Joyful Alternative

Why Magazine Covers Are Historically Great Contrarian Indicators

You have to look up the Saturday Review of Literature issue lauding the president of Penn Central as businessman of the year, which was briskly followed by Penn Central's collapse and the invention of Conrail.

Shift in Boomer Habits Bodes Poorly for Traditional TV Service Providers

I haven't watched any TV since January, and when my current cable contract runs out, I'm hoping to switch to fios (newly available here) + phone. I'm in that generation, and that survey data pretty much holds true for me. High-speed Internet is what I need most.

One correction: It's MySpace that's thought to be popular with teenagers, and I don't know any friends who are on it. FaceBook started out as social networking for college students, and I know a lot of people on it. I don't go there much because it's just a lot of online goofing off. I do check LinkedIn daily, and I'd pay for an upgrade if I were looking for a new job or otherwise needed it.

Wanted: Financially Viable Social Networks

Chistletoe, you had a good thing going until the end. I like my virtual friends from Greenview, Illinois, and Denmark, South Carolina, much better than the face-to-face people on my block. But we're mostly on Yahoo and Google lists and on blogs rather than "social networking" sites.

I like LinkedIn for its interesting discussions and appropriate ads (which I sometimes even click! they're relevant!). If only I could delink a certain individual who's self-promotion is appalling.

Facebook is just a mess.