Tech Life

WWDC and SXSW

Two days later and the WWDC hangover is just about gone. I’d like to say the hangover was primarily booze-related, but it was a stress hangover. We had some big things to pitch this year and getting that pitch refined took some work. That is an understatement. Thanks to everyone who dropped by to say… More

A Nerd in a Cave

The first few days of any significant overseas trip, I’m a jerk. It’s not just the jetlag that’s poisoning my attitude; it’s the lack of context. I get twitchy when I don’t know where my stuff is. Combine that with the fact that no one is speaking English, there are two toilets in the bathroom,… More

The Forums

Some of my earliest memories of hanging with the Dad were visits to the local hardware story, Orchard Supply Hardware. I remember two things. First, the distinctive smell, which I learned, years later, is the stench of fertilizer. Second, the huge amount of time it actually took to get to the register, which was near… More

Developer 2.0

Right this second, there are five books sitting on my desk. I’m not talking about the invisible books stacked up next to my monitor, I’m talking about the books I want you to see the second you walk in my office. They change over time, but right now they are: The Phaidon Atlas of Contemporary… More

The Wet

All you needed to do this winter to figure out that we screwed up the planet is stare out the living room window. This here is day number four of snow that stuck up here at fourteen hundred feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains of California. We get a smattering snow ever so often, but… More

1.0

Max was a mess. We were on our third mojito at The Basin in Saratoga when it just came pouring out of him. The last 72 hours involved: Two days in Los Angeles babysitting a customer’s data center Four hours of sleep Two huge arguments with his wife on the cell phone A marathon conference… More

The Soak

My pitch at the SXSW panel was this. In creating a start-up, you’re going to be faced with a thousand seemingly inconsequential decisions. Tucked amongst those thousands of decisions are five decisions that actually matter. These decisions will change the face of your company. What I didn’t say was that I believe it’s next to… More

Capturing Context

Each organization in a company has Their Favorite Application. It’s not truly their favorite application; it’s just the application they must use in their particular capacity in the organization. Stand up right now and walk into an unfamiliar part of your building and stalk your co-workers. If someone stops and asks you what you’re doing,… More