Linkpile

• When the Thrill of Blogging Is Gone …: More nostalgia for blogs. Long taily side note: “Richard Jalichandra, chief executive of Technorati, said that at any given time there are 7 million to 10 million active blogs on the Internet, but ‘it’s probably between 50,000 and 100,000 blogs that are generating most of the page views.’ That’s a serious letdown from the hype that greeted blogs when they first became popular. No longer would writers toil in anonymity or suffer the indignities of the publishing industry, we were told. Finally the world of ideas would be democratized!”
• Proposed: Emmys for product placement: “Television programming and advertising copy can hardly be considered enemies anymore.” Somebody should come up with a term to encapsulate that trend.
• Competitive Altruism: Being Green in Public: “Griskevicius and his colleagues recommend that companies find a way to publicize the fact that celebrities buy green products. They might also consider keeping those products at a higher price, since penniless people can’t afford to indulge in status-seeking and others will pay a premium for it.” I think this is absurd. The “celebrities use green stuff” strategy is hardly novel advice — it’s been beaten to death in the actual marketplace. And keeping prices artificially high to stay out of reach of lower income levels might be good for business, but it’s catastrophic for actually achieving the ends that “green” business supposedly wants. It literally makes change impossible by assuring that any green business is, by definition, only for elites.
• The Millionaire Investor Index: Had its biggest one-month surge ever in May.
• The irrational war on electronic cigarettes.: Fascinating.

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