yosemite rocked. some pics.
http://www.ofoto.com/I.jsp?m=55381153403&n=363946343
Thursday, May 30, 2002
wow, what an interesting day or two in the news
russia in nato
india and pakistan talking war and nukes
arafat drafts a constitution
govt warns terrorists may have shoulder-fired anti-aircraft launchers; commercial jets vulnerable
fbi to be given sweeping new domestic spying rights
completion of cleanup at ground zero
is this a full muslim uprising/birth? will it trigger china?
our technology and physical economic accelerants are coming under attack, from transportation (airplanes) to communication (postal system)
digital could be next, but physical is much more "terrifying" and requires less sophistication
honestly, my day to day life hasn't changed much since 9/11. sure, i think about the value of certain activities a little more than before, but i don't spend a lot of time worrying that i might die in an explosion at the corner market
but that is their goal. and to the degree that they succeed, some of our cultural values will change and our traditions
Wednesday, May 29, 2002
http://www.nokiausa.com/communicator/emailintro/index.htm
nokia 9290 just released in the US! almost makes me wish i had a job! ;p
Tuesday, May 28, 2002
Here's what happens when a friend of a friend (ex vp of marketing for macromedia) decides to help you... vs emailing your resume to the blackhole of HR. It's ALL ABOUT NETWORKING...
---
hey Tony - I'll definitely pass your info along to my
friends Michelle and Kristil and try to get you in
with the hiring mgr (who I don't know, unfortunately,
but they do).
And you might be able to return the favor quicker than
you'd imagine - what's the deal with the ofoto vp
mktg? why are you leaving, how do you feel about the
company, is that a good job? all the usual questions
: )
will keep you posted on next steps if I can find a way
for you to follow-up directly, which will be my goal.
Finally, product placements in products are starting to gain some traction. How viable and effective they are remains an open question, but exploration is always a good thing.
--
Online Gaming Lures Major Marketers
VentureReporter.net Tuesday, May 28, 2002, 11:12 AM ET
Online games are attracting the attention of major marketers as a new kind of mainstream advertising venue, with companies such as Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep moving into the market because that is where their customers and prospects are, reports AdAge.com.
On the other side of the table, game vendors have also become increasingly aggressive in soliciting marketers for paid product placements. For instance, software publishers such as Activision and Electronic Arts are growing more open to the concept of paid product placements in video games, leading ad agencies to begin exploring options on behalf of marketers.
Besides product placements, "advergames"--games specifically designed as part of an advertiser's online media campaign -- are also getting serious attention from marketers.
More on online gaming
AdAge.com reports on the new opportunities for marketers.
Monday, May 27, 2002
http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/3290530.htm
Vinod Khosla speaks out on what's right and wrong in VC today.
hmph, this was one of the possible uses i had for the buzzhit.com domain i hold.
--
What's Cool Next: "Special" Marketers Track Online Volunteers
VentureReporter.net Monday, May 20, 2002, 12:56 PM ET
Want to know the "coolness quotient" of your company's product? Consider hiring marketing firms such as Look-Look, Ad*itive and Cornerstone Promotion. These firms are cool seekers, paid by major marketers to get the first bead on what's next on the horizon, reports AdAge.com.
Hollywood-based Look-Look's online network includes nearly 10,000 14- to 30-year-old volunteers and part-timers, recruited over several years at clubs and hangouts around the country from New York to Los Angeles and points in-between to report on their world. After the small army is canvassed with online polls and surveys, the results are arranged into categories such as eating and drinking, fashion, mood and even spirituality.
Using focus groups, one-on-one interviews, and shadowing (trailing people to see where they hang and shop), Ad*itive digs deep for the cultural context, trying to figure out, for example, why African-American teens might adorn themselves with splashy jewelry.
More on "shadow" marketing firms
AdAge.com reports on these firms, which have been using online hangouts to help marketers understand consumer behavior.
deeje and opie didn't get it.
just saw this in a weekly recap, looks promising by the summary. will read in detail tomorrow and comment further...
---
Networked Life, the Esther Dyson Way
VentureReporter.net Monday, May 20, 2002, 7:44 PM ET
Technology diva and investor Esther Dyson sees a future for business in which the more people you connect and interact with, the better you do, according to a story in Fortune.
Dyson's life is all about networking, both personal and technological. Networking is how she functions, what she offers to others, and what helped her win renown, according to the story.
Dyson, who has investments in more than 40 startups, believes that small businesses will operate more effectively if they encourage their employees to network constantly--with each other, with customers, and with suppliers. And the Internet is an unstoppable force pushing business in that direction.
Because of networking, "[c]ompanies are going to be more transparent and visible," she says in the story. "In a world of plentiful information, people [won't] just go get a job. People will want to work where they like the culture and fit in."
More on Dyson
Fortune features an interview with Esther Dyson and her view of the networked future.
Thursday, May 23, 2002
so there's this killer consulting gig with a VC company called venrock (good old school firm, based on rockefellers original vc fund)
just applied for it
how'd i find it? i didn't...
sent out an email to a few friends asking for a backdoor into macromedia for another gig
one of the people i emailed monitors a news group called WIC -- women in consulting
i would never have known otherwise
this confirms my long held suspicion that the current brokers of person-person interaction services started with the wrong paradigm
the question is if, this "late" in the internet space, a mass consumer database of users can be created affordably and if the network of relationship based services can be united
this is the .net premise that msft now appears to be (somewhat) downplaying; the thing that's been itching at me for years
is it too late?
http://vnboards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=30189827&replies=4
what a great spontaneous thread; i didn't particularly know i wanted to know more about it, but i definitely appreciated an insiders perspective!
who da man? i da man.
http://news.com.com/2100-1023-921734.html?tag=fd_top
vivendi releases a remix song in unprotected mp3 format; asking for $0.99
so uh, why am i da man? well, i don't have anything else going on, so i'm claiming it cuz i called it several mths ago (if my fucking blog didn't auto-expire you could re-read it...) that publisher sponsored remixes would be the new rev stream for the music industry.
Wednesday, May 22, 2002
2nd company joins the "mini-PC" market, this one with a design based on an earlier IBM design:
http://news.com.com/2100-1001-920847.html?tag=fd_top
I've commented on MITs development in this area... Interesting to see one of the first practical uses. This will change everything in supply chain/asset mgmt eventually. (TKT again)
==> SECURITY TAGS HELP LIBRARIANS
Some libraries have started using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags in their books to streamline check-in, check-out, and inventory tracking, as well as helping to minimize theft. RFID tags contain information about the book, like bar code tags that have become common in libraries. Unlike bar code tags, though, RFID tags can be read without being visually scanned. With RFID tags, librarians can check books in or out without ever opening them or looking for the bar code. Inventory can be taken simply by walking through the stacks and passing a wireless reader wand over the books. Rockefeller University Library uses the tags, which set off alarms and activate video cameras when the system detects a non-checked-out book passing out of a library exit. At 50 cents or more, however, RFID tags are significantly more expensive than bar code tags, which cost about 2 cents.
http://www.techknowtimes.com/jump/v5i20029.html
More TKT theivery:
==> ALTNET DESIGNED TO GIVE ARTISTS GREATER CONTROL
Altnet, a new file-sharing system, will allow users to trade music and video files that are coded with digital rights management (DRM) technology. The technology will allow artists to limit distribution of their work and collect fees before a song is played. Matthew Berk, an analyst at Jupiter Media Metrix said, "There is clearly a demand for file swapping...Whether or not if you lay on top of it a DRM system people will be keen on using it is another question." Altnet has formed a partnership with KaZaA where they will distribute their search software with a new version of KaZaA software. When a user searches for a song on KaZaA, the Altnet tool will look for files on both the Altnet and KaZaA networks. Altnet is currently developing a version of its tool for Linux computers and is exploring partnerships with other companies.
http://www.techknowtimes.com/jump/v5i20025.html
Stolen from TKT:
==> HI-TECH CDs YIELD TO LOW-TECH FELT-TIP MARKER TRICK
Sony's elaborate "Key2Audio" CD copy-protection technology has succumbed to a decidedly low-tech felt-tip marker used to scribble around the rim of a disc. Internet postings say that tape or even a sticky note can be used to cover the security track, typically located on the disc's outer edge. The technology prevents users from playing the CDs on a computer by adding a track that contains bogus data. Because computer drives are programmed to read data files first, the PC tries to play the bogus data file over and over again and never gets to the music files elsewhere on the disc. The result is a CD that will play on standard CD players, but not on CD-ROM drives, some portable devices and even some car stereo systems. Sony has shipped more than 11 million copy-protected CDs in Europe, with the largest number going to Germany -- a market executives say is a hotbed of illegal CD-burning.
http://www.techknowtimes.com/jump/v5i20011.html
tethered to the ground...
turns out that you must have an active land line in order to use DSL (which makes sense technically, though not from a customer perspective). i still think going totally wireless is the way to be... perhaps i can strip the land line cost down a bit.
Tuesday, May 21, 2002
Triump takes on the Star Wars nerds. Funniest thing I've seen all year.
Monday, May 20, 2002
at the end of the hour long interview...
"well you're certainly very qualified and have obviously demonstrated leadership at several organizations, which is rare... i wish we would have talked sooner, as i picked my final three candidates on friday. if any of them drop out, i'll definitely be in touch. and if you haven't landed somewhere else shortly, drop me a note. we may have more openings soon."
ok, well, those are nice words and you seem like a great guy, but fuck you, i could do your job let alone this one.
gawd i'm bored and it's not even june yet.
e3 is going on in LA this week. wish i was going. i think it'd be fun to build a game, especially a mmorpg.
i'm interviewing for a product manager position at looksmart today
pros:
1 block from my house
less responsibility = less stress + more non-work time (theory)
starting 6/1ish would mean zero income loss (actually a gain given that i've been on severance the last 2.5 mths & collected unemployment)
cons:
step back
lower pay
boring business
i don't think i care anymore. lol.
True or False?
---
Forward-looking and progressive, you are a person who
supports change, innovation, and human advancement, and you are
often strongly committed to a humanitarian cause or social
improvement. You are extremely aware of the interconnection and
interdependence of all people, and are always relating personal
issues to some larger framework. You see the political or social
ramifications of personal actions, and you wish to contribute
something of value to the world, or at least to your community
or group.
The ideals of equality, fairness, human rights, brotherhood,
social justice, etc. color your whole outlook and approach to
life. You are truly interested in the good of the whole and not
only your own personal well-being.
Sometimes you may overlook or ignore your own and others'
personal needs, desires, and feelings, especially if they do not
conform to your ideals of how one SHOULD feel or act. Though you
have little patience for conservative narrow-mindedness, you
yourself are sometimes dogmatic about your beliefs and
ideologies.
You are attracted to the avant-garde, the latest advances in
human thought and development, and you are eclectic and
cosmopolitan in your tastes. You may consider yourself a "global
citizen" rather than claiming a narrow, limited identification
based on nationality, race, familial heritage, etc. You are
strongly influenced by your peer group and the flavor of the
times in which you grew up, more so than by parental or family
influences. You are involved and active in groups, community
efforts, cultural and progressive movements.
On a personal level, you are friendly and express a kind of
impersonal good will towards others. You probably have many
acquaintances but few really close friends, and much of your
closeness with others is based on a sharing of common ideals and
principles, rather than on emotional ties. Others see you as a
good friend and comrade, who is objective, fair, and rather
detached emotionally. You do not often show your emotions, and
may be unsure how to respond to others' emotional expression,
for you tend to be very rational.
You are also very independent and refuse to be possessed by
any individual. You are not comfortable with traditional sexual
roles and are inclined to have "liberated" views about marriage,
relationships, sharing of child rearing responsibilities, etc.
You need to have a life outside of the personal, domestic sphere
and to be involved with people on a broader scale. The nurturing
of family ties, and close, deep, personal sharing may take a
back seat to your work or outside social involvements.
You are, in many ways, an eternal child. Your mind is
bright, alert, curious, flexible, playful, and always eager for
new experiences - and your attention span is often quite brief.
You grasp ideas quickly and once your initial curiosity has been
satisfied, you want to go on to something else. You crave
frequent change, variety, meeting new situations and people.
It may be hard for you to decide just where your talents and
true vocation lies, for you have a multitude of interests and
are loathe to limit yourself by concentrating on just one. You
are easily distracted by all of the other fascinating
possibilities. Your curiosity and restlessness propel you into
many different experiences in life, and you are willing to taste
or try anything once. Doing the same thing over and over again,
even it is something you do well, is real drudgery for you.
You live in your head a great deal - reading, observing,
thinking, spinning ideas around - and you need mental
stimulation every bit as much as you need food and drink. In
fact, if you had to choose between a good book or movie and a
good lunch, you would very likely choose the former. You have a
creative mind and often live by your wits.
You are also a very social creature, with a strong need to
communicate and to interact with people. You enjoy using and
playing with words and have a real flair for getting your ideas
across in a clever, interesting, articulate manner. Writing or
speaking are areas you have talent for.
You also have a rather light and mischievous sense of humor,
and often do not take anything too seriously. Though you crave
emotional involvement, it is hard for you to achieve it, for you
are frequently unwilling to commit yourself to anything, to take
responsibility, or to limit your personal freedom and mobility.
Your happiness lies in using your creativity and your
language skills to communicate something meaningful, to teach,
inspire, or bring people together. You have an unbiased mind and
can usually offer a fresh, clear, uncluttered perspective. Your
faults are your lack of constancy and persistence, and your
tendency to overlook or ignore deep emotional issues and other
people's feelings.
Sunday, May 19, 2002
gawd, i can't even bring myself to take the time to write about star wars. ugh.
instead, i'll share the best part of the star wars movie...
the matrix 2 trailer they showed before it started:
http://whatisthematrix.warnerbros.com
saw star wars ii tonight
disappointed again
i think lucas fell and hit his head sometime between RotJ and episode i
details tomorrow
Friday, May 17, 2002
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00005LVWA/ref%3Dase%5Ftechknowtim02-20/103-0767320-6289443
Sony zigs when others zag. Are mini-CDs the answer for portable storage?
11 more moons found around Jupiter, bringing the total to 39... Jupiter passes Saturn for the planet with the most moons.
Blogger sucks... it appearantly deletes your posts after a couple of months or so many messages. Gotta find another solution or it's not worth the time.
Lessig Lessig everywhere...
The following is taken verbatim, without permission, from TKT:
A 'CREATIVE COMMONS' FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
A group of law and technology scholars are setting up a nonprofit company
that will develop ways for artists, writers and others to easily designate
their work as shareable. The firm's founders argue that recent expansions
in intellectual property law could stifle creativity. The new company,
called Creative Commons, will work on clearly identifying material that is
meant to be shared. By making it easier to place material in the public
domain, Creative Commons hopes to encourage more people to do so. "It's a
way to mark the spaces people are allowed to walk on," said Lawrence
Lessig, leading intellectual property expert. Lessig will take a partial
leave from Stanford Law School to serve as chairman of Creative Commons.
http://www.techknowtimes.com/jump/v5i19008.html
Wednesday, May 15, 2002
AQUARIUS: (JAN23-FEB22)
You have an inventive mind and are inclined to be progressive. You lie a great deal. You make the same mistakes repeatedly because you are stupid. Everyone thinks you are a fucking jerk.
PISCES: (FEB23-MAR22)
You are a pioneer type an think most people are dickheads. You are quick to reprimand, impatient, and full of advice. You do nothing but piss-off everyone you come in contact with. You are a prick.
ARIES (MAR 23-APRIL 22)
You have a wild imagination and often think you are being followed by the FBI or CIA. You have minor influence on your friends and people resent you for flaunting your power. you lack confidence and generally are a dipshit.
TAURUS (APRIL 23-MAY22)
You are practical and persistant. you have a dogged determination and work like hell. Most poeple think you are stuborn and bullheaded. You are nothing but a goddaamned communist.
GEMINI (MAY23-JUNE22)
You are a quick and intelligent thinker. People like you because you are sexual. You are inclined to expect too much for too little. This means you are a cheap bastard. Geminis are notorious for thriving on incest.
CANCER (june23-july 22)
You are sympathetic and understanding to other people's problems, which makes you a sucker.You are always putting things off. That is why you will always be on welfare and won't be worth a shit. Everyone in prison is a cancer.
LEO (JULY 23-AUG 22)
You consider yourself a born leader. Others think you are an idiot. Most leos are bullies. You are vain and connot tolerate critism. Your arrogance is disgusting. Leo People are thieving motherfuckers that enjoy masterbation more than sex.
VIRGO (AUG 23- SEPT 22)
You are the logical type and hate disorder. Your shit-picking attitude is sickening to your friends and co-workers. You are cold and unemotional and often fall asleep while fucking. Virgos make good busdrivers and pimps.
LIBRA: (SEPT 23-OCT 22)
You are the artistic type and have a difficult time dealing with reality. If you are male you are probably Queer. Chances for employment and monetary gain are nill. Most Libra women are whores. All Libras die of venerial disease.
SCORPIO: (OCT 23-NOV 22)
You are the worst of the lot. You are shrewd in business and cannot be trusted. You shall achieve the pinnacle of success because of your total lack of ethics. You are the perfect son-of-a-bitch. Most Scorpios are murdered.
SAGITTARIUS: (NOV23-DEC22)
You are optimistic and enthusiastic. You are a reckless tendency to rely on luck since you have no talent. The majority of sagittarians are drunks. You are a worthless piece of shit.
CAPRICORN: (DEC23-JAN22)
You are conservative and afraid of taking risks. You are basically chickenshit. Ther has never been a Capricorn of any importance. You should kill yourself.
Monday, May 13, 2002
how fucking weird is it to be watching a kickass sharks game, have them announce an earthquake, and feel it 20 seconds later!
Friday, May 10, 2002
Fucked up my job interview yesterday :( but I'll live.
Headed to SD shortly to party in PB and spend time w/ mom on Sunday.
Have a good weekend!
The Zen of TV Watching
Very interesting read... remember, The Matrix was meant to be figurative, not literal...
Thursday, May 09, 2002
could have been funnier, but not bad. cya jar-jar
family of 8 getting the chip tomorrow
"for now" it will only render medical information
how it works:
transponder chip implanted in right shoulder
transmits the chips GUID, wrapped in 128bit encryption, over lowband RF
one of two scanners (clients) can be used to read the signal; one with a 3 inch range, one with a 3 foot range
scanner transmits the still encoded GUID "over the internet" (?! - protocol unknown) to a server
server does a db search for the GUID and returns the appropriate meta-data to the scanner
scanner displays data
CNN Talkback Live, happening right now...
appearantly, there are eight people in florida who are going to trial an implanted silicon chip that holds their credit card #s, ssn's, etc.
more details when they switch to that story...
A little something that KimM sent me this morning; love the last one!
--
For those who already have children past this age, this is hilarious. For
those who have children this age, this is not funny. For those who have
children nearing this age, this is a warning. For those who have not yet
had children, this is birth control.
The following came from an anonymous Mother in Austin, Texas:
Things I've learned from my Children (honest & no kidding):
1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house
4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hairspray on dust bunnies and run over them with
rollerblades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded
restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong
enough to rotate a 42 pound boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman
cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint
on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.
5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When
using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few time
before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit
by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh," it's already
too late.
8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old can start a fire with a flint rock even though a
36-year old man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Legos will pass through the digestive tract of a 4-year old.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.
13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't
walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCR's do not eject PB&J sandwiches even though TV commercials show
they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably do not want to know what that odor is.
19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on.
Plastic toys do not like ovens.
20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms
dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. The mind of a 6-year old is wonderful. First grade...true story:
One day the first grade teacher was reading the story of the Three Little
Pigs to her class. She came to the part of the story where the first pig was
trying to accumulate the building materials for his home. She read, "...And
so the pig went up to the man with the wheelbarrow full of straw and said,
'Pardon me sir, but may I have some of that straw to build my house?'"
The teacher paused then asked the class, "And what do you think that man
said?"
One little boy raised his hand and said, "I think he said... 'Holy shit! A
talking pig!'"
The teacher was unable to teach for the next 10 minutes
Tuesday, May 07, 2002
been away from my blog for quite a while. passion seems to come in fits for me.
some catch up on a few 'thangs...
- great to be back in touch with SM; that boy cracks me up. very interesting to see his blog topics, especially those related to his work. while my work life is mostly filled with intrique (internal politics, compeitive scheming, etc), scott's reality is, well, real.
- deeje posted a ton 'o stuff today feeding out of this year's wwdc (apple). from a brief skim, it sounds like apple is going more and more turnkey around their "digital hub for the home" vision. it's going to be very interesting to see how msft decides to counter this. msft has traditionally left significant room for 3rd party h/w vendors, choosing to "solve" compatibility issues through published standards and OS abstraction (drivers et al). this approach allows widespread competitive innovation, at the expense of a seamless single-provider experience.
- middle east. no suicide bombings for almost a month, then today, only a few days after arafat's release and simultaneous w/ a real-time mtg between bush and sharon, another suicide bombing.
- spidey. caught it w/ marty this past saturday. overall, a good flick. best part? audience participation. shocking, i know, but people actually applauded during and after the movie. very refreshing.
more l8tr
