With a flourish of showmanship befitting the late Steve Jobs, Tesla introduced their latest creation, the X-car, last night. The Tesla X is a very sexy crossover and a clear demonstration that Tesla is the most innovative car company in the world. Perhaps poised to become the Apple of automotive.

So Tim Cook: Think different; just do it. Call the bankers and buy Tesla. With $100B in cash on the balance sheet, a big idea is in order not a dividend. A 5x premium is a no-brainer. This would be a distraction you say? I don't think so. Frankly, it is right in strikezone. Probably easier than trying to sell a TV.

1. Tesla's innovative designs very much have Sir Ive's aesthetic 
2. The soon-to-appear Tesla S is the world's largest mobile device
3. Both companies are highly dependent on battery technology
4. Anyone with children knows the car is an extension of their home entertainment system
5. It is a natural evolution of Apple's strategy to be a central part of your life
6. As Tesla becomes a big success, Tim Cook's supply chain genious would be invaluable
7. Tesla is implementing an Apple-store like retail strategy
8. Who is Google going to buy, GM?
9. Microsoft can have Ford
10. Facebook - Zipcar I guess

A big bonus for Apple is this is a product they could manufacture in the US. It would be the perfect opportunity to apply all of their cultural and business acumen to create more jobs right here at home.

And finally, Elon Musk is IMHO the best Silicon Valley entrepreneur since Steve Jobs. I knew Steve and I know Elon; they were/are both rare individuals.  Elon would make a great Apple Board member, and with Apple driving Tesla, he could free up some time to get us to the Moon or Mars with his other little venture SpaceX.

Disclaimer: DFJ Growth, where I am a Managing Director was an early investor in Tesla.  I am a small stockholder as a result of Tesla's IPO.  One of DFJ's principals Steve Jurvetson is a member of Tesla's board of directors. This article is strictly my own opinion and does not represent any inside knowledge of any transaction whatsoever. I am unaware of any discussion between the companies. This is simply an idea/opinion.

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Explosion.mov Watch on Posterous

Clint Eastwood's "Halftime" soliloquy on behalf of Chrysler Corporation moved me to tears...so I had no choice.

Tesla? I want my S. Actually now I need it.

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Those of us in the tech community who are celebrating the temporary victory on SOPA/PIPA need to exhale and take a step back.  The traditional media industry has dealt with piracy for decades. Napster freaked them out in the 90s, but they now understand how much revenue leakage there is via the Internet and it is manageable. The fact is piracy is just a facade for a much deeper issue troubling Traditional Media.  Its the same issue that led Eastman Kodak company to bankruptcy: Disruption 

The Traditional Media model depends upon distribution choke points such as broadcast channels and movie theaters.  For decades, they have thrived as gatekeepers. The Internet has been tearing those barriers down via the disruption of "free and convenient" We have very effectively commoditized content. Newspapers, magazines have been gutted.

However, all is not rosy for the new generation of content creators either.  How many bloggers make a living at it? The tech industry hasn't been nearly as innovative in developing new business models to support sustainable content creation. All of the focus has been on grabbing eyeballs. Frankly, banner ads, pre-rolls, and flyovers just don't cut it. They produce pennies. As a result, the value of content has dramatically dropped for everyone.

Think about it: Huffington Post has been the high bar of Internet content value creation, sold to Aol for $300M+.  During the same period HuffPo was being built (with blood sweat and tears), so was Facebook - likely valued at $100B.

There is an old media saying that content is king but distribution is emperor. To Hollywood, the Internet is nothing but a Death Star.  So, devoid of a real willingness to reinvent themselves, the entertainment business turns to its best weapons of mass destruction: litigation and legislation.  

Rather than slug this out on Capital Hill, I'd rather see us all innovate healthy new media models. On that front, we have lots of work to do.

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The good news is that a lot of great minds are thinking about the current challenges in education.  The biggest misconception with my Silicon Valley colleagues is that education is a “market” and schools are like a “product” whose features need to be fixed or entirely disrupted. Our current system is neither.  Think about it, computers have become integral to every facet of society in the last 30 years except schools. Why? Because technology companies think of Education as a vertical market.

There are great innovations going on at organizations like Kahn Academy and New Tech Network and they are achieving traction because they are great programs and not-for-profits.  There is also much interest in the venture community in for-profit models.  I hope they are patient investors because change comes very slowly and education is a very very local affair.  Many people still think it is a terrible idea to even have computers in schools at all.

I would love to see all of the talent and energy of young entrepreneurs focused on helping education unfettered by the pressure to produce Venture Capital-like returns.  At least in Public Schools. For-profit Universities are fair game.

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Most employees have the distinct pleasure of a yearly performance review.  In large companies this is often a formal process with detailed evaluation forms. Typically the form will contain the employees' annual goals and the review session with their superior will rate their performance on each goal. It's generally a painful tedious process for all involved but it does require thought and reflection. A good executive will also allow the employee to give them feedback on how they can improve as managers. When practiced well the employee, supervisor and company all benefit.

The current dysfunction in the Federal Government got me thinking about the utter lack of accountability in our system. What would a yearly review look like for our representatives? Technically our vote is the definitive review, but we all know that system is rigged by the corrosiveness of fundraising, party machines etc.  Wouldn't it be a fascinating if we actually provided a yearly evaluation to our elected officials? Here's some of what I'd love to see:

Attention to legislative duty: what percentage of your time was spent on legislation and regulatory oversight vs.fund-raising? 

Lobbyists: How much money did you take from registered lobbyists, PACs or Super PACs – how did you advance legislation or vote on their specific issues?

Your District: How often did you meet personally with citizens you represent (who have not contributed to your campaign or outside of a fund-raising event)?

Partisanship: How often have you socialized with members of the opposite party? How often did lead an effort to creatively compromise? How many times have you voted against your party's position if you felt it was not consistent with your constituents.

Country first: Please provide specific examples of you putting the best interests of the country above your party, or the special interests you have taken money from.

Truth: How often do you use Public Relations specialists to "test" answers to tough questions vs. telling the truth as you know it? Do you use focus groups to test your policy positions?

Ethics: Have you ever hit on a staffer or intern? - Nah strike that one. President Clinton demonstrated you can be a very effective elected official and a lecher at the same time.

On second thought such a review process would be a huge waste of time.  Politics today is all about blame. It's not about who actually gets things done, it's who has a better excuse. Never mind.

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This recipe requires 6 fresh eggs, 3 Anacona and 3 Rhode Island Reds. They must have been laid within the last 12 hours else the protein structure of the albumin will begin to denature.  If you have the appropriate equipment, rooster eggs would produce the best results (refer to Book 4 Chapter 5 on genetically transgendering poultry).

The eggs must be planked on 5 year aged beechwood.  Beech floorplanks will suffice, they should not however be fininshed with any waxy polish.

Care must be taken for the application of the egg to the planks.  They should not be cracked first and spilled as is normally done. Rather the whole egg should be tossed exactly 2.7 meters into the air and allowed to fall naturally.  This will properly oxygenate the egg and gravity will apply exactly the correct force to blend the yolk and albumen to the desired consistency.  Do not be concerned about the shells, their natural calcium will help to catalyze the reaction between the Beechwood cells and the protein chains.

Allow the eggs to plank for 3 hours then test the dynamic viscosity (brookfield engineering is an excellent source of this equipment) which should be 1.5 on the Stokes scale. Plank longer if necessary to achieve desired viscosity.

Gently collect the egg mixture into a vacuum bag (now remove the shells) and seal. Place into a sous vide at 140 degrees for 20 minutes. Garnish with chive oil caviar and truffle snow (see Chapters 2 and 3 in Book 3). Shave pink Himalayan salt to taste.

You will never eat a traditional omlete again.

Author's note: inspired by the epic work of Nathan Myhrvold - Modernist Cuisine

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Hey I don't want to be a Jew-Grinch or anything but an important note to all of my friends of other faiths: Chanukah really isn't a big deal.  In fact in the scheme of Jewish tradition it doesn't even make it to "Holiday" classification (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur etc.).  It is considered a Festival, a time to have a bit of a good time.  It is a celebration of a battle victory, where like so many times, outnumbered Jews attack and evict the bad guys.

I guess it could also be considered a celebration of the first energy crisis because a small vial of oil (enough for one day) meant to light the eternal flame in the Holy Temple, miraculously kept alight for eight days until a fresh supply of oil could arrived.  A cynical view might be that the Jews of the era read the miracle incorrectly.  They were likely being tipped off that the Promised Land was close, but no cigar when it came to oil, and they should resettle wherever the eight days away was. But instead we celebrate for eight nights, lighting an additional candle each night, and of course gifts to the kids.

Chanukah's religious significance pales in comparison to the birth of Jesus in Christianity, which is a very holy day. Yet somehow Chanukah has been elevated to that status.   Perhaps, a kind of "political correctness" existed long before it was hip, and our secular society didn’t want to exclude Jews from all of the holiday fun. But a cynic might say Jewish merchants saw opportunity in convincing everyone to join in the gift buying bonanza, thus driving up sales. 

Rather than over-thinking, let's just consider this as a time to be with family, have good tidings and try and be charitable for those less fortunate. But for me, you can skip the "Happy Chanukahs" today.  I revel in being a cynic.

PS:

For the 10 things you didn't know about Chanukah, you can read this Time special (thx@malibumuffie)

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I am happy people have taken to the streets.  We need to broadcast signals that search for evidence of intelligent life in our government.

Many years ago as a high school senior, I witnessed construction workers beating on hippie protestors marching in NYC.  Every hardhat had a little American flag on it.  The protesters wore peace signs. The brawl was over US involvement in the Viet Nam war. 

It was a very contentious time that led to student protesters being gunned down by American soldiers at Kent State University.  At the time it was unclear who were the patriots, the protestors or the leaders trying to maintain civil order.

In hindsight it has become crystal clear.  Our Federal Government had lost its way and people took to the streets to communicate their anger in the only way they believed it would be heard: the old fashioned American way.

At that moment in my life, and for the next 25 years I was one of the 99%._­ Now I am one of the 1%, but I'm just as frustrated as the 99%, maybe more.

Here is why:

Our Federal government is a huge mess.  I have experienced it up close and personal.  While there are many very dedicated, brilliant people there, they are imprisoned in a dysfunctional and sometimes corrupt system.

 There is good reason to be angry with greedy bankers.  But the greed spreads far beyond Wall Street. Wall Street’s behavior is driven by the pressure to produce ever-growing returns on investments.  Some of their biggest investors are the pension funds of Organized Labor.  Yes that is correct, The Unions have their hands dirty with greed as well.

 The Obama Administration has not taken decisive action to regulate the kind of derivative investments that were responsible for the meltdown.  There are other reasonable regulations that should be considered. Nothing has happened. No accountability.

Fair taxation? I would happily pay more taxes if we overhauled and simplified the tax code and legislated a balanced budget.  The problem today is that the Government wastes so much money mismanaging existing programs, that more taxes would further support the current dysfunction. It would also reduce the motivation to clean up the mess.

What is our biggest problem? Denial. The Government simply is in La-La land.  We all have to live within our means.  Yes we can have a little credit as long as we can make the payments.  The Feds have been spoiled by a world economy willing to lend us all the money we want to borrow.  Those days are coming to end.  Then what?  It’s like being told by the doctor to eat right and exercise more and you dismissively say “yeah, yeah I have plenty of time for that.”  Then one day you have a heart attack. 

Occupy Wall Street is exhibiting displaced anger.  Everyone should converge on Washington DC.  If a crook stole your car and was never caught and punished, you’d be better served by hassling the police, not the crook. All of this energy needs to be moved to Capitol Hill and the White House.

To those who revile the 1% please note: “The 1%” is a broad generalization. Yes there are thieves like Bernie Madoff.  But most are people who have actualized the American Dream: They had aspirations, got educated, work hard and made our dreams come true. Some of us also believe we owe something back to the system that made the dream possible.  My cause is education.  I work hard at it and put my money where my mouth is (doing things our government should be doing if it was functional).  Many of the 1% give back as well.

The big issue is not the 1% it’s the ability of the 99% to pursue the American Dream and become part of the 1%.  The system is showing signs of breaking.  We can’t give our kids a proper education.  We don’t have jobs for them when they graduate.

Now for the big question: what is the solution? What should the Occupy Movement be asking for? As yet there is no coherent single answer that appeals to all factions of the movement. But I think there is one.

The answer is simple and elegant: outlaw “Blame” in the political discourse.  We should demand that our politicians only talk to us with proposals and solutions.  They should keep the finger pointing and fighting behind closed doors.  We don’t need to see the sausage making. If they can’t produce solutions. Vote them out.  Forget about party politics, vote for anyone who gets things done.

I am not suggesting passing actual legislation that outlaws blame, but we should demand it by firmly communicating that we will vote against any official that uses blame as an excuse for not doing their job.  Including the President.  Bring us solutions. Make tough decisions and compromise. And for the love of our ideals, please stop the incessant partisan politics.

Accountability without Blame – demand it, and enforce it with your vote.

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Quite a lot of buzz today in Silicon Valley (nerd Hollywood) over yet another entry into tablet market. The technorati are all atwitter over what it means; who gets hurt? Apple? Google? Netflix? Time will tell for sure.  But there is a bigger story here: Amazon beat Microsoft, Apple and Google to the punch. Today, Amazon ushered in the Consumer Cloud Era, nothing short of the third chapter of the Internet has now begun.

In Silicon Valley we consider the notion of "The Cloud" as common knowledge (yes, we should get a life).  But for the benefit of normal humans, Cloud refers to all of the computing power and storage that resides in the giant data centers you connect to via the Internet, to do all of the wonderful things you do these days on the Web. The technicalities are not particularly important, with The Cloud and fast broadband connections more of what you did on your desktop computer can be done "in the Cloud." 

So what you might ask? Here's why you care. Most people now live in a multi-device world. Laptop, Smartphone and increasingly tablets.  So, for example if you want to show someone that great picture you took on the weekend, if it is on your hard drive at your desk you are SOL.  But if it resides in the Cloud on a service like Flickr, or Picasa, voila! you can access it from anywhere.  Perhaps you already use a Cloud product like Dropbox, Box.net or Evernote.  You already enjoy the benefits. 

This is not a new idea, in fact AOL was the first service to introduce Cloud services to consumers, back when you had to hide from Velociraptors on your way to work.  Now for a variety of reasons, the technology has matured enough to cause a sea change in the way everything works.  And it will be a tsunami of change. Everything, including the huge Microsoft franchise will be up for grabs.

This is not lost on Microsoft nor Apple who are busy re-engineering for the Cloud, but Jeff Bezos an under-appreciated visionary has already taken Amazon there. For the last few years Amazon has made their own vast network infrastructure available for "rent" to other websites.  They have now become a very big provider of Cloud services, in fact many of your favorite sites are hosted by Amazon.  By doing this they have polished up their capabilities and in the process, created everything they need to deliver the first fine-tuned, consumer grade Cloud Computer: the Kindle Fire.

What does that mean for you?  A slick speedy device that will let you read books, watch movies and TV, and play games.  And if you were watching a movie at a friends house you can pause it and resume watching on your phone, or laptop or Internet connected TV.  It's the way everything in the future will work.

So now the race is on. Microsoft, Google, Apple and a host of new companies will be innovating at breakneck pace.  Who will win? The forecast for Amazon is cloudy indeed, only in this case it's the best forecast ever.

Note to geeks: for a video on the details of Amazon's exciting new Cloud Browser called "Silk" watch this video:

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We are such a fickle society.  We love a success stories because they define the American Dream. We insist on freedom of choice. We thrive on competition and a fair fight.  But oddly, the instant a person or company achieves big success, we just love to tear them down.  

So in the historical backdrop of protecting consumers from businesses that become so successful they start playing dirty, the Antitrust Sub-committee of the Senate Judiciary Committee took Google Chairman Eric Schmidt to task today.  I have had the esteemed pleasure of testifying before various agencies of the Federal Government and must confess that Eric was far more patient than I, as I have little patience for unprepared bureaucrats with low IQs.

There are a lot of misconceptions around antitrust and monopolies, so here is a short tutorial. Strictly speaking there is are legal criteria for what constitutes a monopoly, and it is often ultimately a matter of judge's decision.

Being deemed a monopoly in itself is not illegal, it does triggers certain corporate responsibilities. It was quite clear today that many of our Senators are not well versed in this area since they seem to believe a monopoly is solely defined by having attained a huge market share.  

In reality, a monopoly is largely defined by a company's ability to control pricing because a consumer has no choice, or has a very high switching cost. For example prior to to deregulation you could only buy telephone service from your local Bell Company. Or prior to Satellite TV, you could only get Cable TV from your local Cable Franchise. Hence these became regulated monopolies.

Microsoft established a monopoly in PC operating systems and ran into anti-trust trouble by muscling other companies. The trick there was that there really was no viable alternative to a Windows PC 10 years ago. You were stuck with Microsoft. And they set the price. But it's a completely different set of issues with Google (a nuance that seemed to allude former comedian/writer Al Franken, who was doing his best imitation of a Senator at today's hearing).

The old rules just don't apply to Google.  While they do have very large general search-term marketshare, consumers get the service for free and there are several alternatives easily available. Much noise was made about Google's clout in e-commerce yet the dominant e-commerce search engine today is actually Amazon by a wide margin.  

Most of the Senatorial banter was focused on whether Google favors their own content and services in page ranking. Are they bypassing or gaming their own algorithms to hurt the competition? The seemingly obsessive line of questioning originates from the legacy of the Cable TV business.  When Hollywood Studios started merging with regulated Cable Companies, the FCC insisted that the Cable Cos could not unfairly favor their content.  So it is the idea that Google reminds them of the old "distribution + content" problem that gets the Senators' undies in a deep wedgie.  But the analogy is a bad one. 

It's also likely an irrelevant issue.  Antitrust laws are meant to protect consumers and if consumers don't like the results they get from Google, Bing and Yahoo are just a click away. So what's the beef?

The Beef is led by companies like Yelp and Nextag, whose CEOs both testified against Google today.  Their business models depend on Google's audience and they fear the idea of Google competing with them.  They would like to See Google blocked from being in the content business. I'm not sure I understand how that kind of government meddling would benefit consumers. 

These guys would be better served by teaming up with Facebook and Twitter, who now represent a very credible threats to the Google search model. Seeking shelter of Federal Regulation is an indication you have run out of ideas. Frankly they both sounded pretty whiney. 

All of this is not to say the Government shouldn't be taking a good hard look at Google but the far more important issue was barely touched: privacy and the use of consumers' personal data. Cookies, super cookies, geo-tracking, mapping, street view – these are the family jewels that we consumers trade with Google in return for their free services.  

It is Privacy that requires some thoughtful investigation, but it will take people with real knowledge of the issues to tackle it. That was the bullet Eric dodged today. I suppose they will haul Zuckerberg up for that one. Facebook better send Sheryl Sandberg.

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Giant shoes to fill. Tim Cook is a skilled operator who is every bit as responsible for Apple's big comeback as Steve Jobs is. They are a team. Every big thinker needs an operational genius to help them bring their vision to reality. These kinds of folks generally enjoy the background role. Quiet power. Velvet stiletto. 

Now Tim will take center stage. Apple is in good hands, but Tim needs a different script. If walks into the Moscone spotlight and tries to pull off the "just one more thing" Columbo act he will look like Rich Little on the Ed Sullivan show (kids: you'll have to Goog them). And the adoration foisted upon Steve's Apple will lose it's lusty appeal like so many 40-something pole dancers.

There is no replacement for Steve, but that doesn't mean Tim can't do the job in a different way. He is just going to need a different act. His own voice. Or maybe hire Noah Wily for the product launches.

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Already pundits are speculating that the freshly-minted IPO window will now abruptly close.  Maybe.  But if it does, it may accelerate a growing phenomenon - Secondary Markets.  Twitter recently raised $800m at an $8+B valuation via late-stage institutional investors.  That itself was a huge IPO-scale funding by any measure. Yet they don't have the reporting and regulatory overhead of being public. They are free to build their business without the short-term focus being public imposes.

Facebook is a private company whose stock actively trades in the $70/share range on secondary markets. It exchanges hands of sophisticated investors willing to bet that someday Facebook will be valued at $200B or more.

The secondary markets really caught fire after the last big crash when the IPO window abruptly slammed shut. Money managers needed to put their capital to work and they found a way to do it without the NYSE or NASDQ. The SEC has looked at the process and seems to be A-OK (for now).

There is always a lot of money looking for great companies (some say $1T right now).  And there are always great companies looking for growth capital.  Innovation never ceases even in the midst of government dysfunction and market chaos.

Perhaps the public markets with all of their broken-down ratings agencies, and less-then-credible analysts will surrender their status as the go-to destination for financing of young emerging companies.  The histrionics may be too unsuitable for growth capital.  Particularly when necessity has invented a growing alternative.  

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One of the benefits of getting out of Silicon Valley for the summer is it puts you back in touch with civilians.  You know, people who don't lust after new technology, but rather are forced to contend with it.  (Most of the local highways in the US don't feature billboards shouting about the latest enterprise storage solutions).

Since the beach exposes my "8080 Geek" Tat, I seem to attract more than my fair share of tech support questions.  Five summers ago it was about setting up WIFI. Three, it was Facebook. This summer it is all about Twitter. Sounds odd since much of the tech world has been using it for years, but it is just seeping into real public awareness. Most FAQs about Twitter go something like:

"I don't get it?  Seems a waste of time."

"I want to use it but have nothing to say."

"What do all of the codes like RT and #FF mean - seems like a secret club."

I patiently try to explain that Twitter, when properly used makes information you are interested in magically come to you.  But sadly, even with its newer slicker website, it still has very high barrier to entry. I can only encourage them to stick to it for a couple of weeks and they will either have their hazzah! moment or give up.

The few other geeks in the crowd are all about Google+. Here the FAQs tend toward the:

"Can you get me an invite?"

"What do you think? Will it kill Facebook?"

"Do you think Google finally got it right?"

Personally I think Google+ is a game-changer and they did get a lot right. But it is far from civilian-grade at the moment. And no it won't kill Facebook but likely will cause some healthy market segmentation.

Probably the most interesting 2011 summer phenomenon is the lack of chatter about Facebook. Perhaps this is a sign of success, the civies are hooked up and know how to use it.  But frankly I sense fatigue:

"I have too many friends that really aren't friends..."

"There are too many ads..."

"Yeah, I don't get around to checking my FB much anymore..."

And yes there is still the random AOL question:

"Do I have to have Huffington Post for news?"

Pass me another margarita. 

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A puff of smoke trailed burning rubber as Space Shuttle Atlantis touched down before dawn, marking a bittersweet end to NASA's human spaceflight era.  Amidst the backdrop of Federal Government dysfunction it is hard to recall the urgency of the Cold War space-race that propelled the greatest US public/private technological achievements in history. Now NASA is passing the baton to the private sector to launch a new generation of rockets which will deliver payloads and hopefully humans into Earth orbit.  

Yesterday, President Obama announced that Atlantis left a small flag aboard the ISS (a flag that flew on the inaugural Shuttle mission) meant to be a trophy for the first commercial spacecraft to deliver humans back to ISS - a "grab the flag" prize, not likely to be retrieved for at least 4-5 years. In the meantime NASA ponders its future.

But there is another "grab the flag" game being played, only the US will just be a spectator.  Flash forward to Beijing 2025.  The lines at the Forbidden City snake for miles.  The atmosphere is jubilant.  The second country in the history of civilization has returned from its first manned lunar mission to the Fra Mauro crater. The Chinese 14 day mission focused on a variety of scientific objectives including the effects of prolonged space exposure on human technology.

Chinese citizens and tourists alike file past the special exhibit at a snail's pace, each with the opportunity to have their picture taken in front of a very special object returned from the moon's surface: The American flag left behind by Apollo 14 astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa and Edgar Mitchell on February 9, 1971.

RIP US space technology leadership.

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Once the molecular snip is made, the cell detects a problem and springs in to action to replicate and repair the sequence. However another engineered virus is already at the scene with a special delivery: a new replacement sequence which will facilitate the proper manufacture of clotting factor.  The liver cell takes the delivery and repairs the snipped gene with the correct sequence.  It's the biological equivalent of patching a bug in software.

Two years ago I gave a TED speech on the possibility of such technology. This week researchers announced success in conducting this elegant procedure in mice.  The successful results just might herald the start of the biggest medical revolution since the invention of antibiotics. 

More details on the reported breakthrough.

While this "cut and paste" process is highly experimental, it relies on techniques that are routinely used in microbiology for simple single cell organisms. Potential side effects in higher order species remain to be seen. But the potential is huge.  For example, the two genes most  associated with the inherited predisposition for breast cancer (BRCA1 and BRCA2) have fairly well understood mutations.  These could be conceivably cut and pasted to a normal state.  There is a long list of other possibilities.

And who knows? That magic diet pill, just might be a couple of viruses away.

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This year's education hot-potatoes:  teachers and their unions are bad. Standardized testing is bad. States have no money so let's fire all those bad teachers. We have fallen way behind the rest of the world.

Frankly, like dieting, everything you hear is false and true.

For a dozen years now I have been involved in education reform. My experience comes from street-fighting. Yes, I do my share of commiserating with policy-makers. But there is too much talking, not enough action. So together with a close group I co-founded an independent K-8 school and then turned my attention to public education.  As Chairman of New Tech Network I have helped lead what has become the fasting growing new model of public high schools.

As an entrepreneur I have never dealt with a more difficult, frustrating challenge. The issues education are divisive, politically radioactive and data is abused (by all sides) in a manner that would have made Pravda proud.

Amidst the fog of confusion, one thing has become crystal clear. If you are waiting for the Federal or State Governments to improve public education, you are going to wait a very long time.  Maybe you will see your grandkids go to better schools. There is only one way to fix our schools.  Become a local activist. Cause a revolution in your own district. Organize your friends and neighbors.  Go the New Tech Network site for the "how-to" to get it going. We will help. We have done over 60 public high schools and are launching 25 more, including 11 in New York City.

This is not rocket science.  We know how to create great schools and we can afford it if we have the will. Your community just has to take matters into its own hands.

Stop whining; start doing.

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"And everything was love…love…love" Austin Brown 85

These simple but haunting words frame a young man's vision of his birth year 1985. That young man is about to change the course of music, literally and from a business sense.  You probably don't recognize his name, but you already know who he is.  Austin Brown is the latest generation of the Jackson family and proof positive they are an unqualified music dynasty. Third child of Maureen "Rebbie" Jackson, Austin is Michael Jackson's nephew (as well as Janet's and the rest of the clan). 

I had the pleasure of spending a leisurely Napa spring afternoon with Austin previewing his soon to be released work and riffing about the future of the music/media business.  It quickly became evident that Austin is indeed another prodigy but with a twist. Austin, could write his own ticket with any major record label, but he is going S-Indy (Social Indy) with his own company The Royal Factory, building a fanbase by leveraging today's social tools.  In a word he "gets" it.  

This move marks the beginning of the last chapter for the traditional labels. A saga started by Napster, then legitimatized by Apple. For the last decade the industry has been in complete turmoil as business models have rapidly changed and the role of the big gatekeepers has diminished. It is not yet quite clear what the new models will look like, but my bet is they will be driven by the "artist-as-a-social-brand" model made possible via the Twitter and Facebook ecosystems. Austin will be carving this path.

"Why now?"

He's got the Jackson gene, and it has evolved. He sings, dances, does acrobatics, plays multi-instruments, writes, scores, produces and tweets.  He is bottled lightening waiting to explode.  So where has he been all of our lives? Rebbie Jackson, Austin's mom (and Platinum Artist herself) was firsthand witness to the challenges of childhood super-stardom.  She wanted something different for her family and moved away to raise her three children.  Austin exhibited his extraordinary talent at a very young age, but her instinct was to keep him off the stage to afford a more normal upbringing.

But the creative forces within him were spinning like a Category 5 hurricane. Uncle Michael was his Yoda in voice and dance, while Uncle Randy taught him to play a variety of instruments, music theory and song structure. For years Austin has been writing, producing and collaborating with likes of Grammy-nominated Ryan Tedder and others.  He has been honing and polishing his skills, creating and recording material; contemplating the right moment to, in his own words, be "good enough" to take center stage.  Then it happened.

"...and in the streets the children screamed, the lovers cried, and the poets dreamed…The day the music died." 
Don McLean American Pie

The loss of Michael is still a very painful topic in the Jackson family, particularly so for Austin. But his resolve to perform has continued to strengthen, and he has persisted in maturing his work. He recently completed a four minute "trailer" that tells his life story via several songs from his upcoming premier album 85. It is a spectacular piece that hits on so many levels.  He is purebred Jackson.  Comparisons to Michael are inevitable, but Austin has his own moves and musical stylings that both fill a void and forge a new direction. Melodies are back. Dance is back: retro with a modern techie flair. It's Rat Pack meets disco meets R&B. But it is also clear Austin is going to take us on an innovative musical mystery tour.  

On the business front he is clearly ready to innovate.  Even with the Jackson family behind him, he is like any aspiring new artist, hopeful but hungry. He painfully understands the special burden of a long shadow of expectations. Yet he is dancing to a new beat, bypassing the traditional handlers and spinmeisters. He is counting on connecting directly with his audience, talking to and learning from them. And he will. Because Austin is grounded, humble and a real mensch. Plus he has plenty of support from co-founder and CEO of The Royal Factory, successful Bay Area entrepreneur Chester Aldridge.

Like the breakthrough social launch of LOOK the TV Series on Showtime; Adam Corolla's hugely popular podcast, now a successful paid-subscription show on UStream (with sidekick the famous @alisonrosen); and Charlie Sheen's explosive Warlock use of social media and streaming network WyTV. Austin's S-Indy launch is sure to be the next big leap in the disruption of old media. It's a game-changer. Even more provocatively, history might show it was just Target Practice.

Austin's video premiered live at KIIS-FM's Wango Tango concert - watch:

Follow Austin on Twitter: @AustinBrown
Austin's Official Website www.austinbrown.com

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Charlie Sheen and his F-16 Id have both been shaking it up the past week. His string of edgy, on-air diatribes left traditional interviewers gasping for air.  Pumped up with Tiger's Blood and Adonis DNA, Charlie took the battle to the airwaves in an attempt to get the gatekeepers at CBS to get his mega-hit show Two and a Half Men back into production.

Then a little birdie twittered into Charlie's ear: "who gives a shit about CBS, YOU are the brand.  No one tunes into CBS, they tune into Charlie Sheen and you can connect with that audience directly. Within 24 hours Charlie had over one million Twitter followers (now close to two million) and #winning and #tigerblood were trending topics in the Memesphere.

Producer Brad Wyman, a longtime friend of Charlie's (and my partner in LOOK, the Movie, LOOK the TV series and now WYTV) introduced him to our new venture The WYTV Network. The premise simple. Hollywood filled with trolls: LOSING! The future of Entertainment the Internet: WINNING! It's all in the very early stages: LANDGRAB!

Over cigars and war stories  about "The Chase" (Brad produced, Charlie starred) The plan was hatched. WYTV's portable studio would set up in his house (the Lodge), we'd all start Tweeting it up Saturday morning and go live at 7pm. Tens of thousands might tune in. It would be Sheen's mike, Sheen's roll. Sheen's Korner. A big experiment.

It's already history.  Only it was hundreds of thousands. Will be millions shortly.

Episode One of "Sheen's Korner" was very "Alpha." Work in progress.  Haters out in force. Who cares? They are Trolls. First show was a TROLL FILTER – goodbye LOSERS! Episode 2 Beta: Tigerblood will be flowing. Charlie on fire – sooner than you think. More cigar smoke. The show will be great

So is Charlie WINNING?  Or was it a flame-out? Check the balance sheet:

Sheen's Korner: 1.5M views in less than 24 hours.

631,554 live simultaneous viewers a UStream Saturday night record and second only to The Chilean Miner rescue.

960,000 additional views of the recorded episode. (growing every minute).

Perspective: that is more than 2X CNN's primetime audience.

Dollars spent on promotion $0.

Twitter followers added since the show aired: 300,000 (now a record 2M+ in under a week).

Charlie has already won.  In one week he's already as big as a Cable Network and more than 10% on his way to an audience the size of Two and a Half Men. No gatekeepers or "suits" needed.  

On the Tech side the WYTV team was superb. For months we have been working on the art of live streaming. Not web-cam-shake-your-booty-fuzzy, but real Multi- cameras, switcher, cut-aways, lighting, smooth high-quality stream. It's new ground.  

Why WYTV? This network is where HBO was in the 1970s.  HBO gave people something they couldn't get on TV: back then it was uncut, uncensored movies. That's all.  This week WYTV gave you Charlie Sheen: something you couldn't get on TV. No cable subscription needed.  

We have no illusions. Live broadcasting is hard - maybe a lost art.  We are bringing it back, with the interactivity and socialness of the Internet as part of the formula.  It's all being figured out in real time.  Sometimes it sucks. Sometimes it's so bad it's good. But there are magic moments emerging. Soon the magic will be persistent.

UPDATE: Charlie was back on the air Sunday with his own view of Episode One. You can check it out at Sheen's Korner.

What other shows are on WYTV?

GlobalSoulTV – Uber DJ Matt Robinson and his oh-so Soultry sidekick Erinn Anova hittin' R&Band Soul  like it's supposed to be.

Fleischer's Universe – Mega talent Charles Fleischer (aka Roger Rabbit) shows his mega-brain in an alternate reality where Albert Einstein channels Robin Williams.

Down the Rabbit Hole – Starring Twitter personality @Duchess_rebecca. Live from Des Moines: it's Prairie Home Companion with thongs, sports and vodka.

Those Video Guys – From across the pond these dudes tell you what's watchable on the web and what sucks royal jelly.

You can find the full schedule at WYTV.

Should Hollywood be worried? Nah, people will just keep paying their huge cable bills while the Networks hold their oh-so-special content away from Netflix and Amazon and iTunes.  On the other hand, I can't name a single broadcast show in history that ever got 1.5 million viewers without a single dollar spent on promotion.

Be very worried Trolls.

Dedication: to Alison Rosen who was and remains the future of TV.

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It was just one year ago that the hyperbolic speculation about iPad ended with it's formal introduction, and no one, including Apple themselves predicted its amazing success.  For me it has been like a wild fling with with an (embarrassingly too-young) hottie.  It was great. But lately it's just not the same. The early stimulation has long been replaced by a vacuous, cumbersome relationship.  So it's not hard to understand me sneaking off with Motorola's sleek new brunette, while awaiting the appearance of Apple's new blonde playmate.

XOOM features Google's "Honeycomb" version of Android, specifically designed for the tablet form-factor.  Pundits may argue it is not as polished as iOS and it has it's rough edges, but frankly it drives home the biggest problem with iPad: it's just a blown up iPhone.  Or iPhone is just a midget (size-challenged?) iPad.  And frankly, none of them have managed to eliminate the need for the humble Kindle. So the gadget bad just gets bigger. Confused? Herewith some clarity.

On the XOOM:

It's fast, it's got two cameras, a micro SD card – all of the stuff the iPad2 is likely to have, unfortunately it is very beta. Perhaps even nervier than the first iteration of iPad )in it's state of raw) It can't read it's own SD card (software patch coming) and it will be upgradeable to Verizon's 4G network (with more software and a SIM card, to be released at a future date).

Like the iPad when it first arrived, it will run existing Android Apps, but not with any certainty. Many simply crash.  There are only a handful of native Honeycomb Apps, but with the explosive popularity of Android, this will likely rapidly change.

While it is not as brain-dead simple as iPad, it is far more capable at multi-tasking and allows you to keep your apps organized, accessible, and updated without Apple's silly system of tethering to iTunes. Sadly, right now it's strictly for Geeks, but with some imagination you can see XOOM ultimately as THE iPad for Droid-heads.

On iPad2:

Whatever it is. It will be better than iPad1 from a hardware point of view – but frankly I'm over it.  And I'm not alone. Other former iPad obsessors are coming out of the closet loudly playing "After the love is gone" on iTunes.

Listen up Tablet makers, including the wizards of Cupertino. Put a freakin' phone in the tablet. The 3G is already built in. It's at my side all the time anyway. I will happily use a bluetooth headset and toss my iPhone and Droid into the Napa River.  Smartphone + tablet + laptop + Kindle (for those who actually read) is just not working – can you feel me tablet nation?

Nuf said. Lose the phone. Save the tablet. iPad2? XOOM? First one to enable an onboard phone wins. (Ballmer - you listening?)

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Who doesn't remember the afterburner-charged, motorcycle-riding, blonde-chasing fighter jock, call sign: Maverick, defined by a young Tom Cruise in "Top Gun?" A film that was an unabashed, unapologetic celebration of testosterone. The added benefit was a glimpse into the operations of our county's most formidable combat platform, the aircraft carrier. So when offered the opportunity of an overnight visit of a Nimitz Class aircraft carrier at sea, one could imagine my reaction (forget my passion for boating, aviation and all things techie) it wasYES!! (in a femtosecond).

The process began with a bunch of paperwork from Navy public affairs to assure one is in good health and to provide multiple warnings of the physical demands of the trip. It would feature an arrested landing, a catapult launch and a vigorous tour which would include climbing ten flights of stairs (which turn out to be ladders) multiple times.  Your girth could not be greater than 53 inches so one could fit through scuttle hatches if necessary. Most important, you would be charged $50 for the cost of food (cash only).

All of this is part of the US Navy's Distinguished Visitor (DV) program which is designed to provide personal exposure to their mission and insights into how they are spending tax payer's dollars. The Navy's hope is that the DV's will then spread a positive word.

The reality of the trip I experienced this week was immersive at so many levels I could write a book. But Tom Clancey has that covered so I will provide a taste in a three part blog. Part one: I bring you along for the wild ride out. Part two: Life aboard – how the whole thing works and finally Part three: the political view – are we getting our $billions worth?

My trip would be on the USS John C. Stennis, one of ten Nimitz Class Super Carriers in the US fleet, each the flagship of a Strike Group consisting of multiple warships and other assets.  I would be embarking from the Naval AirStation in Coronado, just across the bay from downtown San Diego.

After arrival at the air station we were parked in an auditorium for a thorough briefing by the soon-to-be CO of the USS Nimitz. Here we would learn of the adventure to come.  Ten succinct powerpoint slides followed by a very vibrant Q&A and then the real action began.

the Grumman C2 Greyhound a small but powerful turboprop transport which has the capability to land on a Carrier.  In fact that is it's primary mission. It's acronym is COD (Carrier Onboard Delivery). This aircraft is a workhorse that routinely flies personnel and supplies between land bases and Carriers at sea. The final briefing was prep for the "arrested landing" we would experience. This is the tail-hook thing. If all went well. we would touchdown on the flight deck and catch an arrestor cable which would bring us to a very abrupt (but safe) stop.

A few factoids about a Nimitz Class Carrier (all the detail you want is here). They measure 1092  ft. long and the flight deck surface area exceeds four acres.  It displaces over 100,000 long tons and is powered by two nuclear reactors.  The ship will be refueled just once during it's 50 year life.  Top speed is classified but published at over 30 knots (35 mph). Rumors are the top speed might exceed 50 knots. When fully loaded with it's airwings (the flyboys) it will have 90 or so assorted aircraft aboard and 6500 people.  It is a warehouse of bombs, missiles, and supplies. It very quickly becomes clear that the USS John C. Stennis is literally a floating city, complete with a very active airport.

The USS John C. Stennis is the only Air Craft Carrier named for a Senator. The honor bestowed because of his avid support of the Nimitz program while Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.  The Ship's official seal is emblazoned with his motto "Look Ahead."

During this overnight adventure we would see flight operations conducted both day and night.  This is the "Top Gun" part of the experience.  But there is far more to the story, because we would vividly learn that what goes on topside requires coordination of many complex systems and thousands of personnel.  The fighter jock getting catapulted into the air with his payload of ordinance is truly just the tip of the iceberg.  And most astonishing of all, the heavy lifting is done by kids, ages ranging from 19 to 25.  The CO, Captain Joseph Kuzmick put it to me very succinctly, "you've run very large organizations, imagine having a company of 6000 people who have just been trained to do their job, average age 23. Oh and they are responsible for $billions worth of systems."

Next – Part two "Everyday life in the Danger Zone"

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