Author: Thaddeus Preston (Nick Waye)

Posted on

I Surrender.. I’m Joining Facebook

My New Social Overlord

Mark the calendar. On this date I decided, after a long and determine stubborn streak, to create a Facebook account.  I don’t come to this decision lightly. I believe Facebook is the devil, but I can’t help but respect and marvel at it’s scope and global reach. Friends that I have lost total contact with and that refuse to use email, Twitter, Buzz, etc. are on Facebook. I know a lot of folks from the hood and while none of them have PC’s, they all seem to have smartphones and use those phones to update Facebook. I have lots of friends and relatives overseas that use Facebook. From the deepest, darkest corners of Africa to Asia and South America, if I need to find folks and news Facebook is growing in importance. Don’t mistake this for total capitulation, I’ll still use Buzz because I have forged many lasting relationships there (and it’s built into my gmail inbox). But there are close to 600 Million people on Facebook and even if only 30% of those folks are actively engaged, that is still almost as large as Gmail’s total monthly visitors. With all the publicity Facebook and Twitter are getting with Egypt, Tunisia and now Algeria, I suspect that we could see Facebook reach 1 Billion accounts by years end.  That would be 1/6th of the worlds total population on a social network.  That probably will represent 60% of the free worlds with internet access.  That can’t be ignored any longer.  So I’ll join, if not reluctantly, to see what all the fuss is about.  Bless me father for I am about to sin.

Tune In tomorrow to the Proto Podcast at 7pm MST on FlipZu and Justin.tv.

Posted on

Proto Podcast for 7 Feb 2011

Despite some technical difficulties I pulled it off. Listen to the show when you get a chance.

http://flipzu.com/nickwaye/8893

The LIVE Broadcast on Justin.tv of The Proto Podcast.

http://www.justin.tv/nickwaye/b/279170688

Show Topics:

  • Superbowl and Social:   Groupon Superbowl Commercial and others
  • Huff Po $315 Million (Bubble 2.0)
  • Nokia + Microsoft + Android
  • Revolution of collective web Intelligence.
  • Google I/O 2011
Posted on

Bubble 2.0 Has Begun

Courtesy of photoshoptrail.com

This is going to be fun. No, better yet epic. Let the Bubble begin. Today to much fan fare Demand Media IPO’ed today starting what some hope will be a trend toward tech sector recovery and some badly needed exist for Venture Capital firms. Demand Media was priced at $17.00 a share and soared to close at $22 bucks. That means it raised a cool $151.3 million in gross proceeds to continue spamming Internet search results. The offering gives the ‘mass producer of instructional content’, and I use that description loosely, a market capitalization of $1.8 billion. The perpetual bubble machine is starting again and next up should be LinkedIn, which is actually a great company executing flawlessly and making money. Then there is the ever so bubbly Groupon which could be prepping for a $15 billion IPO.  Now Ashton Kutcher is doing tech VC investing.  Ashton Kutcher?  Are we serious?  Then there is the Granddaddy of them all Facebook. Silicon Valley real estate is bracing for the boom times of the Google IPO era again. I feel 20 again watching companies that sold anything from pet food to diapers go IPO. So grab a beer with some pork grinds and enjoy the show.

Posted on

This is Super Sunday.

I am not saying anything new to the true NFL fans. This is the best weekend of the NFL. The Conference final games are intense,hard fighting, and the best time a team is right on target and in the groove. There have been some Conference games that have been a huge disappointment inthe past but usually they are close, intense, and have some sort of rivalry connection. There is not a two week break where players are courted as celebrities, coaches spouse off the best strategy for a two week break and reporters from all across the world ask the player the most inane questions. This weekend is pure football. It is not about the half time show. It is not about the commercials that most will be following on twitter two weeks later. It is the end of the football season. The next game enters the entertainment season. 

I know that many of you will be saying that the last few Super Bowls have been close and tight and you are correct. I grew up in an era when most Super Bowls were boring unless the Steelers were playing the Cowboys. But it isn’t football in the Super Bowl, it is the American Idol final combined with some sort of twisted Miss America final. I am not implying at all that that once the pomp and ego stops and the game begins that the players aren’t playing to win. I am sure most are, but I dare anyone to compare the play of those in the Super Bowl to those who are going to be playing this Sunday. It is a whole different ball game.

 

I think Cutler is going to feel the pressure and the defensive backs of Green Bay will take over the game toward the end of the second quarter. I think Rodgers will be in total control of the game midway  in the 3rd Quarter. I think it will be a 37-21 game. I do think it will be a tight game until mid way through the third quarter. After that, I think it will be time to eat some snacks, refresh some drinks and see if the Bears can make a miracle comeback. 

 

Polamalu will be the MVP of the AFC finals. Ben will have a decent game and Sanchez will have an OK game but will need learn more how to be a winner along with his coach. Jets might be there next year, but not this year. I do think this game will go deep into the 4th quarter. Steelers fans are full of themselves but the team seems to lack a confidence. I think it will take a ver like Polamalu or Ben, or maybe some obtuse secondary player to win the game for the Steelers, but I do think it will happen at the end of the game. 

 

I do hope both games are close. I hope it goes down to the last five minutes. Even if it doesn’t though, I do think this is the best Sunday in the NFL.