January 27th

newsweek: [via] And so, we continue to propagate misinformation about the national debt. Consider this simple premise: When you borrow money, who do you typically borrow from? A bank. When the US government borrows money, who does it borrow from? Itself. This image attempts to explain the national debt by comparing bottom lines. It can’t be done, as US government debt is a) accrued and b) under a completely different category.

newsweek:

[via]

And so, we continue to propagate misinformation about the national debt.

Consider this simple premise:

When you borrow money, who do you typically borrow from? A bank.

When the US government borrows money, who does it borrow from? Itself.

This image attempts to explain the national debt by comparing bottom lines. It can’t be done, as US government debt is a) accrued and b) under a completely different category.

January 26th

McDonalds’ McRibbing

But seriously, folks.

I love how all the social media marketing folks are piling on McDonalds for their recent hashtag highjacking gone awry.

McDonalds followed the social media best practices to a T and still got burned. Hindsight is twenty-twenty.

While it’s easy for the Chris Brogans of the world to create a new post about “Lessons Learned from McDonalds’ McFail,” the truth is, nobody knew it would backfire until it did.

The campaign was executed per the formula, but we humans are unpredictable.

It’s the fundamental nature of disintermediation.

January 24th

zachklein:

Scorekeeper’s interaction design is air tight.

Incredibly functional and fun. I wish more apps were designed with these fundamentals.

(Source: youtube.com)

January 23rd

How to name your startup

I think, more than anything, the name has to follow the two-syllable rule. Tumblr. Twitter. Facebook. Olark. Reddit. Slashdot. Google.

If a company does have a longer name, users will inevitably invent a two-syllable nickname. For example, Huffington Post -> Huff Po.

Lots of folks try to name their company after what it does, following the FreeCreditReport.com model, but it’s kinda lame and not very memorable.

January 23rd

The real difference between iOS and Android

Anandtech is highly regarded for their incredibly in-depth reviews. Their take on Android 4.0 is no different.

They have the absolute best description of the two mobile OS ecosystems (iOS and Android) on how they’re fundamentally different and really shouldn’t be compared.

Apple is trying to deliver more of an appliance experience, whereas Google is providing you with a modern take on a traditional computing experience. If the appliance is a smartphone, then both approaches are equally capable — it’s just a matter of personal preference.

After reading that, I suddenly understood why some folks might prefer Android over iOS, and accepted it. Why did it take me so long?

January 19th

2012 Milestones

As I have done since 2008, I reflect on the goals I set for myself the previous year, and make new ones to try to meet for the following twelve months.

Here were the achievements I set in 2011:

  • × Read at least 30 books
    Not even close. I managed to crack 10 before year’s end. One silver lining: I discovered a love for fiction, which helped break up the monotony of DIY books, technical manuals, and biographies. It also sparked my imagination; I felt like I was accessing a part of my brain that’s been dormant for a long time.
  • × Win a bike race as a CAT4 / Upgrade to CAT3
    My 2011 racing season was plagued from the start. Despite some early-season fitness, I spent many races over-thinking and waiting too late to make my move. The season ended with a bad crash that broke my collarbone, taking me out of ideal training conditions for three months.
  • ✔ Host at least 10 get-togethers
    While I didn’t host anything at my house per se, I co-hosted many parties with Mary, so I count this as being achieved. We’re living together now, so I’m looking forward to hosting more parties in 2012.
  • × Go camping at least twice
    Weekends were either packed with day excursions, or bike racing.
  • × Finish Pump as a native iOS app
    Despite an early-year push to learn true native iOS development, I didn’t continue long enough to achieve fluency. I did build some fun little one-off mobile HTML5 apps, however.
  • ✔ Redesign KarmCity.com
    I managed to squeeze this one in near the end of the year. The new design allows for more freedom of content with a fluid width, but keeps things simple.
  • × Build a self-designed computer desk from reclaimed wood
    I finished the design, but realized I would need some serious tools to pull this off. Deferred.
  • ✔ Collaborate with someone on a Web project
    I worked with Mike Brenner on BaltimoreTech.net conceptually, but I didn’t quite hit the full collaboration I was looking for.
  • ✔ Wake up no later than 7:30am every day
    For the majority of the year, this was not to be. However, I’ve been waking up consistently at 7:40 every day since we moved to DC in December so I can get to the office by 9am.
  • ✔ Attend networking and community events whenever possible
    I picked up a bit on this, focusing on events that are conducive to meeting new people. I also attended a trade conference that turned out to be very helpful for Localist.
  • × Keep in touch with my close friends more actively
    I made a decent effort to do this, but it seems we were all very busy, so finding time to get together was tough.

How did I do? Not great. I think this is mostly because I never developed a habit of checking in on the list, so I quickly forgot what was on it. A few goals in the list were part of my daily life, so I was able to stay focused on them, but some, like going camping, were quickly forgotten.

I’d like 2012 to include specific checkpoints throughout the year, perhaps each quarter, so I can monitor my progress.

With that, here are my goals for 2012, split into personal and health categories:

2012 Personal Goals
  • BHAG: Participate in at least two media-free weeks, or six media-free weekends
  • Read at least 30 books
  • Host at least 10 get-togethers
  • Spend more “offline time” with Mary, playing board games, going on walks, etc.
  • Get a dog (Greyhound)
  • Get married!
  • Create 3 new paintings
  • Build 2 adirondack chairs out of old pallets
  • Build a stool for sitting in the kitchen
  • Travel to another country
2012 Health Goals
  • BHAG: Upgrade to CAT3
  • Transition weekday workouts to the mornings
  • Be asleep no later than 10pm
  • Focus more on diet, beyond just eating healthy. Monitor supplements, carb intake, etc.

This year, I’m focusing on measurable goals, with a Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) in each category. I will revisit this list in April, July and October.

View my goals from 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011.

January 11th

jstn: This is Mercedes’ new embedded car computer infotainment… thing. Look how fucking awful it is. Car companies are getting dragged kicking and screaming into a world where they have to pay enormous attention to software and user interface, and they’re blowing it in spectacular fashion. Even BMW, the “Apple” of automobile engineering, has an in-dash UI so terrible that I think it’s doing significant damage to their brand. Why do all of these things have a “command knob” surrounded by a zillion other anonymous buttons? Have none of these designers used a cell phone since 2007? Nissan is at least trying with the Leaf, though it still looks a bit like a tumorous growth rather than something smoothly integrated with the rest of the machine. Seriously, is anyone else doing anything interesting with car UI? Car software has three huge challenges most other devices can be forgiven on more readily: reliability, speed and integration. Reliability Car software needs to be bug-free, or darn close to it. A person can’t be driving down the road when suddenly their radio volume knob stops working, or their navigation system crashes. For this reason, auto manufacturers have a strong impulse to build in-house, where they have complete control of the end-to-end experience. Outsourcing, or investing in a startup is too high a risk (on paper) when it comes to driver safety. Could you imagine driving a car with version 1.0 of an Android-based system developed by a mature company, let alone a startup? I’d be terrified. Speed and Integration When you turn on your car, the software needs to be available immediately, or within a tenth of a second. No functionality can be locked behind any kind of “Loading…” screen. The radio needs to switch on right away and navigation needs to be available, at the touch of a button. For true performance, the UI and software for cars needs to be one step above hard-coded. If a software company is focusing on modular software for cars, they would need to build software specifically designed for each manufacturer to be fast and integrated enough. In that scenario, there’s no business model that makes sense. Imagine setting out to reinvent Mercedes’ car computers. Now, imagine them agreeing to a deal with your company without seeing a flawless prototype. It’d never happen. So, to answer the question posed above, existing as an external company providing software for cars is a pretty tough business model to pitch. The only way to yield a truly great UI is to hire amazing designers in-house. Since the software doesn’t necessarily sell the car (for most people), the company’s investment follows in kind. I, too, hope this changes in the future. Random idea: Maybe an HTML5 UI would allow for re-use, despite a completely different low-level code base.

jstn:

This is Mercedes’ new embedded car computer infotainment… thing. Look how fucking awful it is. Car companies are getting dragged kicking and screaming into a world where they have to pay enormous attention to software and user interface, and they’re blowing it in spectacular fashion. Even BMW, the “Apple” of automobile engineering, has an in-dash UI so terrible that I think it’s doing significant damage to their brand. Why do all of these things have a “command knob” surrounded by a zillion other anonymous buttons? Have none of these designers used a cell phone since 2007?

Nissan is at least trying with the Leaf, though it still looks a bit like a tumorous growth rather than something smoothly integrated with the rest of the machine. Seriously, is anyone else doing anything interesting with car UI?

Car software has three huge challenges most other devices can be forgiven on more readily: reliability, speed and integration.

Reliability
Car software needs to be bug-free, or darn close to it. A person can’t be driving down the road when suddenly their radio volume knob stops working, or their navigation system crashes. For this reason, auto manufacturers have a strong impulse to build in-house, where they have complete control of the end-to-end experience. Outsourcing, or investing in a startup is too high a risk (on paper) when it comes to driver safety. Could you imagine driving a car with version 1.0 of an Android-based system developed by a mature company, let alone a startup? I’d be terrified.

Speed and Integration
When you turn on your car, the software needs to be available immediately, or within a tenth of a second. No functionality can be locked behind any kind of “Loading…” screen. The radio needs to switch on right away and navigation needs to be available, at the touch of a button. For true performance, the UI and software for cars needs to be one step above hard-coded.

If a software company is focusing on modular software for cars, they would need to build software specifically designed for each manufacturer to be fast and integrated enough. In that scenario, there’s no business model that makes sense. Imagine setting out to reinvent Mercedes’ car computers. Now, imagine them agreeing to a deal with your company without seeing a flawless prototype. It’d never happen.

So, to answer the question posed above, existing as an external company providing software for cars is a pretty tough business model to pitch. The only way to yield a truly great UI is to hire amazing designers in-house. Since the software doesn’t necessarily sell the car (for most people), the company’s investment follows in kind. I, too, hope this changes in the future.

Random idea: Maybe an HTML5 UI would allow for re-use, despite a completely different low-level code base.

January 10th

Transitioning from management to leadership

A mentor and I recently had a great conversation about leadership at a startup versus leadership at a mature company. In a nutshell, it’s hard to be a leader at a startup, and it’s not solely because of inexperience. It’s all about the environment. When your company of three is just getting started and you’re wearing twenty five different hats, deeply involved in every one, it’s very difficult to lead effectively.

Here’s a breakdown comparing the key differences in leadership at a startup and leadership at a mature company:

Startup:
  • Consciously incompetent
    You know nothing. You know you know nothing. You’re learning as fast as you can.
  • Smart
    When you make a mistake, you can figure out how to fix it quickly.
  • Long hours
    18-hour days with no break are regular occurrences.
  • High risk tolerance
    You’re used to the roller coaster and can commit to decisions despite the risk being high, or unknown.
  • Short-term focus
    Your thoughts center on things like, “how do we make payroll next month?”
  • Tactical
    You’re wearing many hats and are knee-deep in each department.
  • Self-centered
    The company represents you, and you’re focused solely on growing it.
  • Manager
    You make decisions when you’re forced to, rather than deciding at will.
  • Multi-tasking
    Many hats. Many, many hats. Simultaneously.
Mature company:
  • Consciously competent
    You’re deciding when to execute, why and how, confidently.
  • Wise
    Your decisions are based on experience, not solely on your smarts.
  • Works in spurts
    Productivity is peppered with sections of deep thought, walks, contemplation on where to go next.
  • Calculated risks
    A decision that goes wrong has a more measured effect on the company, so every decision is made carefully.
  • Longer term focus
    Making decisions today that will affect the company three, five, ten years from now.
  • Strategic
    Big-picture thinking, delegating tasks instead of being knee-deep in them.
  • Develops others
    Identifying others to take the lead on major aspects of the company and helping them achieve their goals.
  • Defined role
    Your have a single role: leader.

If things are going well, things should naturally transition into a leadership role. The key indicators that you’ve successfully crossed the chasm:

  1. You’re delegating more than doing things yourself.
  2. You spend most of your time developing others in their roles.
  3. Your role is defined (i.e. one hat).

My company is absolutely still in startup mode, but it’s exciting to see the transition happening in some areas already; glimpses of what’s coming down the road.

December 16th

There ought to be a law, I think, that in order to regulate something you have to have some understanding of it. And when people are saying things like, “This is just the rogue foreign Web sites” and “This only targets the bad actors” and “So you want universities to host illegal pirated versions of copyrighted content?,” it’s enough to make you claw out large fistfuls of your hair. No! No! Nobody is hosting anything. This bill would require service providers to cut off access to entire Web sites where users are deemed to be engaging in copyright infringement, not take down stolen content they posted themselves. That’s already against the law. But no one seemed to be able to express this.

When you have a signed letter from the engineers responsible for creating the Internet pointing out that this bill would jeopardize our cybersecurity, balkanize the Internet and create a climate of uncertainty that would stifle innovation, it seems odd to ignore it. As a general rule, when the people saying that this will have a horrible, chilling impact on something are the ones who created that thing in the first place, and the people who are saying, “Oh, no, it’ll be fine, it only targets the bad actors” are members of the Motion Picture Association of America, it seems obvious whose opinion you should heed.

The nightmarish SOPA hearings - Alexandra Petri (via llimllib)

(via llimllib)

December 14th

Thoughts on the GBTC

The Greater Baltimore Technology Council recently announced a shift in leadership, from Sharon Webb to Jason Hardebeck. On the surface, this looks like a great move. Jason, by all accounts, really gets the startup perspective and knows how to start shaping the GBTC into something attractive to emerging companies.

That said, I was very surprised to learn recently that the GBTC’s board is made up of thirty people. For a city as small as Baltimore, there is no need to have a board of that size. It just means agreeing on a strategy to move forward takes years instead of weeks. I really hope the board’s decision to appoint Jason was unanimous, because they need to be completely behind him if radical change is going to come to the GBTC.

Such a massive board size explains a lot of things, including why GBTC’s recent announcement about “startup focused” initiatives completely misses the mark.

To start, here’s a graphic that compares the (recently revamped) tiered membership costs of the GBTC:

Here’s a list of what the GBTC offers the startup community, how they compare to free offerings developed by the community itself, and some constructive criticism.
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Peer-to-Peer Roundtables
- Here is one area of the GBTC that I feel currently has a leg-up on the grassroots community. I’ve heard some great things about the GBTC roundtables, with some good collaboration coming out of it. The grassroots

Searchable Member Directory
- The Baltimore Tech Facebook group has a pretty solid membership. You won’t find the CEO of Under Armour on there, but anyone who’s truly interested in the community and helping it grow is already there and contributing.

Jobs & Gigs Board
- I’d be curious to see the overall reach of this. I’m not sure how many potential employees know about it. From the employee side, employers have just as much incentive to spread the word about a position opening, so if it’s on the GBTC board, it’s probably also on LinkedIn, the Facebook group and the BaltimoreTech.net jobs board.

GBTC & Community Calendars
- A calendar for paid GBTC events only, not an accurate snapshot of all the great tech events happening in Baltimore. We’d love to help solve this. The GBTC should also host (or sponsor) more free events to attract new prospects. Work with the community instead of competing against it.

Weekly eNewsletter
- How truly substantial are these newsletters? From what I’ve seen, these are just marketing missives that most folks subconsciously delete. It’d be awesome to see profiles of new GBTC members, fostering connections for them out of the gate.

Online Forums
- I’d be interested to see how active these forums are. I have a feeling the Facebook group is much more vibrant.

GBTC Collaborators
- I’m not sure how you couldn’t get access to these people outside of the GBTC. What’s a GBTC collaborator? Other members?

Regular Event Tickets
- I’d be interested to see more “regular” GBTC events happen throughout the year.

Special Event Tickets
- So, as an entrepreneur, you would have to shell out $1,200 before you don’t have to pay to get these. There are many startups who would rather spend $1,200 on some solid PR for the next few months vs. attending a networking event.

Premier Event Tickets
- Again, you have to shell out $1,200 before you don’t have to pay to get these, and even then, only two folks in your company can attend.

Educational Content
- It’d be interesting to see what exactly this contains. Some substantive free alternatives: Quora, Hacker News.

Online Ad (1 month run)
- If you’re registered with the GBTC as a startup, this option isn’t available to you. Shouldn’t the GBTC be highlighting new companies in the area for free, to show that they’re aware of everything cool coming up?

Online Video Profile (1 month run)
- Again, if you’re registered with the GBTC as a startup, this option isn’t available to you. Again, the GBTC should be a champion of startups in the community.
=========

My ultimate suggestion to the GBTC: if you really want to attract startups. Don’t tie all your services to memberships. Host an event every once in a while where if a company is less than a year old, it’s $15 per ticket. A person needs to know what kind of value they’re getting before they commit.

If an entrepreneur is going without a paycheck month after month until their company gets off the ground, they’re not going to spend $1,200 to see if the GBTC might be useful for them.

All this said, I am very encouraged by the recent appointment of Jason and look forward to seeing where he takes the organization.