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Monthly Archives: January 2008
TSA security test
Well, I finally found the Leatherman Fuse multi-tool I had gotten for Christmas. It was in my laptop bag, and had (unknowingly) flown with me a bunch of times across the country. So much for crack TSA x-ray screening.
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A great Chapter 4 doesn’t matter if Chapters 1-3 suck
I met a small group of entrepreneurs a year or two back that had built a social networking site. I asked them, “how is the better/different than MySpace, which is already dominating?” They said, “Our design is more scalable.” I … Continue reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship
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Just give me a fat, naked IP pipe, part II
And now we know why Netflix opened offered movie “rentals” for unlimited streaming: Apple’s announcement yesterday about moving into on-line movie rentals. All of this competition and choice is great for consumers. With Apple, Netflix, Amazon and others duking it … Continue reading
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Self-employment income and US taxes
Today is Jan 15th, and Q4 2007 estimated tax payments are due (in the US). If you’re self-employed, you estimate your tax liability during the year and make “withholding” payments (4) along the way. If you’re self-employed, you have the … Continue reading
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Depending on organic search traffic — at your own peril
Google’s rumored to be updating their page ranking again. They adjust rankings from time to time to improve search results and make it harder to game the ranking system. These updates illustrate the problem of depending on organic traffic (e.g. … Continue reading
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Maybe voting should be low-tech?
Why do we need electronic voting machines, really? When we started Open Market in 1994 and built one of the first eCommerce systems, we realized we might be opening pandora’s box for fraud. At that time, you could steal all … Continue reading
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“Hey buddy, want to be a VC?”
I have a number of entrepreneur friends that have become VCs. We’re all optimizing different factors in our own lives and careers, but I just don’t get it. In case anyone’s not paying attention, the venture capital business is not … Continue reading
Posted in Entrepreneurship
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Use screencasts to learn/teach new products
Way back when, I thought I was a PowerPoint jock. Until I worked on a presentation with Bob Weinberger, and realized how little I really knew. I wanted to reach back and redo years of presentations. Like many users, I … Continue reading
Posted in Software
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Keep your seatbelt fastened!
From a developing story about an Air Canada flight that made an emergency landing after 9 on board were injured during in-flight turbulence: “It happened very fast,” one unidentified female passenger told the media at the airport. “One side of … Continue reading
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Whiteboards everywhere
Today’s practical startup tip: 4×8 “showerboard” panels (available from Home Depot and Lowe’s, $10-$15/sheet) are a great option for large cheap whiteboards. Test erasability before you buy; here are the details. If money is less of an object, take a … Continue reading
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