ianlee

some hotels actually offer free minibar services now. They figure it's a nice addition to the customer experience as it differentiates themselves away from the competitors so much.

I've experienced this in the Galaxy hotel, Macau

I love the MTR in HK. In addition to creating an awesome public transportation system, I think that MTR also has the potential to be the government's vessel in balancing the HK real estate market.

  "Some 50 major properties across Hong Kong are owned, developed or managed by MTR,including two of the city's tallest skyscrapers."

Companies like Sun Hung Kai, Cheung Kong, Henderson, New World etc are getting ridiculously rich off soaring property prices while the lower/middle classes suffer in overpriced, tiny cramped living spaces. Perhaps the government can use MTR as an opportunity to create affordable housing - maximize welfare beyond a cheap public transportation system.

The goal of the government is to maximize welfare.

I would say that in this case, your so-called "government favouritism" and "sketchy business practices" benefits citizens immensely.

  "MTR trains boast a 99.9% on-time arrival rate. Fares are notoriously cheap ($.50 to $3)"

Moreover, a lot of systems that maximize public welfare are often monopolized and subsidized by the government. Do you think having myriad companies running various train tracks in a city would be beneficial? Or would one unified system make more sense? I think the evidence points to an unmistakable answer.

Don't forget his newest company - Tamr! http://www.tamr.com/

I'm currently reading Brad Feld's Venture Deals. Awesome book with a lot of material. I'm trying to find something more in depth - regarding the financial process to read over Thanksgiving