Globrix launches "developer search"

This is a great idea ... Globrix.com, the property search engine backed by Rupert Murdoch's Newscorp issued this press release this afternoon

" From today, Globrix will enable users to search across the UK for building plots, renovation projects, projects with planning permission or even specific house types such as Huf Haus. The new tools will give developers and self-builders a way of quickly and easily locating their next project or the site of their dream home. ... To see the self builder search tools in action, logon to www.globrix.com and search for an area of your choice (Sussex, for example). When the results appear click on the 'Type' menu and select 'building plot' or, for a different set of results, click on the 'Keyword' menu and select 'Planning permission'. New types and keywords will be added as the site develops, further increasing the power of Globrix's search capabilities. "

Porsche challenges "Gangsta Ken" on C-Charge

Hopefully this is just the beginning, let's hope more car makers step up to the plate ...

Who benefits from Northern Rock?

Does the government?
Do the taxpayers?
What about shareholders and employees?
How about management? ... Ah yes there's your answer; according to the Times:

Ron Sandler will become executive chairman of the bank and be paid an initial £90,000 a month for his services. He will be assisted by Ann Godbehere, a Canadian accountant and insurance executive, who is to be paid £75,000 a month. Mr Sandler, the former chief executive at Lloyd’s of London, flies to Newcastle today to begin talks aimed at “contracting” the business before a sell-off. He refused yesterday to rule out job losses at the bank, which employs more than 6,000 people.

London Politics gets interesting

More big political news today as in London as "Gangsta Ken" suspends his "race adviser" "Gangsta Lee" Jasper.
Another gangsta move made by the mayor this week was the introduction of a £25 Congestion Tax on vehicles he apparently doesn't like, namely 4x4 SUV's (he aptly names them Chelsea Tractors) and high performance sport cars (a cock-blocking move if there ever was one - Gangsta Ken apparently can't drive so he doesn't own one).
These two types of vehicles represent at least 50% of all cars in central London on any given day. But according to the mayor:

"Nobody needs to damage the environment by driving a gas guzzling Chelsea Tractor in central London. The CO2 emissions from the most high powered 4x4s and sports cars can be up to four times as great of those of the least polluting cars. The CO2 charge will encourage people to switch to cleaner vehicles or public transport and ensure that those who choose to carry on driving the most polluting vehicles help pay for the environmental damage they cause. This is the "polluter pays" principle. At the same time, the 100 per cent discount we are introducing for the lowest CO2 emitting vehicles will give drivers in London an incentive to use the least polluting cars available."

Sounds good in theory, but in practice does it work? Brian Paddick, the Lib-Dem mayoral candidate rightly suggests in his response to Gangsta Ken's proposal that the congestion charge should

"do what it says on the tin: tackle congestion in central London. What Ken Livingstone is proposing is an emissions charge and it will do nothing to tackle congestion. Those who can afford Chelsea tractors, can afford a £25 ride into London. Allowing small vehicles to enter the zone will only add to congestion and bring London to a halt."

... which - based on the history - makes a lot of sense to me.

Barack Obama versus the US Economy

Barack Obama seems poised to be the next American president; certainly it appears that the Democrats will nominate him as their candidate. Hilary Clinton fired her campaign manager this week and the newspapers are full of praise for Obama's victories last night. But don't rule out Clinton yet. According to the 48 Laws of Power guy, Obama's campaign strategy is fundamentally flawed in that his strategy is "very much dependent on circumstance."

When times are good, people are in the mood for such an uplifting message. Then you can catch wind in your sails and even tack in certain directions, all carried away by your optimism. This worked brilliantly for Kennedy. In such times, people are more willing to take a risk on somebody new. ... When world events were at a relative lull, Obama was in a good position. When the worsening economy began to take center stage, his message did not resonate as well, and his options shrank. And considering the volatile nature of the times we live in, it would have been better to bet on problems and difficult times up ahead. His message remains consistent, rings true, but has less and less appeal when future problems loom more than future possibilities. [link]

And that is currently the state of the American economy today. With stock markets loosing over $5 trillion last month, the continuing deflation of the housing market, the ongoing costs of the Iraq war, Bush's desire to attack Iran, Escalating oil prices etc etc, things do not look good for America. So Obama's message of change sounds and looks good, it certainly is an uplifting message, one that sounds good in these times, sort of like a Baptist preacher. He may have the will to change but does he have the power to make the change? No doubt this will be the question on voters minds as the election approaches This may be when experience plays greater than change.

Traffic numbers: Nestoria/Dothomes vs Rightmove/Primelocation

I don't have a subscription to ComScore and I know that Alexa numbers are less than perfect, however, with the all the big news items flowing over the past couple of weeks, I decided to check out some traffic numbers for Dothomes and Nestoria, compared with Rightmove and Primelocation.

Interestingly, the numbers don't seem not to be moving upwards for Nestoria - at least not yet - inspite of the very major media partnerships with Channel 4 and The Independent. Dothomes.com did very well with the launch in America last week and did better than the UK website, which has been struggling for traffic among the 2.0 players. Primelocation seems to be treading upwards, probably because of their new TV advert campaign, which launches with their very 2.0 redesign. Rightmove is holding steady, still the dominant player in the game for whatever reason

Superbowl Ads

It seems to me that the best part of watching the superbowl in recent years are the adverts. I watched the first half of the game last night and actually found it quite boring. NFL games in recent years to me seem quite robotic, and there are no standout players like yesterday. Where are the Vince Lombardi's, Vinny Testerverdi's, Lawrence Taylor's and yes even OJ Simpson. Here's the list of the best commercials according to HuffPost.
Unfortunately BBC didn't show any ads last night; I guess they couldn't since they're still commercial free.