I’m changing the design of Davos Newbies rather belatedly. The last time I changed things (to make clear that I was no longer tied to Davos in any direct sense), I seemed to have made the site a bit klutzy in some browsers. I hope the new changes will work for everyone. Please excuse the under-construction issues that will be inevitable for a few days. Let me know if there are problems.
The widely reported claim that Ikea founder Ingvar Kamprad is now richer than Bill Gates has a problem: Kamprad no longer owns Ikea. In 1982, he gave his interest in the group to a Dutch-based foundation.
There seems to be an argument whether this is merely a tax dodge or substantial. The key point, however, has been pointed out by Tim Dunlop: “Is it possible to cite two more annoying, frustrating and angst-inducing product lines than the Windows OS and Ikea furniture!!!! Clearly the way to extreme fortune is to piss off as many of your customers as possible.”
Via Marginal Revolution, Glen Whitman’s Two Things: “Here are the Two Things about economics. One: Incentives matter. Two: Theres no such thing as a free lunch.”
Many other Two Things on the same page.
Michael Bierut has a great comment in his latest posting on Design Observer: “My favorite line in Dr. Strangelove is delivered by Keenan Wynn as he grudgingly permits Peter Sellars to shoot off the lock of a soda dispenser to get enough spare change to make a phone call to the president to call off World War III. ‘If you dont get the President of the United States on that line, you know whats going to happen to you?’ he growls as if hes delivering the biggest threat of all. ‘Youre going to have to answer to the Coca-Cola Company.’ There, in one sentence, you have the DNA from which was to spring both Davos and Adbusters.”