Minnov8 https://minnov8.com Showcasing Minnesota Technology Innovation Wed, 08 Jun 2022 18:46:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 Minnov8 Gang no Minnov8 Gang sborsch@gmail.com Minnov8's work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. Minnov8's work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported License. podcast Minnov8 http://minnov8.com/site/wp-content/uploads/powerpress/Minnov8_Podcast_1440-931.jpg https://minnov8.com TV-G Weekly Showcasing Minnesota Technology Innovation Minnov8 Gang 400 – Our Last Show https://minnov8.com/2017/04/08/minnov8-gang-400-last-show/ https://minnov8.com/2017/04/08/minnov8-gang-400-last-show/#comments Sat, 08 Apr 2017 15:44:43 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10207 [Read More...]]]> Yep…you read that headline right. After nearly NINE YEARS this week’s show is our last podcast as the Minnov8 Gang.

It’s been a great ride. We’ve had an incredible amount of fun, talked to literally dozens of guests, interviewed Minnesota technology leaders, attended hundreds of events, and covered Minnesota technology innovation in all its forms. It is time, however, for us to ride off in to the sunset as we head toward new opportunities and adventures.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Seeing The Future by Dexter Britain under a CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US

 About Our Last Show & Acknowledgements
  • Special “Thank You!” mentions go to:
    • Our listeners for your unwavering support, and listening, all of these years.
    • Graeme Thickins, our Minnov8 co-founder and “Gang” member on the website and podcast for over eight years, “We couldn’t have done it without you pal and thanks for being our friend too! Also appreciate you never being mad about your face being stuck on some Photoshop image.”
    •  Julio Ojeda-Zapata for your frequent co-hosting and, of course, for your support. You will always be our friend and someone we are lucky to know and as a fellow geek, you have never been judgmental about our lust for all things techie, no matter how strange or obscure. Also appreciate that you, too, have never been mad about your face being stuck on some Photoshop image.
    • Garrick Van Buren, another co-founder of Minnov8 back in 2008 and early “Gang” member on the podcast.
    • Our contributors: Paul DeBettignies; Sam Glover; Mitch Hislop; Meg Gerritsen Knodl; Lief Larson; Jeff Pesek; Don Smith.

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories

Other Top Tech Stories

Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> https://minnov8.com/2017/04/08/minnov8-gang-400-last-show/feed/ 5 Minnov8 Gang full 46:00 noYep…you read that headline right. After nearly NINE YEARS this week’s show is our last podcast as the Minnov8 Gang. It’s been a great ride. We’ve had an incredible amount of fun, talked to literally dozens of guests, interviewed Minnesota technology leaders, attended hundreds of events, and covered Minnesota technology innovation in all its forms. It is time,...  [Read More...]Yep…you read that headline right. After nearly NINE YEARS this week’s show is our last podcast as the Minnov8 Gang. It’s been a great ride. We’ve had an incredible amount of fun, talked to literally dozens of guests, interviewed Minnesota technology leaders, attended hundreds of events, and covered Minnesota technology innovation in all its forms. It is time,...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Apple, iPad Minnov8 Gang 399 – One Word for Minnebar: Wow! https://minnov8.com/2017/03/25/minnov8-gang-399-one-word-minnebar-wow/ Sat, 25 Mar 2017 19:00:14 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10195 [Read More...]]]> This week’s show was recorded at Minnebar, an enormous gathering of techies in Minnesota. Our guest is Adrienne Peirce (LinkedIn), Product Owner at Leadpages and President of Minne*, the organization responsible for Minnebar and Minnedemo.

Hosts: Steve Borsch and Phil Wilson (Tim Elliott is off)
Music: Woke Up With The Blues by Deep Sea Gypsies under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
  • Phil and Steve talk about the new mobile network unlimited data plans they chose this past week:
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 38:49 noThis week’s show was recorded at Minnebar, an enormous gathering of techies in Minnesota. Our guest is Adrienne Peirce (LinkedIn), Product Owner at Leadpages and President of Minne*, the organization responsible for Minnebar and Minnedemo. Hosts: Steve Borsch and Phil Wilson (Tim Elliott is off) Music: Woke Up With The Blues by Deep Sea Gypsies under...  [Read More...]This week’s show was recorded at Minnebar, an enormous gathering of techies in Minnesota. Our guest is Adrienne Peirce (LinkedIn), Product Owner at Leadpages and President of Minne*, the organization responsible for Minnebar and Minnedemo. Hosts: Steve Borsch and Phil Wilson (Tim Elliott is off) Music: Woke Up With The Blues by Deep Sea Gypsies under...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 398 – Can I Go Thru Your Underwear Drawer? https://minnov8.com/2017/03/18/minnov8-gang-398-underwear-drawer/ Sat, 18 Mar 2017 17:26:06 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10187 [Read More...]]]> This past week a Minnesota judge signed a search warrant for anyone who did a Google search for someone who defrauded an Edina bank. Besides being outrageously broad as a warrant—anybody who searched on this guy’s name for legitimate reasons would be under suspicion and could be brought in for questioning—is likely violating our Constitution’s 4th amendment against unreasonable searches. Even Forbes magazine picked up the story but few other outlets have…yet.

Of course, if this would be allowed we could go through Tim Elliott’s underwear drawer and who knows what we’d find?  😉

We talk about this judge’s warrant, and mostly technology of course, on this week’s podcast.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Rock The Blues Away by Dennis Salli under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 41:12 noThis past week a Minnesota judge signed a search warrant for anyone who did a Google search for someone who defrauded an Edina bank. Besides being outrageously broad as a warrant—anybody who searched on this guy’s name for legitimate reasons would be under suspicion and could be brought in for questioning—is likely violating our Constitution’s 4th...  [Read More...]This past week a Minnesota judge signed a search warrant for anyone who did a Google search for someone who defrauded an Edina bank. Besides being outrageously broad as a warrant—anybody who searched on this guy’s name for legitimate reasons would be under suspicion and could be brought in for questioning—is likely violating our Constitution’s 4th...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Best Buy, Google, MN Entrepreneurs Minnov8 Gang 397 – Geek Squad Spies? https://minnov8.com/2017/03/11/minnov8-gang-397-geek-squad-spies/ https://minnov8.com/2017/03/11/minnov8-gang-397-geek-squad-spies/#comments Sat, 11 Mar 2017 17:50:12 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10181 [Read More...]]]> Minnesota’s own big box tech retailer, Best Buy, sees its Geek Squad in the news since the FBI Used Best Buy’s Geek Squad To Increase Secret Public Surveillance. Are Geek Squad people really being used as spies? Unfortunately it certainly seems so.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Rock and Roll – Led Zeppelin Cover by Fabio (The Guitarist Saturday) under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> https://minnov8.com/2017/03/11/minnov8-gang-397-geek-squad-spies/feed/ 2 Minnov8 Gang full 41:48 noMinnesota’s own big box tech retailer, Best Buy, sees its Geek Squad in the news since the FBI Used Best Buy’s Geek Squad To Increase Secret Public Surveillance. Are Geek Squad people really being used as spies? Unfortunately it certainly seems so. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson Music: Rock and Roll –...  [Read More...]Minnesota’s own big box tech retailer, Best Buy, sees its Geek Squad in the news since the FBI Used Best Buy’s Geek Squad To Increase Secret Public Surveillance. Are Geek Squad people really being used as spies? Unfortunately it certainly seems so. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson Music: Rock and Roll –...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 396 – Can Target & Best Buy Weather Retail Storm? https://minnov8.com/2017/03/05/minnov8-gang-396-can-target-best-buy-weather-retail-storm/ Sun, 05 Mar 2017 16:43:44 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10171 [Read More...]]]> We cover the Minnesota tech stories of the week including disappointing earnings from both Target and Best Buy over the holiday period. Can they compete with Amazon and other online sources? We have a few ideas. Later we discuss the Amazon S3 outage, Uber’s use of tech to evade law enforcement and Google’s rapid rise in the education market at the expense of Apple.

Hosts: Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson and Julio Ojeda-Zapata (Steve Borsch is off this week)
Music: Ring of Fire by Window Shop for Love under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories

Gang Mentality: Can Apple compete with Google’s rise in the education market?

Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 57:25 noWe cover the Minnesota tech stories of the week including disappointing earnings from both Target and Best Buy over the holiday period. Can they compete with Amazon and other online sources? We have a few ideas. Later we discuss the Amazon S3 outage, Uber’s use of tech to evade law enforcement and Google’s rapid rise...  [Read More...]We cover the Minnesota tech stories of the week including disappointing earnings from both Target and Best Buy over the holiday period. Can they compete with Amazon and other online sources? We have a few ideas. Later we discuss the Amazon S3 outage, Uber’s use of tech to evade law enforcement and Google’s rapid rise...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 395 – Can Tech Save The News? https://minnov8.com/2017/02/25/minnov8-gang-395-can-tech-save-news/ Sat, 25 Feb 2017 17:21:06 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10163 [Read More...]]]> Several good tech stories this week but, once again, we dust-off our “Gang Mentality” segment to ponder a question after the president of the United States inaccurately calls out major news organizations as “fake”. That question is: Will technology provide the answer to real vs. fake news, or will it take human intervention?

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Slow Day Blues by A to Z Guitars under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories

Gang Mentality: Will technology provide the answer to real vs. fake news, or will it take human intervention?

Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 54:30 noSeveral good tech stories this week but, once again, we dust-off our “Gang Mentality” segment to ponder a question after the president of the United States inaccurately calls out major news organizations as “fake”. That question is: Will technology provide the answer to real vs. fake news, or will it take human intervention? Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott...  [Read More...]Several good tech stories this week but, once again, we dust-off our “Gang Mentality” segment to ponder a question after the president of the United States inaccurately calls out major news organizations as “fake”. That question is: Will technology provide the answer to real vs. fake news, or will it take human intervention? Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Google, mobile Minnov8 Gang 394 – Give Up Your Passwords at the U.S. Border https://minnov8.com/2017/02/18/minnov8-gang-394-give-passwords-u-s-border/ Sat, 18 Feb 2017 16:51:15 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10149 [Read More...]]]> Are you a U.S. citizen? Then you should know that, if you travel internationally, when you come back to the U.S. you may be forced to reveal your device passwords (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) as well as providing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers with passwords to your social media and other accounts.

Farfetched? Nope…read this article to get one tech guy’s perspective on what happened this past week to a NASA guy who is a U.S. citizen: I’ll never bring my phone on an international flight again. Neither should you.

Update: Here is the Department of Homeland Security Privacy Impact Assessment for the Border Searches of Electronic Devices (PDF) which, by the way, has not been updated since 2009.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Hop Skip And A Jump by DJ Ecklectic Mick under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Gang Mentality: Is the true cost of social networks and mobile tech our privacy?
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 46:25 noAre you a U.S. citizen? Then you should know that, if you travel internationally, when you come back to the U.S. you may be forced to reveal your device passwords (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) as well as providing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers with passwords to your social media and other accounts. Farfetched? Nope…read...  [Read More...]Are you a U.S. citizen? Then you should know that, if you travel internationally, when you come back to the U.S. you may be forced to reveal your device passwords (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop) as well as providing U.S. Customs and Border Patrol officers with passwords to your social media and other accounts. Farfetched? Nope…read...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Android, Apple Minnov8 Gang 393 – Advisor to President Trump https://minnov8.com/2017/02/11/minnov8-gang-393-advisor-president-trump/ Sat, 11 Feb 2017 16:25:38 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10141 [Read More...]]]> Tim and Steve could only imagine what it would be like if Phil Wilson was an advisor to Donald Trump. Would we all have healthcare? Would he build a wall around Lakeville where Tim lives? We can only speculate, but let’s not, and instead go on and talk about technology!

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: I Am A Pilgrim by Walker Winn under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 47:09 noTim and Steve could only imagine what it would be like if Phil Wilson was an advisor to Donald Trump. Would we all have healthcare? Would he build a wall around Lakeville where Tim lives? We can only speculate, but let’s not, and instead go on and talk about technology! Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and...  [Read More...]Tim and Steve could only imagine what it would be like if Phil Wilson was an advisor to Donald Trump. Would we all have healthcare? Would he build a wall around Lakeville where Tim lives? We can only speculate, but let’s not, and instead go on and talk about technology! Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Apple, Best Buy, MinneDemo, Target Minnov8 Gang 392 – I Stand With Rosa https://minnov8.com/2017/01/28/minnov8-gang-392-stand-rosa/ Sat, 28 Jan 2017 17:53:43 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10118 [Read More...]]]> We discuss the top Minnesota and other tech stories, but our guest this week is none other than Chuck Olsen, a new media entrepreneur who continues to be involved with cutting edge tech.

This time Chuck’s virtual reality firm, Visual VR, Inc., created an augmented reality character named Rosa, the world’s first virtual activist. She’s a 50ft tall woman “standing up for women everywhere“, and was first delivered publicly so as to “embody every woman who could not participate” and display their messages on Rosa’s sign during the Women’s March in Washington D.C. on January 21st, 2017 (see photos below).

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Restoration by Kubbi (Norway) under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories

Guest: Chuck Olsen

Co-Founder and CEO, Visual VR, Inc.
LinkedIn • About Chuck • I Stand With Rosa • Rosa for Android (iOS coming soon)

Photo gallery of I Stand With Rosa. Taken 1/21/2017 in Washington D.C. Photos from Chuck’s account
(click on any image for a larger view)

Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 53:06 noWe discuss the top Minnesota and other tech stories, but our guest this week is none other than Chuck Olsen, a new media entrepreneur who continues to be involved with cutting edge tech. This time Chuck’s virtual reality firm, Visual VR, Inc., created an augmented reality character named Rosa, the world’s first virtual activist. She’s a 50ft...  [Read More...]We discuss the top Minnesota and other tech stories, but our guest this week is none other than Chuck Olsen, a new media entrepreneur who continues to be involved with cutting edge tech. This time Chuck’s virtual reality firm, Visual VR, Inc., created an augmented reality character named Rosa, the world’s first virtual activist. She’s a 50ft...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Virtual Reality Minnov8 Gang 391 – You ARE Being Watched https://minnov8.com/2017/01/21/minnov8-gang-391-watched/ Sat, 21 Jan 2017 15:32:47 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10109 [Read More...]]]> It is obvious to people who are aware of mass surveillance that we all are being watched. Anything digital is swept up, made Google-like searchable, connected to others and also events, regardless whether those connections are relevant or not.

We talk about our usual Minnesota tech stories but in our other top tech stories was one that caught our attention about Lavabit’s Ladar Levinson launching a new encrypted email service that is better than the original once used by Edward Snowden. Since email is usually core to how and what we communicate, obtain password resets, archive email attachments and much more that we want to keep secure from the government OR from companies that can scan our email (e.g., Google’s Gmail and Yahoo Mail), protecting our private and confidential communications is critical in this time of mass surveillance.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Houkago Stride by JubyPhonic under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 31:37 noIt is obvious to people who are aware of mass surveillance that we all are being watched. Anything digital is swept up, made Google-like searchable, connected to others and also events, regardless whether those connections are relevant or not. We talk about our usual Minnesota tech stories but in our other top tech stories was one that caught...  [Read More...]It is obvious to people who are aware of mass surveillance that we all are being watched. Anything digital is swept up, made Google-like searchable, connected to others and also events, regardless whether those connections are relevant or not. We talk about our usual Minnesota tech stories but in our other top tech stories was one that caught...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, #IoT, Android, Best Buy Minnov8 Gang 390 – Hackers for Rudy https://minnov8.com/2017/01/14/minnov8-gang-390-hackers-rudy/ Sat, 14 Jan 2017 16:48:33 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10099 [Read More...]]]> Hackers around the world are undoubtedly cheering the appointment of Rudy Giuliani as an advisor to the president on cyber security for the upcoming Trump administration.

For anyone following this pick by Trump, a sad (but still amusing) story appeared shortly after it was discovered that Trump’s cybersecurity advisor choice, Rudy Giuliani, was running an easily hackable website for his “security” firm Guiliani Partners. (Note: As of late yesterday the website is offline). For more on this embarrassing, public revelation see Rudy Guiliani is an absurd choice to defend the US from hackers as well as this tweet stream about what was found out before the site was taken down.

The pick of Guiliani as head of cybersecurity does make sense, however, when you consider what President-elect Trump said in the last debate about cyber security. Perhaps Trump’s 10 year old son may end up as another one of his “cyber” advisors?

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Sometime Ragtime by Nekonohige under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 44:20 noHackers around the world are undoubtedly cheering the appointment of Rudy Giuliani as an advisor to the president on cyber security for the upcoming Trump administration. For anyone following this pick by Trump, a sad (but still amusing) story appeared shortly after it was discovered that Trump’s cybersecurity advisor choice, Rudy Giuliani, was running an easily hackable website...  [Read More...]Hackers around the world are undoubtedly cheering the appointment of Rudy Giuliani as an advisor to the president on cyber security for the upcoming Trump administration. For anyone following this pick by Trump, a sad (but still amusing) story appeared shortly after it was discovered that Trump’s cybersecurity advisor choice, Rudy Giuliani, was running an easily hackable website...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Amazon, Apple, Best Buy Minnov8 Gang 389 – A Carnival In An Open Field Staffed By Drunk Orphans https://minnov8.com/2017/01/07/minnov8-gang-389-carnival-open-field-staffed-drunk-orphans/ Sat, 07 Jan 2017 16:46:15 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10087 [Read More...]]]> One of the stories we discovered this past week was this amusing one in New York Magazine about Joel Johnson‘s adventure moving from MacOS to Windows 10 and what he thinks about both platforms. In a nutshell he describes the two this way: “If MacOS is a sterile art gallery, Windows is a carnival in an open field staffed by drunk orphans.” Listen to the podcast for this story, and many more, in this week’s show.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson
Music: Stormy Blues by Arne Bang Huseby under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week

l-r: Motiv Ring; Sleep Number 360; Steadicam Volt

Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 41:14 noOne of the stories we discovered this past week was this amusing one in New York Magazine about Joel Johnson‘s adventure moving from MacOS to Windows 10 and what he thinks about both platforms. In a nutshell he describes the two this way: “If MacOS is a sterile art gallery, Windows is a carnival in an open field staffed...  [Read More...]One of the stories we discovered this past week was this amusing one in New York Magazine about Joel Johnson‘s adventure moving from MacOS to Windows 10 and what he thinks about both platforms. In a nutshell he describes the two this way: “If MacOS is a sterile art gallery, Windows is a carnival in an open field staffed...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 388 – Our 2017 Crystal Ball Predictions https://minnov8.com/2016/12/30/minnov8-gang-388-2017-crystal-ball-predictions/ Fri, 30 Dec 2016 19:05:48 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10079 [Read More...]]]> It’s our annual predictions show and, while we cover a handful of Minnesota and other top tech stories this past week, we focus on our “hits and misses” from predicting 2016 and then jump in to our 2017 prognostications.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson
Music: Everyday I Have the Blues by Ike Rock and Blues under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Our 2017 Predictions

Listen to the podcast for our 2016 recap as well as our specific 2017 predictions.


Zoltar is from the movie BIG with Tom Hanks. Disclaimer: None of our predictions were made using this or any other fortune teller-like technology, though Phil may have consulted his magic toad.

Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 57:04 noIt’s our annual predictions show and, while we cover a handful of Minnesota and other top tech stories this past week, we focus on our “hits and misses” from predicting 2016 and then jump in to our 2017 prognostications. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson Music: Everyday I Have the Blues by Ike Rock and Blues under...  [Read More...]It’s our annual predictions show and, while we cover a handful of Minnesota and other top tech stories this past week, we focus on our “hits and misses” from predicting 2016 and then jump in to our 2017 prognostications. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson Music: Everyday I Have the Blues by Ike Rock and Blues under...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Google Lief Larson, Former MN Serial Entrepreneur, Has Yet Another New Venture https://minnov8.com/2016/12/17/lief-larson-former-mn-serial-entrepreneur-yet-another-new-venture/ Sun, 18 Dec 2016 01:09:32 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10061 [Read More...]]]> Many of us here in Minnesota remember Lief Larson. He was known and respected widely in our startup community. He had a successful exit with an interactive kiosk company before going whole hog into a software startup. A few years ago, he moved to Seattle after handing over the CEO reins at that VC-backed software company, Workface Inc. I miss him, and I’m sure others do, too. Not only was he a ball of energy, a smart developer and product guy, but a really fun guy, too. And, as a founder, he was the best damn salesperson I’ve ever worked with in Minnesota. He began life in Seattle living on a boat with his wife in the trendy Fremont section. And he’s definitely loving life out there in the Pacific Northwest.

Once he moved, his entrepreneurial endeavors hardly stopped. Soon, he’d launched Engage.co, and not long after a sideline called Sportzy, a leisure sports and activity site. Always one to spot a new opportunity, Lief recently told me he and a colleague launched a new site called Planning to Retire.

“My buddy and I both have parents entering retirement and they keep asking us all these questions, so we decided to build a site to help them,” said Lief.  “We’re trying to capture 1,000 members in 30 days.”  So, friends, tell all your parents and relatives who are approaching that magical age about this great new site. It’s a really helpful resource for them!

Gettin’ old? Sign up now!

 

My Background With Lief
A little history: I was lucky enough to do some consulting work for Lief back in his Workface days — including traveling with him twice to big events in California. I really enjoyed the experience and found myself writing about him several times on this blog. Those posts go back more than five years, covering his journey with Workface (which he founded in 2006), his ties to Marissa Mayer (they grew up together in Wisconsin), and how he took on an educational effort for entrepreneurs all by himself here in Minneapolis called “SaaS Camp,” which I attended. Here are all those posts.

In one of them, I told the following story, which still makes me laugh today every time I think of it. Not only is Lief an amazing, hard-working entrepreneur, but the man knows how to have some fun!

Lief and I traveled to Palo Alto a couple years ago for a conference where Lief was pitching to the Silicon Valley VC community, along with a bunch of other hot startups, and sharing the stage with speakers like the founders of Salesforce and SuccessFactors. We stayed in a funky old, ’60s-vintage Travelodge motel — about as low-priced as we could find in Palo Alto. After we checked in to our respective rooms, we both went online to work. First thing I see is an email from Lief with a photo attached of this gorgeous, expansive hotel room, saying, “Wow, I hope your room is as nice as mine.” I never laughed so hard, because I could hardly turn around in my dinky little room, and I knew he couldn’t either… 🙂

I haven’t had an opportunity to get out to Seattle since Lief moved there, but you can bet I’ll be meeting up with him the next time I do. Go, Lief!

(NOTE: This post first appeared on GraemeThickinsOnTech yesterday.)

]]> Minnov8 Gang 387 – sNOw Emergency https://minnov8.com/2016/12/17/minnov8-gang-387-snow-emergency/ Sat, 17 Dec 2016 17:00:35 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10057 [Read More...]]]> This week’s snow emergency turned in to a ‘no’ emergency in our view, but if you live in a place where towing cars is a much-needed winter activity then you should listen to our discussion about Julio Ojeda-Zapata‘s article regarding Apps keep you abreast of snow parking, assuming they’re up to date. You might want to download one of them!

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson
Music: Crawdad by Ernie Lewis under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week

Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 48:07 noThis week’s snow emergency turned in to a ‘no’ emergency in our view, but if you live in a place where towing cars is a much-needed winter activity then you should listen to our discussion about Julio Ojeda-Zapata‘s article regarding Apps keep you abreast of snow parking, assuming they’re up to date. You might want to download one of them! Hosts: Steve...  [Read More...]This week’s snow emergency turned in to a ‘no’ emergency in our view, but if you live in a place where towing cars is a much-needed winter activity then you should listen to our discussion about Julio Ojeda-Zapata‘s article regarding Apps keep you abreast of snow parking, assuming they’re up to date. You might want to download one of them! Hosts: Steve...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, Amazon, Android, Apple, Best Buy, Google Minnov8 Gang 386 – Vintage Jewelry Meets VR https://minnov8.com/2016/12/10/minnov8-gang-386-vintage-jewelry-meets-vr/ Sat, 10 Dec 2016 22:27:30 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10047 [Read More...]]]> This week we interview Katie Jones from Atique to learn more about their combination of vintage jewelry and virtual reality. We also run-down the week’s tech news including Julio’s picks for Minnesota-made holiday tech gifts, A Klingon Christmas Carol and why everyone should have a Ring doorbell.

Hosts: Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson and Julio Ojeda-Zapata (Steve Borsch is off this week)
Music: Wings by Nicolai Heidlas under a CC by 4.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories

Katie JonesThis Week’s Guest
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week

Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 47:48 noThis week we interview Katie Jones from Atique to learn more about their combination of vintage jewelry and virtual reality. We also run-down the week’s tech news including Julio’s picks for Minnesota-made holiday tech gifts, A Klingon Christmas Carol and why everyone should have a Ring doorbell. Hosts: Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson and Julio Ojeda-Zapata...  [Read More...]This week we interview Katie Jones from Atique to learn more about their combination of vintage jewelry and virtual reality. We also run-down the week’s tech news including Julio’s picks for Minnesota-made holiday tech gifts, A Klingon Christmas Carol and why everyone should have a Ring doorbell. Hosts: Tim Elliott, Phil Wilson and Julio Ojeda-Zapata...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 385 – Phil’s Booth https://minnov8.com/2016/12/03/minnov8-gang-385-phils-booth/ Sat, 03 Dec 2016 17:16:52 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10034 [Read More...]]]> phils-booth_mainPhil is our resident superhero and his Cool Thing of the Week is a classic phone booth for his team at the wide-open and cavernous Minneapolis BuzzFeed office. While he claims it’s for them to have privacy for phone calls, Tim and I know the real reason he bought it and it’s depicted in this week’s show cover art.  😉

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Down in the Hole by DJ Ecklectic Mick under a CC by 3.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week

Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 57:07 noPhil is our resident superhero and his Cool Thing of the Week is a classic phone booth for his team at the wide-open and cavernous Minneapolis BuzzFeed office. While he claims it’s for them to have privacy for phone calls, Tim and I know the real reason he bought it and it’s depicted in this week’s show cover art....  [Read More...]Phil is our resident superhero and his Cool Thing of the Week is a classic phone booth for his team at the wide-open and cavernous Minneapolis BuzzFeed office. While he claims it’s for them to have privacy for phone calls, Tim and I know the real reason he bought it and it’s depicted in this week’s show cover art....  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast Minnov8 Gang 384 – ‘Ya, You Betcha: MN Loves the Internet https://minnov8.com/2016/11/19/minnov8-gang-384-ya-betcha-mn-loves-internet/ Sat, 19 Nov 2016 17:43:09 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10020 [Read More...]]]> lov-internet_mainDid you know that Minnesota is the state with the highest rate of internet usage? We didn’t. Must be the combination of smart people and high number of months each year spent mainly indoors! Hat tip to our friend over at Blandin on Broadband, Ann Treacy, who highlighted this statistic in this post. The Gang chats about this and more on this week’s show.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Buddy Guy Catfish by DJ Ecklectic Mick under a CC by 3.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories
Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 35:57 noDid you know that Minnesota is the state with the highest rate of internet usage? We didn’t. Must be the combination of smart people and high number of months each year spent mainly indoors! Hat tip to our friend over at Blandin on Broadband, Ann Treacy, who highlighted this statistic in this post. The Gang chats about this and...  [Read More...]Did you know that Minnesota is the state with the highest rate of internet usage? We didn’t. Must be the combination of smart people and high number of months each year spent mainly indoors! Hat tip to our friend over at Blandin on Broadband, Ann Treacy, who highlighted this statistic in this post. The Gang chats about this and...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast, #IoT, Google Minnesota is #1 for Internet Usage https://minnov8.com/2016/11/17/minnesota-1-internet-usage/ Thu, 17 Nov 2016 14:42:13 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10015 [Read More...]]]> woman-internetOur friend over at Blandin on Broadband, Ann Treacy, had this post about Minnesota ranking #1 in internet usage:

Entrepreneur Magazine just called out Minnesota as the state with the highest rate of Internet usage…

According to data from the U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration, you won’t find the most connected people on the coasts, or deep in the heart of Texas, but largely in the Midwest. Just under three-quarters of U.S. households were online in 2015. But the most connected state isn’t located on one of the coasts — it’s in the heart of the Midwest…

In 2015, 83.1 percent of Minnesotans, or 4,307,850 households, used the internet. In 1998, 1,889,017 (then 41.5 percent) households were online.

It’s great to see Minnesota rank highly! However before we drink too much champagne, there are a couple of caveats – they are talking about Internet usage, not necessarily broadband. And they are talking about use anywhere (library, work, coffee shop, school), not necessarily home. We come in third for home access with 76.2 percent, which is good but still Internet access – not necessarily broadband.

We agree with Ann that it’s good to see Minnesota ranked so highly but our broadband is still lacking state-wide. Read more from Ann and follow Blandin on Broadband.

]]> Minnov8 Gang 383 – Will Tech Experience a Trump Effect? https://minnov8.com/2016/11/12/minnov8-gang-383-will-tech-experience-trump-effect/ Sat, 12 Nov 2016 15:52:25 +0000 http://minnov8.com/?p=10011 [Read More...]]]> tech-trump_mainTuesday’s election brought Donald Trump to president-elect status and the tech industry isn’t so sure what that means. The short answer is yes, tech will experience a Trump effect but listen for the longer term effect and take a peek at the “Election and Technology” links below for more perspective.

Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott and Phil Wilson
Music: Blues Pour Jeanne by Ihor Shuhan Music under a CC by 3.0 License

The Podcast

Past Week’s Top Minnesota Stories

Other Top Tech Stories
Cool Thing of the Week
Upcoming Events
]]> Minnov8 Gang full 50:43 noTuesday’s election brought Donald Trump to president-elect status and the tech industry isn’t so sure what that means. The short answer is yes, tech will experience a Trump effect but listen for the longer term effect and take a peek at the “Election and Technology” links below for more perspective. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott...  [Read More...]Tuesday’s election brought Donald Trump to president-elect status and the tech industry isn’t so sure what that means. The short answer is yes, tech will experience a Trump effect but listen for the longer term effect and take a peek at the “Election and Technology” links below for more perspective. Hosts: Steve Borsch, Tim Elliott...  [Read More...]Minnov8 Gang Podcast