Si Valley Views

A White, Fat iPhone...Oh No!

2011-04-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

You might not have noticed, but apparently the new white iPhone 4 is .2 mm thicker than the black version. No one ever said white was slimming...

Firefox 4 rolls over IE9

2011-03-28T15:34:00.000-07:00

The latest version of Firefox has surpassed IE9 in half the time - does that make it twice as good or just twice as popular? As the cited VentureBeat article states: "The news also further emphasizes the fact that Firefox’s big browser competitor this time around is Google Chrome, not IE9. Chrome has been steadily growing in popularity over the last few years, thanks in large part to its fast browsing engine, while Firefox’s market share has fallen. With Firefox 4, Mozilla has a shot at convincing its traditional base of tech-savvy users, many of whom switched to Chrome, to give its browser another shot."

Hopefully this new Firefox won't have the same tendency to hang when popups open from permitted sites...

Japan earthquake hits wafer manufacuturers

2011-03-21T11:13:00.000-07:00

Japan has suspended production of silicon wafers. Since Japan produces about 25% of the world's wafers, which are the material that all integrated circuits are made from, shortages will likely be felt immediately, particularly for flash memory and DRAM.

Angry Birds fly all the way to the bank...

2011-03-18T17:04:00.000-07:00

For a one trick (so far) pony, Rovio has done pretty well. Just closed a 42M round of financing on the basis of one iPhone game app and now is talking about an IPO in the coming 2+ years. The Angry Birds app has been surpassed now by Little Wings, so no matter what, iPhone users want to keep on flappin' 'em! Or as Frank Zappa observed, they are just like a Penguin in Bondage...

Join me at the Ecumenical Hunger Program's Steppin' Out 2011 Fundraiser!

2011-02-19T22:58:00.000-08:00

On March 5, 2011 join me in supporting the Ecumenical Hunger Program's Steppin' Out 2011 fundraiser!

The action starts at 6 pm - we will be at Trader Vic's in Palo Alto with great drinks, food, auction items, live bands, dancing and general fun, so please follow the link and join us for what will be a terrific evening.

Social pioneer MySpace sporting traditional arrows in its back...

2011-01-12T11:03:00.000-08:00

Proof yet again that you can tell the pioneers by the arrows in their backs, MySpace announced a 50% layoff of staff. It is still a mystery to many just how the money is supposed to flow through social media sites (other than through investors). I wonder if there is a sock puppet in a future IPO?

Facebook litigants still not friended...

2011-01-12T10:52:00.000-08:00

It appears that the dispute surrounding the origins of Facebook is headed for closure despite the best efforts of the heavily lawyered Winklevoss twins. Apparently they contend that they were mislead as to the value of Facebook stock at the time of their 2008 settlement. Hard to imagine Jerry Falk being happy making that argument to the 9th Circuit...

Supreme Court law clerks now politically vetted.

2010-09-07T11:41:00.000-07:00

The NYT has a sad side note to the sad state of political discourse in the United States. This article discusses the debasement of the selection of law clerks based upon their advertised political leanings. An unfortunate day for those who would have our politics framed by reason and debate rather than ideological litmus tests.

Tossing the Baby with the Bathwater...

2010-03-26T12:12:00.001-07:00

The proposed financial reform legislation has a rather nasty surprise buried in Section 926 - a provision that will substantially alter Reg D, which is the primary securities law exemption relied upon by start-ups seeking angel investors, as well as dramatically raising the bar for an individual to qualify as an accredited investor. A good summary of the proposal by Robert Litan is here, and you can sign a petition to save Reg D here. Given that there is no indication that I have seen anywhere that there is a problem with the current standard for accredited investors, nor that there is some need for the SEC to review a filing prepared by an unfunded company prior to raising operational funds, it is baffling that such a provision would be in a piece of legislation that presumably is focused on regulating public companies, and the banking and investment firms who have all contributed to the current business downturn. Angel investors create growth and jobs, so why make it more difficult for them to do so?

Good advice re Windows 7...

2009-10-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

If you are one of the millions who never left XP, but are being tempted to try upgrading to Windows 7, read this article first!!

More Fed funds for electric car makers...

2009-09-22T14:58:00.000-07:00

Fisker Automotive has announced a $528 million "conditional loan" by the US Department of Energy for the development of two vehicles...more than was received by Tesla. This will put the heat on both companies to become capable of producing significant numbers of vehicles. Given that neither has any serious competition in the plug in marketplace, there should be plenty of room in town for both companies to succeed...although Fisker will build it's manufacturing plant in Pontiac, Michigan while Tesla has not yet confirmed where it's manufacturing facility will be located other than to say it will be in California. More details here.

Tesla Founder Litigation Has Happy Ending!

2009-09-21T12:24:00.000-07:00

The lawsuit filed several months ago by Martin Eberhard against Tesla and Elon Musk has been reportedly resolved with kind words all the way round. A big change in the communications as between the parties for the last 2 years...which have been, to say the least, somewhat bitter. Hopefully Messr's Eberhard and Musk are now on the same page and looking to consolidate Tesla's finances and get the anticipated Model S sedan onto showroom floors.

USA to surpass European mobile networks?

2009-07-17T11:21:00.000-07:00

The wags at MobileBeat 2009 are promoting the idea that the US will "leapfrog" Europe's mobile networks and user base in the next few years. The enormous advantages of the European uniform network is going to be defeated by...wait for it...enthusiasm for the iPhone. A device only available on one of the 3 incompatible networks in the US...with no plans on the table to alter that incompatibility. I guess I just don't get it.

Manned solar powered aircraft takes off!

2009-06-30T15:08:00.000-07:00

Bernard Piccard introduces the first solar powered manned aircraft in Switzerland, called the Solar Impulse. While NASA has previously developed and flown a remote piloted solar craft, Piccard's group is the first up with a manned craft. While it is enormous (the wingspan of a 747), it represents another step up for solar applications. No information on cost...

Tesla also battling former CEO...

2009-06-24T07:29:00.000-07:00

Current CEO Elon Musk ruminates on the lawsuit filed by company founder Martin Eberhard in this Tesla blog. The very lengthy complaint filed by Eberhard goes into mind numbing detail as to its claims of libel and slander, but is most intriguing in its novel argument that a failure to identify a "founder" of a company - even one who has been fired under a cloud - is actionable. Should be interesting to see how this evolves over the next 5 - 7 years.

Tesla humming all the way to the bank...

2009-06-24T07:19:00.000-07:00

Tesla has pulled in a huge loan from the U.S. taxpayer - on the heels of the Daimler investment.
This should be sufficient funding to enable the production of the company's next vehicle the Model S.

However, I am still lusting after the orange Roadster in the showroom...but it would make my 1973 BMW 2002 jealous.

MobileBeat line up looks interesting.

2009-05-15T13:17:00.000-07:00

VentureBeat has announced the subject matter for its July MobileBeat conference. Whether you are on the carrier team, the mobile app team, or the hapless consumer team, looks to be a good set of presentations. Look for some movers/shakers to sit on the panels, especially from the carriers whose ox is being gored bigtime.

Put your external drive into the cloud...

2009-05-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

Start up Cloud Engines has a nifty little box called the Pogoplug that lets you put a hard drive into the cloud for access anywhere. They have also closed a funding round as discussed here. A really neat and simple idea that will have a lot of applications for home and small business users.

Selling your Smarts? Try Tagito!

2009-04-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

A new startup has launched that enables bloggers to provide information of value to potential consumers of that information. Tagito, founded by serial entrepreneur Todd Dunning, is growing quickly, with tens of thousands of uploads already on the site after only a day. It will be interesting to see how it evolves, but the early rapid growth is a sign that the developers may have hit a rich vein of interest.

One more thing...

2008-11-21T17:14:00.001-08:00

GO BEARS!

Remember "Vista Capable"...

2008-11-21T16:18:00.000-08:00

This is old news to some extent, but in 2006 Christmas was being approached with a new sell effort by MSFT - PC's that ran XP but were "Vista Capable". Turns out it wasn't completely true if you took that to mean that your PC would actually be usable running Vista. Here is a hysterical take on the discussion between MSFT and Intel that might have ensued back then.

Electric Cars finding new Capacity...

2008-10-24T14:39:00.000-07:00

Apparently a number of companies are working on an alternative to the various sorts of batteries used in plug in and hybrids. Three companies, Apowercap Technologies, Eestor and Maxwell Technologies, are looking increasingly likely to commercialize "ultracapacitor" technology as a substitute power storage mechanism. More details are available at the Maxwell and Apowercap sites.

These go to 11.

2008-09-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

For no reason other than the fact that it is now iconic, here is the classic Nigel Tufnel discussion of the importance of options in life. And how can you have a Spinal Tap reference without an acknowledgment of the critical need for more cowbell? You can't.

A bit of viral humor...

2008-09-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

The Sarah Palin interviews and comments on the interviews led me to this clip (don't ask me to try and retrace my steps at this point) of the late Chris Farley interviewing Sir Paul McCartney. One of the funniest bits I've seen in a long time. This viral video thing may catch on after all.

More Zune vs. iPod

2008-09-19T10:02:00.000-07:00

This NYT video pretty much sums it up. But in a funny way. Unless you are selling Zune. In which case it is...still funny. But not funny "ha ha". For funny "ha ha" you really need this. And some scalloped potatoes.

Music with...bad coffee?

2008-09-16T11:04:00.000-07:00

Both Microsoft and Apple are linking their respective music players to bad coffee...although Microsoft's choice of McDonald's doesn't seem like the way to get more Zune's sold. Marketing makes strange bedfellows.

Take Two takes a breather.

2008-04-18T13:33:00.000-07:00

Plaintiffs in the shareholder class action litigation against Take Two (of Grand Theft Auto notoriety) lost one of their most interesting arguments when the trial court dismissed their cause of action claiming that Take Two had mislead shareholders by allowing the "hot coffee" mod to be inserted into the game. As the mod was never authorized by Take Two, it was always a bit hard to see how shareholders should be compensated for the act...regardless of its impact on share price. The causes of action related to option backdating remain...not that Take Two has any paucity of concerns. The latest twist in the hostile takeover bid by Electronic Arts concerns the Take Two shareholder meeting next week, at which only shareholders as of February 19, 2008 will be entitled to vote. Analysts estimate that 50-70% of the stock of Take Two has been traded since that date, meaning that new shareholders will be subject to decisions taken by a minority of the holders of the company's stock.

Electric Karma's Going to Get You...

2008-04-16T14:54:00.000-07:00

This just in from the Green Highway, electric car makers Tesla and Fisker Karma are now closer than ever - brought together by litigation. Tesla accuses Henrik Fisker, who was hired to design the second generation Tesla, of trade secret theft, among other things. Of course, the fact that Mr. Fisker also started up an electric car company of his own might have been a factor. A nice graphic summarizing features of the Tesla and Karma is here.

Ballmer's iPod

2007-08-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

In light of my Monkeyboy post of last year, and despite the fact that this is hardly "new", I must provide a link to this very funny take off allegedly created by a MSFT (now ex) employee. Now back to work...really.

Back to the Blog!

2007-08-28T17:03:00.000-07:00

It has been far too long, with no excuse but being too busy to post regularly...but I am determined to change that starting now. The summer may be waning, but the fun is just beginning here in the Valley. Here is a link to a terrific blog by friend and client Peter Magnusson and in particular I recommend his insights into the iPhone and MSFT Vista. Peter is what I like to call "extremely smart"...and he has a wicked sense of humor to boot. I'll be posting more later in the week, but for now it is back to the legal mines!

Steve Ballmer "Dance Monkeyboy" video!

2006-10-26T13:18:00.000-07:00

I am sure that we are late to the party on this one, but it is really hilarious. I couldn't resist posting it if only for the fun I'll have watching it again. It makes you wish you were present - at least until Steve admonishes the crowd with "Who said to sit down?"...

HP spys on its own Board...the HP Way!

2006-09-07T14:16:00.000-07:00

HP has now admitted to hiring private investigators to spy on members of its board of directors. This all done at the behest of Chairman Patricia Dunn and with the consent of company counsel. The amazing element is that board members' private phone records were obtained illegally through the practice known as "pretexting", and then reviewed with Dunn and others inside HP.

California Attorney General Bill Lockyer is quoted as saying "I have no settled view as to whether or not the chairwoman's acts were illegal, but I do think they were colossally stupid. We'll have to wait until the investigation concludes to determine whether they were felony stupid or not.''

As Forrest Gump put it, "Stupid is as stupid does."

YouTube - in the cross hairs?

2006-08-15T16:01:00.000-07:00

Business Week reports that YouTube is being rapidly cloned by competitors and will face a new landscape very soon. Google has responded to the strong popularity of YouTube by replacing its Froogle comparison shopping link on its landing page with a Video (beta) link. Froogle is still active, but you will have to ask Google for more choices to find it. Copyright problems are likely to continue to be an issue for YouTube and other similar sites that allow users to post material for open access.

Social Networking still Hot Hot Hot...

2006-04-19T15:22:00.000-07:00

Facebook has closed a $25M round, showing that the social networking market continues to attract investors. However, rumors abound that the company was on the block and seeking a $2B price, a la Skype. There is no hard data yet to support the ad driven business model being pursued by all the players in this space, so it remains to be seen whether Rupert Murdoch's $580M purchase of MySpace will pan out, or just pan.

U.S. Department of Justice continues fishing...

2006-03-31T11:08:00.000-08:00

This article reports that the DOJ has cast a far wider net than previously disclosed, and has served an additional 34 companies with subpoenas seeking information regarding internet use and related data in its effort to defend the 1996 Child Online Protection Act. The Act has already been found wanting by the Supreme Court twice, but the DOJ continues to expend resources in its defense. Another article details some of the goals of the DOJ, including efforts to show that available filtering software is inadequate for controlling content received through email and search engines.

New VOIP players continue to join the marketplace.

2006-03-28T11:00:00.000-08:00

The internet telephony, or VOIP, world grows more crowded every day. This week two more players enter the fray, Jajah (a startup with backing from Sequoia) and well known portal Lycos. They join Skype, Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, and a host of smaller players in this rapidly growing space. Not to be left out, Sprint has become the first of the cellular providers to roll out a large scale location based service that will function on approximately 70% of the handsets on its network. The goal is for the handset to identify its physical location on the network, and then recieve tailored responses to inquiries based on that physical location - like where is the nearest bank/gas station/Italian restaurant...if the front end can be made to function quickly and easily, this would be a real value add to anyone in an unfamiliar part of town, or a new city.

The Beatles v. Apple Computer...

2006-03-27T11:17:00.000-08:00

Round 3 begins in a court in London this Wednesday, when Apple Corps, the Beatles' business entity, and Apple Computer square off for a judicial determination as to whether Apple Computer has breached a settlement agreement reached at the conclusion of their second lawsuit (which resulted in Apple Computer paying 26M to Apple Corp. - extra credit if you know how much Apple Computer paid in the first lawsuit). The prior settlement precludes Apple Computer from distributing music on media, and the case will turn on whether the terms of the agreement cover compressed music files transmitted over the internet - or whether such files constitute "data transmission" only, as it is expected Apple Computer will contend.

(answer to the extra credit question: $80,000.00)

Why is Vista taking so long?

2006-03-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

This article in the NYT is a thoughtful examination of the complex issues facing Microsoft in the development of its next generation operating system. In particular it points up the good and bad associated with backward compatibility, and why it makes successive generations of OS's increasingly complex and difficult to design.

Ugly Websites Make More Money?

2006-03-20T13:30:00.000-08:00

This is an interesting article discussing why some websites with truly terrible designs nevertheless make a handsome profit, despite their ugly duckling appearances. Certainly Craigslist and EBay rank at the top of unattractive but succesful sites...but who has ever heard of Plenty of Fish?

Hearing set for possible injunction in RIM - NTP litigation.

2006-01-26T10:15:00.000-08:00

February 24, 2006 is the date set for the next hearing, possibly on the issuance of a permanent injunction against RIM in the long running patent litigation with NTP. Regardless of whether an injunction issues, it appears unlikely that the litigation will be ended any time soon. RIM claims to have already developed a workaround that does not infringe the NTP patents, and there are some indications that this fix is shipping in latent (disabled) form capable of being enabled in the event of an injunction...which will presumably be immediately challenged by NTP. However, a new infringement determination will take months if not years, and it seems inevitable that the ongoing re-examination of NTP's patents will be completed before any further determination of infringement - and if indications that the NTP patents will all be invalidated are accurate, the matter will likely end soon thereafter. At least that is what RIM is hoping.

Google News out of beta, Yahoo cedes No. 1 slot in search to Google.

2006-01-24T11:15:00.000-08:00

Google News, a very nice news aggregator, has emerged from beta after 3 years as described by its creator's blog. The site is very easy to use, and has the classic Google absence of advertising and pop ups that are so prevalent at the MSM sites, and its competitors. In an interesting article in the Seattle PI, a Yahoo! representative concedes that Google won't be dethroned as the market leader in search, at least not by Yahoo! It is interesting to see the number of new search engines emerging to challenge Google, especially for advertising dollars driven in ways that reduce click fraud, yet the number 2 player in the market place is content to remain so. Or is this a smokescreen?

Google and Yahoo! going Mobile...

2006-01-06T10:38:00.000-08:00

Google and Yahoo! have announced they are now bringing search and services to mobile phone users. Google is working with Motorola to add a Google icon to certain web-enabled phones which are expected to be available within the next few months. Motorola is also working with Yahoo! to bring Yahoo! Go Mobile, a mobile version of Yahoo's search and content, to mobile phones. Can Location Based Services (LBS) be far behind?

Google launches Google Music.

2005-12-16T09:48:00.000-08:00

Google has announced a new service - Google Music - which will provide links to cover art, reviews and other information when users type in a request about a popular artist or group. The Google Blog has more here. Not really a big deal, but certainly another way to squeeze out click revenue from Apple, Rhapsody, eMusic and Amazon.

Yahoo! gobbles up del.icio.us...

2005-12-09T14:43:00.000-08:00

Social search/network provider del.icio.us has been acquired by Yahoo! according to their site. More about del.icio.us is here. Yahoo! has been working on "social search" for some time, and the shared bookmark service provided by del.icio.us appears to be an appealing upgrade. Get your tags ready!

Blackberry settlement invalidated.

2005-11-30T14:24:00.000-08:00

As expected, the court in the long running patent dispute over the Blackberry messaging system has ruled, setting aside the claim by RIM that the parties' settlement agreement for $450M was binding and enforceable. This clears the way for a hearing on the issuance of an injunction against RIM, which would effectively shut down their US operations. At the same time, the patents in suit, held by NTP, have been preliminarily rejected by the USPTO in a re-examination proceeding that is currently underway, but the court refused to stay a ruling on injunctive relief pending completion of the re-exam. Observers believe that RIM may well be forced into paying a substantially higher settlement if it is to avoid disrupting its service.

Firefox 1.5 released!

2005-11-29T15:19:00.000-08:00

The latest version of the terrific browser Firefox has just been released. Get it!

Air Guitar Becomes Reality!

2005-11-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

Finnish computer science students have created an actual "air guitar" that allows anyone to play the solos of their dreams! Rock on!

Ebay Patent Appeal to be heard by Supreme Court

2005-11-29T12:47:00.000-08:00

The United States Supreme Court today announced that it will hear Ebay's appeal in the patent litigation brought by MercExchange against EBay over the "Buy it Now" feature used in many online auctions. EBay is seeking to overturn a lower court ruling that a permanent injunction barring use of a technology must generally be issued once infringement of a valid patent has been determined. The case pits patent enforcers, like the pharmaceutical giants, against high technology innovators like EBay, Google and Yahoo! The case should be heard in March or April of next year, and looks to be an opportunity for the new Court to review a substantial body of precedent, going back to 1908. MercExchange argues that its injunction is necessary to enable its licensees, like ubid.com, to compete against EBay effectively. EBay counters that injunctive relief is inapplicable as it has already designed around the patents and is not infringing any longer even assuming that the patents are upheld and valid.

Supreme court refuses software infringement case.

2005-11-08T16:34:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Supreme Court let stand lower court rulings which permit the owner of a physical copy of software to break access codes and modify computer source code so long as the changes constitute "an essential step in the utilization" of the program, and the software is used "in no other manner." The article reporting on the court's refusal is here and the underlying appeals decision is here. The case was filed by a programmer who created original software which was used by a title company to track customer information. The programmer resigned from his employment with the company, but permitted it to use the software provided it made no changes to the source code. The title company broke the software locks on the source code put in place by the programmer, and made modifications including bug fixes and other functional changes as they felt were needed. The programmer then sued for copyright infringement. No word yet on whether the Court will hear the closely watched Ebay v. MercExchange patent case.

Mars Rovers Keep on Going...

2005-10-26T11:33:00.000-07:00

2 years after landing on Mars, the Rovers Spirit and Opportunity continue their respective missions of exploration...which was originally expected to last only 3 months! Check out the blogs maintained by the Rovers here and here. It is good to keep in mind that exploration has always been difficult, dangerous and expensive. This project has done remarkable things - kudos to NASA and JPL for a job well done!

Free telephone calls in 5 years!

2005-10-20T15:11:00.000-07:00

Meg Whitman, SWMBO at EBay, defended the amazing $4 billion Skype purchase price by suggesting that within 5 years all network-based calls will be free, paid for by advertising and transaction fees. The current minutes-per-month plans will, she believes, go the way of the dodo. It is hard to imagine that the cell service providers are excited by this prospect. However, as the devices get smaller and more web-enabled, it is easy to see VOIP dominating the landscape. I recall a discussion within the last year with a CTIA member who voiced confidenct that VOIP was nothing big, and would end up being priced essentially at the same level as the POTS providers. We'll all have to wait to see the impact of the Brand X tariff ruling on this space.

100,000,000 downloads of Firefox!

2005-10-19T14:32:00.000-07:00

The Firefox browser has now been downloaded over 100,000,000 times, according to their site and its counter. Si Valley Views has been using Firefox since mid 2004 and the decline in crashes, and the improvement of system operations has been significant from day one. If you aren't using Firefox, you should try it. Your computer will thank you!

20 years of Windows...

2005-10-14T13:35:00.000-07:00

The first of a series of articles looking back at the little OS that could...after arriving late to the party behind Apple and Xerox PARC, but with the able assistance of several key PARC researchers (Charles Simonyi) MSFT manages to turn a slow OS into the de facto world standard occupying 95% of the world's computers.

Music Genome Project.

2005-10-07T14:54:00.000-07:00

I just learned about the Music Genome Project and its site which uses a complex set of over 400 metrics to select online radio programs for the listener. REALLY INTERESTING! I typed in as a starting genre "Led Zeppelin", and after playing "You've got to groove", they then played a Grand Funk song I'd never heard of - and I was surprised at some of the similarities. This is very clever application, and fun too! Check it out.

Google and Sun -- Together At Last!

2005-10-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

But all we get is a new Toolbar??? Can you say "over-hyped"?

Microsoft under siege?

2005-10-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

This article regarding the recent Sun - Google alliance suggests that Google's backing of Sun's Star/OpenOffice freeware should be deemed a shot over Microsoft's bow. The thick client wars are heating up, with the Google team taking the side of a web service model...but that isn't what OpenOffice provides - it is just an open source set of office tools. No revenue for Sun comes from this deal, and no committment by Google to do anything specific. Not that it stopped Microsoft's stock from dropping on its announcement...which maybe was the point after all?

MIT's $100 Hand Powered Laptop.

2005-09-28T14:40:00.000-07:00

MIT's Media Lab (read: Nicholas Negroponte) has announced a design for a low cost, hand powered laptop geared for third world children's use in education. The computer, which at this point is only a specification, has several interesting features as seen in these pictures, including a display that can show color or black and white, a crank for manual power provision where electricity is unavailable, and various open source applications running on a Linus OS. Google, Advanced Micro Devices, News Corp., Red Hat and BrightStar are working with MIT to develop between 5 and 15 milllion test units. Microsoft has been working on this same project for some time, so look for an announcement from Redmond (or more appropriately the MSFT research facility in Mountain View) soon.

Google brings the Apollo program to your desktop.

2005-09-27T14:21:00.000-07:00

Google's Moon app is another nifty spin on the satellite imagery used for Google Earth - but this time you get a slice of the moon courtesy of NASA with all the lunar landing sites marked with the little balloons. Make sure to zoom in!

"Cheese, Gromit?"

Microsoft exec allowed to join Google and staff China research facilities.

2005-09-15T14:27:00.000-07:00

A Washington state court judge has ruled that former Microsoft research executive Kai-Fu Lee may join Google and open their China based research facilities. Google plans to open research centers in both Beijing and Shanghai in the near future. The ruling precludes Lee from working on any product or service that relies on confidential information tied to search, natural language processing and speech recognition that he obtained while working for Microsoft, which was a restriction that Google had agreed to prior to the ruling. Many inside Microsoft were surprised by the ruling, and had expected that Lee would use the 1 year vacation with pay that he negotiated as part of his compensation when joining Google to sit out his non-compete obligation.

EBay buys Skype and enters IM wars.

2005-09-12T12:51:00.000-07:00

CNET reports that Ebay has entered an agreement to purchase Skype for 2.6 billion -- and overnight acquiring a pool of over 50 million users of the free communications software. The linkage of IM capability with Ebay's core auction business seems an excellent fit, though how it will impact revenues is hard to see. Certainly Ebay is paying a premium for the installed base represented by Skype's users. But with at least 4 major players and ever lowering barriers of entry, will this still look like a good buy in 6 months? I also wonder how long it will take to really integrate the Skype function set into the Ebay site/apps, and how users will react. Ebay looks to be very busy for the coming year!

Ebay feeling pushed by IM forces?

2005-09-08T16:48:00.000-07:00

This report in the WSJ suggests that EBay may be in the market for Skype Technologies, the internet based free telephone services based in Luxembourg. An interesting development in light of Google's recent introduction of its Google Talk service, Yahoo!'s Messenger, AOL's AIM, and Microsoft's ever changing MSN service. It is interesting that all of these services require a client application which is incompatible with all the other applications...making it a necessity that you create a network of fellow users, or be faced with using a variety of these tools. Seems like the next step is a service that unites these groups, enabling cross application communication. But not yet...

Google getting heat in the Valley.

2005-08-24T12:25:00.000-07:00

The New York Times has an interesting article that draws many comparisons between Microsoft and Google. One of the many observations made is that even Microsoft acknowledges that Google is the first competitor they have faced that is so strikingly similar in culture to itself...that is to say, capable of entering into and dominating any market, anywhere. On a somewhat related note, I have taken the plunge and am going to be experimenting with the new GoogleTalk service. I will report my experience as a late to the party newbie IMer in subsequent posts...as I wonder if this is really a good idea.

Video Tombstones?

2005-08-19T13:26:00.000-07:00

A new company has announced that it is bringing to market a solar powered LCD embedded (no pun intended) in a tombstone to allow the dearly departed to communicate through a pre-recorded message with those who have been left behind. This will give an entire new meaning to the Blue Screen of Death, when it (inevitably) appears!

Einstein's Big Idea turns 100!

2005-08-18T14:41:00.000-07:00

Nova has a nice site that ties in with their upcoming special in October that details the origins of the theory of special relativity. The short clips by a variety of scientists discussing the impact of Einstein's work are particularly well done. PBS continues to show why it is the best at developing educational media materials of excellence.

Queen Elizabeth meets Rock Royalty.

2005-08-11T15:44:00.000-07:00

Queen Elizabeth II was introduced to guitar legends Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Jeff Beck and Brian May, at reception for the British music industry at Buckingham Palace March 2005. This is a transcript of part of the conversation. The Queen is moving through the room, and approaches Brian May, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page.

BRIAN MAY: "I'm very pleased to meet you. I do have an apology to make - for making so much noise on your roof." (referencing the concert played in 2002 at the palace marking the Golden Jubilee - May played the national anthem).

THE QUEEN (sounding amused): "Oh! That was you on the roof?

BRAIN MAY: "That was me, yeah."

JIMMY PAGE: Good evening Ma'am, I'm Jimmy Page." Shakes the Queen's hand. "I'm delighted to meet you."

THE QUEEN : "Are you a guitarist too?"

JIMMY PAGE: " I'm a guitarist as well, yes." Queen turns to Jeff Beck.

JEFF BECK: "I'm Jeff Beck." Shakes hand. Queen looks blankly at him. Clapton then steps forward and introduces himself.

ERIC CLAPTON: "Good evening, Ma'am, my name is Eric Clapton and I am a guitarist as well."

THE QUEEN: "You've been playing for quite a long time have you?"

ERIC CLAPTON: "About, um.... God, yeah!... About 45 years now."

CNET UK begs forgiveness from Google!

2005-08-11T13:22:00.000-07:00

In this Very Funny Article, the UK division of CNET makes a typically British apology for the unconscionable actions of its sister publication in using Google to obtain public information about Google CEO Eric Schmidt. CNET UK is hoping to avoid the "silent treatment" that grumpy Google has pledged to give News.com and CNET for the next year. CNET is SO grounded.

10 years ago today: Netscape IPO

2005-08-10T11:55:00.000-07:00

If you want to feel suddenly older, read this article from the SJ Mercury, or this one from Dan Gillmor (formerly of the SJ Mercury) recalling the Glory Days.

Google throws tantrum!

2005-08-09T16:37:00.000-07:00

Google has apparently decided to "shut out" CNET and its publications for a year because of this article which shows how the site can be used to gather personal information, in this case about Google's president Eric Schmidt. Seems like an overreaction, especially since "googling" someone is an accepted verb in practically all languages, due entirely to how successful the company's effort to organize the information of the world has been. Is Google "being evil"?

More details on the latest spyware identity theft ring.

2005-08-09T09:55:00.000-07:00

Another article with some more details on the previous post.

Another massive ID theft uncovered.

2005-08-08T13:49:00.000-07:00

An international identity theft ring has infiltrated 50 banks according to this report, and this one as well. Apparently the FBI is investigating, but there are few details so far. However, the method described is pretty frightening, particularly with respect to the supposed co-opting of zombie computers inside a bank's internal network which are then used to send the indentity data to a remote server outside the network.

Spear phishing on the rise.

2005-08-04T15:45:00.000-07:00

The Washington Post reports here on the alarming rise of targeted phishing attacks on businesses, especially banks, and other companies which have access to individual's private account information. The canned-spam phishing variety we are all used to, where a phoney email attempts to convince the recipient that a true service provider like Paypal or Ebay needs to verify information, is being replaced by more focussed efforts that may have far reaching effects. How will private citizens defend themselves from identity theft operations conducted against their own banks, credit bureaus and the like?

Mozilla forms new, for profit corporation.

2005-08-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Mozilla, proud parent of open source browser Firefox and mail client Thunderbird has announced the formation of a for-profit corporation to undertake further development of these products. The strong growth of Firefox among corporate users particularly has been problematic for Mozilla, which operates as a tax-exempt organization due to its non-profit status. This should be good news for everyone who appreciates the existence of a non-bloatware alternative to IE and Netscape, as the new entity should be able to bring more resources to bear on continuing development of the browser and mail product lines.

Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest

2005-08-01T11:12:00.000-07:00

The annual bad writing contest put on by the San Jose State English Department has announced its winners - and I have to say that I think the runner up deserves further consideration:

When Detective Riggs was called to investigate the theft of a trainload of Native American fish broth concentrate bound for market, he solved the case almost immediately, being that the trail of clues led straight to the trainmaster, who had both the locomotive and the Hopi tuna tea.

Impressive doesn't begin to cover this amazing display of pun-ditry.

Personalization - Pop ups you want?

2005-08-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

Advertising combined with the internet translates into serious cash machines for Yahoo and Google. But there are many players with less popular approaches. This article discusses Claria (nee Gator) and its efforts to bring personal interests into the mix of material that may be presented to web page visitors in the near future. A download is required, which may limit the number of users willing to part with such information. But imagine the surprise of a surfer receiving an ad for something they actually WANT to click on...it boggles the mind!

Further adventures in Apple Land...

2005-07-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

So my last post (before leaving for a week vacation at the Lair of the Bear family camp) detailed the initial set up of a Mac Mini for mom. Now we get to the nitty gritty of getting peripherals to work. The bad news is that the Apple OS doesn't come out and tell you that it doesn't have correct drivers for a printer, rather it lets you try everything under the sun to get it to work right and then call tech support to find that neither Apple nor the manufacturer (Canon) have compatible drivers. I mistakenly thought that practically all printers now come with drivers for both OS's, and I was So Wrong. So I then load the nice new HP 1610 printer software on the computer, and proceed to watch the printer shred paper, jam, and generally have a very slow (4 minutes to print a single page of text) hissy fit. I call HP (Apple doesn't support third party printers regardless of whether you bought them from their store) and mention to them that the software on the Mac disk said it was for a Laserjet 3300. HP then said they had had several reports of mislabled discs going out with this printer - and that I would have to download the 93.5 meg file from their site and then uninstall and reinstall. Of course the uninstall didn't work as the files were corrupted, so back to HP tech support again for help in manually uninstalling the incorrect software. However, at the end of the day (and about 6 hours of my time) the new printer is working fine and mom is happy.

And that is what it is all about.

Then she answered the Earthlink phishing email, giving them address, ATM number and password, etc., etc...and sends me an email proudly detailing this achievement.

Sigh.

Subjective bite of the Apple.

2005-07-08T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have been working on Wintel computers for 20 years. However, when the Win98SE box my Mom has been using finally gave up the ghost (hard drive died) I decided, after consultation with many other "tech support children" to advise her to buy a Mac Mini. And so we did, last night, at the Apple Store on University Avenue here in Palo Alto. And I have to say, it was the diametric opposite of the Fry's experience, which I avoid whenever possible! We had a terrific sales guy in a bright green shirt, and within an hour we were out the door with the Mini, a keyboard and mouse (USB), and a nearly free HP 3 in 1 combo printer. Now for the bad news. The initial software used to register and set up the Mini is not very robust. Stepping backwards is tricky, and the network setup is weak -- after inputting all the data requested, the Mini tried to connect through dial up, but then hung. Selecting disconnect didn't work either, so we had to hard reboot. This makes Mom nervous. Sigh. I then had to go into the network setup menu and input all the POP and SMTP addresses manually. This was very similar to the frustrating setup experience with the iPod which required numerous efforts to load iTunes on our home PCs before we could get the software to work. Nevertheless, I remain optimistic that my tech support days will be fewer and farther between once I get the Mini set up to dial into Mom's ISP automatically. The Mini is really remarkable if you are a Wintel user - dead silent, tiny form factor, really attractive design. And the titanium notebooks at the Apple Store made my Vaio feel pretty inferior. Something to consider...

JPL/NASA have a Deep Impact on the 4th!

2005-07-05T10:43:00.000-07:00

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Cal Tech, sponsored by NASA and working with numerous other contributors, had an incendiary 4th of July when the Deep Impact probe struck comet Tempel 1 at 1:52 a.m. -- the probe was travelling at 23,000 mph at the moment of impact, which produced a brilliant flash of light. An amazing bit of telemetry -- you can learn more at NASA's mission site here.

The Economist on Copyright

2005-07-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

The Economist has published a very interesting article on the Grokster decision, and makes a number of observations on the state of copyright protection in this country. Given that over the last century the term of a copyright has (thanks to the Mouse) been increased from 28 to (in some cases) 95 years, the Economist suggests some improvements. One idea is to roll back the term of copyright protection to 14 years, renewable once. Worth thinking about.

Microsoft bites Gator, uh, I mean Claria...

2005-06-30T14:22:00.000-07:00

Long rumored, now apparently confirmed, Microsoft is in acquisition talks with Claria nee Gator. Price is said to be in the 500M range, but don't place your bets yet -- there is much debate in Redmond as to whether this is a Google catcher or dumpster diver. Would being the proud owner of one of the creators of spyware/adware be...a good thing?

Valuations rising for start-ups

2005-05-26T12:10:00.000-07:00

This Red Herring article notes that Q1 start-up valuations are on average the highest in the past 3 years. Perhaps some good news for the Valley. On another positive note, New Scientist has some tips for improving your brain's function here.

Spyware the next Killer App, or just an App Killer?

2005-05-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

A year after the FTC hosted a spyware workshop, the problem of unwanted and invasive programs embedding themselves on client platforms has only increased. The fact that the industry behind creation of spyware is estimated to be worth billions might have something to do with it. The Webroot State of Spyware Report found that 88% of consumer platforms and 87% of corporate platforms had spyware present when the system was scanned during a survey conducted in Q1 2005. An interesting look at the state of the spyware vs. anti-spyware universe can be found in this interview with spyware hunter and very bright fellow Ben Edelman. The stakes appear to be growing as spyware makers continue to rapidly and continuously morph their products into more acceptable business forms, using labels such as "behavioral marketing".

VC startup investing down again.

2005-04-25T13:25:00.000-07:00

Q1 venture investments into startups dropped again this quarter, which should come as no surprise to anyone working (or not working) in the Valley. Investment dropped across the board except in late stage companies.

Interesting take on environmental issues.

2005-04-25T12:31:00.000-07:00

Stewart Brand has a thoughtful article in this month's MIT Technology Review here. The perspective on population decline is very interesting, as are a number of other points he addresses.

Dynabook gets closer to reality.

2005-04-25T11:55:00.000-07:00

Microsoft announces another iteration on the tablet PC...which brings us one step closer yet to the original vision of Dynabook's creator Alan Kay (from 1968). For those interested, Alan has also put together a very nice summary of the seminal computer science achievements at PARC here as part of his remarks upon receiving the Charles Stark Draper Prize in 2004, which was awarded to Alan, Butler Lampson , Bob Taylor and Chuck Thacker for their work at PARC developing the first practical networked personal computers.

Copy a file...go to prison. That's the law?

2005-04-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

The Family Entertainment and Copyright Act will, when signed by the President, make it a felony punishable by up to 3 years in prison and/or a $250,000 fine to have a copy of a pre-release copyrighted work in a shared folder, even if that folder is never accessed. More on this draconian legislation here. The RIAA and the entertainment business generally has backed this legislation as a top priority in their ongoing efforts to stop the proliferation of P2P networks. Nothing in the legislation alters the fact that the real culprits here are the entertainment executives and insiders who distribute the material (let's face it, this is all about films and to a lesser extent music) in the first place, presumably in violation of NDA's and other contractual obligations.

Tahoe winter still going strong.

2005-04-04T13:58:00.000-07:00

We just returned from a week in Tahoe, and if you are a skiier, make sure you don't miss out on some of the best conditions of the year! The base at most resorts is at or near seasonal highs, and the snow quality and quantity is outstanding! We skiied Alpine Meadows and Squaw Valley, and both were terrific. It is hard to beat spring skiing conditions like these, so if you are considering some time in the snow, GO! You won't be sorry. But bring your chains, as more snow is forecast.

How to start a start-up.

2005-03-10T16:46:00.000-08:00

Paul Graham, essayist, programmer, and programming language designer, has a terrific post on his site that bears reading. You will also be glad you checked out VC (and former WSGR lawyer) Allen Morgan's blog, which has some great insights on getting a company funded.

The 4th Estate is growing...

2005-03-07T13:14:00.000-08:00

In this NYT article, the Apple Computer litigation seeking to compel bloggers to disclose their sources is discussed in the context of preserving the right of journalists to keep sources, and hence their ability to report on matters that might otherwise remain hidden, confidential. I recently read that as many as 7% of all internet users are now keeping weblogs...that is a lot of "journalism".

Apple bites Blog!

2005-03-04T11:30:00.000-08:00

Apple Computer was granted a preliminary injunction this morning by Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg compelling two "insider" blogs ( www.power page.org and www.appleinsider.com) to produce the sources for their revelations regarding secret Apple projects. The company also filed a separate suit against a third blog (www.thinksecret.com) in January, but has not had a hearing as of yet in that matter. If Apple can compel the production of sources who may have disclosed trade secret information in violation of an NDA, why not compel neocon columnist Robert Novak to reveal which Bush senior administration official illegally disclosed the identity of a CIA undercover operative (presumably a far more serious crime than disclosing details about a product under development)?

Anti-phishing legislation good; privacy better.

2005-03-04T09:59:00.000-08:00

The U.S. Senate is considering legislation introduced by Pat Leahy of Vermont which would make phishing a federal crime. As "phishers" are truly the criminal elements of the internet world (and if your mother, like mine, is on the net you worry) it is heartening to see at least some effort at the national level to address these cyber-thugs. Phishing comes in many forms, as you can see here. Of course, if a criminal can get the necessary information to commit identity theft from other sources (like the bumbling credit bureau ChoicePoint), shouldn't our legislators consider some severe remedies for the purveyors of private data for profit as well?

ISP's blocking VoIP transmissions?

2005-03-03T17:08:00.000-08:00

VoIP provider Vonage, through its CEO, has announced that certain ISP's have blocked users of the over-the-internet phone service. His initial contention is that this constitutes a form of prior restraint, which if true would be unconstitutional censorship by the ISP. This raises a host of interesting issues, starting with whether the packets transmitting data (whether voice or email) constitute protected speech as contemplated by our Constitution. Why wouldn't blocking spam be equally wrong (although I doubt even the ACLU would take up such an argument)?

Self censoring your company mail/blog

2005-03-01T11:09:00.000-08:00

At Demo this week, InBoxer (aka Audiotrieve, LLC) introduced its program OutBoxer, designed to enable employees to reconsider content of emails and blogs before precipitously hitting "send". The product can be configured to adopt corporate rules regarding content, profanity, and presumably confidential information. In my view, a well placed concern, in this era of electronic discovery, hostile workplace litigation, and the misplaced belief that email is a "private" means of communicating. I'd be curious to see how difficult it is to implement across an enterprise -- and what role HR will play in the monitoring.

Rearden Commerce announces EBS app

2005-02-28T10:20:00.000-08:00

How many Valley CEO's are Randians? Hard to know, but with a name like Rearden Commerce, one would have to assume that the company formerly known as Talaris is a fan of Ayn. Their app is a web based employee business services (EBS) environment that seems to do an awful lot of pretty tricky stuff, including allowing colleagues in different cities to remotely arrange for meetings, and then be kept updated with any schedule changes occuring in transit automatically. Is it a killer app? If you are a corporation with a substantial travel and related expense budget, it looks like a big win to me. More info here.

Disruptive technology hits the Media

2005-02-24T16:47:00.000-08:00

As if Big Media (or as it is referenced in the blogging world, MSM, short for Main Stream Media) didn't have enough problems, now it is increasingly evident that the blog world is not only directly attacking it, but using the blog form to leverage one person's opinion into the "virtual" voices of the many. Recent embarassments (Rathergate, paid partisan pundits, the "Jeff Gannon" story) show that both MSM and bloggers have plenty of weaknesses and dirty laundry, yet only MSM has shareholders and users that they are answerable to. The blog world has seemingly zero accountability. Witness the acts by a few paid Republican bloggers in South Dakota, which gives the latest demonstration of the power of this new media.

Epinion founders sue VC's

2005-02-14T11:22:00.000-08:00

Some of the founders of Epinion have sued their VC's and investment bankers (as well as some co-founders)...this on the heels of the recent settlement of the Nishan case (another founder sued his VC's, bankers and BOD members over self dealing in their acquisition by McData) makes for good table talk at Buck's. Historically entrepreneurs have not taken action against the investment community for the obvious reasons. But the times, they are a' changing?

Google emp blogger booted?

2005-02-09T11:28:00.000-08:00

The Google employee blogger at the center of a controversy last month regarding his posts about the company (some of which were not flattering) is no longer employed. You can see his site here. Was evil done?

Whither HP?

2005-02-09T10:53:00.000-08:00

The departure of HP's CEO has been coming for some time -- will the company now segment itself into 2 (or more?) business operations, one focussed on consumers (printers/PC's) and the other on development of enterprise services and solutions? Or will the company continue to attempt to expand its "portfolio" of companies format being pushed by some of the remaining executives, essentially validating Fiorino's strategy, but faulting it's execution? The rumor mill suggests that recent BOD changes will lead to further action at the company, with the enterprise group under the most intense scrutiny. However, Wall Street appears to support the move, with the stock enjoying a modest increase at midday.

Blogs become search fodder

2005-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

The announcement today that AskJeeves has acquired Bloglines suggests that the world of blogging is not only becoming ubiquitous, but monetized. A search engine like AskJeeves seeks access to a wider audience of customers for its advertising revenue generators, so the fit with an RSS based blog indexer seem a logical extension into a relatively new space. Of course, the barrier to entry is low, and the effort to capitalize on "eyeballs" makes one reflect on silly marketing presentations of the bubble era when "sticky" was the quality du jour. Bloglines parent Trustic, Inc. is spinning things here and the faq on the transaction is here. Curious to see if users of search engines want to have the RSS-enabled blogosphere indexed into their searches.

Shazam!

2005-02-04T10:31:00.000-08:00

This article about Kazaa and its popularity among its creators brings to mind the adage about "eating the dog food...". I am continually amazed by the amount of adware/spyware that my computer picks up during a work day. Even using Firefox (thanks Mozilla), an active anti-spyware program (thanks, MSFT), and anti-virus software, I still identify and delete 5-15 programs every few days. My networked laptop, which I only seldom use for accessing the internet, is always spyware/virus free.

Harsh words and netiquette

2005-02-04T10:04:00.000-08:00

This morning's MSNBC blog links provides this bit regarding both blog etiquette and the legal questions surrounding ownership of blog content used by a 13 year old blogger.

Interestingly, employee blogs are so common as to create server traffic problems when RSS programs update their content (every hour on the hour - whether we need to or not) as discussed in this Seattle Times article. MSFT has over 1000 emp blogs, according to this article, and nearly every other technology company is providing the same sort of access. I wonder (a) if the content is monitored (internally and externally), and if so, (b) how and (c) by whom? Presumably the companies feel that the access provided by the blog to outsiders serves their interests, particularly in the ability of consumers to communicate directly with a company employee on matters related to the company products/services. The blog phenomonen is a truly interesting and evolving creature -- and unpredictable in many ways.

If you are fortunate enough to be in Northern California this weekend, get outside and enjoy the breathtaking weather!