Latest reading

A few things that have caught my attention lately:

• Google generates $24 per user, Yahoo $8, and Facebook $4. ([1])
  
  
• Paul Graham's most important traits in founders. I'd say they even are in priority order. ([1])
  
  
• Groupon competitors suddenly are everywhere. Not surprising, there's no technology barrier here, and it is easy to attract people if you offer 50% off at a popular store. But, I wonder if this booming fad is sustainable. Particularly concerning is that only 22% who use a Groupon offer return to the merchant, which, combined with the steep discounts, make this look expensive. ([1] [2] [3] [4])
  
  
• Google is accused of copying a bunch of someone else's code. And this isn't the first time. Back in 2005, Google was accused of copying much of the code for Orkut. ([1] [2]).
  
  
• Great, updated, and free book chapters on how people spam search engines. I particularly like the new discussion of spamming click data and social sites. ([1])
  
  
• A very dirty little secret: most AOL subscribers don't realize they don't need to be paying, and the revenue from hoodwinking those people is a big part of AOL's profits. ([1])
  
  
• Best article I've seen on why Google CEO Eric Schmidt is stepping down ([1])
  
  
• With this latest move, Amazon closes the gap between their low level cloud services (microleasing of servers and storage) and the higher level offerings of Google App Engine and Microsoft Azure. ([1])
  
  
• The trends of abandoning TV and embracing smartphones have been vastly overstated. Most Americans watch more TV than ever and use dumbphones. ([1] [2]).
  
  
• A claim that Facebook has resorted to scammy malware-type advertisements in an effort to drive revenue. ([1]).