The Magic Equation

Of Consciousness: Hats off @WhatsApp

Tue, 16 Oct 2012 23:40:47 -0700

The last time my family members and other “normals” introduced ME to a technology was ICQ. This time its WhatsApp. Literally everybody, NOT in my tech circles, is using it on their phone for, well, IM’ing. How could a Sequoia-backed app built by ex-Yahoo’s in the valley with 10’s of…

The Mobile Data Revolution

Fri, 21 Sep 2012 16:11:47 -0700

The Mobile Data Revolution:

"Do things that have never been done before! :-)"

Fri, 17 Aug 2012 13:57:01 -0700

“Do things that have never been done before! :-)”

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(Photo by Joel Runyon, licensed CC-BY-3.0)

See the full article about this great encounter: http://joelrunyon.com/two3/an-unexpected-ass-kicking

Don't be famous, be useful!: Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2012

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 01:33:45 -0700

Don't be famous, be useful!: Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies 2012:

cgiorgi:

It’s a tradition since I’m blogging. Every year in august, I’m waiting for the new edition of the Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, edited by Gartner. Here is the 2012 one that has just been published.

After all these years looking at it, I’ve come to the conclusion that we do not have to see…

wired: mothernaturenetwork: Supernova may have triggered...

Thu, 09 Aug 2012 12:19:45 -0700

wired:

mothernaturenetwork:

Supernova may have triggered formation of our solar system
Finger-like indentations in a solar nebula’s clouds injected radioactive isotopes that would become the building blocks of the solar system.

We love a good supernova!

Video

Sat, 14 Jul 2012 09:02:14 -0700

Photo

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 22:01:26 -0700

mrdiv: cycloid

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:46:56 -0700

mrdiv:

cycloid

Full of jewels... Peter Thiel’s CS183: Startup - Class 13 Notes Essay

Sat, 07 Jul 2012 21:43:20 -0700

blakemasters:

Here is an essay version of my class notes from Class 13 of CS183: Startup. Errors and omissions are mine. Credit for good stuff is Peter’s entirely.

Class 13 Notes Essay— You Are Not A Lottery Ticket

I. The Question of Luck

A. Nature of the Problem

The biggest philosophical question underlying startups is how much luck is involved when they succeed. As important as the luck vs. skill question is, however, it’s very hard to get a good handle on. Statistical tools are meaningless if you have a sample size of one. It would be great if you could run experiments. Start Facebook 1,000 times under identical conditions. If it works 1,000 out of 1,000 times, you’d conclude it was skill. If it worked just 1 time, you’d conclude it was just luck. But obviously these experiments are impossible.

The first cut at the luck vs. skill question is thus almost just a bias that one can have. Some people gravitate toward explaining things as lucky. Others are inclined to find a greater degree of skill. It depends on which narrative you buy. The internal narrative is that talented people got together, worked hard, and made things work. The external narrative chalks things up to right place, right time. You can change your mind about all this, but it’s tough to have a really principled, well-reasoned view on way or the other.

Read More

Open Garden Lets You Crowdsource Your Mobile Connectivity

Tue, 22 May 2012 08:17:42 -0700

Open Garden Lets You Crowdsource Your Mobile Connectivity

Taken with instagram

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:43:27 -0700

Taken with instagram

Sat, 19 May 2012 20:42:21 -0700

Taken with instagram

wired: Our Etsy find-of-the-day: the iPad typewriter! For those...

Fri, 18 May 2012 17:18:17 -0700

wired:

Our Etsy find-of-the-day: the iPad typewriter!

For those folks who ride that fine line between old-school and new-school.

Want to be first in line for Open Garden beta?

Wed, 16 May 2012 17:41:55 -0700

Go to
http://www.opengarden.com/index.php

Pirates of Silicon Valley!

Tue, 15 May 2012 23:24:00 -0700

Pirates of Silicon Valley!

Video

Mon, 07 May 2012 23:30:07 -0700

Could These Start-Ups Become the Next Big Thing? - NYTimes.com

Mon, 07 May 2012 23:28:12 -0700

Could These Start-Ups Become the Next Big Thing? - NYTimes.com:

axelletess:

Interesting choices in the NYT.

I am a huge fan, aka user, of

Uber:
It has changed my life in San Francisco. Frictionless experience and a nice feeling of uniqueness make the users of Uber truly addicted. The team also create a strong persona with fun initiatives and a great sense of community.

Path:
I check Path before Facebook or Twitter when I wake up. Everything is said. That’s where people who matter for me are and where I feel we listen to each other.

Square:
Again, the power of frictionless service. It feels like magic. That’s what the future should be.
——

I definitely keep an eye on Pinwheel, the new project of Flickr’s co-founder, Caterina Fake. But the “notes in the city” idea makes only sense for me with an (iPhone) app. Then, it could become the personal visual diaries of travelers and urban poets.

Quora stays the place I go when I want to find the answer to a very specific question. That’s where the danger is from my point of view: becoming more an utility than a platform I love.

I am not using Pinterest, But I heard its awesome. I never felt fulfilled there. And the community didn’t balance the lack of interest I had in pinning my own favorite clothes or quotes. http://www.thefancy.com/ did.

Dropbox is loved and they deserved it.

Taskrabbit is more than a startup or a product. It represents a movement, the collaborative consumption one, which makes it strong by definition. I’m still curious to see if all the great vibes around them will make it a success on a strong permanent basis. It’s awesome to be loved. Passion is never enough. You always need persistence to complete it.

Taken with instagram

Thu, 03 May 2012 23:23:47 -0700

Taken with instagram

Thu, 03 May 2012 23:10:56 -0700

Taken with instagram

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 15:54:06 -0700

Taken with instagram