Here's the situation. I have about three cubic meters of obsolete computers, peripherals, and other electronic crap sitting in storage. A couple of ancient Macs (including a pair of PowerBook 2400c "netbooks"). Miscellaneous printers and scanners. Disk drives. A fax machine. At least one stereo system. A handful of Handspring/Palm Treos. Probably a … [Read more...]
Archives for 2009
Thoughts on Reliability
February 19, 2009 by
I grew up in the Bell System, where reliability was second only to safety as an overriding concern. If a phone company employee caused a 15-second service outage, they'd certainly get counseled by their manager, and perhaps referred to additional training. If he caused a 15-minute outage, he'd get reviewed in front of his manager's manager. Not … [Read more...]
Edward Tufte course coming to Atlanta
February 15, 2009 by
I've recommended Edward Tufte's books many times... you can see some of my previous comments here and here. He's going to be in Atlanta next month. If your job consists of presenting complex information on paper or on screen, you should go: <http://www.edwardtufte.com/tufte/courses>. … [Read more...]
Capital Calls
January 31, 2009 by
There has been a lot of noise lately about venture capital funds in trouble because their investors are missing capital calls. Which, at first blush, doesn't make sense because venture funds are supposed to be "decoupled" from public markets. The key bit of knowledge that surprises many people is that venture funds don't have any money. They're … [Read more...]
KOOZA
January 14, 2009 by
Cissa and I went to see KOOZA last night under the big tent (Grand Chapiteau) at Atlantic Station. Incredible acrobatics as always, but this is nowhere near my favorite Cirque du Soleil performance. As I Twittered last night, this production needed more gymnastics and fewer fart jokes. That being said, I'm curious about one thing. During … [Read more...]
TAG Top 40 Applications
January 9, 2009 by
The first slot in the 2009 TAG Top 40 has already been spoken for! Simatra — a VentureLab graduate and ATDC member — won the special Startup Gauntlet competition in December. TAG is now looking for 39 more companies to be featured at the annual Georgia Technology Summit, March 3, 2009, at Cobb Galleria Center. This year's Summit will feature a … [Read more...]
Double-Sided Jigsaw Puzzle
January 3, 2009 by
I bought my wife a double-sided jigsaw puzzle for Christmas. The same scene is printed on both sides, but rotated ninety degrees. So, from looking at a piece, you can't immediately tell which way is up! To me, it's a recipe for frustration and futility. But Cissa calmly cleaned off a glass-topped table and found a hand mirror... I swear, … [Read more...]
Carrying a Camera
January 1, 2009 by
Advice to a friend who is planning a trip to Australia, and wants to know which camera to carry... If you're going to Australia just to take photographs, buy a DSLR and all the lenses/accessories your chiropractor will let you carry. If you're taking your family, buy something like my Canon A720is, and focus on the experience, not the … [Read more...]
