What are some other likely destinations in the future? Based on previous announcements, Virgin would likely expand to other hub cities, such as Denver, Chicago or Atlanta before expanding to smaller markets. Markets likely to not be served include locations that have been monopolized to lockout value airlines, such as Memphis, who is not served by Southwest or Frontier and can only claim Air Canada Jazz and AirTran as value airlines.

My question is why doesn’t Virgin America establish a hub in a centrally-based city such as Denver, Chicago or Houston’s Hobby Airport instead of only having hubs on the west coast?

FIND OUT MORE:
The Huffington Post: Virgin America Launches Service To Mexico

Ryan Saylor is the founder and managing editor of Midnight Politics and the host of Midnight Politics Radio. You can follow him on Twitter @RSaylo.

The Wall Street Journal just looked at the differences between print and electronic format and came to their own conclusion: it’s not worth the price, yet. They gave many examples of books that were cheaper in physical form than in eBook format. But being an eReader owner, I have to say that the comparisons he was making aren’t the comparisons we, as eReader owners, look at. We’re not comparing the price of some cheaply bound copy of a book, we are comparing the eBook versus hardcover. I can’t tell you the last time I bought a paperback book. I always compare to hardcover because I would buy nothing else. I want my books to last and paperback just doesn’t.

Now another issue that I’ve taken issue with in this article is this statement by writer Brett Arends:

Amazon sells the best-selling e-book reader. It’s a great product, very easy to use–much easier, I’ve found, than the competition.

When was the last time he actually did a side-by-side comparison? Because I have. And I’m not going to say which one is better, because as reporters we cannot ever be truly objective about that. Either you work with a company associated with one of the eReaders or you own stock in another company that sells it or makes it. So in other words, this writer should have just left that part out and just discussed the economics of the devices.

Regardless, the eReaders are a great deal if you are a hardcover book buyer, not so much if you just buy whatever copy is sitting on the table at the store. But think of the other things are you doing: reducing clutter, saving trees and being compact. And let’s not forget: saving money over hardcover books.

FIND OUT MORE:
The Wall Street Journal: Are E-Books Worth the Money?

On Tuesday, in a story about forthcoming 99-cent TV show rentals on iTunes, Bloomberg reported that Apple would hold an event September 7.

“Apple plans to hold a San Francisco event September 7, two weeks ahead of the start of the new prime-time TV season,” according to the report, “to unveil the service and a refreshed line of entertainment products.”

What could the refreshed line of entertainment products include?

Apple is also expected to unveil a $99 reworked version of Apple TV, new iPods, including an iPod Touch with “retina” display and front-facing camera, and FaceTime calling.

I can’t even begin to express how excited I am that Apple is coming out with a new Apple TV. Hopefully it will be worth getting so I can move all of my movie and TV iTunes files from my MacBook onto Apple TV.

FIND OUT MORE:
CNET: Report: Apple music, TV event to be held September 7

“There is no iron law that real estate must appreciate,” said Stan Humphries, chief economist for the real estate site Zillow. “All those theories advanced during the boom about why housing is special — that more people are choosing to spend more on housing, that more people are moving to the coasts, that we were running out of usable land — didn’t hold up.”

Instead, Mr. Humphries and other economists say, housing values will only keep up with inflation. A home will return the money an owner puts in each month, but will not multiply the investment.

Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, estimates that it will take 20 years to recoup the $6 trillion of housing wealth that has been lost since 2005. After adjusting for inflation, values will never catch up.

“People shouldn’t look at a home as a way to make money because it won’t,” Mr. Baker said.

So what is the key to building wealth? Blogger James Kwak is subtly pushing his readers to invest in stocks and bonds:

Housing is generally a worse investment than either stocks or simple U.S. Treasury bonds.

So how can the wisdom that paid off for our parents and grandparents be so wrong? It’s a situation that is becoming more and more debated and will most likely not be settled for another decade after we have a chance to see how the housing market fairs. But I think it’s a little off to be telling people that investing in a home instead of paying rent is a bad idea (wait and if the housing market gets any worse, I might be singing a different tune a few years down the road).

FIND OUT MORE:
The Baseline Scenario: Housing in Ten Words
The New York Times: Housing Fades as a Means to Build Wealth, Analysts Say
The Washington Post: Sales of previously occupied homes plunge

I was just reading this really interesting New York Times article on whether or not taking breaks from technology is a good thing and I am left wondering why this is even a question. It should be obvious: technology can become addictive and we all need a break sometimes.

Don’t believe me? The best vacations I have had are when I’ve gone to Europe and left the BlackBerry and MacBook at home. Then it’s just me and my trip and no distractions except good German beer and which museum to hit next. When I travel in the United States, I am constantly tied to my computer, never getting off of it. Whether it is checking my e-mail, writing my next article or working on something for my full-time job while on vacation, any time I travel anywhere in the United States, it’s like this. It’s not very peaceful and I feel just as exhausted as when I started my trip. That’s just how it is.

Now that’s not to say that a connection isn’t needed. It most certainly is. But when it’s vacation, that is a perfect time to unwind and get away from it all. We all should take a week or two every year to completely unwind and disconnect, don’t you think?

FIND OUT MORE:
The New York Times: Outdoors and Out of Reach, Studying the Brain

The world’s largest bookseller said its board is evaluating several options to boost shareholder value in the face of a depressed stock price, including selling the company. [Company founder Leonard] Riggio, who holds some 17.9 million shares or nearly 30 percent of the company’s stock, said he’s considering joining an investor group to buy the retailer.

Shares soared on the news in after-hours trading Tuesday, rising $3.31, or nearly 26 percent, to $16.15. Shares closed the regular session down 98 cents, or 7 percent, at $12.84. The stock has been in free fall since late June, when the company reported a steep fourth-quarter loss and issued forecasts for first-quarter and full-year net income below expectations due to hefty planned investments in digital technology.

Barnes & Noble has been hurting, along with other book retailers, as people focus on essentials in the down economy and limit their book purchases. Shoppers also are shifting away from paper books toward electronic books, much as they have done with music, moving away from CDs toward digital downloads.

While it might appear to be a bad thing, it could actually be a good thing. After all, the company could always use more money to invest in digital technology since that is where the industry seems to be going. After all, that is the area I work in for B&N and I would love even more money put into development so that it keeps me working.

FIND OUT MORE:
The Associated Press via The Huffington Post: Barnes & Noble May Put Itself Up For Sale
Barnes & Noble Booksellers: Barnes & Noble to Evaluate Strategic Alternatives

Spirit Airlines logo

Spirit Airlines officially lost me as a potential customer today because they followed through on their incredibly stupid plan to start charging for carry-on bags. And they aren’t just charging a small fee, they are charging $45!

Now I don’t travel a lot, but I travel enough that it would make a difference. Since January, I’ve been to Seattle, Vancouver, Pensacola, and Tulsa. Addtionally, I am going to Kansas City and Memphis this month. So let’s figure up how much the checked bag fee would be for those five trips if I had flown each time: $270. That’s a round trip from my home airport to New York. WHAT A RIP OFF!

FIND OUT MORE:
The Huffington Post: Spirit Airlines Starts $45 Carry-On Fee

FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Center for American Women and Politics: Woman vs. Woman Fact Sheet
News9.com: Only Second Time in U.S. History Both Gubernatorial Candidates Are Women
Midnight Politics: Oklahoma to have first female governor