Monthly Archives: September 2008

TechCrunch 50 – winners or losers?

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You won’t know what these companies are up to from the names, but soon most of the TechCrunch 50 startups will be online:  http://www.techcrunch50.com/2008/conference/presenters.php

Thanks to live streaming of the conference it’s almost like I’m watching / listening right now.

I still think that the startup ecosystem is wildly unpredictable, and more like an evolutionary process where the losers drop out and winners bubble up as a result of processes that effectively swamp out factors under the direct control of the players.    Google, Yahoo, Myspace, Facebook and most of the huge success stories with online technologies not at all the product of tight, rational, “follow-your-perfect-biz-models”, instead their success were the product of social forces as much as technological ones or tech implementations at the companies.    I think this is even more likely as the number of new internet companies has mushroomed from hundreds per year to tens of thousands.

Of course the TechCrunch 50 is not simply a selection process.   By exposing the companies to key players representing billions in prospective venture capital, it is a surprise that virtually all of these companies don’t enjoy at least modest success.   This is only year two so it’s not clear how last year’s companies will fare ove time though early indications seem to suggest … not that much better than other startups.

TechCrunch 50 Startups, Live Feed, and … Ashton Kutcher?

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TechCrunch 50 began today.  It is the brainchild of Jason Calacanis and Mike Arrington of the TechCrunch blog and is by far the world’s most influential startup conference, effectively eclipsing “Demo” in terms of buzz and influence.    Judges include some amazing folks like Marissa Mayer of Google, Mark Cuban, and many more luminaries of the startup world.   Unlike Demo where you pay about 18,000 to strut your startup stuff, TechCrunch 50 is free to those startups chosen to participate and offers other “Web 2.0” sensibilities I really like.   52 startups will debut at the conference and in a KUDO MOVE they are live streaming the entire conferece here:   TC 50 live stream

Arrington and Calacanis are really exceptional BuzzMeisters.    One of the startups they are showcasing was allowed to announce it beforehand, unlike those of the unknowns.    Blah Girls, by Ashton Kutcher and his hollywood production partner, promises to be … ?

Note:  I can claim the prestige – or lack thereof – as a TechCrunch 50 loser as our Retirement project failed to make the final 50 out of over 1000 applicants for spots at the conference.   We could have gone into their demo pit – a discounted version of normal conference attendance where you still get access to the key players and get to show your stuff – but we opted out of that.  Retire USA won’t officially launch for several months as we’ve slowed our project development but we still promise a great website, blog, and resource for retirement lifestyle planning at any age.

Oregon Coast Highway 101 – The Pacific Coast National Scenic Byway

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Whenever I travel out of Oregon, which is pretty often,  I can’t help but make comparisons with the geography in other states and countries.    Although I’m a big fan of California which is a lot like Oregon, and a fan of the longer detailed histories you’ll find in other countries and states, it’s very hard to find things to compare with the natural splendor of the things we’ve got right here in my very favorite state.

The most recognizable natural wonders here are the Oregon Coast and Crater Lake National Park (Crater Lake NP is featured on the official Oregon Quarter!).   Crater Lake is spectacular as are the sweeping mountains, rivers and cityscapes but I think the most unique feature of Oregon is our 363 miles of unspoiled, almost 100% gorgeous coastline.    In fairness to other states with great coasts Oregon lacks the warmth of, say, a Waikiki or even Los Angeles beach, but we make up for that with scenery that is unmatched anywhere on earth.   Over at the Oregon Coast blog I’m starting to post pictures of the coast with comments and hoping to get some guests adding their own take on our wonderful Oregon Coast.

The Oregon Coast Mile by Mile Website is from the Official Printed Guide to the Oregon Coast and covers every city along the coast as well as attractions, hotels, and more:

Astoria to Seaside
Cannon Beach to Manzanita
Manzanita to Tillamook
Tillamook to Lincoln City
Lincoln City to Newport
Newport to Yachats
Yachats to Florence
Florence to North Bend
Coos Bay to Port Orford
Port Orford to California

Cape Arago Highway
Highway 6
Three Capes Loop Highway

Matt Cutts from Google

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Matt Cutts at the Google Dance
Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

It’s always great to get a chance to talk to Matt Cutts at search conferences though I didn’t have any good complicated search questions to bug him about this year. Matt is one of the early Google folks and arguably the most knowledgeable search expert in the world since he’s one of the few people who knows the Google algorithm inside out. Matt’s actually listed on the key Google search patent.

Today I noticed that Matt’s post about Google Chrome is near the top at Techmeme after some early reports suggested Google was going to nab all the info people created via use of the Chrome browser. Although I do not worry about Google stealing the content I create using their tools I was surprised in the discussion at Matt’s blog to see how people probably do not understand how much of your data from searches, emails, and other online tools is analyzed by search engines, ISPs, and probably at least a few government agencies. I wrote over there:

Well, I’m sure folks like Marshall knew that Google was not out to steal content. What people should be as concerned about is how the Chrome datastream will be processed now and over time, and how open will it be to examination by companies for advertising purposes ? Personally I’m OK with that but I think many people are not, and the lack of transparency in this area bothers me.

Somebody even suggested I was foolish to think they’d use Chrome data to target advertising, to which I replied:

Josh – you are naive to assume Google does so little with the search term data they explicitly say they have the right to collect. In Gmail, for example, some portion of your header is read by Google (probably just the title and not the content) so that ads can be targeted to you on those topics. Google Toolbar collects a lot of information and my understanding this helps target PPC advertisements though I’m not sure about that. As i noted I’m personally OK with this level of snooping, but I believe Google should make it much clearer what they do with the data they collect and probably also have options so users can delete any information they created – including their search streams – as they see fit.

Google’s “Google Chrome” Browser

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Update:  Google Chrome is now available.   I’m only starting to test it but it seems very, very fast, intuitive, and impressive.

——–  earlier ———–

Google will soon launch an internet browser in what promises to be one of the most significant online developments in some time.  Based on the comic book intro they’ve used to warm up users to the new application, Google Chrome will effectively turn the browser into an operating system.    Perhaps the most significant change is that Chrome will open new tabbed windows for each application it runs (much like MS Windows).    This feature should help isolate problems during browsing and Google says it will create a superior environment for running the many embedded applications that are now part of a typical browsing session.    I’m not clear yet if this is fundamentally different from opening several internet explorer or FireFox browser windows which is also fairly typical.

In any case Google’s entry into the browser market is likely to shake up the online landscape, where only FireFox and Microsoft IE Explorer have any significant market share at about 20% for FF and about 79% for Microsoft IE.    Google promotions of Firefox have been largely responsible for it’s success, so it’ll be interesting to watch how this move affects the browser equation.

Browser software does not monetize directly, but since it is the gateway to the internet it’s a key part of the online revenue equation.   Were it not for the antitrust lawsuits against Microsoft it is almost certain that MS would have a much greater search market share as they could have made it much more difficult for users to change their search choices and could have taken advantage of the integration of the browser and the Windows operating system.   Thanks to the rules imposed in the Microsoft lawsuits and Google’s superior search, Google has been eating Microsoft’s search lunch for years.   This move, unless it backfires, will consolidate Google’s search dominance at the expense of MS and to a much lesser extent Firefox, which is an open source non-profit but also makes tens of millions each year from Google search revenues which are likely to diminish as people move to Google Chrome.