Great Title.

What I'm reading now: There is No Alternative -- Why Margaret Thatcher Matters.

Of course, there are always alternatives but when the right alternative is presented convincingly as the only alternative, a great deal can be done. In fact, according to Berlinski, a nation and even a whole civilization can be turned from is present course.

25th Annual GW Parkway Classic.

Yesterday I ran 10 miles from Mt. Vernon to Old Town Alexandria. It was not pretty, but I made it.

Before the start I saw Randy Mah -- a talented young man who interned for me some dozen years ago. I also was stopped by Sarah Talbot -- although I don't know if that is still her last name. We swam together at Catholic University more than a dozen years ago. And, somewhere around mile four I crossed paths with Brad Blaise. He too was a fightin' Cardinal back in the mid-90s.

So how do you explain a gathering with thousands of people and I run across three different people who I haven't seen in a such a long time?

For those who are interested, unofficial one mile splits are posted below.

Mile 1 -- 9:54, Mile 2 -- 9:13, Mile 3 -- 9:14, Mile 4 -- 9:17, Mile 5 -- 9:47, Mile 6 -- 9:39, Mile 7 -- 8:52, Mile 8 -- 10:04, Mile 9 -- 10:30, Mile 10 -- 8:43. Total 1:35:18.

What I'm Reading Right Now.

A report on security problems for the Internet for the six months ending December 31, 2008. Yikes, while overall number of reported vulnerability disclosures is down, the proportion of high risk problems and "rogue" security software are both growing.

The report is here.

Twoogle?

TechCrunch is pumping up the idea of a Google acquisition of Twitter. Kara Fisher pours cold water on the idea.

Back in February the same idea was briefly noted on this blog here.

My key question -- beyond the personalities and dramatic cat and mouse game with GOOG, MSFT and other digital leaders like Facebook, Twitter and their financiers -- is about the potential integration of these companies. There is more to an aquisition than APIs and additional cubicle space.

At least superficially, Twitter is innovating its search, Twitpic, Twistori and related product lines and compelementary services precisely because it is small and can do so. With only 7m members and a relatively "new" feeling at the company, innovation can flourish in a hyperspeed Darwinian fashion. At Facebook or Google, the massive installed base of users and the -- relatively speaking -- maturity of the firms, their internal processes and culture are in a different catagory.