google+ Push (2011-07-05)
10. Google+ Offers Great Business Potential (2011-06-29)

Techdirt is on my short list of must-read blogs.

Techdirt has (1) good headlines/titles/Tweets (headlines are titles are Tweets, you know), (2) good URLs (no outsourced feeds here), (3) good content, and (4) good cluefulness.  This rare combination of goodness makes Techdirt great.  Techdirt founder Mike Masnick has the ability to see both the trees and the forest, providing timely commentary on why stuff is broken and why that brokenness might be part of a larger – often bad – trend.

For its insightful commentary on the intersection of law and technology, Techdirt is on my short list of must-read blogs, and you should nominate Techdirt for the ABA's list of top 100 law-related blogs.

And although I link to Techdirt more than I comment on Techdirt, I thank Mike for the opportunity to guest blog about my favorite posts of the week.

So here are my favorite Techdirt stories (trees) and trends (forest) of the week.

Content owners have been getting it wrong for a long time.  Plus why 1995-2025 is the dark ages of the Internet.

A common theme in this, the dark ages of the Internet (see concluding paragraph for definition), is that content owners overreach with their associated IP rights.  For example, copyright owners conveniently forget about fair use except when it helps them.  I recently found an older example.

I was watching an old SpongeBob DVD with my girlfriend's kids.  I love SpongeBob.  In the "Night Shift" episode, Mr. Krab decides to keep the Krusy Krab open 24 hours.  SpongeBob is happy because he gets to work more, Squidward is disgusted because he has to work more.  So Squidward makes up a horror story to scare SpongeBob.  The story involves lights mysteriously flickering on and off.  At one point, the fake horror story seems to be coming true.  Eventually, everything is explained away by various coincidences – except for the flickering lights.  Then the "camera" pans to a "backstage" view to review what looks like Dracula mischievously turning the lights on and off.  Mystery solved!  But instead of saying "Oh Dracula!" SpongeBob says, "Oh Nosferatu!" instead.

Nosferatu?  Who the heck is that?

Well, it turns out that Nosferatu was a 1922 unauthorized adaptation of Dracula (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nosferatu), and the studio had to change the name of all of the main characters because they could not obtain the rights to the novel!

I wonder if it was easier for SpongeBob's creator to also use Nosferatu rather than Dracula!

Newsweek magazine (remember magazines?) declared 1995 to be the year of the Internet.  I predict that it will take a generation – 30 years – for old media ideas to be replaced with new media idea.  It will take until 2025 for us to emerge from the dark ages of the Internet.  Let the old bad ideas die, let the new good idea grow.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

• Illegal Feeds And Betting Against The Internet
  The clue train has left the station, and most publishers aren't on board.
• Drawing That Explains Copyright Law
  Copyright rights, unregulated uses, and fair use.
• Steal This Article: It May Be My Last
  Organizations large and small – including the ABA – need to evolve on the ever-changing Internet.
• It's The Metadata, Stupid
  For the music that I have purchased, I want all of the metadata: the MP3s, the album art, the BPM data, the liner notes, the lyrics, the tablatures, the recording dates, the release dates, the artist's history, etc.  Today, I can't get all of the metadata from a single source.
• The Dark (Gray) Age Of Music On The Internet
  While there are a lot of choices for consumers, the current state of music on the Internet leaves a lot to be desired.
• Musician Loses Job Due To File Sharing
• IAAC – I Am A Copyfighter
• Am I A Copyfighter?
  One practitioner's struggles with practicing — while fighting to change — the law in the dark ages of the Internet.
• The 'Duh' Of Shrinkwrap Licenses
  Kids have figured out the problem with shrinkwrap licenses.  So why can't judges?
• An IP Audit Of Spongebob Squarepants
  Let's pretend for a moment that it is early 1999, and Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of Spongebob Squarepants, has contacted me for advice about protecting his intellectual property.
• Are You Eating Your Coffee Beans?
  Smart companies are 'giving away' portions of their content online without hurting sales of their other products.
• Ease-of-Copying In The Digital Age – Turning A Negative Into A Positive
  Rather than worrying about ease-of-copying, owners of copyrighted works should use it to their advantage.

Nominate your favorite.

Nominate your favorite law-related blog (not your own) for the ABA's annual Blawg 100 list!

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

Related Posts

• ABA nothing.but.net Column Ends 15-Year Run
  Thanks for the memories.
• Top 10 ABA Articles By @ErikJHeels
  I've been writing for the American Bar Association since 1994.  These are my top 10 favorites articles.
• ABA TechShow 2004
  Highlights and lowlights of the ABA's annual TechShow in Chicago.
• News: ABA Journal: Risking Failure
  Erik J. Heels is featured in the November 2003 ABA Journal in an article about lawyers as risk-takers.

Encrypt your data after storing it in the cloud.

By Erik J. Heels

First published 8/4/2011; CloudSwitch Blog; CloudSwitch

Wikipedia defines "cloud computing" as "the logical computational resources (data, software) accessible via a computer network (through WAN or Internet etc.), rather than from a local computer. Managing local computers is hard: there are security issues, computer lifecycle issues, accessibility issues. Cloud computing, ideally, is easy: set it and forget it, access your data from anywhere, outsource your IT headaches to your service provider. To end users, whether individuals or companies, "the cloud" is an abstraction, a computing environment that can expand to suit users' needs.

What's The Problem?

One problem with cloud computing is that both cloud computing providers and law enforcement agencies can access your files, usually more easily than if your stored the files on your own computer.

Also, security breaches, like the much-publicized Dropbox security breach, during which all Dropbox accounts were accessible to all users without any password protection, can occur in the cloud.

For users, it is important to know whether your data is secure, who can access it, and what happens when there is a security breach.

For service providers, it is important to comply with both US and non-US laws including (1) data retention laws, which are ostensibly designed to help law enforcement entities do their job and (2) data disclosure laws, which are ostensibly deigned to help users know when their private information has been compromised.

Is Encryption The Answer?

Most cloud computing providers (1) authenticate (e.g. transfer usernames and password) via secure connections and (2) transfer (e.g. via HTTPS) data securely to/from their servers (so-called "data on the wire"), but, as far as I can tell, none (3) encrypts stored data (so-called "data at rest") automatically.

So if you want your data to be secure in the cloud, then consider encrypting the stored data. And don't store your encryption keys on the same server! It is unclear whether a cloud computing provider could be compelled by law enforcement agencies to decrypt data that (1) it has encrypted or that (2) users have encrypted, but if the provider has the keys, decryption is at least possible.

I have used and abandoned both Microsoft's Encrypting File System (EFS) and Apple's FileVault for encrypting data on my desktop computers. But desktop encryption is painfully slow!

Perhaps cloud computing providers can leverage the power of their data centers to make the performance hit of encryption-decryption imperceptible to the user. That would be cool. And would make the benefits of cloud computing greatly outweigh the risks.

Here are three security questions you should ask of your cloud computing provider:

1. Data On The Wire. Are files transferred to/from cloud servers encrypted by default?
2. Data At Rest. Are files stored on cloud servers encrypted by default?

3. Data Retention. If files on cloud servers are encrypted and there is a request from law enforcement to decrypt the data, then what do you do? Bonus question: What if you have the key(s)?

I searched for answers to these questions for four cloud computing providers (sourced in part from TechTarget's list of top cloud computing providers and Wikipedia's list of cloud computing providers) that are popular with small businesses like mine:

• Amazon S3
• Google Docs
• Apple iCloud
• Dropbox

Simple Google searches of these providers' websites provided more questions than answers on the topic of encryption:

• search Amazon.com for encryption
• search Google.com for encryption
• search Apple.com for encryption
• search Dropbox.com for encryption

Cloud service providers need to do a much better job of communicating what is and what is not secure about their offerings. For example, I would characterize Dropbox's security page as misleading at best.

"Your files are actually safer while stored in your Dropbox than on your computer in some cases. We use the same secure methods as banks and the military…. Like most online services, we have a small number of employees who must be able to access user data for the reasons stated in our privacy policy (e.g., when legally required to do so). But that's the rare exception, not the rule."

Just because your files are transferred securely to Dropbox does not mean they are stored in an encrypted format on Dropbox's servers. And it is the "rare exception" that is, or should be, the concern of users.

For More Information

• International Association of Privacy Professionals:
  Ten Steps Every Organization Should Take To Address Global Data Security Breach Notification Requirements. I would add "11. Get insurance" and "12" Get a good lawyer."
• Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF):
  Surveillance Self-Defense. What can the government legally do to spy on your computer data and communications? And what can you legally do to protect yourself against such spying?
• Electronic Frontier Foundation:
  Mandatory Data Retention. Regarding controversial laws that require Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to collect and store records documenting the online activities of users.
• PrivacyLawCompliance.com. Law firm specializing in helping Massachusetts companies comply with privacy laws.
• ZDNet:
  Microsoft Admits Patriot Act Allows Access To EU-Based Cloud Data
• Centre for Commercial Law Studies (CCLS) at Queen Mary, University of London: 'Personal Data' In The UK, Anonymisation, And Encryption

Summary

As more individuals and companies move their computer files and computer applications from local client computers (over which they have a great deal of control) to remote server computers (over which they have limited control), security becomes a bigger concern – both for users and for service providers.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover. He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com. His law firm, Clock Tower Law Group represents cool companies such as CloudSwitch

A marching drill used for training Air Force cadets in the 1980s.

When I was in AFROTC at MIT (1984-1988), we used "The 54 Commands" as a marching-training drill.  I believe the drill was timed and you had to start and end in the same position (typically on a football field or the like).  The drill appears to no longer be in use (retired circa 1993).  But it popped into my mind the other day so I'm including it here for posterity.

01. Present, Arms
02. Order, Arms
03. Parade, Rest
04. Flight, Attention
05. Right, Face
06. Close, March
07. Extend, March
08. Left, Face
09. Dress Right, Dress
10. Ready, Front
11. Left Step, March
12. Flight, Halt
13. Open Ranks, March
14. Ready, Front
15. Close Ranks, March
16. Right Step, March
17. Flight, Halt
18. Right, Face
19. Eyes, Right
20. Ready, Front
21. Left, Face
22. Dress Right, Dress
23. Ready, Front
24. Right, Face
25. Forward, March
26. Change Step, March
27. Count Cadence, Count
28. Column Right, March
29. Forward, March
30. To the Rear, March
31. To the Rear, March
32. Close, March
33. Forward, March
34. Extend, March
35. Forward, March
36. Column Right, March
37. Forward, March
38. Right Flank, March
39. Flight, Halt
40. Forward March
41. Left Flank, March
42. Column Right, March
43. Forward, March
44. Right Flank, March
45. Left Flank, March
46. To the Rear, March
47. To the Rear, March
48. Eyes, Right (marching)
49. Ready, Front
50. Column Right, March
51. Forward, March
52. Flight, Halt
53. Left, Face
54. Present, Arms (Flight Commander salutes Chief Judge)

Related Posts

• LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: USAF
  Reese AFB, Lubbock, Texas.  Hanscom AFB, Bedford, Massachusetts.
• Topping Survival Training
  Recalling the worst night of sleep of my life.
• LinkedIn: Erik J. Heels: MIT
  Massachusetts Institute of Technology class of 1988.
• Captain Erik Heels Honorably Discharged From The United States Air Force
  I will have much to say about my Air Force years when the time is right.
• Erik Recalls What MIT Was Like
  Classes, homework, sleep – pick two.

Erik J. Heels is an MIT engineer; trademark, domain name, and patent lawyer; Red Sox fan; and music lover.  He blogs about technology, law, baseball, and rock 'n' roll at ErikJHeels.com.

This space unintentionally left blank.

Greetings,

My name is Erik Heels, I am a lawyer, and this is my LawLawLaw newsletter, available at http://www.lawlawlaw.com.

LawLawLaw includes my observations on trends in technology, IP law (trademarks, domain names, and patents), baseball (long story), and rock 'n' roll (longer story).  Besides IP law, I'm good at spotting trends, connecting people on social networks, fixing things, boiling eggs, and a handful of other things.

I try to keep LawLawLaw short (fail), relevant (win), and timely (draw).  Please be aware (forward this to your friends) of a new trend on the Internet (forward to your friends), which I only recently discovered (forward to friends), namely subliminal advertising (forward this).  Thanks (you rock)!

Do not drink or ingest contents.

Regards,
Erik
–
Clock Tower Law Group [trademarks | domain names | patents]
2 Clock Tower Place, Suite 255, Maynard, MA 01754-2545
newsletter: http://www.lawlawlaw.com [subscribe]
website: http://www.clocktowerlaw.com
phone: 978-823-0008
fax: 978-246-0256
   

"The person who says 'it cannot be done' should not interrupt the person doing it." – Chinese Proverb

—snip—

=================================================================
LawLawLaw 2011-06-29
Technology, Law, Baseball, Rock 'n' Roll, Etc.
=================================================================
The LawLawLaw newsletter, available at http://www.lawlawlaw.com, is a
periodic publication of Clock Tower Law Group. The opinions in
LawLawLaw do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Clock Tower
Law Group, its employees, or the author. Feel free to forward
this to anyone who might enjoy this newsletter. Please direct
content/subscription questions to info@clocktowerlaw.com. Thanks!
=================================================================

—————————————————————–
CLIENT STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "clients" section includes info about Clock Tower Law Group's cool clients, http://www.clocktowerlaw.com/clients/.

• Winning: @ClockTowerLaw's Winning Clients http://goo.gl/By5mt
• Losing: There is no losing here.

* RR Donnelley Acquires Helium.com (2011-06-21)
http://heliumblog.wordpress.com/2011/06/21/great-news-for-helium-writers/

* $2 Billion In Angel/VC Funding + 10 Acquisitions By Public Companies = @ClockTowerLaw's Winning Clients http://goo.gl/By5mt
http://www.erikjheels.com/2707.html

* Tesco's Dunnhumby Acquires BzzAgent (2011-05-23)
http://www.bzzagent.com/blog/post/bzzagent/
http://bostinnovation.com/2011/05/23/bzzagent-acquired-by-tesco%E2%80%99s-dunnhumby-for-60m-to-%E2%80%98connect-the-dots-between-social-media-shopper-marketing%E2%80%99/
http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/23/tescos-dunnhumby-buys-bzzagent-for-60-million/
http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2011/05/23/bzzagent-acquired-by-uk-firm.html

* PatientsLikeMe.com: To Measure Is To Know (2010-11-23)
http://blog.patientslikeme.com/2010/11/23/%E2%80%9Cto-measure-is-to-know%E2%80%9D/
 
* Kayak.com Files For IPO (2010-11-17)
http://bostinnovation.com/2010/11/17/kayak-files-for-ipo-but-google-stands-in-the-way/
http://mashable.com/2010/11/17/kayak-ipo/

—————————————————————–
TECHNOLOGY STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "Technology" section includes info about technology that is changing the world.  Ignore at your peril.

• Winning: Apple, Netflix, Facebook.
• Losing: Microsoft, Comcast, Google.

* Google Launches Google+ To Battle Facebook (2011-06-28)
Google continues to be great at search, meh at everything else.
http://mashable.com/2011/06/28/google-plus/

* The Only Brand To Promote: Your Authentic Self (2011-06-21)
This is what I do on the Intertubes.
http://kevin.lexblog.com/2011/06/articles/social-media-1/the-only-brand-to-promote-your-authentic-self-/

* Netflix Responsible For About One-Third Of All Internet Traffic (2011-05-19)
This is true in my house.  I finally got Netflix after getting two Apple TVs.
http://www.buzzfeed.com/avclub/netflix-responsible-for-about-one-third-of-all-int-oi7

* Apple Beats Microsoft In Quarterly Profits (2011-04-29)
For the first time ever.
http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/28/for-the-first-time-ever-apple-beats-microsoft-in-quarterly-prof/

* Comic: The Secret To Apple's Success (2011-03-16)
People are willing to pay for cool stuff.
http://www.businesspundit.com/apples-real-secret-success-formula/

* More Americans Get News From Web Than From Print (2011-03-14)
1995 was the year of the Internet.  It took 16 years but it's done.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/milestone_the_web_finally_surpasses_newspapers_as.php

* Borders Bookstore Declares Bankruptcy (2011-02-17)
I still like paper books but many prefer ebooks.
http://www.businesspundit.com/borders-files-chapter-11-bankruptcy/

* The Verizon iPhone (2011-01-11)
iPhone is now the most popular smart phone for AT&T AND Verizon.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/its_finally_here_the_verizon_iphone.php

* Facebook Overthrows Yahoo To Become The World’s Third Largest Website (2010-12-24)
Meaning community is becoming more important than search.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/24/facebook-yahoo-third-largest-website/

* The Perfect One-Sentence Startup Pitch (2010-11-03)
Fill in the blanks.
http://techcrunch.com/2010/11/03/madlibs-pitch-adeo-ressi-founder-institute/

* iPad Is Fastest-Selling Gadget Ever (2010-10-12)
Cool gadgets sell.
http://www.tuaw.com/2010/10/12/its-official-ipad-now-the-all-time-top-selling-gadget/

* Idea vs. Execution (2010-10-05)
Even though I am in the patent business, I tell my clients that execution is much more important than patenting.
http://www.businessinsider.com/ideas-are-a-dime-a-dozen-execution-is-all-that-matters-2010-10
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101002/18591111257/the-difference-between-ideas-and-execution-and-what-s-missing-from-the-social-network.shtml
http://xkcd.com/827/ (2010-11-29)
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/2011/03/29/ideas-are-free-execution-is-priceless/ (2011-03-29)
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110411/13133113856/winklevoss-twins-told-to-accept-millions-facebook-has-already-given-them-to-stop-complaining.shtml (2011-04-11)

* Apple TV Ships (2010-09-27)
And it rocks.  Apple TV = wireless input to your TV that includes your iTunes library, YouTube, and Netflix.
http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/27/apple-tv-now-shipping/

* Blockbuster Video Declares Bankruptcy (2010-09-22)
Rending videotapes/DVDs is yesterday's business model.
http://www.businessinsider.com/blockbuster-declares-bankruptcy-now-see-what-big-company-will-drop-next-2010-9

* Former Facebook president Sean Parker: "Why companies like Facebook, Twitter, eBay and Apple (but not Google) will determine the future of the world." (2009-10-23)
An oldie but a goodie.  Communities matter because they create exponential growth.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZautIZJu2Y
http://www.businessinsider.com/if-youre-in-the-internet-business-and-you-dont-watch-this-sean-parker-video-you-might-as-well-quit-right-now-2010-9

—————————————————————–
LAW STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "Law" section includes info about trademark law, domain name law, and patent law (all of which I practice) and partially about copyright law, privacy law, and security law (which I do not practice, but which are fun to write about due to mucho epic fail).  The three biggest stories since my last newsletter: (1) Homeland "Security" seizing domain names in a silly display of #SecurityTheatre, (2) everybody and his cousin ganging up on Wikileaks, and (3) ICANN approving an infinite number of new top-level domain names (think ".greed").

• Winning: Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt.
• Losing: Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness.

* Patent 'Reform' Passes (2011-06-26)
There is not much good in this compromise bill, which will soon be signed into law.
http://www.patentlyo.com/patent/2011/06/patent-reform-passes.html

* Woman Charged With 'Obstructing Governmental Administration' For Filming Police From Her Front Yard (2011-06-26)
Welcome to 1984 and #SecurityTheatre.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110623/02573314823/woman-charged-with-obstructing-governmental-administration-filming-police-her-front-yard.shtml

* ICANN Overwhelmingly Approves New ".Anything" gTLD Program (2010-06-20)
ICANN has become a runaway bureaucracy.  Adding ".biz" did not help anyone, adding ".whatever" will help less.  We should have never let non-US entities have ".com" domain names.
http://www.thedomains.com/2011/06/19/icann-approves-new-gtld-program/
http://domainincite.com/infographic-the-approved-new-gtlds-timeline/
http://mashable.com/2011/06/20/icann-top-level-domains/
http://bostinnovation.com/2011/06/20/icanns-what-you-need-to-know-about-domain-expansion/
http://mashable.com/2011/06/21/icann-top-level-domains-change/
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/06/21/esther-dyson-calls-b-s-on-new-top-level-domain-names/
http://www.elliotsblog.com/i-dont-understand-brand-gtlds-6284
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gm3m3UKYsC4

* Hacktivism: Lulzsec Hacks U.S. Senate (2011-06-14)
Lesson one: secure your servers. Lesson two: hacktivism is here to stay. Lesson three: see lesson one.
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/lulzsec_hacks_us_senate.php (2011-06-14)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/unwantedpermutations/timeline-of-lulsec-hacks (2011-06-16)

* Help Fund Nina Paley's Minibooks About Intellectual Pooperty (2011-05-12)
Great cartoons that highlight the silliness of the rights-based mentality of old school media.
http://www.techdirt.com/blog/casestudies/articles/20110511/01023514236/help-fund-nina-paleys-minibooks-about-intellectual-pooperty.shtml

* Chart That Explains Patent Novelty And Statutory Bars (2011-05-09)
From my patent law class.
http://www.erikjheels.com/2691.html

* How Much Does Your Phone Company Know About Your Life? (2011-04-01)
Answer: lots.
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/cosmicvariance/2011/03/31/how-much-does-your-phone-company-know-about-your-life/

* ICANN Approves New .XXX Top Level Domain (2011-03-19)
Even the adult industry is against this move.
http://domainnamewire.com/2011/03/18/icann-approves-new-xxx-top-level-domain/
http://domainincite.com/us-upset-with-icann-over-xxx/

* Internet Censorship Around The World (Including The US) (2011-02-11)
The US should be a leader, instead we are embarrassingly non-free.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110211/02025713055/look-internet-censorship-around-world.shtml

* Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Charity Bullying Other Charities Over Trademark (2010-12-08)
I don't give this charity a dime.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101207/23213212175/breast-cancer-charity-bullying-other-charities-over-trademark.shtml

* Close The Washington Monument (2010-12-05)
Because a closed monument will stand as a visible simple of our fear and DC's failure to lead.
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/12/close-the-washington-monument.html

* Amazon.com Et Al. Drop Wikileaks (2010-12-01)
For governments, what happened to the First Amendment?  For companies, what happened to values?  Doesn't anyone believe in anything anymore?
http://www.readwriteweb.com/cloud/2010/12/amazon-drops-wikileaks.php
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/12/amazon-and-wikileaks-first-amendment-only-strong
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101202/23130812100/inevitability-wikileaks.shtml
http://mashable.com/2010/12/06/wikileaks-mirrors/
https://www.eff.org/pages/say-no-to-online-censorship
http://www.businessinsider.com/this-backlash-against-wikileaks-is-outrageous-2010-12
http://gizmodo.com/5709194/the-reaction-of-governments-to-wikileaks-should-scare-the-hell-out-of-you
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/12/information-antidote-fear-wikileaks-law-and-you
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/readwritewebs_wikileaks_timeline.php
http://blog.internetcases.com/2010/12/09/wikileaks-decentralized-distribution-and-the-lack-of-meaningful-remedies-for-unauthorized-disclosure/
http://www.buzzfeed.com/huffpost/ron-paul-defends-wikileaks-on-house-floor-video-7p0

* Homeland Security Seizes Internet Domain Names (2010-11-28)
Proving that Homeland "Security" is good at (1) #SecurityTheatre and (2) wasting our money.
http://www.businessinsider.com/homeland-security-is-seizing-internet-domains-left-and-right-2010-11
http://gawker.com/5700150/department-of-homeland-security-seizes-copyright+violating-domain-names
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101128/15302012021/who-needs-coica-when-homeland-security-gets-to-seize-domain-names.shtml
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/11/29/the-good-and-bad-of-government-domain-seizures/
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2010/11/us-government-seizes-82-websites-draconian-future
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/us_government_explains_its_seizure_of_80_web_domai.php

* TSA's Failure Based On The Myth Of Perfect Security (2010-11-24)
But don't let logic into the discussion.  Logic is for terrorists!
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101124/14002512014/tsas-failure-based-myth-perfect-security.shtml

* If You're Not Paying for It, Then You're the Product (2010-11-23)
This is why I prefer to pay for Google Apps Gmail rather than relying on free Gmail.
http://lifehacker.com/5697167/if-youre-not-paying-for-it-youre-the-product

* When Will We Get Our Lost Liberties Back? (2010-11-19)
I'm thinking never.  Did you know the excise tax on automobiles was a "temporary tax" instituted during WW2?
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Adam-Smith-Institute-Blog/2010/1104/When-will-we-get-our-lost-liberties-back

* ICANN Guide to Protecting Domain Name Registration Accounts (2010-11-17)
Best practices for domain name registrants (i.e. everyone).
http://domainnamewire.com/2010/11/17/a-report-every-domain-name-administrator-should-read/

* Why Entrepreneurs Cannot Get Businesses Off the Ground (2010-11-16)
Laws in the US are not startup-friendly.
http://smallbiztrends.com/2010/11/entrepreneurs-businesses-off-ground.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQscE3Xed64

* Google Settles Over Buzz, Will Establish Measly $8.5 Million Fund To Promote Privacy Education (2010-11-02)
The headline below is better.
http://www.businessinsider.com/google-settles-over-buzz-will-establish-85-million-fund-to-promote-privacy-education-2010-11

* Google To Pay Out One Thousandth Of Its Quarterly Revenue For Its Biggest Privacy Snafu (Google Buzz) (2011-11-02)
See?  Better headline.  This was a slap on the wrist for Google.
http://venturebeat.com/2010/11/02/google-buzz-payou/

* Welcome To The New Era Of Personal Data Collection (2010-11-01)
Privacy is dead.
http://www.businessinsider.com/welcome-to-the-new-era-of-personal-data-collection-2010-11

* Patent Boilerplate With Attitude (2010-09-22)
This will be mildly amusing to patent practitioners.
http://allthingspros.blogspot.com/2010/09/boilerplate-with-attitude.html

—————————————————————–
BASEBALL STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "Baseball" section includes anything related to the Red Sox.  Or Patriots.  Or Celtics.  Or Bruins.  Or pretty much any other team in any other sport.  So, yeah, baseball.

• Winning: Boston.
• Losing: Vancouver.

* Bruins Win Stanley Cup, Vancouver Riot Erupts (2011-06-16)
Compare "World Series" below.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/ice_hockey/13787335.stm
http://mashable.com/2011/06/16/vancouver-2011-tumblr/
http://www.survivinggrady.com/2011/06/boss-town.html

* Tim Thomas Makes Save Of The Year For Bruins (2011-05-26)
Plus the clip is on YouTube and has not been taken down by the NHL!
http://www.buzzfeed.com/willc3/unbelievable-hockey-save-by-bruins-tim-thomas-zzb

* Red Sox Sign Carl Crawford (2010-12-09)
As Carl Crawford goes, so go the Red Sox.
http://quinnmedia.blogspot.com/2010/12/crawford-to-sox-7-years-142-million.html

* Red Sox Sign Adrian Gonzalez (2010-12-05)
The best player in MLB.  Just wait until he's healthy!
http://soxanddawgs.com/redsox/articles/red-sox-finally-land-adrian-gonzalez.html

* Giants Win World Series, San Francisco Riot Erupts (2010-11-02)
Compare "Stanley Cup" above.
http://mashable.com/2010/11/02/sfriots/
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Sports/2010/1102/SF-Giants-win-World-Series-after-56-years-riots-follow

—————————————————————–
MUSIC STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "Music" section includes info about musicians, the music industry, and laws impacting both.  For example, the music industry has been busily eliminating revenue (by pretending it has a right to the "status quo") since the Internet was discovered by Al Gore circa 1999.  Newsweek declared 1995 the year of the Internet.  Old business models take a long time to die.  My prediction is that it will take a generation.  30 years to be specific.  So I expect the music industry to be sane and to have stopped fighting gravity by 2025.  My friend Joe is a music teacher, and he likes to remind his students that music existed well before music notation.  By 2025, it may be too late for the record labels.  But who cares.  Music existed before music notation, it will continue to exist after the last of the old school music labels dies off.

• Winning: Apple, Beatles, new media.
• Losing: Amazon, RIAA, Status Quo.

* 1999: The year we downloaded all our music from the cloud. 2011: The year we uploaded all our music to the cloud. (2011-06-22)
That pretty much sums it up.
https://twitter.com/#!/sowbug/status/83554874452746241

* Status Quo (2000-06-09)
Hint: there is no right to the status quo.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110608/06330714609/status-quo.shtml

* The PROTECT IP Act: Old Media vs. The Internet (2011-05-18)
See also "status quo" above and below.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110516/01484814277/protect-ip-act-is-about-old-media-industry-going-to-war-with-internet.shtml

* Apple Launched Cloud-Based Music Service iCloud (2011-06-06)
Apple will win.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/apple-announces-itunes-in-the-cloud/

* The PROTECT IP Act: Old Media vs. The Internet (2011-05-18)
See also "status quo" above.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110516/01484814277/protect-ip-act-is-about-old-media-industry-going-to-war-with-internet.shtml

* Dilbert (2011-05-11)
http://dilbert.com/strips/comic/2011-05-11/
1. Pointy-Haired Boss: Wally, did you finish coding the paywall for our website?
2. Wally: I did something better. I wrote a script to delete any new content as soon as it's posted.
3. Wally: At bonus time, keep in mind that you're the one who had the idea to eliminate revenue, and I'm the one who lowered hosting costs.

* Google Launches Cloud-Based Music Service (2011-05-10)
Apple will win.
http://mashable.com/2011/05/10/google-music/

* Amazon Launches Cloud-Based Music Service (2011-03-29)
Apple will win.
http://techcrunch.com/2011/03/28/amazon-cloud-drive-player/

* Limewire Settles With Music Publishers But Keeps Fighting Record Labels (2011-03-28)
A good history lesson.  Which the RIAA failed to learn.
http://paidcontent.org/article/419-limewire-settles-with-music-publishers-but-keeps-fighting-record-labels/

* In 1976, 8-Track Players Were Supposedly Killing The Music Business (2011-03-16)
A good history lesson.  Which the RIAA failed to learn.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20110311/13235613468/8-track-piracy-is-killing-music-business-1976.shtml

* Discussing The Music Industry Comically Speaking, With Mimi & MimiEunice (2010-12-22)
Excellent comics that illustrate much silliness of today's IP laws.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20101221/06561612364/discussing-music-industry-comically-speaking-with-mimi-eunice.shtml

* The Beatles Now On iTunes (2010-11-16)
That was easy.
http://mashable.com/2010/11/16/the-beatles-itunes-2/

* Sony Retires The Cassette Walkman After 30 Years (2010-10-24)
Most readers will not remember the Walkman.
http://mashable.com/2010/10/24/sony-walkman-rip/

* How Shazam Works (2010-09-22)
Shazam is my favorite iPhone music app.
http://kottke.org/10/09/how-shazam-works

* In the 1930s, The Senate Tried To Ban Dial Telephones (2010-09-22)
A good history lesson.  Which the RIAA failed to learn.
http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20100919/02284211072/back-when-the-senate-tried-to-ban-dial-telephones.shtml

* There Is No Right To The Status Quo (2009-05-13)
The only constant is change.
http://www.erikjheels.com/1818.html
 
—————————————————————–
HISTORY STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "History" section (new this issue) includes stories that attempt to give context to all of the crazy things that have been happening.  History is made today.  The hope is that we will learn from history today for the benefit of tomorrow.

• Winning: War, Recession.
• Losing: Peace, Prosperity.

* A History of Adding Land to Boston (2011-06-14)
See?  Change is
http://bostinnovation.com/2011/06/14/map-a-history-of-adding-land-to-boston/

* President Obama Delivers Statement on Death of Osama Bin Laden (2011-05-02)
Yet the "Patriot" Act lives on.
http://mashable.com/2011/05/01/president-obama-deliver-statement-on-death-of-osama-bin-laden-live-video/ (2011-05-02)
http://www.csmonitor.com/World/terrorism-security/2011/0502/Osama-bin-Laden-killed-How-the-world-is-reacting (2011-05-02)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/gavon/president-obama-visits-ground-zero (2011-05-05)

* Here's Why The US Is Screwed (2011-05-01)
The recession is bad.  The economy is bad.
http://www.businessinsider.com/heres-why-the-us-is-screwed-2011-5

* US Healthcare vs. the Rest Of The World (2011-04-20)
All aspects of US healthcare cost more.  Much of what we spend money on adds zero value.
http://www.businesspundit.com/us-healthcare-vs-the-rest-of-the-world/

* Interactive Map With Every War Ever Waged (2011-04-06)
Perspective that I did not have in high school.
http://gizmodo.com/5789395/an-interactive-map-with-every-war-ever-waged

* 10 Charts That Illustrate What’s Wrong With America (2011-03-16)
Stand back and see the forest.  It's easy to get lost in the trees.
http://www.businesspundit.com/10-charts-that-illustrate-whats-wrong-with-the-america/

* Earthquake, Tsunami, And Nuclear Crisis In Japan (2011-03-11)
Our world is fragile.
http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/11/sony-subaru-and-toyota-close-factories-in-wake-of-earthquake/
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/energy/2011/03/1103165-japan-nuclear-chernobyl-three-mile-island/

* New Home Sales Lowest Since 1967 (2011-02-28)
The recession is not over by a long shot.
http://www.businesspundit.com/new-home-sales-lowest-since-1967/

* Infographic: History of the American Presidency (2011-02-17)
Good for seeing the big picture.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1658424/infographic-of-the-day-the-entire-history-of-the-american-presidency

* Scary Unemployment/Recession Chart (2011-02-17)
The recession is not over by a long shot.
http://www.businesspundit.com/scary/

* Egyptian President Steps Down Amidst Groundbreaking Digital Revolution (2011-02-11)
Proving that peaceful revolution is possible.
http://mashable.com/2011/02/11/egyptian-president-steps-down/
http://gawker.com/5761666/four-weeks-in-tahrir-square/gallery/

* Nearly 200 Nations Agree To Historic Deal To Save Nature (2010-10-29)
So it's not all bad news.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/29/us-biodiversity-idUSTRE69P0L820101029

* What Makes the US Health Care System So Expensive? (2010-10-01)
All aspects of US healthcare cost more.  Much of what we spend money on adds zero value.
http://marginalrevolution.com/marginalrevolution/2010/10/what-makes-the-us-health-care-system-so-expensive.html

* YouTube Time Machine Takes You Through History (2010-09-26)
Pick a year and review history.
http://lifehacker.com/5647533/youtube-time-machine-takes-you-through-history-via-youtube

* Which Health Supplements Are BS (2010-03-04)
Answer: most of them.
http://www.fastcompany.com/1562836/infographic-of-the-day-what-health-supplements-are-bs

—————————————————————–
RANDOM STUFF
—————————————————————–

The "Random" section includes fun and funny stuff.

• Winning: Humor, Optimism.
• Losing: There is no losing here.

* Taking The Onion Seriously (2011-05-27)
http://kottke.org/11/05/taking-the-onion-seriously

* Hardly Working: Startup Guys (2011-05-17)
http://mashable.com/2011/05/17/worst-startup-video/

* Introducing AprilCards.com! (2011-04-24)
Blank greeting cards designed by my 13-year-old daughter.  Please buy some.
http://www.sonnysarea.com/2011/04/introducing-aprilcardscom-plus-new.html
http://www.aprilcards.com

* How To Fix Any Computer (2011-04-20)
http://theoatmeal.com/blog/fix_computer

* Trunk Club: Fashion For Men Just The Way Women Like It (2011-04-06)
http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/06/trunk-club-outfitting-men-just-the-way-they-and-their-wives-like-it/

* The person who says 'it cannot be done' should not interrupt the person doing it. – Chinese Proverb (2011-03-08)
As seen in my sig file.
https://twitter.com/#!/erikjheels/statuses/45207776384917505

* Rock, Paper, Scissors: Rock Beats Everything, Always (2011-03-07)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/ashleybaccam/rock-beats-everything-always

* 50 Free And Useful Websites (2010-11-28)
http://www.businessinsider.com/50-free-and-useful-websites-2010-11

* 5 Important Tips for Better Eye Health in a Digital World (2010-11-25)
http://mashable.com/2010/11/25/eye-health/

* 16 Viral Videos From the Age Before YouTube (2010-11-24)
http://www.buzzfeed.com/bizzybee712/16-viral-videos-from-the-age-before-youtube-k16

* Geek-Friendly Fashion Primer (2010-02-18)
http://lifehacker.com/5474628/brush-up-on-your-fashion-knowledge-with-this-geek+friendly-primer

END