Jon Metzler

More on the enhanced man-machine interface theme - LiveScribe, a smart pen with audio recording and automatic PC upload capability. Dot paper required.

Facetious piece with more than a grain of truth in the Deal Journal - “Deal Journal Readers Favor a Goldman Sachs Takeover of the U.S.“

The post lists some noted GS alums in high places:

Treasury: We mentioned Hank Paulson and Robert Steel Tuesday. (Aside: Wendy Paulson, Hank’s wife, was in the same Wellesley College class as Hillary Clinton.)

State Department: Reuben Jeffrey III, a Goldmanite for 18 years, is the top economic official in the State Department and a former chairman of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.

New Jersey: Surely you know of Gov. Jon Corzine.

Citigroup: Robert Rubin, director and chairman.

Merrill Lynch: Likely to be renamed Goldman Sachs West, under John Thain and his Goldman ex-colleagues including Thomas Montag. Thain, who clearly feels some competition with his old firm, already has brought the Goldman culture to Merrill by revamping compensation and lavishing praise on the profitable wealth-management division.

New York Stock Exchange: Duncan Niederauer, Thain’s successor at CEO.

Bank of Italy: The head of the Italian central bank is a one-time vice chairman of Goldman International, Mario Draghi.

In the glorious past: Stephen Friedman, former director of President Bush’s National Economic Council; John C. Whitehead, former deputy secretary of state and chairman of the Federal Reserve; former Goldman Sachs bankers Geoffrey Boisi and Richard Herbst were among the highest-ranking executives at J.P. Morgan Chase under William Harrison’s reign; any number of hedge fund managers.

I am organizing and moderating a panel, hosted by the Silicon Valley Telecom Council, titled “Silicon Valley Goes to Washington“, on Tuesday July 22nd at noon. Nokia is kindly hosting in their lab in Mountain View.

Here’s a summary, also available on the Council’s website:

With the 700 MHz auction, the “white space” debate, and new legislation proposing free wireless broadband nationwide, it has been a landmark period at the intersection of wireless and policy. The decisions being made will set the foundation for markets that will impact Silicon Valley companies for years or even decades to come. Silicon Valley companies have played a profound role in influencing or even setting the debate. When Valley companies used to competing on service merit or time-to-market go to Washington, they may find themselves going toe-to-toe with incumbents with more experience and deeper lobbying budgets.

In this discussion, we’ll hear from panelists who have led the charge into Washington, and will get their insight on the following subjects:
• The FCC’s 700 MHz auction and the role of Silicon Valley companies in it
• A proposal to deploy free nationwide broadband at 2.1 GHz
• The debate over “white space communications”
• National broadband policy

Thus far M2Z Networks is confirmed as a panelist. I will post more details as they come in.

Registration is available online. Hope to see you!

For playing “A Love Supreme” - sounds like an outtake - when I was looking for some inspiration.

On Tuesday July 1, regulation banning the handheld use wireless telephones while driving will take effect in the Golden State of California. Having just witnessed another dozen or so drivers over the course of the day with phones pinned to their ears, it can’t come soon enough.

Hands-free use by drivers over 18, such as with an earpiece or on speakerphone, will be allowed.

The fine print, courtesy of the CA DMV:
- emergency calls are allowed
- passengers are allowed to engage in “handheld” use of phones
- first offense: $20
- iterative offenses: $50

These are parking ticket-level denominations, though the DMV alludes to penalty assessments that can triple the base fine. Can one be booted based on an excess of unpaid “talking tickets”?

The Cubs honored long-time clubhouse manager Yosh Kawano, age 87, with Yosh Kawano Day today in tribute to 65 years of service. Perhaps fittingly, the Cubs lost.

A bathtime tableau.

Dad: broom broom broom broom
Son: broom broom broom broom

– time passes –

Dad: broom broom broom broom
Son: broom broom broom broom

– time passes --

Dad: broom broom broom broom
Son: broom broom broom broom
Dad: Gonna shoot you right down
Son: broom broom broom broom
Dad: Right off your feet
Son: broom broom broom broom

Yen Town Band (Chara) - Montage

Joshua Redman - Freedom in the Groove

Downloaded Firefox 3. It’s fast. More on Paul Kim’s blog.

Thanks to the BBC, I came across a blog called Rule of Lords, which is written by an Awzar Thi, pen name of a member of the Asian Human Rights Commission. Thi provides a weekly column with on-the-ground coverage of Burma after Cyclone Nargis.