BlogSat

Warning: I was in bit of a ranting mood as I boarded a late-evening bus back to NYC when I started this post, but didn't get around to finishing it much later, so the tone may change a bit. :) There's an interesting interview with Mark Pincus., well.. there's an interview with Mark Pincus, in the NYTimes. Now Zynga is extremely successful right now, and Mark Pincus seems like a pretty smart guy. I was at a conference where Pincus was on a panel and he was by far the most interesting and opinionated person there, and clearly pretty sharp. But I have a problem with this article. I find the "everyone is a CEO" terminology annoying and condescending. Why on earth do people feel like they need to be told to be the CEOs of something to do their job well? The real problem I have with this: its seldom true. I appreciate the power of the words to inspire and the empowerment that people feel when you tell them this. For example, you're probably a lot more likely to t...

On the day that I learned I was definitely getting to move to NYC, I visited the Daily Show website and looked to see how I could get tickets to a taping of the Daily Show with Jon Stewart. Then, I got a date that seemed, back then, ages away: nearly 4 months later in January 2010. Well today was that day, so I skipped out of work for a few hours in the afternoon (fear not any Googlers reading this- back now and here a while. :)) and braved the NYC cold to catch the taping. What I learned: The warm-up guy Paul Mercuio was pretty funny. He made fun of a Investment Banker in the first row that ended with "Why do you kee p looking at your wife? Is she your attorney? Oh...she IS an attorney....Well, Sue me later." (you had to be there) They don't let you take pictures inside the studio and warn you about it repeatedly, so the only proof I have that I went is the picture of the entrance ticket attached. The studio is surprisingly small. Lesson: everything looks bigger on TV...

Going to the gym: good Going to the gym late at night: not ideal, but ok Going to the gym wearing a shirt with the word "Donuts" on it: gets you some strange looks.:) Said shirt below:

On the flight, I kept switching between the Dexter DVD on my laptop and the John Oliver stand-up. more ADD signs? :)

I'm always glad when Google announces products. It means I can finally talk to my non-Google friends about them. :) Like most Googlers, I've been using the Nexus One for a little less than a month now, and ..drum roll please... it's changed my life! The first line on the video sums it up: "sometimes a great idea is a few good ideas meeting for the first time" Even with incremental improvement, you get to a point where things are done well enough to get users past a tipping point and drive that change in behavior. Let me give you an example. I'd occasionally read docs on my last phone (G1), but would simply never consider reading a book on it, but on the Nexus One the screen was just wide enough, the resolution and brightness just right enough, and the form factor just comfortable enough that despite some skepticism I started..and finished an entire novel . Similar stories apply for my music, my gmail, my use of Google Maps, the apps in Google App Marketplac...

Of course one of my resolutions for 2010, was to blog more: so here goes. :) I finished two books in December. American on Purpose: The improbable adventures of an unlikely patriot which is Craig Ferguson 's autobiography. Ferguson is, in my opinion, the funniest late-night host there is today, and its not even close. I probably watch Leno more often, but no one makes you laugh as hard, and for reasons you don't even completely understand. Others need their jokes to make you laugh. Craig Ferguson can have you in splits just be being himself. He's written a novel before that was great, and the tone he employs is similar. He talks a lot very honestly about growing up, drifting, his love life, his friends, his fascinating attempts at a string of professions, passion for life and America, and struggles with alcoholism. Its simple, funny and very honest writing. It's also a great life, with some amazing stories. If you're a fan or even know him from TV, its definite...