So I had a great day today...  spent the day in Vista.  Lots of exciting things moving at Aperio.  The company is getting big enough now that there are many things moving in parallel that I don't know about in detail; discovering them is exciting.  Of course there are the usual "people" challenges as you grow, but it sure beats the alternative. 

Apparently Obama has accumulated enough superdelegate votes to win the Democratic nomination.  Whew!  Now on to the real debate - which will center on the economy, I think, not on Iraq - and on to each candidates' selection for running mate.  I think there is zero chance Obama will pick Clinton, by the way. 

You've got to love Bridget Bardot, an ardent animal rights supporter, her opposition to barbaric Muslim rituals has gotten her convicted of being a racist.  We need a new word, like culturist, for someone who is biased against certain cultures.  That would be me, for example, I do not believe all cultures are equal. 

Cliff Kuang, guestblogging for Jason Kottke, wonders why people will pay for good wine but not for good food.  First the premise is wrong; the same people who spend money for great wine will do so for great food.  Next, value is not linear; a $100 bottle isn’t 10X better than a $10 bottle.  (Never mind that most $10 wine is undrinkable, so the $100 bottle is likely infinitely better.)  The real question is simply, is the $100 bottle worth $100?  If someone spends the money, they clearly think so.  There is an experience to be enjoyed, and a value associated with it.  The market decides.  If there was no market for $100 wine, nobody would make it.  Similarly if nobody ever wanted to go to the French Laundry or Michael’s, then they would not exist.  But people do like to pay for a great meal with great friends and great wine, so they do.  Nobody is holding a gun to their head.  For myself, I can't think of too many things I enjoy more than a fine meal with friends, accompanied by a fine wine. 

Philip Greenspun with the latest on VLJs (very light jets).  I am following this market with great interest :)  How great would it be to own your own little jet?  But they still cost too much :( 

The NYTimes looks at Disney's acquisition of Pixar, two years ago.  "When Disney bought its rival, Pixar, in 2006 for $7.4 billion, many people assumed the deal would play out like most big media takeovers: abysmally...  But two years into the integration of Pixar - and as the company rolls out 'Wall-E,' a risky love story about robots that is estimated to cost at least $180 million - the merger is notable for how well it’s faring."  Seems like Robert Iger has really turned things around at Disney.  Mergers are fascinating things... 

A classic from John Gruber: but that's all.  "'I have nothing against iPhone. It’s great,' says Manjit Singh, CIO at Chiquita Brands International Inc.  'But we're a BlackBerry shop, and I don’t think iPhone brings anything new to the table.  It has a great user experience, but that’s all'".  Oh. 

This is cool: TuneCore gets you on iTunes for $30.  This is really enabling the long tail, huh?