Yearly Archives: 2012


Everybody wants economic growth, but it appears that consumer borrowing can only…

Everybody wants economic growth, but it appears that consumer borrowing can only finance so much growth. People need to actually have real incomes that they can spend on goods and services in order to have sustainable growth.

Reshared post from +Arianna Huffington

New study: "An outsized financial sector expansion can actually reduce economic growth…" 

Are the big banks winning?
The big banks pay lip-service to the goals of Dodd-Frank — but they’re mounting bitter, rearguard actions in federal courts to block meaningful constraints and regulations on procedural and other gro…

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Four and a half years ago, I went on a marathon five day trip with Audi for the launch…

Four and a half years ago, I went on a marathon five day trip with Audi for the launch of the then-new A4 Avant. Along the way, we drove in two countries, stayed in 3 different hotels in different cities, passed through 5 airports in 4 countries and visited the Neckarsulm factory that produces the might R8.

Unfortunately the only part we missed was some autobahn seat time in the R8

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/04/06/first-drive-2008-audi-a4-on-the-autobahn-and-in-ibiza/
http://green.autoblog.com/2008/04/05/first-drive-2008-audi-a4-3-0-tdi-quattro/

Autoblog visits the Audi R8 factory in Neckarsulm, Germany
Click above to view more high-res shots of the R8 under constructionThis week Audi invited a group of American journalists to Europe to sample the newest

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Ahh! So this explains the real reason that Apple chose not include NFC in the latest… 2

Ahh! So this explains the real reason that Apple chose not include NFC in the latest version of the iPhone. Given Apple and Steve Jobs long-time aversion to adult content in i-devices, it's no wonder they didn't want to encourage this kind of activity.

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These totally incoherent and inconsistent rulings by the library of Congress illustrate… 2

These totally incoherent and inconsistent rulings by the library of Congress illustrate the dangers of the corporatacracy we now live in where companies with a vested financial interest define laws that affect all of us. There is no reason why it should be illegal to to jailbreak or unlock any mobile device regardless screen size

Jailbreaking now legal under DMCA for smartphones, but not tablets
Arbitrary rulings illustrate fundamental brokenness of the DMCA.

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My friend +John Voelcker does some good old fashioned journalism on the battle between… 5

My friend +John Voelcker does some good old fashioned journalism on the battle between +Tesla Motors and independent car dealers. 

My favorite line from Tim W. Jackson, president, Colorado Automobile Dealers Association on what would happen if Tesla went belly up: "If that were to happen, and consumers were left high and dry without a place to have their Tesla cars serviced, he said, it would do great damage to the good reputation of all auto dealers."

I suspect a large proportion of the people that have ever purchased a new car might take exception to the idea that car dealers have a good reputation. 

Unfortunately car dealers have a disproportionate voice in state politics and I think it's foolish for politicians to legislate against new business models before we get a chance to see if there is some good that come out of them. 

Auto Dealers’ Fight Against Tesla Stores: Elon Musk Weighs In
Tesla Motors is facing a formidable opponent it may not have sufficiently appreciated: the auto dealers of America, and their state associations. Tesla, you may remember, is selling its electric cars …

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For the last 20 years, the midsize sedan market has been dominated by a pair of cars…

For the last 20 years, the midsize sedan market has been dominated by a pair of cars that can charitably described as appliances. Functional and reliable yes, but when not in use they simply disappear into the background. +Ford Motor Company brought in artist Liu Bolin to help create some ads for the #2013FordFusion in his signature style that take that invisible car theme to a whole new level. http://blogs.wsj.com/drivers-seat/2012/10/24/ford-new-fusion-makes-other-sedans-disappear-video/

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Canada and the United States have the largest bilateral trade in the entire world… 10

Canada and the United States have the largest bilateral trade in the entire world and nearly one-quarter of those goods cross over at just one of the two border crossing points between Detroit Michigan and Windsor Ontario.

Did you know that both the Detroit River Railroad Tunnel and the Ambassador Bridge are owned by one man? Matty Maroun has become a billionaire in part by having a monopoly on the cross border traffic in Detroit. That fact alone is shocking. Now Maroun is waging a very expensive campaign of disinformation to try to convince Michigan voters not to accept a second bridge over the Detroit River that is to be paid for entirely by the Canadian government so that he can maintain his monopoly on this critical traffic.

I suggest we all tell Maroun to go jump off a bridge! 

‘Greedy’ U.S. billionaire urges Michigan voters to reject free bridge to Canada | Canada | News | National Post
Canada is picking up the tab for a new Detroit-Windsor bridge, but Ambassador Bridge owner Matty Moroun warns nothing is for free

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The world needs to just stop feeding trolls like Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Mike… 8

The world needs to just stop feeding trolls like Ann Coulter, Michelle Malkin, Mike Huckaby and so many more.  As long as pay them attention, they will feed on it.

Reshared post from +C.C. Chapman

People like Ann Coulter piss me off to a whole new level.

People like John Franklin Stephens remind me that there are more good people in the world than the idiots who drive us nuts.

An Open Letter to Ann Coulter
The following is a guest post in the form of an open letter from Special Olympics athlete and global messenger John Franklin Stephens to Ann Coulter after this tweet during last night’s Presi…

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