Silicon Valley Watcher - reporting on the business of technology and media

[Wrapping up the week in three dots . . .]

We get it right the first time ... [correction]

At the Fortune Brainstorm conference Fortune writer Adam Lashinsky got a big laugh as moderator of "The Blogger Showdown" when the subject of bloggers making mistakes came up: "We like to get it right the first time!" he said.

Fortune's Techland ran a story about the blogger panel. Unfortunately, it had to update the story later to make a correction! This type of thing proves there is a god! Ironic design proves the hand of a supreme being more than any arguments around intelligent design.

Scoble said that the difference between bloggers and traditional media like Fortune magazine is that the audience participation helps keep his blog honest. “This is written by the audience. People participate in fact-checking,” he said.

Lashinsky, however, got the last laugh. “In the old school, we like to get it right the first time.”

Correction: An earlier version of this story said that TechCrunch’s Michael Arrington had been criticized for not disclosing investments from companies he covered. In fact, Arrington had been criticized for writing about companies he invested in. He disclosed those investments on TechCrunch.

FORTUNE: Techland Blogger showdown at Brainstorm Tech «

[Hat tip Bill Kircos]

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(Intel is a sponsor of SVW)

Intel announced plans for a new business group manufacturing system-on-a-chip (SOC) semiconductors. SOCs are souped-up microprocessors that are tuned for specific types of devices, such as mobile internet devices, smart phones, or medical devices.

Intel's SOC chips combine a microprocessor with memory, graphics, and embedded software plus specialized chip and software functions.

SOCs can shrink almost an entire board of chips into just one or two chips. This makes digital products more reliable and less expensive to make.

Intel predicts that within a few years there will likely be billions of digital devices connected to the Internet. Most of these billions of devices won't be PCs but will include virtually any industrial, office, or home electronics device that can benefit from some processing and Internet connection--which is most electronic products. Intel wants its PC architecture to move into many different devices helped by the massive number of Intel architecture software developers.

To target non-PC products Intel is making SOCs that are specially designed for a specific product category.

Intel has several advantages against SOC rivals:

- It owns advanced fabs in which its design software is already tightly integrated into the complex process technologies used to make chips. It takes several hundred processes to make a chip and each machine has to be finely tuned to the design--minute differences can lead to low yields and other problems.

- Most SOC rivals rely on third party chip foundries to make their chips and sometimes it can take several months to fine tune a production run.

- Intel's microprocessor design is difficult to clone.

- Intel has unique chip functions that it can easily combine on its process technology.

Wednesday it announced 8 SOC chips and said it would have 15 SOCs in 2009.

Foremski's Take:

I asked Intel if it would make an SOC only for one customer. I was told that the goal is to create a broad family that would be available to any buyer.

However, Intel already makes specialist products for just one customer. It makes the motherboard for Apple's MacBook Air. It was given just a year to design the board, which gives the MacBook Air its super slim shape and lightness. It was a challenging project but Intel managed to do it--and it did it for just one customer. Why not do the same with SOCs?

One way for Apple to reduce its future costs of manufacture is to shrink as much of a notebook computer's motherboard onto SOC chips, making it a natural customer for Intel's SOC group.

If that were to happen, would Apple seek to enhance the uniqueness of its notebooks and hardwire special functions into the chip that would provide its products with special qualities--but also guard against clones?

Could others follow? Would it make sense for Dell notebooks to have different sets of chip based features from Lenovo or other notebooks?

Closer to customers . . . SOCs can also tie customers more closely to Intel because switching to rival Advanced Micro Devices' microprocessors would be more difficult due to the specialist nature of the chips.

Fragmenting the PC platform? There will be at least 15 different SOC platforms next year with different sets of capabilities--that means software won't be easily portable between the many Intel PC architecture platforms.

The SOCs will represent fragments of a 26 year old PC platform standard. It'll be interesting to see how those fragments will grow into billions of connected devices. Intel's latest business launch seeks to make a big impact on the future of tech.

WSJ: Intel Brings Out Multifunction Chips

News.com: Intel storage chips point to SoC future

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The best panel (by far) I saw at Fortune Brainstorm was "2018: Life on the Net." It was moderated extremely well by Quincy Smith, CEO of CBS Interactive. On the podium was Lawrence Lessig, professor of Law at Stanford Law School, Joichi Ito, CEO of Creative Commons and Chairman of Six Apart Japan, and Philip Rosedale, founder and chairman of Linden Lab, (Second Life.)

I'm currently editing the video of the panel and all were very good but wanted to pull out this segment featuring Mr Ito, who is one of my new favorite people to watch. He has some very original insights. During this segment, Vint Cerf, (Father of the Internet) calls out that he is a "venture communist!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ox02qM_yuc

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-dLq3uIJos

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I'm at Fortune's exclusive invite-only Brainstorm conference in Half Moon Bay, California. The content of the panels is really dull . On the breaks everyone is complaining about it. There is little involvement from the audience (except Vint Cerf!) and the moderators talk way too much.

All the action is off-podium. I've been chatting with Vint Cerf, Michael Capellas, Jeff Bezos, Sophie Vanderbroek and many other tech luminaries. Also, Richard Edelman, Frank Glass, Ross Mayfield, Matthew Greeley, and other local entrepreneurs.

The corridors are much more fun than the deadly dull monologist moderators. Maybe the afternoon sessions will improve.

UPDATE: Fortunately the afternoon sessions have improved -- I'll be reporting on some of the sessions later.

This is from Fortune's Brainstorm conference.

In an earlier post I asked:

Brad Smith CEO of Intuit was on stage and made some interesting comments. He said that he has asked his managers to see what salaries Intuit is paying for that could be voluntarily done by users.

He said that Intuit users have been better at answering questions than Intuit employees. This is why Intuit is looking to save on salaries, which are traditionally the largest cost at any company.

What happens, as it will, when other companies adopt this same approach?! User generated unemployment. Is this a good thing? Is this one of the best business practices associated with social media? Will users hold back on advice if they know that people might lose their jobs?

Intuit Looking into User Generated Unemployment - the Reward of Social Media?

Here's the video:

I popped over to the start of Fortune's Brainstorm conference primarily because they said Sir Martin Sorrell, who I consider to be one of the world's savviest media executives along with Rupert Murdoch, would be there.

Unfortunately, Sir Martin couldn't make it because he is engaged in a multi-billion acquisition. Too bad, this is someone worth watching. Check out Reuter's Eric Auchard's interview with Sir Martin. I love the end part when Sir Martin tells Eric "good luck with your merger." He was reffering to Thomson Financial's acquisition of Reuters, which had just closed a few weeks before.

Eric says, "it's over, we are the survivors."

Sir Martin says: "Sorry. It’s not done, it’s just starting. The easiest thing is to do the deal. The most difficult thing is to make it work."

It's a great interview and I love that Eric left that quote in there, both are class acts.

Please see full interview: Summit Notebook » Blog Archive » Q&A with WPP’s Sir Martin Sorrell | Blogs | Reuters.com

Despite my disappointment the left over pickings weren't that bad...

Coming up on SVW:

Vint Cerf on Internet Neutrality . . .

I got a fantastic interview with Vint Cerf, father of the Internet and chief Internet evangelist for Google. Coming up: Vint Cerf tells me how he was misquoted over net neutrality in full page ads on WSJ and elsewhere! He talks about how the government needs to stop the Telcos from controlling access to the Internet.

First Data wants to be first in consumer data . . .

I also got a great interview with Michael Capellas, co-founder of Compaq Computer, former head of Worldcom and now chairman and CEO of First Data. Mr Capellas tells me about First Data's plans to become a consumer data powerhouse. He says "Right now data is just ten percent of our business I want it to be 50 percent within two years."

It's a Media Valley...

I have exclusive footage of the "Blogger showdown" with Robert Scoble, Kara Swisher, and Om Malik. It was difficult to get Kara to shut up but Om got a few words in edgewise and I'm glad that he did because he seems to be an avid reader of Silicon Valley Watcher because he repeated my line of "Silicon Valley is now a Media Valley."

I've been saying that for nearly four years. I was on the front cover of Nikkei Magazine last year on this topic, Japan's top business magazine. And I had a Japanese TV crew in my living room earlier this year interviewing me on this topic.

In fact, just Google "Media Valley" and see who pops up?

Here is my first mention of how the center of the media industry is moving to SIlicon Valley in September 2005.

I hate blowing my own horn it's better if someone else does it, but...

Unfortunately, his Omness didn't give me any credit for media valley :-( But maybe he would have if Kara would shut up for a bit :-)

Video of the "blogger showdown" is coming...

Behind the Scenes: Japanese TV Crew First Stop In Silicon Valley (Media Valley...)

Why Silicon Valley is Media Valley: And Why Japan Is Interested...

Silicon Valley = Media Valley: The MashUp of technology and Media

Silicon Valley has become Media Valley - someone should tell NYC

Twitter...

I was Twitting like a maniac during the conference despite not Twitting much at all the last week or so. My view is that you shouldn't Twit unless there is something to say.

Do I need to know that Loic is having another beer? That really is a Twit of a Tweet imho. Keep it real, don't take up bandwidth with crap like that...

Media not allowed in to eat...

There was a bunch of disaffected journalists/bloggers that were banned from the dinner at the Fortune Brainstorm. I won't name them but they are huge in their sectors.

They vowed not to come back the next day and wondered how I got one of the main (eating) badges. I couldn't answer that question, you'd better ask David Kirkpatrick, he invited me.

I was late strolling over to the dinner and had to pass by the disgruntled media pack who clearly had been sharing bile about the organizers, (and their blood sugar was very low), and said "Hey, I'll see you over at the dinner!" A howl arose of curses and laughter...

I think some of them got in in the end :-)

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I'm at Fortune's Brainstorm conference. Brad Smith CEO of Intuit was on stage and made some interesting comments. He said that he has asked his managers to see what salaries Intuit is paying for that could be voluntarily done by users.

He said that Intuit users have been better at answering questions than Intuit employees. This is why Intuit is looking to save on salaries, which are traditionally the largest cost at any company.

What happens, as it will, when other companies adopt this same approach?! User generated unemployment. Is this a good thing? Is this one of the best business practices associated with social media? Will users hold back on advice if they know that people might lose their jobs?

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News Links for Silicon Valley and beyond...

As much as the tech industry would prefer not to mention the economy there are huge problems out there . . .

FDIC Faces Mortgage Mess

Mervyn's Fights to Keep Stores Open

Businesses Pinched by Tighter Lending

Venture Financing Drops for Youngest Companies As Older Ones Suck Up More Cash

Fair Game: Borrowers and Bankers: A Great Divide

Uncomfortable Answers to Questions on the Economy

Wall Street Journal:

Qualcomm, Nokia Head to Court Over Fees

AT&T Profit May Suffer

Taking Control of Digital Lives

“Wi-Fi Squatting” a Crime – By the Victim

New York Times:

In Egypt, a Thirst for Technology and Progress

News Flash From the Cover of Esquire: Paper Magazines Can Be High Tech, Too

Protest Blog Aims at Tribune Boss

Texas Approves a $4.93 Billion Wind-Power Project

Everybody’s Business: Lessons in Love, by Way of Economics

News.com

Linus Torvalds on the "four-letter word" called "innovation"

Microsoft's online gamble: Smart bet?

Waterproof tech: Gadgets that like to swim

Nikon nirvana: Which digital single-lens reflex camera?

Breaking taboos in the tech fishbowl

Highbrow social site Spire hits the scene

Mitnick shows how social engineering is done

San Francisco Chronicle:

That's Not So 'Funny' -Online hangouts proving fruitful for prosecutors, who have used damaging photos of defendants to nail them in court.

Venture Funding Declines

California Is The 32nd State For Spam

San Jose Mercury:

Blogs:

Tech Is Boring Me — It's time for me to expand.

Hello Goodbye

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[Wrapping up the week in three dots . . .]

First Rule of PR - READ . . .

I just got a call from a PR rep to ask if I needed more information about their client -- I had recently met with the company. These types of calls mean just one thing: Am I going to write about their client and when? I already did. That call was a waste of my time. I hope they aren't going to be billing the company for that call.

I get asked time and time again how should PR people pitch journalists and bloggers? I tell them again and again, make sure you read the publication to see what has been written.

I won't name the person or the PR company but maybe I should since they won't be reading this (let me know if you think I should...) I was there just last month doing one of my lunchtime talks with PR companies and I'm pretty sure I covered this one.

Here you go: Lunch with Applied Materials: Looking to the Sun for New Business

Kevin Maney and his briefs . . .

Portfolio magazine writer and blogger Kevin Maney was on stage at the Rockit Room in San Francisco earlier this week with his band. The turnout was small but spirited and it was a fun evening with many people coming up on stage. Don Clark of the Wall Street Journal joined Kevin on stage, among many others.

Kevin's repertoire includes:

Wouldn't Want to Be (Bill Gates)

New Router Blues

I Dream of Bangalore

I took some video to provide you with a taste of the evening:

Fortune's Brainstorm . . .

I'm looking forward to Fortune's invite-only Brainstorm conference next week in Half Moon Bay: FORTUNE Brainstorm: TECH

Fortune just added Neil Young and the CEOs of Verizon and Viacom to its roster of speakers.

Fortune's David Kirkpatrick is program director:

We'll put on the podium tech's leading thinkers and thinking leaders - Jeff Bezos and Eric Schmidt, Sheryl Sandberg and Chris DeWolfe, Arianna Huffington and Gary Hamel, Marc Benioff and Jeff Weiner, Robert Scoble and Kevin Kelly, Larry Lessig and Danah Boyd, to name a few. Then we'll create opportunities for the entire group to discuss and debate what they've heard, in small settings, question and answer sessions, and what we're calling "lunch labs." A Brainstorm conference is a collective conversation. We aim to reduce the distinction between speaker and attendee, since everyone we invite to attend Brainstorm is accomplished enough to speak. Ideas flow in all directions.

To list all the eminences would require this entire column, but in the big-time CEO category, besides Bezos, Schmidt and Benioff, we have Viacom's Philippe Dauman, Verizon's Ivan Seidenberg, Activision's Bobby Kotick, Sybase's John Chen, Applied Materials' Mike Splinter and Sun's Jonathan Schwartz. And don't forget Peter Chernin, who runs most of the non-newspaper portion of News Corp. In the amazing thinker category we welcome robotics pioneer Rodney Brooks, virtual worlds pioneer Philip Rosedale, and investing pioneer Danny Rimer. We may even have a super-amazing special guest from outside the industry who we aren't yet able to announce. (Joining us at the original Brainstorms were Bill Clinton, Shimon Peres, Jordan's King Abdullah, and John McCain.) This visitor could make things really rock.

See you there!

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Google [GOOG] second quarter financial report disappointed Wall Street causing its shares to fall in after-hours trading. It also disappointed its partner sites that run Google advertising.

Google’s partner sites generated revenues, through AdSense programs, of $1.66 billion, or 31% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2008. This represents a 22% increase over network revenues of $1.35 billion generated in the second quarter of 2007 and a 2% decrease over first quarter 2008 revenues of $1.69 billion.

Google's own sites did a lot better:

Google-owned sites generated revenues of $3.53 billion, or 66% of total revenues, in the second quarter of 2008. This represents a 42% increase over second quarter 2007 revenues of $2.49 billion and a 4% increase over first quarter 2008 revenues of $3.40 billion.

http://investor.google.com/releases/2008Q2.html

Google makes more money from its own sites because it doesn't have to share the revenue with partner sites. And it continues to make investments that improve revenue from its own sites as opposed to its partner sites. Every quarter Google manages to shift more money to its online properties.

Foremski's Take: What kind of partner is Google? A lot of online media companies, as well as Silicon Valley startups with advertising supported web sites, rely on Google AdSense. The lower revenues from AdSense will hurt a lot of these startups.

This situation could help competing advertising networks, especially if they can offer a better return than Google. Unless Google can improve the performance of its AdSense it risks losing 31 percent of its total revenues. That's a lot of money.

See: Microsoft testing self-serve Adsense rival

siliconvalleynewswire.com » Lawsuit claims GOOG is defrauding advertising customers

Related:

Google Cuts Payments to Publishing Partners by $24m, Beats Analyst Estimates

Is GOOG Shafting Its AdSense Partners?

Reasons Why Media and Bloggers Should Not Run Google AdSense - Just Say No!

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I'm a huge fan of Sam Whitmore and his Media Survey. Sam watches the media and spots all the early trends. I ran into Sam outside the Rockit Room Wednesday evening and just happened to have my video camera with me.

It was a fun and illuminating 8 minute chat, despite the low light. This time I'm interviewing Sam rather than the other way around. We discuss how traditional media is adapting to the new publishing technologies, and also Jason Calacanis' retirement from the blogging life.

[Many thanks to Christy Whitmore for the great camera work.]

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News Links for Silicon Valley and beyond...

Why Most Online Communities Fail

One of the hot investments for businesses these days is online communities that help customers feel connected to a brand. But most of these efforts produce fancy Web sites that few people ever visit. The problem: Businesses are focusing on the value an online community can provide to themselves, not the community.

Wall Street Journal:

SAP, Oracle Boost Software Prices

EBay Net Rises Amid Worries

Microsoft Revs Up Talks With AOL

U.S. Worried About China's Hackers

Former Samsung Chairman Found Guilty

San Francisco's Inside Job

New York Times:

Little Interest in Buying AOL as the Unit Is Shopped Again

Apple Sues Psystar to Block Macintosh Clone Sales

Bartering Expands in the Internet Age

Nintendo and Sony Unveil Games

Profit Rises 25% at Intel on Strong Global Demand

San Francisco Chronicle:

Fun And Games

Shine Is On Lower Costs

Rebates Mean More Go Solar

San Jose Mercury:

Microsoft-Yahoo quarrel plays out in Senate

Hi, I’m coordinating the NASA Urine Drive this year. Cup of coffee?

Apple apologizes for MobileMess

Coming up!

Interview with Sam Whitmore- what's going on in media? Sam's Media Survey keeps track of everything...

Also: Kevin Maney and Don Clark, they're competitive journalists but they are in tune - live and on stage at the Rockit Room!

Harvard Business Review published a feature article by Anita Elberse: Should You Invest in the Long Tail?.

She concludes that there really isn't much profit to be found in the "Long Tail." This is very very bad news for the many Silicon valley startups that have business plans heavily dependent on "Long Tail" economics.

Anita Elberse writes:

For Chris Anderson, the strategic implications of the digital environment seem clear. “The companies that will prosper,” he declares, “will be those that switch out of lowest-common-denominator mode and figure out how to address niches.” But my research indicates otherwise. Although no one disputes the lengthening of the tail (clearly, more obscure products are being made available for purchase every day), the tail is likely to be extremely flat and populated by titles that are mostly a diversion for consumers whose appetite for true blockbusters continues to grow. It is therefore highly disputable that much money can be made in the tail.

She adds:

The companies that will prosper are the ones most capable of capitalizing on individual best sellers.

This is why book publishers compete fiercely in bidding wars to secure blockbuster titles. She describes the fierce competition for a specific book:

Hyperion was determined to get it; New York magazine quoted an industry insider as saying that “jaws hit the floor over how much they paid.” Everyone recognized it as a high-stakes gamble in a high-risk genre. But ultimately it paid off big.

What was the title of the book? The Long Tail by Chris Anderson. It seems that there are plenty of profits in the Long Tail, at least for Chris Anderson and his publisher!

Backachya . . .

Chris Anderson hit back after a "quick read" and basically concluded that nothing had changed and that it all depended on where you say the "head" is and where the "tail" is located. Debating the Long Tail - Harvard Business Online's Conversation Starter

My point is not to suggest that Elberse is wrong and that I'm right, it's only to point out that different definitions of what the Long Tail is, from "head" to "tail", will generate wildly different results.

Foremski's Take: Well, if you get widely different results depending on where you slice the head and tail then there really is no "Long Tail." You can prove or disprove the concept as much as you wish.

As a business you want to be in the "head" because that's where the profits are the fattest. You don't want to be in the "tail" you'll get there anyway.

If you are a startup start well in the "head" is my advice. Don't try to build a "Long Tail" business or you'll get your head handed back to you.

Please See:

Choking On The Long Tail - The Unbearable Burden

Long Tail Economics - Bonanza Or Bogus?

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[Intel is a sponsor of SVW]

Intel today announced the Centrino 2 chip set which is its most powerful mobile processor. The Centrino, launched in 2003 was incredibly successful for Intel, its most profitable product. The world's largest chipmaker hopes to repeat that success with the Centrino 2.0.

Here is a short video of Intel's presentation boiling down the key advantages of the Centrino 2 in consumer and in enterprise uses.

The best part of this video is when Intel talks about the technology trends it is seeing. Especially the fact that social networks now represent an incredible 25 % of Internet bandwidth.

Something has changed deeply - we're not in Kansas anymore.

YouTube - Centrino 2 - And Social Media....

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Kara Swisher got a great scoop last week with Guardian Media's $30m acquisition of PaidContent and now says that TechCrunch has been in talks with Time Warner's AOL.

So far Mike Arrington, the founder and major shareholder, has turned down $20m to $30m according to Ms Swisher's sources.

However, she says that a deal with AOL makes sense:

AOL would probably be a good home for a site like TechCrunch, since it has a blog focus from its own Switched site and sites it bought, like Engadget.

AOL acquired that popular gadget site in 2005 in the $25 million acquisition of Weblogs, which was founded by entrepreneur Jason Calacanis.

Calacanis, by the way, runs an annual tech conference with TechCrunch, now called TechCrunch50.

PaidContent’s Rafat Ali Speaks! So, Here’s Who’s Next… | Kara Swisher | BoomTown | AllThingsD

Foremski's Take:

The valuation of TechCrunch is not comparable with that of Weblogs or PaidContent. TechCrunch should be valued at a much higher level especially compared with the extremely generous Weblogs valuation.

But should Mike Arrington take the money and run anyway? Valuations of online news sites appear to be trending downwards. Weblogs valuation was very very good, PaidContent, which has much higher revenues than Weblogs had, has a comparably poorer valuation.

There are signs that revenues for online news sites are under pressure. Gawker Media, for example, recently cut pay rates for its writers. [Gawker Media cuts payrates… Again! : The Blog Herald]

Also, Mike Arrington has spoken about plans for TechCrunch to be the acquirer of other online news sites and to take on CBS's CNET. Taking $30m and becoming part of AOL would be anathema for Mr Arrington, even if the deal were sweetened.

On another note, it's a shame that Kara Swisher and colleague Walt Mossberg didn't have the courage to strike out on their own with AllThingsD.com. They have built up an excellent site but it is wholly owned by Dow Jones, publisher of the Wall Street Journal.

Maybe, AOL would have been bidding $20m to $30m for AllThingsD by now, instead of TechCrunch.

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[Wrapping up the week in three dots . . .]

Kara versus Walt . . .

Coming up at the DEMOFall conference in San Diego September 7-9:

Special Session: Walt and Kara: Head-to-Head

As the hosts of The Wall Street Journal's esteemed D Conference, Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher have challenged the leaders of the digital world with tough questions and probing interviews. Their toughest interview isn't with Steve Jobs or Bill Gates, though. It's with each other. The Dynamic Duo of All Things Digital debate each other on their blog, AllThingsD.com, and now live on the DEMOfall stage. What lies ahead for the Digital Age? Walt and Kara go Head-to-Head.

[Here is Kara telling hilarious stories about Walt at SDForum Visionary Awards:]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6812621760915098674&hl=en

Euro Entrepreneurial Domination . . .

Wellington Partners, the $1.2bn European VC firm threw a party to mark the launch of their Palo Alto office. It was a stellar setting, the "cube" of the new Jewish history museum n San Francisco, and a stellar crowd of top journalists and bloggers. One of the Wellington partners made a speech about how Wellington was going to help Euro domination in the entrepreneurial field.

I spoke with one of the partners after the party as we were kicking around a soccer ball (one of the tchotchkies) outside. I said Euopean based entrepreneurs could be counted on . . . "the fingers of one hand," he finished my sentence with a laugh. Europe is not known as a hot bed of entrpreneurism. There are far, far more European entrepreneurs over here than over there.

Wellington Partners opens Silicon Valley office ...

SNCR Call for 2008 New Comm Awards . . .

I'm proud to be a founding member of the Society for New Communications Research (SNCR) think tank, created by Jen McClure and based in Palo Alto. SNCR has put out a call for entries for the 2008 Excellence in New Communications Awards.

These prestigious awards honor corporations, governmental and nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, media outlets, and individuals who are innovating the use of social media, ICT, mobile media, online communities and virtual worlds and collaborative technologies in the areas of business, media, and professional communications, including advertising, marketing, public relations and corporate communications, as well as entertainment, education, politics, and social initiatives.

Events . . .

Tech Women at the Churchill Club July 15

The event, moderated by Ann Winblad of Hummer Winblad Venture Partners, will feature the inspiring stories of four women technology leaders, the critical factors in their success and how have they overcame the obstacles of the fast-paced tech industry that is often considered to be dominated by men: Gina Bianchini, CEO of hot tech start-up Ning; Charlene Li, principal analyst at Forrester Research; Teresa Takai, CIO of the State of California, the 10th-largest economy in the world

http://www.churchillclub.org/eventDetail.jsp?EVT_ID=777

AlwaysON Stanford Summit July 22-24.

The AlwaysOn & STVP Summit at Stanford is a two-and-a-half-day executive gathering that highlights the significant economic, political and commercial trends disrupting the global technology industries.

Weekend Watcher:

San Francisco's premiere jazz composer and performer Marcus Shelby plays a free concert in San Francisco at the Yerba Buena Gardens Saturday July 12 at 1pm.

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The UK newspaper group Guardian Media paid $30 million for PaidContent, a media company founded by Rafat Ali and which publishes a popular newsletter and web site covering the media industry.

The Guardian newspaper is one of the top UK newspapers famous for its left of center position. It is also well known for its extensive coverage of the media industry, making it a good fit for the acqusition of PaidContent.

The Guardian has also been one of the leaders in using new media technologies such as RSS.

Will European Euros be used to buy more US media properties?

WSJ's Boomtown:

Guardian Media Group Buys paidContent for $30 Million

PaidContent:

ContentNext 2.0: Life With The Guardian Media Group

ReadWriteWeb:

Confirmed: PaidContent Bought By the Guardian - Here's How Media History is Made

GigaOM:

Why Guardian Media Bought paidContent for $30M - GigaOM