Big Data: Big News

@lennypruss
Lenny Pruss Those who think GOOG is a one trick search pony, checkout GFS, BigTable, MapReduce, Tenzing, etc. These are the building blocks of Big Data
Nov 30 via webFavoriteRetweetReply

I am no pioneer to this observation, neither is this guy above. But it is so obvious Big Data is in the wings. Big Data will gather buzz like social has been the buzz for a few years now.

Looking For Holiday Parties To Go To

December in this city has that summer quality. Summer is a happening time. There are all sorts of events all over the city. But then December is also really something. There is something about the Holiday season. It is that mood that people get into.

I love festivals like some people love birthday parties. Like I love Google like some people love Apple. I went to some good Holiday parties last year. And I have not started looking yet, but I am looking forward to going to some good Holiday parties this year too.

Bring it on.

Holiday Parties Most Days
NYTM After Party: Is It A Holiday Parteeeey!
Image via WikipediaDigital Dumbo Holiday Party
Blip.TV: How Do They Ever Get Anything Done?
Just Found Out Mike Hudack Is Also A High School Dropout

Why This Kolaveri Di

Via Nick Gray
Super Amit, Super Swabbed

Cruise Ship Coding

I came across this article at Ars Technica. But I have been thinking along these lines on my own before that. But I have not been thinking a cruise ship. I have been thinking an island, a country in the Caribbean. If you have 250 people in India, 10 people on an island in the Caribbean, and two people in NYC, you can give your clients also face time. Some of them might want to fly four hours to meet your 10 person near local team.

I already have major teams in Bangalore, in Gujrat, and in Kathmandu. My lead techie is a former Cisco guy with a degree from Brown. I have smaller teams in Delhi, Calcutta and Kathmandu.

When you can't do the tech startup thing - thanks to the immigration gestapo - you do the tech consulting thing.

Ars Technica: Startup hopes to hack the immigration system with a floating incubator: Some of the Silicon Valley's most important companies, including Intel, Google, and Yahoo, were cofounded by immigrants. Yet America's creaky immigration system makes it difficult for talented young people born outside of the United States to come to the Bay Area. There have been various proposals to make it easier for immigrant entrepreneurs to come to the United States, but they've made no progress in Congress. ....... So a new company called Blueseed is seeking to bypass the political process and solve the problem directly. Blueseed plans to buy a ship and turn it into a floating incubator anchored in international waters off the coast of California. .......

My idea is better. An island nation is cheaper and more "real" than a cruise ship. I wouldn't want my coders to feel like I have shunted them into a submarine.

Followed By Esther Dyson

You know the NY Tech MeetUp has arrived because Esther Dyson sometimes shows up. I spotted her at this one: Dennis Crowley: Role Model For Kids?

54 Followers On Angel List

And now I am up to 104 followers. The immigration gestapo people, take note.

Ooh La La

Steve Jobs And NeXT

Via Pete Cashmore

Black Friday

Happy Holidays

Image via WikipediaSean Parker. You have not replied to my email yet. Or was it a tweet? I forgive you. There's still time.

Brad Feld. You have been hogging the mountains. I forgive you.

Albert Wenger. I remember asking you to come alone. I forgive you.

Rachel Sterne. I think I spotted you in Zuccotti Park. I forgive you.

David Karp, next time comb your hair. I forgive you.

And I forgive the Chinese. Let them come.

Charlie O'Donnell At His Inspiring Best

The Chinese Are Coming

Randi, The Flamboyant Zuckerberg

Photo Album
Randi For Reshma

Republic Wireless, Galaxy Nexus And Tardiness

I have a laptop I bought a few months back for 330 dollars after the rebate. I think I want a $79 Kindle to borrow books from the New York Public Library. And I think I have decided on Republic Wireless to be my first smartphone. And that is it. That will be enough gadgets. I am a Dell, Walmart kind of guy.

They said they will be out. But then you go to their website and they say sorry, get in line, we will email you when we have more. So no soup for you this year.



No Republic Wireless phone in sight. $19 a month is cheaper than even the prepaid basic phones. For me it is the wifi part that gets me. A smartphone is a small computer. It needs to be running on wifi. What I would have really liked is a Galaxy Nexus on the Republic Wireless network. But if it is between the phone and the network I am going for the network. Only the line is so long. Take that iPhone.

Why don't they just manufacture more phones? I mean, if they are making money when they sell phones. Why not just make more of them and make more money?

Galaxy Nexus Has Competition

Paperless Post Iterations

Image via WikipediaEvite Cries Y(h)elp! Copies Paperless Post Pixel By Pixel

Only now is Paperless Post thinking in terms of the freemium model, and I believe they have been profitable for a year now. That is curious. Most others start with the freemium model. They build the user base, and monetize later.

With Paperless post you get to send out invitations to important events in your life. The paper is gone, but the beauty is preserved, perhaps even enhanced.

And it is not just about digital. It is not just that you used to send paper versions, and now you send digital versions. The digital medium allows for the collection of data as to how the invitation card travels around as people open up the cards, RSVP and so on. That feedback loop was not possible with the paper incarnations of the cards.

Other than sending more and more beautiful cards to more and more people for more and more events what are some of the directions Paperless Post could go on to?

One obvious thing that emerges is that special social graph of people you invite to the special events in your life, people who show up for those special moments. Culling that social graph could lead Paperless Post into unforeseen directions. Amazon started out selling books. The Amazon Web Services was built for internal use, and now is a major Amazon offering.