Quote

Maybe when you die, you come before a big, bearded man on a big throne, and you say, “Is this heaven?” And he says, “Heaven? You just came from there.”

Kirk Douglas

TechCrunch Reviews new Apps/Services

I stop by Techcrunch.com a few times a week.  Often they review a promising new startup that sparks my interest.  As follows is my typical experience in the minutes/months following:

1. Read about a brand new app or service that sounds interesting or useful
2. Click though some link to go to the web site of the company, typically a brand new start up
3. Find out that the service doesn't really work yet
4. Sign up to be a Beta User, or Super Beta User,  which sounds terrific
5. Never hear from them again

From someone's point of view, I guess at least they got my email address.

iPad - like this and like that and not really like anything

This captures what I think is going on with iPad vs. the competition, or as it increasingly looks, iPad vs. a lack of competition.

The folks over at AAPL Orchard on how difficult it will be for any company to close the gap that iPad has created.

This will change too, I'm just not sure how.

Nothing Better To Do? Get the Poker Thugs

I can't tell you how proud I am that US federal prosecutors have succeeded in figuring out how  online poker sites process deposits and withdrawals.

Bravo.

Listen up you ne'er do well home gamers.  It is no longer legal to play poker for your money in your house.  You have to go play somewhere else, where it is perfectly legal.

Maybe it is time to move back to Canada.

Paul Graham from YC

There is a great temptation in life and at work to over think, over analyze and get totally wrapped around the axle.  I am currently trying to make it simpler.

The brilliant Paul Graham at Y Combinator tweeted the following last night:

@paulgPaul Graham

It's remarkable what a large percentage of our advice at Y Combinator is either "Just tell them" or "Just ask them."

Rethinking Gov't Employee Unions

Since the topic of state-employed, union-member compensation and benefits are front and center these days, here in NJ and elsewhere, I thought I'd link to this excellent excerpt from and email posted by Misch over here.

"It is the purest definition of a corrupt process to force membership in any group hired by government and then, in any way, manner, shape or form, use involuntarily collected funds of that group to influence a political process that literally picks the taxpayer's pocket.

I am not writing this as an indictment of the great majority of fine educators. I am, however, writing this as an absolute indictment of the political, self-aggrandizing corruption and whining of those who do, indeed, disgrace the profession. We need to drop most of the pretense of bigger paychecks and benefits "for the children"."

I have a ton of respect for teachers.  I hate to see any contract, originally agreed to by both sides, overturmed.  The other option is really bad at some junctures, this being one of them.