The folks at Meetro win. I love their style:
Happy Holidays!
Tags: Meetro, Holiday, Card, Greetings, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
Monthly Archive for December, 2006
I liked this, from Nivi, summarizing some of the points in the book Re-Creating the Corporation:
Learning is the acquisition of data, information, knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.
And what are those things?
- Data consists of symbols that represent objects, events, and their properties. For example, the speedometer in a car presents data.
- Information is data that has been made useful. Information answers who, what, where, when, and how many questions. Information is helpful in deciding what to do, not how to do it. For example, the information that you are driving at 120 mph will help you decide whether to speed up or slow down. But information won’t tell you how to do it.
- Knowledge consists of instructions and know-how. Knowledge answers how questions. For example, your driving knowledge tells you how to control the car’s speed.
- Understanding consists of explanations. Understanding answers why questions. For example, you understand why you are in the car in the first place: because you are driving your kids to get ice cream.
- Wisdom is the ability to perceive outcomes and determine their value. It is useful for deciding what should be done. For example, the wise may decide that driving recklessly may lead their children to do the same in the future.
Enjoy!
Tags: Books, Nivi, Business, Learning, Data, Information, Knowledge, Understanding, Wisdom, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
Looks like VMware Fusion Beta is now Open.The “Fusion” codename is used to describe the project that is, basically, putting VMware Workstation type capabilities onto the Mac OS X operating system. From their web site:
The new VMware desktop product for the Mac, codenamed Fusion, allows Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows, Linux, NetWare and Solaris, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. It is built on VMware’s rock-solid and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today. With Fusion, you can run traditional PC applications on your Mac: if you need to run PC applications, you can now do so by leveraging the power of virtual machine technology.
Here’s the message I received with the announcement:
We are excited to announce that the Fusion beta program is now live. Fusion is the codename for a new VMware desktop product for Mac that will enable Intel-based Macs to run x86 operating systems, such as Windows and Linux, in virtual machines at the same time as Mac OS X. It is built on VMware’s robust and advanced desktop virtualization platform that is used by over four million users today.You can find detailed information about this new VMware product, answers to frequently asked questions, links to download the product, release notes, etc. at: www.vmware.com/fusionbeta.We ask that you give us candid feedback on the software and documentation. If you encounter problems while testing this release, please submit a bug report by clicking on Service Request located in the Quick Links section at: www.vmware.com/fusionbeta.We also have a discussion forum where you can interact with the product team and other beta users to discuss product features, post questions, exchange tips and tricks. You can access the forum by clicking on http://www.vmware.com/community/forum.jspa?forumID=371.With Fusion you can now run any of the over 360 virtual appliances available at the Virtual Appliance Marketplace (http://vam.vmware.com) on your Mac. Virtual appliances are pre-built and pre-configured applications bundled with an operating system so they can run on any hardware or operating system.Best regards, The VMware Fusion Team
Happy Holidays!Tags: VMware, Fusion, Mac, Beta, Mac OS X, Virtualization, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
The title of this post is a quote from this very enjoyable and easy to read book, Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside, written by Katrina Firlik. I’ve already loaned the book to my daughter, so I can’t go into too much detail in this review.
Suffice it to say that Katrina is a neurosurgeon, which is a rather exclusive profession. Furthermore, she’s a female neurosurgeon, which makes her even more rare. And, an excellent writer. Yikes. She is a talented one!
I’m not a doctor.
I don’t even play one on TV.
Closest I ever came was getting my Wilderness EMT certificate.
I’m not a writer.
I don’t even play one in the blogosphere.
Closest I ever came was, well, writing this blog!
Katrina does a nice job introducing the life of a neurosurgeon and mixing in patient stories, medical school stories, politics of the job, and tools of the trade.
OK, but this is a blog about Venture Capital, right? So why the review of a surgeon’s book?
First, I like all things medical. Second, the neurosurgeon profession appears to be a very exclusive one, much like that of a VC. And, it turns out that Katrina is married to Andrew Firlik who just so happens to be a Venture Capitalist with Foundation Medical Partners. There. I tied it all together for you.
Just go read the book.
Tags: Frontal Lobe, Neurosurgery, Neurosurgeon, Books, Reviews, VC, Venture Capital, Katrina Firlik, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
Well, just moments after I announce my engagement, I stumble upon the following New York Times article, Questions Couples Should Ask (Or Wish They Had) Before Marrying.
Here they are:
- Have we discussed whether or not to have children, and if the answer is yes, who is going to be the primary care giver?
- Do we have a clear idea of each other’s financial obligations and goals, and do our ideas about spending and saving mesh?
- Have we discussed our expectations for how the household will be maintained, and are we in agreement on who will manage the chores?
- Have we fully disclosed our health histories, both physical and mental?
- Is my partner affectionate to the degree that I expect?
- Can we comfortably and openly discuss our sexual needs, preferences and fears?
- Will there be a television in the bedroom?
- Do we truly listen to each other and fairly consider one another’s ideas and complaints?
- Have we reached a clear understanding of each other’s spiritual beliefs and needs, and have we discussed when and how our children will be exposed to religious/moral education?
- Do we like and respect each other’s friends?
- Do we value and respect each other’s parents, and is either of us concerned about whether the parents will interfere with the relationship?
- What does my family do that annoys you?
- Are there some things that you and I are NOT prepared to give up in the marriage?
- If one of us were to be offered a career opportunity in a location far from the other’s family, are we prepared to move?
- Does each of us feel fully confident in the other’s commitment to the marriage and believe that the bond can survive whatever challenges we may face?
The good news. Amy and I have covered most of these already.
Heck, even if you’re married, these are good discussion points to review at your anniversary with your spouse.
In my opinion, the key ones here are: communication, money management, and a similar moral compass.
Oh, and did I mention Communication?
Tags: Marriage, Communication, Personal, New York Times, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
There are a plethora of great sites for gathering Internet market data and site usage trends these days. But, who to trust? Who’s got the best data? Who is best at tracking the rise of a young Internet startup company?
Unfortunately, there is no one right answer. And, in fact, much of the time I find that I cannot believe or triangulate on the data that I do find from the available services. However, you gotta have some data, so I find that I have to use all of the following services in order to form a reasonably clear picture of the usage of Internet sites.
So, what’s out there?
Over the next couple of weeks (gotta have something to do over the holidays!), I’ll dig a bit into each of the following sites. In the mean-time, please do get some great background information from Fred and Om. Fred Wilson asks Whose Numbers Are Right? Om Malik states that Alexa can be injurious to your wealth. The services we will look at include:
Stay tuned!
Tags: Internet, Marketing, Site, Traffic, Rankings, Services, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
This post is decidedly personal. More Blog Transparency for you.
I no longer have a girlfriend.
On Tuesday (December 19, 2006), I popped the question to Amy, my ex-girlfriend.
Those famous four words.
She said yes.
So, I now have a fiancée!
Tags: Personal, Engagement, Marriage, Proposal, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
One of the things you may not know about me: I was a huge Abbott and Costello fan when I was growing up. The Internet has brought back many of those early memories, and even mashed them up a bit.
Here’s a quick YouTube collection of Who’s On First for your enjoyment this holiday season.
The Original (Abbott & Costello):
Who’s On Force (Yoda & Jar Jar):
Animated (Christopher Walken & Morgan Freeman):
Hu’s On First (George W & Condoleeza Rice):
A Nice Impression (this is harder than it looks, and these guys did a nice job):
Finally, Jews On First (In Living Color, Lou Farrakhan & Al Sharpton):
Happy Holidays!
Tags: Abbott and Costello, Who’s on First, YouTube, parody, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
Check out "The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation".
It’s the "9/11 Commission Report" repurposed into a hardbound comic book format. Courtesy of Cool Tools:
This is a comic book version of the 911 Commission Report. No joke. It takes the narrative of the official National Commission Report and transforms it into a page-turning thriller. It’s a very fast read. Their visual timeline of the four hijacked flights is scarily clarifying. The artists do a marvelous job of weaving the many threads that lead up to the event of 911. In fact before reading this I had not appreciated how interconnected the many previous encounters with the jihad network were. This graphic book also reveals in simple pictures how seriously the government bungled many early clues, how sadly it bungled its real-time response to the events and how it continues to bungle the complexity of this new world. The comic does all this while remaining faithful to the the Commission’s text, yet underscoring its clarity by telling the story in pictures. It’s a showcase for the power of the cartoon media. Highly recommended.
Not too late for that one last gift for someone special… They’ve been good… right?
Tags: 9/11 Report, Comics, Comic Books, Cool Tools, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
Exactly 7 weeks ago, I wrote about the newly launched Charles River Ventures "formalized" seed program known as QuickStart. In the article, CRV QuickStart: It’s All About The Dealflow, I concluded with:
I predict a very busy holiday season for Tai, Zachary, and Wu!
Doh!
Looks like I was right about that. Check out Susan Wu’s calendar (posted today):
Also, be sure to take a look at Susan’s most excellent blog on Venture Capital.
I’m glad to hear that I was right about the need for such a formalized seed program. And, as predicted, it looks like the CRV QuickStart team is getting increased access to Dealflow, a most excellent by-product of the program.
It would be great if the QuickStart folks shared some of the stats with us… once they get through the "very busy holiday season"! Many congratulations.
Tags: Charles River Ventures, CRV, QuickStart, VC, Venture Capital, Dealflow, Brian Berliner, brianberliner
