(Premature) Obituaries for Steve Jobs

It is a mark of respect Steve commands in the valley that the media is treating his resignation like an obituary for a lesser celebrity. I would not be surprised if he still has something in the tank - this is a man who keeps coming back and one upping himself, every time.

Couple of worthwhile links:
* Playboy Interview from 1985
* Notable Quotes
* Interesting Anecdote from Vic Gundotra

S&P - Stands for Silly and Pathetic?

S&P says US unlikely to regain AAA soon - thats okay, S&P is unlikely to regain anything resembling respect from investors either. Note that Prof Krugman points out that the downgrade actually dropped down the rates for treasuries.

Ratings agencies, we remember how much of tools you were to inflate the real estate mortgage bubble. Doing these shenanigans is not likely to help your image. Go back and do something useful - like downgrading some companies before the market punishes em, not after like you usually do.

Random thoughts on Overrated/Underrated products

Here are some appliances/products that have caught on even though they have significant shortcomings.
Automated Towel Dispenser: Usually is stuck with paper half the time.
Dishwasher: Takes an hour to do what it would take a person ten minutes with half as much water and detergent.
Volume Controls on Steering Wheel: Hard to hit buttons while turning. And was it really that hard to reach the dashboard?
Blackberry: People rave about the keyboard, but it is just as hard to use as the iphone touchscreen one.

And some that are clearly superior than old products.
Electric Toothbrush: Way better at cleaning back of teeth than a regular one.
Electric Shaver: No more dealing with shaving cream, or razor cuts.
Digital Watch: I'm convinced my $20 Timex is way better than $2000 Rolexes.
Turntable.fm: Way better for discovering music than radio, itunes, or spotify.