For those that participate in the blogosphere – and by participate, I don't mean just "read" – there is a definite symmetry to the comments section. Comments typically start with a somewhat reasoned argument, and eventually devolve into comparing the author to Hitler by page 11. Paul Graham has written an interesting essay on disagreement on the web that makes compelling reading:

If we're all going to be disagreeing more, we should be careful to do it well. What does it mean to disagree well? Most readers can tell the difference between mere name-calling and a carefully reasoned refutation, but I think it would help to put names on the intermediate stages. So here's an attempt at a disagreement hierarchy.

(via DaringFireball)

-posted by Paul

Interesting development overseas...the French courts have ruled against a blog aggregate site, Fuzz, for printing a link pointing to an article containing details of the private life of actor Olivier Martinez. In typical French hyperbole, this judgment is being called "a black day for the French web." The courts held the website editor, Eric Dupin, liable for collecting and publishing links to articles of questionable validity, even though he didn't initially write the articles. (For those of you not familiar with Fuzz, it's similar to any aggregate site, such as Digg.) One of the reasons this story is interesting: the French court is saying that blog aggregators have the same level of journalistic responsibility as writers of original content. If you can read French, you can find more details in Le Figaro.

-posted by Rachel

For the second time in the last month, a Google executive has jumped ship for Facebook. Ethan Beard, the former director of social media at Google, will join the privately held company as director of business development.  Some speculate the move to infiltrate Google's ranks is a direct result of the social-networking company trying to provide some senior support to its 23-year-old CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.  They say the momentum started to shift from Google to Facebook much like it moved from Microsoft to Google about a year ago.  That's when ex-Googler and current Facebooker Justin Rosenstein wrote a public email declaring the social network (Facebook) was "the Google of yesterday, the Microsoft of long ago.  That company where large numbers of stunningly brilliant people congregate and feed off each other's genius."

Will people begin saying ‚ "Google is so last year"?

-posted by Andrew

Red Herring recently reported that Modu, the Israeli startup that the Guinness Book Of World Records claims has developed the lightest cellphone at 1.41 ounces, has raised $100 million in venture funding.  Not bad for a company that launched its phone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona earlier this year.  The company was founded just a year ago by Dov Moran the founder, chairman and ceo of M-Systems, which invented the USB Flash Drive.  Modu claims its phone can be slipped into a wide variety of Modu jackets and transformed into different electronic devices, from a phone to a digital camera to a music player.



Check out the picture of the phone.  It may remind you of the phone from one of my all-time favorite movies Zoolander.



-posted by Andrew

Blogs are obviously gaining in stature and influence compared to traditional media. This recent article by The Guardian offers up their list of the 50 "most powerful" (seemingly a euphemism for "most influential") blogs today. We regularly read a number of these, which makes us powerful by extension, right? Shockingly, this blog isn't on the list. Clearly an oversight. Maybe we're on the "most easily distracted" list.

-posted by Paul

The other week, I had the privilege of attending the Puget Sound Chapter of The American Marketing Association's monthly luncheon featuring Tillamook Cheese.  For those of you not from the Northwest, Tillamook is one of the iconic brands of the region.  That's right... Microsoft, Boeing, Nordstrom and Tillamook Cheese.

Tillamook's roots in the region span all the way back to 1894 and it has always operated as a farmer owned cooperative.  Jay Allison, Tillamook's Marketing VP, talked about the company's iconic brand, its strategic packaging which includes its recognizable Tillamook repetition on the label and much more.  To summarize... Tillamook's cheese tastes great but its iconic image and highly strategic sales plan may have more to do with its success.

My favorite piece of trivia from the speech... there are more cows than people in Oregon's Tillamook County.  Maybe happy cows come from Oregon and not California?

-posted by Andrew

It's well-documented by print journalists of the death of traditional radio stations.  While radio listening by the traditional mediums of a car stereo or portable radio may be dropping, listening to original stories from those organizations by other mediums (i.e... the internet) are not. 

For example, my client, Dipiti, was just featured on a local Seattle AM radio station called 710 KIRO.  The story (give a listen below) was part of Jason Brooks' CEO Spotlight and not only aired on the radio, but also on their website.  While most people I know didn't hear the story during their morning drive, they did hear it on KIRO's website.

My take on this whole death of traditional media; the way you'll get your news will change, the need for content will not.

Podcast

-posted by Andrew

Starbucks at its annual shareholder meeting has pledged it will get back to its roots - coffee. New equipment, better/more informed baristas, fresher coffee, yahda yahda. Sounds like a good branding 101 plan. Joe Pine, co-founder of Strategic Horizons LLP and an expert on marketing experiences, warns that the plan could go wrong if the company doesn't do a good job explaining the changes to baristas who will be responding to "confused customer's questions." Not sure what's confusing...Starbucks is going to give me a better latte. What I do find confusing though, is the company's plan to begin offering energy drinks and get into the health and wellness business. Pretty sure last time I checked energy drinks and caffeine weren't so great on the body. Oh well, I'm just happy about the better latte.

Allison Linn's MSNBC article has more info.

-posted by Adrienne

Seattle-based Lockdown Networks has closed its doors...but the story lives on in comments to a blog posting by the Seattle P-I's John Cook. It's pretty enlightening reading about the eternal push/pull between marketing and product design.

-posted by Rachel

These days, almost everyone has a mobile device, laptop or MP3 player. And we all know, these device aren't cheap. In the back of our minds we're always worried about them being stolen or lost. I'm willing to bet this has already happened to a large portion of users -- it's happened to me! Well, you can worry a little bit less now. There's a great new technology from our friends down in Portland, OR -- Gadget Trak. Gadget Trak has designed a new software that sits on your device and if stolen or lost, it basically reports back home.

Here's how it works, in general. You lose or have your device stolen. The next person to use the device activates the software, which then reports back to an email address (specified by you). It provides a variety of information -- where the device is (IP address, network, etc.), it takes a picture using the device phone (if you have a camera), forwards new number information if it's a phone, etc.. It can even render the device useless by locking it down if you so choose. There are obviously a variety of different flavors available and each one has slightly different features. But all in all, a very cool and inexpensive solution (starts around $20). You can then take the information to the police, and BAM, order in SWAT.

The company has been getting good traction. They been featured on MacWorld TV, FOX News, Dateline NBC -- and in Wired, NewsWeek, MSNBC and more. They're available on the MacStore, company web site and a variety of other places. They're even being bundled with Packard Bell computers.

-posted by Justin

John Gruber over at Daring Fireball rips into Wired for the (at least in his opinion) decreasing quality of the articles Wired magazine. His current target: the cover story by Leander Kahney on Steve Jobs.

For instance, Kahney writes:

Everybody is familiar with Google’s famous catchphrase, “Don’t be evil.” It has become a shorthand mission statement for Silicon Valley, encompassing a variety of ideals that — proponents say — are good for business and good for the world: Embrace open platforms. Trust decisions to the wisdom of crowds. Treat your employees like gods.

To which Gruber responds:

What do any of these things have to do with “evil”? Who, prior to Leander Kahney here in this piece, has decided that this is what Google means by not being evil? These three things may well be apt descriptions of Google’s corporate strategies (although it’s debatable), but they’re unrelated to Google’s “Don’t be evil” mantra. Mediocre employee cafeterias are evil?

I have to admit that I don't find this piece to be one of the better articles to come out of Wired... it is clear to me that Kahney started with a highly questionable theme (that Apple is judged "irredeemably evil" in light of the tech industry's thorough embrace of Google's mantra), and refused to let it go no matter how torturous the metaphor became later in the article. As a writer, I have run into this issue myself – sometimes your initial enthusiasm blinds you to thematic and structural issues down the road. Yet one would hope that Kahney's editors could work with him to improve the piece before publication. That appears not to have happened in this instance.

-posted by Paul

11/15/2104

At 14:52:28, FreedomFighter69 wrote:
Reporting my first temporal excursion since joining IATT: have just returned from 1936 Berlin, having taken the place of one of Leni Riefenstahl's cameramen and assassinated Adolf Hitler during the opening of the Olympic Games. Let a free world rejoice!

At 14:57:44, SilverFox316 wrote:
Back from 1936 Berlin; incapacitated FreedomFighter69 before he could pull his little stunt. Freedomfighter69, as you are a new member, please read IATT Bulletin 1147 regarding the killing of Hitler before your next excursion. Failure to do so may result in your expulsion per Bylaw 223.

At 18:06:59, BigChill wrote:
Take it easy on the kid, SilverFox316; everybody kills Hitler on their first trip. I did. It always gets fixed within a few minutes, what's the harm?

(via Kottke)

-posted by Paul

This gets very, very awkward.

Yes it does.

-posted by Paul

Ksenia Oustiougova, CEO of Lilipip has co-founded a new website that seeks to support women entrepreneurs in the Seattle area. Go take a look at PregnantWithStartup.com.

-posted by Rachel

So I'm fascinated by flash mobs, impromptu and seemingly random events that are often so over-the-top that they're funny enough for YouTube. A flash mob pillow fight is scheduled for Pike Place Market on Saturday, March 29 at 3:15 p.m. Details can be found here. Apparently, this is being sponsored by the Seattle Pillow Fight Club, proving that yes, indeedy, there is a hobby for everyone.

-posted by Rachel

With VOXUS client IdentiPHI in the biometrics-based security business, we thought it was pretty interesting to read how another local company is utilizing biometrics to make living in Florida a little safer for its residents. Sagem Morpho, with US headquarters in Tacoma, announced the deployment of its Rapid ID System throughout the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Mandated by the Jessica Lundsford Act (the young girl kidnapped and killed by a sexual predator), this system enables a police or parole officer on the street or in a remote location to use a small portable device to scan and send digital fingerprints through a closed network. Within seconds, the image is matched to a database of sex offenders, probationers and individuals with criminal records in Florida -- allowing safety personnel to more quickly apprehend wanted criiminals. Sounds nifty -- and maybe something we should consider in Washington.

-posted by Rachel

Used to be going green was associated with either 1) hippies 2) Kermit the Frog.  Not anymore.  Now awards about going green (i.e... environmentally friendly) are as mainstream as "best dressed" or "most likely to succeed."  Case in point, Washington CEO Magazine, that's best known for its "Best Companies To Work For" Awards.  Now the magazine is launching its first ever "Green Washington" Awards.  Submissions are due by March 21st and the magazine says the awards "will recognize companies and organizations whose initiatives and actions shape, educate and provide a catalyst for environmental sustainability -- clean technology, recycling, carbon footprints, and more -- in Washington state."

Apparently, it's easy (and cool) being green these days.

-posted by Andrew

Apple hasn't always caught my eye... making the MacBook Air a rare exception. Every time the commercial comes on, where the MacBook Air is pulled out of a manila envelope, the longing to own one intensifies. Recently, reviews for the MacBook Air have highlighted a few negative aspects. Including faults like the MacBook Air doesn't include a built-in optical drive, FireWire, Ethernet, mobile broadband, and the fact that it only has one USB port. And like with its other laptops, Apple refuses to outfit the Air with a media-card reader or an expansion card slot. There has even been controversy surrounding MacBook Air's claim to be the "world's thinnest notebook." Some say the Mitsubishi laptop from 1997 was even thinner. Still, none of these faults have stopped my wishful thinking that someday a trade will be made for my iBook G4 to a slim and sleek MacBook Air...

Find more info on one of MacBook Air's latest reviews.

-posted by Shawnna

Rachel just posted about an interesting "workplace experiment" over at 37signals. I'm a huge fan of the company, regularly use their Backpack hosted application and routinely read the company's popular "Signal vs Noise" blog. In fact, I was reading this particular entry at home when Rachel called and asked what I was doing. I replied "learning about how to make VOXUS better..." or words to that effect, and I am always looking for good ideas. As such, I have some thoughts on the 37Signals experiment, which breaks down into three areas:

Shorter Work Weeks: the company has instituted a 4-day work week...

We found that just about the same amount of work gets done in four days vs. five days. So if that’s the case we could either push everyone to work harder during those five days or we could just skip one of those days. We decided to skip one of those days. So recently we’ve instituted a four-day work week as standard. We take Fridays off. We’re around for emergencies, and we still do customer service/support on Fridays, but other than that work is not required on Fridays.

The last sentence is the kicker. This abbreviated work week is not a new concept, and I agree with it in general as it applies to companies that produce products. Hell, I had friends that worked at aerospace companies that were doing this in the 80s and 90s, and I wouldn't be at all surprised to hear that it goes back further than that. But notice that 37Signals doesn't give its customer service/support business an extra day off. Why? Because a service business has to run on its customer's schedule. From our standpoint, even having our primary account folks work a part-time schedule is problematic, because in a service business clients expect to be able to reach you whenever they need you, and expect you to deliver work on their schedule, not yours. Certainly there is a great deal of latitude in approaching this issue, and a strong set of mobile and collaborative tools can work wonders. But it remains a fundamental difference between companies that manufacture goods and companies that provide a service.

Funding People's Passions: another 37Signals innovation...

We decided that 37signals would help people pay for their passions, interests, or other curiosities. We want our people to experience new things, discover new hobbies, and generally be interesting people. Part of the deal is that if 37signals helps you pay, you have to share what you’ve learned with everyone. Not just everyone at 37signals, but everyone who reads our blog. So expect to see some blog posts about these experiences.

This is... insightful. I am quite intrigued by the approach, which is a riff on the traditional "lunch and learn" that has been kicking around at companies for years. I'm not sure what we're going to do with the idea yet, but it's definitely a keeper.

Discretionary Spending Accounts: and finally...

We’re in the process of giving everyone at 37signals a credit card. If you want a book or some software or you want to go to a conference, it’s on us. We just ask people to be reasonable with their spending. If there’s a problem, we’ll let the person know. We’d rather trust people to make reasonable spending decisions than assume people will abuse the privilege by default.

Again, not a new idea, and we already more or less do this at VOXUS. The part I like best about their approach is embodied in the last two sentences. I have personal experience with companies that basically managed down to the lowest common denominator; if someone did something wrong, an entirely new policy or process was instituted company-wide to address the issue with one person. Which is just dumb, and frankly an example of bad management. Trust, verify and correct is much better.

I still don't see this working into a trip to Greece for Rachel, however.

-posted by Paul

I like to think that VOXUS has taken the lead in creating an enjoyable work atmosphere -- but my hat is off to the folks at 37signals (www.37signals.com), that nifty little company that brought Basecamp and Campfire to the market for building collaborative work environments. According to a blog post, 37signals has adopted several new workplace strategies for 2008 that I'd like my boss to take note of: four day work weeks (oh, yeah, I'm so there), stipends to pay for the development of new hobbies (I'm thinking I'd like to learn Greek...in Greece) and individual credit cards for discretionary spending (see previous reference to Greece). I used to envy the cafeterias, bus systems, massages and gyms for Microsofties and Googlers, but now those perks seem so old school.

-posted by Rachel

Although we're not sure what to call it (anniversary? birthday?), VOXUS was officially TWO YEARS OLD on Saturday, March 1. To celebrate we gave everybody the day off. Woo Hoo! And for the record... over the past two years our staff and revenues have both tripled. Not a bad present at all. Special thanks go out to all of our fantastic clients... we couldn't have done it without you. Here's to Year Three!

-posted by Paul

UPDATE: pictures from the party on Monday...

Attention, ladies: according to this month's Cosmopolitan, the Number One new hot spot for meeting single men is...the Apple store nearest you. Find an outlet -- and maybe true love -- here.

-posted by Rachel

The perception of the casual gaming space never ceases to amaze me. The phrase "casual gaming," while really applicable across any platform or game, has commonly been associated with lower-end games such as Bejeweled or Cake Mania that you can play online or through a mobile phone (cost, below $20). The developers and publishers that traditionally ruled this market (PopCap, Sandlot (our client), WildTangent, etc.), grew it from its infancy, established the general definition of what a casual game is, built a consumer model that actually worked, and started turning a nice profit. And for all that hard work, what did they get? Exactly what you would expect -- a veritable who's who of big time gaming companies that are trying to muscle in on the market (and possible redefine what a casual gamer is). If you have a minute, check out this new article on MSNBC. It talks about the great race to grab market share and the challenge to define a casual game. What's really interesting is that the writer opted to speak only with the larger companies, not the smaller developers that created this space. Whoops!

Some quick facts:
-currently an estimated 56 million casual gamers worldwide
-in 2008 the market is estimated to gross $1 billion
-casual gamers make up about 1% of the $20.5 billion game-software market

-posted by Justin

Just discovered a new mobile service that helps identify songs based on user voice, hum or whistle. Yes, that's right, you sing into your phone and the service will return possible matches. The service, brought to my attention by FierceMobileContent, is now available for Symbian OS S60 devices, with additional support to come. Check them out at www.melodis.com...

-posted by Lindsay