Startup.com * * * *

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I’m not sure if I enjoyed this documentary so much because it was great or just because I’m very  familiar with the internet bubble, startup themes, and the complications of getting up and going with a large internet project.

I found Startup.com fascinating, touching, and tragic.    The true life documentary, condensed brilliantly from some 400 hours of footage, follows childhood pals Tom and Khalial as they conceptualize and build a site for government business interactions called GovWorks.com, raise 60 million dollars in Venture Capital, and then preside over the collapse of the company, friendly relationships, and more.    

A little more research reveals why this is so good.  It’s by Jhane Noujaim, one of the world’s most brilliant documentary filmmakers.  She made “Control Room” about spin before and as the Iraq War began, and she’s the winner of the prestigious TED Prize in 2006.    

  • Noujaim Films
  • Jehane Noujaim at the Internet Movie Database
  • Official Control Room website
  • Jehane Noujaim’s 26 min TEDPrize Talk at TED Conference (2006) Monterey, CA.
  • International Trailer
  • Control Room at the Internet Movie Database
  • Metacritic – Control Room review collection
  • Rotten Tomatoes – Control Room review collection
  • Open Directory Project – Control Room directory category
  • Pangea Day

    • WebGuild’s Guide to Twitter

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    What?  You are not Tweeting like a twittering maniac?    Daya at WebGuild has a nice feature – a guide to Twitter and how to set up and use the messaging and “microblogging” service that has taken the tech world by storm.   In fact Twitter is now as important to many tech folks as blogging because I think it has connected people in a fast, fun, and informal way as well as allow links to blog posts which have more substance.    Although I still prefer blogs because I think they offer more thoughtful, detailed information, Twitter is a far better people connector, allowing people to keep in touch with friends, allowing thousands to “eavesdrop” on conversations, and allowing everybody to participate actively with tech movers and shakers.

     

     

    Breaking News or Broken News?

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    This silly Reuters article suggests that a recent Twitter episode suggests that Twitter has  attained some significance as a news mechanism.     I’m a huge fan of Twitter and use it regularly and think it’s representative of a lot of interesting online social trends, but (unlike normal blogging)  Twitter microblogging is hardly a threat to journalism and probably will never be a threat.

    The scoop was that Dave Winer asked on Twitter about an “Explosion” in Virginia and the chatter stream (aka Tweets), eventually led to the correct answer – a tiny earthquake in Falls Church VA.     More important than the fact this tiny event was hardly “breaking news”, it was very broken news and probably worried a lot of people until the “explosion” became a tiny rumble.

    Again, Twitter is great, but let’s not go stupid here and start thinking Twitter represents a radical restructuring of our information universe.  

     

    Ballmer has left the Building

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    Talks between Microsoft and Yahoo have stalled and may be over.   33 vs 37 per share.    I still think Microsoft is just calling what better be a bluff by Yahoo, because if they don’t take this MS offer the stock is going back to the sub 20’s and Yahoo is looking at a huge number of shareholder lawsuits asking why they sabotaged the offer of $33 when they are only worth $19 without Microsoft.

    Here is my view at Webguild with the letter to Yang from Ballmer

    Pork Ball Restaurant, Shanghai Near Bund

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    Pork Ball Restaurant, Shanghai Near Bund 596

    Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

    On the China trip I enjoyed the Shanghai street food more than that of Beijing but not sure if that really represnted differences in the cities of just where I happened to go.

    These Shanghai dough balls had a rolled pork ball in the middle and were then steamed and fried on one side. Yum! However my favorite dish during the 14 day trip was the simple, but simply perfect Wonton Soup served near our hotel in Shanghai.

    Video Game Primer for Parents

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    This excellent PBS post from an MIT researcher debunks some of the mythology about gaming and youth, though to me he seemed a bit too quick to discount the growing body of research making connections between game violence and real world violence.  That said, few understand how there is NOT a large body of evidence to suggest gaming is “bad”.     More appropriate is the mantra “All Things in Moderation”.  I’d urge parents to simply keep in touch with the games your children play, and engage them about the content

    As Grand Theft Auto smashes onto the scene, breaking records for one day sales (close to 200,000,000), it’s becoming clear that gaming is a key force in the online and offline world.    Parents would be well advised to learn a lot more about this so you can better understand forces that are driving your kids behavior and spending patterns as well as shaping popular culture and economics.    Gaming will soon surpass motion pictures as an entertainment revenue category.

    Confused about Game Consoles and Platforms?   Read my son’s Video Games Guide

     

     

    PEK Airport – Beijing China. Know Your Terminal! Hint – it is probably “3”

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    PEK Beijing – Know Your Terminal!

    When travelling to or from Beijing’s Airports, keep these items in mind:

    BCIA stands for “Beijing Capital International Airport” and is commonly used when referencing the Beijing Airport even though PEK is the same Airport.

    Know your Terminal! PEK is a *huge* Airport, and the taxi will need to know which Terminal you are departing from. My United Airlines PEK to SFO flight was from Terminal three and I think most international departures are now from that terminal. Your hotel concierge may ask you “which airport” and I think they really mean “which terminal”. Clear this up before getting in the Taxi as the Chinese Taxi drivers rarely (read that as “never”) speak English. If you plan to use Taxis in China be sure to get the excellent printed cards from your concierge (or make some yourself before you leave) that list locations in Chinese so the driver will understand where you want to go.

    PEK is the Airport Code for Beijing’s main Airport which, without much traffic, is approximately a 40-50 minute taxi ride from most areas of the city. The cost for the taxi should be about 100 Yuan, perhaps a little more. In Beijing and Shanghai always ride in taxis with meters to avoid scams.

    Note: This is a repost from AirportCityCodes.com, where this got no traction. I’m trying to see how the ranking will differ at JoeDuck which has higher authority with Google, seemingly pretty much for anything I write about!

    Beijing Table Tennis

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    Beijing Table Tennis

    Originally uploaded by JoeDuck

    We had a lesson from a former member of the China National Team here in the TT club located in the Basement of the huge sporting goods store on Wanfujing Street, Beijing’s big shopping area.

    Translating for me is my pong pal Dr. Kevin Wu, the best medford oregon dentist who is also a very good table tennis player.