http://blogs.wsj.com/venturecapital/2011/09/28/entrepreneurs-the-end-is-near-refinance/
“Venture capitalist John Steuart warns that the curtain is about to fall on start-up financing.”
Of course, this doesn’t trouble an Upstarta!
Kinda funny as well as sad to read the drama in that article, as if it’s the only way…
Famous words spoken by Yoda (Star Wars). I generally despise Star Wars for its atrocious dialogue and many other aspects, but I love the Yoda character. Essentially he’s a Buddhist, and in Buddhism everything is relative. But doesn’t the phrase declare something absolute? No. It’s about the approach.
Trying in itself is not a true objective: you do something with the objective of completing it. Should it not work out, then you have tried. In a nutshell, “I tried” is a possible description or explanation of an incomplete or unsatisfactory outcome, which is obviously not something you aim for beforehand, or even less “declare”.
The fact that the English language allows you to use the verb in that way doesn’t negate the negative psychological aspect of doing so – forget hype, psychology is very powerful when it comes to achieving things.
Analogy: if you’re a cyclist, you’ll probably know from experience that focusing on “not hitting the pole standing in your path” will actually make you hit it. Feel free to try (!) this for yourself. You need to aim for a gap (way through), not the obstacle.
Just in case you still thought that software and abstract/method patents were a good and sane idea promoting business and innovation… do read this article on Techdirt. This new troll approach is all about going after small businesses that offer Wi-Fi services. You know, your local coffee shop, your library, the hotel down the way.
It’s a simple extortion scheme: “Pay us a few grand and we won’t sue you.” Even if it wouldn’t hold up in court, a small business can’t afford the legal expense and is likely to simply pay up on demand. All of us will get targeted directly or indirectly by this nonsense, it really has to stop – be stopped.
Also note this article from 2008, referencing a Haliburton patent application for the process for patent trolling. I kid you not. A quick search at USPTO reveals that the application still exists in the system (but hasn’t been approved at least).
This project is a good example of Upstarta principle#4: “Pragmatic on Intellectual Property (IP): speed-to-market over protection. Share information. No software patents.”
OpenCores.org host the source code for different digital hardware projects (IP-cores, System-on-Chip, boards, etc) and support the users with different tools, platforms, forums and other useful information.
Considering the complexity of designing and validating (debugging) these systems, the process becomes prohibitively expensive when done in-house, while fundamentally there’s nothing unique in there that must be hidden/protected to have a viable business model. So with benefits of cost as well as development speed, the openness becomes a true enabler: it allows startups and small businesses to consider this technology, which would otherwise be simply inconceivable.
http://www.neweconomics.org/publications/bit-rich
Pay matters. How much you earn can determine your lifestyle, where you can afford to live, and your aspirations and status. But to what extent does what we get paid confer ‘worth’? Beyond a narrow notion of productivity, what impact does our work have on the rest of society, and do the financial rewards we receive correspond to this?