James Siminoff

Rolling Shutter Effect Check out the whole post by clicking the...

Wed, 01 Sep 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Check out the whole post by clicking the link above. There are some other really cool pictures like this one of this phenomenon.

via laughingsquid

"We’ve shifted into a new zone in the world of software patent stupidity."

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 09:30:49 -0400

“We’ve shifted into a new zone in the world of software patent stupidity.”

- word

Feld Thoughts

(via fred-wilson)

I believe so deeply in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method....

Tue, 31 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

I believe so deeply in the KISS (keep it simple stupid) method. In most cases features become fuel for press and the more social side of business, “Hey did you see we just added XYZ”, which has very little to do with real business, making money and keep your user experience awesome.

With PhoneTag people wanted us to glue on every piece of shit feature they could think of and I always fought to keep the product dead simple. In the end while PhoneTag is not the biggest company ever, we had a great outcome in a very tough market, built a profitable business and our customer loyalty is off the charts (especially for a expensive product).

So take that features!

rafer:

vruz:

Making a product better often requires removing features.

- Marco Arment

—via startupquote:

vruz sez: if he really said it that way, this is the stupidest remark ever. strange coming from such a clever and successful guy. this is exactly the wrong sort of minimalistic thought that gave us ‘tumblarity’. I have already explained why extensively here.

Rafer sez:
It was also the sort of thinking that took Tumblarity away when it sucked and didn’t replace it out of price or ego. Not 100% wrong that.

Wow Analysts that Analyze

Mon, 30 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Wall Street analysts have always annoyed me. I am sure there are some exceptions but overall they sit in their vertically stacked caves (offices) in NYC and make assumptions as to where things are going.

But then I saw this article via Josh’s twitter. Analysts are now using sattelite to count cars in the parking lots of Walmart’s to figure out what the next quarter will look like.

Satellite data is interesting as you can now get it in almost real time and you can write programs to look at the data and scrape out info.

I hope this is a trend that takes off in wall street. There are a lot of interesting ways to use technology today to figure out what is happening in the economy that unlike the old method might actually be correct.

A good friend of mine from college, Karni, made the above...

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 08:26:00 -0400

A good friend of mine from college, Karni, made the above video. A few years ago we made a Apple spoof add for PhoneTag together, while that video was good this one is incredible.

I do not know all of the details but this was done in coordination with Blip.tv and they made three of them for Carl’s Jr. I think that they are amazing. If you want to get a commercial like this for your company, contact Karni, I know I have a few ideas brewing after seeing this.

I love simple products (from the user side). via startupquote

Thu, 26 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

I love simple products (from the user side).

via startupquote

"INTEGRITY, Have this in every thing you do. Remember that integrity is one of the few things in..."

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

“INTEGRITY, Have this in every thing you do. Remember that integrity is one of the few things in life that no one can take away from you—you give it away.”

- Bill Glavin, Former President of Babson College (where I went)

The last quote that I re-blogged from Fred reminded me of the above. This was part of the commencement speech for my graduation and it is something that I have never forgotten.

"it’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time...."

Mon, 23 Aug 2010 11:23:54 -0400

“it’s easier to hold to your principles 100% of the time than it is to hold to them 98% of the time. If you give in to “just this once,” based on a marginal cost analysis, as some of my former classmates have done, you’ll regret where you end up. You’ve got to define for yourself what you stand for and draw the line in a safe place.”

- Clayton Christensen

How Will You Measure Your Life? - Harvard Business Review

(via fred-wilson)

I saw this on TechCrunch yesterday. Just reinforced my love for...

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

I saw this on TechCrunch yesterday. Just reinforced my love for Robots.

This would be a Kick Ass Real Estate Website

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:00:29 -0400

Last night a friend of mine came over who is a realtor. I was asking him about a house that is for sale down the street. He grabbed my computer and logged into his MLS account. For those that don’t know MLS is THE company for real estate data. Some of it is available for public browsing but most of the data is behind a pay wall and only available to realtors.

Anyway while we were looking at the info, I noticed that the MLS showed the mortgage amount on the property. I asked him if that was only for properties that are for sale and showed me that you could look up any property and see their mortgage amount.

Mortgages are public record. From what I understand you can walk into any city hall and request the data, however that is incredibly cumbersome. A website that allowed the public to see this information I think would be both incredible popular and valuable.

Sure their would be your snoopy neighbor who would use it to see what everyone owes but there is a greater good. Imagine that you just got a job in Las Vegas, a place with very high foreclosures, you could look on a heat map to find the area that has the lowest amount of houses upside down on their mortgages. Then buy your next house there.

Additionally if something like this became popular it might create social pressure to put more money on your mortgage. It would be funny to find out that the “rich” guy with the brand new Porsche down the street is upside down on their mortgage…

"In Sun’s early history, we didn’t think much of patents. While there’s a kernel of good sense in the..."

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 23:29:23 -0400

“In Sun’s early history, we didn’t think much of patents. While there’s a kernel of good sense in the reasoning for patents, the system itself has gotten goofy. Sun didn’t file many patents initially. But then we got sued by IBM for violating the “RISC patent” - a patent that essentially said “if you make something simpler, it’ll go faster”. Seemed like a blindingly obvious notion that shouldn’t have been patentable, but we got sued, and lost. The penalty was huge. Nearly put us out of business. We survived, but to help protect us from future suits we went on a patenting binge. Even though we had a basic distaste for patents, the game is what it is, and patents are essential in modern corporations, if only as a defensive measure. There was even an unofficial competition to see who could get the goofiest patent through the system.”

- via James Gosling - Quite the firestorm : On a New Road

* * *

The idea behind patents has lost its way and this story only reinforces my opinion that patents are like nukes for the enterprise. As a startup company your only defense to infringing on someone’s patents is prayer. If you are doing anything more than breathing in the market you are probably violating something.

Hopefully some sort of reform or cost effective defense is coming because every year this seems to get a bit worse.

via bijan and he commented:

James Gosling is known as the father of java. patents started out to protect the inventor but they are now all about big company interests and who can fund more expensive legal activities.

I still like the idea of patents. To protect the creative ones. But when I hear about huge corporations going on a “patenting binge”, well, then we need reform.

"Another important task is to make sure the companies don’t get too big too quickly. If anything, we..."

Tue, 10 Aug 2010 10:52:50 -0400

“Another important task is to make sure the companies don’t get too big too quickly. If anything, we have a bias to keep things smaller rather than larger. The feeling and the way that we run them, with delegation that we push down into the companies, is not a very corporate fashion. We tend to manage our businesses in a much more delegated style, where we empower the managements to manage.”

- Richard Branson - Richard’s Blog - The art of delegation - Virgin (via mikehudack)
I say go even further and push management down to everyone on the team. It is amazing how people can shine when they are given responsibility and opportunity.

Interesting Choice...

Fri, 06 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

A few years ago we bare boat chartered (I was the captain, no crew) a boat in the British Virgin Islands form a company called The Moorings. It was really a awesome experience.

Every month or so I get a marketing email from them, today’s email had this video:

I find it weird that a company that is in the business of creating demand for people to charter boats and explore the Carribean, that does have pirates, would put up a video of someone who was just recently held captive by them.

First the Titanic watch and now this, who is thinking all of this shit up?

I am starting to worry that I will buy anything that Apple...

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 13:23:09 -0400

I am starting to worry that I will buy anything that Apple makes…

8 Tips for a Succesful TradeShow

Thu, 05 Aug 2010 07:00:00 -0400

I have probably exhibited in 30+ tradeshows over the years, in fact just got back from one in NYC yesterday. I like what tradeshows can do for your business/product but they are stressful, tiring and sometimes demeaning.

Here are a few tips, some funny, some sad and some just true:

1. Conferences are like Herpes- This is a important metaphor to remember. If you decide you want to make a splash in your industry and get the big booth at a conference just remember that you might never be able to get rid of it. In my first company we were one of the largest sponsors of the calling card expo, at a certain point we realized that it was a waste but if we stopped doing it people would worry if we were having financial problems. My suggestion start with a small booth, no one will care if you come next time or not.

2. Be Caffeinated- Shows suck the energy out of people like cryptonite, so your booth has to be a oasis of excitement. I NEVER allow anyone to sit in the booth or do work there. Stools are a no-no, unless you have them around a small table for meetings. If people get tired let them rest somewhere away from the booth. Also say hello to everyone, ask them what they do, they might ignore you like a homeless person begging for money but you have to be persistent.

3. Bad Breath and B.O.- This might sound like a joke but many times I walk up to a booth to talk to someone and they either stink of B.O. or their breath smells like something died. There is nothing that can turn away potential customers faster. The breath thing I think happens because you are talking for so long. So bring mints, lots of them and if someone has B.O that is working your booth you have to tactfully fix the issue.

4. Show Gypsies- Depending on the show you might have what I call “Show Gypsies.” They are easy to spot, typically they are clearing every booths table of free crap. These people literally just go to shows to walk around and collect junk, though I have no idea why. 9 out of 10 times the company name on their badge will be some use of their name, like Siminoff Consulting. The crazy thing is that they sometimes try to talk to you about your stuff. If the floor is busy you have to quickly assess these people and get rid of them.

5. Give Aways (Chotchkies)- I have no idea who got the idea that if you give away a piece of shit with your brand stamped on it that you are somehow adding value to your company in the process. Additionally they attract show gypsies (see 4) like chum for sharks. What I do is either make something of value like shirts (go with a expensive ones) and then keep them behind the booth. When a customer/prospect comes that really matters then you get to give him something from the “private stash”. The net money spent is less then giving a chotchkie to everyone and is much more meaningful. Also if there is something that you can give that somehow ties to your brand and would be great for kids do that, people love to take presents home for their kids.

6. Contact Management/Business Cards- For the first half of my trade show career I tried to collect the maximum number of cards, in fact I literally would measure trade show success by my stack of cards. But that is a bad way to get ROI on your booth. I now try to be realistic about opportunities and try to walk from the show with a short list of people to work with (maybe 3-4). For collecting getting people’s details, the higher level people walking a show will typically try not to give you a card. Some tricks, DO NOT GET THE SCANNER, as they will try to get you to just scan them, you want all their info not just email. Their next defense will be to ask you for a card, just tell them the shipment of your cards got lost. They will not know what else to do and at this point you can get their card, score.

7. Booth Design- Spending more does not get you more when it comes to booth design. Tradeshows are by their very nature cluttered, so I believe that the best thing you can do with your booth is keep the design clean, simple, crisp and bright. I do not have a lot of pictures of booths I have done but the SimulScribe CES booth to me is the perfect booth.

-Some quick tips, use iMacs wherever you can and they are cheap to rent.

-In the booth above I custom built a projector in each of the pedestals. The light and image is great for attracting peoples attention.

-Print a minimal amount of info on your booth. Messaging changes fast and reprints are pricey, if you use a projector you can recreate content on the fly.

-If there is space for a plant get one. You can’t see it in this picture but we had a huge orchid on a meeting table to the right. A very nice plant will cost you $200-$300 but will really make your booth stick out.

-NO CLUTTER. I am a dictator when it comes to booth cleanliness. I have a push vacuum to keep the carpet clean, no food, no empty bottles, no garbage, no junk.

-When in doubt think WWAD (What Would Apple Do) for design.

-Try to use booths that can be set up without help from the show. Most convention halls are union and things get very pricey when you have a complex booth.

8. Founders/CEO/Exec Attendance- Overall if you are a top exec it is such a great thing to man your booth side by side with your team. First and foremost if you are there, the energy will be awesome. Depending on the tradeshow some pretty incredible people are walking the halls, for example at CES I have met some incredible contacts just working the booth. Also working the booth can be one of the most humbling and demeaning jobs ever. Unless you are selling gold at below cost people can be a bit rude when you are pitching your wares. Taking the arrows side by side with your team creates real bonds that are valuable in building a great company culture.

There are lots of other little things. If you have any please comment below, I would love to see what other people do that works.

I saw this watch advertised in a magazine at the airport lounge....

Tue, 03 Aug 2010 19:21:00 -0400

I saw this watch advertised in a magazine at the airport lounge. There are lots of historical finds that could be cool to make a watch out of but to me the titanic is not one of them.

What would I say when someone asked me about the watch “This watch was made from the steel of the Titanic, a ship that sunk on its maiden voyage and was responsible for the deaths of over 1,500 people.”

Weird…

Reason to Not Not Do a Startup: The Idea

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:31:09 -0400

Good post on why ideas are really the commodity. Execution is all that matters, it is long, hard and not as sexy but that is where the meat of a startups success is.

viacaterpillarcowboy: via thegongshow:

Sometimes I ask people I know in my life who I believe would be good entrepreneurs, “have you thought about doing a startup?” I common response to this question is, “Yes, but I don’t feel like I have a good idea.”

I typically let the conversation end right there, because I would never push someone to do a startup that is hesitant. A good entrepreneur has an undeniable drive, a hunger to bust through brick walls and make their startup successful. It’s not possible to try to convince someone with logic to adopt that often-irrational entrepreneurial frame of mind.

But, if I were to continue the conversation, I don’t think a lack of a good idea is a reason to not do a startup. Want a good idea? Here’s 30 great ones that Paul Graham wants to fund. Why would Paul Graham just give away 30 great ideas for free? Because the value of a business is not in the idea. In an early stage company, the value is in the people involved.

It’s the same reason that anytime I have a startup idea, I immediately write a blog post about it here. I know that ideas are cheap, and additionally, ideas get better as people contribute feedback to them, shape them, and make them their own. I’d love to see a great team make any of the nagging startup ideas banging around in the back of my head a reality.

Entrepreneurs almost never take a startup from idea to full execution in a straight line. The idea is a just a starting point from which people weave and bob around as they try to figure out where the money is in a new market they are creating, or existing market they are co-opting.

The converse is true here too. If you’re really passionate about doing a startup because you think you have a great idea, you are actually starting with very little. In fact, the passion you have is very likely far more valuable than the idea itself. So, I would never discourage someone in that position, but my advice at that stage is typically: go get the 2 or 3 smartest people you know and run with the idea. Because people are so important, it’s really difficult to give the idea a fair shot if you do it alone.

JFDI

"At DePaul University, the tip-off to one student’s copying was the purple shade of several..."

Mon, 02 Aug 2010 10:20:51 -0400

“At DePaul University, the tip-off to one student’s copying was the purple shade of several paragraphs he had lifted from the Web; when confronted by a writing tutor his professor had sent him to, he was not defensive — he just wanted to know how to change purple text to black.”

- From Today’s New York Times Article Plagirism Lines Blur for Students in Digital Age by TRIP GABRIEL

Corporate profits are up, but where are the jobs? This is a...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 -0400

Corporate profits are up, but where are the jobs?

This is a interesting thing that I have been seeing also. Unemployment it up yet companies are making record profits. To me what it shows is that we had a situation of over employment before the economic downturn. And not just over employment in terms of headcount but also job level and salaries.

Not sure what all of this means on a macro level but it certainly feels a bit weird right now.

via azspot

It is almost impossible to know what the market wants without...

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 07:00:00 -0400

It is almost impossible to know what the market wants without putting the product/service out there to be used and abused. Feedback is awesome and in my startups MVP (Minimum Viable Product) is a religion.

via arig via jared via startupquote)