Writing.
Essays since 2006, plus a few things first published at USV. Occasional by design. The podcast lives on its own page.
- Analog + Digital
I buy a lot of books. I find it impossible to browse the web and not stumble upon a book that looks worth reading. For instance, this one. Until recently, I didn’t think use an e-reader so I always just bought paper books without thinking about it. I love having books on my bookshelf –… Continue r...
- Feasting on Good
I had the pleasure of spending the day yesterday at The Feast. I love their manifesto: Mankind is now more connected with the tools to engage millions and more potential than ever to build a brighter future. Our role is to inspire the next generation of doers. To empower more folks to ask why the… C...
- Future Perfect, Peer Progressives, and the Continuing Crusade to Debunk
Steven Johnson, one of my all time favorite writers and thinkers has a new book out: Future Perfect – The Case for Progress in the Networked Age. Go buy it; I’ll be here when you get back (I love it when bloggers say that — I almost always do it myself). In Future Perfect, Steven… Continue reading
- Defragging your Brain, The Slow Hunch, and Open Commonplace Books
Alex Hillman has a nice post on his response to Steven Johnson’s Where do Good Ideas Come From, thinking about how we continually process and re-process our information. It mentions one specific method, which Steven calls “the spark file“. The idea being that you keep a simple log of “sparks” — th...
- Getting Closer
Last night, Andy Murray won the US Open — his first grand slam victory — in an epic 5-set match (tied for the longest ever). I was on a train and missed the whole thing, unfortunately. But the story is great — Murray won the first two sets, then dropped the second two, only to… Continue reading
- Tennis, Psychadelics, and Entrepreneurship
I’ve always thought of tennis as perhaps the most difficult of sports. It’s like hitting a baseball, but while you’re running, and with 90% of the addressable target area out of bounds (in the net, outside the lines, etc). To top that off, you’re a team of one, battling yourself, inside your head....
- The Clothesline Paradox and the Hidden Economies of the Web
Yesterday, I wrote a guest post on the Google Public Policy blog on “the clothesline paradox and the hidden economies of the web“, fleshing out an idea that was raised at the USV Hacking Society event back in April. I’ll include the video, below, of the conversation that kicked off this thinking: T...
- Making the Switch to Android
A few things happened recently, which are causing an unexpected and totally interesting change in my digital life. 1) On the last day of our vacation, Theo dropped our iPad on a brick patio, smashing it to bits. 2) I realized that I could save over $100/mo by consolidating my wireless accounts, and ...
- Instant Magic
Yesterday afternoon, I caught up for a coffee with Andrew Parker. After a wide-ranging and enjoyable discussion about app ecosystems and tech policy, we talked a bit about speed. This post (which I’ll keep short, in its own spirit) is about why speed is so important, awesome, and magical. I wrote ...
- Le Burger Dog
This post has been a long time coming. This weekend, we hosted a BBQ at our house as part of the Summer of Internet Freedom. Internet Freedom is nice and all, but really, it was just an excuse to fire up a batch of burger dogs. What’s a burger dog? I’m glad you asked. A… Continue reading
- Camellia Network
The Camellia Network is an organization that exists to support youth who are aging out of the foster system. It’s a new organization, just passing its first year, and yesterday they launched their revamped web platform. Camellia is a new kind of support organization — rather than provide services d...
- Reinventing the Home Row
I have been intrigued recently by apps that give a new spin on what have previously been stock features of the phone. Apps that a) improve upon in minor ways or b) really try and re-invent some of the basic things we do every day. Above is a snapshot of my new “home row”. Sort… Continue reading
- Smoke Detectors, or, it’s not the Backup; it’s the Restore
This week we are out in Cape Cod with Frannie’s family, hanging out at the beach in Truro (where, incidentally, there was a shark attack a few weeks ago). This week, we’re renting a different house than normal — it’s an old run-down house next door to the cottages where Fran’s family has vacationed...
- IP Enforcement Strategy
Today is the last day to submit comments to the White House on its plans for Intellectual Property enforcement for the coming year. This is yet another act in the fight for the future of everything, and it’s a relatively obscure and quiet one (as we expect many more will be, in the wake of… Continue...
- Arrived
In some small way, I feel like I arrived as a member of the internet today. Joi took some photos of me, which are now in his stream (along with photos of countless other internet heroes of mine). Thanks to Jess for making me smile and laugh as we got going. I am terrible in photographs. I always… C...
- Creative, Curious, or Passionate
Last week, I hung out with my old friend Nate Jaffee. We played a bit of tennis (on the hottest day I can remember in recent history), had the standard and depressing discussion about how we both peaked athletically at age 16, and then got down to the important business of having a few beers… Conti...
- Stuck on the Bus, or, Civic Engagement in a Networked World
Amazing things happen when people are stuck on a bus together. More on that in a bit. I spent yesterday afternoon with Chiefs of Staff and Chief Information Officers from about 10 US cities, at an event convened by the Harvard Kennedy School and Living Cities (a collaborative of large funders who fo...
- Why Sliderocket Could Be So Awesome, and Why It Isn’t
I wrote the other day about wanting a better way to share slide presentations. I think there is a huge opportunity here, and I don’t think anyone has nailed it yet. I consider this to be an open letter to Sliderocket, which is so close to capturing this opportunity but has (in my humble opinion)… C...