Interesting Tidbits for November 26th through November 29th

Things worth reading for November 26th through November 29th:

• Mary Meeker, renowned tech analyst, leaves Morgan Stanley for venture capitalist firm | Technology | Los Angeles Times – “Mary Meeker, a renowned technology analyst and researcher, is leaving her longtime home at financial-services firm Morgan Stanley to become a venture capitalist.

  “Meeker has joined Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as a partner, the firm announced Monday morning.

  “We’re at the beginning of another great wave of tech innovation, and I am incredibly excited by the opportunity to help the next generation of Internet technologies and leaders,” Meeker said in a statement.”

• Kramer Puts the ‘C’ in Change – Larry Kramer has a new book out: “C-Scape: Conquer the Forces Changing Business Today.” I look forward to reading it.
• YouTube – Jeffrey Cole – 2020 Shaping Ideas – Terrific short video featuring my friend Jeff Cole of the USC/Annenberg Center for the Digital Future on the future of advertising in a digital era.
• Why consumers value companies more than their products – Telegraph – Somewhat optimistic take on branding by a UK Agency CEO. “Brand owners would do well to be reminded that their company, rather than their products, may in fact be the source of consumer affection and brand magic. In an era where products are easy to copy, and advantages quickly eroded, it may be that a company’s origins, values or personality are what truly underpins any franchise.”
• Hate PowerPoint? Here Are 5 Web-based Alternatives – Nice piece from RWW. I’m curious what @nancyduarte thinks of this.
• Lessons Learned in 10 Years on the Tech Beat — State of the Art – NYTimes.com – Nice 10 year retrospective by David Pogue.

  “Things don’t replace things; they just splinter. I can’t tell you how exhausting it is to keep hearing pundits say that some product is the “iPhone killer” or the “Kindle killer.” Listen, dudes: the history of consumer tech is branching, not replacing.

  “TV was supposed to kill radio. The DVD was supposed to kill the Cineplex. Instant coffee was supposed to replace fresh-brewed.

  “But here’s the thing: it never happens. You want to know what the future holds? O.K., here you go: there will be both iPhones and Android phones. There will be both satellite radio and AM/FM. There will be both printed books and e-books. Things don’t replace things; they just add on.

  “Sooner or later, everything goes on-demand. The last 10 years have brought a sweeping switch from tape and paper storage to digital downloads. Music, TV shows, movies, photos and now books and newspapers. We want instant access. We want it easy. “

• Lewis Black at The Night of Too Many Stars – Lewis Black’s hysterical 9 minute riff about having to follow Vince Gill and Amy Grant at a charity concert had me giggling helplessly at my desk. NSFW and genuinely funny.
• The world doesn’t need more entrepreneurs. It needs more people for entrepreneurs to hire. – By Esther Dyson – Slate Magazine – “How to encourage entrepreneurs? Instead of subsidizing start-ups directly, governments should become good customers for them. The U.S. government is a huge customer for all kinds of software companies, just as it helped to build the airline industry long ago by contracting out postal service transportation.”