October 2009
September 2009
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Goin to Acapulco - Jim James & Calexico
There...
“The UK has become the first major economy where advertisers spend more on...”
– Internet overtakes television to become biggest advertising sector in the UK | Media | The Guardian
we all knew this day was coming…it will be a lot of fun when this happens in the US market.
Going back to my old school
This Friday I am giving the keynote talk at Boston College TechDay.
Last night I put together a number of slides which is essentially a set of graphical cliff notes taken from my blog. I’m going to talk about venture capital and things I’m excited about in the world of startups and technology.
I couldn’t help but think about how much has changed in the world of technology and...
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My Mistakes Were Made For You - The Last Of The...
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A friend asked me for advice: startup or big...
Last week a friend called me looking for advice.
He was working on his own thing for the past year or so but it hasn’t really taken off. Now, his personal life requirements make it necessary that he joins a company in the near future.
He has an offer to join a few different startups or take a senior role in a large established company.
His question: Should I do the startup or big company?...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-9-27) →
Girls (88)
A.A. Bondy (48)
Arctic Monkeys (45)
Monsters of Folk (32)
M. Ward (27)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
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Fluorescent Adolescent - Arctic Monkeys
...
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Up next: a public hearing on employee-non compete...
As some of you know, I wrote a post almost two years ago taking a stand against employee non-compete agreements which are legal and enforced in my state (MA) and many others.
I was thrilled that a number of public debates and panels have take place since then on the subject. And many entrepreneurs, VCs, CEOs and employees have voiced their support in this effort to get rid of employee non-compete...
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Lost In The Supermarket - The Clash
In our...
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Everybody Say - Takka Takka
I’ve got a...
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Moore's law not fast enough for game consoles, so...
One of my favorite things about technology is the fact that nothing is for certain and nothing is a birthright.
Take the game console market. It was long believed that Sony was king of the hill, Microsoft was making a good run at it and Nintendo was left for the dead.
We know that isn’t how things turned out. The Nintendo Wii has been an enormous success and they did it without taking on...
“When we were building Flickr, we worked very hard. We worked all waking hours,...”
– Caterina Fake - Working hard is overrated - Sept 25, 2009
Startups are hard. They require an insane amount of hard work and stress. But I like how Caterina calls out the difference between freaking out vs working hard.
I’m On Fire - A.A. Bondy
I’m posting...
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I Can See The Pines Are Dancing - A.A. Bondy
Been...
Introducing Altius Education
We are delighted to announce our latest investment, Altius Education.
My partner Alex led our investment in the company. VentureBeat has the full story here.
We believe innovation is happening in education. We now have two portfolio companies (8D World & Altius) trying to make a positive change in learning. They are doing it in very different ways and for very different markets.
I am...
Walk On - Neil Young
I needed my Neil Young fix...
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The double standard
Reading Techmeme this morning and came across two stories that gave me a bit of the heebie jeebies.
1. Carriers aren’t happy with the FCC Chairman’s position on net neutrality
ATT & VZW believes net neutrality should apply to wired broadband service providers but not mobile carriers. I believe that is a double standard.
Mobile carriers use cable’s broadband network,...
Say Please - Monster of Folk
Another sweet track...
“In closing, we are here because 40 years ago, a bunch of researchers in a lab...”
– Julius Genachowski, FCC Chairman - “Preserving A Free and Open Internet: A Platform for Innovation, Opportunity, and Prosperity” - OpenInternet.gov
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-9-20) →
Okkervil River (125)
Monsters of Folk (49)
Ben Kweller (41)
Nada Surf (22)
Bon Iver (10)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
Some thoughts about company culture
I think company culture is extremely important. It’s true in a big company and it’s true in a startup. I’m not talking about a 7 point mission statement that hangs in the office kitchen.
I’m talking about something much more natural and part of the fabric of the company.
But one size doesn’t fit all as you can see in the very best companies.
Apple’s culture...
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Walk On Me - Ben Kweller
Great song. One of...
“What about iTunes? Doesn’t that show people will pay for content? Well,...”
– Paul Graham - Post-Medium Publishing
Certainly some content is worth paying for but I really like Paul’s point here - there is a difference between a “tax” and “selling people stuff”. As a result, I’ve been thinking about this all day long.
echolot:
Mumford & Sons - But My Head Told...
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Where is the "silicon" in Silicon Valley ?
image via Wikipedia
Earlier today in Palo Alto, I met with an old friend who back in the 1990s, built a number of very successful consumer products companies that combined hardware and software. (I’m not sure he wants me to say his name publicly).
We talked about a number of things like his next company and things he wants to build. We also talked about his frustration with VCs and...
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Ahead of the Curve - Monster of Folk
This one...
Obama supports extending Patriot Act provisions →
Remember my post about Gov 2.0 and our 2 party system?
Here’s yet another example. I believe that the antiwar/anti Patriot act voters played a big role in putting Democrats and President Obama in charge. Now this.
Sigh.
via soupsoup:
grutty:
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration supports extending three key provisions of the Patriot Act that are due to expire at the end of the year,...
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God Only Knows
I was at a wine party last night in NYC. The host is piano player and we got into talking about Ben Kweller. He said he really loves Ben’s version of the Beach Boys “God Only Knows”.
I just had to post it today. But since I’m currently on a flight and sharing bandwidth I don’t want to upload the actual mp3.
So here’s a link. Enjoy.
God Only Knows - Ben...
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Little Lion Man - Mumford & Sons
This...
My Top 5 Artists (Week Ending 2009-9-13) →
The Clash (44)
The Flaming Lips (31)
Okkervil River (25)
The Who (20)
Arctic Monkeys (18)
Imported from Last.fm Tumblr by JoeLaz
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Gov2.0 ≠ Two party system
We have a problem in our political system.
I realize this is an understatement to say the least. We have several issues that mess with democracy ranging from gerrymandering, campaign finance, lobbyists, lack of run off elections, education/awareness, well I could continue but I’m trying to stay positive :)
I have been following the Gov2.0 movement which Tim O’Reilley powerfully...
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Lost Coastlines - Okkervil River
Love affair with...
“As Fowler pointed out, if you want to improve the world with your good behavior,...”
– Is Happiness Catching? - NYTimes.com
“But Christakis and Fowler say their findings show that the gamble of increased...”
– Is Happiness Catching? - NYTimes.com
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Love To A Monster - Okkervil River
I was on a...
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We want the airwaves
Where’s your guts and will to survive And don’t you wanna keep rock & roll music alive Mr programmer I got my hammer And I’m gonna smash my, smash my radio We want the airwaves We want the airwaves We want the airwaves, baby if rock is gonna stay alive -Joey Ramone
Radio was a magical thing when I was a kid. I remember listening by the dial and waiting for my favorite song...
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Death or Glory - The Clash
If I had to pick my...
“Should we take a harder line? Force people to prove citizenship in emergency...”
– Editorial - Immigrants, Health Care and Lies - NYTimes.com