My buddy just pointed out to me that another “Instagram for Video” announced funding today. This is a very quick post. What feels to me like a no-brainer in designing products that capture a rich user experience: is it something that you yourself can’t stop using? There have been plenty of posts about this in the past, too. Sure, baby products and medical devices don’t count. Sure, the CEO of Wal-Mart doesn’t shop at Wal-Mart, nor does the founder of Denny’s eat at Denny’s. But when you’re building a consumer internet product, and you’re a young company, it’s a different story. You have to connect with your product to understand it… And when it comes to these Instagram for Video companies, I have to wonder. Would you constantly update your life over video broadcast? I’ve heard the argument that you’re appealing to a (usually) younger, more exhibitionist demographic, but unless you yourself are a of the “Leave Britney Alone” generation, I suspect you’ll have trouble finding the winning UX.
Dieter Rams and Jony Ive embody pure, contagious inspiration.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
“Wap.”
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)
Lana Del Rey is torturous beyond her time, if her music hangs in. And this one is so sad and beautiful.
The kettle can wait.
Hemingway Challenge: Twenty-five Influential Writers Offer Original Fiction in 6 Words, No More, No Less.
John Updike: “Forgive me!” “What for?” “Never mind.”
Irvine Welsh: Eyeballed me, killed him. Slight exaggeration.
Norman Maller: Satan — Jehovah — fifteen rounds. A draw.
Andrea Siegel: “Welcome to Moeshe Christiansen’s Bar Mitzvah.”
Rick Moody: grass, cow, calf, milk, France
AM Homes: He remembered something that never happened.
Robert Olen Butler: Saigon hotel. Decades later. He weeps.
Tobias Wolff: She gave. He took. He forgot.
Courtney Eldridge: — I love you… — Love ya back.
Memoir, Jerry Stahl: You are not shit. You are!
Jamie O’Neill: All her life: half a house.
Edward Albee: Poison; meditation; skiing; ants — nothing worked.
Michael Cunningham: My nemesis is dead. Now what?
David Lodge: I saw. I conquered. Couldn’t come.
Brian Bouldrey: “Cyanide? Bitter almonds.” He knew. How?
Mary Gateskill: Father died. Mother triumphed. I left.
Pickney Benedict: “You? Her? No dice, fat boy.”
Bruce Benderson: Mother’s Day came, doubling Oedipus’ pleasure.
JT LeRoy: Tossed remorselessly, whiffle balls sure hurt.
Rebecca Miller: As she fell, her mind wandered.
Ben Greenman: It’s negative. Say hi to mom.
“A Short History of Academia,” by Sue Grafton: Horny professor. Failing coed. No tenure.
AG Pasquella: Shiva destroys Earth: “Well, that’s that.”
Nicholas Weinstock: Havana’s no place for hockey, coach.
As published in the Fall 2004 issue of BlackBook Magazine.
Building a Company is Hard
I’ve always hated the term “do what you love”.
Not sure why it’s grated on me but I’ve always found it trite. It’s too pretty a package for how messy and hard startup life actually is.
But, a few quotes last week have me warming to it.
I found the first floating in a sea of Steve Jobsisms:
Spot on. Feelin it.
Being Tim Devane: Start-Up Sales
We’ve all been reading that the current tech period we’re in is more stable and less bubbly because the multiples are more concrete. Big companies like Facebook, LinkedIn and Zynga have real, sustainable revenues to go along with their user growth and hype. Its a good sign for the longevity of…
Great stuff Tim.
Musings 