Blog

Unlimited choice seems to be the defacto "nirvana" when it comes to any and all things video. We all want what we want, when we want it, how we want it, for free if at all possible.

The reality is that even though we may index everything and anything digital and use search engines thinking we truly have access to everything, that is far from the truth. Google users "choice" goes as far as their search algorithms take the first results page. Rare is the search that goes beyond the 1st page. Which is exactly why … Read more

This post is not about the potential Microsoft/Yahoo merger.

Instead, let's just assume for the moment that Microsoft succeeds in its bid for Yahoo.

What would a Microsoft/Yahoo merger mean for startups in Silicon Valley?

Some smart people whom I respect a great deal believe that a Microsoft/Yahoo merger would be bad for Silicon Valley startups.

Says Bill Burnham, for example: "By swallowing up Yahoo, Microsoft will be removing one of the biggest and most active acquirors of start-ups in Silicon Valley... [making] M&A less competitive in general and [reducing] the # of potential exits... [which is] bad news for Internet [startups] and their VC backers anyway you look at it."

I respectfully disagree;… Read more

This week the Soundtrack to Juno bounded to number one on the charts. A measly 65k units is all it took. Not great for a #1, but these days, its a great total for any theatrical soundtrack. Which raises a question. If a best selling soundtrack sells about 100k units, and 99pct of the rest sell under 10k units, is selling a soundtrack the best use of the music ?

I think not. Whether sold digitally or by CD, the reality of today's music and theatrical release market is such that music from movies would generate more total dollars for … Read more

I ordered a MacBook Air site unseen. That's a first for me.

As I write this I'm about to go workout and it dawns on me that I'm on my 3rd generation of Apple iPod. I started with the original, switched to a bigger version (to back up all my pics and show off my kids to my friends) and then for the holidays, got myself and wife an iTouch.

Goodbye ipod. With the new $20 dollar software that I downloaded yesterday, my iTouch gives me music, pictures and now email, calendar and a very cool basic … Read more

There once was a time when the release date of an album was exciting. For our favorite artists we knew when the last album came out and when the next album was due. If you loved the artist you bought it. If you didn't you either bought the single or you listened to the album with your friends and then decided.

As the price of records and then CDs increased year by year, spending 20 bucks for a CD became a purchase you needed to be sure of rather than a no brainer or impulse buy.

Then free became … Read more

I'm incredibly excited to share with you something that our good friend Steve Hargadon just pointed out to us.

This is a list of user-created social networks on Ning in and around the world of education.

Each of these social networks was created by someone who signed up for an account on Ning, created a network, and then invited in friends, colleagues, and/or students to interact around specific educational topics.

I love this list because it is a vivid illustration of what it means for there to be almost 150,000 social networks on Ning already, with hundreds … Read more

First, a big thank you to all of my readers who made my first year (pro-rated) of blogging so much fun and so satisfying!

Second, here's my blogging plan for 2008:

* Continued blogging about startups, entrepreneurship, Silicon Valley, and related topics. Including many ongoing installments of the Pmarca Guide to Startups.

* Profiles and in-depth analysis of creative professionals across several domains. What do programmers, serial entrepreneurs, writers, artists, cartoonists, film directors, and stand-up comedians have in common? They're all creative professionals, who totally master their fields and then create on a sustained basis throughout a career that can … Read more

I had heard there was a 5k friend limit on Facebook. I just didn't take it to heart. Until I reached 5k and tried to add 5001., at which point FB reminded of the limit.

It was a weird moment, but actually one that I have come to respect and appreciate. Facebook went from being a way to broadcast information to 5k people, probably 4k of which I didn't know or even have a business link to, to a platform I either had to take seriously or walk away from.

I try to have open lines of communications … Read more

I love the feedback on my position on P2P traffic. The well thought out "You Suck", " Or "the internet isnt that way", or "The ISP is selling me 10mbs, I can use it anyway I want."

Guess what, business models do evolve over time. You may want your ISP to be exactly how you want it to be. You may read into your experience with them anything you want. But it can and will change if the economics don't work for them. No amount of whining about "what the internet is … Read more