cameron peron

A creative view behind the $680M acquisition by Yahoo in 2007.

Many important periods of time have been forgotten throughout history; some are lost through irrelevance, while others are hidden by brute force.

The Gulag Archipelago is an immense three volume literary masterpiece describing a intensely dark period of Russian and Eastern European history in early part of the 20th century.

It’s almost inconceivable that between 10-40 million people, mostly Russian citizens, perished through a state organized and brutal gulag system.  Volume 1 focuses on the background of imprisonment and arrests, through the accounts of victims and Solzhenitsyn (the author) himself.  Exceptionally detailed, each account portrays a system designed to create total loyalty to a single leader, instill fear in those with thoughts and intentions contrary to the objectives and plans of the state, and maybe most importantly, create a massive workforce of slave labor.

Intense?  Definitely.  But relevant? Consider the implications:

• Population.  The population of Russia is just 140M people.  Had conservative estimation of 10M not perished in early 19th century, by how many multiples could the current population of Russia actually increased… 300M… 500M?
• Family and friends.  The massive arrests of people considered suspicious to the state created vacuum of fathers, mothers and children in such a way that it disrupted normal family life while the arrested waited for a trial or were finishing off a sentence.  As a result, dysfunctional and broken homes were not uncommon for generations to come in the former Soviet Unions.
• Leadership and creative thinking. After serving 10 years (average sentence) in a prison or hard labor camp, what could once expect to contribute and even achieve from himself after being released into a so called ‘normal’ society?

What’s most amazing is that most of us in Western countries have no clue of the reality that played out in the former Soviet Union during these times, especially the shear scale of causalities and bureaucracy used to keep it hidden.

Not ready for the first volume!?  Read a quick overview from the Online Gulag Museum here.

Looking for the real thing? Check it out here.

Detroit is just more than just a city of urban decay.   It’s not so obvious when you see photography dedicated to the ruins of the great city it once was.  Detroit had a tremendous impact on the development of the American economy, the mass production of the automobile, and the perception of the American dream for more than 3 generations.

Although it’s golden years are well behind in the past, there’s still a vibrant life and style under it’s rusted hood.

Even Johnny Knoxville agrees…

Excellent series on serious players on technology, finance and entertainment, including Jay-Z, Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs and many others.

Great spending in the first half of 2010, with very good growth in banner and video display.  More than likely, a good part of the growth sponsored by by stronger investments in branding campaigns form large  brand advertisers and advancements in exchanges making niche advertisers more competitive.

See more here.