ILOG now part of IBM
Recently IBM announced that ILOG will be acquired and become part of the Websphere brand. The business rule engine market is consolidating and the cost for these products will rise tremendously as they become part of larger organizations. Fair Isaac’s Blaze reportedly costs over $25k/server. Hopefully this will generate fresh interest in JBoss Rules (DROOLS) and result in more adoptions.
Leadereview - another interesting business
A few months ago I wrote about businesses that are built around your passion and those that pay you to enjoy doing what you love to do. I was introduced to another business called Leadereview which reviews books on leadership and then sends you those books to read. Once you read the book, you get an opportunity to discuss the contents with the author as well as others in a group. This is not only a great way to pick up new ideas but a great way to network with like minded people.
Disclaimer: I am not a member of Leadereview group and don’t know the experience of participating in the discussions. I do think it is a neat idea to make some money while having fun.
Helium balloon law in California
Recently there is some legislation debate, in the state of California, on imposing a fine on sellers of Helium balloons if they sell balloons without a weight. The law makers are saying that balloons cause a problem when they get tangled in electrical lines and they want to fine $100 to anyone selling helium balloons without a weight on the string. I don’t know if the fine will apply to sellers or it will be expanded to include buyers.
While this may be a legitimate problem for utility companies, what is the cost for the taxpayers to pass a bill through legislation vs. the benefit it provides? Sometimes the work pipeline gets filled with similar tasks. We need to pay attention to the cost/benefit analysis so that we work on those things with highest impact.
If you want to read the news article, visit Wall Street Journal
Is Yahoo doomed?
All the press articles like to use superlatives and forecast a scenario which may or may reflect the truth. Lately Yahoo has the target of such articles. Granted that Yahoo is trying to find focus in the current market scenario with Google leading the way. Microsoft’s bid put the wrong kind of attention on the company. Microsoft wanted to buy Yahoo because Yahoo represents something to them. It is not like the company is worth nothing and Microsoft isn’t throwing its money.
I don’t really know how people inside the company feel but if they were to read the articles they may get the impression that the company is going down fast. This will likely make people jump ship to ensure that they have a secure job.
It may be healthy for Yahoo to go through such a cleanup process so that all the people who are not interested in the company can leave. Of course there will also be some collatral damage with loss of good passionate people who think they can’t fulfill their dreams at Yahoo. Others may leave just to avoid all the distractions at work of the uncertain future of the corporation and lack of direction in the day to day initiatives as senior management focuses on possible outcomes. The folks that remain have a change to re-focus and try to keep the company going. It is going to be an interesting year to see what happens at Yahoo.
Sometimes public perception can decide the fate of the company without any basis on factual data. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of doom. Let’s see what happens.
Air Travel and associated costs
Recently I read an article saying that US Airways now charges $2 for a bottle of water on the flight. What I find really annoying is that you are being charged for every little thing or rather they are itemizing your charges.
At first it was charge for second checked baggage. Now you have to pay for even the first checked bag. Since the price is for 50 lbs, you need to be extra careful as it is really dependent on the mood of the person who weighs your bags. If you are a couple of pounds over, you could be asked to fork over more money.
I also heard from friend that another airline charges you $4 for a blanket. Though some people are joking that tickets will be priced per pound of weight (not the bags but the passengers)!
Why don’t they just raise the ticket prices and have the customer pay just a single amount. This will really allow customers to see the costs upfront and they will decide whether to go on that trip or not. I guess that will be bad for airlines as most people will get a sticker shock and decide to choose alternate modes of travel unless it is a must.
I guess airlines really need to reexamine the workings of their business and figure out how to be in business. After 2001, the 911 excuses could be used for ever. Now we have the rising fuel costs, I wonder what excuse will be use to account for the bleeding bottom line.