Bill Keller editor of the New York Times  keynotes celebration of Patricia Dunn, the (former) chairman of Hewlett-Packard, and her induction into the Bay Area Business Hall of Fame. Wednesday evening in San Francisco.

That is going to be one very  awkward evening....

(Hat-tip to Sid Hudgens)

Link to Annual Dinner 2006 Bay Area Council

Yahoo warned of weakness in auto and financial services advertising, its two largest ad buyers. But is this a Yahoo or industry-wide problem?

Mitch Lowe, CEO of Automotive Media, the largest automotive advertising network said:

“The market for auto ad inventory is robust, with some seasonality.  Auto ad spending is always lumpy as it heavies up during new model launch periods.  The first two months of Q3 were lighter on launches but Q4 and 2007 are heavy for launches.  Online 2007 ad inventory is already being committed to at volume and rate both higher than anticipated.”

(Source: George Simpson)

Sun Microsystems to host virtual press conference

Sun Microsystems is planning a press event featuring John Gage, its chief researcher, but to attend you will have to create a digital avatar. That's because Sun is hosting the event on Second Life, the virtual world with a virtually real economy.

Over at Tech Chronicles at San Francisco Chronicle.

Here's a good example of a virtual street: Sheinkin Street in Tel Aviv. Don't let missiles or bombers keep you away from shopping. Designed by Michael Simkin, CEO of C-DO Networks, a 31 yr old Brit from Liverpool.

Sheinkin Street can be compared with Covent Garden in London, parts of Greenwich Village in New York, St. Catherine Street in Montreal, Oscar Freire Street in Sao Paulo, and Oxford street in Sydney... It includes a magazine which deals with local culture, leisure, fashion and life style as well as giving historical, and local information about Sheinkin Street...
The site also includes short videos, which show interviews with fashion designers, people who have contributed to the development of the street, and local events...

Link to Sheinkin Street