farrel

This is a false equivalence: http://www.shortpacked.com/2011/comic/book-13/05-the-death-o...

Jeremy Evans ain't nothing to fsck with.

That's a lot of unemployed Fins.

Or that the extremely wealthy make most of their money via capital gains.

Because VCs aren't interested in building a sustainable business, only something they can dump on a greater fool in 3 - 5 years for 10x return.

Journalist vs. Hack

This is the 4th pivot for Seesmic? Can early investors ask for their money back if the nature of the business changes from what they originally invested in?

Didn't Facebook attempt to sell 'Gifts' for $1 back in 2007? I recall they even got Susan Kare to design them.

$5B with a projected $50B - $75B market cap means less than 10% of FB shares will be on the open market.

Guess they want to keep demand (and the stock price) high...

Remember when people were screaming at Apple to get out the hardware game in 1997?

Outside of the case this is a brand new phone. A5 CPU, new GPU, better camera, better battery and better software (I believe Siri is 4S exclusive).

Reminds me of how Burberry totally stopped using their signature tartan on the exterior of their clothing so they would stop being associated with chavs.

"Terms will apply to the program and may vary (e.g. by country)."

What are the T&C's I can't find them?

Besides liability for damages incurred by the guest, hosts are also probably on the hook for liability should the guest be injured (or worse) while staying in your place.

This is most certainly what they're not doing. Airbnb has promoted the idea that you can rent out your primary residence to make money.

A quote from http://www.airbnb.com/rooms/new - "Airbnb lets you make money renting out your place. Your apartment will pay for itself!"

That is the antithesis of a 'unused low marginal cost asset'.

Can you even get insurance on an illegal activity. It seems clear that many people on Airbnb are either illegally subletting their rental apartment or in places like NY where Airbnb is violating laws meant to stop illegal and unlicensed hotels.

I would bet dollars to doughnuts that a traditional holiday apartment will only be able to get insurance that is viable if they meet a number of criteria (removal of valuables, cheap furnishings, inspection etc) that would not be available to someone putting their primary residence up for piecemeal rental on AirBnB

What is the insurance premium on:

1) A dedicated holiday apartment with little valuables and suitable furnishings

2) My primary residence full of my own furniture, valuables and sentimental items

Who is going to do that appraisal? AirBnB?

Over time AirBnB will probably just become a listing and booking service for established holiday apartments. Places that are furnished accordingly, have suitable insurance and are properly managed by the owner or a agent.

Bringing amateur operators into a sector with potential massive downsides with no education is extremely risky for AirBnB and the hosts.

It's not just the issue of accurate information. Hotels have a security infrastructure in place and the rooms are checked regularly.

Had the criminals who did this tried it in a hotel there is a very good chance they would have been arrested straight away. They also have an agreement with the guest that the guest is liable for damages.

Does AirBnB educate hosts on the risks involved?

Does it encourage them to remove valuables and non-replaceable items from the apartment being rented?

Does it tell them that any damages incurred will probably not be covered by their homeowners insurance? Does it provide information on how to attain extra insurance?

Does AirBnB hold the guest liable for any damages to a hosts property?

AirBnB gives the illusion that you can just rent out your apartment without any precautions. I've stayed in a few dedicated holiday apartments and almost without fail:

1) They are furnished with the basics and that's it. No valuables and nothing that can not be easily replaced.

2) The owner or an employed managing agent interacted with us (either at the apartment or when we fetched the keys) when we arrived and left.

3) They had insurance in place and 80% of the time when I signed for the apartment I was also signing my own liability.

If you are prepared to rent out a fully furnished (and in this case full of valuables) apartment to strangers you need to be prepared for the potential massive downside. 99% of your guests may be hassle free but it just takes that 1% to wipe out any financial upside and even then they may not even do it on purpose - accidents can and do happen.

If you're going to rent out a fully furnished apartment full of valuables to strangers who you can't vet beforehand the insurance costs will be significant.

I have a feeling AirBnB don't offer insurance because the premiums required (and the cost passed on to hosts) would make the entire thing unprofitable.

Hotels have insurance but it is probably much much lower than what AirBnB could provide to hosts because hotels already have a) security infrastructure in place b) your credit card details and c) your agreement to be held liable for damages.

Io is not very fast, even slower than Ruby.

Headline is incorrect.

From an article I've read they're planning to use natural gas turbines until renewables can replace them as well.

That gas is probably going to come from Russia, so Putin must be smiling.

You are correct sir.

How many Americans can only afford health coverage via their workplace plan?

How many Americans live in right-to-work states and can be dismissed without a reason?

Add that together and you have a lot of fear.

Ironically enough Naspers, a major South African media empire, owns 35% of Tencent and I believe 28% of DST.

The same way how he constantly publicly proclaims on TC that he doesn't know why he still pays Paul Carr to write for their site.... and then continues to pay Paul Carr to write for their site.

It's called trolling for pageviews.