Category Archives: Ramblings

Twitter’s Ecosystem Woes

Posted on March 14, 2011 by payne

In case you missed it, Twitter recently updated their Terms of Service, asking developers (effectively) not to build any more Twitter clients.  Now that they have their own apps, they don’t want developers to compete with them.  This announcement was … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings, Software | 3 Comments

Word of the Day: Yellitocracy

Posted on January 19, 2011 by payne

I can now cross “invent a word” off my bucket list.  According to Google, “yellitocracy” is a brand new word. What does it mean?  A yellitocracy is an organization where “he who yells the loudest, wins“.   These can sometimes … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 3 Comments

My Net Neutrality Experience: Frontier Hijacking Searches

Posted on January 2, 2011 by payne

Frontier Communications hijacking subscriber Google searches for affiliate dollars Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 9 Comments

Fast first drafts on the iPad

Posted on December 9, 2010 by payne

My iPad usage has settled down into some regular patterns.  At home, it’s cut deeply into laptop time, for quick email checking and as a general purpose reference device. I got Apple’s productivity suite (Pages, Numbers, Keynote), but wondered when … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 1 Comment

Disrupting Education: Khan Academy

Posted on November 8, 2010 by payne

I think Salman Khan is onto something with Khan Academy.  I’ve been wondering when we’d see Internet-style disruption coming to education, and this might be it. Sal’s found a way to leverage the power of the Internet.  He’s a great teacher, … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings, Software | 2 Comments

AngelGate: Symptom or Problem?

Posted on September 22, 2010 by payne

It seems clear this week’s meme is going to be “AngelGate”, after Michael Arrington crashed a private meeting of West coast “super” angels, accusing them of collusion and price fixing. Ignore Arrington’s penchant for drama for a minute, but assume … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 4 Comments

First Establish a Beachhead

Posted on September 4, 2010 by payne

I think it’s interesting that two leaders in the transition to on-line digital media each first established businesses in the existing distribution models. Netflix has a solid DVD-rental business, and is a leader in on-line movie distribution.  Amazon dominated the … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | Leave a comment

More on the “Seed Fund Crash”

Posted on July 7, 2010 by payne

Following up on the “seed fund crash” meme that I commented on last week, Chris Dixon wrote a thoughtful blog post.  His main point: It’s not the seed investors who are smarter – it’s the entrepreneurs He makes a fine argument … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Ramblings | 3 Comments

Emotional vs Rational Thinking

Posted on June 8, 2010 by payne

We’re all emotional creatures, and even though business is business, it’s impossible not to bring emotions into the work we do.  The key is to recognize when emotions are overriding your rational thinking about a business issue. If you (or … Continue reading →

Posted in Ramblings | 1 Comment

Startup Investing: “Growth” vs “Value”

Posted on June 5, 2010 by payne

Individual stock investing can be divided into “growth” & “value” strategies.  Growth investors find companies that will grow at an above-average rate.  Value investors try to find deals:  companies that are trading below their intrinsic value. I’ve found venture investors … Continue reading →

Posted in Entrepreneurship, Ramblings | 1 Comment