March 31, 2009
A book I long did think fondly of
You ask why I say it, do you? An inquiry that I can talk to tomorrow. April 1.
Matte Chi presents: Lazy Afternoon with Pascale
"A triumph!" - Amol
Lazy Sunday Afternoon with Pascale & Co. from Matte Chi on Vimeo.
March 30, 2009
Student? Want to do startups one day?
From personalized advice given recently...
Yes we do take interns. If you are willing to take a few interview steps, I can tell you if we can offer you an internship for the summer.
The short advice I would have however is
- IF you are certain of or ready to make a big bet on your path forward
- THEN you should design the next 4 years to emphasize CONCRETE EXPERIENCE doing startup or VC stuff
Which means: take an easy major, minimize courseload, get good grades for low effort, and work 2.5 days per week through the school year and 7 days during vacations on startups or VCs (for free or paid, doesn't matter) where you can mix with accomplished and quality people. Pursue ever rising responsibility year on year. Don't idle as a copy maker.
Blogs are the new print
Perhaps it was obvious to the blogerati early on, but the future of print journalism is in fact blogs -- not websites. I mean, blogs are websites and all. But blogs are the form in which newspaper people will live on, when their presses stop. It's clear as you follow the announcements of papers shutting down print delivery. It's cheaper to produce content when it's provided by a blogger.
At some point, someone will figure out how to police/edit/quality-check the material too. And then the debate will be over.
March 29, 2009
GM
Finally - somebody had the balls to fire Wagoner. The guy was a bungler. Look at the stock chart -- from the highest value ever in history for GM at 2000 to a value 70% lower than the value of GM in the entire history of the stock.
CEO Finally Ran Out of Options - WSJ.com
March 28, 2009
New York Times on the Peek again this week
They say: save hundreds a month over smartphones...
Good Enough vs. iPhone, catching up
(Kudos to FromeDome.)
How Much Will 'Good Enough' iPhone Rivals Hurt Apple? (AAPL)
This week's Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona birthed a slew of new smartphones, from HTC's new Google-powered 'Magic' to new Nokia (NOK) and Samsung devices. Common thread: Many look (or try to look) like Apple's (AAPL) iPhone, which is still the gadget to beat in the mobile industry.
None of them, from what we've seen, is as good as the iPhone. But they're getting closer. And for many consumers, they could easily be good enough. Especially for people who want to use mobile carriers that Apple doesn't work with, or for people want phones with slide-out keypads.
At the very least, this means a more competitive market when Apple announces whatever new iPhones it's going to release this year, RBC analyst Mike Abramsky says in a note today. At worst, it could mean "downshifts" to Apple's growth or margins, he says.
Recession milestone
Economy Raises Tentative Hopes a Trough Is Finally in Sight - WSJ.com
March 27, 2009
An indictment of Yahoo's mobile strategy
How Yahoo Can Win In Mobile (YHOO)
Everything they have been doing is wrong. I agree with most of it. Only thing missing is a discussion of mail.
Now that Fb1 is over, Fb2 might be better than Twitter
It is unusual that incumbents respond effectively to attackers because they fear upsetting their base. But all the upset Facebook users are a sign that they may have been bold enough.
Why might the new Fb2 be better than Tw?
The conversation is personal. People I kind of know are talking and reading. Admittedly, not always about the most interesting things.
There is more of a thread. Comments on statuses are bundled together and others can see them, join the conversation. This doesn't work great (hard to find, kinda) but it is easier than the codewords of Twitter.
More picture friendly. More article friendly.
Although: Too much other crap like 'apps'. Too many places to get lost like 'boxes'. Too divergent an experience for Messaging vs Satusing. Also, more 'closed' -- I have seen few Facebook widgets on blogs or streams built into TV shows.
Pluses: Bigger installed base. Better friend discovery. More viral.
PS Gmail could 'add' all of this by changing how gmail-to-gmail emails work.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
March 26, 2009
Mozzer 'Years of Refusal'
People know the smiths rarities. But it's a bit soon to know every track on this new one. "I Keep Mine Hidden". Check. "I Don't Need You". Coming soon.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Moz. At Carnegie Hall.
"You can tell by the way, I sleep all day"
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Moz. "Let me kiss you." Shirtless
Even bigger -- the kid!!! Sebastien!!
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
2 smiths, 2 refusal so far
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
He's coming out
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Overheard at Moz
"I gotta give props man. I was going to bring my six year old. He sings Smiths songs in the car! Maybe next year if he's back. Hi there little guy. You look very nice."
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Morrissey! Carnegie Hall. 2009.
I am standing in the lobby of the most famous music hall in the world, waiting to meet Ursula, to see The Immortal Mozzer. Or, as I like to think I first discovered:177 0 12 12 1 5 5 3 4. Spell it baby. On a 1990s Motorola pager.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Columbia to Midtown is quicker than I remember
If you were at the panel tonight and are reading this, please email me. amol at drwn.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
Carnegie, 3/3
In my series re-vivifying the ancient wisdom of Dale Carnegie: idea 3 that holds it all together is "people will only do what they want to do".
Which means you have to make people want to do things. Don't be bossy. Ask or reframe or show how it might be appealing.
It all fits together:
- don't criticize and battle people's self-conceptions
- instead work with there virtues and point out those they would like to be true of themselves, and
- keep the aim as motivating action rather than demanding it.
The rest of the main sections of the book -- how to win friends, how to influence people, how to get people to change, and some family life ideas -- really just center on doing those 3 things. Plus a few concrete tricks that are cool. More to come.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
March 25, 2009
March 24, 2009
The new followership
If Facebook becomes Twitter, sayonara friendship. On Twitter I follow mainly people I do not know, and the same follow me (i.e. "who that?" types).
Facebook was so intimate. 1,000 people I could actually place in this cruel, cruel world.
So as the world gets bigger and followership starts looking more like an RSS reader, I am going to be downselecting. I only read about 7 feeds a day.
Good bye 100s of nobodies with nothing to say on Twitter. I am going to be leaving your flock.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
At the MoMA opening
The highlight of the first 1 minute: folded up cuffs on jeans. First spotted in Philly last month.
Peek's hiring. Help us out!
Subject: Looking for super talented PR/Marketing Director
New wireless device company requires a highly talented professional to direct its PR and Marketing Strategy.
Peek (getpeek.com) is an exciting new venture-backed wireless device company. Its mission is to take mobile messaging to a mass market. Peek's first product - a handheld email and texting device called the Peek - received rave reviews when it launched last year and won numerous accolades including Wired's Gadget of the Year.
After a very successful launch, Peek is now looking to market its product around the country. As part of this, Peek is looking for a smart, dynamic, and creative professional to help lead its PR and marketing strategy. The successful candidate will be a key part of the Marketing Communications team and will have a major role to play in driving awareness and adoption of Peek.
A central part of the job will be leading Peek's PR efforts. Experience with PR (on the client, agency or media side) would be valuable, but is not essential. More important is a sophisticated understanding of the media, the ability to spot PR opportunities, and the confidence and persuasiveness to pitch stories to journalists.
The PR & Marketing Director will also have an important role to play in Peek's broader marketing strategy. We are looking for someone who is full of ideas, and has the energy and resourcefulness to be rapidly execute them. Consumer experience is not required, but you must be able to demonstrate an intuitive understanding of how to reach a mass consumer audience.
if you're someone who has great communication skills, a keen strategic mind, and thrives in a fast moving entrepreneurial environment then this position could be perfect for you. It's a great opportunity to have a big impact in a small, but rapidly growing company.
If you're interested please send an email briefly outlining your experience and why you think you're right for job to to davidm@getpeek.com. You should also attach a resume (no longer than one page).
Location: Peek has offices in NYC and the Bay area. This position could be based in either office.
Compensation: Based on experience, but highly competitive.
March 23, 2009
The minimum viable product idea
What is the minimum viable product? - Venture Hacks
Nivi: So there is some set of customers out there, we believe, that just with these features alone, this product is useful to them.
Eric: Exactly right. And sometimes it’s useful to them because early adopters have the same kind of visioning power that entrepreneurs do, but because they can see what the end product is going to be.
March 21, 2009
Finally making Amanda's famous cookie recipe
*Flat-and-Chewy Chocolate-Chip Cookies*
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 tablespoon kosher salt
8 ounces butter, softened
1 ½ cups packed light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
2 cups chopped bittersweet chocolate (chunks and shavings)
2 cups chopped toasted walnuts (optional).
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.
2. In a mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and sugars until fluffy, 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla. Add the flour mixture all at once and blend until a dough forms. Fold in the chocolate and walnuts. Chill the dough.
3. Roll 2 ½ -tablespoon lumps of dough into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten to ½ -inch-thick disks spaced 2 inches apart. Chill the dough between batches. Bake until the edges are golden brown, 14 to 16 minutes. Let cool slightly on the baking sheet, then transfer to a baking rack. /Makes 30 to 35 cookies./
Posted from my Peek through email
Google Voice, kind of sucks
See below. Complete with link to the audio.
Sent on the go from my Peek
-------------------------------------
From: voice-noreply
To: asarva@gmail.com
Subject: New Voicemail from (212) 920-4320 at 12:22 PM
Date: Mar 21, 9:24 AM
You've got new voicemail from (212) 920-4320
Time: 12:22 PM (Mar 21, 2009)
Transcript: this is a test message from all about the park you know and i'll try and a half hour or so i see if at five forty four million dollars of pavilion you can call me at two one two nine two oh four three two hey B P D F C H I details of the Q R S U V hey B E D E S T H I J K L event cos the second time with bar i'll check this message i'd like to you now bye
Play message: https://www.google.com/voice/fm/00541428409341720772/AHwOX_CTCX1HDBhlCkfoJhaLjw42XmT4U4BKrUumTrsdps8DWp8ue8yFgCgOZv27Ci7EtGIRXlCb-FDSXbIQbbtRClterlZUA4gdSsmUYl54iWfzGf4nsCWqvA2G3KGq7q4MDEgfFPClfwprdTQCo5A9yrY-tx9BJA
Posted from my Peek through email
March 20, 2009
Buy my french kiddie videos
Want to buy these great dvds from me?
Save on ordering them all the way from France!
Posted from my Peek through email
March 19, 2009
We're hiring for marketing. Please help!
Here's the job description.
Looking for super talented PR/Marketing Director
New wireless device company requires a highly talented professional to direct its PR and Marketing Strategy.
Peek ( getpeek.com ) is an exciting new venture-backed wireless device company. Its mission is to take mobile messaging to a mass market. Peek's first product - a handheld email and texting device called the Peek - received rave reviews when it launched last year and won numerous accolades including Wired's Gadget of the Year.
After a very successful launch, Peek is now looking to market its product around the country. As part of this, Peek is looking for a smart, dynamic, and creative professional to help lead its PR and marketing strategy. The successful candidate will be a key part of the Marketing Communications team and will have a major role to play in driving awareness and adoption of Peek.
A central part of the job will be leading Peek's PR efforts. Experience with PR (on the client, agency or media side) would be valuable, but is not essential. More important is a sophisticated understanding of the media, the ability to spot PR opportunities, and the confidence and persuasiveness to pitch stories to journalists.
The PR & Marketing Director will also have an important role to play in Peek's broader marketing strategy. We are looking for someone who is full of ideas, and has the energy and resourcefulness to be rapidly execute them. Consumer experience is not required, but you must be able to demonstrate an intuitive understanding of how to reach a mass consumer audience.
if you're someone who has great communication skills, a keen strategic mind, and thrives in a fast moving entrepreneurial environment then this position could be perfect for you. It's a great opportunity to have a big impact in a small, but rapidly growing company.
If you're interested please send an email briefly outlining your experience and why you think you're right for job to to davidm@ getpeek.com . You should also attach a resume (no longer than one page).
Location: Peek has offices in NYC and the Bay area. This position could be based in either office.
Compensation: Based on experience, but highly competitive.
March 18, 2009
A day with no cell phone
It happened. I left the house this AM with three Peeks and... No cell phone.
I used the landline at the office for a bunch of calls. And I even was 'running late' for a lunch...and used email to keep track.
I'm using a visual voicemail service, so if someone had actually called me...I would have gotten that by email too.
In the end, an uneventful day with no phone. So why am I paying the $80/month for all those minutes again?
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
March 16, 2009
The future of print
The publisher of La Prensa was on NPR this weekend (On the Media) and made a couple of observations that really made sense. Spanish-language papers are thriving because their reader audience is growing due to immigration and birth rates, but it still largely "needs" print.
These are not folks that sit at computers all day at work and at home.
The future of print as a technology is to serve those for whom it is useful.
And that's not the upper-income, largely suburban audiences that most big papers now rely on via home delivery and recipes and sports pages etc etc.
Written news and opinion -- still as hugely important as ever -- is just easier to get on computers for many people.
And if your business is built around such people, then you are toast.
So, print for the other side of the Digital Divide has a meaningful future (for now)....
This tells me that free dailies (like Metro and AM) are potentially sustainable, real businesses. But probably not big enough to sustain real reporting.
However, since the online guys are going to have far broader reach, they should be able to support more reporting. If the US ends up with only 3-4 major news "networks" with online news, they ought to be able to field stronger forces than the fractured, add-on web presences currently out there.
Treasure 2
Just finished a beer with my favorite power broker. Here is another shot of the Treasury Dept, where all our problems are being solved.
Rolling by Treasury
Just had a wonderful meeting with some more old media.
March 15, 2009
LIC research
Doing a little research on LIC properties and some of the new stuff in the environment
FHA. One thing on everyone's mind is getting potential loan buyers qualified for mortgages. Federal Housing Administration writes mortgage insurance; more important these days. FHA Mortgage insurance applies up to $729K loans in NYC link. FHA is intended for credit scores in the 400-600 range link. And apparently as little as 3% down is supported. Some of the builders' paperwork.
Size. Smaller is cheaper these days. People are shopping for small spaces so they can spend less to get them. So "per square foot" is misleading -- big spaces are going for low PSFs.
Status. It varies. There are many successes out there in the books already.
There are about 30 projects in LIC right now. Big ones, mostly.
5th Street Lofts - 200 or so units, half sold? - about 800 psf
Powerhouse - big, about 20% through now? - askings are higher, like 800+
Foundry - 60 townhouses, nearly half sold? - looking like 650-700 pricing
The Prestige - smaller 7 unit project above LIC kids, half sold? - in the 650-750 range
One Hunters Point - 120 or so units, more than halfway through - about 700 range
Ten 63 - about 80 units - nearly all sold - in the 800 range
5-12 Lofts - small, single-width building - 600ish
10-50 Jackson - 50ish units - mostly sold -- 700-750 range
Gantry - mostly sold, 30ish - 650-700
Nearer to Jackson or 11th
Casa Vizcaya - 40 units or so, half sold? - in the 750 range
Hunters View - about 80 units, half sold? - in the 650-750 range
L Haus - big, not yet sold - asking are 700ish
Badge Building - 15ish units, all sold - 700ish
Near Court Square
Vere - 50 or so units, pretty much unsold - about $800 psf asking
Arris - 200 or so, nearly all sold - about 700-800
4427 Purves Street -- 60ish units, all sold - 600ish
Near the plaza
Crescent Club - another very big one - $650-700ish
Queens Plaza - 55 units - $550
Star Tower - lots and lots of heavy-amenities units, not sure how sold - 700-800?
Fusion - 15 or so units, all sold - 750ish
Some details on 5-12 Lofts
5-12 51st Avenue #1A 2 beds 1,456 ft²
$801,450
5-12 51st Avenue #3A 2 beds 1,233 ft²
$600,000
5-12 51st Avenue #4A 2 beds 894 ft²
$455,700
5-12 51st Avenue #2A 651 ft²
$386,400
March 14, 2009
Pascale is pretending
As of two weeks ago, so around March 1, Pascale started pretending.
Her first one was pretending to have some food in her hand, that she would alternately eat or give you.
Then last week she also had some imaginative peek-a-boo play with a ball that she hid in a blanket. Boo!
She clearly was imaging things. It's a start!
A Paz video
A Paz video
Originally uploaded by amolsarva-y
March 13, 2009
Silicon Valley
I was interested to hear today a term -- "top tier" -- equated with another one -- "West Coast". That's why startups start more often on that coast. Also, I heard the term 'za, which I believe is pizza.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
March 12, 2009
Carnegie, key idea 2/3
The second key idea builds on the first.
Appreciate sincerely other people's virtues. Don't criticize. They won't agree and they won't like you. What's the point? You will gain nothing. Instead, start by building up what really is good.
Sent on the go from my Peek
March 9, 2009
New media marketing; one influencer at a time.
I just got an email from the publisher of Nelson George's new book. Apparently I'm a top blogger about his old book -- Hip Hop America. In fact, I'm the 2nd search result on "nelson george hip hop america". Higher than Barnes and Noble (though lower than Amazon). Of course...I have little interest in his new book :(
March 8, 2009
McD's is best coffee
Coffee taste test: McDonalds, Starbucks, Burger King, Dunkin' Donuts
They might be right. Though I don't love the lid...
Breadboxes work
Took me a while to find this out, but breadboxes work. Don't store bread in a plastic bag, cloth bag, paper bag, fridge or freezer. All have disadvantages (molde, dry, dry, dry + need toasting, dry + need toasting). Instead, double the bread's life by putting it in a breadbox. It worked for us!
March 7, 2009
Carnegie, key idea 1 of 3
The Dale Carnegie "How to win friends" book really is good and insightful. If I had read it years ago, I am sure that history would have gone differently. Though now I can appreciate why and how it is right.
Key idea #1 is that people like themselves. Even bad people. So in all your dealings, you will be more successful by identifying what they appreciate about themselves and working from there. So, why say "you did X wrong?" Instead, "I see what you were going for here. Right idea. If only the world had complied." Or somesuch. Never set as your aim to tell/convince someone that they are wrong/bad/etc. There you go. First principle.
Sent on the go from my Peek
Posted from my Peek through email
March 5, 2009
March 4, 2009
Tonight? Oakland
Oh, and I saw Jay Adelson from Digg at the airport today. Big ups Diggsters!!
March 1, 2009
The best brunch
Philly's best brunch was a bit easier to access than LA's. Honey's. It's amazing!