We are almost at the end of my series on Israel and Palestine. All the other posts have dealt with the history and the current situation. My next posts will explore what might happen in the future. I will do that by first considering my assumptions in this post. The following post will outline the various alternatives I have considered. In my final post, I will choose the scenario I consider most likely and explain why. Then I will be done on this topic at least for a while. Continue reading
Latest Entries
Israel and Palestine from 1967 to the present-the past or the future?
In this post, I am going to attempt to cover the period between 1967 and now. It is not going to be easy. After this, I intend to write one more post. This will be on the future. Continue reading
Announcing Pluto.tv – Lay back and enjoy
Today, Pluto.tv was officially launched. I am proud to be an early advisor and investor in this company. Those of you that read my blog frequently will know that I have been following and in some cases participating in the restructuring of the medium we call TV. I am pretty excited and decided to give it a plug on my blog. Please think of this post as an infomercial because it kind of is.
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A tale of two Countries: Jordan and Israel, not quite a love story
Jordan was very surprising to me. It was more developed than I thought and I didn’t even get to the north and Amman. The population is very well-educated. English is taught in most schools. The people are very welcoming. Even when people knew I was Jewish and that I was staying in Israel, they were still very friendly.
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It’s not big brother that should worry you, it’s little brother, the spy in your pocket.
In 1949, George Orwell wrote a book called 1984. I probably read it when I was about ten years old, in 1955. Then, 1984 seemed like a long time in the future. So it was interesting that Apple used this concept for it’s famous 1984 Macintosh SuperBowl ad. The concept of 1984 was that a totalitarian government was spying on all its citizens. It was busy developing “double talk” and had journalists whose job it was to rewrite history. Big Brother was not just a TV show. It was a term for the leading political boss (think Putin). If you have not read it you should, especially these days. So I find it ironic, to use the term “Big Brother” when talking about Apple Computer. Continue reading
There would be no Israel if it were not for European anti-semitism and British Self Interest
It took a lot of effort to understand the recent history of the area we now call Israel and Palestine and then to figure out how I personally felt about what I learned. Please take the time to read this post through. Continue reading
Why Mark Penn is the best person to lead Microsoft’s strategy
At first when I read that Mark Penn would become responsible for strategy at Microsoft, I though this was crazy. I don’t know Mark Penn but I understand that he is brilliant if not a bit strange. But what would a 60 year old political advisor that lives in Washington DC have to offer a technology company like Microsoft especially one that disparately needs to major strategic choices driven by changes in technology and customer behavior.
Then I realized that he was the perfect person. It is all about politics. Continue reading
Israel and Palestine, the most difficult post(s) I have ever written
This is one of the most difficult blog posts I have ever written. In fact, I have decided to make it a series of posts. The situation here is so complex that it makes my mind explode. I am used to writing about things I understand well, but frankly, I am not sure it is possible to understand this situation. That is beyond my and perhaps anyones capabilities. It it is just my attempt to try to make sense out of what I am experiencing. If you think I am confused, you are right. I also imagine that there are those on both sides of the conflict that will be angered by my comments. Continue reading
More than 90 minutes of Avram TV
I gave an almost two hour oral history for the Computer History Museum. It was fun. Then they sent me the transcript to edit. Not only was that not fun but it was awful. When I saw the video, I was pretty much pleased. But reading the transcript put me into a major depression. Clearly, our brains are very forgiving when we hear speech but not when we read it.
Then I found out the the museum would post the transcript but probably not the video. Evidently, there are some practical issues about posting video. I won’t go into that here because I do not know how much of what I have been told is confidential. The museum which I have supported in many ways including donations is doing its best I believe.
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Why it makes sense to pay $16 billion for What’s App
Facebook pays $16 billion for What’s App and I think this actually makes sense for FB even at this amazing price. Most of it will be paid in FB funny money. That is, it is paid in stock which they will just create out of thin air just like the US Federal Bank creates money. Maybe Ben Bernanke is advising Facebook. Continue reading
Two Thirds Done 