Well, it’s 2012 now and its time to get back in the saddle. So, [...]]]> Since I’m a one person shop at HATCHideas, which used to be a service name used at my first company named SHOREtech Systems, LLC; I’ve been working on re-launching under the HATCHideas name since SHOREtech closed at the end of 2005.

Well, it’s 2012 now and its time to get back in the saddle. So, I’m launching concepts via Quirky. Quirky is a crowd-sourced development company. Simply put, if the idea you propose is well positioned and people vote it up, Quirky may take it under their wing and develop it to fruition. Pretty cool.

What do I get out of it? A portion of the profits and a public feather in my cap that I created another product. I like that that too.

So, visit Quirky to vote on my idea for a Bluetooth Enabled Capacitive Pen with Pressure Sensitivity, Gyroscope to detect the angle of the pen, programmable buttons, eraser end cap and inductive charging system. Follow this link for that, and you can swing by my company site at HATCHideas.

“Some will say that Louis can do this because he is a star. That is true. And I sure hope [...]]]> I’ll start out with the quote from Fred Wilson [AVC] who states quite simply what I believe is key to what Louis CK’s success in his experiment but I take it one step further:

“Some will say that Louis can do this because he is a star. That is true. And I sure hope other stars will follow his lead and go direct to their fans. They can also go direct to their fans and raise the upfront production costs on Kickstarter. They can use any number of internet services to process the payments (paypal), host the video (vimeo), and get distribution (twitter). This is not that hard.”

Now, Wilson is accurate with this statement. I believe that stardom alone isn’t going to make a work product successful. Here are some things you’ll see on the AVC post that were also fundamental to the success. Louis CK appears to be humble about his cost/benefit analysis and his opportunity cost regarding the production of the experiment.

A couple hundred thousand dollars were spent in creating this, the site, etc. Very difficult to justify until something is reached…

Critical Mass : The minimum amount of fissile material needed to maintain a nuclear chain reaction.

There is a video  of what it takes to create a movement. It is a TED talk and is pretty famous for its brevity, humor and profound embodiment of exactly what happens when like minded people form around a single firebrand. Here is a link to the TEDtalk [Link]. This critical mass is the key to creating a movement. They are one in the same really. The key is both is the ignition point, the firebrand, the trend setter.

Another instance of the Anti-DRM, Low Cost, “Experiment” was Minecraft which became a multimillion dollar success because of dyed in the wool fans who fell in love with the 8-bit experience. Probably because they didn’t live through it. Besides that, sites rallied the platform. Sites like Reddit.com were abuzz with news about Minecraft and eventually it did something that all companies seemingly do. They became “real” and started charging real money for marginal benefit (at least in my opinion, but I hardly am a fanatic about anything). Now it is on the iOS, Android and I believe Xbox platforms. But keep in mind, it had a window of opportunity and was ready for it, the people who loved it were vocal and a movement formed. Who the actual firebrand was that started the trend towards making Mojang a success; I don’t know.

Another instance is the Coldplay Pay-What-You-Want model. This too is a critical mass flashpoint of success. Just like Louis CK, the success comes from god-knows how many hours of work done by the artists themselves and perceived to be a success because accounting for their time isn’t really a factor. They did it for the love of the music and the experiment. Others have done the same thing, but I can’t remember them all right now. Nine Inch Nails is probably the next most notable. But this came from years of working within the system, banging their head against the frustration of such and then after reaching critical mass and having the full ability to make such a risk possible; they do it and suddenly people grab hold of this and think…

See… Louis CK [probably the hottest comedian going right now], and Minecraft [a flash mob of online zealotry brought this success], and Coldplay [after years of making standard industry moves] and Nine Inch Nails [ditto]… did it, which means the whole damn system should pivot and follow suit.

I agree. But only because I think DRM is the bane of law abiding consumers and it makes life more difficult for us while doing nothing to prevent “them” [the evil pirates] from doing what they do. I think pirating is stealing, you won’t find a pirate that says otherwise unless they are simply in denial. The cost of these products is too-damn-high because there are so many steps between creator and consumer. The fact remains though, the people who have made these amazing successes are not the typical content creators. Stepping back, you’ll see that everything gets pirated by someone unless its my article here on my site.

Because of protectionism versus the pirates, consumers have to sit through copyright notices and advertisements for other things we already saw in the store as we were picking up the Blu-Ray we purchased. Over the last 20 years, consumers have had their hands slowly tied behind their backs.  We can no longer return movies, music or electronics because the stores won’t allow it for anything other than store credit (at a 15% loss) and we can’t try them out because of various reasons [I don't want to put public consumption headphones on my head, they don't have the electronic device I want to try out set up in the store, they wont play the movie and let me sit in the theater in BestBuy for 3 hours while I watch Lord of the Rings].

Anyway, these various examples are the exception, not the rule and shouldn’t be used as the measuring stick. Only those who have reached critical mass and as such have reached stardom will benefit from such displays. Those who do similar within a reasonable amount of time can gain from a halo effect… after that, poof. The smoke and mirrors disappear and reality again takes over.

In the end, removing all of the intermediate steps between consumer and creator will lead to the talented rising to the top without the help of big time marketing, labels, etc. Talent will have to get better as technology is no longer limited to the wealthy labels and legal machines that feed us content now. We are living in interesting times. I think it’s time for the talent to be rewarded for their talent. Good luck to the next person who takes a leap and experiments.

Zuckerbergs idea that we’re happier when the world knows when I go to the [...]]]> Look, I’m a cheerleader for technology, and even some level of social networking. But damnit, I don’t want Facebook connecting to everything I’m doing. I don’t want my actions online, posted to a board somewhere else. I want balkanization, compartmentalization, privacy.

Zuckerbergs idea that we’re happier when the world knows when I go to the bathroom or BBQ a burger is bunk. Maybe I’m just too old. But, now I can’t subscribe to Spotify [for the moment], nor Turntable.fm [an idea I had 15 years ago but because I don't have pull, it never came to be].

Both of those sites/services require a Facebook login. Ridiculous. If you are going to make a service, let it garner customers from any source and don’t require only one because than you aren’t an independent company. You are at the whim of the one providing your customers. If they are paying you for each customer, awesome. Disclose that price and see if customers will pay it so they don’t have to be yet another profit source for Facebook.

Now, I don’t have anything against a service wanting to get as many customers as possible. I disagree with the Zuckerberg model that everyone and every damn little action should be public and everyone interconnected and stored in a single database. It is disgusting.

Ugh. So, in this instance, what I usually would do [protest with my wallet], I can’t do because they don’t even want someone who isn’t following the Facebook party line.

Whatever… I guess I’ll listen to Pandora and Rdio.

If you are reading this, you probably know this fact. But what you may not know is that when a vegetarian ingests meat, their stomach gets very upset. What is worst though, is that it is akin to an [...]]]> So, I’m married to a vegetarian who happens to be an attorney.

If you are reading this, you probably know this fact. But what you may not know is that when a vegetarian ingests meat, their stomach gets very upset. What is worst though, is that it is akin to an alcoholic taking a chug of a drink only to find out it had alcohol in it. Years of vigilance, gone. Gone are the years of self-imposed prohibition. Gone is the sanctity of their body. They feel violated. It makes them angry. It makes them want to sue, if they can sue. It certainly doesn’t make them want to go back to the place that contaminated their body.

That feeling that they’ve “kept clean” for 23 years is gone.

And this is what I explained to the manager today at the Glory Days in Frederick.

I stressed to the waitress… that this is for a vegetarian… as I was ordering.

“There should be no bacon, no meat of any kind.”

What we got halfway through my wife’s lunch was contrary to that. Some surprise bacon made it into her veggieburger wrap, and I tried to convince her that she caught it in time. But when there are pieces sitting on the plate and one on her fork, you have to wonder. So, all day yesterday she was not feeling all that well. Not enough to go to the emergency room and get her stomach pumped, not enough to make her unable to do her job. But, again… years of philosophical and dietary control wasted.

It is pretty hard for a vegetarian, married to an omnivore [I'll eat a hubcap if you put Tabasco on it], to find good quality meals unless you make them at home. Not always possible, time wise, convenience wise. Certainly not for us because we don’t have meat-eater food in the house so I usually go out for food during lunch. Still…

We’ve been going to that Glory Days since it opened. I was one of the first people through the door. We’ve enjoyed our times there. We were known by the staff, my baby was known as the unofficial mascot of Glory Days Frederick. It was funny how everyone just loved him. But now I feel that I can’t trust either the reading skills of the cooks, or the ability of the wait-staff to properly write down what is ordered. Seeing my wife physically ill, and psychologically upset… did the same to me. It got me to the point that I don’t think I’ll go back there, I’ll certainly relay the story to friends and family if they offer up Glory Days as a destination for food. Trust and Reputation is really all that we have. It is the reason I started Mobble.com, so people could more adequately relate and quantify those characteristics that make up our experiences.

Some may think it isn’t a big deal. “She wasn’t the alcoholic in your example.”  But what if she was? What if she had a food allergy?  Should we write it off and not be upset? How about not blog about it as a means of venting the frustration that accompanies a bad lunch?  We didn’t just not get what we ordered. They crossed a line either through willful action because she ordered a vegetarian meal, or through incompetence. Either way, after 23 years, my wife just ate bacon. Something she hasn’t eaten since she was able to make that decision.

Well, I’m not one of those people. I don’t just write things off. Particularly when you interact with the public by providing a service. Complaining doesn’t fix the matter. They took her meal off the check. Left mine to pay. Out of stupidity in not wanting to blame the waitress [we don't know who failed, just that the entire process did]… I left a tip.

My wife can’t get back the 23 years of being a vegetarian. She has to start over. We won’t be back. They will shrug, others will shrug. Just put yourself in those shoes for a second and see if you shrug your shoulders. Picture yourself doing something for longer than most people hold a career, only to see some careless or malevolent person wipe away your hard work. As I asked the manager… “Have you ever done ANYTHING for 23 years?” To which I get the response “No sir, I haven’t.” And I respond with “Now understand that your careless action has wiped away 23 years of work, practice and self-discipline.”

“Sorry.”

Time to start eating in. Which doesn’t help the local economy because you can only buy from big stores with remote HQ’s. GD was local. We tipped 20+ percent. We spent way too much money there. That is all gone now too. Us suggesting that we take a group of people there for dinner… gone.

“Sorry.”