- Latest News
- Comment & Metrics
- Magazine Articles
- Jason Stamper's Blog
- Open Source Blog
- Newsletter Sign-Up
Jason Stamper's Blog: October 2006 Archives
IBM trials "Beer Living Lab": honeshtly
October 26, 2006
The term 'beer living lab' might conjure up thoughts of student digs, where one puts to the test the old adage that one 'cannot live on beer alone' with long stints of intoxication punctuated only sporadically and very briefly by periods of vague sobriety.
But despite this connotation, or perhaps partly because of it, IBM was pleased to announce a new wireless project with Heineken, international shipping company, Safmarine, and the University of Amsterdam in conjunction with Dutch Customs, UK Customs and US Customs and Border Protection. The project's called "Beer Living Lab". I kid you not.
Are UK CIOs still not strategic enough?
October 19, 2006
A new survey has found that the number of CIOs sitting on the operational board has increased to 46%, from 43% last year. While that's an improvement, the proportion is still worryingly low.
Recruitment and IT outsourcing service provider Harvey Nash got KPMG to survey over 500 CIOs from leading UK businesses. While some of the findings were cause for optimism about the role of CIOs -- average salaries were up to £104,000 from £84,000 last year, suggesting perhaps that their value is being recognised -- others are cause for concern. The gender disparity remains very real, with just 8% of CIOs being women, for example.
Does Google's YouTube buy rekindle dot-com madness?
October 10, 2006
Is news that Google is buying video sharing website YouTube for $1.6bn the silliest deal since eBay bought Skype for over $2.6bn? Did we learn nothing from the dot-com madness?
When eBay bought Skype in September 2005 Skype's annual sales for that year were expected to be $60m. eBay paid $2.6bn with a potential earnout of another $1.5bn. I'll let you calculate the price/sales multiple.
So what are YouTube's revenues? Who knows. But they're minimal, because the company has for the most part kept its content advertising-free. That's also helped its reputation, making it seem a little more anarchic, a little more subversive, than rival sites that carry advertising.
This is particularly key for those rebellious teenies -- surely YouTube's biggest demographic? -- who never tire of posting videos of themselves or their friends falling off their skateboards and BMXs, or "owning" passed-out room-mates by balancing piles of beer cans on their heads.
back to top