freemode.net

Moving to new blog site    [ Site Info ]

So I'm getting tired of wrestling with MovableType, and don't really feel like walking the upgrade-patch-patch-patch-upgrade path again with a newer release. Therefore I'm posting all new blog entries to http://freemode.blogspot.com via blogger.

I'll keep the old site here for the benefit of google searches and historical interest, but no new content will be posted here.

One point six five billion dollars    [ News ]

So GOOG is buying YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock. Erk. Not too bad for 19 months worth of work for the guys at YouTube, but ... first MySpace for $580 million, now YouTube for $1.65 billion? That's some real money there.

By comparison, let's see what else $1.65 billion buys:

• 24 Airbus A320 super-jumbo jetliners
• About 3/4 of a new US Navy attack submarine designed to replace the existing Los Angeles-class nuclear attack subs
• Verizon Hawaii
• International Paper's controlling stake in New Zealand's largest forestry products exporter, and then some ($1.65Bn in New Zealand dollars, $1.2Bn in USD)
• Racal Telecom, a UK fiber/telecom/networking company
• A rapid-rail transit network in South Africa built by Bombardier, the world's largest train maker
• Annual budget of the WHO

Hmmm. So is YouTube really worth as much as these sorts of things?