Via eotw. It’s a two-for-one special here today. A great video courtesy of Chris Matthews freaking out. What a point though. how many of these talking heads (on both sides) reference terms, events, etc that they actually have no clue about?
(the background on this is bush, overseas, seemingly calling out obama as an appeaser.)
the donald gives ‘em hell.
15 May
Posted by surya.yalamanchili as Politics, Business, The Apprentice, Investing
This is the donald at his finest. Seriously. You MUST watch it. Whether you agree or not, super-entertaining. And, on balance, I agree with my boy, Mr. Trump.
Agree:
- Oil companies are just having a field day and making a freaking killing. There was a reason why we had public utilities at one point…some things are critical and necessary to an every day of life.
- I’m ambivalent on his OPEC comments. I would be interested to hear his thoughts on the weak dollar’s impact on oil.
- I think he nails it on the recession and oil’s impact as well.
- And he’s just ridiculously, ridiculously entertaining. This is the DT that I grew up loving and why, when I met him for the first time, I was giddy as a school boy.
Good article on fortune.com by Adam Lashinsky on where Google goes from here. Definitely worth a read.
It’s a fascinating question. Google was a company started by smart guys with a good idea. They stumbled into a helluva advertising model that printed money based on intent (goto.com actually did the work of invented that). They then used these funds to build the kind of company that people love working at, that rewards risk-taking and innovation, and have since been wildly successful. Now they have one product that mints money ($2B a quarter according to the article), and a bunch of other cool products that people love using…but don’t make any money. And now at 15,000+ employees, they face ‘big companyness’ creeping in and the great early employees deserting for their own startups and many of the younger ones (with a bunch of highly notable exceptions) decamping for -the- hot startup, Facebook. Where does Google go from here? The article doesn’t say it, but we’ll all get the answer when they miss earnings for a few quarters in a row. Though I don’t doubt that Sergey, Larry, and Eric could live with the stock punishment, I’m not sure how the employees will feel about it. Even as Google switches to RSU’s (Restricted stock units. they differ from options in that you get fewer, but you don’t have to buy them…you get the whole thing ‘given’ to you. so you’re much less sensitive to the price getting above a certain price (your strike price) and you make gobs of money just by having them), it definitely hurts morale when your stock is viewed as a dog, old employees retire or go do their own thing, and the kinds of employees you used to get stop coming. Do you double-down and risk big or pare back and try to nail earnings to get your momentum back?
It’ll be fascinating to watch. Disclosure: I have, and still do, own a few GOOG shares.
Like many others, Chris Paul of the Hornets has become one of my favorite players. Though it’s mother’s day, this is a great video about Paul & his grandfather. Also, Jack shared this quality Paul link.
There’s a short-piece (but impressive as a 2-page spread in the mag) about Jhumpa Lahiri and her new book in Time this week.
Lahiri is one of my favorite authors. I loved her pulitzer winning Interpreter of Maladies (though my mom liked it even more). The Namesake was almost a spiritual experience as much as it was an exercise in reading a book. I remember reading it straight through the night on the day it arrived in the mail. I was tired the next day at work, but I couldn’t stop thinking about the book. The newest addition, Unaccustomed Earth, was similarly devoured over the course of a couple of days. Read the rest of this entry »
So Fareed Zakaria has a helluva cover story for the latest Newsweek. OR maybe I’m biased because his article overlaps massively with the book that I’ve feebly been attempting to write. The article is sensationally titled “The Post-American World”, but the substance of the article is actually decidedly optimistic.
I’ve been writing since December of 2006. And that’s just in earnest, the idea was born Fall of ‘06. I’m currently on my third restart. The material was at first bad. Then it was good, but ridiculously dry. Now I’m trying to bridge good and readable into a draft 3. If it read like a hundred pages of blog posts that would work for me, but doing that and writing in general has proven to be way harder than almost anything I’ve ever done before. What keeps me constantly attempting to still write? It would have to be articles like this. They’re total validation of the topic and the way I’m looking at what’s coming. I’ve been writing for a little under two years, and in that time, book after book, and article after article has come out that reinforces that the next 25 years (and beyond) are going to be staggering. For America, for China, for India, and for the world at large. We are, no doubt, living through one of the most monumental periods of change. This is interesting. What’s more interesting (and infuriating) is the degree to which my government has been alternating between ignoring what’s going on or actually exacerbating the long-term harm to the American people through their actions. Anyway, I’m hoping to have a strong start to revision number 3 and get back to a rapid-fire delivery schedule on the sections. We’ll see…
And as a side-note, I’m sure everyone has seen Iron Man. Amazing. I love deep, heavy dramas. Those are easily my favorite. But what I also love is just a rip-roaring fun movie. And Iron Man is that to perfection. It’s witty, fast-paced, sharp, and action-packed…I want to see it again. You. Have. To. See. It.
In Vegas staying at the Wynn. This trip prompted a couple of random thoughts:
Flew Virgin America. It’s actually a pretty great airline. Their employees are shockingly friendly. The flight attendants in addition to being friendly, have this really upbeat attitude. They sound excited to be flying on a VA plane, and it rubs off. The colors make it seem like you’re in a club and you can text other seats to flirt with people, bother co-workers you’re traveling with, etc. All-in-all, a very different experience from dealing with disgruntled traditional airline employees, crappy planes, and late flights. But having said all that, I don’t get how anyone makes money flying airplanes. Here’s one industry that could use a little collusion. What other industry goes into bankruptcy en masse every few years?
The Wynn hotel is sweet. It’s across the street from Trump’s new gold-laden tower. Anyway, whenever I stay in a nice hotel, here the Wynn, when I was with P&G, the W’s, I would always have the same thought. “Man. I wish I could live here.” And I still think that. I’m shocked that someone hasn’t built one of these in the NY’s, LA’s, SF’s, etc and sold some units and rented them out. A lot of 20-somethings I know would be happy to have a small space that had a nice bathroom, and an efficient use of space. Young people also all love living with each other. Madness ensues. I feel like all of us, in some way, wish for freshman year of college all over again. Anyway, I think that business idea would kill. So if there are any rich people in Asia or the Middle East with a ton of extra money since you’re not investing in US treasuries any more would like me to build that for them, just say the word. Oh, and sovereign wealth funds are also open to apply to work with me.
I’ve been gone for a while. Life on the West Coast has been keeping me busy. Between work, the commute, trying to see friends, traveling, and of course, trying to make heads or tails of writing a book, this blog has been neglected massively.
I’m opening the blog up to more frequent posts about a broader range of topics. Until I update the about page, I figured this would be a good place to talk about what I’ll be ranting about from now on:
- the current political environment and news
- economic & financial related news
- international events
- silicon valley/SF
- technology (specifically, Internet related stuff)
- marketing & business strategy
- writing
- other random things.
For now, I’ll once again confess my undying love for Amazon.com. I’ve been buying from amazon since 1999 and it’s amazing how much it continues to delight me. In fact, just yesterday, I ordered four books:
Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present
Mr. China: A Memoir
The Now Habit: A Strategic Program for Overcoming Procrastination and Enjoying Guilt-Free Play
Bad Money: Reckless Finance, Failed Politics, and the Global Crisis of American Capitalism
And thanks to the magic of Prime, all four will arrive at my door about 18 hours later. Beautiful. Further showing off the power of Amazon in my life, when I first moved to SF and didn’t have a car (well, I still don’t…), I ordered all the random things I needed from Amazon (think shampoo, deodorant, random food stuffs, etc) and sure enough, not only was it convenient but way cheaper than buying the stuff from the expensive city supermarkets that exist solely to rub your face in the fact that they’re ripping you off.
Maybe the next post will be all about the different things that have totally changed my experience in the last 15 years. A “then and now” comparison.
Oh. And if you want something good to read: A NYT Magazine piece that examines Moody’s, et al.
So a summary: LOST is great. Amazon rocks. The economy is in tatters. Fuel and food prices soar. People are still losing their homes. I’m in my 7th month of paying a mortgage on a condo that sits empty. Gas is at an all-time high. OPEC thinks it will still go higher. Oil companies have made record profits. Airlines record losses. People still can’t afford fuel and food. The stock market miraculously is increasing each day. And somehow the Celtics and Hawks are tied 2-2.
Crazy times.
random mix:
from the left (and be taken w/grain of salt): “the myth of the surge”
a good piece on the current (and future investment market)…mirrors a lot of my sentiments: “shape of the future”
the new yorker on “the news business”
some good ones!
The most heartbreakingly-intelligent, real piece of television. ever.
Must see TV? Damn right.
So I’ve been delinquent with blogging!
Life in SF is good, and so that could be why. When you’re running around doing a thousand things, and you’ve broken your regular routine of blogging, it’s easy for that to deteriorate into zero updates.
I’ve spent most of my free time working on the book. I’ve got a what I feel is a great completed outline and structure (which is an awesome feeling!). And I’ve now shifted into a hardcore writing mode. What helps with writing is music. And not just any music, but ideally music without words, but still with powerful energy.
Enter NIN.
If you haven’t checked out Nine Inch Nails’ new album, Ghosts, you have to. It’s amazing. No vocals. Just amazing instrumentation and production. I love the pictures they’ve embedded along with the songs as well. At times, just literally looking at the image and listening to the song will give you goose bumps. Ridiculously powerful stuff. My writing is definitely fueled by this. I can’t recommend it any higher.
To go along with this. NIN is beyond awesome. Why? They’re giving part of the album, and then only charging you $5 if you want to download the whole epic set. $10 gets you the immediate download AND an album in the mail. I kid you not.
Brilliant music. Brilliant pricing. (Breathtaking photos as well, by the way). This is how you build a brand. A brand everyone loves. Based on this experience, I now count NIN as one of my favorite bands.
Me, going to go back to writing now.
Politics is often a very ugly thing.
I read Jeff Jarvis’ blog, Buzzmachine, because he’s a very smart and interesting guy. And I’ve enjoyed it over the past few years. Recently Jeff has been hitting Obama pretty strongly on his blog. And today, he comes out with his reasons for supporting Hillary. And he does this by writing a mere one paragraph about Hillary. And using the other 9 or so about Obama. That’s not really why he’s supporting Hillary, but why he’s against Obama.
Jeff’s central point is that Obama is all marketing and rhetoric. That he won’t be a competent manager and attempts to slide in the knife with a brilliant comparison to Carter. (Though anecdotally speaking, most people under 30 know next to nothing about Jimmy Carter rendering this ineffective.)
The problem with this is that Obama has an entire section on his website entitled “Issues”. So does Hillary. Both are incredibly detailed and outline their positions on the issues. To say that Obama is full of “empty rhetoric” is intellectually dishonest. Factually this is true at least relative to Hillary Clinton. Read through the pages and pages of PDF’s and you’ll end up with the view that both candidates aren’t that far off on the issues. While you’re at it, read up on McCain’s view. And Romney’s.
And this is why politics is ugly. It’s treated like sports. There’s a guy on the Rutgers Basketball message board who thinks that Rutgers is going to win every single game this year. The only problem is that the team is terrible this year. But, being a big fan, he’s hopeful and sees the sliver lining in every matchup, etc. And this is what I suspect has happened to Jeff. He’s “for” Hillary, and that trumps what I believe to be his normal balanced view on things.
My answer to this is to ask someone supporting Hillary to name 5 things they disagree with her on. Ditto on Obama, Romney, and McCain. I’m able to do this for every Presidential, Congressional and local candidate I’ve ever voted for.
I don’t diminish Jeff’s support for Hillary Clinton. He’s a sharp guy, and I trust that she’s the candidate for him. But I do find fault with his hacking of Obama. And the general prevalence of this– Democrats partisan wrangling with Republicans and vice versa. The truth is not all of our views on major issues will line up completely with any candidates. Or if they do, I’d encourage you to take a hard look at them. We need to avoid the spoon-feeding of “us” against “them”. Jeff’s engaging (in my opinion).
And for disclosure on the primary: I’m not voting for Obama. I’m not voting for Clinton. Nor McCain or Romney. I’m a registered Independent, because in many ways, both parties have disappointed me endlessly. It’s why I’m writing the book that I’m writing, and why I find myself shaking my head so very much recently while watching friends debate or reading the blogs.
NY Times Magazine on our Fed Chief, Ben Bernanke. Arguably one of the most critical jobs in the world right now.
Since nuclear power is coming up frequently in the elections– here’s an old, but great read from Fortune.
I’m making this entry despite my fear of posting too much about Obama. I’m not concerned about posting too much about The Wire. Because you can never post too much about The Wire (the greatest show on TV).
Anyway, Obama was asked what his favorite show was. Answer? You guessed it. The Wire.
New Yorker on Google. You can’t read enough on this company.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/01/14/080114fa_fact_auletta?printable=true
The Iowa caucuses provided my interest for the week (and a brief viewing of the premier of Celebrity Apprentice proved to be much amusement for my roommates and me). Considering my previous post of Rudy’s commercial, and a little subsequent discussion on it, it’s only fitting that I just read a New Yorker article on good ‘ole Rudy. Follows the weekly reading:
Rudy Giuliani and the complexity of his run. (please, please, please read this. Like I’ve said before, it takes a lot to get me to blog or publicly talk (potentially partisan) politics. But this man does it. Please read.
I’ve called it the best show on TV. Well, I love both LOST and The Wire. But the latter premiers this Sunday. If I could make everyone I know, care about, and respect watch one show, it would undoubtedly be The Wire.
Time Mag talks about the coming premier. (short read)
The New Yorker dives into what The Wire is all about (looong but immensely pleasurable)
seriously? I want to put aside the blatant fear-mongering, and the I’m-trying-to-scare-the-crap-out-of-all-of-you-into-voting-for-me. Does being mayor of a city for 8 years really make him qualified to be our foreign policy/national defense savior (if one accepted the premise of his ad)? He was resolute and brave on the day of September 11. But how much does that buy you? This is a man that after 9/11, blew off the 9/11 Commission meetings (that is until he resigned), and then spent the last 6 years getting rich doing “consulting” work.
OK, OK. I retract my “seriously”. I’m not surprised at all. This is dude’s only card. It’s all he’s got. Without doing his fear-mongering dance no one in their right mind would ever even speak him name in reference to election ‘08.
Out of all the candidates running for President, here is the only one who incenses me. If I still lived in Ohio, and he (miraculously) was the Republican nominee, I would go door-to-door to campaign against him.
I love reading. While I delight in reading books, like most people, it’s a constant struggle to find the time. And so given this tension, I’ve found myself absolutely adoring in-depth magazine articles. They’re that happy medium. The New Yorker, New Republic & The Atlantic most commonly have articles I enjoy. The Wall Street Journal, US News & World Report, Time, Newsweek, NY Times, Fortune– the more mainstream magazines/newspapers also, from time to time, have some of these long ones.
In a given week I’ll have to spend a decent time surfacing these in-depth articles, but it’s always been worth it. And since I’ve never found a source that regularly tries to capture and share these gems, I’m going to do it. I hope this will be a weekly event where I’ll post links and maybe some thoughts. Let’s see what happens.
Oh, and the warning: the very reason I enjoy these pieces– the detail, and nuance of the portraits they paint, will likely turn many of you off because they’re so long.
Here goes:
The New Yorker: Great profile on Elliot Spitzer, the man, and his first year in office:
http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200712/obama
The Atlantic: Obama, Clinton, and Baby Boomers.
http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2007/12/10/071210fa_fact_paumgarten?printable=true
What does the prospect of an Obama presidency say about America? What would it mean for America and world? Incredible article.
This story is truly amazing. The first time I read it I had goosebumps.
His sliced ear was hanging off his face and his blood was pooling at his feet as 56-year-old Amarjit Singh stood on the corner looking desperately for help.
Then Singh gazed back up Second Ave. toward the Texas Smokehouse restaurant, where he had been preparing for another long day as a chef when the bare-chested madman came in and grabbed at least four knives from the kitchen.
The madman who had slashed Singh and sent him fleeing down to E. 34th St. was now up at the next corner, repeatedly stabbing a 67-year-old woman outside the Gemini Diner.
Singh instantly made a decision that proved him one of our city’s very best and bravest. This chef from Queens by way of India became New York royalty as he forgot his own wounds and dashed straight back into the mortal danger he had just been so lucky to escape.
The madman looked up from the bloodied woman and rose on seeing the courageous Singh approach. A 25-year-old onlooker named Antionette Brown watched amazed as the madman slowly backed up. He was clutching at least four knives but seemed unnerved by Singh’s uncommon courage and selflessness, as if Evil were being vanquished purely by the power of Good.
Now this.
Singh received plenty of adulation in the days after the attack, in which he nearly lost an ear.
The state Crime Victims Board is paying his medical bills, but Singh was left without a job or income when the Texas Smokehouse restaurant where he worked closed after the attack. It has yet to reopen.
He doesn’t get workers’ compensation or unemployment benefits and has not been told if he will get his chef’s job back.
“I would like to work again, but I have no idea when I will feel better,” Singh said. “It’s very hard.”
Readers can send checks to the Daily News Amarjit Singh Fund at GPO, P.O. Box 3307, New York, N.Y. 10116.
I’m going to send a check. If you feel similarly moved, please do as well (and forward this on?). Or, better yet, if you know of any chef openings in NYC…
There’s a feeling that’s so powerful, you don’t know what to do with. It takes but a second to strike, but once it does, it lingers for hours. I speak of ‘the gap’.
You’re having a conversation or are out with people. Things are normal…you’re engaged and life is great. You’re not really even thinking. You’re in the moment. And then someone will say or do something and this giant, massive void opens up between you. It could be an off-hand comment, or a (well-intentioned) joke. But once spoken, you realize how different you are. You wonder if you’re at all similar to this person/group. You wonder why you even hang out with them in the first place. And all of those other thoughts. Or, on a more insecure day, you wonder about yourself. You wonder if they view you differently. If you’ll ever truly fit in. And all of those other thoughts.
I assume it happens the most to people in minority situations. I don’t just mean that in the sense that those who are ethnic minorities, but a republican in a democratic office, or a woman among men, etc.
But once that huge, gaping void opens up, there’s no turning back. And it’s one of those things I’ve felt at various times in my life for various reasons be it, politics, philosophy, a view on something like inner cities, etc– and each time I’m struck by what a completely intense, overpowering, and lonely feeling it is.
(this hasn’t happened in the past few weeks to me, but was instead a stored entry in my head)
Wanted to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving. Been a crazy, but amazing year and I have a lot to be thankful for.
I saw this video a month or so ago and really found it powerful. For those of you who spend Thanksgiving the same way I do, just sitting around with family, maybe this clip is worth watching between mouthfuls of food.
funniest moment of the day (month/year?).
20 Nov
Posted by surya.yalamanchili as Misc, The Apprentice
Background: Phone call from a magazine fact-checker for an article having to do w/ex-reality TV people…
Him: spell your name
(me): S-u-r-y-a Y-a-l-a-m as in monkey-a-n as in nancy-c-h-i-l-i
him: can you confirm that you were on the TV show, The Apprentice?
me: yes.
him: can you confirm it was Apprentice season 6.
me: yes. The Apprentice LA…also known as season 6
him: can you confirm that you met, talked to, and rapped with Snoop Doggy Dog?
me: haha. yes, i can confirm that.
…
him: can you confirm that Donald Trump said “fo shizzle”?
…
(seriously)
musings from out west.
17 Nov
Posted by surya.yalamanchili as Misc, Technology, Business, Life, Personal
1. public transportation is fun. i take the company provided shuttle to work, occasionally get rides from co-workers and roommates, and then ride the bus/train. what i’ve always loved about public transit was how calming it is. just the fact that you don’t control when the train comes, you walking faster doesn’t help, driving faster, etc. you just get on and think about whatever.
2. i love free food. i’ve been deriving endless pleasure from the free food at work. any guesses on how much weight i’ll gain in just a few weeks?
3. i think i’m now a minimalist. i’m sleeping on an aerobed (at least it’s a queen sized air mattress). i turned my moving boxes into 3 dresser drawers, a bookshelf, and an end table. aside from the hangers i bought, these are my possessions. seriously.
4. the reason i’ve become a minimalist is because i don’t want to go through the pain of selling all my stuff again. it kind of sucks to sell your bed, sofas, bookcases, give away most of your clothes, etc. i really liked most of the stuff, and so i don’t want to part with stuff again.
4. there are a lot of dogs in san francisco. and they’re ridiculously well behaved. most of them are without leash and are endlessly obedient to their owner. i would actually consider owning a dog. nah, but anyway, for someone who was never a big fan of pets, SF has made them grow on me.
5. the stock market is a mess. i think a nasty recession is coming. i think the dollar will continue to decline, and might even see a more precipitous collapse coming here. china’s economy, while growing fast, i think will slow when their stock market crashes. well, i guess that’s if their market crashes. anyway, i’m not optimistic about the world’s coming economic prospects
6. i’m more convinced than ever that it’s all about technology going forward. in addition to developing economies coming into their own, the other factor driving growth will be technological revolution– Internet, alternate energy, biotechnology, etc.
7) i don’t know if the singularity nears. but i think the quote in this article is hilarious…”I’m pro-human”
8) i love stacy adams shoes. best. shoes. ever.
9) fake steve jobs is hilarious. more precisely, dan lyons is one of the funniest humans i’ve ever met. he did an event in the Valley a few weeks ago.
10) i still need to sell my house in cincinnati. any one want to buy a house? i still need to buy a car here. any one selling a car?
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Surya is...
an Internet entrepreneur turned Brand Manager. I've “returned” to my roots and today focus on emerging media strategy. And strange as it is, if I look familiar its because I was on the TV show The Apprentice. And, yes, I know it was terrible.
Click here for my bio.