February 2012
3 posts
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January 2012
2 posts
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December 2011
2 posts
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November 2011
3 posts
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WatchOh Iron Mike…
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October 2011
4 posts
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Innovator's Dilemma and Apple
Funny that the Apple Newton was one of the examples he gave of a large company trying to create a disruptive product that meets consumer demands (massively market researched and focus grouped). That was while Jobs was at NeXT. Stands in stark contrast to the iPad (and almost all products under Jobs after his return) that were rarely researched, never put before a focus group and have multiple...
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September 2011
3 posts
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One Hundred Billion Dollars and Nothing [to Spend...
Even before Steve Jobs departure from day-to-day operations, there was a tremendous amount of interest in Apple Inc.’s growing stockpile of cash. Combining Apple’s $76b in cash and investment balance with their theoretical borrowing availability (roughly 1.5x leverage on TTM $20b in EBITDA) gives Steve Jobs and co. the capacity for a $115b shopping spree. Thinking about how Apple develops...
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August 2011
7 posts
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WatchThis type of analysis could actually make twitter, etc. extremely valuable for driving consumer engagement with TV and Film content, improving advertising IRRs and better understanding of the social graph in general.
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July 2011
5 posts
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“I agree with you, I want to do it, now make me do it.”
– FDR
I agree with this to a certain extent. We’ve seen recently that the Tea Party pressured its representatives into supporting (err, succumbing to) Tea Party demands. Without equal mobilization from people who believe the government actually serves a purpose and can serve a common good,...
June 2011
4 posts
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May 2011
14 posts
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Twitter's Like Button
Sometimes I have good ideas. It seems that imdb is one of the 50 “launch” sites for Twitter’s follow button. I think this is a good move to help drive higher engagement with consumers browsing to the site. I still think there is a long way to go (I was expecting an update to the iOS apps to include the same feature, but no dice), but this is a good start.
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I Want More imdb
Just taking a quick break in between feedings, changings and cat naps to write about something on which I’ve been ruminating: imdb is a massively under monitized and utilized asset. As far as I can tell, they sell keyword and display ads and have imdb pro (almost like linkedin for media professionals). Considering that people are spending more time with a computer/tablet on their lap while...
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A Little Break
Well, I had planned to write another “thought piece” on desktop/mobile convergence (following HP’s quarter and identity crisis), but it looks like our little one is finally ready to join us. As we head to the hospital, I leave you with some brief thoughts from a former co-worker.
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Facebook Applications Accidentally Leaking Access... →
I never felt particularly comfortable with facebook’s Terms of Service or business practices, but it was their stunning lack of security and disdain for privacy that ultimately led me to close my account. This leak, which was published by Symantec, will be another blemish on facebook’s IT team that will likely have zero impact on user growth and engagement. People often use personal...
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Mutually Assured Disconnection
M.A.D. - Mutually Assured Destruction or the Cold War axiom that kept the US and Soviets from ever launching a first strike. I’m sure MAD has been examined at length by historians, psychologists, sociologists, political strategists and more. It’s also been and being explored by comics (illustrated, not stand-up) and comic filmmakers (action, not funny haha). Alan Moore’s...
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Microsoft and Skype
It was announced this morning that Microsoft is buying Skype from a group of investors for $8.5b. I don’t know if this price tag says more about M&A team at Microsoft who put this deal together or the M&A team at eBay who sold Skype to a syndicate of investors for $2.75b just over a year ago. I know eBay got a lot of pressure from public market investors to “unlock...
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Does Anyone Remember Napster?
I still perfectly remember the very first mp3 player I ever purchased. I entered college with a 500mb hard drive and quickly ran out of room. Winamp and Napster were conspiring to fill my hard drive with music; both from my own music collection and from the collections of other college students everywhere. I survived the first three years of college with HDD upgrades and some library flushing, but...
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April 2011
9 posts
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What's Really On?
I spend a lot of my TV watching time (ok, maybe all of my TV watching time) with a computer on my lap. Historically, it was a MacBook Pro laptop, but more recently it’s an iPad. I like to think this is a positive reflection on my ability to multitask, but in reality, I also browse a lot of unrelated content during commercial breaks (I will admit to regularly checking fantasy baseball results...