2013 Nov 1

Accept the Inevitable or Become Irrelevant... in the Air

The FAA has finally relented, and changed its half-century-old rule banning electronic devices below 10,000 feet. Technically, pacemakers, watches and, well, the in-flight navigation system should have been banned, too, but of course they weren't. For that matter, neither were the seat-back entertainment systems. I was on a United flight last night, and when the system restarted, it was clearly a Linux computer! The problem here wasn't really safety, and everyone knew it.

2013 Oct 31

You've Got Match!

Finally, Amazon's got iTunes Match, er, Kindle Match, er, MatchBook. Yes, the name "matchbook" works well as a double entendre for matching the book and a "book of matches" that can light (or "kindle") a fire. At the same time, they are clearly treading the well-worn path that Apple set with iTunes Match. Hopefully, it will work a little better from the outset. Unlike iTunes Match, Amazon is not about storing the books you already have on your Kindle from other sources.

2013 Oct 30

The Three Profits

Last week, Eugene Wei, a former Amazon employee, posted an excellent article called the "Amazon profitless business model fallacy." Eugene was debunking the prevalent belief that Amazon seems to be highly value despite its not making a serious profit. To my mind, however, Eugene isn't debunking the "profitless business model" fallacy, he is debunking the "pundits actually know what they are talking about" fallacy. There are actually three kinds of profit in business:

2013 Oct 29

For Want of a Buckle, a Company Went Missing

About two years ago, I purchased a laptop sleeve with shoulder strap from Brenthaven directly from the Apple store. It fit my needs perfectly - think like a sleeve to fit into an airline carry-on, but with a shoulder strap and extra pockets to carry by itself. Barely a month after I bought it, the buckle that connects the strap to the sleeve came apart. It happens, you get a bad item, and the Apple store immediately replaced it.

2013 Oct 28

It's the Market, Not the Technology

I love technology. The amazing work of scientists and engineers has changed the world. But time and again, we are reminded that it is the market, the demand for and usage of technology and its implementations that matter, not the technology itself. SnapChat has been getting a lot of bad press lately, including here. At its core, SnapChat is about the ability to communicate with someone digitally, comfortable that you retain control over the message.

2013 Oct 24

When Competitors Are Like Bananas… Really Ripe

Apparently law firms are getting squeezed on costs. The big name-brand firms in NY or LA cost a lot; the smaller ones more out of the way cost less. As a result, midsize law firms have been growing, nearly doubling their share of litigation work from 22% to 41%, while the largest firms slipped in their percentage of overall billings from 26% to 20%. This is unsurprising. As law firms have continually inched (or "

2013 Oct 23

Plumbers Are Worth Every Penny

There is a common pattern I see over and over again in fast-growth companies: Release the minimum product to get some traction. GOOD Get traction and revenue and grow. GOOD Focus on feature functionality to grow quickly, deferring "maintenance work." NOT SO GOOD Product begins to crack under the scale for which it wasn't designed. BAD Scream for help. NECESSARY Every edifice requires basic plumbing work - at the outset and on an ongoing basis.

2013 Oct 22

Whence and To Where Ymail?

Yahoo released their newly revamped Yahoo Mail, or Ymail, in the last week. It is good to see Yahoo putting effort into bringing life and energy back to its products like Flickr and Yahoo Mail. The market for mail is fairly close. Gmail is in the lead with 425MM, Hotmail following with 325MM and Yahoo taking a close third at 289MM. How can Yahoo steal market share from the first and second place players?

2013 Oct 18

Placing a Bet On Someone

BusinessInsider, the sometimes good reporting site which has become more dominated by cheesy sales pitches, still has some good in-depth reporting once in a while. Two of their more "veteran" (if one can use that term on such a young site) reporters did an in-depth piece on the history of Twitter, or how it got from there to here. To their credit, the reporters resist the urge to idolize or simplify the process of a successful startup.

2013 Oct 17

Trapping the Tourists

Most modern cities are very interested in trapping their tourists: providing them with a pleasant and easygoing experience that encourages them to visit, spend as much of their cash as they can, and send their friends. The process in "trapping the tourists" is no different than any other form of marketing. Structure the correct product, provide the right price, package it in the right fashion, and place it where it will be found by your target.