back to the big house.

Here I am, back in Ann Arbor, ready to start year two. It's kind of a nutty scene right now. Many of my classmates had amazing summer internships and are sifting through offers. The primary decision seems to be "Do I accept? Or do I play the field?" Either way, it's not a bad position.

But right now, I'm most excited about this:


I've been a Michigan football fan for (gasp) thirty years. And spending Saturdays at the Big House is a dream come true. I'm thinking we'll go 9-3 this season, losing to Notre Dame, OSU, and some crappy Big Ten opponent. But given our talent, we could just as easily go 11-1.

In fact, I'm so confident (sort of) that I placed a bet on the Wolverines to win the whole thing when I drove through Nevada last weekend. $10 could win me $250. How's that for being risk-averse?

don't feed the lawyers.

So I guess talking virtual smack to my brother-in-law has caused a small revolution in the legal blogging community. Mike and his pal, Moose, have started UC Law 1998, a multi-lawyer blog. And the early results are stronger than Kerry's performance in the state of Ohio.

I like the approach of multiple authors. And it's always funny to see old people testing the waters. Now if only I could get Lil Bud and Moose to join Facebook.

update: bouncin' round the web.

I first wrote about Farecast in late June, when the upstart airfare predictor engine was in early beta. At that time, Farecast was able to identify when travelers should book flights between Seattle and Boston. Today, the company rolled out a more robust product featuring airfares between 55 major domestic markets.


Hot maps from SJC.

It's a very slick product, particularly for individuals who have flexible travel needs. At first glance, Farecast offers:

1) Interactive maps (shown above) to illustrate fares from any major city. Consider it Travelocity Dream Maps on steroids.
2) Graphing functionality to assist with comparing the rise and fall of fares.
3) Grid topography to anticipate the best time of the month to travel.
4) A slick company blog to highlight new features.

Give it a whirl. In a few months, you may not start your airfare search anywhere else.

trekking.

I just returned from leading a trip of MBA1s through Northern California. What a treat. These folks were from all corners of the globe, all walks of life. A few highlights from the trip:


Mtrekkers meet the Golden Gate.

1) A crazy afternoon in San Francisco, including Chinatown, and a tasty dinner in North Beach
2) Overnight at a rustic hostel in Point Reyes, where we grilled oysters and BBQ skewers
3) Wine tasting in Sonoma and a late night hot tub dip in a local motel
4) Insane rafting on Class Four rapids on the Middle Fork of the American River
5) A Friday night Giants-Dodgers game in the bleachers at Pac Bell Park

I'll share more stories later. For now, though, I'm getting ready to head back to Ann Arbor. I'm a little sad that this great summer is coming to an end and I'm certainly not ready to start classes again. It's crazy to think that this MBA experience is half over.

the last yodel.

Devoted wheresnate readers will recall that I've spent the last twelve weeks as a summer intern at Yahoo!. Perhaps it's the ex-Apple employee in me, but I've been very reluctant to share my experience with the blogging community. Yahoo! doesn't discourage blogging. The Y! actually encourages it. (And publishes very loose guidelines to prove it.) So I guess it's just a personal preference.

My project work for Y! Groups is essentially done. (Proof Point #1: My team gave me a big sushi lunch send-off today.) I presented my recommendations to the marketing executive team last week. And I've done my best to heed the matra "Never eat alone." (Thanks, Morin.)

In some ways, Y! and the Fruit Company are very similar. Countless laid back and brilliant people. Cross-functional teams making it all happen. An unquestioned focus on the customer. That's what makes Yahoo!, Yahoo! (and not Google). And it's what makes Apple, Apple (and not Gateway).

But there are little things that I love (prefer?) about the Y! way. It has to do with younger employees, tons of data, and the agility of individual business units. It's an exciting place, one where a recent MBA grad could start a great career.

Who knows what will happen after I graduate. I'm just delighted to have a little yodel with my fruit.

family ties.

My blog has been riddled this summer with more comments than ever before. What could be the cause? More readership? More controversial topics? Actually, it's neither.

It's my brother-in-law.

Here's the deal. He reads daily from the comfortable confines of his law firm. And he must take long breaks (which would explain why he comments on posts from six months prior). In some ways, Mike is a perfect blogging candidate. He's up-to-date on news and sports and...ummm...legal stuff. He likes to pull together lists of "the all time best Buddy Cop movies" and speculate about a college basketball mascot tourney.

But he has a fatal flaw. He's a technophobe. At least, he was.

Perhaps Mike's recent string of comments will convince him to stick another toe in the water.

the big check, part two.

Big news today from the B-school. We received notice this evening from Dean Dolan about the latest tuition. The good news: among our peer schools, the $2000 increase was significantly lower than Wharton, Harvard, and MIT. But the total bill of just over $40,000 is a little tough to swallow. Yikes.