Comments for blog.payne.org http://blog.payne.org Working hard to improve the signal-to-noise ratio Fri, 25 Jul 2008 15:18:50 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.3 Comment on Maybe there isn’t a killer app for the iPhone by steve kane http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/15/maybe-there-isnt-a-killer-app-for-the-iphone/#comment-433 steve kane Mon, 21 Jul 2008 20:37:17 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/15/maybe-there-isnt-a-killer-app-for-the-iphone/#comment-433 so maybe the killer app for the iphone... is the app store? so maybe the killer app for the iphone… is the app store?

]]> Comment on Reader Q: hiring folks for only equity? by Steve Kane http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-424 Steve Kane Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:44:15 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-424 it's a little counterintuitive but in many cases i'd rather pay cahs than equity, particularly in early early days. as founder i am especially working for equity -- and i want as much of it as i can get, not on day one, but on day last -- and on day one, the company' equity is about as cheaply priced as it ever gets. so if its at all possible to pay people cash, its a better deal long term... btw, you have four readers at least (unless you counted me as one of the three) it’s a little counterintuitive but in many cases i’d rather pay cahs than equity, particularly in early early days. as founder i am especially working for equity — and i want as much of it as i can get, not on day one, but on day last — and on day one, the company’ equity is about as cheaply priced as it ever gets. so if its at all possible to pay people cash, its a better deal long term…

btw, you have four readers at least (unless you counted me as one of the three)

]]> Comment on Maybe there isn’t a killer app for the iPhone by Charles Teague http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/15/maybe-there-isnt-a-killer-app-for-the-iphone/#comment-423 Charles Teague Wed, 16 Jul 2008 17:28:30 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/15/maybe-there-isnt-a-killer-app-for-the-iphone/#comment-423 I've been thikning about this a lot as well, but I've had a different take on the answer to the question. What if rather than there being a single 'killer app' that causes most people to buy the hardware, there is a long tail of killer apps, each of which causes a segmented group of people to buy the hardware. My current example of this is the app ForeFlight Mobile, which is a preflight planning app (60 bucks, BTW) which includes the ability to check detailed weather as well as file flight plans. I'm not a pilot, but is sure seems like that app, in that vertical, could be a killer app for private pilots... It's easy to extrapolate to a variety of other verticals that could be radically changed by a relatively inexpensive small, mobile, connected, and easy to use device. It's great watching this new market emerge... -charles I’ve been thikning about this a lot as well, but I’ve had a different take on the answer to the question. What if rather than there being a single ‘killer app’ that causes most people to buy the hardware, there is a long tail of killer apps, each of which causes a segmented group of people to buy the hardware. My current example of this is the app ForeFlight Mobile, which is a preflight planning app (60 bucks, BTW) which includes the ability to check detailed weather as well as file flight plans. I’m not a pilot, but is sure seems like that app, in that vertical, could be a killer app for private pilots… It’s easy to extrapolate to a variety of other verticals that could be radically changed by a relatively inexpensive small, mobile, connected, and easy to use device.

It’s great watching this new market emerge…

-charles

]]> Comment on OS Document Scanning Support by David Cancel http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/10/os-document-scanning-support/#comment-417 David Cancel Thu, 10 Jul 2008 17:18:54 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/10/os-document-scanning-support/#comment-417 Andy, I was feeling the same way until I got my Neat Receipts scanner. Simple and small form factor with only two buttons, "Scan" and "PDF", the latter scanning your doc directly to a PDF. Nice and simple. Pretty happy with software and hardware although it does require a reboot on my Mac to install. Yuck! http://www.neatreceipts.com/products/neat-receipts-for-mac Andy,

I was feeling the same way until I got my Neat Receipts scanner. Simple and small form factor with only two buttons, “Scan” and “PDF”, the latter scanning your doc directly to a PDF. Nice and simple.

Pretty happy with software and hardware although it does require a reboot on my Mac to install. Yuck!

http://www.neatreceipts.com/products/neat-receipts-for-mac

]]> Comment on OS Document Scanning Support by Jim http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/10/os-document-scanning-support/#comment-416 Jim Thu, 10 Jul 2008 15:30:10 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/07/10/os-document-scanning-support/#comment-416 MS Office comes with tools that are not great but acceptable for working with TIFFs when combined that with the scanning / faxing wizard. I have been digitally storing docs for about 2 years now. I have found that I still need a filing / storage schema so that I can track stuff down. Having docs available wherever I am and checked in to SVN is fantastic though. (I would also recommend combining this with a fax to email service for incoming faxes to cut out the whole scanning step. You can even fax documents to yourself and let that service deal with it...) Jim MS Office comes with tools that are not great but acceptable for working with TIFFs when combined that with the scanning / faxing wizard.

I have been digitally storing docs for about 2 years now. I have found that I still need a filing / storage schema so that I can track stuff down.

Having docs available wherever I am and checked in to SVN is fantastic though.

(I would also recommend combining this with a fax to email service for incoming faxes to cut out the whole scanning step. You can even fax documents to yourself and let that service deal with it…)

Jim

]]> Comment on Reader Q: hiring folks for only equity? by payne http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-409 payne Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:20:49 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-409 Kiril: thanks for your comment. You suggested a point of clarity: it's hard to get folks to work *full time* for just equity, esp. folks that you haven't already worked with before. Kiril: thanks for your comment.

You suggested a point of clarity: it’s hard to get folks to work *full time* for just equity, esp. folks that you haven’t already worked with before.

]]> Comment on Reader Q: hiring folks for only equity? by Kiril Savino http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-408 Kiril Savino Tue, 24 Jun 2008 17:16:06 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/reader-q-hiring-folks-for-only-equity/#comment-408 I'm working on building up a team doing just this- I have two people devoting at least some of their time to the effort for nothing but equity- and the promise that I'll pay them some day. :) I’m working on building up a team doing just this- I have two people devoting at least some of their time to the effort for nothing but equity- and the promise that I’ll pay them some day. :)

]]> Comment on Content, content, content, content, content by Charles Teague http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/content-content-content-content-content/#comment-407 Charles Teague Tue, 24 Jun 2008 16:02:26 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/24/content-content-content-content-content/#comment-407 Hulu is good enough that it threatens my DVR (particularly since I'm using a comcast DVR which is rife with technical and usability issues). Hulu is good enough that it threatens my DVR (particularly since I’m using a comcast DVR which is rife with technical and usability issues).

]]> Comment on You pay your legal bill….and mine too by Steve Kane http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/16/you-pay-your-legal-billand-mine-too/#comment-405 Steve Kane Thu, 19 Jun 2008 13:22:07 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/16/you-pay-your-legal-billand-mine-too/#comment-405 there's another reason VC firms pass on the legal expense -- allows them to pay themselves more as they keep more of the management fees they collect from their investors. there’s another reason VC firms pass on the legal expense — allows them to pay themselves more as they keep more of the management fees they collect from their investors.

]]> Comment on Hiring, Continued: Reference Checking by David http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/18/hiring-continued-reference-checking/#comment-404 David Wed, 18 Jun 2008 23:50:14 +0000 http://blog.payne.org/2008/06/18/hiring-continued-reference-checking/#comment-404 I really appreciate the older article, the Hire Smart! book looks pretty good as well, I might have to check it out more. I would like to see some more "putting together" a team posts. I really appreciate the older article, the Hire Smart! book looks pretty good as well, I might have to check it out more.

I would like to see some more “putting together” a team posts.

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