January 2010
22 posts
4 tags
HTML5 and App (one-two punch)?
I’ve got a dumb question and I’m sure a techie reading this blog can set me straight. Why don’t developers who build HTML5-based iPhone apps (like the new HTML5 Google Voice app) also syndicate their apps in the App Store? The App Store version would just be an instance of the UIWebView Class on a canvas that displays only the HTML5 app. In other words, the App Store version is...
3 tags
We're Hiring Web Developers and a User Experience...
This is a great set of job openings in SF at a very exciting company. Disqus is “quantified” so you can their reach and growth quite accurately. This job is the opportunity to do UX design that will be seen by 86MM people globally per month (and growing). Small changes can create huge effects with IT leverage of that size. If you’re a coder/UX-guru in the Bay Area, this is...
“The biggest advantage is the Kindle’s lack of any good use other than reading....”
– This is a quote by Roberto Mateu in this post (via Marco).
This is a big deal in hardware design that applies to more than just the Kindle. Computers overtime have become commodity hardware with endlessly flexible software that allows it to be anything and everything to each developer’s...
3 tags
Why The Apple Tablet Will Matter
Image by Steve Rhodes via Flickr
Apple will announce their new tablet product today, and all the internet is buzzing with gossip and speculations about features, pricing and strategy.
I want to write about this subject, but I also what to steer clear of the hype bubble. I’m not sure that’s possible.
I will make one projection about today… The Apple Tablet will matter for the...
3 tags
Cash Multiples VS IRRs in VC Funds
Fred wrote an interesting post today describing how to use IRR to analyze an investment opportunity. I thought I’d extend on his work to explain why IRR isn’t not a great way to think about VC funds.
Let’s say the Teachers’ Union of Springfield want to invest their pension fund into venture capital. They would be Limited Partners (LPs) in the fund. Springfield...
Elliot Smith - 2:45 AM
Ok, lets slow this down...
4 tags
Another Development Silo
Image by alliewiki via Flickr
Amazon announced (in a defensive move to counteract the Apple Tablet hype) that they’re opening up the Kindle for development by third-party developers in an “App Store”-like platform model.
My reaction to this news is mixed. On the one hand, I think the Kindle has an interesting and diverse userbase. The fact that many people considered giving...
Two Updates to the craigslist Post
Here’s two quick updates to that post I published this morning about Craigslist.
1. Here’s the source file to the image I made of all the companies carving niches out of craigslist. I tried doing it in a graphical editor at first, but found PowerPoint to be much quicker. Feel free to edit, republish, etc… open license.
2. While writing this post, I really wanted to reference...
“One great irony here is that publishers are celebrating Apple as a savior from...”
– Henry Blodget on Apple VS Amazon in the eBook/Tablet market.
2 tags
It's Been Tried Already...
I’m reading The Victorian Internet on the recommendation of Sam Lessin. What a terrific book. Only 30 pages in, I can tell already that I’ll be blogging about this book a number of times. So, here’s the first of many.
Samuel Morse invented the concept of an electric telegraph and his system of encoding messages, Morse code, during a 6 week journey across the Atlantic. When he...
When to Edit Album Metadata?
One of my favorite bands is/was Final Fantasy. I say “is/was” because due to a recent copyright complaint, Owen was forced to change the name under which he performs. So, he released his latest album, Heartland, under the name “Owen Pallett” instead of “Final Fantasy.”
When I buy this album, now I won’t be able to see all the Final Fantasy/Owen Pallett...
3 tags
Ad Network Revenue Multiples
It’s audit season, so lately I’ve been doing a bunch of the blocking and tackling side of the VC world. Updating our records on our companies, determining fair value for our portfolio companies often using a comps-based analysis, and then running hypothetical liquidations to determine the value of our various classes of stock in each company. If this sounds interesting, I could write...
4 tags
Could a Telco Have Built Google?
Fred opens his latest blog post by rhetorically asking “Would AT&T or Comcast Have Created Google?“… he then quickly answers his rhetorical question with an unequivocal “no.”
I have a great story I heard Joe Kraus (Founder of Excite and Jotspot) tell which underlines how badly old telcos failed to innovate on the Internet. Joe told this story during Startup...
david-noel asked: What's the best experience you've had so far working for Fred & USV?
1 tag
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