Blogging from the Virgin skies, 35,000' above Colorado...  on my way back from New York after a one-day trip for a two-hour meeting.  I am one tired puppy.  (But I am happy to have WiFi and power :)

If you want to turn GM around, your first task is to understand why they failed, and what can be done about it.  Jason Kottke has assembled links to collective wisdom about why GM failed.  Reading through them there are many reasons, and none of them seems easily fixed... 

PS my vote from the ugliest car of recent times goes to the Pontiac Aztec, pictured at left.  Physical embodiment of the principle that while beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we can all agree on ugly.

In case you missed the new Tonight show, now with Conan O'Brian, here it is...  As you know I don't watch TV, but I did used to like Johnny Carson, and so I was curious about the new heir.  Not a bad start, IMHO. 

Pretty cool: Socotra Island: the “Galápagos of the Indian Ocean.”  "Isolated from continental land masses for 18 million years, Yemen’s Socotra Island showcases an alien-like landscape with unusual plants and animals, such as the blood dragon tree, pictured, and desert rose. Its high degree of biodiversity has earned it the name the 'Galápagos of the Indian Ocean'."  Who knew? 

Don't these plants look very Seuss-ian? :)

Well, so now we know; Alberto Contador will be Astana's leader for the Tour de France.  "Armstrong is not the team's second rider. With what we saw in the Giro, that is for Levi."  So be it, but I have a feeling this is not the last word...  stay tuned. 

From Wired: Space 2.X: The Private Rocket Race Takes Off.  "Building a successful startup in Silicon Valley is hard, but it’s not rocket science. Unless you’re SpaceX."  They have another launch coming up, fXf!