Video Like Photos Are, Text Used To Be

We have seen an entire generation of photo based tech startups. Facebook might be the biggest among them, Instagram reigns in the mobile domain. Pinterest might be the newest entrant.

Before that things were more text based. Yahoo chat room were text based, and a lot of social activity happened there. AOL's instant messenger was also text based.

I think we are about to see a new generation of companies for whom video will be the starting point. This is primarily a function of larger bandwidths available in the mainstream, but it is more than that.

AirTime's First Big Mistake

AirTime is not out yet, so I have not seen what it is like. But early word is Sean Parker is building AirTime to rest on the Facebook platform. I believe that is a fundamental mistake. Facebook mapped the social graph of people you know. The random connections space, by definition, is a different animal.

Sean Parker has been so close to Facebook for so long it seems he is incapable of escaping Facebook's gravitational pull. Every startup he has been associated with post Facebook has clinged to Facebook. Causes and Spotify come to mind.

I get the impression AirTime is going to be born with a handicap.

Excited About A New Space

Excited About A New Space

I am looking to get involved: Life In A Day.

Tom Houge
Fipeo Takes On Sean Parker
Video Like Photos Are, Text Used To Be
AirTime's First Big Mistake
AirTime Time
My Take On AirTime (4)
My Take On AirTime (3)
My Take On AirTime (2)
My Take On AirTime
Sean Parker's AirTime Could Net Him Tens Of Billions
Sean Parker's AirTime Is Exciting
Chatroulette Is For Real
Penises For Sale: The Russian Mafia Is On It

Life In A Day

Via Thomas Houge

SpotlessCity Stole The Show At NYTM

At the last New York Tech MeetUp - the go to tech event in town every month - one presentation stood out more than most. That was SpotlessCity. They do one thing, and they do it well. That is the hallmark of a great startup. You can order food online. That did not seem to be true for dry cleaning services. And so the founders got to work.

After their wonderful presentation was over, I was worried for them. So at the after party I cornered the team. The people who come to pick up the clothes and deliver them later, who employs them? You? They said no. The dry cleaners have those people. That answer brought me relief. Because if they employed those people, I was seeing scaling nightmares.

The real time service delivery space is seeing a lot of action. It can feel like crowdsourcing your chores. The world population hit seven billion not long back. I am sure I can find people who will take your clothes to the cleaners.

Tiny Capital

Tiny Capital from Eirik Evjen on Vimeo.

Jim Gilliam, Ben Horowitz

Honored to have met @jgilliam who just got featured by @bhorowitz at his blog bit.ly/Hbr4GG

— Paramendra Bhagat (@paramendra) April 2, 2012

U2 Live At Glastonbury 2011

U2: Electrical Storm

Naval Ravikant Of AngelList

Paywall For This Blog

People should have to pay.

I put soooo much effort to put out blog posts at this blog. And people get to read it for free! It took me almost a week of not blogging at all to come to the realization. And I put myself to work.

At midnight tonight the paywall will be unfurled. You are paying now on.

Readers coming directly from a Google search result, or from a Facebook update or a tweet or from other social media destinations will still be able to read for free. The rest are paying. Those of you who come directly to the blog's web address, you know who you are. You are the hard core readers, and you are paying now.

Got you addicted over the years, didn't I? Now it is pay time. Don't worry, it is a tiny amount. This blog knows its worth, but it also knows its limitations.