The Spotify Event Was Great

Image via WikipediaThe Spotify CTO Talk

Spotify is in the same building as Google. I show up and there is Melissa. She is with Barnes & Noble. They are also in the same building. I did not know. I met her at a NY Tech MeetUp after party a few months back.

Free pizza is a great start to an event, I think. Good thing I don't drink beer. Otherwise they had plenty of those too.

The CTO Oskar Stal - who I got to talk to at great length after the formal event was over - started the talks. It was amazing to me how he was obsessed with company culture. He wanted Spotify's engineers to feel like there were many small team startups inside of Spotify. That seemed to be his number one concern.

Later I asked during the question answer session: "Should you not have the Chief Culture Officer title instead?" He said he did culture and many other things.

Henrik Landren gave a great talk - replete with great slides - on all the immense data Spotify collects. I got to see a side of Spotify I had not seen before. Artists get to see where their fans are. That would really help them plan their tours. Magic. Hadoop came in handy.

That made me think. Otherwise I told Oskar, I feel like Spotify is a finished product. What is there to add except more songs and more countries? He is like, oh no no no. There is so much to do.

The Spotify CTO Talk

Image via WikipediaSpotify USA, 76 9th Ave., Suite 1110, 11th Floor, New York, NY
Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 6:30 PM

Have you been wondering where Spotify's going both technically and as a tech organization? How do we get the music tracks to play so quickly? What's up with Spotify's data analytics and the data processing stack? What are Spotify's general architectural principles?

Come and hear about the 'big picture' of Spotify from the guys running the show. It's not often that they're all in town from Stockholm!

Speakers:

Oskar Staal - Chief Technology Officer
Mikael Krantz - Chief Architect
Henrik Landren - Head of Analytics
Wouter de Bie - Team Lead, Analytics Infrastructure

Agenda

6:30pm Mix and Mingle
7:00pm Presentations
8:00pm Q&A

GigaOm: Pandora: Spotify is our friend, not a competitor
Vimeo: Spotify – the story
The Register: Spotify looks for local spin guru: They really must be launching downunder
ZDNet: Spotify tops the charts for multi-platform support
TechNewsDaily: Spotify Hands-on: Worth the Hype?
Global Post: Swedish tech has its ABBA moment
Time: Today in Least Necessary Purchases: ‘Spotify For Dummies’
TechCrunch: Spotify Lands Major Studio Deals, Prepares To Launch Movie Service
Forbes: Facebook To Launch Music Service With Spotify
AllThingsD: Spotify’s U.S. Score So Far: 1.4 Million Users, 175,000 Paying Customers
Mashable: Spotify Eyes European Expansion [REPORT]
The Next Web: Spotify Opens for Business in Belgium and Switzerland
Mashable: Spotify Comes to Facebook [PICS]
LifeHacker: Spotify Is the Best Desktop Music Player We’ve Ever Used
New York Times: Spotify Loss Widens Despite Higher Revenue Its subscriptions, which cost about $10 to $15 a month, brought in $71 million, and the company also had $28 million in advertising. But its losses for the year totaled $42 million, up from $26 million 2009...... pays labels each time a listener streams a particular song. That system brings in lower royalties per song than downloads, but with a large enough listener base could in theory bring in substantial amounts ..... The company was believed to have more than 10 million total users.
TechCrunch: Welcome To Belgium, Spotify. (And To Austria And Switzerland)
Reuters: Spotify now has 250,000 paying U.S. users: sources
Forbes: Spotify Tries To Soothe Angry Users Over Facebook Conditions
AllThingsD: When Will Spotify Finally Come to the U.S.?
CNN: What's this Spotify thing all about?
ReadWriteWeb: Here's What Spotify's New Facebook Integration Looks Like
BusinessWeek: Record Sales Rise as Lady Gaga, Adele Find a Future With Spotify Music lovers are doing something they haven’t done in years: They’re buying more albums...... The number of albums sold this year has increased for the first time since 2004 .... Industry wide, sales of record albums, which include digital downloads, compact discs, some vinyl LPs and cassettes, are up 3 percent ...... Consumers who over the last several years rejected album prices of $14 to $15, and purchased singles instead, are now coming back to albums at lower prices. ..... “There is a significant market for the download of a total album for $9.99” ...... Levy and other industry executives see the pricing strategy as an investment. By making it easier for customers to buy albums they hope to gain market share and generate more interest in the music, eventually allowing them to profit from sources such as digital music platforms, merchandise, and concerts. ...... Adele’s “21,” for example, has so far sold 4.3 million copies in the U.S. this year, more than any other artist. ...... “An album like Adele’s is a concept album, enjoyed when the songs are not disaggregated,” Donio said. “She is doing well selling individual songs, but in cases like hers, the album is a work of art.” ...... Single track sales are up 10 percent to 1.055 billion so far for the year ..... When Lady Gaga released her second album, “Born This Way,” in May, Amazon.com held a one-day 99 cents sale that was so popular it overwhelmed the company’s Web servers. ....... Consumers also discover music through the growing popularity of services such as Rdio and Spotify. Though consumers can get music for free from these platforms, the services engage consumers and encourage them to make purchases, making them less likely to take part in illegal downloading ...... The Spotify service, Parks said, is helping to turn one- time music pirates into paying consumers. ....... “What Spotify has done is re-energized the base of music lovers,” Parks said in an interview. “Data shows that in all of the markets where Spotify operates, digital music sales have grown. We’re generating a lot of revenue for the industry from a generation that wasn’t buying music.”
NPR: How Spotify Works: Pay The Majors, Use P2P Technology
LA Times: Spotify's plan: get users hooked, then ask them to pay for music
Spotify - Wikipedia
Chicago Tribune: Spotify killed the radio star?
GigaOm: Indie labels stage another Spotify walkout

Shanti Mantra By Ravi Shankar

The Onion And Serious

Baratunde Thurston: The Brain Behind The Onion

My Take On AirTime (3)

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeMy Take On AirTime (2)
My Take On AirTime
Sean Parker's AirTime Could Net Him Tens Of Billions

AirTime will stand at the intersection between software/internet and group dynamics in the raw. That is an exciting proposition to me.

My Web Diagram

Also the timing will be right. As broadband's speeds get faster we will increasingly feel as casually about videos as we do about photos today. I am predicting an Instagram for short videos, for one.

AirTime's launch will open a whole new era of web innovation. This will be new territory. It will be almost as fundamental as Google's search and Facebook's social, if it is done right. AirTime's social will be of a vaster scope than Facebook's social.

But it has to be done right, and I am angling for a formal advisory role. I have been "advising" all sorts of startups for free here at my blog. But now I seek an advisory role, something formal. It is because when it comes to group dynamics, I am as good as they come. I know group dynamics like Bill Gates knew software. Or, rather, I know group dynamics like Sean Parker knows music and software. I am that good.

Bits And Pieces
White Male Conspiracy To Drive Me Homeless

Jack Dorsey With Om

gigaomroadmap on livestream.com. Broadcast Live Free

Source: GigaOm

Sadda Haq

Click To Touch To Gesture And 3D

Image via WikipediaA two dimensional screen is not what the world really looks like. The smartphone's small screen is unreal, if you think about it. But the real story there is the mobility. The screen moves as you move. The real appeal of the smartphone is actually 3D.

Touch was a big move beyond the click of the mouse. Gesture is the next step up. How smart could that gesture get? Could you pinch the air and make things happen? Could the air around you get smart?

You bet.

The screen will still come into play. A really smart screen will read you as you pinch the air.

What beyond the gesture? A squint? Things get wild at that point. The old adage about your body language speaking volumes might literally become true. And there might be unintended consequences. Typing is a conscious decision. There are flame wars and all that. But flame wars based on gestures and squints could really get out of hand.

Seven Screens

Hot Dog

Super Amit, Super Swabbed
Mike Bloomberg, Amit Gupta
Robert Scoble Now Following Me On FoodSpotting
My FoodSpotting Photos Are Being Viewed

Events: Week Of November 7

Tuesday, November 8
7:00 PM NYC.rb: Building RESTful APIs w/ Grape
Pivotal Labs, 841 Broadway, Union Square

Wednesday, November 9
6:00 PM How Sailthru.com uses AWS + Cloudsizer + Yipit
Aol HQ, 770 Broadway, 6th Floor

7:00 PM NYC Spotify Tech Group
Spotify HQ, 76 9th Ave Suite 1110, 11th Floor

Thursday, November 10
6:30 PM ERA Giving Thanks to NY Startup Community Party with Goodwin Procter
Goodwin Procter, 620 Eighth Avenue

7:30 PM Steve Blank talk at Union Square Ventures
Union Square Ventures, 915 Broadway, 14th Floor

Networked Society 'On the Brink'

Source

Mike Arrington, Race, And HTML5

Image via WikipediaTalking about race is not negativity any more than talking about HTML5 is positivity. It is just plain objectivity. Group dynamics is more cutting edge a thing than anything we have seen in tech so far. (My Web Diagram) And race and gender are some of the most cutting edge topics in group dynamics, gender even more so.

Race, Gender, Tech
Race, Gender, Tech (2)
Tech, Women, Diversity
Mike Arrington Is A Sexist Pig: Say PeeeeG!

But right now the controversy is race. Months back it was gender, thanks to the same character Mike Arrington.

Mike Arrington: Idiot

Is Mike Arrington a racist? He is a character, that's for sure. As for if he is a racist, that question assumes the label racist is an easy one to pin. I don't think Mike Arrington is capable of hate crimes. But that does not mean he is not a racist. Racist behavior is a spectrum. Racist thinking is a spectrum. There is a relationship between the seemingly benign racist joke and hate crimes. And race is not a matter of individual opinion any more than medical research is a matter of individual opinion. Mitch Kapor touches upon that.

In this debate Mike Arrington comes across as clueless and defensive.

Online Dating Newsflash: Race And Religion Matter
The Need For A Race Gender Coalition
Black Cop Shot Down In Harlem By White Cops: The Race Angle
Race, A Few Different Angles

And then there is this old media, new media tension in this debate, but there Mike Arrington is no holy cow. As a former blogger he has been guilty of all that he now accuses of: sensationalism, playing gotcha, etc.

Galaxy Nexus Has Competition

Galaxy Nexus has competition in my world now.

GigaOm: Republic Wireless to launch $19 unlimited voice, SMS and data service: Republic Wireless ..... will launch a hybrid cellular voice and VoIP service on Nov. 8, 2011. ..... The service, which costs $19 a month, will allow you to make VoIP phone calls over Wi-Fi and will switch to cellular-based calling when a Wi-Fi network is unavailable. Text messages can also be sent via Wi-Fi or cellular networks. The service does require a special Android handset. The plan includes unlimited voice and text messaging. It also includes unlimited data without any bandwidth caps. ...... no different from the Unlicensed Mobile Access (UMA)-based service bundled in some T-Mobile BlackBerry devices. T-Mobile also has UMA available on some Android phones. ...... When inside the office or your home or inside a Wi-Fi hot-spot, all phone calls and text messages are sent and received via the Internet. ...... like Kineto Wireless’ UMA that is used by T-Mobile, Republic requires you to buy a special phone that can handle this hybrid calling. The company has built this hardware based on Google’s Android OS. ...... also attractive to those who travel internationally and want to save on calling back to the U.S. ...... the idea of unlimited 3G data with the service for $19 a month

TechCrunch: Republic Wireless: An Android-Powered, VoIP/Cellular Hybrid Carrier That’ll Cut Your Phone Bill In Half

Republic Wireless, a new mobile phone service from Bandwidth.com that will be launching on November 8, and could truly be the phone carrier you’ve always wanted. ...... an alternative to the likes of Verizon and AT&T. ..... Users will not have to manually switch between Wifi and cellular — the phone will figure it out automatically ..... New phones are required because the Hybrid Calling relies on both hardware and software ....... You won’t need to sign up for a contract, so there aren’t any termination fees. No overage fees, either. ..... $19 a month, which will include unlimited voice, text, and data.

Also the Galaxy Nexus has been taking too long to show up.

FourSquare, I Was Not Here

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeDennis Crowley: Role Model For Kids?
FourSquare SMS Based Check Ins: Sometimes Messed Up
SMS Power

Dennis Crowley: Role Model For Kids?

Image by O'Reilly Conferences via FlickrYesterday Dennis Crowley was on stage at the New York Tech MeetUp. The last time I saw that guy on that stage, I remember not being impressed. (Dennis Crowley: I Underestimated Him)

This time he was on stage to brag. He said he had done "four" internships.

I am like, get out of town. Who does four internships? Is this guy serious?

A whole bunch of interns took over the stage and made some dance moves. I got to meet a few of them after the event was over. ("Which one of you is at FourSquare?") I was going to say, you should plant some firecrackers under Dennis Crowley's chair. Just don't light them. You will be okay.

This Is Not Happening: King Dennis
Craig Newmark, Dennis Crowley, Jennifer 8 Lee: Koreatown

Imran Khan: Top Search Term

Imran Khan: Top Search Term At This Blog Right Now
Imran Khan
Facebook Photo Album

Imran Khan: Top Search Term At This Blog Right Now

This is the top blog post at this blog right now and the top search term at this blog right now is "Imran Khan." I am glad.

Events: Week Of October 31

Monday, October 31
7:00 - 11:00 PM Village Halloween Parade
6th Avenue, West 8th St

Tuesday, November 1
7:00 PM The New York Android Software Developers Meetup
O'Lunney's Times Square Pub, 145 W 45th St

Wednesday, November 2
7:00 PM NY Tech MeetUp
92nd Street Y, 1395 Lexington Avenue

Thursday, November 3
7:00 PM Hidden Markov Models in a Nutshell
AOL HQ, 770 Broadway 6th Floor

Friday, November 4
8:30 AM DUMBO Tech Breakfast Meetup
The Gallery, 108 Jay Street Brooklyn

App Tips From BrainScape

I tunes revenue optimization

View more presentations from Andrew Cohen

Andrew Cohen

Four Queens

Mike Arrington: Idiot

Mike Arrington: "I don't know a single black entrepreneur ... There aren't any .... Silicon Valley is a meritocracy. Success here depends solely on your brain size and how you use it."

CNN: War of words breaks out over Silicon Valley diversity debate

Mike Arrington is an absolute, total motherfucker. There is no other adjective for this guy. This guy is like, okay, noone is talking about me anymore. The AOL thing, well, people have already moved past that. I no long write for TechCrunch. So I don't have any comments to read. What do people think? That I have disappeared? I have not. Here, let me make a blatantly racist comment and get back in the news. And so it goes.



Arrington, Calm The F____ Down
Tech, Women, Diversity
Race, Gender, Tech (2)
Race, Gender, Tech

Monday, October 31: Village Halloween Parade

Image via WikipediaMonday, October 31
7:00pm - 10:30pm Village Halloween Parade
On 6th Avenue from Spring Street to 16th Street
F to West 4th St



The 38th Annual Village Halloween Parade Extravaganza from Kadshah Nagibe on Vimeo.

Reuters: Anti-Wall St protesters to join NY Halloween parade
Wikipedia: Village Halloween Parade

Robert Scoble Now Following Me On FoodSpotting

54 Followers On Angel List

Should I follow him back? I thought for about five seconds. And followed him back!

My FoodSpotting Photos Are Being Viewed
FoodSpotting Follows Me On Twitter

How To Recommit Facebook To The Power Users

Image via CrunchBaseThe Telegraph: Facebook power users 'have gone to Google+ and Twitter'

I would be a power user. I am on Facebook every day. And since the revamp I have been getting a lot of news out of my Facebook timeline. After I read, I like to share. I read a lot, I share a lot.

And I feel anxious. I wonder if I am being seen too often in the timelines of my friends. I wonder if I am reading too many news articles and am flooding my profile page.

My Take On AirTime (2)

Image via CrunchBaseMy Take On AirTime
Sean Parker's AirTime Could Net Him Tens Of Billions
Sean Parker: Mystery Man

What happens when you let a billion stranger faces collide? That is group dynamics heaven.

It has to start at the random connection level. There is a random face, there is no user name. And there is the next button.

2010: Location, Random Connections, The Inbox, Frictionless Payments

The social graph of AirTime is going to be the mother of all social graphs. (I borrowed that phrase from Saddam Hussein who used to talk in terms of the mother of all battles.)

But then you don't want it to be completely random. I should be able to say narrow my pool down to people in New York City who are interested in technology. So it's still random, but it is random inside a particular city, and to a particular topic of interest.

And the block feature. You block someone you meet and you never have to see them again. And if that person gets 99 other blocks by other people, he/she (likely he) gets booted off the service. A good use would be to get rid of the penis problem. An abuse case will be ethnicities that hate each other. I don't like your kind. Off you go into oblivion and loneliness.

People, simply use the next button.

Suddenly the remotest town on earth (with broadband) is going to feel like a metropolis. You can meet as many people as you want. An end to loneliness as we know it.

All The Talk Is On Television

Image by jesuscm via Flickr
Image via Wikipedia
The TV is in vogue. Everybody is talking about the TV.

The Next Big Thing For Apple
Seven Screens

Basically what you want is a Spotify for TV. You want gigabit broadband for everyone. This is not about TV as it has traditionally been understood. This is about the video format. People should be able to watch anything, anywhere, anytime. This is primarily a business paradigm challenge. Look at what has happened to music since Napster and you get an idea. Something similar has to happen to the video format, to what has been known as TV shows. Will the networks play ball? I doubt things will be smooth sailing.

Once you thus "free" the content, then software magic can happen. The TV knows who you are, what you like, how you like your news, what shows you watch. You will probably have an app on your tablet and/or smartphone that is your "remote."

Down the line your TV is coming through the Internet. I say free up the spectrum for wireless broadband.

My Number One Feature Request For Google Plus: Blogger Integration

Image via CrunchBaseIs now on the way.

Google Plus: What Went Wrong?

It is one of those moments where you feel like maybe you had a little something to do with it. I did blog about it only a few days back.

Google Plus is not a rich blogging platform. But Google Plus has a rich, open social graph that Blogger does not have. I want to use Blogger to put out blog posts, and I want to use Google Plus as if it were the comments sections to my blog posts. That would be a great combo.

Considering I am an avid blogger - I blog daily, usually multiple times a day - this one feature might turn me into an avid user of Google Plus. So far I have not been.

Good things happen to those who wait. And vent on their blogs.

TechCrunch: Google+ To Integrate With Blogger

Events: Week Of October 24

Monday, October 24
7:30 PM Trio Con Brio Copenhagen
Advent Lutheran Church, 2504 Broadway (at 93rd St)
1/2/3 to 96th St

Tuesday, October 25
6:00 PM - 8:30 PM InsideTrack with President Stephen J Friedman: “Creative Destruction”— Innovation in America and China.
Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Pace University, 3 Spruce Street
There will be a simulcast of the event at 7:00 p.m. in the Gottesman Room on the Pleasantville campus. Pizza will be served.
4/5/6 Brooklyn Bridge/City Hall

9:00 PM - 11:00 PM Baratunde Thurston: Stand-Up Comedy
Bar 82, 136 2nd Ave (at St. Marks) 4/6 to Astor Pl Baratunde Is Funny

Wednesday, October 26
6:00 PM - 10:00 PM ERA Halloween Party at Webster Hall
Webster Hall, 125 E 11th St, Marlin Room
4/5/6 Astor Pl


Untitled from ER Accelerator on Vimeo.

Thursday, October 27
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Digital Dumbo
155 Water Street, Brooklyn
F to York St

Friday, October 28
4:00 PM - 10:00 PM Halloween is Happening
Trinity Churchyard, Broadway at Wall Street
In the event of rain, Family Fun and the Haunted Hamilton Happy Hour will be held on the 2nd Floor of 74 Trinity Place, accessible via the pedestrian bridge behind Trinity Church.

"Insuring" Angel Investors

Image via WikipediaThe idea behind insurance is that you pay for auto insurance, I pay for auto insurance, and so do a million other people. Not a million get into accidents. When a few do, it is paid for by all collectively.

Angel investors get screwed by established venture capitalists routinely. In the later rounds the VCs hog the negotiations in ways that people who believed in you early end up getting the short shift. You end up not making money even when the startup does well.

And then there is the no small matter of losing your money entirely because the startup you invested in went down.

It is a numbers game. Startups are known to go down. The best VCs expect at least one third of their startups to go down. And at the outset they have no idea which one third.

US Royalty: Staying Together

Image by cesareperdomo via FlickrImage by cesareperdomo via Flickr
Image by Lynt via Flickr
Image by _rockinfree via Flickr
One of the mesmerizing aspects of U2 for me - a group dynamics person - is that they have stayed together as a band, and if they have managed that so far, it probably is too late for them to break up now, or 10 years from now.

How did they do that?

To be able to find the right founding members, and to stick it out, year in year out. How many tech startups can make that boast? It takes a lot. How do you maintain a fiery pace of innovation? And how do you stick it out as a team?

That's an art. That's science.
Image by _rockinfree via Flickr
If the US Royalty are who I think they are, they will still be one band 20 years from now. And if they are not together 10 years from now I am going to think I bet on the wrong horse. Oh, well.

As of last night I have talked to three of the four. ("Hi, I am John." "I know.") I am going to track down the drummer also somewhere down the line. I'm sure they will be back in town soon enough.

...... singer John Thornley, guitarist Paul Thornley, bassist Jacob Michael, and drummer Luke Adams.

Happy 4th From My Friend Luke
Image by cesareperdomo via Flickr
And, by the way, they eat organic food. That should help them stay together. I asked Paul, you are on the road often, how does that impact your personal life? Oh, it's hard, he said, it's like going into the military, but I have a girlfriend.

Bono is married to his high school sweetheart.

The Beatles had a John and a Paul, and the US Royalty have a John and a Paul, only these two are brothers.

US (Bloody) Royalty!

@saveFaris
ron faris Most epic band I saw at #cmj goes to @usroyalty. I saw Jesus during "the desert can't save you"
Oct 22 via Twitter for AndroidFavoriteRetweetReply

@yeahtwiceisnice
Erika Friedlander @usroyalty best band at cmj @ Brooklyn Bowl http://t.co/pjvHLdVU
Oct 21 via InstagramFavoriteRetweetReply

@hansonmusic
HANSON Checking out @USRoyalty do a killer show during #CMJ. --Taylor http://t.co/BZAaRGHZ
Oct 22 via Twitter for iPhoneFavoriteRetweetReply

Foster The People, US Royalty
Brooklyn Bowl: Thursday: US Royalty
Music Bands, Tech StartUps: Much In Common
US Royalty
Think Different

Foster The People, US Royalty

Image by Getty Images via @daylifeBrooklyn Bowl: Thursday: US Royalty
Music Bands, Tech StartUps: Much In Common
US Royalty
Think Different

Here's Sean Parker making a mention of Foster The People.

Sean Parker's AirTime Could Net Him Tens Of Billions
Sean Parker: Mystery Man
White Male Conspiracy To Drive Me Homeless
Foster The People

Mashable: Sean Parker: Facebook Power Users Have Gone to Twitter or Google+

Unless they desperately need an advance, Parker believes, bands are better off on their own. He apologized to his friends in the recording industry but offered the slow-to-grow success of indie band Foster The People as a prime example.

This is Foster The People's signature song. I am thinking you have come across it already, like I had although I did not know the name of the band. Check it out, it is pretty cool.



And now listen to these two songs by US Royalty.




Don't tell me the US Royalty songs are not better. They have richer texture. They have richer melody. They have more meaningful lyrics. Although the Foster The People song has greater simplicity.

These two US Royalty songs remind me of some U2 songs that just tickle you at a few different levels that stay hard to locate.

Foster The People

"Don't Throw Your Business Card At Me"

Image via WikipediaI had been meaning to make it to the Dumbo Tech Breakfast MeetUp a long time now, and finally today I did, although I almost did not go: I am not a morning person. The alarm went off at seven, I rolled out of bed 30 minutes later. This was an unusual time. I am so glad I went.

Events: Week Of October 17

I found myself seated next to this hotshot programmer dude. He has already sold a company. I will not go into details. Because he and I will be in conversation mode for weeks.

But the story of the day was this other dude. At one point he simply stands up and says, "Next time don't throw your business card at me, and don't look the other way before someone has been able to give their business card to you!"

New Business Card On The Way

I was surprised. He made it sound like it had been beneath me to take his business card. That is so not me. I eagerly collect business cards. And I am very good at sending out that first email. Sometimes when there has been a backlog, and I can't remember the name to the face, or where I met the person, the email will simply say, it was good to meet you the other day.

"You have a card? Give me, I will take it," I offered.

Brooklyn Bowl: Thursday: US Royalty

I am going.

Music Bands, Tech StartUps: Much In Common
US Royalty

Music Bands, Tech StartUps: Much In Common

Puma Store: Union Square
Events: Week Of October 17
US Royalty
Tweets: 1, 2, 3, 4.

This would be my favorite US Royalty song:



But I think they consider this to be their signature song:



I showed up 10 minutes early so I walked around at the Union Square Farmers' Market in the drizzle. I bought a little something to eat. I was not hungry. And then I walked in right on time. I crossed the street.

Galaxy Nexus (3)

Image via WikipediaGalaxy Nexus (2)
Galaxy Nexus: Why 5 And Not 8 Megapixel?
Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus Goes Live

Engadget: Samsung Galaxy Nexus gets handled on video
VentureBeat: Samsung’s Android 4.0-powered Galaxy Nexus has everything you’d ever want

Yes I said phone — not tablet. ...... the competition is going to have a hard time keeping up. ...... the exact same resolution as 720p high-definition video ...... Android 4.0 “Ice Cream Sandwich”, the latest version of Google’s mobile OS, which the company describes as a total makeover. ...... the usual accelerometer, compass, and gyroscope. But it also includes NFC capabilities, a proximity sensor, and a barometer ...... It’s also strange that once again, Google’s newest Nexus phone seems to be behind the curve when it comes to camera technology. Last year’s Nexus S couldn’t shoot 720p HD video, when most other smartphones back then could. Now with the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung for some reason has included a 5-megapixel camera when competitors, including the iPhone 4S, are sporting 8MP shooters.

Galaxy Nexus (2)

Image by YoTuT via FlickrGalaxy Nexus: Why 5 And Not 8 Megapixel?
Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus Goes Live

Google Mobile Blog: Unwrapping Ice Cream Sandwich on the Galaxy Nexus

Beaming a video with a single tap or unlocking a device with only a smile sounds like science fiction. ...... takes the smartphone to beyond smart ...... created a new font that’s optimized for HD displays and eliminated all hardware buttons in favor of adaptable software buttons. ...... dramatically improved the keyboard, made notifications more interactive and created resizable widgets. ...... desktop-class browser is significantly faster, featuring a refined tab manager and the ability to sync your bookmarks with Google Chrome ...... the best mobile Gmail experience to date, with a new design that lets you quickly swipe through your inbox and search messages even when you’re offline. Calendar boasts a clean new look and you can zoom into your schedule with a pinch. ...... the new People app, which combines high-resolution photos and updates from Google+ and other social services. It’s also easier to capture and share your life with family and friends. Galaxy Nexus sports a high-end camera with zero shutter lag, automatic focus, top notch low-light performance and a simple way to capture panoramic pictures. Shoot amazing photos or 1080p video, and then edit and share them directly from your phone. ....... Android Beam, which uses near field communication (NFC) to instantly share webpages, YouTube videos, maps, directions and apps by simply tapping two phones together. Face Unlock uses state-of-the-art facial recognition technology to unlock your phone with nothing more than a smile.

Official Page: Galaxy Nexus

Voice typing ...... Watch text instantly appear as you speak with voice input. Touch the microphone on the keyboard and use your voice to instantly type your emails, SMS, or anywhere you want to enter text. ....... With Google+ built in, sharing the right things with the right people is a lot easier. With Messenger, you can bring groups of friends together into a simple group conversation and with Hangouts you can now video chat with up to 9 people wherever you are. ...... Single-Motion Panoramic Camera ..... With Galaxy Nexus you get a high-end camera with zero shutter-lag, automatic focus, top notch low-light performance and a simple, intuitive way to take panoramic pictures. No stitching needed. Take amazing photos or 1080p videos, edit and then share them right from your phone............ Vibrant high-definition display ...... Galaxy Nexus is the world's first phone with a 4.65" high-definition sAMOLED display making text, videos & games look crisp, vibrant and rich. With an edge-to-edge 720p screen high-definition, videos look amazing and the unique Contour Display curves nicely to the shape of your face and makes it easier to hold. ...... Galaxy Nexus runs at 4G (LTE or HSPA+) speeds so you can browse, watch movies, video chat & share without delay. With the 1.2 GHZ dual core processor you can quickly switch between apps and enjoy high-definition gaming and a lightning fast web browser.

Galaxy Nexus: Why 5 And Not 8 Megapixel?

Image via CrunchBaseI am not bothered. 5 megapixel photos are great. But that is one detail that is a little bit of a sore spot. Why could Google not have put a 8 megapixel camera in there?

Other than that it is looking great. It has a bigger screen - no need for tablet - than the iPhone 4S and the iPhone 4S does not have 4G like the Galaxy Nexus does. And the Nexus phone is lighter than the iPhone 4S, a little bit, bigger screen but lighter.

Galaxy Nexus
Galaxy Nexus Goes Live

Galaxy Nexus

Galaxy Nexus Goes Live

This Is My Next: Galaxy Nexus versus the competition: by the numbers

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus might represent the biggest evolutionary leap for Android since it premiered on the G1 back in 2008. The hardware is a pretty big deal, too — 720p displays and LTE radios both represent the very bleeding edge of smartphone capability, and high-quality cameras with 1080p video capture are still a relatively recent innovation. And as a “Nexus” device, Google has gifted the phone with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich — the very first retail device to ship with the new platform, which represents a pretty big shift in user experience from the Gingerbread devices that we’ve become accustomed to over the past year........ the iPhone 4S, the HTC Titan for Windows Phone, and the Galaxy Nexus, Samsung Galaxy S II, Galaxy S II HD LTE, and Motorola Droid RAZR for Android.

Galaxy Nexus Goes Live

TechCrunch: Galaxy Nexus Officially Announced At Hong Kong Event

Shane Snow's Contently

I first met Shane Snow last year at the FourSquare Day party. He asked me a few questions. Next thing you know I find myself quoted in Fast Company.

4/16: I Found Myself A Party: Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night
I Have Been Quoted In Fast Company

I saw him on and off here and there. We exchanged a few tweets along the way.

I saw him in a big way again at the end of the year at Charlie O'Donnell organized big snowball party in Madison Square Park. It was a blast.

Go Easy On Charlie Now
General Assembly: Singing Praises

Weeks later I met him again at a General Assembly party.

"What have you been up to lately?" I asked.

He mentioned the startup that looks like today stole the show at the TechStars Demo Day.

AdAge: Four Startups Marketers Need to Know: Contently ..... This is a writer marketplace for marketers looking to produce branded content. It's like LinkedIn for unemployed journalists looking to use their skills and expensive masters degrees to lure some of the dollars marketers are dedicating to produce their own content. Journos get free profile pages to show their stuff and, on the brand side, Contently is a tool to manage workflow, payments and all the other joys of editorial production. ..... "Ninety-thousand journalists lost their jobs in last decade," said Contently co-founder Shane Snow. "Great writers are out there, but there's no great way to find them." ...... What we love is that this is the exact opposite of so-called content farms such as Demand Media, which pays anyone on the internet pennies for posts on search-friendly topics. Contently is about linking real, trained journalists with brands who need professionally produced content. After launching in beta in January, the company amassed a network of 2,000 journalists and works with publishers such as LinkedIn, Best Buy, Comcast and Mint. Mr. Snow today announced a pilot program with American Express's small-business site, Open Forum. The site takes a cut of all transactions on its site and is on track to clear $1 million in sales this year. Contently closed $335,000 round of funding this summer and is raising $3 million in additional funding.

Good job, Shane Snow.

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Behind every success there is a team. Good job team.