Dave Morin

Facebook Connect Is A Huge Success - By The Numbers

Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:37:00 -0700

Facebook Connect Is A Huge Success - By The Numbers

"My answer to that is that Daring Fireball is decidedly not free. It’s simply a question of who gets..."

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 22:22:37 -0700

“My answer to that is that Daring Fireball is decidedly not free. It’s simply a question of who gets charged. Readers don’t, but sponsors and advertisers do. What makes it work so well (so far) is that this makes everyone happy. I’m earning a nice salary. Readers get to read my writing in exchange for a small portion of their attention which I direct toward ads. And sponsors and advertisers are happy to pay a fair price to reach an audience of good-looking, intelligent readers such as yourself. But there’s nothing free about it.”

- John Gruber (via chrisbowler) (via marco)

A few weeks ago I headed back to Boulder, Colorado - home of my...

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 13:10:00 -0700

A few weeks ago I headed back to Boulder, Colorado - home of my alma mater - to participate in TechStars as a mentor. This year, they have a documentary crew working with a few of the startups to chronicle their story. Here’s a short video they put together of some of the happenings around the time that I was in town. Enjoy!

Dream Big.

Mon, 29 Jun 2009 14:54:00 -0700

“Filling little gaps in another company’s product lineup is snatching nickels from the path of an oncoming steam roller.” - Platform vendors - Joel on Software

Joel has some good things to say on developers choosing which products to work on in relation to Platform vendors.

I believe it is important to dream big when you’re considering building an application on any Platform. If you’re looking at Facebook Platform or the Apple iPhone Platform, dream big. There are many incredible opportunities yet to be explored in virtually every vertical.

Today, the common conversation is around the many gaming companies building great things and becoming very successful. But, always remember that the gaming vertical tends to be the first one to fill out when new platforms enter the scene. Over time, big ideas (including games) are built into wonderful businesses.

So, as they say in England - mind the gap - and dream big.

Beautiful sunset over San Francisco as viewed from the Berkeley...

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 21:06:36 -0700

Beautiful sunset over San Francisco as viewed from the Berkeley Hills.

Blue Bottle on a Sunday morning.

Sun, 28 Jun 2009 11:37:58 -0700

Blue Bottle on a Sunday morning.

Photo

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 23:34:09 -0700

Is Execution More Important than Vision?

Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:41:00 -0700

Sarah Lacy: Is Execution More Important than Vision?

Sarah Lacy asks a solid question at a great time. I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately as Silicon Valley moves into a period of conversation and new innovation coming down off of the wave produced through what some reluctantly refer to as “Web 2.0”.

Some ideas are commodities, others appear to be not. What is the difference between a truly “new” idea, or one which has been around for awhile and just happens to be executed upon at the right time?

Living and working in Silicon Valley and having had the chance to see a few ideas grow and take shape, and looking toward the future, these seem like interesting and important questions to ponder and have a conversation about.

I believe that both entrepreneurial approaches have a special and important place in society. And, that the tension between the two types of entrepreneurs is what creates innovation and sustainable improvement in our lives.

Sarah presents an interesting frame. But, it seems like there is a longer conversation to be had here, and her post is just the beginning. I’ve opened up this post for answers below. I’d be interested in hearing your opinion.

Are new ideas (vision) more important than execution? Is execution all that matters? Are they complimentary?

Doing some thinking about the future.

Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:04:35 -0700

Doing some thinking about the future.

A nice night for some sushi.

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:01:03 -0700

A nice night for some sushi.

Hot. balanon: Teehan+Lax have released a new version of their...

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:24:16 -0700

Hot.

balanon:

Teehan+Lax have released a new version of their fantastic iPhone mockup PSD, with new elements for maps, copy/paste controls, timeline editor, and horizontal phone.

"A new report published this week by researchers at Stanford University suggests that Americans spend..."

Tue, 23 Jun 2009 02:41:00 -0700

“A new report published this week by researchers at Stanford University suggests that Americans spend the vast majority of each day staring at, interacting with, and deriving satisfaction from glowing rectangles.”

- Report: 90% Of Waking Hours Spent Staring At Glowing Rectangles

"It will not be welcome on French soil,” he said.” We cannot accept, in our country,..."

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 14:19:00 -0700

““It will not be welcome on French soil,” he said.” We cannot accept, in our country, women imprisoned behind a mesh, cut off from society, deprived of all identity. That is not the French republic’s idea of women’s dignity.””

- Sarkozy is directly on point. Bravo. No one should be deprived of full expression of identity.

BBC NEWS | Europe | Sarkozy stirs French burka debate

Building Successful Long Term Relationships

Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:28:39 -0700

Building Successful Long Term Relationships: Great post by Fred Wilson on building great relationships in life and work.

The scene at the Apple Store on Chestnut in San Francisco.

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:24:33 -0700

The scene at the Apple Store on Chestnut in San Francisco.

Clay Shirky is one of my favorite people in the world....

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:10:00 -0700

Clay Shirky is one of my favorite people in the world. Here’s his recent TED Talk recorded at the State Department where he discusses his thoughts on how Facebook, Twitter, and SMS are making history.

Photo from the Fast Company 100 event last week in New York...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:12:00 -0700

Photo from the Fast Company 100 event last week in New York City. I participated in a panel called Creativity Out of Bounds moderated by the fabulous Ellen McGirt of Fast Company and featuring Dr. Anthony Atal Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and John Garing CIO, Defense Information Systems Agency. Photo Credit: Fast Company.

My cousin Eli Ridgway and his wife joined the smartcar family...

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:24:00 -0700

My cousin Eli Ridgway and his wife joined the smartcar family today! Awesome.

Also, if you’re ever in San Francisco you should stop by his gallery, Baer Ridgway Exhibitions. They’ve got an incredible opening coming up from the legendary National Geographic photographer William Thompson called EVEREST.

Hanging out in Carmel for the weekend.

Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:02:00 -0700

Hanging out in Carmel for the weekend.

Are Tweets and Facebook updates telling burglars when to strike? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com

Thu, 11 Jun 2009 14:42:09 -0700

Are Tweets and Facebook updates telling burglars when to strike? | Between the Lines | ZDNet.com: There is an important conversation to be had here on privacy and the limits of openness.