Month: March 2010

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I don’t use a laptop in meetings but what about iPad?

by bijansabet

I know plenty of folks that bring a laptop to meetings. I’m not talking about people that use a laptop to present materials or need specific data in the actual meeting.

I’m talking about people that bring a laptop to take notes or whatever.

I’ve seen entrepreneurs do it and I’ve seen some VCs do it.

I’m not a huge fan of this idea which is why I don’t bring a laptop to meetings. Perhaps I’m old fashioned but I don’t like the idea of someone presenting or an important topic is being discussed and someone else in the room is banging away on the keyboard.

I prefer to take notes on my moleskine notebook. Paper and a pen. No distractions. Focused.

However, I confess the iPad that I have on pre-order has me thinking. The iPad seems perfect to bring to a meeting. Small/thin form factor, instant on, big onscreen keyboard and quiet. And unlike a laptop, you can’t hide behind the iPad screen.

Whaddya think? Bring an iPad to meetings or leave it in the bag?

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A compact camera that rivals the DSLR

by bijansabet

For the past 5 years, I’ve been using a DSLR as my “real camera”. It started when I bought the Canon Rebel and then a few years back I bought the 40d. It’s an amazing camera that is fast & flexible. I have three very different lenses for almost every situation. It takes beautiful pictures.

But there is a problem with the 40d. It’s big & heavy and I end up leaving it home a lot. It’s not easy to carry that thing when I’m running around with three kids.

So the iPhone ends up taking a ton of photos which isn’t great. Sure, it’s excellent for the casual snapshot but I love photography, getting the right light and making pictures. 

My brother has been excited about the micro four thirds system for some time now. He’s a doctor by day and as a hobby runs a micro four thirds message board. He’s been pushing me for the past year. 

A week ago I took the plunge and bought my first micro four thirds camera – the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF1 (honestly, who names these things).

Quick review: easy, fast, small and takes great pictures. 

My 10 year old daughter took a bunch of shots today. It’s so fast that even in auto mode it didn’t require a flash indoors. 

Here’s a few indoor shots that Sophia took besides this funny self portrait. 

Me / Our dog / James jumping (no flash) 

I absolutely love this camera. It’s light and the 20mm lens that comes with the camera is sweet. Autofocus is fast. It takes HD video. 

Right now the only thing I miss about the 40d for everyday shots is the view finder. The view finder comes in handy on sunny days and some old habits die hard I guess. I’ll probably only use the 40d when I need my telephoto lens – otherwise I’m all about the GF1.

I highly recommend this camera if you are looking for an amazing camera but don’t want to lug around a DSLR, You won’t be disappointed. 

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by bijansabet

https://bijansabet.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/tumblr_kzzsftxpen1qz4j35o1.mp3?_=3
http://bijan.tumblr.com/post/479112967/audio_player_iframe/bijan/tumblr_kzzsftXpEn1qz4j35?audio_file=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.tumblr.com%2Faudio_file%2Fbijan%2F479112967%2Ftumblr_kzzsftXpEn1qz4j35

Rhett Miller – Singular Girl

Lauren and I went to see Rhett Miller play at the Regattabar in Cambridge last night. It wasn’t my favorite venue but we had excellent seats and Rhett played one great song after another.

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by bijansabet

A few months ago Sarah Palin mockingly asked “How’s that Hopey Changey thing working out for ya?” Great actually, thanks for asking. How’s that whole “Hooked On Phonics thing working out for you?

Bill Maher (via soupsoup)

jerry said it well.

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Sometimes selling out isn’t just about the money

by bijansabet

Big companies often like to acquire great startups. Sometimes for good reasons or bad reasons. Sometimes they work out and sometimes they don’t.

An overly simple way to think about selling out is comparing the desire to remain independent vs the acquisition price. There are many other factors but let’s just leave it as a simple choice for now.

But the truth is its never that simple.

Recently I heard about a startup that turned down a higher offer from one company in favor of a lower offer from a different buyer. And i know some startups that would rather remain independent than selling out to a specific larger company that will remain nameless.

It’s simply more than the money.

This is a healthy wake up call that big companies need to consider. It’s not enough to wave a huge checkbook around. That isn’t sufficient for the best startups. Big companies need to show startups how they will fit into the bigger picture, give the startup employees challenging & important positions, demonstrate why the combination will be in everyone’s interest.

And of course make pre & post acquisition process clean and smooth.