A week off last week

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

I took a week of vacation last week with the family in Colorado.  We experienced a huge amount of unexpected snow as we spent our time between Beaver Creek and Vail after catching the Rockies season opener in Denver (thanks again Gabe, Christina, & Lisa).  The best part of the week was getting to spend so much uninterrupted time with my daughter.  Spending day after day together in such a beautiful place rather than just weekends and mornings/early evenings was truly special time.

I managed to more or less unplug although board meeting prep and a Blackberry did keep me in the loop as a spectator.

We did a bit of skiing and spent time at Bachelor Gulch, Beaver Creek, and ended the week in Vail.  It was the last week of the ski season so lift tickets were discounted (a bit) and many restaurants were offering discounts on meals and wine.  We enjoyed Larkspur and Terra Bistro in Vail.

One of the many memorable experiences was breakfast at the Little Diner in Vail.  We were looking for a bacon and eggs breakfast and this little place is actually just a counter surrounding a cooking station.  I don’t remember their names, but the couple running it was great even though they had just opened, were short handed and very busy that day.  Being an entrepreneur is not always just about venture capital and the new new thing.  It is about the passion and courage to follow your dreams and take the plunge.  An example for us all to follow.  If you are in the Lionshead area for breakfast, check it out.

Another great experience was time at Garfinkel’s in Vail.  I am a huge fan of it for relaxing and a few beers.  I have lots of great memories there with friends going back many years during both summer and winter visits.  It was kind of bizarre to share a meal there with my family.

When will people learn about what they put in email? (an ode to Clay Bennett)

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

If you plan on coming to a city and stealing the basketball team while acting like that is not the plan, don’t send emails back and forth with the boys back home about doing it.  Clay Bennett is learning this recurring lesson about email the hard way and this undeniable proof that he was not negotiating in good faith for the Sonics has not only brought on former owner Howard Schultz’s ire but puts his crusade to bring professional basketball to Oklahoma City in jeopardy.  Even Washington Gov. Gregoire is fired up calling Bennett out as a liar.

I am attaching two emails here.  One to NBA Commissioner David Stern that is an over the top bit of ass kissing and another to the gang in Oklahoma City about the effort (you can almost read the yeeeha! between the lines):

"I am a man possessed! Will do everything we can. Thanks for hanging with me boys, the game is getting started!"

Download 2004338431.pdf

I am not an NBA fan at all and quite frankly this whole thing has been a huge distraction both for this team as well as this city so the sooner it is resolved the better for all parties.  Unfortunately, this bit of bafoonery ensures it will continue to chew up news cycles and legal fees for some time.

Clay, here’s a bit of advice, if you and the boys back home are going to hatch another brilliant scheme in the future, don’t use email to crow about it.

Download 2004338441.pdf

This caught my attention today

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Via a post on Silicon Alley Insider regarding Google’s paid-click growth via analysis by Mark Mahaney of Citi quoting Comscore stats (got all that?).  Here’s the link but this is the statement regarding potential causes that got my attention:

"A macroeconomic dampening of commercial queries by searchers"

Welcome to new economic indicators.  If people are buying less, they are searching less, and they are clicking on ads less.  Internet search activity as spending indicator.

Does ebusiness belong in IT?

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

According to our recently released survey, that’s where roughly 90% of companies place it.  I think this sets up a bit of a misalignment of priorities.  eBusiness is about company to company communication and about orders and revenue.  These are generally not at the top of the IT goals list and adding another company’s system to the mix seriously challenges the goal of keeping control over the IT environment.

Many of our customers align ebusiness with sales or marketing and these organizations not only benefit from a longer and wider view of the function but also are keenly aware of the benefits that come from deep integration with customer ordering systems and accelerated invoicing processes.

Fly Virgin America

/ Robert Pease / Leave a comment

Logo_va


Traveling a bit this week and had the opportunity to fly Virgin America down to San Francisco from Seattle.  They just started the route mid-March and I was looking forward to trying something different from the habitutally late and crowded Alaska and United flights.  I actually found myself looking forward to this flight.

First impressions were very positive.  From the somewhat groovy decor and lighting to pleasant announcements and crew interactions, they have done their homework.

Although my 5pm-ish flight was not full, it was less expensive than the alternatives and assume will soon be in high demand as word spreads.  I enjoyed it and they will get my return business.