Nice demo from NYU of looking at minimalized immigration data via a (Space Invaders-ish) visualization. Nifty stuff, even if I can't figure out who all those people are who are streaming to Russia.

We're Number 1! We're number 1!
 
1. San Diego

 Median home price: $601,800
 P/E: 5th highest
 Affordability rank: 2nd least affordable
 Housing price trend: -4.5%

[via Forbes]

The U.S. Federal Reserve has just released a fascinating historical document, the minutes from the first post-9/11 meeting (as well as other minutes from 2001). Read it here as Greenspan, et al., try to understand just what the economic consequences of the attacks are likely to be.

Not to pick on Alan, but he presents a possible scenario where the attacks could in a roundabout way create a more peaceful Middle East.

Indeed, one can envision a scenario--it’s a low probability scenario but scarcely zero--that this tragic event could create a fairly pronounced and significant shift in the political structure in the world and that as a consequence, the areas that in the last several decades have been of longer-term concern, mainly those relating to the availability of crude oil, could conceivably change. The widespread shock effect and some of the implications of the current politics could get a lot of people turned around, including those in moderate Arab states.

Ouch, looking backward from $4 oil, that prediction hasn't panned out.

Many venture partnerships struggle with getting enough media attention for their partners and deals. Such is not the case with Elevation Partners, which, despite having done only three deals since 2004, has more than 1,000 print mentions to date (according to Dan Primack).

My basic interest isn’t why a firm with so little activity has received so much press attention (over 1,000 print mentions to date), as the obvious answer is Bono. Instead, I’m more curious if LPs were getting nervous about the seemingly-slow pace.

But there just doesn’t seem to be enough there there.

Leaving aside the "there there" question, I'll draw a different conclusion. The real trick to media success in venture investing is rise early, work hard ... and get Bono as a GP.

Good stat on comparative seller remorse in private equity deals:

• Corporate sellers who feel like they've left money on table: 46%
• PE sellers who feel they've left money on table: 25%

Now, the latter group may be delusional while the former is realistic, so there are other possible interpretations here. Then again, to be somewhat more serious, if you don't leave some money at the table it generally becomes awfully difficult to get a deal done in all but the hottest auctions.

[via LBO Wire]

This may or may not turn out to be worth watching, but Google is doing a live webcast of its invite-only Searchology press conference tomorrow, May 16th. It will run from 9:30am-12:30pm PST, and you will be able to view it here.

The current National Geographic has a fascinating feature on capitalism in China's boomtowns, cities like Lishui that are growing so fast that city planners have razed 108 hilltops to accomodate the runaway growth.

The government motto of the Lishui Economic Development Zone is "Each person does the work of two; two days' work is done in one." The slogan may be too modest. From 2000 to 2005, the city's population went from 160,000 to 250,000, and the local government invested 8.8 billion dollars in infrastructure for the region it administers. During those five years, infrastructure investment was five times the amount spent in the previous half century. In money terms, what was once 50 days' work is now done in one.

For the past three decades, China's economy has averaged nearly 10 percent annual growth. The economy is fueled by the largest migration the world has ever seen: An estimated 140 million rural Chinese have already left their homes, and another 45 million are expected to join the urban workforce in the next five years.

New all-time bestsellers list of "DVD Sleepers & Keepers" from Amazon is interesting list. Shows how many fringe (to my way of thinking) products aren't in the long tail at all, and are actually top of the DVD pops. Call it a fat, long tail.