Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur: An Investment Oasis In The Middle East
Entrepreneur to Entrepreneur: An Investment Oasis In The Middle East
Usama Fayyad on his new fund and the need for investment capital in the Middle East.
Yahoo’s Former Chief Data Officer On Their $800 Million Mistake (TCTV)
Posted: 25 Aug 2010 01:54 AM PDT
Dr. Usama Fayyad has worn several hats at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab, Microsoft, his startups DigiMine and DMX, and of course, at Yahoo where he was their Chief Data Officer for four years.
It’s a rich resume with one unifying theme: data. Few people have spent as much time as Fayyad ruminating on this one subject. From finding volcanoes on Venus to creating better algorithms for ad targeting, Fayyad has made a career on crunching massive data sets and creating elegant algorithms to make sense of white noise. It’s somewhat ironic then, that for a man who lives in data, there is actually very little known about what makes Fayyad tick as an entrepreneur and how he shaped the companies he worked for.
In a rare video interview, SGN founder, Shervin Pishevar, recently spoke to Usama Fayyad in Jordan for TechCrunch TV. During this entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur fireside chat, Fayyad opens up about his obsession for data, how he sold his company to Yahoo (after the 6th offer), how Yahoo made an $800 million mistake (that may have triggered the giant’s ugly tumble) and how he almost became the CTO of Google.
While there are golden nuggets scattered throughout this interview, the discussion on Yahoo is particularly rich and focuses on the rocky period leading up to Microsoft’s now famous (and failed) takeover bid.
Fayyad describes a torn management team that was searching for direction and clear priorities. At one point (presumably mid-2007), Jerry Yang, then CEO, tried to reassemble a list of 7 priorities, ranked according to importance. One of the top debates was whether Yahoo should focus on becoming an ad network or an ad exchange. Fayyad, the chief data officer, thought it was a misplaced debate, that Yahoo should be paying more attention on the growing gulf between Google and Yahoo’s revenue per search (RPS).
At the time, Yahoo was making roughly “1/6 the money that a search on Google was making,” he says. Fayyad was ready to go to war, with roughly a dozen development projects lined up to “close the gap.” According to his calculations, through these initiatives, Yahoo would have pulled in $800 million in incremental revenues within the year.
Those “close the gap” plans were never fully executed, as management went a different direction—- still captivated by the prospect of gold at the end of the ad network/exchange rainbow. As Fayyad explains:
“I was on the camp that said ad exchange is the wrong thing for Yahoo to do, primarily for two reasons: because Yahoo is a big publisher itself so it’s a competitor so how could it run an exchange, can we expect Google to put its inventory on Yahoo, or Microsoft? The other one was that, exchanges as we all know, publishers will never put their premium inventory on exchanges they only put their crap inventory, so to me an outlet of crap inventory is not necessarily a very interesting thing.
But at the time, through a debate between the execs, it was decided that of the seven priorities, of the company, CTG or close the gap fell from #2, which is where i thought it should be (#1 being business up, site up meaning the site is up…) it fell to #7, while ad netowrks and exchange taking up… 2 and 3. So to me that bypassing of 800 million revenue of extra cash in the hands…like i said 20/20 hindsight… at the time people were very worried that we would lose the opportunity to take the leadeship in ad network and in ad exchange and they valued that much more than immediate cash. Now me being the pragmatic, startup scruffy guy, I wanted the cash in the bank, give me the cash and then later let me fight my war. I claim and this is my explanation, once we missed that 800 million in additional revenue, stock goes down, Mr. Ballmer shows up, bad offers, cycle, cycle, cycle, expectations of the street goes down, and it was a really bad spiral that the company got into.”
Assuming Fayyad’s $800 million estimate is correct (it’s not that outlandish when you consider he grew Yahoo’s behavioral targeting business from $20 million to $500 million in four years), that’s a fascinating “what if” scenario. There’s no doubt that Yahoo could have used that cash in hand while it chased the two birds in the bushes.
Interestingly, despite his deep disappointment with the reorganization, he stayed on a little longer after a talk with Yang. The soon to be ex-CEO convinced Fayyad that a new strategy was underway. And indeed, that summer Yahoo rolled out an exciting vision at a splashy corporate event. Yahoo even tapped Steve Jobs as the keynote speaker, to deliver his inspirational story about how he turned around Apple. Unfortunately, for Fayyad, expectations never quite lived up to reality, as he says in an almost plaintive tone: “We came up with a beautiful plan and there was no execution because the company had gone through so much turmoil.”
In total there are roughly 30 minutes of footage of Pishevar’s interview with Fayyad, which I’ve divided into five topics: the development of his startup, how he made the case for data at Yahoo, that $800 million-dollar mistake (see above), his brush with Google and finally his latest venture, Oasis 500, a startup accelerator for entrepreneurs in the Middle East. If you want to see parts one to five from end to end, check out the last clip.
Watch out: The globe trotting Pishevar, who has just wrapped up a tour of the Middle East and is preparing to meet new entrepreneurs in Asia, will be submitting future entrepreneur-to-entrepreneur videos to TechCrunch TV.
In part one of this series, Fayyad talks about how his early years at NASA influenced his ideas on data and how DigiMine came together.
Fayyad discusses how made data/analytics matter at Yahoo:
If Fayyad took a left turn, he could have been the CTO of Google. In this clip, he recalls a conversation with Sergey Brin, when Google was in its infancy. The blunt Fayyad told Brin that Google had no business plan.
In part five, Fayyad discusses his new investment fund Oasis 500, which will help budding entrepreneurs in the Middle East. Although entrepreneurs have decent access to VC money in this region, there is very little capital available for young companies.
Parts one through five:
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Monday, August 23, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
goosekingpin's video
雲林縣四湖鄉--鵝
四湖鄉芳源畜牧場負責人吳祥斌推動鵝肉生產履歷，最近獲農委會認證，成為全國第一家通過鵝肉產銷履歷認證的畜牧場，消費者在超市購買芳源畜牧場鵝肉，可透過條碼機查詢其生產過程。
吳祥斌說，生產履歷制度是業者、消費者雙贏政策，業者若能落實生產履歷，可以有效控管飼養成本，政府監督業者，讓消費者吃得有保障。
芳源畜牧場推動生產履歷制度5、6年，成功以「Taiwan Goose」為名外銷日本，推廣優質鵝肉。吳祥斌指出，產品能打進日本市場，代表品質具有一定水準，因為產品檢驗項目達20多種，日方藥物殘留檢測很嚴格，飼養過程絕不能添加任何藥物。
他表示，推動生產履歷制度，要把生產過程中的每個環節都詳實記錄，對傳統生產者來說確實有些麻煩，但養成習慣後，生產過程透明化能開拓市場，對於產業幫助很大。
芳源畜牧場採用全台首創的光控水簾鵝舍，密閉式空間內，四周都是水牆，溫度超過32度就會自動啟動，讓室內溫度能低於室外5度左右，養鵝環境乾淨、舒適，可預防禽流感，還播放音樂，並餵食牧草。
吳祥斌飼養4萬多隻鵝，生產的鵝隻經過合法屠宰場屠宰後製成多項加工產品，透過網路訂購行銷。
他說，今年WHO年度健康食材評選中，鵝肉是所有肉類的第一名，只要選購通過生產履歷認證的產品，消費者就能吃得安心、健康。
http://www.goose.tw/article.php?id=30
Bill Gates e Buffet p8 THE RICHEST PEOPLE OF THE WORLD
內容簡介
社會新鮮人不可不看，商務人士更不可錯過，
成功的信念、財富的觀念、創新的理念，就在富豪面對面！
你會問世界上最富有的兩個人什麼問題？
「做過最糟的投資？」、「得到過最好的建言？」、「兩位當初是如何認識的？」、「皮夾裡有多少錢？」、「對未來十年的展望？」、「如何能改變世界？」…
在這場令人期待的座談中，世上最富有的富豪華倫巴菲特和比爾蓋茲巧妙的回答內布拉斯加大學林肯分校工商管理學院學生們的各種問題。這些未來商業界的菁英學子們無不把握這個難得的機會，積極地與兩位富豪互動溝通，分享道德倫理、經營管理、金錢觀、全球化和他們成功的訣。
股神與首富之間超越上千億美金的友誼
「波克夏哈薩威公司」董事長暨執行長巴菲特代表了傳統產業，他擅長投資，憑藉獨特的投資哲學、選股準則，縱橫股海數十年，賺得上百億美金的財富，贏得「股神」的美譽。而比爾蓋茲則代表新經濟，創辦世界上最大的軟體公司「微軟」，創造資訊科技時代的商業神話，蟬連全球首富寶座多年。
相差25歲的兩人，財富相加約有上千億美金，儘管身處兩個時代，作風廻異，從事的產業也大相徑庭，但從談話中可以感受股神與首富之間的友誼遠遠超越了金錢、名利，也超越了大眾對他們的想像。
比金錢更寶貴的資產
巴菲特與蓋茲都曾經像你我一樣沒沒無聞，但他們利用優勢，抓住機會，熱中冒險，不怕犯錯，並擁有高瞻遠矚的眼光和異常敏銳的市場嗅覺，於是他們成了股神，當了首富！現在這兩位有遠見的富豪將與你面對面，以坦率、幽默與精闢的見解分享他們在成功的路上，成名致富的關鍵、失敗受挫的經驗、商場叢林的黃金法則，這一切比金錢更寶貴的資產都將成為你人生發展上的重要指引。
社會新鮮人不可不看，商務人士更不可錯過，
成功的信念、財富的觀念、創新的理念，就在富豪面對面！
你會問世界上最富有的兩個人什麼問題？
「做過最糟的投資？」、「得到過最好的建言？」、「兩位當初是如何認識的？」、「皮夾裡有多少錢？」、「對未來十年的展望？」、「如何能改變世界？」…
在這場令人期待的座談中，世上最富有的富豪華倫巴菲特和比爾蓋茲巧妙的回答內布拉斯加大學林肯分校工商管理學院學生們的各種問題。這些未來商業界的菁英學子們無不把握這個難得的機會，積極地與兩位富豪互動溝通，分享道德倫理、經營管理、金錢觀、全球化和他們成功的訣。
股神與首富之間超越上千億美金的友誼
「波克夏哈薩威公司」董事長暨執行長巴菲特代表了傳統產業，他擅長投資，憑藉獨特的投資哲學、選股準則，縱橫股海數十年，賺得上百億美金的財富，贏得「股神」的美譽。而比爾蓋茲則代表新經濟，創辦世界上最大的軟體公司「微軟」，創造資訊科技時代的商業神話，蟬連全球首富寶座多年。
相差25歲的兩人，財富相加約有上千億美金，儘管身處兩個時代，作風廻異，從事的產業也大相徑庭，但從談話中可以感受股神與首富之間的友誼遠遠超越了金錢、名利，也超越了大眾對他們的想像。
比金錢更寶貴的資產
巴菲特與蓋茲都曾經像你我一樣沒沒無聞，但他們利用優勢，抓住機會，熱中冒險，不怕犯錯，並擁有高瞻遠矚的眼光和異常敏銳的市場嗅覺，於是他們成了股神，當了首富！現在這兩位有遠見的富豪將與你面對面，以坦率、幽默與精闢的見解分享他們在成功的路上，成名致富的關鍵、失敗受挫的經驗、商場叢林的黃金法則，這一切比金錢更寶貴的資產都將成為你人生發展上的重要指引。
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Rotating Solar House Generates Five Times The Energy It Consumes
Rotating Solar House Generates Five Times The Energy It Consumes
27 Comments
234
by Matylda Czarnecka on Aug 20, 2010
What’s cooler than a rotating house? One whose solar panels produce five times the energy the house uses. That’s pretty incredible, considering that even zero-energy structures are rare.
German architect Rolf Disch built the home, called Heliotrope, to follow the sun throughout the day. The structure features triple panes of thermally insulated glass to strike a balance between letting light in and keeping the house cooler inside.
A giant 6.6-kilowatt-capacity rooftop solar panel called the Sun Sail slurps up the rays of energy, pumping them into the home and grid. Solar thermal collectors on balcony railings act as water heaters and radiators. On cloudy days, the house can be heated with wood chips and solar thermal heating.
The Sun Sail itself rotates separately from the house, adjusting itself to the best possible position at all times. This gives it a 30% to 40% advantage in energy production over traditional rooftop solar panels.
The house is green inside as well. Waste water goes through a purification system for reuse, and rain water collects in a rooftop basin. The toilet system turns human waste into compost.
Is it nice to live in? Disch must think so, as he resides in the prototype himself. Two other Heliotropes have been built to date, each costing about $2 million to build.
This video tours the house inside and out. Be warned: it’s in German and the time lapse at the beginning is set to some rocking techno music:
Gillmor Gang 08.13.10
The Gillmor Gang — Robert Scoble, Danny Sullivan, Andrew Keen, and John Taschek — on Google/Verizon and Oracle/Android. Recorded live Friday, August 13, 2010.
Lady Java Video Marks Exact Point Where Geek Culture Jumped The Shark
Lady Java, whose whiny drone is making me pretty nostalgic for the days when non-developers thought Java was a kind of coffee, is the creation of the supremely dorky folks over at JavaZone in Oslo, Norway. And while you might argue that the Java developer community is still small and tight knit, that thing is currently rounding out 100,000 views on the originally posted YouTube video and countless others on repost.
“I want to program like they do at Oracle …”
I personally blame Twitter for killing geek culture. You know who else has a combined love for coding and Lady Gaga? Google CEO Eric Schmidt, who yes, follows her on Twitter.You know how I know that? Yes, again Twitter.
“Some people prefer other languages, but that’s okay if you’re retarded I guess.”
In case you’re confused, I don’t mean “jumped the shark” and “killing” in the traditional “lose popularity” sense, just that nerd culture is now officially mass culture with whatever decline in quality that implies.
But it’s not entirely Twitter’s fault. Hollywood should at least share part of the blame for making nerd life look somewhat glamorous in the hype surrounding David Fincher’s The Social Network and whatever that newest Google movie is. And for letting Ashton Kutcher weigh in on tech news.
Okay maybe that one is Twitter’s fault.
Tracing the blame is hard, but tracing the tipping point is not (Hint: It’s this video).
However smarter people influencing the machinations of mainstream is not entirely a bad thing; Maybe U.S. teens will finally consider engineering cool, and at least nerds know that Lady Gaga is not her actual name.
SENIOR LAWYER SAYS "BEWARE OF COMING POLICE STATE"
SENIOR LAWYER SAYS "BEWARE OF COMING POLICE STATE"
Clayton Ruby defends Charlie Veitch, second person charged under Public Works Protection Act
I Love “Unconferences”
attended both BarCampOrlando and blogOrlando – I had the best time meeting, socializing and sharing ideas with other web elites.
TWiT Special #32 – The Future of the Web with Leo Laporte
Host: Abby Laporte
Young entrepreneurs give their vision of the future of technology.
Guests: Daniel Brusilovsky, Mark Bao, Joey Primiani and Brian Wong
Friday, August 20, 2010
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Coolest gadget of the year: LiveScribe Echo pen (great for back to school, watch the video and see why).
Introducing the new EchoPen Computer from Kalymera.
The EchoPen Computer is an electronic personal learning tool that gives users real-time audio feedback as they touch, write, and draw on special Echo interactive paper. The EchoPen uses an optical scanner that sees everything you scan and write on special dot-matrix Echo paper.EchoPen users can draw a calculator on a piece of paper, touch the handwritten digits and functions to perform an operation -- then hear the answer announced from the EchoPen computer. A student can write a word in English and hear it translated into Spanish with the Echo translation software, do math calculations, or draw a piano keyboard and play it.
The EchoPen is a computer. And like it's desktop cousin, the EchoPen is expandable. The EchoPen can be expanded via specialized cartridges that sell for $9.95 up to $39.95. Many cartridges will be available, including an all ages English-Spanish Dictionary that includes 20,000 words (10,000 English and 10,000 Spanish entries). A student can write the word "cat," for example, and hear "cat; el gato; e-l g-a-t-o; el gato." A test-prep package for math, science, and social studies for grades 6 - 8 that is directly correlated to over 90 percent of all grade 6 - 8 math, science, and social studies textbooks in the country. The student picks the text and chapter, and then plays games answering questions focused on the key concepts for that chapter.
Livescribe’s Pulse smart pen that can automatically digitize written notes is a big hit among students and business professionals who want to move away from paper.
Now the company has introduced a slimmer version of the its pen called Echo that offers more storage and improved features including support for PDF files.
The Echo pen has double the capacity of the Pulse and is available in 4 GB and 8 GB models that record 400 and 800 hours of data respectively. The 4 GB version will cost $170 and the 8 GB version is priced at $200. The 2 GB Pulse pen will cost $130, down from $200 when it was first introduced.
Livescribe has also added a 3.5 mm audio jack so consumers can use their own headphones, instead of having to buy specifically designed ones from LiveScribe.
Livescribe introduced its first smart pen Pulse in March 2008. Users write notes on Livescribe’s sheets of paper, just as they would on a notepad. The Pulse pen captures everything the user hears using a audio record feature. As for the notes, they can be accessed by simply tapping the pen at any point on the sheet of the paper or through a computer using the Livescribe desktop software. The only drawback is that the pen will work only with Livescribe’s proprietary paper. The company also launched an app store that now has more than 60 apps including study aids and dictionaries.
With Echo, Livescribe has updated the user interface so it is easier to access apps, added features such as password protection so the audio recorded on the smartpen can have more privacy, and introduced the idea of custom notebooks so users can group and organize notes more easily.
Later this year, Livescribe plans to add new software called Connect, which will allow users to email notes, audio and PDFs from the smartpen and paper when the pen is is docked to a Mac or PC.
The company also plans to introduce a collaboration software called Paper Tablet, that will allow consumers to communicate directly from a Livescribe notebook to a computer using the Echo pen and a USB cable. That means if you draw an image on the Livescribe notebook then it can directly appear on the screen in real time–a feature that should be very useful for creating graphics and for artists.
Check out Livescribe’s video of the Echo pen and some of its key features:
Pakistan floods aid shortfall a 'real issue'
August 19, 2010
Pakistan floods aid shortfall a 'real issue'
Channel4: After three weeks the UN has just raised half the $459m needed for initial Pakistan relief
Pakistan floods aid shortfall a 'real issue'
Channel4: After three weeks the UN has just raised half the $459m needed for initial Pakistan relief
染髮不當 小心膀胱癌？ 頭頂發光心頭慌慌！嚴重掉髮的原因與治療！
來賓：
台北醫學大學皮膚科兼任副教授、皮膚科診所院長 蔡仁雨
清華大學化學系教授 凌永健
醫藥記者 全嘉莉
髮型設計師 KASA
CALL-IN 你對染髮或禿頭的疑問？
方便快速易著色，洗頭染髮新選擇？
最近市面上流行一種邊洗頭邊染髮的快速染髮劑，方便快速易上色，廣受消費者歡迎。卻有不少案例出現頭皮紅腫，還一直猛掉髮的現象。
醫生呼籲，千萬部要因為是洗髮染，而讓染劑直接碰觸到頭皮，並忽略了染髮劑成分對頭皮可能的傷害。
染髮會導致膀胱癌？有道理嗎？染劑的化學成份會對身體造成哪些危害？如何選擇染劑？正確的染髮觀念與步驟？
十個富人九個禿？掉髮原因面面觀
頂上無毛往往讓人顏面無光？掉髮問題困擾許多人，然而導致掉髮原因有不少，飲食或作息不正常、面臨壓力、疾病藥物影響…等，都有可能造成掉髮現象。
怎樣的標準算嚴重掉髮？禿頭與遺傳、飲食、用藥與衛生習慣的關聯性？
雄性禿、圓型禿(鬼剃頭)是什麼？掉髮會是暫時的，還是將如大江東去？女性不會有雄性禿？禿頭會不會遺傳？
如何減緩或治療掉髮？柔沛、植髮、等治療的方式原理是什麼？會有哪些風險？
正確的洗法方式與觀念？洗髮精百百款 去油滋潤一定好?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
TCTV Fight! “Crowdsourcing Movies Will Cause America’s Creative Collapse”
It’s not often that we fight. Actually, no, that’s not even slightly true. It’s not often that we fight on camera. But this week’s episode of Too Long; Didn’t Watch is one of those times.
Our guest is Gene Massey from Cinema Shares - an LA-based startup that hopes to allow filmakers and other media moguls to do mini-IPOs to raise capital for their projects. Both of us were excited by the idea of the business – but when it came to whether the idea of fan-funded films will be good or bad for the world… or whether Paul was suggesting that Christians and NASCAR fans are idiots… well, watch the video to see what happened.
Video below. Note: due to some choice language, this week’s episode is more not safe for work than usual.
Precise Path Robotics, Purveyor Of Hat-Wearing Lawn Mowing Robots, Raises $4.5 Million
The above video reveals exactly why Precise Path Robotics just received $4.5 million in funding. Once you’ve seen the RG3 Robotic Greens Mower, or as I like to call it “Hat-Wearing Golf Course Roomba,” in action it’s pretty hard to imagine a golf course being mowed in any other way.
Did you know there were 32,000 golf courses in the world? Neither did I, but the RG3 is the quickest and most stylish way towards significantly slashing the amount of money each and every one spends on lawn mowing. That’s two billion dollars worth of mowing annually! Serious business for the world’s first robotic mower.
But why stop at mowing? The RG3 technology, which is actually superior to a Roomba because it can travel in straight lines, can be applied to almost any outdoor grooming endeavor.
Says Jason Zielke, Precise Path’s President and COO. “Mowing is the first in a long list of applications we have envisioned — from spraying to snow removal to carving advertising logos in lawns.”
There is such a thing as the perfect job for a robot.
Here’s a video of two RG3s mowing together, peacefully at dawn.
Cash is king, so work your working capital
Kevin Kaiser and S. David Young surveyed many companies for their recent Harvard Business Review article and found that the traditional business focus on the bottom line actually ties up working capital, setting managers on a death march towards bankruptcy. They have come up with a six-part strategy to squeeze more funds from business balance sheets.
The value creation imperative
It's been just over 400 years since a Dutch company became the first organisation to sell shares and became publicly traded. By 2007, more than one billion people owned a stake in the world's companies worth more than $75 trillion.
Kevin Kaiser, INSEAD Affiliate Professor of Finance, says that's a dramatic change from the days when monarchs and dictators owned everything and used their country's resources for their good alone.
Collaborating for results
As much as we think that collaboration makes good business sense, there are times where it can go horribly wrong, so says Morten Hansen, a professor of entrepreneurship at INSEAD.
INSEAD-Tsinghua SEM Partnership
Yingyi Qian, Dean of Tsinghua SEM, and INSEAD Dean Frank Brown, discuss Dual EMBA Programme
Women and Money
"This is not only a fun question but it is of great practical value," says INSEAD Assistant Professor of Finance Lily Fang, who hosted a Women and Money forum at INSEAD recently.
INSEAD Executive MBA: hear what participants have to say
You are committed to learning and care about your development. You have achievements but want to advance your career. You want to make a difference in the world; you want to make the most of your life. You have been thinking about doing an Executive MBA - now think harder.
Hear what the participants have to say.
One year to challenge your thinking, change your outlook and choose your future
One year to challenge your thinking, change your outlook and choose your future
Monday, August 16, 2010
Filtering Check-In Tweets, Checking-In To A State Of Mind, And Location’s Holy Grail
This part Friday at our Social Currency CrunchUp I was joined on stage by Tristan Walker(director of business development at Foursquare), Kara Nortman (Senior Vice President of Publishing at CityGrid Media), and Shiva Rajaraman (a product manager at Twitter) to talk about check-ins, coupons, and commerce. You can watch the entire conversation in the video above, but I wanted to highlight a few key parts of it.
Overall, an element that kept popping up during the talk was the idea that the check-in is just the first (or base) component of location. All parties seemed to be in agreement that the field was going to expand far beyond that. Obviously, Foursquare is one of the key players there (and popularized the term itself), but even Walker agrees that they are going to have go beyond this first phase. He notes that the key to Foursquare is to “socialize loyalty” no matter how that is done.
Walker said that recently with the heat wave in New York City, someone created a fake venue called “Heatpocalypse.” Some 5,000 people checked-in to it in one day. And again, it’s not really an actual venue, it’s a state of mind, essentially. But all of those people were told that a deal to get yogurt was nearby — a perfect potential solution for the heat. This is the type of thing Foursquare never would have thought of as an idea, because it’s not really a check-in to a venue, but it speaks to how moving beyond that basic concept might work.
Rajaraman noted that the check-in was a great game mechanic, but said that a ton of other game mechanics will emerge. And that’s exactly what Twitter wants because they’re going to federate and mine all of that data to see what works best among their users. Notably, Rajaraman also indicated that Twitter was thinking about the best way to filter out types of content you may not care about — such as check-in tweets.
When I asked the group about Google and Facebook both getting involved in the location space, they were mainly positive in saying that it would be good for everyone. Well, except when Nortman said that “everyone should be afraid of Facebook.” She also hinted that Google can be a bit scary too if they start focusing more of showing content rather than just pointing to it. This very idea was on display later in the day when Google and Yelp took the stage.
Interestingly, Walker ended the conversation by noting that everyone in the location space seemed to be “looking for the Holy Grail that doesn’t exist.” By that he means a single way to do location-based coupons. This is all about much more than that, he reasons.
Overall, an element that kept popping up during the talk was the idea that the check-in is just the first (or base) component of location. All parties seemed to be in agreement that the field was going to expand far beyond that. Obviously, Foursquare is one of the key players there (and popularized the term itself), but even Walker agrees that they are going to have go beyond this first phase. He notes that the key to Foursquare is to “socialize loyalty” no matter how that is done.
Walker said that recently with the heat wave in New York City, someone created a fake venue called “Heatpocalypse.” Some 5,000 people checked-in to it in one day. And again, it’s not really an actual venue, it’s a state of mind, essentially. But all of those people were told that a deal to get yogurt was nearby — a perfect potential solution for the heat. This is the type of thing Foursquare never would have thought of as an idea, because it’s not really a check-in to a venue, but it speaks to how moving beyond that basic concept might work.
Rajaraman noted that the check-in was a great game mechanic, but said that a ton of other game mechanics will emerge. And that’s exactly what Twitter wants because they’re going to federate and mine all of that data to see what works best among their users. Notably, Rajaraman also indicated that Twitter was thinking about the best way to filter out types of content you may not care about — such as check-in tweets.
When I asked the group about Google and Facebook both getting involved in the location space, they were mainly positive in saying that it would be good for everyone. Well, except when Nortman said that “everyone should be afraid of Facebook.” She also hinted that Google can be a bit scary too if they start focusing more of showing content rather than just pointing to it. This very idea was on display later in the day when Google and Yelp took the stage.
Interestingly, Walker ended the conversation by noting that everyone in the location space seemed to be “looking for the Holy Grail that doesn’t exist.” By that he means a single way to do location-based coupons. This is all about much more than that, he reasons.
Did Shopkick Just Change The Check-In Game? You Be The Judge [Video]
Did Shopkick Just Change The Check-In Game? You Be The Judge [Video]
http://www.shopkick.com/
Preview Shopkick's shopping app, soon to be launched at Macy's and Best Buy, providing discounts and other offers to shoppers.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid42806360001?bctid=524236701001
by MG Siegler on Aug 3, 2010
Earlier, we wrote about shopkick, a company with a different take on the whole check-in revolution as it relates to retail. But it’s one thing to read about it, it’s another to see it. That’s exactly why shopkick invited several members of the press to a Best Buy in San Francisco this morning to see the app in action.
As you can see in the full 15-minute walk-through video below, the execution is impressive. The minute you enter a Best Buy location, your phone recognizes it and you get points and a message that there are deals available at this location. You can also use it to scan items and get more points and other potential deals.
Unlike other location-based apps, this doesn’t use GPS (or even WiFi triangulation), instead this is a custom hardware plus app system shopkick created and installs in partner stores. This means no more fake check-ins and it allows the app to do some other potentially interesting things.
The most impressive element may be one that is still in the works. As you can see in our demo, as we walk around the Best Buy, our phones get pinged as we enter a new area with special deals — the home entertainment area, for example. That type of technology is already working obviously, but shopkick says that at first they’re going to focus on the more basic walk-into-the-store experience.
While shopkick isn’t a full-on rival to the popular Foursquare and others in the check-in space, it is interesting that they’re going after the type of experience that those guys are trying to establish between consumers and retailers. As Foursquare’s Tristan Walker said at our CrunchUp event last week, they’re attempting to “socialize loyalty.” He also noted that everyone was looking for a location-based coupon Holy Grail that doesn’t exist.
Shopkick seems to think it does, and that they’ve found it.
Update: Walker clarified to say that he meant the whole “show your phone” part of the coupons isn’t going to work. He does think the location-based coupon Holy Grail exists. Something tells me he doesn’t think shopkick has found it though.
http://www.shopkick.com/
Preview Shopkick's shopping app, soon to be launched at Macy's and Best Buy, providing discounts and other offers to shoppers.
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid42806360001?bctid=524236701001
by MG Siegler on Aug 3, 2010
Earlier, we wrote about shopkick, a company with a different take on the whole check-in revolution as it relates to retail. But it’s one thing to read about it, it’s another to see it. That’s exactly why shopkick invited several members of the press to a Best Buy in San Francisco this morning to see the app in action.
As you can see in the full 15-minute walk-through video below, the execution is impressive. The minute you enter a Best Buy location, your phone recognizes it and you get points and a message that there are deals available at this location. You can also use it to scan items and get more points and other potential deals.
Unlike other location-based apps, this doesn’t use GPS (or even WiFi triangulation), instead this is a custom hardware plus app system shopkick created and installs in partner stores. This means no more fake check-ins and it allows the app to do some other potentially interesting things.
The most impressive element may be one that is still in the works. As you can see in our demo, as we walk around the Best Buy, our phones get pinged as we enter a new area with special deals — the home entertainment area, for example. That type of technology is already working obviously, but shopkick says that at first they’re going to focus on the more basic walk-into-the-store experience.
While shopkick isn’t a full-on rival to the popular Foursquare and others in the check-in space, it is interesting that they’re going after the type of experience that those guys are trying to establish between consumers and retailers. As Foursquare’s Tristan Walker said at our CrunchUp event last week, they’re attempting to “socialize loyalty.” He also noted that everyone was looking for a location-based coupon Holy Grail that doesn’t exist.
Shopkick seems to think it does, and that they’ve found it.
Update: Walker clarified to say that he meant the whole “show your phone” part of the coupons isn’t going to work. He does think the location-based coupon Holy Grail exists. Something tells me he doesn’t think shopkick has found it though.
maglev train shanghai complete video presentation
please watch my Full Ride Video with speed and distance right here
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMyffF...
the train that ate ICE and Eurostar (but not TGV)....watch this complete video presentation of Shanghai trasrapid super speed magnetic levitation train as it defines to you the meaning of haste....bringing the passengers from long-yang road downtown to pu-dong international in 7 minutes....swooooosh!
FYI... the last time i was there...one way ticket costs 50 yuan or 80 yuan for executive class (the yellow leather seat as seen on the video)
Sunday, August 15, 2010
"MARTIAL LAW" G20 CHARGE DISAPPEARS
"MARTIAL LAW" G20 CHARGE DISAPPEARS
Howard Morton: It appears government doesn't want to test Public Works Protection Act in court
Friday, August 13, 2010
『なくもんか』
なくもんか
映画「なくもんか」主題歌
楽譜：「月刊Piano 2009年12月号」
(ヤマハミュージックメディア)より
作曲：水野 良樹
ピアノアレンジ：渋谷 絵梨香
演奏：金益 研二
楽譜：「月刊Piano 2009年11月号」（ヤマハミュージックメディア）より
作曲・編曲：大橋卓也、常田真太郎ピアノアレンジ：渋谷絵梨香
ゴールデンタイムラバー スキマスイッチ／MBS/TBS系アニメ「鋼の錬金術師 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST」オープニングテーマ
演奏：松本 あすか
Thursday, August 12, 2010
無所不在的殺手：塑化劑
無所不在的殺手：塑化劑
塑膠袋寶特瓶保鮮膜 錯誤使用 傷腎敗肝且致癌！
張貼者： 公視有話好說-新聞論壇 於 星期四, 八月 12, 2010
來賓：
台師大化學系教授 吳家誠
林口長庚醫院腎臟科教授兼臨床毒物科主任 林杰樑
陽明大學藥理學所教授 潘懷宗
每天一個超商加熱便當、一杯寶特瓶飲料或熱咖啡、用隨身杯或塑膠杯喝水，這些你我每天握在手上的容器，其實都有食用的風險！為了維護民眾的健康，衛生署在這個月6號預告、食品容器包裝衛生標準修正，規定出塑膠食品容器中的塑化劑含量。究竟生活中藏有多少塑膠危機？有多少自以為方便的習慣，會讓危害吃下肚？
什麼是塑化劑？有何傷害？
不少民眾以為塑膠袋、保鮮膜、塑膠碗盤，只要別裝熱湯、熱食就不會溶出有害物質，事實上，塑化劑屬於親脂性的物質，只要碰到油脂就容易溶出。
根據國內最新研究發現，塑膠中常添加的塑化劑屬環境荷爾蒙，若長期過量，不但會干擾內分泌，還可能使男童容易出現女性化行為傾向，也會增加罹患糖尿病及心臟血管疾病的危險性。
塑膠材質分類的意義？
為了環保，不少民眾都有可重複使用的隨行杯、隨身壼，但這些容器都是塑膠做的，用來裝熱的，真的沒問題嗎？醫師提醒，如果塑膠杯是PC耐熱樹脂，也就是聚碳酸脂，遇到高溫會釋出雙酚A，研究證實這會影響生殖系統。
要如何確定自己的杯子、水壺能不能裝熱飲？這時候就要把手上的容器翻到底部，看一下三角形上面的數字，這個數字是塑膠材質編號，一號是保特瓶，耐熱不能超過 40度，二號 清潔劑瓶、3 號塑膠杯、4號塑膠袋，耐熱都只有 60度、5號是微波容器 耐熱可以到135度、6是泡麵碗 只有70-95度；至於環保容器最常用的七號，超過50度，雙酚a就會溶出來。所以要裝熱水，只有5號才安全。
FRAUD AND CORRUPTION RUNS THROUGH US PHARMA
FRAUD AND CORRUPTION RUNS THROUGH US PHARMA
Al Jazeera: Pervasive fraud, fatal side effects, and huge kick-backs paid to doctors plague Big Pharma
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Solar Cell Classroom Set pt1 - Solar Schoolhouse
Part1 Tutorial for how to use the Solar Cell Classroom Set from Solar Schoolhouse
www.solarschoolhouse.org
【行動綠生活‧台灣不碳氣】抗鬱悶，樂活達人的渡假秘境公開
旅行也可以愛地球！坐遊覽車走馬看花的旅行方式已經落伍，慢下腳步、融入在地生活的樂活旅遊風正夯，兩位樂活旅遊達人傾囊分享秘訣，看他們如何玩得盡興，又能對環境帶來最大利益。
Monday, August 09, 2010
Zappos謝家華：脫離父母期望，走一條相反的路(變則通創不同)
身為台灣移民之子，謝家華接受的是亞洲傳統家庭教育，父母親希望他拿博士、認真唸書，但他卻不想做聽話的孩子，這讓他一直在想許多創業的點子，走向一條完全相反的路。正因為他對自己有所堅持，才能打造出一個讓人驚艷的網路帝國。
RSA Animate - Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
Daniel Pink provides concrete examples of how intrinsic motivation functions both at home and in the workplace.
Zapponians
Here's the Scoop
You've got to see us to believe us! ABC Nightline featured The Zappos Family and our hiring process during one of their segments! Take a look and see if this is the right kind of environment for you! We may be a little fun and weird, but that's okay; it's a core value!
Sunday, August 08, 2010
Bill Gates on in-person vs. online education
At the Techonomy conference in San Francisco, Bill Gates closed the event and answered questions from the audience.
One woman asked him whether he thought that online education could potentially supersede in-person education.
Robotic Distribution
from Kiva Systems and delivered to the online retailer, Zappos.com. For more info, check out Wired Science: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/20...
Saturday, August 07, 2010
TL;DW: VC Investment Moving From Silicon Valley To Where? Disneyland? [Video]
First came reports of how many more dealsRon Conway was doing in New York than he’s done in the past. Then, there was a report that showed the number of venture firms were predicted to decline in traditional markets, and grow in emerging markets like China, India and Brazil. Now, the latest Pepperdine Capital Markets Survey finds that Silicon Valley based VCs have wanderlust too.
According to the survey the number one location where VCs said they expected to invest in the next year was Southern California. Specifically, 17.4% named Southern California, 12% said they planned to invest in the Southwest and 10.5% said they planned to invest in the Southeast. Only 7.9% of VCs surveyed—most of whom live in Silicon Valley—said they intended to invest in Silicon Valley.
Wait.
What?
Look, we’ve been as big a proponent of the idea that VCs are expanding their scope as there is at TechCrunch, but last we checked Southern California wasn’t an emerging market. We couldn’t believe these results could be true, so we invited the study’s author John Paglia on to this week’s episode of Too Long; Didn’t Watch to explain.
His survey can be found here and has a few other interesting take aways. 56% of investors said “gut feel” was the largest reason they do a deal, outranked only by “market analysis.” Gut feel always ranks high, so Paglia decided to ask this time what “gut feel” means. Investors said it was based most on “nonanalytical impression” and “past experience and knowledge.” Again, we would have thought that would favor Valley investors backing the networks they already have and know in the Valley, but maybe they have a good gut feel about oranges and beachballs. (We’re kidding So. Cal., we know you have MySpace, biotech and clean tech innovation going on. And Disneyland!)
The survey also noted that 42.8% of venture firms said they were currently raising money or would be in the next six-to-twelve months. This will be the key period to watch to see what our venture capital ecosystem is going to look like in for the next decade or more. A lot of people are expecting a shake out in terms of who can raise money, as returns are generally horrible for the last ten years. But then again, we heard about a shakeout among venture funds in 2000 that never happened.
重建變滅族？原民夜宿凱道抗議！
重建變滅族？原民夜宿凱道抗議！
原住民太固執？政府太蠻橫？八八滿週年 問題沒解決！
張貼者： 公視有話好說-新聞論壇 於 星期五, 八月 06, 2010
來賓：
行政院原住民族委員會副主任委員 夏錦龍
台灣原住民族部落行動聯盟總召集人 理斷‧搭給嚕嘟嗯牧師
台灣原社社長、台師大地理系副教授 汪明輝
CALL-OUT
高雄縣政府原住民處處長 谷縱‧喀勒芳安
屏東縣副縣長 鍾佳濱
SNG凱達格蘭大道：
公視記者 蔣靜怡、台灣原住民族部落行動聯盟發言人 歐蜜‧偉浪 牧師
八八風災滿週年，重建路迢迢！原住民不滿政府重建政策不夠重視原住民的意見、文化，居住環境不符合原住民生活方式，8月6日晚間在凱達格蘭大道前發起夜宿行動！希望能讓政府與社會對於原住民文化與災區重建有更深層的思考、更全面的政策！
做好防災、離災的首要工作，就是要先選個安全的居住地點。去年幾個受創嚴重的災區，都是位在山區的原住民部落，山上的河道與土地，都因為豪雨沖刷，面貌完全改變。回去重建困難重重。但政府找到的重建地點又幾乎都在山下、靠近平地的地方。這些地方，相對山上確實安全，但對大多數的原住民來說，要離開從小生活的山林，是他們最不願意的事。
馬總統、吳院長都表示，希望在八八風災中家園被摧毀、原居地已化為危險區的居民能夠搬到更安全的地方居住，但是對原住民來說，離開美麗的家園等於是拔了他們的根！安全第一？土地被剝奪？政府難理解原住民寧可放棄美麗堅固的好環境，執意回山上居住？
保障國人安全？不懂原住民？政府重建犯了多少錯誤？重建過程中，原住民受到哪些傷害？原民文化遭到什麼衝擊？
大愛村7百戶永久屋搶先在今年二月完工，現在家家門前有花園，社區空間也很寬敞，看起來很舒適，但住起來，問題卻不少。小朋友沒有專屬學習空間，居民搬進這個滿是大愛雕像和標語的社區，也覺得格格不入。接手社區生活重建與管理的慈濟基金會，一開始對居民耳提面命，別吃檳榔、別喝酒、別殺生，令大家很困擾，慈濟則澄清，只是希望大家改掉壞習慣。宗教衝突、文化差異，慈善團體與原住民該如何溝通？被當動物參觀？居住不安寧？
政府依法劃定安全堪虞區，原住民不該反對？還是原住民捍衛自己的家園、自己的文化？訴求如何伸張，問題如何解決？
原住民基本法
莫拉克颱風災後重建特別條例
過了一年，重建做了多少？道路未平、斷橋未修，還要等多久，災民才能回到溫暖的家？
Friday, August 06, 2010
Is the impostor syndrome keeping us from innovating?
Olivia Fox works with leaders inside big companies at http://www.spitfireteam.com/ and at lunch the other day she said something very interesting: that students at Stanford were dropping out because they were suffering from impostors' syndrome. In other words, the students thought that they had snuck through the admissions' process.
Worse, she told me, is that companies are seeing innovation stifled because of this syndrome. We talk a little bit about it, but we'll do a longer interview with her soon as she's working with companies like Google and eBay to empower their employees to ship innovations.
Thursday, August 05, 2010
Rethink Salad Dressing.
1. Rethink Salad Dressing. Dr. Fuhrman explains that the fat we eat goes directly to our waistlines–and that includes the “healthy” fat in olive oil-based salad dressings. However, a salad dressing that is high in fiber and nutrients will be more filling and prevent fat storage.
2. Reduce Fruit Juice. Even though the sugar in juices are natural, juice is lower in fiber than fruit and less nutrient-filled. Instead of drinking juice, Dr. Fuhrman recommends using it in small portions to flavor dressings and sauces.
3. Go Raw. Some nutritionists say that vegetables must be cooked and prepared with some fat in order for nutrients to be absorbed. Dr. Fuhrman explains that this isn’t true. He recommends eating four whole fruits and several large, raw salads every day. Not only do raw vegetables help prevent cancer, but they also contain enzymes that prevent digestive diseases. Start thinking of salad as a main dish.
4. Follow the 90 percent rule. Many diets emphasize the importance of lean meats that are high in protein. But Dr. Fuhrman notes that plant foods have more protein than we think. Dr. Fuhrman recommends that only 10 percent of what you eat is a processed food or animal product. If the other 90 percent is coming from unrefined plant foods, you can eat as much as you want without fear of disease or obesity. Ready to Eat to Live? Dr. Fuhrman’s Vook has videos, recipes and more guidelines to help you lose weight fast–and live longer.
What is a vook?
http://sixaroundtheworld.blogspot.com/
A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story. You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.
Vooks are available in two formats: As a web-based application you can read on your computer and an application for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad for reading on the go. With the web-based application you don't have to download programs or install software. Just open your favorite browser and start reading and watching in an exciting new way. You can also download and install the mobile applications through the Apple iTunes store and sync them with your Apple mobile device.
A vook is a new innovation in reading that blends a well-written book, high-quality video and the power of the Internet into a single, complete story. You can read your book, watch videos that enhance the story and connect with authors and your friends through social media all on one screen, without switching between platforms.
Vooks are available in two formats: As a web-based application you can read on your computer and an application for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad for reading on the go. With the web-based application you don't have to download programs or install software. Just open your favorite browser and start reading and watching in an exciting new way. You can also download and install the mobile applications through the Apple iTunes store and sync them with your Apple mobile device.
Schmidt: Google Now Activating 200,000 Android Units A Day
Remember back in the day when Google was only activating 100,000 Android units a day? You should — it was May. By June, that number had jumped to 160,000 units a day. And today it now stands at 200,000 Android units activated a day. That’s pretty incredible.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt revealed as much today during a sit down with a group of journalists after his panel at the Techonomy conference in Lake Tahoe, CA. When asked about how the Android platform is doing, Schmidt was practically glowing. He cited the recent quarterly shipment numbers (the ones showing total shipments passed those of the iPhone in the U.S.) and said that he just checked their own internal numbers this morning.
When someone said they didn’t know a good way to measure Android’s success, Schmidt quickly responded, “trust me, we do.” He then joked about the fact that he carries around the recently cancelled Nexus One. When someone suggested that was a classic, sort of like the Apple II, Schmidt joked: “is that a compliment?“
Schmidt specifically cited the Droid X as a reason for the recent Android surge. And he noted he was excited about the new Galaxy as well because it’s on all the carriers.
When questioned if the revenue coming in from Android was enough to make the whole project worthwhile, Schmidt said that it absolutely was. He noted that the idea behind Android is that it drives search — and that search is still their primary means of revenue. “Trust me that revenue is large enough to pay for all of the Android activities and a whole bunch more,” he noted.
He said that they don’t break out Android revenue numbers because they consider it a part of search.
Schmidt also quickly transitioned to note that they “love the success of the iPhone” as well thanks to how much it also drives search.
Below find the video of him talking about Android.
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Warren Buffett and Hank Paulson's Credit Crunch 'Conversation' In Omaha
Warren Buffett and former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson appeared before the Greater Omaha Chamber this afternoon (Tuesday) for an informal 50-minute "conversation" that focused on Paulson and the events he writes about in his book, On the Brink: Inside the Race to Stop the Collapse of the Global Financial System.
A summary appears in the previous WBW post, Warren Buffett: I Have Greater Appreciation of Pres. Bush's Handling of Credit Crisis.
Here, in two parts, is video of the entire event, as it streamed live on CNBC.com earlier today:
Steve Wozniak talks iPhone problems, Apple, Google, Steve Jobs and youthful idealism
Valencia (Spain), 29 Jul (TVEFE).- Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, who opened the second day of Campus Party on Tuesday, talked about the iPhone antenna issues, which he describes as 'a very tiny, tiny problem blown out of proportion', Apple, Google, Steve Jobs and the importance of youthful idealism.
We’ve posted videos and interviews of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak before – the man happens to have a lot of interesting things to say.
But do check out this recent video, recorded last week at the Campus Party in Valencia, Spain. In a conversation with a live audience, Woz speaks out on Antennagate (again), Apple and its relationship with Google and his own relationship with chief exec Steve Jobs.
(Thanks to Luis Aguilar Pryde from EFE TV for the heads up)
Unfortunately, the questions from the audience (which were presumably posed in Spanish and needed to be translated on the spot) are not included, but you can guess what they were.
A couple of choice quotes:
On Antennagate
- “I have not really had a problem with the antenna, and I have not heard of people. I think it’s a very tiny, tiny problem that is blown out of proportion because there are a lot of people who want to accuse Apple of a mistake only because Apple has been so good with its products, creating the products that we all love.”
- “Even though I can cause the problem on my iPhone 4, I don’t have the problem in real usage.”
- “A problem that is imagined to exist is that much greater the more you love the product that you’re afraid won’t work.”
On Apple and Google (and Microsoft)
- “In recent times, I’ve been a little saddened to encounter the controversy between Apple and Google.”
- “I love Google, but I’m afraid it has a chance of becoming the Microsoft of the future. You remember how Microsoft used all of their ownership of the operating system to take over the browser … “
On his current role at Apple
- “Although I receive a small salary from Apple, I do virtually no real work at the company.”
- “I like to be more on the outside of Apple, because I prefer to judge products objectively.”
On his relationship with Steve Jobs
- “I chat with Steve Jobs now and then, from time to time, and we have never had an argument. We have always been friends. We are not close friends like we once were, spending every day together.”
Steve Wozniak founded Apple in 1976 together with Steve Jobs. He helped shape the computing industry with his design of Apple's first line of products the Apple I and II and influenced the popular Macintosh.
Steve Wozniak, co founder of Apple, is on The Hour.
August 3, 2010: Will Ferrell
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| Will Ferrell | ||||
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Tuesday August 3, 2010
Will Ferrell
Will Ferrell utilizes all the space in the studio, insults Rob Riggle and arm-wrestles Jon.
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