(This post was written by Sandeep Sankarankutty)
Ever since we were young, we were told never talk to strangers. As children, this makes sense, it's for your safety. But as adults why do we still follow this practice? It seems as if there is a lingering fear carried on from childhood, if you talk to a stranger something bad will happen.
We are social beings, so it only makes sense that we are hardwired to form a social network. If you think about it, successful people don't reach the top by sitting in a room by themselves. They are passionate and will talk to anyone who is willing to listen. Social networks are key to success and expanding your network increases your chances.
In the world of startups the word serendipity is used quite often. I believe serendipity occurs when one steps out of their comfort zone and begins to learn from experience, meet people, share your thoughts, share what you have learned.
Here's a tool to let you take that first step to conquering your fears of talking to people. Check out Chatfe
Chatfe lets you have anonymous meaningful conversations, via phone, based on your topic of interest. It is certainly a great tool to help you get over your conversational nervousness.
Chatfe was also recently mentioned in the New York Times.
-- Thanks, Sandeep!
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Showing posts with label technology. Show all posts
Dear Paul Graham, This is From My 2nd Daily Hike
To get to my office, I have a round trip two-hour commute on the NYC subway each day (come see me on the F train). That means I'm free from the net during that time. It's like taking a hike in the connection wilderness. And I love it.
Could one of New York City's advantages be the un-networked subway? Those regular gaps when we have freedom from emails, status updates, the little unimportant interruptions that dot our days. But that's going to end when the subway gets WiFi.
Isn't there a safety advantage to wiring the subway? OK, sure. But I don't think any advantage like that is even close to the cost of doing it, both in economic and social terms. Soon enough there will be tweets on how bad the car smells and where the HPOA are (I swear I didn't know that term before I saw this.
Will subway service improve as a result? The MTA has what is best described as an "attitude problem" when it comes to making improvements. Passengers with communication technology have an opportunity to help improve the subway, or at least join chats and give feedback while riding. Some of these activities could pressure the MTA to make improvements, though probably more so subway lines that have more than average numbers of smartphone users. And if people sit in cafes all day for free WiFi, what will they do in subway cars?
Until then, I usually read on the subway. I read books made of paper, ink and glue. I've been known to write there as well. On paper with a pen. Those are both activities I don't do much anymore above ground. But for clarity, a subway ride can be worth a day of connectivity.
[About the title, there's a reference there to this Paul Graham essay:
The Acceleration of Addictiveness.
Could one of New York City's advantages be the un-networked subway? Those regular gaps when we have freedom from emails, status updates, the little unimportant interruptions that dot our days. But that's going to end when the subway gets WiFi.
Isn't there a safety advantage to wiring the subway? OK, sure. But I don't think any advantage like that is even close to the cost of doing it, both in economic and social terms. Soon enough there will be tweets on how bad the car smells and where the HPOA are (I swear I didn't know that term before I saw this.
Will subway service improve as a result? The MTA has what is best described as an "attitude problem" when it comes to making improvements. Passengers with communication technology have an opportunity to help improve the subway, or at least join chats and give feedback while riding. Some of these activities could pressure the MTA to make improvements, though probably more so subway lines that have more than average numbers of smartphone users. And if people sit in cafes all day for free WiFi, what will they do in subway cars?
Until then, I usually read on the subway. I read books made of paper, ink and glue. I've been known to write there as well. On paper with a pen. Those are both activities I don't do much anymore above ground. But for clarity, a subway ride can be worth a day of connectivity.
[About the title, there's a reference there to this Paul Graham essay:
The Acceleration of Addictiveness.
Scamming the Scammers, or Creative Problem Solving
When an education customer asked us for a solution to voice connect schools in the US with schools abroad where there was poor infrastructure we knew we had to test quality. The international schools included those in Kosovo, Qatar and Nigeria so we set out to make some test calls via our system using different international wholesale telecom providers. The problem was, we didn't know anyone in Nigeria to do a test with and we needed the test done the same day. I tried calling Nigerian hotel phone numbers to test voice quality before I realized the program would be run on cell phones and remembered that the country's mobile network was of much better quality than the old fixed line phone network. How could I find a Nigerian cell phone number to call... right now?
To the spam folder!
A search on "234," which is Nigeria's country code, produced scammer emails talking about financial offers I couldn't refuse. For the modest price of $20K, I could get a $1M return, or something like that. So I made the first call -- good quality. After unsuccessfully negotiating down the $20K, I then asked if I could call back to let me check a secondary wholesale telecom provider. That call was good too. I called a second scammer as well, also with acceptable voice quality. I didn't get anywhere in negotiations there either, but I had shown that we had access to good quality voice in Nigeria.
There's usually a creative solution when you're in a bind. Being in a startup makes you find it.
And later, when our customer decided to remove Nigeria from their school list it didn't bother me at all.
To the spam folder!
A search on "234," which is Nigeria's country code, produced scammer emails talking about financial offers I couldn't refuse. For the modest price of $20K, I could get a $1M return, or something like that. So I made the first call -- good quality. After unsuccessfully negotiating down the $20K, I then asked if I could call back to let me check a secondary wholesale telecom provider. That call was good too. I called a second scammer as well, also with acceptable voice quality. I didn't get anywhere in negotiations there either, but I had shown that we had access to good quality voice in Nigeria.
There's usually a creative solution when you're in a bind. Being in a startup makes you find it.
And later, when our customer decided to remove Nigeria from their school list it didn't bother me at all.
Cargo Cult Marketing
In a speech at CalTech, Richard Feynman (Nobel Laureate in Physics and all-round wildman) talked about "Cargo Cult Science." He was comparing pseudo-science in some industries to "cargo cults" that emerged in the South Pacific after WWII where isolated islanders would reenact the motions of flight controllers, hoping that would get cargo-laden planes to land again.
As the islanders found out, a reenactment isn't the same thing as having a real understanding of the technology required to get the planes to land, plus of course, having the need to mobilize large numbers of people and equipment in the Pacific Theater.
That takes us to cargo cult marketing, or the reenactment of what activities seem to have worked for other companies, without regard for the current situation and business realities. So, in the 1990s many companies thought they could be Amazon by building a website and selling their products online. Today, companies think they just need to focus on design to be like Apple.
It goes deeper. Wish I could give an easy answer, but there isn't one. Knowing what worked for other companies isn't enough; you also need to understand the specifics of your own time and situation. You can learn what's going on by talking to a lot of people in and outside your industry as well as customers. And like Feyman said, don't be afraid of going in a different direction if that's what the world seems to be telling you.
As the islanders found out, a reenactment isn't the same thing as having a real understanding of the technology required to get the planes to land, plus of course, having the need to mobilize large numbers of people and equipment in the Pacific Theater.
That takes us to cargo cult marketing, or the reenactment of what activities seem to have worked for other companies, without regard for the current situation and business realities. So, in the 1990s many companies thought they could be Amazon by building a website and selling their products online. Today, companies think they just need to focus on design to be like Apple.
It goes deeper. Wish I could give an easy answer, but there isn't one. Knowing what worked for other companies isn't enough; you also need to understand the specifics of your own time and situation. You can learn what's going on by talking to a lot of people in and outside your industry as well as customers. And like Feyman said, don't be afraid of going in a different direction if that's what the world seems to be telling you.
8,397 unread emails in my inbox
If you read mailing lists, message boards, or anything online that involves many people commenting and reading each others comments, you might know Godwin's Law.
I propose a new law, specifically for email lists. As the number of emails in one thread grows, the probability of someone requesting that others should not fill up the commenter's mailbox approaches one.
I have 8,397 unread emails in my inbox -- and I don't lose any sleep over that. I know which ones I have to read (the few) and which ones I don't have to read (the rest). Or, sometimes, a glance at the subject is enough, just as I've gotten used to glancing at or ignoring most of the ads I see when I walk down the street. Email is one of the least intrusive methods of contact, which also means that if you don't agree and want to use your email address for only high-priority communications, then just don't subscribe to mailing lists rather than go and complain about them.
This rant stems from a thread I just read (but did not participate in) which included multiple appeals to not use the mailing list. The best comment coming from someone complaining that since he was out of the country and roaming on his iPhone, reading the thread cost him hundreds of dollars.
The internet is like a country of diverse immigrants which by where there is a evolving cultural understanding of what's right or wrong. But it's always interesting.
I propose a new law, specifically for email lists. As the number of emails in one thread grows, the probability of someone requesting that others should not fill up the commenter's mailbox approaches one.
I have 8,397 unread emails in my inbox -- and I don't lose any sleep over that. I know which ones I have to read (the few) and which ones I don't have to read (the rest). Or, sometimes, a glance at the subject is enough, just as I've gotten used to glancing at or ignoring most of the ads I see when I walk down the street. Email is one of the least intrusive methods of contact, which also means that if you don't agree and want to use your email address for only high-priority communications, then just don't subscribe to mailing lists rather than go and complain about them.
This rant stems from a thread I just read (but did not participate in) which included multiple appeals to not use the mailing list. The best comment coming from someone complaining that since he was out of the country and roaming on his iPhone, reading the thread cost him hundreds of dollars.
The internet is like a country of diverse immigrants which by where there is a evolving cultural understanding of what's right or wrong. But it's always interesting.
To Sleep or Not to Sleep
At an early age of 23 I declared myself done with all-nighters. Let me explain. I never pulled all-nighters in college but at age 22 I ended up in a high-pressure job that required them about five times a month. Economically, it made sense for me since I was getting paid overtime and the all-nighters more than paid my rent. But in terms of health, not so much.
I declared myself done with all-nighters not because I don't like staying up all night, but because they are often marks of poor planning and fire drills. Plus, no one performs at their best at 5am. However, there are exceptions. I stayed up all night to see the sunrise on New Year's 2000. I stayed up all night trying to get another lift when a group I hitchhiked with suffered a broken down van in the dessert. And now, I'm staying up all night with the team at TechCrunch Disrupt. It's 3am. And it's fun. What was I thinking at age 23?
I declared myself done with all-nighters not because I don't like staying up all night, but because they are often marks of poor planning and fire drills. Plus, no one performs at their best at 5am. However, there are exceptions. I stayed up all night to see the sunrise on New Year's 2000. I stayed up all night trying to get another lift when a group I hitchhiked with suffered a broken down van in the dessert. And now, I'm staying up all night with the team at TechCrunch Disrupt. It's 3am. And it's fun. What was I thinking at age 23?
Fantastic Data
I was fortunate enough to hear a presentation of data on hashtags and trending topics at the 140 Meetup yesterday. (Not so long ago that sentence would have made no sense.) But anyway, Liz Pullen @nwjerseyliz, a sociologist, presented data of three months of top ten trending topics on Twitter. Trending topics are updated every five minutes to reflect real-time popularity, so she had thousands of data points.
Some notable finds include: brands account for less than 1% of the top topics, celebrities are one of the top categories, and hashtags have higher significance than words or phrases without the hash. #NowPlaying is the single most popular one.
It's not often when you get actual data like this. Check her out:
Info on Liz Pullen:
· Web spiral-scratch.blogspot.com
· Bio Sociologist, Ethnographer & What the Trend Twitter Trend Analyst (whatthetrend.com)
Some notable finds include: brands account for less than 1% of the top topics, celebrities are one of the top categories, and hashtags have higher significance than words or phrases without the hash. #NowPlaying is the single most popular one.
It's not often when you get actual data like this. Check her out:
Info on Liz Pullen:
· Web spiral-scratch.blogspot.com
· Bio Sociologist, Ethnographer & What the Trend Twitter Trend Analyst (whatthetrend.com)
Camera Culture
A few years back I heard an expert in analytics explain why automating the search for terrorists via looking at tons of data by scanning emails, video or other electronic means just doesn't work that well. Even at an incredibly high rate of accuracy, the number of false positives mean that investigators spend inordinate amounts of time looking into bad leads. And then even if you can get true accuracy, can you respond in time? Or, is it better to rely on people? Following the (thankfully failed) bomb attempt in Times Square and the talk of plastering video cameras all over the city, can we just take a step back first? The best example of what happens when video cameras cover every inch of a city comes from London, where there's apparently been no impact on crime. Cameras wouldn't have prevented the van from being parked in Times Square; it was an observant street vendor who spotted it. This is one area that a kneejerk reaction to adding technology will not work. Besides, I just don't need anyone looking over my shoulder when I walk home from the office. And neither do you.
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