] The net fund-raising total of $1.9 billion represented
] the smallest inflow of venture capital since $1.6 billion
] entered the industry in 1981.

Now, adjust this for inflation...

VC Funding Slows to a Trickle

From the Captain Obvious Department:

In light of this, it would seem to make sense for managers to keep track of their workers' Web habits. Shouldn't employees conduct personal business on their own time? Think of all the lost productivity!

Not so fast.

Why you shouldn't act like Big Brother

BellSouth will stop offering residential customers its DSL Talking service next week, ending one of the first attempts in the United States to sell phone service over digital subscriber lines.

Sure we're deploying advanced data services in exchange for access to the LD market

This summer, millions of businesspeople will be upgraded against their will. And no, we don't mean their flight plans.

Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT)will officially end technical support for Windows 98 and Windows NT 4 on June 30. The financial implications for Microsoft and others could be significant, even in the short term.

Better than any economic stimulus plan Bush has put forth

] "The Bush administration, under fire for its handling of
] the economy, has quietly killed off a Labor Department
] program that tracked mass layoffs by U.S. companies.
]
] The statistic, which had been issued monthly and was closely
] watched by hard-hit Silicon Valley, served as a pulse
] reading of corporate America's financial health."

Shooting the messenger: Report on layoffs killed

] "Seeking to mirror its aggressive pursuit of executives
] on Wall Street, the Justice Department is putting a new
] focus on Silicon Valley, pursuing managers of the
] technology boom who are suspected of crossing the line
] into securities fraud and insider trading."

The feds are now hitting Silicon Valley companies. Several familiar names are on the block for problems dating back to the mid 90s.

Finding Wrongs, Through the Prism of Silicon Valley

Jeremy wrote:

] My favorite customer comment on the system: "I support new
] technology."

Lets take a real-politik perspective on this.

1. It doesn't matter what customers think. This is obviously not the item at the top of the Kroger Shoppers' wish list. I'm a kroger shopper. The thing I most want is for them to shelve the ice cream cones within reasonable proximity to the bloody ice cream. Fingerprinting isn't even on the list.

2. Actually, it does matter, but only if it literally means they loose business, and only if the lost business is more expensive then the savings associated with the system. THAT is exactly what they are trying to figure out with these trials. How much business does this cost them. So, if you see a trial like this, avoiding the stores in question is a good strategy if you don't like this sort of thing.

3. There are three things that matter here: Security, Convenience, and Cost. (There is one thing that does NOT matter here: privacy. These stores are no more interested in protecting your privacy then they are in helping TIA collect fingerprints. They don't care about this either way.)

4. This is being done because its convenient. Convenience = shorter grocery lines = more customers per hour = revenues. The people who have designed it are ONLY thinking about grocery stores. In that context it is far more secure then existing options as anyone trying to fake a print would be easily noticed by the anti-shrinkage brigade. Its also cheaper then loyalty cards because they don't have to print anything. Its win win win for them in their context.

5. The trouble is that they are ONLY thinking about THEIR context. Fingerprints are an absolute nightmare from a security perspective for doing online purchases. Its a password you can't change! Because you are going to want a single payment solution that works in every environment, and because fingerprints don't work in every environment, fingerprints will not be your payment solution, no matter how much it might make sense for Kroger and TIA.

6. However, you might need to use your fingerprint for the customer loyalty program. There is a significant risk that these systems will also serve a law enforement purpose. If you don't like that, opt out. You will be able to opt out, even if it costs you money. If enough people opt out the system will go away. Enough people is not the same as a large amount of people. There only has to be enough dissent such that the cost of that lost business is greater then the savings caused by shaving 30-60 seconds off of each person's checkout time. This may be as little as a hundred customers per store.

7. I have a feeling that the success of this sort of system will vary greatly from community to community. High levels of education, high income levels, or significant political leanings (right OR left) will cause higher rates of opt-out.

RE: Kroger Lets Shoppers Pay Via Fingerprint

] "U.S. retailers reeling from a lackluster holiday season
] that is forecast to be the weakest in more than 30 years."

Recovery? What?? Hello???

Forbes.com: RPT-US retailers face worst holiday sales in 3 decades

] In one skit, former Administrative Executive Peggy
] Menchaca played the part of Kinder as he received a
] budget report from then-President Jeff Skilling, who
] played himself, and Financial Planning Executive Tod
] Lindholm.
]
] When the pretend Kinder expressed doubt that Skilling
] could pull off 600 percent revenue growth for the coming
] year, Skilling revealed how it could be done.
]
] "We're going to move from mark-to-market accounting to
] something I call HFV, or hypothetical future value
] accounting," Skilling joked as he read from a script. "If
] we do that, we can add a kazillion dollars to the bottom
] line."

The video even contains a skit with both George Bush v1 and v1.9a.

Feds Want To See Enron Videotape

] "Sneer at hard work and thrift. Encourage the belief that
] all true wealth comes from skillful manipulation and
] cunning, or from sudden, brilliant and lucky strokes that
] leave the plodding, ordinary worker and saver in the
] dust."

How to Ruin American Enterprise. By Ben Stein.