No Netflix for Macs

January 19, 2007

TUAW: "No Netflix Watch Now for the Mac"Me: Who cares?I am a Mac user and a Netflix subscriber. My intuition tells me that in five years there is a pretty good chance I'll be a Mac user and no longer a Netflix subscriber. Netflix has revolutionized the DVD rental business. Somehow they managed to then rest on their laurels and are now left to play catch-up.  Apple TV will soon be upon us and will be yet another revolution the likes of TiVO and increasingly users will have more choices. In this environment companies who choose to bring out hardware limited services will suffer.

Nevada Clean Air Act takes effect

January 18, 2007

Recently Nevada's smoking ban took effect. The ban makes many bars face the choice of continuing to serve food while asking their smokers to smoke outside or taking the revenue hit of not serving food any longer. There are, reportedly, a number of business owners who haven't taken a look at the research from other venues suggesting that the smoking ban will lead to an increase in same-store sales. Instead the chicken-little crowd is lining up to rip out every vestige of restaurants from their establishment. A couple of creative local bars have suggested they will pay customers' costs for ordering delivery.As with many business obstacles this is really an opportunity. A bar wanting to keep smoking in the bar (though why is another question entirely) can wall-off the kitchen. The kitchen already has an entrance to the rear of the building. Setup a delivery business of comfort and bar fare out the back door and instead of watching revenue decline there will be the opportunity to have competing neighborhood bars pay your delivery fee for their customers. It seems that this minority of business owners is more interested in playing the  wounded business owner card instead of figuring out a solution.

Getting Bush Out

January 17, 2007

The last few days make it clear that the United States has a president bent on his way. It does not matter how many better plans are laid out, how many brilliant people offer suggestions the power of the presidency has gone to his head. Dave Winer has a suggestion about how to get the president to go. There is really just one major problem with the idea.

Cord Blood Banking

January 17, 2007

Expectant parents are met with several options for cord blood banking. The promise of possible treatments for horrific diseases makes the spendy options of private cord blood banking seem appealing. What parent wants to be on the other end looking back and saying to themselves "If we had only..."The full story, as is often the case, is more complicated. The American Academy of Pediatrics just updated their position on cord blood banking. The advice boils down to two times when they recommend banking cord blood:

  1. Private cord-blood banking if the newborn has a full sibling with a condition that could be treated with a transfusion of cord blood.
  2. Donation to a public cord blood bank where the blood can be used by anyone in need with a matching type.

The companies marketing private blood banking services would have consumers believe that cord blood is a magical cure-all for any number of conditions. Viacord says cord blood "offers potential lifesaving treatments for your child or a family member," and offers a list of potential diseases that could be treated with cord blood. What is included at the bottom of the page (following the asterix) is the information that "the odds that a family without a defined risk will
need to use their child's umbilical cord blood are low. There is no
guarantee that the umbilical cord blood will be a match for a family
member or will provide a cure."

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