Yet Another Sign of the Impending Demise of Western Civilization
Wal-Mart is not only number one on the Fortune 500, it's Fortune's most admired company company as well. Some terrifying tidbits from this article on fortune.com:
Wal-Mart's sales on one day last fall – $1.42 billion – were larger than the GDPs of 36 countries.
It plans to grow this year by the equivalent of – take your pick – one Dow Chemical, one PepsiCo, one Microsoft, or one Lockheed Martin.
If the estimated $2 billion it loses through theft each year were incorporated as a business, it would rank No. 694 on the Fortune 1,000.
One element of the Wal-Mart resistance movement is called Whirl-Mart. You can read about it here. You might also want to check out the Austin independent media center.
Why don't we just get the jokes out of the way quickly: I've been having trouble swallowing. If that doesn't sound like a punchline nothing does. To the wiseacres out there, especially my friends, swallowing difficulty for a gay guy is best characterized as an occupational hazard, but believe me this hasn't been any fun. It doesn't seem to be anything truly serious, but in an effort to get to the bottom of it (so to speak), my doctor has decreed that I undergo a brief battery of tests which I have written about here. A word of caution, there is a high likelihood of "too much information" in the short saga and biological, particularly scatological humor therein, so don't click if easily bothered.
Once again, the old grey-haired loudmouth in the front office at Yankee Stadium is screwing with his most valuable asset: his players. Not content to have a superstar and motivator like Jeter on his team, Yankee Owner George Steinbrenner is still giving Derek Jeter shit about his supposed "lack of focus."
Yeah right George, the boy only has 4 World Series rings. Last year, the "unfocused"Jeter batted a mere .297 with 18 homers, 75 runs batted in and 124 runs scored. Jeter batted .339 and won the 2000 World Series Most Valuable Player award. He also hit .349 with 24 homers in 1999, both career highs. In his spare time he funds a foundation that helps kids avoid substance abuse. Oh yeah--did I point out that he's HOT too?
Google is buying Pyra Labs, author of Blogger (which, of course, is the software that runs our happy, little blog). This is very probably a Good Thing. You can read all about it in a SiliconValley.com / Dan Gillmor article here, or on Slashdot here.
A coupla things I find cool / interesting about Google:
They have a news summary service site that is completely machine generated. That is, no human picks which stories to feature, how to order them, etc., it's all done by algorithms. You can find it here, or read about it here.
And finally, something that's a little spooky about Google: Try searching on your name, city, and state (e.g. "belly fuzz austin tx"). If you're listed in the phone book, the listing will likely show up as the first item Google returns. It's handy as long as doesn't include me (ahem). You can opt out of the Google phone book here.
I was in Dallas recently, saving a friend from a hellish evening of "cowboy-themed entertainment" planned by his San Diego-based biotech employer, in town for a sales kickoff. We had an excellent dinner at "The Green Room," a way-cool 4-star restaurant in the Deep Ellum area of Dallas. I recommend it if you're in the area, but use a hotel concierge to get a table--it's almost always jammed.
The next morning, after a visit to Crossroads Market, the "gay hub" of Dallas, featuring a bookstore, cafe, and most importantly free wireless internet access, I decided to play tourist. Of course, I headed right to the 6th Floor Museum, to relive the events of November, 1963 that left such an impression on my childhood. I highly recommend a visit--it's inexpensive, well-executed (oops) and makes good use of audio, video and hands-on exhibits. The "sniper's nest" is re-created, but sealed in plexiglas. An amazing scale model of the building and plaza used by the Warren Commission is remarkable in its detail. Outside, walking around Dealey Plaza, standing on the "grassy knoll," and seeing the white "X" in the roadway where the fatal shot struck were somewhat eerie, and eerily familiar.
To tide you over till your next trip to Dallas, have a look at the view from the sniper's perch made available by Earthcam.
