Gas prices are at all-time highs (due to soaring world demand and weak dollar), and the economy is in recession. Still, we have a lot of people to thank for the relative peace and prosperity that we in the US share.

 

Online promotions (games, contests, sweepstakes, coupons, price deals) look to become an increasingly important part of the online media mix, according to a report by Borrell Associates. Offline, the ratio of spending on promotions compared to ads is 60:40, while online it is only 22:78. That means that most online budgets are heavily weighted to display and search ads, and that companies are just starting to figure out how to do more effective online promotions. This is a trend that we capitalized on at Live Search early last year when we launched Live Search Club, with dramatic results.

Though Obama hasn't officially won the nomination after winning Oregon today, it looks pretty clear to most that he's going to secure the nomination. Let the race begin...

 

  
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Brooke, Erik and I are out racing our Thistle on Lake Washington on Wednesday nights. The fleet participated in NOODs on Puget Sound last weekend, and here's a nice shot looking up at the windward mark.

Based on Dan Roger's recommendation, I read Jared Diamond's The Third Chimpanzee (1992) while in Mexico. I took away the following:

 

1. Humans are descended from animals. Diamond shows that the things we think distinguish humans from animals - art, language, lifecyle (long child rearing period, menopause, long lives) - have strong roots in our biological history. There is a TON of fascinating detail covering a wide range of topics, and is essentially an articulate reinforcement of the latest science showing the truth behind Darwin's theories.

 

2. Language is the key to rise of humanity. It's obvious, though, that humans are somehow unique, and the book postulates that language is the key. If humans are 98% the same genetically as chimpanzees, what small thing could make the huge evolutionary difference? The voice box and ability to form languages allow humans to cooperate, form more complex social organizations, and advance knowledge from one generation to the next. Language is the foundation of innovation, which has been essential to our rise. As someone who enjoys languages and can speak a few, I really liked this idea.

 

3. All humans are equal. Differences among humans in Africa, Europe, Middle East, Asia, the Artic, and so on are not based on genetic selection but rather sexual selection. I've read Stanford research that tracks maternal genes through the millenia and shows that humans spread from Africa to all corners of the world. Diamond postulates that the reason people look different is perhaps due to genetic adaptations to local environments (fairer skin in colder climates, etc), but more likely due to random changes reinforced by our predilection for choosing mates who look most like our own families. My favorite detail: people are more likely to choose mates with similar index finger length (0.6 correlation coefficient) than economic background (only 0.2).

 

4. Random distribution of geographic resources makes some cultures and societies more successful. From #3, Diamond goes on to say that the reason European culture has come to be pre-eminent in today's world is not because of genetic superiority. Rather, it is simply due to the fact that Europe (and its culture progenitors Greece and Rome) happened to be lucky enough to have the best natural resources. If you've played Risk, Civilization or World of Warcraft, this is pretty obvious. You want to found your cities or capture the areas where there are the most resources that allow you to build the biggest and most advanced armies (Diamond expanded this theory in his more famous book Germs, Guns and Steel, which I haven't read yet). But, I don't know. Though this theory is interesting and powerful, it sparked the biggest reaction in me. I found it somehow...Marxist, stating that all human history can be reduced to economic drivers. While I know resource advantages are helpful to some degree, my humanist side rejects this as the primary driver of history. Where is the role of the individual, of the struggle to grow and learn? Could it really be that Western culture produced Plato, Newton and Churchill simply because it happened to have plentiful deer, while other places didn't? Do I go to work everyday, invest time into my children and bust my tail without a single ounce of impact on the fate of my culture? Of course not, so though Diamond postulates this as a strong theory it gives only a partial explanation of history.

 

5. The end is near: beware of nuclear weapons and environmental catastrophy. In this area Diamond seemed to leave the field of science and enter that of personal political view. Most of the book felt deeply analytical and data driven, the last sections felt light on science in comparison. That said, I don't disagree with the point. It's just hard to accept when his argument for protecting endangered species is "you never know which one matters."

 

Overall, an enjoyable and thought-provoking read.

 

I took a Sunday morning and hired a guide to take me surfing. Alex showed up with his wife Melanie, two sons Alex (10) and Diego (7), and Juan, a 20-something employee. They looked at me and said "You know how to surf." I just had my trunks, hat, and glasses. No towel, no camera, no bag, and no need for lesson. I just needed a ride, a board, and someone to show me the break. So though I had hired them, it felt like a nice morning out with a young Mexican family, and we all shared the waves at Burros. The surf wasn't very big, maybe 1-2 ft (Hawaiian), but the water was warm and the rides lasted long enough to make some turns. It was perfect.

Julia and I took to the kids to Puerto Vallarta for a week's vacation. It's been a long, cold grey winter here in Seattle and Julia, who is 5 months pregnant, was definitely in need of some sunshine. So we responded to a spam email from the LA Times (who says marketing doesn't work - I also found my excellent mortgage broker through a piece of junk mail) and booked a one week stay at the Riu Jalisco all-inclusive resort. Hotel, food, drinks, pool, beach, transportation to and from airport. It was all included, and all for only $1200. Since we also used miles to get there it was quite a deal.

 

I never thought I'd do a trip like this, but with two toddlers and a pregnant wife it was perfect. The food buffet was pretty good, and the kids absolutely loved the kiddie pool. They literally would spend 3 hours in the pool each day, jumping from the edge or going down the slide or climbing the ladder over and over and over. Zack also used a circle floatie to catch his first waves in the Banderas Bay beach break. The hotel was really nice, but not overly opulent and since we were there for Cinco de Mayo holiday the vast majority of other guests were Mexican. Other highlights included post dinner sunsets, tearing up the dance floor to salsa beat (the kids shook their hips hard), musicals by the staff (Grease, Dances of Mexico, Cirque de Soleil), and a dolphin encounter (Amelia loved tickling Triton and being splashed by his flippers as he "laughed").