Month: December 2008

  • Tech Predictions for 2009

    As we gear up for 2009, there remains many questions about the economy and the growth curve of the technology industry. As a team, we have come up with predictions for 2009. Ray Capece, Venture Files editor for Technosailor.com and I make our predictions. As always, these are predictions. Last year, we were dangerously accurate…

  • Words That Must Die in 2009

    As this is the end of the year, we are required by some unwritten law to go through certain exercises. Among those are a required “predictions” post, certain holiday-related posts and of course, like last year, a list of words that have been so overused in the past year that we hope they will die…

  • UK Plans to Keep Kids Safe on the Web, Ignores History

    2008 is drawing to a close, a new U.S. Presidential Administration is on the threshold of taking power and the UK is seriously looking to the largest age restriction initiative ever undertaken in the history of the internet. In the UK, there is a such thing as a Culture Secretary who is responsible for the…

  • Happy Holidays!

    As a token of my gratitude for all those who have read the posts here, linked to them or participated with us in conversations that are increasingly occurring beyond the walls of this blog, we would like to extend our best holiday greetings to all of you. Feliz navidad y prospero año. You are a…

  • The CES Pitch

    2009 is rapidly approaching, and as a 10 year veteran of CES I’ve seen it from many different angles. I’ve been there as a tiny underfunded startup using a hotel room to do all demos and I’ve taken center stage in a multi-million dollar booth. I’ve attended as press and I’ve pitched the press. From…

  • Announcing WordCamp Mid-Atlantic

    Mark your calendars for May 16, 2009. This is the date for the first WordCamp Mid-Atlantic, a regional WordCamp organized for WordPress users in Washington, D.C., Baltimore and Philadelphia. We have locked down the venue as University of Baltimore Thumel Business Center, which has also been the facility for a variety of other events –…

  • Transit Authority Rejects Openness, Thumbs Nose at Web

    Everyday, I travel the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority – usually on the DC area trains, but occasionally on local buses and commuter rails as well. Increasingly, I am frustrated by the ability of the transit system to handle schedules, broken escalators, delays and weather conditions and a myriad of other challenges that should be…

  • The Dickensian 2008: A Look Back

    This year might be the strangest year ever. It roared in with news of Robert Scoble having his Facebook account suspended for utilizing scripts to sync data between Plaxo and Facebook in violation of Facebook’s Terms of Service. Of course, the year ends with Facebook opening up fbConnect in a way to share that same…

  • Getting Physical

    “I love software,” my friend used to say, “But it’s soooo dehumanizing!” Perched 18 feet in the air atop a scissors lift the other day — I resisted the urge to shout, “I’m the king of the world!” — it occurred to me that variety in work not only makes work more enjoyable, it’s essential…

  • Moving on From Lijit

    As the economy continues to spiral downward, and more companies are trying to extend their runways for as long as possible, we are hearing about an increasing number of layoffs. When you’re a contractor, you always sort of have it in the back of your mind that your number could be called at any time.…