From the category archives:

Business

Stackpole, Doctorow, and Intellectual Property

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché October 26, 2009 @ 12:11 pm (Austrian) Economics

Cory Doctorow recently announced an experiment to prove that giving away free ebooks works. Michael Stackpole responded with a deconstruction of Cory’s experiment. He makes a number of good points about the experiment, though I think he comes off unnecessarily harsh on Cory personally. And one gets the impression that he feels threatened by the [...]

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The New Apple iMissile

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché September 18, 2008 @ 12:17 am Business

In recent news, Apple has joined the military-industrial complex. Get ready to say hello to the new iMissile. No offense, fanboys and girls. It’s my first LOLcat. Like it? (I added just the Apple logo and the text, someone else had already put the cat in.)

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Online Ad Business Model Takes a Hit

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché February 12, 2008 @ 6:23 pm Business

If you’ve ever wondered whether online ads as a primary source of revenue is a viable business model and/or about who really clicks on those annoying ads anyway, check out this item on Slashdot: “6% of Web Users Generate 50% of Ad Clicks.” And that 6% is not representative of the general population. The linked [...]

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Ethanol Subsidies

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché December 19, 2007 @ 6:56 pm Business
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The (Un-)American State of Minnesota Says No to Foreign-Made US Flags

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché July 5, 2007 @ 6:46 am Business

“The American state of Minnesota has announced that all US flags sold in the state should be of American manufacture, and warned violators of the law, that they would be punished by a 1,000 dollar fine, or imprisoned for three months.” Lest you think this was some kind of misguided attempt to be patriotic, ignorant [...]

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Not All Energy CEOs Are Selling Out and Going Green for Corporate and Personal Profit

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché May 31, 2007 @ 12:13 pm Business

Many environmental activists are no doubt trumpeting the fact that more and more energy companies are jumping on the CO2 emissions reduction bandwagon. What they don’t know or just won’t tell you is that these companies are doing it for rent-seeking, not principled, reasons. Not all energy CEOs are selling out though. At least one, [...]

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Google Mass Transit: Free, Green, and Luxurious

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché March 10, 2007 @ 12:40 pm Business

Check it out. Google’s buses a good chunk of its workforce to work everyday for free. And the ride comes complete with leather seats, wireless internet access, computer and mobile alerts for when the bus is late, bike racks, and dogs are allowed. AND the buses run on biodiesel. The article also mentions some of [...]

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John Mackey, Founder and CEO of Whole Foods, a Former Leftwing Hippie Turned Libertarian?

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché February 20, 2007 @ 5:24 pm Business

Old MySpace Blogpost: Yes, indeed, this former liberal turned libertarian when he became an entrepreneur and realized how businesses really work and the beneficial role they really play in our lives. See “The Transformation of John Mackey” for more. He also tells the story himself here.

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Jury Nullification

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché March 7, 2004 @ 9:47 am Business

If only the jurors in Martha Stewart’s trial had heard of the power of jury nullification. In our judicial system today, judges instruct juries that they can only evaluate the facts, not the law. But this is a falsehood. Traditionally, juries have had the power to judge both the facts and the law, and by [...]

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Kangaroo Courts and Show Trials

by Geoffrey Allan Plauché March 6, 2004 @ 6:50 pm Business

Martha Stewart has been found “guilty” of… of what? Insider-trading? The prosecution couldn’t get that one to stick. Outsider trading? What the hell is that? Some new non-crime the government has cooked up? She was found “guilty” on counts of “obstruction of justice” and “making false statements.” But the fact is, she didn’t do anything [...]

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