Month: February 2014

I Will Whisper a Secret to You

shushing
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More fad apps? I asked myself this question when I heard the release of Secret and Whisper.  Are these apps the new text versions of Snapchat? Questions Questions and why? Why would I use these apps for?

Secret and Whisper are virtually similar mobile applications that enable you to anonymously post things out there. Why would someone want to post something and think it is totally anonymous, when posting something anywhere on the internet leaves Data Exhaust. Such as your location and tidbits about yourself. It only takes a minimal amount of knowledge to trace those clues to find the poster. Have you not seen CSI or 24? To be serious the Secret app asks for access to your contacts, email address and phone number while Whisper does not, but Whisper posts can be seen, searched for, and commented on by all users. After awhile you could guess or use social engineering who commented on your post.

Anonymous or secret narcism. It could be fun to read these things for a bit. I would get board quickly knowing after awhile these are not secret truths, but mostly lies. I would stop using the app. The purpose behind these apps, the app makers say, is to return some of that anonymity back to the internet. I am not sure if there ever was any. As soon as you log on someone knows.

What makes these apps interesting is that it is almost an analogous to how Facebook, Email, and Twitter work. You know who you are talking to on the receiving and sending end of the conversation more or less. With these apps you can play around with the notion of not know who said what or read what.

People will find a way to know who posted something. Just wait for the first hacker to figure out a flaw in their system and then it will be game over. No more secrets.

Major patent expiration could spark a second 3D printing revolution | ExtremeTech

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Major patent expiration could spark a second 3D printing revolution | ExtremeTech.

SLS machines user a high-powered laser to fuse small particles of material, released almost as an aerosol, to the growing object. With this technology it is possible to print plastic, metal, ceramic, or glass — virtually anything that can be released as a powder and heat-fused to a growing print. If this technology comes down in price even a fraction as far as FDM has, the at-home 3D printing revolution could finally begin in earnest.

I am wondering who will be the first to list a SLS 3D printer on Kickstarter. The hack/maker versions I bet are on their way.

Below is a video of the SLS printing process and the finishing process. The finishing process produces some waste and you need to wear protective gear.

Trying to See Apple From a Different Angle – NYTimes.com

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Trying to See Apple From a Different Angle – NYTimes.com.

What is Apple to Wall Street? A growth company or value company. Is it a long term stock or is it a short term bet. Should Apple innovate nonstop. Apple is none of these. It is something different, but people want to place it into an existing category. Innovation does not happen when you call upon it and innovative break throughs do not happen everyday. If it did how innovative would it be. We would be dizzy with too much change. Things happen when the market is ready for it.  It can not happen everyday.

Disclosure: I own a Macbook Air, an iPhone and an iPad mini

Nancy Pelosi: ‘I’m in awe’ of the maker movement | VentureBeat | Gadgets | by Christina Farr

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Nancy Pelosi: ‘I’m in awe’ of the maker movement | VentureBeat | Gadgets | by Christina Farr.

I love it when politicians find out something new for the first time.

Welcome to the Era of the Hardware Startup | LinkedIn

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Welcome to the Era of the Hardware Startup | LinkedIn.

What I love about hardware startups is their willingness to take on and transform dauntingly complicated industries. Until recently, manufacturing had been almost exclusively the domain of big companies that can afford to build at scale. Now, these makers are turning the tables and showing the value of being both adaptable and close to your customers.

I agree. From talking with many hardware startups the momentum is definitely there. I often talk about this as we are now where we were in the 80’s 90’s when software development and computing was transforming from being obtainable only by big companies with deep pockets to everyone who has a PC can now code to create a program that is of value.

Hardware is very different than software. You can not develop a hardware product in a few days to a week. It takes time, patience, and more capital. It requires more relationships that last for a longer period of time.

There are still many hurdles to over come such as:

  1. How do we make the product development process streamlined or lean?
  2. How do we integrate in design for manufacturability into the process from the beginning?
  3. Where is the book of the shelf that people can go to with out a degree in supply chain management to learn how to talk to the factory?
  4. And funding…Will funding for hardware startups get easier over time?

There are a lot more questions to be asked and answered in this journey. I can’t cover them all here. In the future, I will write more about the process of hardware development.  I am going to tell stories from the trenches. What happened, what didn’t, how we solved the issues and how to approach these things in the future so it does not happen to you.

We have been seeing some great things from our clients. For most of them this is their first business. It is great to see them fill out their first Purchase Order ever. It is a great moment for them and for us.

The Product Group March 2014

The Product Group March 2014
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Last night I attended the March 2014 The Product Group Meetup run by Jeremy Horn. It was a packed house. They need another space to host this event. The theme of this month’s meetup was “Do you like your product person?”. There was the presentation of The Best Product Person of 2013 and then a lively discussion of the Featured Product, VenueBook.

The format of the event is organized well. Jeremy compares it to being home for Thanksgiving dinner. I can attest to that fact. Everyone just jumps in and the conversation goes around the room. Sometimes Jeremy pushes the discussion along so more people can participate. The discussions are always very active, informative and fun.

The format of the event is as follows:

First is the question of the evening. Everyone gets to introduce ourselves and say a simple answer to the question. This time it was “Do you like your product person?”, yes or no. My answer was a resounding yes!

The next part of the evening was announcing The Best Product Person of 2013. The winner was Adrian Jank. Congrats Adrian for winning this year.

The final part of the night was the discussion of the VenueBook product. VenueBook is an online SaaS System that venues and party planners use to effectively plan events and make reservations for the spaces. There is definitely more to it because VenueBook replaces the accounting systems and payment systems for the venues and planners. It is a great idea that time has come. From the looks of it, it makes planning an event very easy. Their database of venues is huge and of great quality. I have attended events at a lot of the venues listed. The discussion ranged from how they got into this business, what makes them unique in the market  to issues they would like the group to help them with. I will not get into details as I don’t want to reveal anything that could be released at a later time. Much to say is that they have some great people working with them on their team. I wish them the best of luck with their business.