by eubie

These days, repairs shop booming — reading around Apr. 30

WSJ: In Glum Times, Repair Shops Hum — Economic fears are driving a resurgence for repairmen.

AllThingsDigital: IPod to Reach Out and Touch Someone — Skype and other alternatives to the iPod Touch

TechCrunch: ‘Flight Control’ Sales Stats Offer Fascinating Look At Inner Workings Of The iPhone App Store

Calculated Risk: GDP Report: The Good News — Although Q1 GDP was very negative due to the sharp investment slump (this was expected, see: Q1 GDP will be Ugly), the decline in Q1 was weighted towards lagging sectors.

BoingBoing: Clay Shirky Debunks the WSJ’s “Bloggers For Hire” Feature — Continued dissection of WSJ’s America’s Newest Profession: Bloggers for Hire

There was no way to rescue this piece, since the argument rests on incorrect extrapolations from selective readings of suspect data; the Wall Street Journal should be embarrassed to have published it. (The dispositive critique of the “Bloggers: Livin’ Large!” meme remains Chris Anderson’s Don’t Quit Your Day Job, useful as an antidote now.)

by eubie

Home ownership falls to 2000 levels — reading around Apr. 28

Calculated Risk has two pieces on homeownership following the Census Bureau’s that Q1 2009: Homeownership Rate at 2000 Levels. In a follow-up, U.S. Homeownership by Age Group, which looks at homeownership by age groups, particularly the impact of Baby Boomers:

I expect the homeownership rate to remain high for the boomer generation too. Although there will probably be a geographic shift as the boomer generation retires (towards the sun states) and some downsizing, I don’t think the aging of the boomer generation will negatively impact the homeownership rate for 15 years or more.

AllThingsDigital: Why Portfolio’s Peers Shouldn’t Be Celebrating

Here’s how its peers performed during the same period, via the Magazine Publishers of America:

  • McGraw-Hill’s (MHP) BusinessWeek: Down 39.8 percent
  • Time Warner’s (TWX) Fortune: Down 26.3 percent
  • Privately held Forbes: Down 15 percent

AllThingsDigital: Is Twittermania Running Face-First Into Quittermania? — Nielsen Online estimates that 60 percent of Twitter’s users leave after a month.

TechCrunch: iPhone Owners Don’t Use Their Devices For Work? Yeah, Right