December 4, 2006
I’m sure many people enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather we’ve experienced over the past few weeks, but I’m convinced nobody valued it as much as me. The warm weather allowed me to continue biking to work into December, something I have come to appreciate in a big way. Those few weeks in early November when the weather turned cold and rainy, I found myself doing a stretch of time on the crowded subways during morning rush hour. As the time since my last bike-to-work grew longer, I noticed my mood growing more negative. As soon as I had the opportunity to get back on my bike, my mood and outlook improved. In general, I find that on days I ride to work, my outlook is far more positive and my time at work more enjoyable and productive. I think it has something to do with the experience of bicycling through the streets of NYC, which requires your complete attention and therefore, 100% presence of mind. In general, I believe presence of mind leads to good things so however we can achieve it is worthwhile. Of course, the fresh (uhh, maybe not so fresh) outdoor air is nice and the view over the Brooklyn Bridge and up Hudson/8th Ave is equally enjoyable each and every morning. Contrasted by the proverbial sardine-packed F Train and the negativity of so many a fellow-New Yorker that we encounter, it’s no wonder my mood is affected. Then again, there’s always the iPod to get me through the winter months…I ordered a new one yesterday.
October 9, 2006
This is one of the coolest things I’ve heard about in a while. There is a city-wide war taking place in NYC as we speak. It’s not just any war though. What makes "Street Wars" different from others we know are the weapons of choice; in this case, water-guns. Otherwise, all elements of warfare are fair game including shake-downs, stake-outs, break-ins, full-body searches and of course, assassinations. Since the game is already in motion, I signed up as a rogue assassin for hire. Let’s hope I don’t receive you as my next assignment!!
August 27, 2006
I accepted a new job this past week as Manager of Business
Development at Answers.com – NASDAQ: ANSW. Naturally, I wanted to give my attorneys time
to negotiate the agreement and report to training camp before I blogged it,
thus making it officially official:) I first met with Answers.com more than a
month ago. Apparently, I didn’t
sufficiently woo them to get the job initially. When they called me back to schedule a second series of meetings the
week before last, I took a slightly hungrier approach. Towards the end of my upbeat meeting with
Jeff Cutler, Chief Revenue Officer, I pointedly asked him, “so what do I have
to do to convince you I’m the right guy for this job?” I think this question sealed it for me. Sometimes it pays to be forthcoming and
direct.
In truth, I couldn’t be happier about the opportunity. This job search lasted longer than I
expected, and there were times I considered shifting focus all together, but I
remained resilient and ending up at a place like Answers in this role with this
team makes it all worthwhile. At
Answers.com, we are creating the definitive reference tool on the web. We already have more than 3.3 million topics
licensed from respected sources such as Roget’s, Columbia University,
McGraw Hill, Thomson Gale, AMG, Wikipedia and Encyclopedia Britannica in
addition to our own proprietary content. The information is cleverly presented based on relevance so a search for
Boeing
787 will first show results from Wikipedia, which is the best source for
information on the new airplane. Similarly, a search on Thomas
Jefferson will show information from Who2 and American Heritage first. Our traffic ranks us in the top 200 of all
internet properties; very impressive for a company less than two years old. Answers.com also has developed several nifty technologies
of their own, including one-click
answers, which enables a user to Alt-Click any word or phrase in any
document on the screen and pull up a call-out window providing informative
explanations and research. This is a
magnificent tool for virtually anyone who reads content on their computers and
particularly helpful for those professionals working with terms and definitions
in addition to any students or other learning-focused individuals. One-click can be downloaded here (or here for Mac
users) and I encourage everyone to do so. It’s a true value-added feature.
Culturally, Answers.com also couldn’t be a better fit. The NYC team is a fantastic group of people and
I’m thoroughly excited to start working with them. With company headquarters in Jerusalem, it also looks like I’ll have the
opportunity to do some work abroad. The
ability to travel to Israel for work certainly wasn’t one of the criteria used in my job search, but it’s an extra nice perk. Expect great things from
Answers.com in the near future.
August 8, 2006
Voters are lining up today in the CT Senatorial primary to decide if Ned Lamont takes Joe Lieberman’s Democratic party ticket. If Lamont wins, it will be the first time an incumbant senator loses a primary since 1980.
I think its time for Lieberman to go. Enough middle of the road politics. A Lamont win will send a strong message to future Democratic candidates that pandering to Bush and the current White House will not be tolerated. Lieberman has a respectable voting record, but he has straddled the fence on key issues over the past two years – patriot act, free trade, foreign policy, environment, gun control – and this will ultimately prove to be his undoing. Ned Lamont has taken Bush head on – condemned many of his policies including the Iraq war, and supported universal health care, the need to decrease our dependence on oil and protect our civil rights. While he obviously doesn’t have much of a voting record – Lamont’s positions are stronger than Lieberman’s and he has vowed to go after Bush. This might be enough to get him the Democratic seat. He also brings strong business saavy to Washington, which the government desperately needs.
August 1, 2006
Tonight, on my way home, I grabbed a taxi from the west village back to Brooklyn. About to emerge from the Battery Tunnel, I asked the driver to get in the far right lane, which is necessary to take the first exit and pick up the BQE East. Not surprisingly (for any frequent NYC taxi rider), he missed the turn-off and had to pull a multi-lane change in front of a cop in order to take the exit we needed. For a moment, I became upset and raised my voice, before realizing that the taxi driver had matters under control. Afterwards, feeling guilty about my behavior, I struck up a conversation with the driver – something I like to do anyway – that lasted the rest of the ride. It turns out this young man is in the U.S. studying graphic/multi-media video game programming. He is a Pakistani who grew up in Saudi Arabia and also lived in Sydney for four years. His father runs a business in Australia that offered a cushy life for him, but he chose to come to the U.S. to chart his own course. I wouldn’t be surprised if this guy is running a hot videogame startup in a few years. Its a cliche, but one I still take for granted sometimes: it pays to treat everyone we encounter with the utmost dignity and respect, always trying to give the benefit of doubt….even when they screw up and make a wrong turn.
July 30, 2006
I have a feeling this is a creative marketing campaign for some new sleezy sitcom (think desperate housewives part 2) about to begin in the fall on one of the major networks. I wish writers would come up with more positive-themed programming and television execs would be more focused on finding them. Its analogous to the stand-up comic who gets laughs by making fun of people. There is a better way…a higher road. Why sensationalize infidelity and filanderous behavior? It only makes it seem more socially acceptable to the masses. Let’s leave that to the tabloids. Television, once a media form held in a higher journalistic regard, often seems indistinguishable from tabloid journalism. I have no doubt that the next generation will be affected in some negative way by this garbage.
July 24, 2006
Aroma espresso bar from Israel opened their first U.S. store last week on Houston St near Wooster.
In a first time for this blog, I’m posting in real time on location. Personally,
I never thought their coffee or simple salads/sandwiches were anything special.
Their frozen blended drink – Ice Aroma – is
okay, but I would have been content
saving these for special occasions while visiting Israel. What makes Aroma nice
- in addition to the red leather swivel chairs, euro-style tunes and sleek
modern design – is the Israeli clientele. There are more people speaking
Hebrew in here right now than English. Looking around, I feel like I’m in
Tel Aviv (not a bad thing). I have a
feeling this place could be serving fried dirt and still be packed. They
also offer free wi-fi, which makes it a more attractive place to…well,
blog. During my visit, the lights
inexplicably dimmed and brightened several times, something burned in the oven
filling the space with a strong odor and some guy walked in insisting on practicing
his Hebrew with the man behind the counter (unfortunately, the guy taking his
order was Asian, one of the few non-Israelis working) – only strengthening the
Israeli feel. And while probably not a
design feature, I think JDate may have some stiff new competition.
July 20, 2006
Took Dad to the Yankees-Mariners game yesterday for his 60th birthday. It was the first time he had been to Yankee Stadium. I think the last time we went to a ballgame together was April 6, 1992 for the opening of Camden Yards. Before that, it was Pirates-Mets at Three Rivers in the mid-80s when I was the batboy for the Pirates and there was a bench-clearing brawl.
Baseball games in America are the quintessential father-son activity. Few activites create the type of nostalgia, harkening you back to days of yore like an afternoon at the ballpark. Everyone is a kid again at a baseball game, confirmed by the guy in his mid-60s sitting next to us diligently recording the game in his scorebook. After arriving late in the middle of the 2nd inning, my father, the consummate multi-tasker, shut off his cell phone and began to focus some time in the 4th. "Is Jeter third in the lineup?" When confirmed, he added "We’re watching a perfect game so far." Later, when Nick Green was walked in the 6th, he remarked, "they just walked a .157 batter." Needless to say, I was impressed with his baseball astuteness.
In the first few innings, he repeatedly expressed his surprise at the 54,000 out for an afternoon game in the middle of the week – "don’t these people work." Leaving the game, however, his mind considerably calmed, he commented, "I forgot how much fun baseball games are….we should do this more often."
July 13, 2006
Walking home today, I saw a Dixieland band in full regalia setting up for a
7pm set in Cobble Hill Park. I had already fallen in love with this neighborhood (and
S. Brooklyn in general) months ago, but it just keeps getting better and better and better…. 
July 12, 2006
Met with Kevin Ryan, of DoubleClick fame, recently. He
is back in the game launching three, yes you read correctly, three startups simultaneously.
ShopWiki has
already received some press in the NYC Tech community, but his others are
flying more under the radar. Panther
Express is a content delivery network (CDN) similar to Akamai, except
offering the service at a considerable discount. Kevin is also in the
process of launching Music Nation which is a classic long tail business model,
providing distribution (over internet TV) for the gazillions of talented of musicians that get
rejected by American Idol. Smart. We need more entrepreneurs like
Kevin in the NYC Tech community.
