I completely and totally agree w/ this. When laptops started making it into meetings - especially at larger companies - attentiveness to the issues being discussed plunged.

While it may seem efficient time management, it's actually anything but. Especially when you end up dragging out decision making via email for days - because you missed a chance to reach a final decision in the face-to-face meeting due to people being distracted and not focused.

Paper note taking - in the long run - is more efficient. And you could always use a Livescribe pen if you're addicted to gadgets - http://www.amazon.com/Livescribe-2GB-Pulse-Smartp...

Paywalls, paywalls. It's certainly ironic that we're having this conversation in 2009. This issue was debated 10-11 years ago when Microsoft's Slate.com decided to eliminate their paywall. Their reasoning and argument at the time was that they could lower the paywall, and attract far, far more readers to their quality digital content - and sell ads against that content.

Instead of Rupert Murdoch and other publishers contemplating raising paywalls again on the web, why don't they instead study and learn from the successful online publishers such as Gawker Media. If Murdoch was smart, he'd buy Gawker Media and put Nick Denton in charge of News Corp.'s digital content strategies. The New York Post perfected "link bait" stories with provocative content and headlines - long, long before the first web browser was ever invented.

Why has the Post failed so badly at attracting readers to those perfect "link bait" stories online?

I recently discussed the monetization of online content in a video blog post - http://jeffrutherford.com/rupert-murdoch-needs-to...

Matt,

I'm disappointed with the current stimulus package too. It's distressing when there have been huge promises of legitimate spending on infrastructure. Yet, the recent numbers I've seen have infrastructure spending at less than $75 billion from the entire bill. And there's lots of other examples too. Also, I'm leery of spending the amount of money that they're planning to spend on education - with the current system for distributing that education money. About 3-4 years ago, maybe a little longer, there were several investigative stories about a federal program for technology spending at schools. Reporters found stacks of unopened computers that were ordered by people who didn't know the first thing about building a schoolwide network, etc.

However, I have to disagree with your first point. I think Obama did make an honest effort at encouraging Republicans in joining him in bipartisanship. Unfortunately, in the current political climate, Republicans are interpreting bipartisanship as acquiescing to a popular president. And, if they do try to work with the current administration, they risk being attacked by Rush Limbaugh or other right wing Republicans. And those attacks could leave them vulnerable with supporters.

In most corporations, you do have people looking for consensus decisions. In today's political climate, how can you achieve consensus, when Republicans who are out of power, view consensus as weakness? If Obama could figure that one out, he'd truly be a great leader.

Jeff Rutherford