ben barren - rss'ing down under

Thx2 Rick Klau I got my blogspot back after 4 months ! My new blog is at http://www.benbarren.com

2009-01-22T18:46:00.003+11:00

My new blog is at http://www.benbarren.com
My new feed is at http://feeds.feedburner.com/BenBarren_DotCom

Thx to Rick Klau smart bloke, ex feedburner who I spoke to in 2005 about bringing Feedburner to Australia, who now post acquisition, runs Blogger. Small world eh ?

Rick's lost me from blogspot to wordpress, but I'm now using feedburner, and the wheels they are a turning....

4 months later...

chadstone apple.

2008-09-13T14:12:00.005+10:00

Apple Store - Chadstone - Front
Originally uploaded by griffmiester

good2c the griffmiester has already hit up the new apple store at chadstone. heard about it on my radio this morning, tauntin me they had lots of ipod touches in stock, literally. it's not much for melbourne but it's a start. techgeek.com.au also has a gr8 gallery of the store, free apple tshirt + itouch he just posted a review on : "The Touch remains a tremendous and innovative device, with enticing features, unparalleled ease of use, and plenty of expandability through the App Store.", and jealously a itouch and tshirt:( :P

Techgeek.com.au on Chadstone store : "The first 1,000 people (which included me) got a free t-shirt, and I managed to snag a iPod Touch while I was there - with me giving my input soon. The store still looks like what you expect from Apple, and this store has the Genius bar, meaning that you can always ask them for support."

"cameron, cameron, cameron."

2008-09-13T13:35:00.010+10:00

fuck you
Originally uploaded by -WOLF-

At the same time Matthew Ingram is blogging about the protocol of twittering at funerals : "I found it interesting that amid all of the hand-wringing, the rabbi who did the service didn’t seem to see anything wrong with it at all. He seemed to feel the same way as I do — that it might have been helpful for some people who couldn’t come" - the age old blogger vs journalism 2004 US debate, continues to do the Aussie Idol 2008 conference circuit @ Future of Journalism summit. Good "FOJ" summize thread. Cam is playing his normal devils advocate role up in his new home state. Good 2c some things will never change. Although irony is Cam doesnt appear to be twittering (even if he's on stage) but traditional slash convergent media types are :)

Sneaker Sale : Phat Fall 1 Air Jordan 1 Low Edition or the Alife Every1 Corduroy Line.

Book Sale : Ghost World, Special Edition. Scarlett before she broke.

Job Ad : Actor to play "ageing nudist drug dealer" in Skins.

Tonite : Watch a Cam of Pacino and Deniro's reuniting for Heat sequel, ok its not sequel, Righteous Kill!

997TT_Cab + a YOSnF8 World Beyond Social Media Saturday

2008-09-13T10:11:00.008+10:00

Lovely Porsche 997 Turbo Cabrio
Originally uploaded by Bart-nega

25c here today so it would be perfect for some top down bart-nega captured "Lovely Porsche 997 Turbo Cabrio" as he titled his photo. But as all I need to really achieve is from A (sitting in front of imac google reading) to B (coffee shop in Balnarring 8 minute drive away) I dont really need a 997 TT Cab, but doesnt mean I dont want one. What do we put ourselves thru business for anyway ? Gladiators survival of the fittest ? Family and spawn ? Bunkered Compounds ?

Um anyway, Steven Hodson is having a similar end of week 'Wow There Is A World Beyond Social Media' blog post : "Social media might be a really cool idea and all the services being built around the concept might be fun but when it comes right down to it in the larger scheme of how the web is used it is only a bit player. Even within the tech blogosphere social media is a small percentage of what is being written and talked about. The problem is that once you step into the world of social media one can very easily be convinced that it is the end all be all of our online lives. It doesn’t matter that even today web companies centering their fortunes around social media which have nothing better than the Emperor’s newest suit for business models we are suppose to herald all because they are free."

Yahoo obviously feel quite different to Steve and think social media via their Yahoo Open Strategy (YOS) can save the world via Webware - "First is a collection of social APIs that let programmers use data such as a Yahoo user's address book contacts, status messages, profile information, and news feed items. Second is the Yahoo Application Platform (YAP), which will be used to write the applications that actually will run on Yahoo Web pages. YAP has some similarities to the OpenSocial project initially begun by Google but now supported by several others, including Yahoo. The first Yahoo property to get the application support will be a redesigned profile page, a "control panel" site where people can record personal information, update their status, and see their social connections, Sample said. "We're going to get to the point where all our profiles can start coalescing so you have the concept of a single identity on Yahoo."

Facebook is trying a similar hand (but with more chance of success due to the carrots), by adding cash to the API's - Caroline McCarthy reports : "Facebook is moving to the next step of its $10 million FBFund developer grant program, the company announced Friday in a blog post by employee Catherine Lee. The first round, announced early in August, is now closed, and 25 winning proposals will be announced on September 22; 5 final winners will be chosen out of all first-round winners who apply for the second round, and winners will wind up with grant money between $25,000 and $250,000."

Watching : Latest Ep of Secret Diary of Billy "Hannah" Piper. Now its definitely coffee time...

i'd yammer as well as twitter, instead of, or preferably within basecamp.

2008-09-12T23:20:00.003+10:00

never_ending_friending
Originally uploaded by redbarren

Interesting dilemma posed by Fred Wilson (Brad Feld seemed in opposite camp) re whether a twitter for the enterprise is wanted for microblogging or whether employees are consumers prefer the original, bottom up consumer centric twitter. I love twitter, but with clients and competitors on it and monitoring I can't really say certain things. So some of the features, authority provision and features of yammer (company email address) sounds really attractive to me.

So would I use yammer over twitter ? No. Would I use yammer for the microblogging portion of my collaborative projects over the equivalent non-existent features in basecamp ? (then hopefully thru api's and feeds suck yammer functionality back into basecamp) - Totally. So I see a future for yammer. And for those that think a derivative of twitter cant win; Ask the flickr guys about youtube. I hear uploading and tagging of videos is going to be real big :)

A VC : "This is one of the reasons we've struggled so hard to invest in "enterprise 2.0" at Union Square Ventures. We have tried pretty hard to find companies that we can invest in that bring the new web technologies to the enterprise, but often we've found what happens is that consumers (ie employees) bring the web technologies they use every day to work and they prefer that."

Liking the Idea of : A Really Small DSLR, via Panasonic PR.

end of week asian blogging goog m+a while doggies trounce swans.

2008-09-12T22:50:00.012+10:00

iPod + Apps demo, Apple, 09-2008
Originally uploaded by xeni

It's been a big damn week I achieved enough of my Monday blog post todo list and I dealt with the high priority issues, which will follow into execution of tasks next week. But I've started and broken the back of it, and got some rhythm playa, so after hearing the dogs get their groove back and trounce the swans, I like hearing about Asian based blogging type companies (in this case the "Brand Yourself" TNC) outside the US, be acquired by google. Makes u think u might not be crazy implementing a non-US blog related strategy :P

This is the blog post u want to write as a founder. From Tatter and Company founder on Web 2.0 Asia Blog : "And, to borrow Steve Jobs's patent line from his keynote, there's "one last thing" - our company was acquired by Google."

Cool Pics of Ipod Touch 2.0 by : Xeni of BoingBoing who has great pics on the Macbook Air of iPhones; iTouch 2.0, it's got me lusting for built-in Nike+ running with a chrome back on a runner's body. Just look at Techcrunch pic of dell fatty iphone vs the macbookairish touch; I'd use my blackberry for non wifi web browsing, email and phone, then the touch for wifi web surfing, running and music. Not to mention it's cheap. $319Au. How's that business case ? And did I mention the Nike+ running built in which I'd use 5 times a week ?

Crunchgear (my edit of good bits, i dont want to hear about bad gps:) : "I picked up five 32GB iPod Touches yesterday.. our benefactor Michael Arrington wanted two - and I can confirm that the Touch is worth looking into if you’re hunting for all the power of the iPhone without all the “cancer,” “dropped calls,” and “service charges.” After working with it briefly at the event on Tuesday I wasn’t convinced that the Nano 4G was an interesting update but was feeling lots of love to the new Touch. Now that I have it and have been using it for a day or so I’m pleased to report my initial impressions were correct. The Nike+ iPod application is great - it’s just what I expected and it works seamlessly with the little Nike puck.. The device is also extremely thin - thinner than the 1G model - and nice and responsive."

How fat does the 3G (ugly white) iphone look next to the (ultra skinny chrome silver) ipod touch ? ick.... It's like comparing a macbook air to a macbook once u r used to the air.. no comparison...

"This a #1 champion sound yeah Estelle we ’bout to get down who the hottest in the world right now."

2008-09-12T06:14:00.008+10:00

Air Jordan1_LowPhat
Originally uploaded by redbarren

You'd think in 10 years the paparazzi will be alot more regulated in terms of what camera they can stick in whose face, or who knows it may get worse, although i suspect the cameras people put willingly in their own face will be the real driver. Check out kanye incident on tmz.

Best Week Ever have ye' liveblogging from jail : "WHAT IS THIS??!!!??!?!!!!!! I WAS JUST WALKING THROUGH THE AIRPORT TRYING TO GO TO MY MURAKAMI JET WHEN THESE BITCHES START FLASHING MY PICTURE AND FORCING ME TO TAKE AWAY THEIR NIKON D7000 - a wonderful model of professional digital camera - AND SMASH IT ON THE MOTHERF*CKING GROUND!!!! THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!!! This is like Martin Luther King Jr’s letter from the Birmingham jail, except I’m in LA and I AM THE GREATEST!!!!!"

Kanye would be impressed by : This Omega Watch Factory Cleaning, schweeet before and after my precious. 23c degrees today, may have to go mellowyellow. And Yammer's in the enterprise already, might have to try it. I want this (mid page) berry desert. BTW, dondraper from that tv show has a blog. Still wanting a 2G IpodTouch esp for the Nike+/Running hard/software, noice!

"My solution to these situations is to simplify. Completely write off the sunk cost."

2008-09-11T21:03:00.002+10:00

Originally uploaded by "SIR: Poseyal Desposyni squire poet

I think I agree with Brad Feld, wonder if it's harder for the entrepreneur or VC to value their investment of time, sweat and money at zero. Probably also something u learn to do better over time. Your First Hurts. Feld Blog : "When you have difficulty understanding how to deal with a sunk cost and you get tangled up in a complicated mistake, a real mess occurs. You keep trying to fix the complicated mistake and justify the ongoing future investment of time, energy, and money based on what is essentially a sunk cost that you are unlikely to recover. Rather than valuing your sunk cost at zero and simply evaluating the future potential of the opportunity, you compound the complicated mistake even further."

Watching : The Shield, Series 7 ep 1 + 2. Watched The (latest) Closer, and will check out The Hills when I'm really bored.

no longer a slut machine. still a fkn gr8 writer.

2008-09-11T19:08:00.005+10:00

DSC05423
Originally uploaded by louisa_catlover

Tracie, the postfeminist blogger formerly known as The Slut Machine, whose blog OneDatAtime + editorship of Jezebel, is a total must read as well as her weekly dont ask your mother in law these questions Q+A Vlog Pot Psychology. But just as any good person should keep every1 guessing and neverB too predictable, she's getting married "Making a Ho a Housewife" hehe, and the minutae of how to keep her blogs mother in law readable are worth a scan :

Jezebel : "I had dinner with my future mother-in-law this weekend, and she asked my what I do for a living and stuff. I explained to her that I write for a women's interest website and then she said, "Will I be able to figure out what you've written when I go to the site? Is your byline on your stuff?" After getting over some temporary mortification at the idea of this woman reading some of the shit I've said here, I realized that it's about time that I retired this moniker, too. It's actually become increasingly embarrassing that I've been known as "Slut Machine" for this long. Not because of the name itself, but if I had known that it would follow me in my career, I would've given it more thought when I came up with it. In fact, I sort of just made it up off the cuff when I was commenting for the first time on my own site. The idea was to call myself something cheesy like "Sex Machine," but I thought that didn't sound feminine enough, so I swapped out "Sex" for "Slut." I didn't even realize that it sounded like "slot machine" until an embarrassing amount of time later."

Currently Hooked on : The Vagabond Set having Lohanesque moments. Is this the best sub-title for a blog : "mischeif & manic marbles of the mayhem-esque me’s"

"I'm a writer, you monsters! I create! I create for a living! I'm a creator! I am a creator! This is my uniform!"

2008-09-11T10:27:00.005+10:00

barton buffalo.jpg
Originally uploaded by redbarren

Of all the Coen brothers, Miller's Crossing (better than Godfather, ok i said it!) is the one (which my local video store has) and I keep watching because there is nothing better than Gabriel Byrne and the Irish Mob. But last nite one of the benefits of inner city travel is that Barton Fink was in.

This movie was released back in Year 12 days, I remember walking up to the video store on Glenhuntly Road to hire. It is still the best profile on the mind and life of the writer. "I'm a writer, you monsters! I create! I create for a living! I'm a creator! I am a creator! [points to his head] This is my uniform!"

While we're on the rights and remuneration of the writer and where it intersects with (10% done) next gen enterprise search, intelligence and syndication services, this Dow Jones acquisition/integration of Generate is interesting via PaidContent : "Generate crawls public web pages for company exec profiles, mission statements etc, then reassembles this metadata as an interlinked database that will be sold to DJ customers.. takes us down potentially a new path ... to go out and harvest content that you can find - not take it lock, stock and barrel, but just the interesting bits - take names, put them in a structured database and create new content assets simply by extracting the juice that we can find elsewhere. It has the potential to change the cost side of the equation without affecting the revenue side.. There’s a part of me that says the original author always ought to benefit from it - but it’s difficult to see in practical terms how you would do that.”

Jack Lipnick: I run this dump, and I don't know the technical mumbo-jumbo. Why do I run it? Cause I got horse sense goddamit, SHOWMANSHIP! And also I hope Lou told you this, I am bigger and meaner and louder than any other kike in this town. Did you tell him that Lou? And I don't mean my dick is bigger than yours, it's not a sexual thing. You're a writer, you know more about that. Coffee?

Dreaming about : Nice house in Cape Schanck (via apartment therapy dot com)

ipod touching my on/offline identity

2008-09-10T10:01:00.005+10:00

thin touch
Originally uploaded by redbarren

That touch is tempting... mainly for mobile web browsing, music and nike running.... oh well i digress, dont exactly have a spare $329 at moment. In fact move the decimal point 2 positions to the left. I do call runnin a startup an "enforced savings plan" after all. But sometimes i do miss buying those black raw imperial jeans, AG suit, asics sneaks, itouch, breitling watch:)

But if I can solve a real problem; That being Australian companies to start with, being mentioned on the internet, as well as parallel requests such as filtering of the blogosphere by location and category so it can be syndicated, then maybe I'll have a chance. Mostly it's not about physical goods, or even the creation of digital ones. It's being able to do it. Then doing it. And the prize at the end is freedom.

So I like this search offering below, it's focused, smart, solves a real problem, and could have a real neat business model. Ironic as I'm working on a booming business at moment that makes money by letting people ask questions and get a premium sms answer back. Anyway good coverage by Webware : "Intelius' iSearch site links offline and online data to help people find other people. It uses proprietary algorithms to integrate data from public records, online social networks, and professional sources to provide a comprehensive people search engine. A demonstration of several searches revealed results that resembled dossiers on people. For instance, the company showed how you could find someone using just the first name and a past employer. The bio page retrieved was longer than a page and included a list of previous and current schools and employers, as well as basic contact information."

Watched : Latest Weeds last night. Summary here. Or maybe you'd prefer some furniture hawtness from Mark Tuckey in Fitzroy gettn some global blog coverage on ApartmentTherapy.com. Personally, I quite like "Truth" 'early in the morning' on Rebel:art.

whether it's 48mm king watches or 18.4 inches vaio laptops, bigger is better.

2008-09-09T22:00:00.005+10:00

FaveKingDesign
Originally uploaded by redbarren

there's only 500 of these all black hublot king watches. prob around $30k large each. big on the wrist at 48mm diameter, but big is better these days when it comes to watches, who wants a tiny 40mm rolex. (even rolex dont want small watches anymore testing the water with new deep sea models at 43mm, but still too small)

all the (in the window) watches (u want) - breitling super avenger (best value entry@ sub $4k into superwatches), and the 6 times as much : hublot king, are 48mm.

these big watches go with the new sony 18.4 inch laptop, if u could just run osx on it, 17inch laptops r gonna seem small soon. although the macbook air is perfect to me as long as i have my 24" hummer imac.

watching a bad nick cage film : bangkok dangerous.

this is the problem with australian 2.0 startups*

2008-09-09T18:50:00.002+10:00

Christina Hendricks at Gilty Couture / Golden Globes Lounge
Originally uploaded by Gilty Couture

Bostonvcblog : "The role of a Chief Technology Officer (CTO) in a company is an incredibly critical, but poorly understood one. Unless a member of the founding team is a strong technology visionary that occupies that role, many start-ups neglect the position. Instead, they assume the CIO or VP of Engineering can be responsible for setting technology strategy as well as delivering on it – an impossible burden even for the most talented technology manager. "

* and that comes from a business based founder. but how do u attract the best technical talent when the funding isnt there to match the banks and google. number 1 problem with innovation downunder. 3.5 years later I hope I will be able to solve this problem sooner than later. I've yet to meet an investor or partner in Australia that paid more than lip service to this. And if any1 is wondering why we havent any 2.0 successes, start here and follow the causal sequence to its root; there isn't the exciting companies, incentive, security or remuneration, for engineers to join companies. why the engineers arent starting companies and sharing in a disproportionate amount of the equity upside, that's another question i dont know the answer to. i'd happily work for an engineering founder.

6, well 5 of the best shows u might want to azureus

2008-09-09T08:33:00.006+10:00

poor betty_draper
Originally uploaded by redbarren

So I havent really recovered from the post writer's strike new series opening, or latest eps all which seemed to hit the internet yday. Quick recap in order of hawtness :

1. Mad Men - Best new show of the year, I've talked about it enough but Series 2 Episode 7 was awesome. Especially Joan Holloway, who has her own twitter as well as tumblr tribute site, and her fight with 20 yr old Don Draper PA - Jane. Joan really does steal the show anytime she's near the screen, which is maybe why she is in very few scenes with Don Draper other than transitions.

2. True Blood - Alan Ball of Six Feet Under has briliantly cast The Piano's Anna Paquin as a telepathic waitress interested in a vampire... who can now live in society due to the TrueBlood synethic blood being available - No need to feast on humans. First episode was soso yet still vgood, but 2nd ep we get some really vampire meets human action.

3 - Sons of Anarchy - Already posted on this but Drea from Sopranos, Peggy from Married with Children but unrecognisable... its a real ensemble piece of what goes on with bike gangs, meth, gun running and criminal enterprise. Like Underbelly minus the police.

4. Californication - Who knew where this awesome show would go once Hank got the grrl. Well as u'd expect the vasectomised boy soon gets into some misplaced muff diving trouble with Laurel Canyon hilarity ensuing and police lockedupness. Runcle goes on a coke and lobster binge after getting the masturbatory sack and thinks after being told by his dominatrix now agent to be a producer. His crackd out wife tells him "you have never had a creative thought in his life". So u get the idea Californication will spend the series with Hank breaking up, then making up.. with a little bit of writing and booty in between.

5. Dexter - Episode 1 of Series 3 didnt introduce a big serial killer but we did get Jimmy Schmitts from LA Law. And this show knows what ingredients it requires and delivers. All good although I prefer Michael C Hall a bit more twisted, which I'm sure we'll see. Rather than the "beautiful" he experiences in this opening.

6. Entourage - So crap, crap, crap. Vinny Chase has become his own Aquaman/Medellin characterture. There were only 2 good scenes : The Aquaman golf clubbn of agent car and Ari Gold rantin to staff about a film reviewer whose name he doesnt want to hear...... and the rest of show pitiful. Hopefully it was just a setup ep. But i think RIP Entourage; Now on my last to download of the new shows.

OK i'm off to clients to speak Facebook apps...

23k yen timberland xl collabs.

2008-09-08T23:27:00.004+10:00

XL Timberlands
Originally uploaded by redbarren

so the japanese get, make and wear all the kewl stuff. the valley may have web2, but the japanese got yakuza style. like the rocksmith crew gotta luv that shit. take an old style item, bang it up, make something new. just as band out of outsiders is also doin with the sperry topsider boat shoes.
now timberlands is one of those brands that never really grew up.
private equity needed to get their hands on it instead of the discount department stores. and then those awful rapper big boots.
i had the near exact pictured 3 eyed lug pair but in a black nubuck.
i've actually looked for the same pair ever since, and that would have been like 1994.
but this xl collab with timberland, finally looks like a proper timberland boot, which ironically they couldnt make themselves.
can get these kicks for 23k yen large, bout $258 aussie.
nearly exactly the same price as my black nubucks cost in 94.

followin the $4.5m funded facebook' LOLapps

2008-09-08T19:39:00.002+10:00

LOLapps
Originally uploaded by redbarren

U r supposed to follow the money, thats what all that bgrade crime drama i was brought up on taught me, and when it comes to facebook apps - which i've actually been working on today and have meetings on tomorrow - and the nongaming sector Brett on Social Games blog has a good riff on LOLapps funding (who said company names arent getting more wacky, but just as they introduce new types of product metaphors so r the company names new - i like LOLapps. hawt name) :

"$4.5 Million is the highest amount of funding I've seen for a Facebook apps company that isn't focused on games.. LOLapps has two main apps, Gift Creator and Quiz Creator. Together, they have about 25,000 daily active users.. Their audience is much wider. Here's why: their apps allow Facebook users to create their own gifts and quiz apps. On those gift and quiz apps, LOLapps runs ads from which they derive revenue. Users create the content, LOLapps gets the cash. Pretty brilliant. One of these user-generated apps, Shots, Shooters, and Exotic Drinks has ~8000 DAU. There's at least twenty more listed in their gift app directory. Same with quizzes. Who knows how wide their reach extends."

"it never happened" that mad men, entourage + californication all_seed@once.

2008-09-08T16:19:00.011+10:00

Crikey, I've got work done but I've currently gone into a Code Red Media Alert, where 2 eps of Californication, the new Mad Men, and opening of Entourage are out. (wipes brow) So Mad Men goes onto Azureus, as does Californication (very timely David Duchovny's sex rehab was eh?), Entourage can webstream while I run.

Dont have to mention how much I'm lookn fwd to a Don Draper centric episode, after last weeks filler non-Don centric ep. Seems it will be of the "It Never Happened" Don's compartmentalised life begins to dissolve type, awesome via Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress :

"The double life of Don continues, and sandwiches the story in Mad Men 2.7 tonight. About to buy a Cadillac in 1962, Don flashes back to the late 1940s, and his first appearance as Don Draper since the war - selling cars. Fast forward to the end of 2.7, in which Bobbi's husband, comedian Jimmy, lets Betty know Don that has been schtupping his wife, and lets Don know that he doesn't appreciate it, not one bit. The episode ends with another uncomfortable scene in the car between Don and Betty."

Also : gotta mention how good Summize or search.twitter is to track a TV show - article links, files etc are great.. but when u view in realtime people experiencing an episode, series and show... it's powerful stuff.... the mad men example, which is going wild as people watch ep.

Pop Critics get the money quote from Jimmy to Don : "You know what I like about you? Nothing. But it’s okay. You got me everything I wanted. What did you get? Bobbie? Lots of people have had that…Please. I laugh at you. I go home at night and I laugh at you…You. You want to step out, fine. Go to a whore. You don’t screw another man’s wife. You’re garbage, and you know it."

Update : Not to mention Dexter ep 1 of Series 3 is out and the 2nd pre-air ep of Alan Balls True Blood. Damn its all happening post writers strike ! I hope my computer doesnt crash as Im krankn downloads out of every browser/app.

facebook group discussions + wall posts being indexed.

2008-09-08T13:51:00.002+10:00

microrevie.ws
Originally uploaded by redbarren

I get asked by those tricky i think u have me on the ropes VC's, whether blog burnout will contribute to not needing to index the local blogosphere. Sure blog burnout exists, but mainly as it relates to competing with people's time spent on social networks, photo sites, etc. If you include (local) content creation across blogs and social network activity you have a tsunami of content needing indexing.

Facebook is a classic example where your friends status updates were made into an RSS feed which can be indexed and made searchable, and now we have some group discussions and wall posts in google et al, according to Inside Facebook. This is very interesting for brands wanting to know what is said about them online. Wonder if these are available in rss/atom format ?

Inside Facebook : "However, in recent days, many marketers and users have started noticing Groups discussions and wall posts showing up in Google search results."

twitter up 518% in australia.

2008-09-08T12:59:00.002+10:00

miami beach
Originally uploaded by miami fever

Good2c Sandra Hanchard of Hitwise on Twitter, and just noticed her post about the 518% growth of twitter by Aussie users. Luckily I can justify this blog post as I'm compiling a summary of most popular social networks used by Aussies : Any1 that's already done this and has the elusive unique users/page imps/registered members numbers/guestimates feel free to let me owe u a favour and ping/dm me pretty please. Ooh, and I forgot first ep of new Entourage series is out, just waiting for a few seeds....

10 things i have to do this week.

2008-09-08T12:21:00.003+10:00

Originally uploaded by _Vorfas_

i'm tryin 2 motivate myself to have a productive monday and by extension the week forward. so rather than moleskine my 2do list, i thought why not trick my neural receptors so as to stimulate the electrophysiological process and make the things happen i need and want to. as my mum said last nite about business "if some1 sneezes, those around catch a cold." - i need to approach some matters head on. will need to encode the list but u may be able to parse it thru google reader.

BB's Alpha Edition : 10 things i have to do this week.

1. 2 slide .ppt on transactional + marketing app for high priority 2 x socnets (facebook, google opensocial which includes myspace or doesnt it yet) um, so can u develop apps yet for opensocial and have then run across myspace, linkedin, hi5 and all those other sites google announced ?

2. make call to tech architect guru who will know answers for point1 and can whisper some usual acronyms i can use in meeting. see if client can meet dev while in sydney.

3. do timeline + deliverables for active blog influence project. project manager is 4 weeks from popping out child number 2 so organise to interview alternative PMs. oops also contact sydney pr social media guru for missed call.

4. get status update on northern states geo-local syndication project and identify technical roadblocks, then report back to prospect apologetically. nearly everything comes back to technical platform + customisation issues/requests. oh to have a black box which people pay u to have access to, then they do the mashing up on their side.

5. get a technical roadmap plan together as waiting solely for investment isn't a considered response. lock in tech advisors, roadmaps, spk more to investors about infrastructure funding requirements, one day one will really get the benefit of a hyperlocal enterprise syndication + Intelligence platform ala the localised 2.0 of newsgators/feedburners of this world.

6. point 3 reminds me to re-ping current investor discussions and see if there are any further questions i need to answer. or if maybe they want to write an initial cheque.

7. email lawyers get a status update. the lessons of running your first business are u dont succeed because of the basic fundamentals like people and cashflow, not due to some MBA positioning issues. (in fact u gotta think feature creep, trying to achieve too much in too little time with too little budget is the most common failure path ive seen downunder esp for 1st timers.)

8. figure out how u r goin to make $$$ yerself. spk to some new peeps, contact investors/strategic partners u havent before that u have worked with previously or with high strategic fit. need more dollar$ runnin thru my bendigo bank account :(

9. work on computer monday and thursday, melb on other days is the likely schedule. there goes $100 of petrol by the weekend. do some new meetings that help accelerate your top 3 objectives. (raise capital; focus on syndication-intelligence-influence projects; get paid yourself so i can get aspy pad again)

10. read oscar wao before midnight in bed, watch 2nd half of madmen series 1 on big screen not while distracted by google reader; exercise high bpm cardio beach runs. stay away from cornchips, well within reason. mainly do the work, spend time with ppl u grok, eat well, sleep + exercise, make sure u get paid + do great work. and remember blogging doesnt pay the bills, unless it's public todo lists which make u do it.

Update : Well heck i may as well use this for real:) Extra ones :

11. B2B eco-energy pitch for socnet influence.... how do u use social networks and blogging to reach business decision makers in finance, as opposed to the consumer market. ie the B2B equation. Meet Tuesday.

12. Design Brief for Widget thing u r workn on for client project, oops yes design brief must do that.

the band of outsiders yohjiyamamoto big + small picture monday.

2008-09-08T08:48:00.007+10:00

the Lgrrls
Originally uploaded by redbarren

It's Monday morning I really need to get moving, gotta do dawg trix powerpoints, chase up emails with technical solutions, glcalendarise the week, all that fun stuff. Some big and small picture links, starting with Umar's supernova ideas on value creation :

HBSP : "One where the value that's created is authentic, durable, and meaningful to humans; one where your "unfair advantage" isn't simply just the flipside of my disadvantage; one where that illusion no longer narcotizes an entire economy. I also agree with Mr Arrington on search :

"If search was 90% solved, Google could look at a picture of me standing by the Eiffel Tower and know, without textual metadata, what’s there. It could return results for a Barack Obama query that include all the videos he’s in, again without relying on tags or other textual metadata. Natural language. Deep web searches. Semantic search. All of these problems are unsolved."

Totally agree with Fred Wilson on Feedization of web ala the Facebook News Feed approach to web personalisation : "This aggregation of information into a news feed has been adopted by many of the new web services that we get to see in our office every week. I'd say its the most common web UI/home page we see these days." Can I also take some double hoodie Adidas/yohjiyamamotoY3 collabn, Band of Outsiders SS08/9 incl the Michelle Williams Polaroid photoshoot, and where are the seeds for the 2nd ep of True Blood :)

the fitzroy hipster is on the way to chadstone via american apparel + ebay.

2008-09-07T22:07:00.005+10:00

Robyn - Sofa
Originally uploaded by merkley???

The great thing about the hipster debate; Do they exist? What are they? Where do they hang?; Which brands or anti-brands make a hipster? Can u eat meat and still be a hipster ? If you use the term hipster does it automatically exclude u from being one ? Not to mention jokes like what is the difference between a hipster and an artist ? - the whole debate can keep u entertained for hours.... So I like Style Bubble's post + Style Salvage's questioning about whether blogs are leadin to a commodisation of hipsterdom. (the equivalent in my days was an airmail copy of kate moss on cover at 14 of the face + ID, but i digress)

Style Salvage : "The rise and rise of the internet has been a key factor in the globalisation of hip. The world is certainly a smaller place with the internet. Through mailouts and blogs, the tropes of eclectic style tribes the world over are quickly integrated into a single street style aesthetic. The widespread "borrowing and referencing" takes place not just in capitals of cool like London but on an international scale, via the Internet, the result is that the same brand of individuality (or something highly similar) is sold, worn and celebrated the world over. As I've followed Facehunter's search for eye candy I've become tired of similar ensembles the world over. Is it just his photography style that is somewhat tiresome or is there an element of truth to the above article? Has the world indeed become a much smaller place? Where previously there was a set look representative of a city, has cultural globalisation evolved this into a look representing a global scene?"

i reckon i dont mind sons of anarchy

2008-09-07T20:02:00.003+10:00

Sons Of Anarchy
Originally uploaded by Dreamer7112 (September in NYC)

Totally suiting my mood, I'm watchn the pilot ep of Sons of Anarchy, the classic biker TV show which has Scarface-esque chainsaw usage in first 10 minutes ("No, he's a vegetarian he won't be for dinner") Drea from Sopranos is an addict, one of the Mad Men @don_draper flings - the newly married smarty pants daddys jewish princess is a doctor, Peggy from Married with Children has a breakout role as queenbee of biker gang : who goes with Ron Perlman the leadingleatherman, and there is a gr8 younger conflicted lead2... so far vkewl. Mininova feed ere. ShowLinksTV too. Some of the media below.

Post-Tribune : "Of all the pilots I've seen this year, this is one of the most promising. British-born Hunnam has got the gravitas to carry the show. Ron Perlman, as the gang founder, is perfectly cast. And Katey Sagal will likely be an awards favorite, if she sustains her grounded performance. It's a riveting role, totally removed from her landmark characters on "Married With Children" and "Futurama." Who would have thought the lady who played Peggy Bundy was such a good actress?"

E-Online elevator pitch : "Fairy tales, generally speaking, are not suitable for children. As the collective memory of barbarian tribes, fairy tales tend to be rife with ogres, trolls and dragons because life in the wild is nasty, brutish and short. All of which is to say: FX's new motorcycle gang series, Sons of Anarchy, is essentially an original-flavor fairy tale, where only gruesome, primitive violence defeats rampaging monsters. The magical kingdom of this tale is Charming—an isolated town on the edge of the redwood forests of California. (Imagine an inversion of Stars Hollow, Conn., the hometown of Gilmore Girls: Charming is just as improbable, but it runs on unleaded and testosterone instead of whimsy and estrogen.) The warrior sect that protects Charming from modern monsters like methamphetamine is a motorcycle club called the Sons of Anarchy. Locally, at least, the Sons and their familiars are the reigning champions in the Darwinian war of all against all, but their standing is constantly under siege, especially since they live beyond the reach of any standard social contract."

true samepoint.com sunday saints blood.

2008-09-07T16:20:00.003+10:00

reigning champ
Originally uploaded by redbarren

Quick post as I need to run off a very fun weekend with spoilt food from Cornells Flathead Fillets in Blairgowrie, to Crabapple Cupcakes i think they're called at Red Hill Market. Also totally enjoyed watching first 6 eps of Mad Men series 1 in fullscreen joy. Got some details I didnt the first time. Now I'm really hanging for Alan Balls True Blood which is on Sunday night in US and I guess we'll see it here by Wednesday:)

Gotta run while I listen to Cats beat Saints, but read Sarah in Tampa's post about SamePoint, a new conversation search engine, the type of which I'd been thinkin bout from an enterprise view. Has a good quality search result for 'mad men' which I also track via search.twitter.com (summize) and google news. Added the feed will see how it indexes over time.

I thought the lack of keyword focus actually gave SamePoint a broader result, but need to query it more :) Sarah in Tampa : "I thought a search engine, social or otherwise, was for querying on keywords. Apparently not. So how this site is actually useful – or rather, how it’s more useful than a Google search, a Twitter search, a Friendfeed search, or a Google Blog search, etc. - I’m not entirely sure."

Tonite will be readin some of Oscar Wao, Safran... and other Sunday joy, this week I gotta kick some A$$ gotta get paid in full. Prerelease HBO ep of TrueBlood ere and torrent ere.

Extra Random Links : Liking this IWC Top Pilot + maybe a Black Enzo.

the red hill startup market

2008-09-07T00:33:00.002+10:00

red hill marketing.jpg
Originally uploaded by redbarren

So Melbourne was almost summer weather today, well at least not winter esp at Red Hill market which was visited this am. Seemed even bigger this year, with more stalls selling their etsy dreams. Not bad at all with crabapple strawberrynchoc cupcakes, some calamarinlettuce in a cone, poffertjes mini pancakes with dripping butter + icing, mango licks (damn that is a tasty freshfruit icypole), and an actually damn fine coffee from Red Hill Roast.

Seems the people in Sydney (was it raining up there this weekend hehe?) had other ideas for their 48 hours, spitting out 3 new startup businesses so goes the StartupCamp press release;

• uTag rewards people for the value they pass to their online social networks.
• TrafficHawk.com.au is a free website delivering up to the minute RTA traffic alerts for NSW drivers.
• LinkViz.com - Which sites are your friends talking about?

OK I've gotta go back to Mad Men Series 1, the 13 episodes finally downloaded : Have seen the non fullscreen versions, but this time Im watching in THX and taking notes on what Joan Holloway would say and Don Draper's alpha machinations.