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MG Siegler (yes I am linking to this post twice) comments on why competing on specs is dead: >My MacBook Air doesn’t have the specs of a brand new HP PC laptop — but it still feels faster. Maybe it’s OS X, or maybe it’s the solid state drive. Point is, consumers don’t and shouldn’t…
MG Siegler (yes I am linking to this post twice) comments on why competing on specs is dead:
>My MacBook Air doesn’t have the specs of a brand new HP PC laptop — but it still feels faster. Maybe it’s OS X, or maybe it’s the solid state drive. Point is, consumers don’t and shouldn’t care. They care about which machine will boot faster and which will be easier to navigate. Time to web matters.
That last line is crucial, and for most could probably restated to “time to Facebook”.
“Consumer Reports now matters just as much as specs do. Which is to say, not at all.” — MG Siegler
Admittedly I am not Google’s biggest fan. I don’t think they live up to their “do no evil” mantra and I think their design is largely crap. As a company I very much feel like their time at the top is limited. However, for what ever reason, this [talk of the Google X lab](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/technology/at-google-x-a-top-secret-lab-dreaming-up-the-future.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all) has…
Admittedly I am not Google’s biggest fan. I don’t think they live up to their “do no evil” mantra and I think their design is largely crap.
As a company I very much feel like their time at the top is limited.
However, for what ever reason, this [talk of the Google X lab](http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/technology/at-google-x-a-top-secret-lab-dreaming-up-the-future.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all) has really intrigued me — given me hope even for the sustainability of Google as a company. But I am cautious, because it takes more than just a building, smart people and money to create profitable things.
Supposedly Google is running a secret lab (dubbed Google X) where engineers get to play with all the crazy ideas they want. A concept made popular by places like Xerox PARC (where many of today’s modern computing paradigms were established). It’s just that comparison though that worries me most — and should worry stock holders more.
We all know that the Xerox Alto was an idea “stolen” not just by Apple and Steve Jobs, but also by Microsoft. The Alto was a marvel of engineering at the time, but Xerox couldn’t execute on the concept — for what ever reason — and thus, though it was an awesome innovation, it wasn’t so awesome for the company that thought it up.
That’s my largest fear with the Google X lab. Google has proven many times over that they can indeed make some really cool stuff. The problem is that they largely fail at creating practical, consumer, applications for their products that they dream up (Google Wave, for example. Google TV as another example.)
What good is a space elevator to Google? How does a self-driving car help Google?
You can stretch to create answers for each. You could theorize that if people didn’t have to drive themselves they could search on Google more, or any other idea you wish. The fact though is that Google has only managed to make money off of one thing: ads.
How does that translate into space elevators and self-driving cars? Because as cool as those things maybe (and they are cool) they don’t make a whole ton of sense for Google.
Instead Google X feels more like a convenient distraction for potentially-problematic-restless co-founders of the company. Much in the same way that the Steve Jobs biography talks about Apple wanting Jobs to run AppleLabs instead of leaving — on the off chance he comes up with something useful, all the while keeping him away from infringing on the core money making businesses.
I have no knowledge of Google X outside of the public reports on it, but I do know that allocating resources, however small, to such a division is potentially very frivolous. I have no doubt that such a division exists at Apple — but in a less official way — the difference in my mind is that Apple has proven they can create a market, that’s just not the case with Google thus far.
Creating cool, off the wall, things is well and good. But it doesn’t make a lick of business sense unless those things directly help the bottom line. Not all of the innovations must help the bottom-line, but the ones that do, must offset of the cost of all those that don’t.
So I ask again: space elevators?
Paul Sawers: >Whilst weekends are a little slower for Dorsey (he hikes on Saturdays), it’s interesting to note that his Monday-Friday routine is applicable to BOTH companies – after 8 hours at Twitter, he literally walks 2 blocks to put in another 8 hour shift at Square. This is not sustainable, no matter how hard…
Paul Sawers:
>Whilst weekends are a little slower for Dorsey (he hikes on Saturdays), it’s interesting to note that his Monday-Friday routine is applicable to BOTH companies – after 8 hours at Twitter, he literally walks 2 blocks to put in another 8 hour shift at Square.
This is not sustainable, no matter how hard Dorsey tries.
There are two weak points in prison systems that could allow a hacker to open all the prison doors: 1. Most of these computers are connected to the Internet when they shouldn’t be. 2. You could still instigate a virus from a flash drive. One of these two failure points has an easy solution.
There are two weak points in prison systems that could allow a hacker to open all the prison doors:
1. Most of these computers are connected to the Internet when they shouldn’t be.
2. You could still instigate a virus from a flash drive.
One of these two failure points has an easy solution.
Stanford took the time (9 months) to study the true effects on having an employee work from home. The end result was a lot of data that points to a 4% boost in productivity, with additional benefits to both the employees and the company.
Stanford took the time (9 months) to study the true effects on having an employee work from home. The end result was a lot of data that points to a 4% boost in productivity, with additional benefits to both the employees and the company.
Jon Phillips: >Indeed, the Fire is a fiendishly effective shopping portal in the guise of a 7-inch slate. It’s also a winning video playback device that uses Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon’s own digital storefront to deliver hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows, many of them free. That’s where most of the “good”…
Jon Phillips:
>Indeed, the Fire is a fiendishly effective shopping portal in the guise of a 7-inch slate. It’s also a winning video playback device that uses Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon’s own digital storefront to deliver hundreds of thousands of movies and TV shows, many of them free.
That’s where most of the “good” stops. Phillips also thinks the Silk web-browser is crap, which is really disappointing.
*Finally* ((Also iTunes Match is pretty great but takes a long time to upload all your music too. I’d suggest waiting a couple of days for the overload to slow down.))
*Finally* ((Also iTunes Match is pretty great but takes a long time to upload all your music too. I’d suggest waiting a couple of days for the overload to slow down.))
Who says the iPad is only for consumption? Textastic brings the power of a desktop text, code, and markup editor to the iPad. Textastic supports syntax highlighting of more than 80 languages, and if that’s not enough, you can extend it with TextMate-compatible syntax definitions and themes. The visual find and replace feature and the…
Who says the iPad is only for consumption? Textastic brings the power of a desktop text, code, and markup editor to the iPad.
Textastic supports syntax highlighting of more than 80 languages, and if that’s not enough, you can extend it with TextMate-compatible syntax definitions and themes.
The visual find and replace feature and the list of function and class names let you quickly navigate documents. A cursor navigation wheel simplifies text selection and the extra row of keys above the keyboard makes it easy to type common programming characters.
As you create, you can preview HTML and Markdown files locally. Once you’re done, connect to (S)FTP and WebDAV servers as well as Dropbox. It even includes a built-in WebDAV server that allows you to quickly transfer files to your iPad wirelessly from your Mac or PC.
Textastic for iPad is just $9.99 and is [available on the App Store](http://click.syndicateads.net/2011/11/Textastic/brooksreview.html).
Danielle Sacks reporting on Bill Nguyen the founder of the ill-fated-still-hoping Color: >Nguyen steamrolls over the suggestion. “I don’t ever listen to any of it,” he grins. “I mean, I literally don’t think there’s anything to be learned from other people’s stuff.” I stopped reading once I read this line, the entire article up to…
Danielle Sacks reporting on Bill Nguyen the founder of the ill-fated-still-hoping Color:
>Nguyen steamrolls over the suggestion. “I don’t ever listen to any of it,” he grins. “I mean, I literally don’t think there’s anything to be learned from other people’s stuff.”
I stopped reading once I read this line, the entire article up to this point is a fascinating look at someone who just threw shit at a wall and didn’t wait to see what stuck. It really dumb founds me.
Then I read the above quote, and I couldn’t take anymore.
Gee, I wonder why Color failed…
And I only needed one reason.
And I only needed one reason.
Devin Coldewey thinks the Stylus is still a good option and will forever live on and they we have completely short-changed it: >That was a long and winding rationalization for a perhaps irrational love of the stylus. But I firmly believe that its days are not done. Its weaknesses became a problem before its strengths…
Devin Coldewey thinks the Stylus is still a good option and will forever live on and they we have completely short-changed it:
>That was a long and winding rationalization for a perhaps irrational love of the stylus. But I firmly believe that its days are not done. Its weaknesses became a problem before its strengths were given a chance to shine. The stylus is as ageless as the wedge, the wheel, the projectile. We’ve reinvented all these multiple times. When technology catches up yet again to the pen, the pen will be ready.
Actually he is right and just doesn’t know it — we have just ‘reinvented’ the stylus, now it’s just our finger. Don’t see those going away anytime soon.
All of his explanations for why the stylus is better:
1. Romans used them.
2. It amplifies your input.
3. Dampens your input.
4. You can see what’s under it.
The first argument is just stupid. The second and third seem to be at odds with each other. The fourth is patently false because you cannot, in fact, see under it unless the stylus is clear — though to be fair I understand the point, but the point is more of a UI issues than anything else.
There are two reasons that I can think of for why a stylus is better:
1. Writing hand-written notes.
2. Drawing precision things.
The first is just a limitation of my expertise — I learned how to write by hand with a pencil. Will today’s youth have this problem if they learn to write with a finger on the iPad?
The second is a limitation of software — because we have all seen fantastic, realistic, drawings made on an iPad and iPhone.
It maybe too soon to declare the stylus is dead, we should wait another week.
Remember when Android touted the new ‘face unlock’ feature of Android? Remember that they said it couldn’t be unlocked by using a photo of someone? Well turns out you can use a photo, on another Android device no less, to unlock the phone. Be sure to look at [Daring Fireball](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2011/11/12/giving-them-credit) for some nice claim chowder…
Remember when Android touted the new ‘face unlock’ feature of Android? Remember that they said it couldn’t be unlocked by using a photo of someone?
Well turns out you can use a photo, on another Android device no less, to unlock the phone.
Be sure to look at [Daring Fireball](http://daringfireball.net/linked/2011/11/12/giving-them-credit) for some nice claim chowder on this one.
I have been using Cloak in beta for a while now and I think it is a really nice VPN service. Their menubar tool allows fast access to privatizing your internet session — as well as a nifty feature that automatically will turn it on when you are not on a secure network. I haven’t…
I have been using Cloak in beta for a while now and I think it is a really nice VPN service. Their menubar tool allows fast access to privatizing your internet session — as well as a nifty feature that automatically will turn it on when you are not on a secure network.
I haven’t used it a ton, but when I have needed it the service just worked and worked very easily. Their plans are pretty reasonable, including a nice free plan that only limits you to two hours a month.
They also [just released their iPhone app](http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/cloak/id473835722) — which makes using VPN on iOS just as easy as their app for your Mac.
My thanks to Doxie for sponsoring the RSS feed this week. I am pumped to get my hands on one of these new scanners, they look killer. They almost look magic, at the least may be the best scanner to stash at my house. Be sure to order yours now.
My thanks to Doxie for sponsoring the RSS feed this week. I am pumped to get my hands on one of these new scanners, they look killer.
They almost look magic, at the least may be the best scanner to stash at my house.
Be sure to order yours now.
>Shawn and Ben talk about the Jawbone UP and Shawn’s usage of it over the past week, angry people who are on the Internet, distractions while working, email management and email bankruptcy, the lack of a logo on Ben’s site, and various other things.
>Shawn and Ben talk about the Jawbone UP and Shawn’s usage of it over the past week, angry people who are on the Internet, distractions while working, email management and email bankruptcy, the lack of a logo on Ben’s site, and various other things.
To all those who served, and those that continue to serve, I thank you.
To all those who served, and those that continue to serve, I thank you.
Cal Newport: >If you’re chronically stressed and up late working, you’re doing something wrong. A fascinating look at how the “elite” achieve their success.
Cal Newport:
>If you’re chronically stressed and up late working, you’re doing something wrong.
A fascinating look at how the “elite” achieve their success.
Gabe in an email to users: >We don’t have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely. *Oops.* At least it wasn’t because someone left a laptop somewhere.
Gabe in an email to users:
>We don’t have evidence of credit card misuse at this time. Nonetheless you should watch your credit card activity and statements closely.
*Oops.* At least it wasn’t because someone left a laptop somewhere.
The Womply Team about Groupon: >Instead of taking a cut of a consumer’s future paycheck in return for upfront cash, Groupon takes a cut of a merchant’s future revenue. Merchants miss out on this revenue because they serve hundreds or thousands of customers at a steep discount (typically at a point well below their marginal…
The Womply Team about Groupon:
>Instead of taking a cut of a consumer’s future paycheck in return for upfront cash, Groupon takes a cut of a merchant’s future revenue. Merchants miss out on this revenue because they serve hundreds or thousands of customers at a steep discount (typically at a point well below their marginal cost of serving that customer).
This argument is not a perfect fit, but it is a very interesting take on the Groupon business model.