Billy Downing // ESM

University of California, Crown Jewel of Education, Struggles With Cuts - NYTimes.com

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:04:14 -0800

University of California, Crown Jewel of Education, Struggles With Cuts - NYTimes.com

News 10 runs a story on students leaving California schools.

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:09:20 -0800

News 10 runs a story on students leaving California schools.

One of my favorites.

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:28:04 -0800

One of my favorites.

Flood of grads look beyond California universities - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 22:16:20 -0800

Flood of grads look beyond California universities - Sacramento News - Local and Breaking Sacramento News | Sacramento Bee

2009 coming to a close; hope for 2010

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 22:50:00 -0800

It’s hard to think that 2009 is nearing to a close so rapidly. It seems like only yesterday that we are waiting for Obama to take office and throwing the old Christmas tree out.

But with each year ending, there is a renewed hope and energy that next year will be better than the last. Over this year at ESM, we feel blessed that our mentor-based tutoring and counseling platform has been well-received both globally, and locally.

Each day I go to sleep thinking about how we touch the lives of our students, and how in turn, they touch our lives. There is so much we have accomplished, and yet so much that still needs to be done, and it helps calm me when I realize that this process truly is not about an end, it is about a healthy and happy journey along the way.

Here’s to 2009, and to an even more fruitful 2010.

Looking for a great, fun read...?

Sat, 03 Oct 2009 22:22:00 -0700

I’ve just finished Peter Mayle’s two books on life in Provence — “A Year in Provence” and “Tojours Provence”. If you are looking for a fun, relaxing and inspiring read, Mayle is simply the best. With his English wit in full swing, he details his life in the South of France with an eye for detail that makes you feel as if you are sitting at the dinner table with him.

I first read these books in high school as part of my French class, but I am glad I re-read them again - this time enjoying and appreciating the humor and life lessons so much more. I’ve order the third and final installment - “Encore Provence” - which I hear is another brilliant tale of good food, good friends and even more important in French culture - good wine.

Arsenal's Net Rises 37% - WSJ.com

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 00:23:53 -0700

Arsenal's Net Rises 37% - WSJ.com

This was the scene from La Canada yesterday where I was tutoring...

Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:24:49 -0700

This was the scene from La Canada yesterday where I was tutoring some of my students.

Back to Blogging

Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:02:17 -0700

Have not posted in a long time - today I am starting back with my blog about business, life and travel. It feels good to be back. I will post once a day, and sometimes add a photo or two.

-BD

CrunchPad: The Launch Prototype

Sun, 05 Jul 2009 09:33:34 -0700

CrunchPad: The Launch Prototype

fred-wilson: we went to peter lugers last night. my daughter...

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:26:06 -0700

fred-wilson:

we went to peter lugers last night. my daughter emily took a bunch of cool photos including this one of the way we paid for dinner. lugers is cash only.

cash only (via emilywilson)

Our new company logo.

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:36:44 -0700

Our new company logo.

bijan: Soccer in South Africa: The Big Picture: Boston.com

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:35:58 -0700

bijan:

Soccer in South Africa: The Big Picture: Boston.com

Dream Big.

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 23:35:44 -0700

davemorin:

“Filling little gaps in another company’s product lineup is snatching nickels from the path of an oncoming steam roller.” - Platform vendors - Joel on Software

Joel has some good things to say on developers choosing which products to work on in relation to Platform vendors.

I believe it is important to dream big when you’re considering building an application on any Platform. If you’re looking at Facebook Platform or the Apple iPhone Platform, dream big. There are many incredible opportunities yet to be explored in virtually every vertical.

Today, the common conversation is around the many gaming companies building great things and becoming very successful. But, always remember that the gaming vertical tends to be the first one to fill out when new platforms enter the scene. Over time, big ideas (including games) are built into wonderful businesses.

So, as they say in England - mind the gap - and dream big.

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:20:02 -0700

Clear Lanes Are No Longer Available

"Starting in late 2007, one of the first things we did to solve our problems was move battery pack..."

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 17:57:22 -0700

“

Starting in late 2007, one of the first things we did to solve our problems was move battery pack production from an outsourced factory in Asia to California. This may sound counter-intuitive, but our unit cost actually went down and quality improved as we went to a more automated system and could iterate quickly with engineering to find design efficiencies.

Avoiding the cost of shipping a half ton pack from Asia also meant significant savings on shipping costs. This is a much bigger deal for a heavy and bulky product than a small consumer electronics device, where outsourcing to Asia makes a lot more sense. Very importantly, our supply chain went from a tectonically slow six months and having to pay for tens of millions of dollars of inventory in transit to a matter of a few weeks.

”

- Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla

As labor cost go up and environmental regulation tightens in places like China and India, we are going to see more and more manufacturing moving back to the US. Shipping cost and time to market are 2 very big negatives that exist when outsourcing manufacturing to Asia which so far have been covered up by low cost.

(via siminoff)

Photo

Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:27:07 -0700

This is a great clip of Fred Wilson off his website.

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 15:59:19 -0700

This is a great clip of Fred Wilson off his website.

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education: an article by William Deresiewicz about how universities should exist to make minds, not careers | The American Scholar

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 22:16:12 -0700

The Disadvantages of an Elite Education: an article by William Deresiewicz about how universities should exist to make minds, not careers | The American Scholar

Photo

Sat, 06 Jun 2009 16:59:54 -0700