What is Flipboard and why is it so cool?

It is being billed as a “social magazine”. It is “The stuff you care about, all in one place.”

Basically it is a simplified reading interface for links and pictures posted to twitter and facebook.  There are some “channels”, but it looks to me like these are actually coming from twitter accounts (like the HackerNews channel is from one of the HackerNews twitter feeds). So that is what it is, but why is it cool?

Not many people know.

The problem is that in order to get personalized content, it has to run through their servers. Well, that isn’t a problem per se, but their servers are overloaded, so the end result is a very generic experience and a lot of “hope” and “potential” for how it might work once it works right.

I get the concept. I love the concept. I have even been working on something similar for a while (though I take a different approach). So, at least as far as my app (Purple Lynx) and Flipboard are similar, I understand why it is cool. I have experienced it.

When friends post a link to twitter or facebook, they are saying that it is interesting. Theoretically, you are likely to be interested in similar things to your friends. It is part of the 3-D Social Networking stuff I have been talking about for years.

To do it well takes a lot of processing. That is why Flipboard is having server issues from day 1. It doesn’t surprise me at all. We experienced something similar with gpsAssassin. The root of the issue is that there is no way to do meaningful testing in the App Store. It is all or nothing and it is bad for developers and bad for customers.

Flipboard launches a product that skyrockets to the #1 free application spot and users see this when they try to use it:

You know how that should read?

Thanks for downloading Flipboard for iPad. Apple’s restrictive controls over developers prevented us from being able to do a meaningful private beta of our service. We would have built an invitation system into our app, but we were worried that Apple would have rejected it for not being useful upon installation. Now we are scrambling to catch the bugs that we would have caught prior to being in the #1 free spot, had Apple allowed it. We are really sorry.

- The Flipboard Team

Of course, they can’t say that.

The thing is, meaningful advances in software require some trial and error. Flipboard is probably awesome because they are watching your social network 24/7 watching for links so that you don’t miss anything. This creates a significant server-side requirement that most twitter / facebook apps for iOS don’t have. The amount of resources needed is somewhat hard to predict, and the bottlenecks are even harder.

Unfortunately, Apple only lets you test on 100 devices. No more. Ever.  They also make the process of distributing beta apps outside of the store a pain. Their restrictions are in place because they want to prevent non-App Store distribution. That is understandable, but there has to be a middle ground.  There needs to be a good way to beta test software before you release it to the masses. The more complex the software, the larger the beta needs to be.

Sure, there are some ways to try and limit growth so that you can test things out, but those all carry risks. There is no “beta” flag in the app store; once you are in there you are subject to reviews. Not just app store reviews, blog reviews, magazine reviews, etc.

Apple has put Flipboard in a somewhat unenviable position. They are promoting thousands of more people to download the app, without allowing the developers to test. Now it is broken. First impressions are being made, reviews are being written, and even the fans are basing their opinion more on speculation than real experience.

It is unfortunate.

Note: I do believe Apple’s approval process limits the amount of crap and gives you a baseline expectation when downloading or purchasing an app. It is a double-edged sword.

I have a better idea though.

Today is my 5th consecutive work day riding my bike to work. It is just a mile, but it feels like an accomplishment.  I do exercise with some regularity, but riding my bike to work integrates it into my routine.

I also enjoy the downtime. I can’t text while I ride, and talking on the phone is not exactly convenient even with headphones. The result is 10 minutes on either side of the work day where I can clear my head and/or solve problems.

I have been playing a little game on my commute too. Since I am riding a fixed-gear bike I have a goal to never hit the brakes (I do have breaks) or take my feet out of the clips. It makes it more fun.

There is alot of push-back about fixed gear bikes being trendy and a lot of misunderstanding about them being reckless. It is undeniable that single-speed / fixies continue to row in popularity (heck, you can buy a single speed at WalMart for $150). This excellent craigslist post wouldn’t be so excellent if there wasn’t some truth to it.

The thing is, fixed-gear bikes have qualities that road bikes, mountain bikes, touring bikes, and beach cruisers don’t have (for me):

• Riding a fixie reminds me of being a kid and riding all over town on a BMX bike. (What were my parents thinking! I would never let my kids do that!) It makes riding fun for me.
• The simplicity of the bike means there is very little to break, and there is not a big difference between great components and decent components (at least for what I am doing). A cheap derailleur would annoy me all the way home.

I don’t want an award for riding a mile, but a lot of people couldn’t do it. There is no coasting and no easier gears for going uphill. That encourages me to push myself a little more – to try harder. I am getting better already. My legs are a little less wobbly when I get home and I am a little less out of breath.

This is the hot part of the Summer, so I am thinking the Fall is going to be awesome. The challenge and the fun will help me keep it up, and it is definitely good for me.

An added bonus is that I buy less gas for my truck.

Update: I just looked up my route on Google maps and it is actually 2 miles each way.

The problem is that it is hard to figure out how to integrate all of this stuff into our lives. This morning I was reading Jason Moore’s comments on the difference in Having and Using. It made me realize that there are a bunch of us who sign up for all of these great services and tools and don’t have the time to really use them.

Sometimes I will have an aha moment with a service / tool and I will post about it here. That is because there is some value in sharing how I do it and often times I will get tips back on how other people are using it.

Do you have an Evernote account? Do you really use it? If so, could you tell me because I haven’t really integrated it into my workflow. Do you use gmail for email? Do you use it well? If not, don’t you wish you could read some real-life pointers from people like you?

There is a great site that I have used over the years for finding great new software. http://iusethis.com is a place for people to share the software that they use and the ratings give some indication of popularity. But how do you use it well?  I want a site focused on sharing HOW to use software.

Not an instruction manual – a use case.

Coincidentally, http://HowIUse.it was available.  So I bought it.  This site could be awesome.

Does anyone know some open source software that would be a good tool for allowing people to post how they use software and allow other people to rate those postings and comment on them?  Should I use wordpress? Try to get a Stack Exchange site?  Use a Hot Or Not clone?

Ideally people could post text and images, link to screen casts and videos, etc.  Software developers and service providers could post how they intend for their tool / service to be used.

Would you post on a site like that? Would you read it? Should it be moderated / curated or not? So many questions.

up·side adj.

going higher, esp. in price or worth: This stock has a nice upside potential.

down·side adj.

of or involving a decline, esp. in stock prices: The downside risk on this stock is considered far greater than the potential for gain.

Conventional wisdom would say that you make money with the upside and lose money with the downside.  I mean, if you buy a stock and it does not realize your upside potential then you didn’t make money. Right?

Not really.

You have probably heard the folksy business wisdom “it takes money to make money.” This is used a couple of different ways. Sometimes it means that you can’t make money if you don’t already have money (i.e. an excuse) . The other way people use it is to mean that you have to increase spending in order to increase profits. Sales guys love this one. I mean, if you want to really make money, you are going to need that new copier, a company car, and embossed and bonded business cards.

During the housing bubble a realtor might have encouraged you to buy a bigger house than you can afford because, well, it takes money to make money. I mean, if the home prices are growing at 20% a year, don’t you want to start at $300k instead of $200k?

That is an upside focus.

“You make your money when you buy your house, not when you sell it.”

So buy the bigger house? No, buy the house with the least risk. These days I would gauge the risk of a house as the likely hood that you will want to live there long enough for the housing market to turn around, but I digress.

Focusing on the potential upside easily leads to bad investments, wishful thinking, and cost overruns.  The upside is romantic, it is alluring, it is the entrepreneurial song of the siren.

The downside is sobering. It is also where you make your money.

In the Malcolm Gladwell article Sure Thing he quotes hedge fund manager John Paulson’s mentor as having said ”Watch the downside; the upside will take care of itself.” The mentor’s name was Marty Gruss. “The ideal Gruss investment had limited risk, but held the promise of a potential fortune.”

Joi Ito described the same thing when he explained the reason venture capital outperforms most other investments is due to limiting the downside:

“Venture investing, on the other hand, is typically a fund or an individual with relatively limited downside. The most that you’re going to lose is the money you’ve invested and your time. The upside in venture investing, however, is hugely leveraged. If you’re in a good deal, you can make hundreds and thousands times your money with very little incremental cost.”

While I am not a huge fan of that Rich Dad, Poor Dad guy, his method of real estate investing is all about limiting the downside as well – use other people’s money to buy foreclosed homes. Talk about limiting downside! He is using none of his own money to buy an under-valued asset.

Sometimes things get out of whack.  The housing bubble and related crash of the financial services industry comes to mind. I’ll assume you are somewhat familiar with the general story of subprime loans and derivatives. If you ask Warren Buffett how we could have prevented that, he will tell you that there needed to be a bigger downside for the CEOs of the banks. Those CEOs had everything to gain and very little to lose.

I am not suggesting that we should admire the CEOs of failed banks, but I do think it supports the notion that ignoring the downside and focusing on the upside is not only bad business but also irresponsible.

Yesterday I wrote about “vanity metrics” and their usefulness (or lack thereof). Those vanity metrics are almost always big upside focused numbers. As we move into a more cautious “new normal”, maybe we will start seeing people bragging about their limited downside exposure.

“A business success can be measured on the bottom line. A business success is not measured on its top line. I have heard celebrity entrepreneurs brag about their businesses calling out their total revenue as though the sheer volume of cash that their business touched was somehow meaningful.”

I have been guilty of this to some degree.  Though part of that is that you want to share some measure of growth without talking about how much money you make.  I have a few friends that I compare top-line growth numbers with, but fewer friends that I am willing to also share profit margin with.

I don’t think there is anything wrong with sharing top-line numbers in that way, but I do think that measuring your own success that way is a fool’s errand.

There is no such thing as a dangerous metric, it is just important to know exactly what that metric is telling you.  Top-line revenue doesn’t tell you if you are successful, how much money you are making, or even if you are profitable at all. Since it is typically the biggest dollar figure in your business, it is a metric that sounds good. These BANs (big ass numbers) are about often times used to stroke the ego of the entrepreneur

A metric that is impressive, but not particularly informative is a “vanity metric”. If you want a good afternoon of reading, search Google for “vanity metric” and read page after page of salient business advice.

Vanity metrics are all around us. In addition to revenue we hear big numbers like the amount of investment money raised, the number of user accounts on a service, the number of employees, the number of lines of code in software, the number of iDevices sold in the first day, the number of attendees at a conference.

Question: when have you ever been at a conference and thought “this is pretty good, but it wouldn’t it be really great if there were twice as many people here?”

Answer: Probably never. The converse is usually true.

Vanity metrics are rife in social media as well. We compare things like the number of twitter followers or the number of subscribers to your blog feed. The main thing I learned from developing Statzen is that those metrics are worthless. A tiny fraction of your followers or subscribers actually see what you write, and only a fraction of those actually read it and process it.

It is important to not confuse vanity metrics for key indicators.  When giving an interview to the paper, use all the BANs you want. Just be careful that you don’t start thinking those numbers are more important than they are.

While those changes are targeted at the reader, the writing is mostly for me.

Several years before I started blogging I regularly wrote in a journal. It was a well-worn composition book that I carried with me almost everywhere. I would sit outside at a table or on my couch and just write. I wasn’t trying to

My writing here has been an attempt to capture some of what I enjoyed back then. While those writings weren’t shared with anyone, they served the same purpose – they helped me to clarify my thoughts. It is more difficult to formulate those thoughts publicly, but that is more internal fear than anything.

The question that I am dealing with today is:

Now that I am investing more time writing, what exactly is it that I am investing in? What is the upside?

If I am primarily concerned with fleshing out my thoughts then I am going to end up limited by what personal information I want to share online. It is a limitation that seems to breed mediocrity.

If I am hoping to gain influence then I need to refine the topics a bit and make a decision on who’s influence I am trying to gain. I could primarily write about mobile application development and effectively leverage that into a larger customer base for mobile app development in Nashville.

I guess it boils down to an even simpler question. Am I writing for others or for myself?

It seems that I have been in limbo on this one. I want to write more regularly, but I don’t always have the time and energy to create something that I think people will really want to read.

That’s ok with me though.  There is a limited downside (my time) with a high potential for upside (winning friends and gaining influence?).

Regardless, I am enjoying the process.

This post was triggered by partially by Spencer Fry’s essay Why Entrepreneurs Should Write.

In a couple of days I am going to attend a Sprint EVO / 4G event here in Nashville and I have to say that I will be attending as a fan.  I was a long time Sprint customer until I left two and a half years ago. At that time I listed several reasons for leaving Sprint. Two of them were the future of 4G networks and the phone selection.

I have to eat my words on the 4G thing and thanks to Android, Sprint is really starting to provide some compelling phones.

Here is what I projected about 4G networks 2.5 years ago:

Sprint’s future looks bleak. They are having to “go it alone” on WiMax; that is a lot of network to build out. Meanwhile, AT&T, Tmobile, and Verizon are all going with LTE.

What I failed to realize is that Sprint would be releasing their WiMax 4G well before the competition. I do wonder what will happen if AT&T, Verizon, and Tmobile all go LTE and Sprint goes WiMax, but there is a rumor today that Sprint may buy Tmobile and go LTE as well. If that rumor plays out then the whole WiMax thing might just be an excellent customer grab in the interim. Regardless, it has worked on me.

For the past month, Sprint’s 4G network has been my primary connection to the internet. I have used it at home, in airports, while driving down the street, at hotels, and at coffee houses without internet (or with internet slower than the 4G network).  I have used it in Nashville, Salt Lake City, and Los Angeles. The great part is that my understanding is that 4G hasn’t even been officially available in those cities yet. I am just happening to have good luck with the towers coming online where I am.

It hasn’t been 100% rosy though.  Accessing the 4G network via the Sprint Overdrive mobile router has high latency.  I guess that is to be expected of a mobile network, but while the speed tests show a fast connection, the high latency does slow things down a bit. I wish I had done a better job of keeping track of the various speed tests I have run, but let’s just say that the latency for the 4G network seems to be about 10x higher than most broadband connections I have compared against.

The other slight issue is that my iPad is frequently losing and finding the connection to the Overdrive. Even if they are right next to each other.  I read a suggestion on Rex’s blog and switched the Overdrive’s security to WPA2. This seemed to work for a while, but the problem has reappeared recently.  Maybe I need to check that the setting didn’t revert, but either way I am hoping this gets resolved with a software update to either the iPad or the Overdrive.

These are small complaints overall though. Erica and I were in LA for two weeks and were regularly connected with our laptops and iPads to the same mobile connection. When I used to do something similar with my Verizon EVDO card it required my laptop to be on and running internet sharing (and was in violation of the Verizon terms). Now, I know that mobile connection sharing is becoming more common, but I still think it is awesome!

I also have been really impressed that I have been able to use a mobile network as my primary connection to the internet. It is not for everyone, but I love the convenience of it.

A prime example of the convenience is that I just moved to a new house. The moment I go there I had internet in the new place. There was no company to call, no technician to wait for, and no new wires to run. While I don’t plan on moving again while 4G internet is still relevant, it was a nice convenience.

So all in all I have to say that Sprint 4G’s network is pretty impressive. I have a feeling more and more of you will get to experience it as you pick up EVOs, Overdrives, and the plethora of new Android phones that are likely right around the corner.  Sprint has won me back as a customer.

Here is what Paul said:

So, Jackson, how goes that quest for a “personal dashboard”?

I hope this comment gets you to revisit the topic, because I’ve been thinking about it some lately.

I still like my iPad a LOT, but I am realizing in the past couple of days that it is having a rather unintended consequence: rather than an embellishment of my daily routine, it is proving to be a disruptor.

I mean, suddenly I have all these new ways of organizing things. Like myriad new “task managers” to chose from, all in various stages of development but none optimal (i.e. none that manage tasks and projects well AND sync easily across multiple devices…).

And I’ve also discovered two programs that make manual note-taking – i.e. WRITING – on the tablet very easy. At least, until the stylus I bought broke down (so I bought another…)

So suddenly I find myself in this lurch, where instead of being MORE organized, I’m actually LESS organized, and spending my time trying to figure out my organizational routines, rather than executing things. It’s weird.

I’ve got my own blog post in the works, I think I’ll call it “iPad = imDisrupted” or something like that… in the meantime I wonder how it’s going with you…??

I am looking forward to hearing more of what Paul has to say about this.  Especially since I am seeing some of the same things he is.

My goals for a personal dashboard haven’t changed much, and while I almost always have the iPad with me, I don’t feel much closer to having what I want.

Business Information
Take for instance reviewing sales numbers from our stores. These are updated automatically via a combination of the store POS system, Google AppEngine, and Google Docs.  The Google Docs interface on the iPad is pretty terrible for my needs. The charts don’t display and it is too easy to accidentally make a row editable (which I have only intentionally edited a spreadsheet on my iPad once).  The thing is, even having a worse interface than the computer, I prefer to view this information on my iPad.  I had high hopes for developing a custom solution with an app called RoamBI, but I found it to be cost prohibitive (it would have cost me $500/yr to do what I wanted to do).

Task management
The same is true for my todo lists.  I am using two different todo apps (one for Producteev for BorderJump and the other is Todo + Toodledo).  Todo is one of the best apps on my iPad whereas Producteev only has an iPhone app and I think we can all agree that running iPhone apps on the iPad pretty much sucks.

There are some surprising absences from task management on the iPad. The Omni Group is working on OmniFocus for the iPad (which is great for GTDers). The real shocker is the lack of a Remember The Milk iPad app.

Social Networking
My social networking needs have changed since I bought an iPad too. Mostly because I didn’t like Facebook’s privacy issues, but if they had an iPad app that would have been a moot point.  Also, I bought Twittelator for the iPad which I am not a fan of and instead I tend to just use the twitter mobile site. I am sure there are iPad twitter apps that would work better for me, but I just hate to buy a second twitter app. Instead I am waiting for an official Twitter app (and I completely understand why devs are pissed that Twitter bought Tweetie).  Basically I have found the social media experience on my iPad to be pretty bad.

Banking
The mobile banking app on the iPhone is great. Unfortunately there is not comparable app for the iPad.  There is also no Mint app for the iPad. Nor iBank. It is like an ignored category.  JP Morgan / Chase has released what looks to be a decent app, but they appear to be the only ones. I did see that MoneyDance has released an iPad app, but I am not looking for a way to categorize my spending as much as a way to pay bills and have up-to-the minute information about my bank account.

Email
The iPad excels at email.  I love it. It has quickly become my favorite way to read and respond to email. Four stars (and they get the fifth as soon as iOS and unified inbox + threaded conversations come to the iPad).

Note taking / referencing
Quite a few people have written about Evernote on the iPad.  I was not an Evernote user prior to owning an iPad, but it has quickly become an integral part of my systems.  It is particularly useful that the information stays in sync between my iPad, laptop, and phone.

News
There are quite a few news apps for the iPad.  I would still prefer a Newser app because I feel like they have a more varied array of stories and perspectives.  Instead I am using USA Today, NY Times Editor’s Choice, The Wall Street Journal, and NPR (and to a lesser degree, Hacker News and Mashable).  That is more news than I need (or want most days).  All of the apps are great.

Reading
I have really enjoyed reading on the iPad, though it really pushes the bounds of what I mean by a personal dashboard (note that I am not including entertainment uses).  I have been reading books in iBooks and the Amazon Kindle app. I have been reading a select few RSS feeds via NetNewsWire. Some of my favorite reading has been via Instapaper.  I send myself longer articles from Safari or Twitter and read them when I have time in Instapaper.  Whenever I want, I always have something great to read at my fingertips.

Others
I would love apps for TripIt, Clicky, and Google Docs. Those are all pretty dashboardy. I am pretty pleased with the WeatherBug app, but I forget to use it. I also want to find a good clock / limited info app that I can leave running on my nightstand, for that first thing in the morning dashboard.

I wish that there was a way to run RescueTime on my iPad because I would be real curious to know if I am using it more as a tool for productivity or a tool for entertainment.  One thing I do know is that I am turning to my iPad more and my laptop less.

If you look up Catfish Moving Company on the web you might find some negative reviews, but I have had nothing but positive experiences. If you call Catfish expecting a full-service moving company, you might be disappointed.

If you want some guys with a truck to show up an move your stuff across town from your old place to your new place, Catfish Moving Company is for you.

I have used Catfish for 4 moves.  They are dependable, reliable, and quick. Nothing has ever broken and they have always charged what they said projected.

I recommend Catfish Moving Company in Nashville. Call them at (615) 327-2822.

Mobile Banking (esp for my bank)
I want this both for personal bank accounts and business bank accounts.  I almost prefer the iPhone interface to the web interface and have high hopes that the iPad interface would be the best of both worlds (simple, but big). I want a good iPad banking app.

Facebook
Why was this not available on launch day?  Facebook wants you logged in on the browser so that you can “like” things (and be tracked). It is a heavily requested app though and Facebook has relented and stated that it will be available within a month.  You may recall that I deleted my Facebook account for privacy reasons. When they release an iPad app I will restore my account. The iPad app will be the only interface I use to Facebook, and I will feel sufficiently sand-boxed from the whole information-sharing thing.  Where is the Facebook iPad app?

Twitter
I love Twittelator on my iPhone.  I was eager to get it for the iPad, but personally I think the UI kinda sucks. I know lots of people love it. I just find it cumbersome and inefficient. I think that for reading your twitter stream, the official twitter apps will be the way to go. I am sure there will continue to be developers building neat tools on the twitter API, but I think I want a nice, free official Twitter iPad app.

Mint
There is a nice iPhone app for Mint, but they have not developed an iPad version.  This is a real shame. I want to do this kind of personal business computing on my iPad, not my computer. In order to continue using Mint I need a Mint for iPad application.

Newser
I no longer read Newser because there is no iPad app. The web version is just not usable on an iPad. The reason is that the dynamic interface is based on mouse events that don’t really exist in a touch interface. A Newser for iPad app will allow me to again start reading one of the most diverse sources of news.

pcAnywhere
I know this is an odd request, but I am definitely not the only one who wants pcAnywhere for iPad.