Digital distribution changing industries? So very 1999.
Think again.

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The world of physical sales is a world of scarcity. Limited shelf space, limited distribution channels, limited display area; limits wherever [...]

The pending crisis of the Barroso Commission isn’t limited to the dust-up over all-too-aptly-named Buttiglione. Another committee of the Parliament declined to endorse Laszlo Kovacs as commissioner responsible for energy policy. And that could cause the problem to escalate.

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After linking to Ron Suskind’s critique of the Bush administration’s faith based decision style, it is only appropriate to mention that Rocco Buttiglione, Silvio Berlusconi’s nominee as Italy’s European commissioner, is causing a similar debate on this side of the pond - one with possibly important cnostitutional repercussions.

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Readers of AFOE may know that I am a fan of the now defunct American TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Which is why I couldn’t possibly resist linking to this:
In other words, Season 7 of Buffy always struck me as a fairly explicit critique of Bush’s foreign policy (even if dullards on [...]

For all its amazing sensoric and analytical abilities, more often than not the human mind is simply overwhelmed with the world’s complexity, confused by its uncertainty. Philosophers have dreamed of an easy life without the pain inflicted by their insatiable urge to reflect, to question everything, to leave no stone unturned.
Of course, no philosopher is [...]

Catalan, Basque, Valencian and Galician as EU official languages? That’s what Spanish foreign minister Moratinos proposes. You’d think the famously proud Catalans would be purring with cultural satisfaction.
You’d be wrong. Last week the Economist observed the astonishing reaction of some Catalans to this suggestion. They’re furious that Valencian might be given status equal with [...]

Google yesterday released free software that lets you simultaneously search the Web and your PC hard drive for information. You can download here. This time it will be Microsoft and Yahoo who will be fuming in the back office.
What all this new Google stuff does seem to be exciting is some controversy about the [...]

Juan Cole had an interesting post on Informed Comment yesterday.

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Basically the problem revolves around a decision by Brig. Gen. Muhammad Abdullah Shahwani, the head of the Iraqi secret [...]

With unemplyment currently running at a five year high of 10.7%, yesterday’s news that GM/Opel and KarstadtQuelle are to reduce employment further (’Germany Loses 15,000 Jobs in a Day’ was the Bloomberg headline) could hardly come at a worse time. There is plenty of evidence of the long promised restructuring, but little of jobs growth. [...]

One of my first posts here on Fistful last year was about the Transatlantic Trends survey carried out by the German Marshall Fund, and I thought you might like to know that the results of the 2004 survey are now available.