February 2012
16 posts
3 tags
We Need Peer Produced Mobile App Security
First there was the Path address book tempest. Now there is a concern about apps being able to access photos without permission. It would be a shame if this resulted in more centralized control over apps and longer review processes. What we need instead is some kind of peer produced approach to app security. What I have in mind is something along the lines of what Chris Dixon did with...
3 tags
Tech Tuesday: Web Browser (Part 1)
We have now reached step 6 of the web cycle and are back at the web browser. The web browser is receiving an initial HTTP response from the web server. The first part of this response tells the web browser is whether or not the web server is delivering some useful information. That happens via the response status, which will be 200 OK if the HTTP request is being properly fulfilled. The second...
4 tags
Cord Cutting Experiment and Question
We moved back to the city some 6 weeks ago. Since then we have done entirely without traditional television. So admittedly that’s less than two months, but the initial results are encouraging. The only show that I watch with any kind of consistency is Jon Stewart’s Daily Show, for which full episodes are available at the Daily Show site. Other than that we now have streaming...
3 tags
Tech Tuesday: Web Servers
If you have been following along, we are now on Step 5 of the web cycle where we find ourselves at the server that is answering an HTTP request. Because the HTTP protocol is well defined anyone in theory can implement a web server. In practice these days most people run one of less than a handful of servers with Apache, IIS (Microsoft) and more recently nginx accounting for the bulk of all web...
2 tags
President's Day Recommended Posts
Since I am still a bit typing challenged (but thankfully much improved), today here are two links to posts worth reading. The first is Vinod Khosla’s “The ‘Unhyped’ New Areas in Internet and Mobile.” While I may not agree with each of the twelve areas they all seem directionally interesting and Khosla does a great job distinguishing them from the more generic mobile...
3 tags
Peter Thiel on Government and Progress
Peter Thiel was interviewed by Francis Fukuyama (he of the “End of History”). The interview is well worth reading as it contains a lot of provocative thoughts. I agree with Thiel that the US government has lost its ability to achieve the kind of progress represented by the great public works projects or the Apollo program. I disagree though on the causes for this believing that it...
2 tags
Americans Elect
Last year I mentioned Americans Elect twice as part of other posts. Since I am still typing mostly with my left hand, I am simply pointing everyone to Fred’s post about Americans Elect today. Americans Elect has the potential to be super important but only if more people know about it. I am particularly excited about the potential to have a campaign finance reform only candidate. In fact,...
Tech Tuesday: Postponed (Sorry)
Sorry, no Tech Tuesday today. Can’t type a long post until my right hand gets better or I get dictation set up. In the meantime: a huge thank you to everyone who contributed suggestions and help. I have received tons of excellent advice. Thanks!
2 tags
Need Some Help
Years ago I had a run-in with carpal tunnel syndrome. I stopped typing for a while altogether and then switched to a split keyboard and eased back into typing as slowly as I could. Thankfully the pain went away. After some time without problems I got sloppy, put away the split keyboard and happily banged away on the keyboard of my MacBook. Fast forward: towards the end of last week the...
2 tags
Consider ACTA a Treaty (and Why This Matters)
In 2010, I wrote about ACTA several times. Essentially, ACTA was a behind the scenes effort to create a global copyright framework that would significantly strengthen rightsholders’ enforcement options. The initial ACTA process was held in secret for several years before drafts of the agreement leaked and finally the finished version was published.
Somewhat belatedly the citizens of...
4 tags
Shapeways Hiring Manufacturing Leader in New York...
So here is a very rare opportunity: a truly exciting manufacturing job in New York City. Shapeways is setting up a 3D printing facility here in a super cool location and needs someone to own that. They will have a completely awesome lineup of machines there that all seem like they have arrived from the future. The challenge of the job is not just to push these 3D “printers” to their...
2 tags
Imagining Movies in a World Without Windows
One of the great sacred cows of the movie business has been the theatrical release window. First a movie is only in theatrical release. Then there may be a period where it is only on DVD. And finally it may be everywhere including various online options. Over the years the theatrical release window has compressed as described for instance in this 2009 Wharton piece. But it still exists and I...
3 tags
Tech Tuesday: Routing and TCP/IP
We are continuing along with the web request cycle. Last week we took a look at the HTTP protocol. There I already mentioned that HTTP requests and responses travel over a TCP/IP connection. Today we will dive a bit deeper into TCP/IP. This is technically not really necessary for understanding the request cycle because these lower levels of the network are completely abstracted away when you...
3 tags
Learning to Love Sales
I started out in business selling development services. OK, so that’s hugely glorified. I was a teenager desperate to get my driver’s license in Germany where that is a costly process (lots of mandatory lessons). So I figured out how to make money programming custom applications for people, including a driving school. Ever since then I have had a love/hate relationship with sales.
...
4 tags
Facebook's Valuation
I was going to write a post about Facebook’s valuation, but Bill Gurley has done such an excellent job, that the better idea is to point at his post explaining “Why Facebook Clearly Belongs in the 10x Revenue Club.” There is one other important point to consider in thinking about Internet company valuations in the current economic environment: low interest rates. Companies that...
3 tags
The Challenge: A Decentralized Rights Registry
Since my post last Friday about alternatives to SOPA/PIPA, I have started to talk to a bunch of people about the idea of a decentralized content registry. Here are some thoughts and questions that I have been kicking around since then.
A decentralized system could offer a new revenue stream for existing registrars and certificate authorities who are already at least partially equipped to deal...