Davos Newbies

No couch potatoes here

John Naughton often writes good sense. “Content is indeed important, but not the kind of content that outfits like AOL Time Warner own and produce. Internet users are not passive couch potatoes either, but consumers who relish the sovereignty bestowed on them by the mouse button. And increasingly they are people who like to generate their own content (email, web-pages, home movies) rather than consuming other people’s. AOL Time Warner has little to offer such people, which is why it is doomed in the longer term.”

Rush to judgement

Political obituaries are a dangerous job. No sooner had everyone written the final chapter of Hugo Chavez’s extraordinary career than another amazing reversal occurs. Although it was clear the Bush administration welcomed the end of Chavez, Venezuela’s neighbours seem to have a greater respect for democracy.