January 2008
California Sun - The Replacements I’m going...
Double standard: Microsoft courting Yahoo...
I just read Henry Blodget’s post about Microsoft going after Yahoo employees. There is nothing wrong with that especially since Yahoo is having a tough time to say the least. And despite all of the challenges in front of Yahoo there are some fantastic people at that company. Presumably Microsoft is going after great technical folks but they also need some new DNA at Microsoft when it comes...
Dell & Andoid partnership or is it more like Tim &...
I just read about the rumor that Dell is going to announce a mobile phone powered by Google’s Android. Sure enough TechMeme has it covered already. It looks like it’s still just a rumor but it wouldn’t surprise me. Last year Dell acquired my friend Tim Bucher’s company Zing. Tim was formerly VP Engineering at Apple and was the VP engineering at WebTV and Microsoft and has...
Tumblr users are active
We had a Tumblr board meeting yesterday in NYC. It was great to get everyone in a room and discuss the future of Tumblr. Lots of interesting ideas and needless to say, David & Marco are working on some very cool new things :) I was also blown away by some of the recent Tumblr stats. Tumblr users are super active & passionate. I knew that from the folks I follow but it’s true across...
Helter Skelter - U2 (original by the Beatles) Last...
Here's another example: non-competes stifle...
A few days ago I received an email from an entrepreneur that wants to leave his current employer along with two other colleagues to start a new company. Here’s the email with the name removed: On 1/26/08 7:19 PM, “nameremoved” wrote: Hi Bijan: I have been a big fan of your attempts to abolish “non-compete” agreements. Given your expertise and...
Fireflies - Rhett Miller Rocking tune. I would...
Is Wordpress going after Twitter?
There is a growing meme around Wordpress latest theme called Prologue. Some predict this could threaten Twitter. I don’t think so. I could never imagine using Prologue the way I use Twitter. If you take a look at my Twitter updates over the past week and the interactions I’ve had with Charlie, Eric, Brad, Rafer, Dave, Fred etc it’s over a wide range of topics and with a range of...
Heroes - The Magnetic Fields I’ve been...
Why I am voting for Senator Obama
Until last night I’ve been sitting on the fence about Obama vs Clinton. Both candidates are highly intelligent, passionate and either should be a significant upgrade to life under Bush/Cheney. That’s why I will support either of them should they win the nomination. I’ve been on the fence because I’ve been frustrated with the “Republican-lite” nature of these...
The (un)importance of experience
My friend Nabeel has a mighty fine post today about the role of experience (and how it’s not as important as you might believe.) It’s so well written that I don’t want to copy and paste a single line. Go read it.
New: cool tumblr theme →
Giving great presentations - just like Steve
I saw the Business Week article called “Deliver a Presentation like Steve Jobs” on Techmeme this evening. I was prepared to read it and hate it. There is only one person who can give presentations like Steve Jobs. And it’s Steve Jobs. It’s more art than science. It has to be pure and natural, not contrived. But these tips are actually pretty good. I see lots of...
Too Far Gone - Jeff Tweedy This is a live cover of...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2008-1-27) →
M. Ward
Led Zeppelin
The Magnetic Fields
The Flaming Lips
She and Him (ft. Zooey Deschanel & M. Ward)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr
“Over the years, I’ve been deeply moved by the people who’ve told me they wished...”
– Caroline Kennedy, NYT Op-Ed, 1/27/2008
Spark Video Ad Day
Yesterday we held an event in NYC for all of our internet video-related portfolio companies including 5Min, Veoh, KickApps, Buzzwire & Next New Networks. The kind folks at Goodwin Proctor let us use their conference room. We had a variety of different advertising networks and technology come in as well and talk to our companies. We heard from the folks at ScanScout, Tremor, AdMeld, Inform,...
See These Bones - Nada Surf Nada Surf has a new...
Making sense of the NYT endorsement of Clinton and...
I’m trying to makes sense but I don’t understand the NYT’s logic behind their endorsement of Clinton and McCain yesterday. Yes, they are viable candidates. (Personally, I’m still on the fence about Clinton vs Obama to this day.) But their rationale is so confusing. I just don’t get it. Some examples: On McCain: ” The leading [Republican] candidates have no plan...
Congrats Santo
My partner Santo made the Forbes Midas list this year. Fantastic accomplishment.
Sunshine - Matt Costa Here’s my song of the...
Are iPhones selling at AT&T ?
Cnet has an article today suggesting that iPhone isn’t selling well at AT&T. I gotta dig into the numbers and assumptions a bit more but one thing is for sure: Apple should figure out a way to sync with Microsoft Exchange server wirelessly. That would be a big deal and change the game.
Eric's new blog
My friend Eric Marcoullier has been telling me that he can never keep up a blog. He starts one and then bails. Well I was on technorati tonight and noticed an inbound link from his site and discovered that I’m on his blogroll. What? Eric has a new blog? So cool. I like hearing Eric’s written words. I like his twitter updates too. I hope he keeps it up. I think it’s interesting...
Getting Informed
As some of you may have heard, we recently invested in NYC based Inform Technologies. My partner Santo led this investment for Spark. We have been thinking about various ways technology and next generation ad networks can help publishers. We believe Inform is going to play a big role in this opportunity. What does Inform do? Check out this CNN article. The links for the main story and at the...
Doo Doo Doo Doo - Rolling Stones I love indie rock...
Brad's blog
I love blogging. That’s why I post just about every day and many days I’m posting several times a day. But I gotta tell you. I really dig reading other people’s blogs. And when they are honest & transparent…well, that’s just the best. I’ve known Brad Feld for a few years now. Lucky for me, we are co-investors in a few companies. I enjoy talking to him...
1 tag
The Headmaster Ritual - Radiohead This song was...
Obama vs Clinton
That is the question I’ve been mulling over for some time now. My friends are probably sick of me bringing it up over lunch & dinner parties. I wanted to see Hilary Clinton win. We need a woman running this country at some point. In fact it’s way over due. But her campaign is getting ugly and nasty. My friend Brett Bullington sent me a link tonight to this ABC fact checking post...
Think Progress » THE ARCHITECTS OF WAR: WHERE ARE... →
“Despite superficial commentary like this, the Bernanke put won’t have much...”
– One day I gotta find a way to meet Umair Haque. I’m a fan of his blog. He has a mighty fine post today about the Fed’s decision to cut interest rates.
Flickrfan for iPhone: looks like the answer is yes
I asked the question last week. Dave amplified it. And it looks like the answer is a straightfoward yes (via dave). Me=happy.
Ain’t that strange - Rhett Miller I’ve...
WatchRock Band rules. By the way, Dan who sings in this video was formerly at Harmonix and worked the games “Rock Band” and “Guitar Hero” Fun night. Thanks Nabeel for hosting!
Rocking out
We had a fun time over at Nabeel’s office playing Rock Band tonight.
The pigeonhole
I think we often get stuck as entpreneurs and investors in pigeonholing ideas or people. Many times we are misled by this and start believing: -only young folks understand how to start Web2.0 companies -cto’s can’t be ceos -founders can’t scale -only seasoned execs are backable -all ideas in a given a category are losers just because no one to date has figured it out -that the...
Bug Labs: Store is open
Bug Labs has officially opened their store today. You can read all about it on Bug’s blog about what is and isn’t in the first release. I just ordered mine. Awesome.
Detailed Tumblr product review/description
I use Google alerts for all the companies in our portfolio. Usually I get alerts for stuff I already know about like announcements or new partnerships etc. But sometimes I find nice gems. Today, I received a google alert about a new Tumblr user with an excellent description of Tumblr: how to get started, feature-by-feature overview and why he likes it. Check out the review here.
Magic Trick - M. Ward & Zooey Deschannel I...
