Thursday, May 05, 2011

Gender And The Wilson Household

John LennonCover of John LennonOne thing I appreciate about the Fred Wilson family is that all of them blog. I really, really like that. It is not like they are odd, and I salivate for juicy details - although, as for some of Joanne's food posts. None of that. They are very normal as people. I have not met the kids (and that's fine with me), but I have met Fred and Joanne. I do visit Fred's blog near daily. The guy just recently got called officially the top VC in the world for the kind of return he has shown for the money he has raised. But I have followed him at his blog for two years before that admiring his excellence, and the quality of his mind. He is also just a good person. I have blogged about him a few times. More than a few times.

I have reblogged their three children on Tumblr multiple times. I have taken pleasure.

This crew is like the First Family of the NY tech ecosystem. And they are accessible. One day, some day, I am going to ask for Joanne Wilson's autograph.

One thing the Wilson couple talk frankly about is gender and gender roles. And I really, really appreciate that. We might or might not disagree, but I get suspicious of people who simply don't believe in bringing it up as a topic of conversation.

SoundCloud Situation Room


(Via David Noel)

Wednesday, May 04, 2011

Intel's 3D Transistors: Moore's Law Marches On

Image representing Intel as depicted in CrunchBaseImage via CrunchBaseThis is a big leap in a core sector of computing hardware. We will reap the benefits for years. This is great news for the mobile web, and for computing in general.

Intel Explains

Exuberance, Not Froth

Who wouldn't want to have his exuberance and f...Image via WikipediaI said it was not a bubble, but there was some froth. I am revising that. I am now saying it is not froth, it is exuberance. It is mostly a positive scenario.
Fred Wilson: Megatrend Crosscurrents: The history of tech investing is a series of waves or megatrends that come one after another. Mainframes to minicomputers to PCs to client server to Internet, for example. But right now we are in the midst of a number of these megatrends all happening at the same time. There are at least four big ones going on at the same time:
- Mobile - yesterday I wrote that at least 16% of the visits to this blog are coming from mobile devices and that number is up from essentially zero six quarters ago
- Social - Facebook will have 1bn users in the next year or so
- Cloud - A third of Netflix' new subscribers are opting for the streaming only plan
- Global - companies like Skype, Facebook, Twitter, Google see upwards of 80% of their users from outside the US and these numbers are growing faster than ever ...... Each one of these megatrends would be an investable wave on its own. But we are in an environment when all four are crashing on the shore ata the same time. Twitter, for example, is mobile and social and global.
Wait, Did They Say Froth?
Bubble, Boom Or Froth?
Is It A Bubble?
Glass Half Full Phase

At first Fred Wilson said maybe a bubble. John Doerr said it's a boom. That word does not quite capture it. I said froth. Fred said froth. Then Fred said glass half full. Now he is saying exuberance. And I agree. It is not bubble, boom, or froth, it is exuberance. Done right this can give America China like growth rates. This is about lifting billions out of poverty, and making the already rich feel like it is not happening at their expense or at the expense of the planet.

Condition 1



Time: A New Way to Photograph War
Condition ONE, an app to provide a new form of storytelling. Dennis says it combines “the power of the still image, the narrative of films and the emotional engagement of tactile experiences to create a new language that is so immersive, it will shake viewers out of their numbness to traditional media and provide them a powerful emotional experience. Instead of opening a window to glimpse another world, we are attempting to bring the viewer into that world as an active participant.” ..... “Once viewers enter a video experience, they can move the tablet in any direction and see the corresponding field of view. The traditional two-dimensional, rectangular frame is shattered as viewers step inside the frame and experience the stories as the protagonists.” ..... “Before, when I was shooting, my camera only showed what was in front of me, the action. It was frustrating because often what happens just at your right is part of the story. Now it is like having five cameras. One more at your right, your left, up and down,” Chauvel writes. “It’s not easy to use; you have to watch not to get your shoes in the frame or your shadow or your face … But the result is worth it. You bring your story with more images all around and more information, so you are a better witness. Now people can feel the story.”
(Via Upendra Shardanand)

Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Tequila

Madonna: Isaac



(Via Yael Morowati)

Patti Smith's Dancing Barefoot: One Powerful Song

Patti Smith performing at TIM Festival, Marina...Image via WikipediaI have been listening to this song multiple times today. It is so very powerful. I just googled up the lyrics to the song for the first time. Wow. This is really something.

Patti Smith: Dancing Barefoot

This song might be to love songs what The English Patient is to movies in that genre. My favorite part has got to be the mention of gravity. That is one powerful metaphor. The mention of the word barefoot attains the same height as the mention of gravity. The mention of "the mystery of childbirth" takes me to my favorite book: Tagore's Gitanjali.


Apple: Trillion Dollar Company?

Steve Jobs while presenting the iPad in San Fr...Image via Wikipedia
Yahoo Finance: Apple Will Become A Trillion-Dollar Company, Says Altucher — $1,000 a Share: Apple recently blew past Microsoft, Cisco, and other companies to become the most valuable tech company in the world. But that's just the beginning, says investor James Altucher of Formula Capital....... Altucher thinks Apple will eventually be worth more than $1 trillion, maybe even $2-$3 trillion. ...... the company's global market share in its key markets--smart-phones, tablets, and Macs--is still very low. Also, factoring out Apple's massive $65 billion pile of cash, the stock is trading at a low price-earnings multiple.
Apple is not going to be a trillion dollar company. That is too much extrapolation. This trillion dollar talk reminds me of the singularity talk, that is yet another case of too much extrapolation.

Depeche Mode: Halo



(Via Horacio López)

Elbow: One Day Like This



(Via David Noel)