June 1, 2009 – stlplace

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Last Updated on June 2, 2009 by stlplace

GM was replaced by Cisco; Citi replaced by Travellers. Source: WSJ. (you may need to get the full article via Google).

Interesing part (for me), quote WSJ:

Why choose a tech company, Cisco, to replace an automaker?

We did not need another consumer goods company after adding Kraft Foods when we removed AIG. In looking around, we were struck by the fact that Cisco makes products that pave the Information Highway – computer networking equipment, things that enable high-speed data and video transmission, and so on. We saw Cisco helping the economy and culture adjust to the digital age, much as automobiles influenced economic and social changes in the 20th Century.

Well, why not Apple (AAPL) or Google (GOOG)?

Those companies certainly qualify as blue chips, but we chose Cisco this time.

From Live to Bing

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Last Updated on June 1, 2009 by stlplace

Microsoft Bing, the new search engine which represents the high hope of Microsoft executives, goes alive today (incidentally today marks another big event in US corp history: General Motor files for bankruptcy). Underneath the Bing, it is really the re-brand of Microsoft Live search, plus some new features, as shown last week at D7. (Actually I verified this by typing live.com, and it brought me to the Bing page).

I did couple searches such as “Air France”, “Pizza Hut”, the result was OK, although similar to Google search. I don’t know who will want to switch to “mostly fine” google search to the unproven Bing. To make things worse, Microsoft did not release a toolbar with bing, they still have the good old live toolbar though.

Don’t overlook this IE toolbar thing, personally I used it quite a bit, because it saved me one more type “www.google.com”. But interestingly for today, the Google Toolbar in Internet Explorer is not responsive as usual. Maybe the guys at Redmond did something to slowdown Google on this Bing’s birthday? The toolbar on Firefox works fine as usual.