Great post by Jeff Kaplan over at THINKStrategies on the difference between cloud computing and software as a service (SaaS).
Jeff should know…he’s been working in this space for some time and is really knowledgeable in addition to being a super nice guy. If you are selling, buying, or building on-demand applications or services, put Jeff on your list for a chat.
He also did a profile piece on Hubspan recently. Go here to get the download.
This list was making the rounds today proving once again that ideas are cheap and execution is all that matters.
The folks over at Y Combinator put out 30 “Startup Ideas We’d Like to Fund” Some interesting ones here but nothing really earth shattering. I will say the point on email (#28) is well taken:
28. Fixing email overload. A lot of people, including me, feel they get too much email. A solution would find a ready market. But the best solution may not be anything as obvious as a new mail reader.
Related problem: Using your inbox as a to-do list. The solution is probably to acknowledge this rather than prevent it.
For more on the point above about execution, check out David Thomson’s Blueprint to a Billion that took an empirical look at those companies that really made it and the common characteristics among them yielding the “Seven Essentials for Exponential Growth.”
Print it out and put it on your wall.
We took a trip up to Mt. Baker last weekend for a few days and had a really great time. Here’s essentially the view from the deck of the cabin.
We stayed with friends near Glacier, WA and had absolutely fantastic weather. We continue our streak of sunny days out here although they are taking their toll on my grass which is pretty much completely brown by now.
The cabin was about 10 miles from cell phone coverage which was a nice change of pace. I actually took a very quick and chilly dip in the Nooksack River (North Fork, actually) after some good old fashioned peer pressure from the other gents on the trip. It was very, very cold. Imagine submerging in a glass of ice water and you’ll understand what it felt like. Snow melt is in full gear and the water is ice cold. Riley enjoyed the water and the sticks…
Here’s a map of where we went. It’s a nice area not too far from Seattle which made for a pretty short drive home on Sunday afternoon.
Reading the coverage and statements about this, the image of a backstop came to mind so here you go:
What does all this mean? Again, I am not an economist or guru investor but safe to say this is a serious move. Either things are really this bad or they are perceived to be this bad so negative events occur on expectations alone. As Bear Stearns was failing, I read an article calling the brokerage business a “trust” business. Lose the trust, go out of business. That is what ultimately happened to Bear.
The ripples of credit market excess keep roiling the financial system and are currently tossing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac about. These organizations play a significant role in keeping the mortgage market moving so their distress is a big deal. Treasury Secretary Paulson made this statement today and here are some additional details on what is on the horizon. As the former head Goldman Sachs, I assume Paulson not only knows the stakes but how to play the game. Plus, the guy is a former Eagle Scout so who better to be at the helm during this tempest.
the failure of a large bank (2nd largest ever according to the Drudge Report) can’t be good for any of us regardless of where we keep our dough or borrow our coin Of course, the well timed price target of $0 by FBR analyst Paul Miller should have been an indicator of sorts. RIP IndyMac…
This is comical on one level and extremely disturbing on another. Cynthia McKinney has “wrapped up” the nomination of the Green Party to run for President of the United States. Thanks Michael for sharing this nugget with me as I had not been tracking the goings on in the Green Party this election year.
If you don’t know who McKinney is, well, then spend some time on Google and prepare to be appalled, confused, and entertained by her speckled political career. I was fortunate enough NOT to live in her district during my time in Atlanta but did get a great deal of exposure to her antics.
Good for her. I wish her well. Especially with the stellar choice of running mate.
This is all good news for me as I eye a run for the White House in 2016. Yes, I am [mostly] kidding…
This is a really great conversation between JP Morgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and Charlie Rose. In addition to the notion of keeping an owe you/owe me list on you at all times, here’s a few quotes I like from the chat:
“history may not repeat but it rhymes”
“buying a house and buying a house on fire are two different things” (about Bear Stearns purchase)
The “owe list” is something he keeps in his pocket. If he has a conversation and someone owes him something as a follow-up, he writes it down and same goes if he owes somebody something (a call, etc.). Interesting approach and unique way to stay focused on getting things done and holding people accountable.
Below is a snippet from Youtube and a link to the entire discussion is here (via Paul Kedrosky).
Happy July 4th everyone. I hope everyone is having a great day and enjoying some nice weather. Kirkland had its annual July 4th parade downtown this morning and we are all pretty exhausted at this point.
To mark the holiday and to share a great story, we are having the first ever guest blogger on Reply to All. My good friend Michael Barry wrote the post below after a recent trip. If you have a comment, leave it here or drop him an email on rmichaelbarry at gmail dot com. Enjoy!
US Troops – The Best Anywhere
I recently had the opportunity to visit Joshua Tree, California – one of a handful of places in the world where the Joshua Tree grows.
If you’ve never been to the high desert, I would highly recommend the visit. In particular, the Joshua Tree National Park has some of the most beautiful scenery in the west. Stay at the Roughley Manor and enjoy the wonderful hospitality of Jan and Gary Peters. They have developed a real oasis in the desert.
While in Joshua Tree, I had the honor to visit Twenty Nine Palms Marine Base, in Twenty Nine Palms California. Much is written about leadership, but regardless of your political views, you should be proud of the physical, technical, mental and emotional training that our men and women receive at Twenty Nine Palms – it is quite simply beyond compare and results in leaders that we would all be fortunate to work with and whom we should all be proud to serve our Country (we should also be proud that there were at least 3 other western countries training alongside our men and women).
Our U.S. Marines are trained to plan (and contingency plan) and execute on that plan (or modify as necessary), in a variety of scenarios. From IED search and destroy, injury triage, clearing a room, to interacting with locals and press representatives, and other “lanes” of training, the base was realistic in every way that a civilian could find imaginable. Lt. Col. “Dutch” Dietz was kind enough to spend a few hours with us and permit us to experience some of the in-depth training that our Marines receive.
The base itself is 600 square miles and, among other things, houses at least one full-size, mock town that is used for reality optimized training.
Each of the men and women of the US Marine Corps that we met were respectful, well trained, confident in their training and proud to serve our Country. The degree of training, technology, responsiveness and pride of our men and women in uniform is rarely covered in the popular press, and it’s a shame. Our troops provide our Country with the best service we could possibly expect and they deserve the best from us – all of us.
The next time you are walking through an airport, or are seated next to one of our men or women in uniform, let them know you appreciate their service to our Country. A simple “thanks” will be meaningful to them. Remember that at places like Twenty Nine Palms, our men and women in uniform are prepared for days that make even our most demanding board / client interactions pale in comparison.
From Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken“
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
I have this part on a nice wooden piece that my Mom and Dad lugged to Seattle from St. Simons Island a few months ago (thanks again for that). To me, this reinforces the choices we can make and embracing the challenges that come with those choices.
Interesting post over on ReadWriteWeb about email, the technologies challenging its dominance in personal electronic messaging, and the reality that it is not going away anytime soon.
“Even if consumers shift away from email, it is difficult to see how enterprises could.”
There is definitely innovation around the edges to improve how we message and collaborate but email is deeply embedded and will be with us for many, many years to come. The question is really more about how to live with it and make it work for us versus replace it.
Venture Vice 
