Things That Interest Me

Not The Best Steakhouse on Long Island -- Prime Restaurant in Huntington

David Brensilber — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:37:36 GMT

We ate at Prime Restaurant in Huntington this past weekend. The restaurant sites right on Huntington Harbor. The views are incredible. We sat outside and enjoyed the environment throughly. The restaurant itself is beautiful especially the fireplace. The crowd was upscale.

The only problem was the food. I basically followed the recommendation of my waiter figuring that he would not steer us wrong. He recommended the highest priced items on the menu. We wondered whether these were the best dishes or just the ones that would maximize his tip.

That being said, we started with the crab cake, sea scallops and the triple threat sushi appetizer. You may be wondering why we order 3 appetizers. Because even though each of them was delicious, they were extremely small.

With respect to the main course, I order the Tellers Ribeye while my wife order the Beef Wellington. My wife loved the Beef Wellington while I thought that the ribeye was bland. Ribeye should never be bland. We also ordered the skillet potatoes which were extremely disappointed and I have to wonder what they were thinking.

As a result, I was disappointed in the food. I would only recommend Prime if you want to go to a place to see and be seen and do not care about the food. This is an updated version of Steve's Pier 4 in Bayville.

The Managment Mistakes of Willie Randolph

David Brensilber — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 09:41:29 GMT

I was reading Conde Nast's Portfolio (www.portfolio.com) and found the following article describing Willie Randolph mistake as a corporate executive. I think most of his points are valid and this article explains how Isiah Thomas lasted so long with the Knicks.

Force Out

by Nelson Wang Jun 18 2008

What ousted Mets manager Willie Randolph could have learned from the likes of Dick Fuld.

New York Mets manager Willie Randolph finally got fired Monday evening after months of speculation. The Mets' unprecedented collapse last season—losing a seven-game division lead with just 17 games to go—initiated the death watch, and a poor start this year, despite having signed the best pitcher in baseball in the off-season, proved to be the final straw.

Along the way, Randolph seldom helped his cause, making strategic missteps both on and off the field. Here are some lessons the former manager could have learned from America's top corporate chieftains about hanging on to one's job even when shareholders are calling for one's head.

Throw someone under the bus. For John Mack at Morgan Stanley, when trouble came, it was him or Zoe Cruz. Cruz got the boot. Lehman Brothers' Richard Fuld, who is presiding over a sinking ship, may have bought some time for himself by getting rid of some of his top lieutenants. But throughout the current crisis, Randolph has steadfastly stood behind his coaches, expressing surprise and dismay last July when Mets general manager Omar Minaya fired hitting coach Rick Down, a close friend of Randolph's, for the team's poor performance at the plate. Now not only is Randolph gone, but so are his pitching coach and first-base coach.

Treat your talent well and they will flourish—and so will you. Last July, Randolph benched and strongly criticized young star shortstop José Reyes for not running out a ground ball. Reyes sulked for weeks and never seemed the same afterward, hitting a paltry .248 over the last three months of the 2007 season and failing to produce in countless key situations during the Mets' epic collapse. Compare this with Jack Welch's renown for hiring and developing key talent while at G.E.—among them, current G.E. C.E.O. Jeff Immelt and current Chrysler chief Robert Nardelli. "It's understood if you're not managing talent effectively, your tenure is going to be short," says Dan Fisher, managing partner of Fisher Rock Consulting, an organizational consulting firm, of Fortune 100 companies. And the same is even truer in professional sports.

Face down your detractors. Randolph's been on the hot seat for months, forcing him (and all his players) to answer questions from the press about whether Randolph was worried about losing his job. While Randolph couldn't have guaranteed his own job security, it might have helped if he publicly accepted responsibility for the team's struggles, and more forcefully answered questions. Lehman's Dick Fuld did just that this week, and it seems to have kept him out of the line of fire, at least for now.

Be careful when playing the race card. Back in May, Randolph, who is black, angered the Mets' owners by suggesting in a newspaper interview that SportsNet New York, the Mets' cable station, had portrayed him negatively compared with white managers. The owners felt he was bringing up an unnecessary and unwarranted distraction, and held a private two-and-a-half-hour meeting with him to berate him for it. Randolph should probably have taken a page from successful black executives like American Express' Ken Chenault or former Time Warner C.E.O. Richard Parsons, who seldom, if ever, brought up race and certainly not in discussions of how they were being evaluated. While Randolph may have been right about having experienced racism, as an executive, it rarely helps your case to publicly call it out.

Top Ten Resume Blunders

David Brensilber — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 16:05:32 GMT

From what I have seen, job seekers tend to make several mistakes on their resumes. Some of these mistakes cost people potential jobs. Please avoid these mistakes at all costs.

Troublesome Typos and Grammatical Errors – Hiring managers view your resume as your introduction and your attention to details. It only takes one or two typographical errors to remove you from consideration from a job.
Overly Casual Conversation – If you are not professional in your communication, hiring managers will view you as unprofessional and not worthy of their company
Lies – Do not overstate your responsibilities or background. If a hiring manager verifies your resume and finds a lie or overstatement, you will not be hired for that position.
Personal Information – Employers research their candidates including checking your Facebook page and your personal blog. What you say or post on a social networking site or a blog can come back to haunt you.
References – If you list a person as a reference, you need to know what the person will say about you. The last thing you need is a bad reference.
Juvenile E-mail Address – if you have had a cute or suggestive email, you need to get a new one from Yahoo or Google. Sexy69@aol.com will been seen as a negative for any hiring manager and another question mark on your professionalism.
Lack of Specifics – A vague description does not help promote your skill sets and will not differentiate you from any candidate.
One Size Fits All – If you build your resume for all employers, you end with a vague resume that will be briefly and discarded right away. You need a resume targeted for the company and the job.
Highlighting Duties Instead of Accomplishments – A hiring manager is less interested in your duties as opposed to what your accomplishments.
Too Long or Too Brief Resumes – You need to provided a hiring manager with a good understanding of what you accomplished and what you are looking for. If you make your resume too short, then you lose the substance of your resume. If you make it too long then you no one will read it.

Anatomy of a Dead Deal

David Brensilber — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:09:01 GMT

If you have been following the Yahoo-Microsoft merger discussions as closely as I have, you will not be surprised that the deal fell through. Skipping the personalities involved, the financial terms and strategic fit, I felt that the deal would not go through for one simple reason -- time.

Typically, deals that get consummated are those that are negotiated and closed quickly. If a deal takes a long time to develop, it usually never gets done even if it makes the most sense. As time passes, people start to question the business terms and thought process involved. People start to crawl out of the woodwork to question the deal.

As a result, the negatives on a deal continue to build over time while positives stay constant (or decline).

Looking back to the Yahoo-Microsoft discussions, one of Microsoft's biggest mistakes was to allow the discussions to evolve slowly overtime. If they pushed the discussions harder and faster, they would have had a better chance to reach a deal with Yahoo!

Icarus and Execution

David Brensilber — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:49:05 GMT

Who is Icarus and what does he have to do with execution? According to mythology, Icarus along with his father, Daedalus attempted to escape their exile in Crete. He and his father were imprisoned by the King because Daedalus built a faux cow for the queen so that she could have sex with a bull. This did not please the King.

According to the legend, Daedalus fashioned a pair of wax wings for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea. Overcome by the sublime feeling that flying gave him, Icarus soared through the sky joyfully, but in the process he came too close to the Sun which, melted his wings. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near an island southwest of Samos.

So what can we learn about this? If you aim for the sky then you run the risk of failing to achieve your objectives and you could crash and burn instead (or in the case of Icarus, drown in the sea). If you try to accomplish too much, you run the risk of failing to achieve anything. As a result, you need to set objectives according to your abilities.

You should set your goals that are achievable and if necessary, set the initial goals and once achieved then set your secondary goals. Always keep in mind what you are trying to achieve.

The Favor Bank and a Start Up

David Brensilber — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:56:17 GMT

I have seen many a friend start a business and use the favor bank in the process. Typically, when you are starting a business, cash is at a premium and you would rather spend your available cash as sparingly as possible. The best way to grow your business is to preserve your cash and tap into your favor bank.

To do so, you need to have built up credits in the favor bank. What this means is that you need to have performed favors to people in the past. If not, then you are going to go into debt with someone. This is not preferred way to achieve your goal because at some point in the future, your friend or associate will ask for a favor.

As you may recall from one of the greatest movies of all time, the Godfather, Don Corleone believed and lived the Favor Bank. As he aptly said "someday, and that day may never come, I'll call upon you to do a service for me. But until that day accept this justice as gift on my daughter's wedding day."

To avoid this situation as well as the situation where someone does not want to do a favor for you, it is best to build a reservoir of favor bank credits that you can draw down when you need them. To do this, it is best to do favors as early and as frequent as possible so that you will have the goodwill at the time you need them.

Always remember, tap in the favor bank rather than your available cash as you build your business

Fresh Pets and the ASPCA

David Brensilber — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:18:15 GMT

I was on FreshPets.com (http://www.freshpets.com), and noticed that they have a new partnership with the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Under this partnership, FreshPets is soliciting donations for the ASPCA and 100% of the donations go to the ASPCA. Very noble and I would hope that most of the customers on FreshPets would make a donation to the ASPCA during their check out.

What also interests me is that almost all of the pet retail websites have some form of foundation to help animals. I wonder if they are all charitable people or whether they just using these charities to look good to their customers. I would have to believe that some of these sites fall into one category or another.

It is interesting how electronic stores do not support charities. Are only pet supply businesses caring?

Don't Be the Last One to Find Out that Your Company is in Trouble

David Brensilber — Fri, 30 May 2008 14:51:23 GMT

I have a friend who lost his job along with everyone else in his department. Now he is scrambling to find a job. He needs to put together his resume, conduct his job search and deal with the emotional consequence of not having a job anymore. In our world, you seem to be defined by your career and family life. As a result, if you lose your job, you end up losing some your perceived social status. How do you avoid this?

The main answer is to make sure that you never end your job search. I know of very few people who plan to retire from their current job. As a result, you will need to find new employment at some time. You have all heard that you need to approach the search for a job as a real job. You need to look at the classifieds both online and offline, network your connections as well as many other things. If you only focus on this when you need a new job, it will take longer and be a more emotional process. And unfortunately, I have experienced this more than once.

The answer is to continue your job search all the time. It is always easier to find a job when you have one. I used to work for someone who was a marginal performer at best but had a great network. When it came time for him to look for a new employment opportunity, he always seemed to land on his feet with one good job after another. The secret to his success was that he continued to work his network each and every day.

So the advice is work the process even during good times so that you will not be the last one standing at the unemployment office.

Best Bagel on Long Island -- Bagel Boss in Hicksville

David Brensilber — Fri, 23 May 2008 12:51:06 GMT

As a major bagel aficionado, I am always on the lookout for a good salt bagel as well as a bialy. Bagel Boss has always been my bagel place. As I tried a whole bunch of bagel places, I have not found a bagel shop that compares to the Bagel Boss. Even better, Bagel Boss is open 24 hours. That means that they continually have warm and fresh bagels.

The appetizers are great as well especially the whitefish salad.

Number One Jobsite

David Brensilber — Wed, 21 May 2008 15:46:25 GMT

In the online careers world, there are over 45,000 job boards that offer a variety of services. How do you choose the right one? Should I go to Monster, CareerBuilder or HotJobs or go to TechCareers, Jobing or The Ladders. A very difficult question to answer.

As I work through this issue, I came across Number One Jobsite, which is located at www.numberonejobsite.com. It is a site that provides information about leading job boards as well as tools to help facilitate your job search. It is worth a look especially in this troubling economic times.

Their categories include

Career Analysis Sites

What do you do with a Person who violates the Favor Bank Rule

David Brensilber — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 21:00:11 GMT

The Favor Bank works well when the people understand the rules and follow its guidelines. Unfortunately, not everyone in this world is a stand up guy. What should you do with someone who does not play by the rules?

This failure could range from a friend who refuses to do you a favor when you have performed favors for him in the past. I have had the situation where I lent a neighbor my power washer but this neighbor refused when I asked to borrow his 8 foot ladder.

In addition, I have a friend who has helped people network when they were looking for a job. Now that he is looking for a job himself, these so called friends that he has helped out in the past have neither offered nor actually helped my friend out.

So what should we do with these violators?

The most obvious step is to remove them from your favor bank. You need to look at their account as a lost asset so that your deposits into the favor bank were a loser investment. So no new favors for this "friend." Normally this does not really affect the violator.

You can take the high or the low road with your "friend." As much as I would like to take the low road by confronting this person and demanding your favor, I usually go for the less emotionally What would you do? One option is to raise the lack of neighborly spirit be shown by your "friend." But you end up becoming a whining friend.

I think that the high road is to just write off this person and pray that karma catches up with your "friend." For those you are religious, just follow the golden rule of treating others like you would like to be treated. Very admirable traits (but for those of you are petty this will not be that satisfying).

Absent a blacklisting ability in the favor bank, I recommend that you write this off as bad debt.

Microsoft and Yahoo Update

David Brensilber — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:03:07 GMT

After Microsoft's release of earnings. I started to think about its hostile offer for Yahoo. As I read a whole bunch of blogs about it, I found Henry Blodet's blog on Silicon Alley Insider the most interesting.

People have been talking about Microsoft either walking raising its offering price, making a tender offer or walking away from the deal. Any of these options are possibilities but what I found is most interesting is that this deal does not seem to have the vibe that it will get done. Microsoft has, at least publicly, proceeded in an almost casual manner. From my experience, the longer a deal takes to come to fruition, the less likely it will get done. Over time, the critics to a deal have a greater ability to raise doubts about the deal and you start to hear from everyone in the peanut gallery. For example, now we hear that Microsoft's employees are raising issues with this acquisition. Not a good sign.

I have copied Henry Blodget's article below:

We now think it's more likely than not that Microsoft (MSFT) will withdraw its offer for Yahoo (YHOO) next week. This will likely send Yahoo's stock into the low $20s and Microsoft's up.

Here's why:

Microsoft's squishy quarter makes it less likely that Microsoft's rising stock will raise the value of Microsoft's bid on its own. (Ironically, of course, as the deal becomes less likely, Microsoft's stock will rise because of that--but we assume Yahoo is smart enough to know what would happen if it suddenly agreed to a deal.)

Yahoo has dug itself in deep enough that we don't see the company caving and agreeing to sell at this price--especially in the next two days. Jerry has demonstrated that he's not easily spooked, and he has to have been prepared for the possibility that Microsoft would walk. In fact, we think Jerry would see this as a victory (which it would be) even if many Yahoo shareholders do not.

We think lots of Microsoft shareholders and Microsoft employees hate this deal--as well they should, because it would be a disaster. We think the complaints and concerns about the deal expressed to Steve Ballmer over the past two months have probably made him think twice about the wisdom of fighting to the death for Yahoo, even if he'll never admit that. At the very least, they'll make it easier to walk way.

We think it will actually be harder for Microsoft to win a proxy fight at the current price that is commonly thought: At least 35% of Yahoo's stock is in the hands of folks who appear unwilling to sell without a price increase (Capital Group, Legg Mason, Jerry, David, and other insiders). If Microsoft is actually willing to raise its price, it should do so now--before launching a Pyrrhic battle that will last, at a minimum, 3-4 months, will distract and hurt both companies, and might fail.

Microsoft's public statements have now gone beyond threats to what appears to us to be acceptance and resignation. Maybe we're just falling for a negotiating tactic, but we don't think so. If Microsoft is going to seriously consider raising its bid next week--which, based on Yahoo's behavior, we think is now the only way to get this deal done quickly--it sure isn't acting like it. Cutting the price, meanwhile, would make it even harder for Microsoft to win a proxy battle.

Eight weeks ago, we thought this was pretty much a done deal. We thought the companies would find common ground around $35 and that an agreement would be reached relatively rapidly at that price, once Yahoo exhausted all its options. Now, based on the positions taken by both companies and the first quarter results, we think there's less than a 50% chance the deal will get done. At least in this go-round.

Yuki's Palette

David Brensilber — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 09:13:04 GMT

A few weeks ago, we went out for dinner at Yuki's Palette, which is located in Westbury, New York. It is located in a strip mall which is never a good sign for a restaurant (unless the restaurant is in Sunnyvale, California). As we went in, we noticed the lack of atmosphere. So I started thinking that this restaurant was going to be a big mistake. A bad sushi dinner can be a harrowing experience. But when our friends arrived, they assured us that we did not make a mistake.

We naturally ordered the sushi and one order of Chicken Terriyaki. We had the spicy tuna, the Mexican roll and the spicy crunchy tuna. The sushi was excellent and could be one of the best in this area. We were happily surprised on how good the Chicken Terriyaki was for a sushi restaurant.

In the end, we did not like the location or ambiance of Yuki's Palette. But the food is the attraction at this restaurant and o this front, the restaurant delivers.

Bat Mitzvah Saga

David Brensilber — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:50:32 GMT

I am planning my daughter's Bat Mitzvah and I was shocked on the number of decisions that you need to make. Little did I realize that you have to make decisions on things that I did not even notice were part of the celebration.

Some of choices were obvious like the invitations and the DJ but others related to the types of stamps and the color of the tablecloths (let alone we rented our own tablecloths).

As a result of the fun that I had in this process, I thought that I would share my experience to help those similarly situated.

Today, I am wanted to talk about the Yarmulkes. We needed to find a Yarmulkes that was consistent with the theme of our party. For us we started with the color Turquoise. We then looked at the material and patterns. I was then asked if I wanted clips for the Yarmulkes. I do not even want to start with woman's head covers and whether they should have a comb built in.

The site that was the most helpful was kippah.com (http://kippah.com/). They showed you the colors, patterns and had a convenient process flow. Their pricing was competitive and their customer service people addressed all of our concerns.

The only negative that I could see was that they have not built out the functionality to show you how the inscription will look once you type in the words. But I did like the Hebrew keyboard functionality.

Yahoo! and Microsoft are talking

David Brensilber — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:19:46 GMT

Rumor has it that Microsoft and Yahoo! are finally talking. What could have caused this change in approach by Yahoo! It could be that Jerry Yang has decided that the Microsoft could be in the best interest of shareholders. Or it could be that Yahoo! is starting to see how its first quarter numbers are shaping up.

If the numbers are below the street estimates then Jerry and the Board will take some major heat for not embracing the Microsoft offering (also some serious lawsuits). In that case, management will lose even more of its credibility with the street. Its share price will drop and Microsoft could reduce its offering and still have a chance to close the deal. If this occurs, there will be no other options for Yahoo! but to take the offer.

To avoid that scenario, it is Yahoo! interest to negotiate before its numbers are finalized so that it can strike the best deal for its shareholders.

If however Yahoo! has blow out quarter then it makes sense for it to wait until their numbers are released to show that the Microsoft offer is too low. By doing this they can either defeat the advances of Microsoft or get Microsoft to raise its offer by $5 or so billion dollars.

There is no love lost for Microsoft at the senior level of Yahoo! so I have to lean that financially Yahoo! is not doing as well as it expected.

Fresh Pets -- Where America Shops for Their Pets

David Brensilber — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 16:33:32 GMT

When I was growing up, I had a dog named Charlie and a cat named Arthur. They were members of our family. We catered to what I thought was their every whim including having a place at the table for them. When they died, we buried them in the Bide-A-Wee Cemetery in Westhampton. At the time, I thought that was extravagant gesture by my parents but little did I know. When I visited them last summer, I found out that our foot stone was the most understated monument there. People built obelisks as tributes to their dearly departed.

This made me think that of how important animals can be to families. Some families treat their animals as one of their members while others treat them as accessories. As I researched this, I found that there are sites that cater to the pampering of animals.

One of my favorites is Fresh Pets (http://www.freshpets.com), a recently launched site. They sell a wide variety of pet products ranging from jewelry for pets to dogie sunglasses to spa products. I do not know which products are over the top and which ones are just pampering. But I have to believe that the sunglasses has crossed the line.

As to Fresh Pets' other products, I found their inventory extensive and reasonably priced.

I will continue to look for over the top products for pets.

What will Microsoft do Next in its Attempt to Acquire Yahoo!

David Brensilber — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 17:22:17 GMT

As I predicted, Yahoo rejected Microsoft's hostile offer because the offer substantially undervalues Yahoo! I wish that companies would be more honest with their rejections but everyone has to play the game.

The key question for Yahoo! is whether it wants a higher price, whether it wants to remain independent at all costs (a scorched earth approach) or whether it is looking for a partnership with someone like Google to avoid being acquired by Microsoft. From what I remember, many Yahoos hate Microsoft with a passion and would consider being acquired by them as the ultimate in humiliation. I do not think that just say no defense will work for Yahoo! so I would expect them to look for some strategic initiative which will buy some time for them.

For Microsoft, they will have to choose how to proceed in light of this rejection:

Walk Away -- Microsoft could decide that they made their best offer and walk away. I doubt that they will approach it this way since they have invested too much effort and have wanted to buy Yahoo! for several years.
Proxy Contest -- Microsoft could engage in a proxy contest to gain control of the Yahoo Board of Directors in the upcoming annual shareholder meeting. Very hard to win a proxy contest especially when you are not a seasoned veteran in these contests.
Tender Offer -- Microsoft could take its offer directly to Yahoo's shareholders. Most shareholders would be receptive to the premium that Microsoft is offering. It is doubtful that Yahoo's share price would rise over 60% from its organic earnings (which it is based upon Microsoft offering) especially since its CEO said that they faced headwinds this year. Absent the Microsoft offer, Yahoo! would be trading in the teens rather than close to $30 a share. Add to that fact that a significant portion of Yahoo shareholders are now hedge funds looking for a quick profit, the shareholders seem to be lining up to be a receptive audience for Microsoft. The problem with this is Yahoo has a poison pill which could stop the tender offer in its tracks. More later on the likelihood that they would follow through on the poison pill.
Negotiated Offer -- Microsoft could always raise their offer by $5 a share and exert pressure on Yahoo's Board to accept it.

I think that most likely scenario is Microsoft will first raise its offer but stoke Yahoo's fears with the threat of a tender offer. I think that Yahoo's shareholders are very receptive to selling to Microsoft. While Jerry Yang was right about Yahoo being worth a lot of money, the shareholders may not want to bet their investment on whether his strategy and execution will work.

The best outcome for shareholders would be that Yahoo! re-positions itself and starts the growth engine that it once was. If they succeed in that, Yahoo's share price will end up being higher than the Microsoft offering price. One of the key questions is how long for it to reach that level.

Next best outcome is take Microsoft's offer with its guaranteed price.

The worse outcome occurs if Yahoo does not consummate this deal and Jerry and his management team are unable to follow through on their visions. Yahoo! will continue to lose value. This outcome is a disaster for shareholders.

In evaluating what is the best to do, we are faced with imperfect information similar to the old Prisoner's Dilemma. In that economic scenario, prisoners are forced to make a choice absent perfect information. They do make a choice that they feel is their best alternative but it turns out that they choose a less than optimal outcome as a result of their lack of knowledge. For Yahoo shareholders, they do not know how the Yahoo management team will perform (both on the strategy and execution side), so they should logically agree to the hostile offering (based upon the risk of management's failure). This way, they will receive a good return will an extremely low risk of loss.

Best Japanese Steakhouse on Long Island: Genji

David Brensilber — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 12:06:08 GMT

On Saturday, we went out to dinner with another family to Genji Japanese Restaurant in Jericho, New York. My kids love the food and whole experience. We have eaten at Benihana, Hokkaido and Gasho and have had varying experiences at each. Based upon the cuisine and then the show, we rank them as follows:

1. Hokkaido
2. Gasho
3. Benihana

Genji was crowded when we showed up. There were four hibachi tables in the main room downstairs. Very noises but not smoky. Our chef was really into the show. He started with the typical fire routine which almost singed my hair. He spun the egg for the fried rice like an expert. I always love the beating heart routine. He was also good at flipping the vegetables into our mouths. The only trick he missed was the walking shrimp.

We ordered edamame, fried rice, steak, chicken and shrimp. The soup and salad were tasty. The edamame was salty as it should be. The steak and shrimp were excellent. The chicken was above average. None of the food had an overage greasy taste that you usually get at Benihana from all the lard that they use.

With respect to the cost, it was slightly more expansive than the other Japanese Steakhouse but well worth it.

We found out that they hose kids birthday parties upstairs with the bonus of the room being set up for Karaoke.

The kids cleaned their plates which is a rarity in my family. Any time they do that, the food must be good.

So in the end, we were happy in our food and enjoyed the atmosphere. The word of advice is that you do not need a whole dinner for each adult. For a family of 4, you only need 3 entrées unless you are hearty eaters.

How does a Yahoo! Deal Make Sense for Microsoft

David Brensilber — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 16:11:17 GMT

I have spent most of my time thinking about Microsoft's offer for Yahoo! from Yahoo!'s side but the other side of the coin is interesting as well. Does this proposal make any sense for Microsoft?

I do not believe that this deal will sail through antitrust review either in the US or Europe especially with Microsoft's history towards antitrust behavior. In addition, I think that Microsoft may run into an issue with their Hotmail and Yahoo! email products. They may need to spin one of them off to obtain the requisite approval.

Also, I am highly skeptical that Mirosoft can integrate Yahoo! in a timely and efficient manner. Most large acquisitions in the internet space do not work out. A quick look at some of the larger acquisition failures includes:

Yahoo! acquisition of Broadcast.com
Google's acquisition of Youtube
Microsoft acquisition of Hotmail
eBay's acquisition of Skype
CNET's acquisition of MySimon
Excite@Home of BlueMountain.com
Terra Networks acquisition of Lycos
AOL's acquisition of Netscape
Yahoo! acquisition of GeoCities
@Home acquisition of Excite
AOL acquisition of TimeWarner

There have been a few acquisitions in the internet space that have worked like Yahoo! acquisition of Overture, eBay's acquisition of PayPal and News Corp's acquisition of MySpace.

That being said, if Microsoft does acquire Yahoo!, the merger of the two cultures will be a monumental task that will sap vital business focus during a time when Google will be continually improving its own products and services. After two years of integration, Microsoft will finally be in the position to go after Google but by then Google will then own 90% of the market. Too little too late.

As a result, Microsoft is in effect buying an asset that will be depreciating in its hands so regardless of whether the price is too high now, they will be overpaying since its value will continue to decline.

Best Chinese on Long Island -- The Orient?

David Brensilber — Mon, 04 Feb 2008 14:22:20 GMT

My friend raved about this Chinese restaurant in Bethpage. He backed up his recommendation by informing me of the high rating on Zagat. He did warn me about the atomsphere but as I am strictly a foodie, I did not care.

On my visit, I agreed with my friend on the atomsphere but I strongly disagree on the quality of the food. I am at a loss on why anyone would consider this the best Chinese food on Long Island. I would not be surprised if this was not the best Chinese food on the block. With respect to the atomsphere, the decor was bland and I heard that people have issues with the lobsters being stacked on top of each other.

I ordered a Won Ton Soup, an Egg Roll, Fried Rice and Szechuan Chicken. The Won Ton Soup was bland. The Egg Roll was the high light of the meal as it was not greasy and it had great taste. The Szechuan Chicken was gloppy and over cooked. The fried rice was mushy.

On the whole, the food was below average. My sole regret was visiting this place in the first place.

My hunt for the "Best Chinese on Long Island" will continue but I clearly can cross The Orient off my list.