Even though Paul Graham and I had some “fun” in my Kiko synopsis, I obviously still respect his opinions. His latest entry, The 18 Mistakes That Kill Startups is definitely worth a read, and in this entry I wanted to go over some of it. Bad Location — Startups prosper in some places and not Read more »
Google Code Search Is Live, Find Serial Number Generation Algorithms!
Oct. 5, 2006
Google Code Search was just pushed live (check it out) and already the entrepreneurial minds at Digg have found a cool and unintended use for it: find serial number algorithms! The poster (I think it was Ryan) says that by just using simple queries using “keygen”, “serial”, or “name” produce some fun results like keygen Read more »
Nice Little Bloglines Visual Update
Sep. 29, 2006
I’ve been using Bloglines for at least 18 months now, which probably makes me one of their earliest “customers”. I thought their service was so amazing after a few days that I emailed support and said, “hey can I donate a few bucks, you guys rock!” and they thanked me, but declined. I’ve been using Read more »
The Catch-22 of Web 2.0
Sep. 25, 2006
I think one of the reasons I continue to write on this blog about the funny circumstances I witness in the “Web 2.0″ industry is because I feel like I’m the only person seeing certain things happen — like watching a train wreck in slow motion. Change the comparison to relate to reputation, innovation, and Read more »
Dead 2.0 Outed, Vindictive VCs Upset About Truth Peddling
Sep. 22, 2006
Arrington notes that Skeptic, the brilliant Devil’s Advocate 2.0, has been identified (but without naming his/her name yet.) I’ll admit it, Dead 2.0 is my favorite “Web 2.0″ blog right now and it’s because it mixes anecdotal humor, truthiness, and the right splash of exaggeration. I personally don’t care who writes it, I’ll still read Read more »
Arrington Lights It Up, Literally
Aug. 22, 2006
What I find hilarious about this picture isn’t that he’s lighting a cigar with a few hundred dollar bills (looks like a Photoshop job if you ask me) but because the website that reports on Web 2.0 Internet Startups probably makes more money than the Internet Startups it reports on. How many Web 2.0 companies Read more »
GYM’s Shitting On Your Startup
Aug. 21, 2006
By now you’ve probably heard that The Little Calendar App That Could(n’t) Kiko has been absolved and is being sold on eBay alongside diapers, that’s a tough ending, especially for a fledgling company funded through Paul Graham’s prestigious Y Combinator warm incubator. From Paul’s Kiko eulogy: “What nailed Kiko was Google Calendar. Once that came Read more »
The Web 2.0 Exit Strategy: Sell It On eBay
Aug. 17, 2006
Kiko, an online calendar application incubated by Y Combinator, is up for sale on eBay. The starting price of $49,999 has not been met yet, so we’ll see how it goes. Traditional exit strategies for companies include being acquired or an IPO, but that’s normally for companies that have at least an inkling of an Read more »
Why Some Startups Stumble And Others Succeed: User Generated Quid Pro Quo
Aug. 14, 2006
The harsh truth that tech and “Web 2.0″ industry pundits don’t like to talk about is that the vast majority of these new “Web 2.0″ companies are failing. New companies are starting, mashing up, trying to innovate, but none are close to approaching the success of MySpace, Digg and YouTube and there’s a very good Read more »
Coattail Riding Instructions For YouTube
Aug. 2, 2006
Whether you believe YouTube is bigger than MySpace or not (I’m in the “not” wagon) there are still some things to keep in mind if you’re trying to work with the video behemoth. YouTube may or may not be flipbait because of the copyright issues, but there’s no reason why your company can’t work some Read more »
5 Ways To Make Me Laugh At Your Web 2.0 Company
Jun. 28, 2006
In this fast-paced and synergistic world, buzzwords get the play. Non-technical people start companies and press ridiculous deadlines to their engineers, Web 1.0 burnouts start new companies that are just rehashes of the idea they couldn’t make work in 1999, and the technology you use is more important than the value you provide. Hell, VCs Read more »
Only 42 Feeds
Jun. 21, 2006
I only subscribe to 42 feeds via Bloglines and I’m not totally sure why. Instead of continuously adding new feeds and new sites I stumble upon, I find myself removing feeds more often than I add them. It’s not that there aren’t other good blogs out there, but I think of it like I own Read more »
Unsocial Bookmarking
Jun. 19, 2006
Out of everyone on my buddylist, I’d say that only 1-2 people actually use del.icio.us or other social bookmarking apps. I’ve never used them just because they serve no purpose to me — if I like a site I’ll bookmark it on my own computer, and if I really like a site then I’ll probably Read more »
Holla At Ya Backpack Calendar, Or Why Startups Can’t Hire Great Designers
Jun. 12, 2006
About two months ago, Jason told me that he and his team at 37signals were working on a calendar. We talked for a bit about how other calendar apps suck a whole lot, and how he (and I) felt it necessary to finally build one that introduced clean design and a quality user experience to Read more »
Don’t Whine Because Google Hides Its Cards
Jun. 7, 2006
Nearly every site I visit this morning is discussing Google with disdain, and not even for good reasons. Michael Arrington vents about Google adding seamlessly useless features to Picasa and how commenters who drink the Google juice are just kowtowing Yes Men: “Google-love is getting out of hand. In fact, Google is getting out of Read more »
