On The Turning Away

Apparently, the day is getting longer post-winter solstice.

Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.
- Robert Frost (1874 - 1963)

(courtesy of gapingvoid.com)

From the “Nobody Cares” Manifesto -

A tidy office implies a tidy mind - nobody cares. A tidy mind is often compartmentalised to the point of tunnel vision. You don’t see tidy at
the edge of innovation.

Newspapers in the Arab world warn that executing Saddam Hussein could lead to greater unrest in Iraq. While applauding an Iraqi appeals court’s decision, The Economist, nonetheless argued against the execution of Saddam Hussein. Ultimately, the decision is one for Iraqis to make.

“Not only is capital punishment wrong in itself, however wicked the guilty party, it is most unlikely to help bind Iraq’s wounds. His trial was flawed enough to provoke condemnation from Western human rights groups, among others, and to seed suspicion in some parts that the former tyrant’s execution is less a matter of justice and more a case of revenge.

Most Shias and many Kurds seem to welcome the verdict: they do not care a jot about the technical defects of the trial. As for the Sunnis who were loyal to the previous regime, it is the legitimacy of the present government, not the probity of the court, that is fundamentally in question. Putting Mr Hussein to death will not, of course, make him a martyr. However, nor will it do anything to encourage the reconciliation or compromise that Iraq needs.”

New Year, new borders for Liechtenstein, the tiny principality wedged between Austria and Switzerland. It turns out some areas of the Alpine nation had never been properly measured until now, thus the territorial expansion: Liechtenstein’s borders are 1.9km (1.2 miles) longer than previously mapped.

The German-speaking territory has maintained its independence since 1719 and is famous mainly for “its sheer lack of size and some generous banking laws”. Despite its new-found territory, Liechtenstein is the sixth smallest independent state in the world, larger than the Vatican City and Monaco. We visited the principality last August and snapped a pic of Kunstmuseum. The Royal Residence (under renovation at the time) sits on top of the hill behind the museum.

Notable in the coverage of apres-quake Asian Internet “crisis” is the mentioning of Google’s noninterrupted service. The 7.1-magnitude (on the Richter scale) earthquake, struck off Taiwan’s southern coast, damaged undersea cables that provide Asia with Internet access and caused widespread disruption, hitting services in Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Singapore, and China, with knock-on effects elsewhere.

Reports from Shanghai were that by Thursday Skype is back in action, but MSN is spotty, and Yahoo is totally out of service. The only bright spot is Google, whose services are humming. How does Google avoid single points of failure - has it built a smarter Internet or what?

In the last working day of 2006, all eyes are on Target Countdown Celebration on New Year’s Eve. On the heels of Thanksgiving week performance by artist David Blaine who escaped from a spinning gyroscope above Time Square, Target is embarking on another event-marketing in our fair city.

This time, some 30,000 lucky revelers along Seventh Ave and Broadway will receive pairs of 3D glasses designed to transform the ceremony’s fireworks into Target bull’s-eyes, and make it appear that the retail giant’s logo is emerging from the 1,070-pound ball as it drops. In addition, at the top of each hour from 7-11 p.m. will be Target Countdown Celebration moments - several tons of “word-fetti” will drop inscribed with words of “inspiration” for 2007: “peace,” “play,” “cheer,” “celebrate” and “hope.” Happy New Year.

The philosophers have only interpreted the world in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.
- Karl Marx (1818 - 1883)

Apparently not everybody is marooned in St. Barts. Googlers, for instance, are chugging along, holidays or not. Reports trickled out that it will invest in a Chinese social video site, Xunlei (Thunder, in English).

It’s a further sign of Google’s faith in video’s dominance on the Web, above all, the fact that China is the second largest internet market behind the U.S. did not escape Googlers. The search giant, along with Ceyuan Ventures4, reportedly will add to its existing investors that include IDG Venture Capital and Morningside Asia Advisory in the company’s next round of funding, in which the valuation is around 100 million.

Xunlei is said to have between 75 million to 100 million downloads of its software and also has partnership agreements with companies such as Motorola, Sina and Shanda. It is also working with television stations to do P2P downloads of television content that they attach ads to, and content partners include Phoenix TV and Hunan Satellite TV.

Update (1/5/2007): the NYT reported that Google had acquired a 4% stake ($5 million) in Xunlei.