Monthly Archives: May 2009

Hulu Desktop & Boxee: Temporary Solutions

Posted on May 30, 2009 by payne

Hulu Desktop just came out:  it’s a client-app (Mac and Windows) that provides a “lean back” UI for Hulu video content.  It integrates remote control inputs, so it works well for folks plugging computers into the living room TV. I’ve … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings, Software | Leave a comment

Managing the Household

Posted on May 29, 2009 by payne

Like many modern households, we’re managing a lot of moving pieces.  Three kids w/ activities, brother & family living nearby, grandparent visits, travel — it adds up to some “complexity”. We depend on a number of technologies to make it … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings, Uncategorized | 1 Comment

Inflexible Process meets Immovable Software

Posted on May 14, 2009 by payne

Devdutt Yellurkar (at CRV) and I were comparing enterprise software war stories and notes on SaaS opportunities (he did CRV’s recent investment in ZenDesk). The enterprise software business model is a tough one.  Large organizations frequently need custom features, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Software | 1 Comment

Browser-Powered Television

Posted on May 11, 2009 by payne

[A longer than usual blog post, summarizing some strategy ideas I've been working on.] In the early 90s at DEC, I had a colleague that worked with the cable industry.  I tried (unsuccessfully) to convince him that TCP/IP would be … Continue reading →

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URL Shorteners, WTF?

Posted on May 7, 2009 by payne

I’m sure I’m a minority here, but are URL shorteners (e.g. TinyURL) really a “business”?  Bit.ly raised $2m in funding for this?  What? On the news that Twitter has switched URL shorteners, why isn’t Twitter doing this themselves?  Either by … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 4 Comments

Metered/Capped Broadband, Part 2

Posted on May 6, 2009 by payne

A few days ago, I wrote about the problems with metered/capped broadband in the US. Then I read this article, which said: Basically, the cable internet usage quotas have nothing to do with the internet, they are all about protecting … Continue reading →

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Metering Moore’s Law?

Posted on May 4, 2009 by payne

Since we’re partially dependent on Time-Warner Internet access, I’ve had to pay more attention to bandwidth caps / metered broadband issues.   See some recent discussions in GigaOM, and the Washington Post. Generally, I’m glad to pay extra for using a … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 3 Comments

Off the Beaten Transaction Path

Posted on May 2, 2009 by payne

For Internet and mobile applications, the transaction path is like the West Wing floor plan around the Oval Office – power is measured by proximity.   The valuable apps are those closest to influencing a transaction decision.  Google is the strongest … Continue reading →

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