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Heavy metal hunger? (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 31 May 2012 20:31:04 -0700

Heavy metal hunger? (Taken with instagram)

My office for the evening. (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 19:30:31 -0800

My office for the evening. (Taken with instagram)

Adios to the last 18 years. (Taken with instagram)

Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:28:27 -0800

Adios to the last 18 years. (Taken with instagram)

Southwest = Love (Taken with instagram)

Mon, 09 Jan 2012 11:13:56 -0800

Southwest = Love (Taken with instagram)

NOW it’s Christmas. (Taken with instagram)

Sun, 25 Dec 2011 13:26:39 -0800

NOW it’s Christmas. (Taken with instagram)

Taken with instagram

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:45:49 -0700

Taken with instagram

I’m back in Los Angeles after a week out and about,...

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 17:32:00 -0700

I’m back in Los Angeles after a week out and about, visiting some great friends in the Bay Area, hitting up TechCrunch Disrupt, and spending some time with the fam up in Lake Tahoe (side note: Kid Rock appears to have had an incredible fashion influence on the younger Tahoe casino denizens).

Mr. Scott Gold turned out a solo episode of TechBacon in my absence (Windows 8, Netflix, and Dole Whip, yo), and will continue to rock the mic solo as I will be going on hiatus moving forward. Some cool stuff is coming up. Stay tuned!

How To Lose Years of Musical Credibility in Three Minutes and Six Seconds

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 17:15:00 -0700

In the grand tradition of peanut butter meeting Iggy’s chest or Bing Crosby getting down with David Bowie, [Jack White’s] Third Man Records is ecstatic to present the latest in a long-line of unexpected musical pairings…Insane Clown Posse and Mozart.

I’m not sure if ICP is supposed to be Bowie or Crosby in this metaphor, but I think it would have served all involved parties well if they’d remembered the cardinal rule of lame joke songs: make sure it doesn’t suck.

The summer of our discontent: How web TV has changed

Tue, 06 Sep 2011 14:25:00 -0700

The summer of our discontent: How web TV has changed:

Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Instant Videos and other subscription video-on-demand service might not have all the same content that is available on broadcast, cable or satellite TV, but they’re not supposed to have it all. Their value proposition comes from providing a wide range of TV shows and movies, and a smart way to find new content of interest. And more entrants will soon emerge, soon offering up even more choice.

Really smart take on the current state of online video distribution from GigaOm’s Ryan Lawler.

Netflix, iTunes, and Amazon don’t have to be complete one-to-one replacements for current cable and satellite services. They simply need to provide an array of content leveraged by unique and compelling features - be it accessibility, discovery, social integration - that current providers still consider anathema to their established business models.

There’s an uptake window with many of these media companies, between when a new technology or business model first emerges - and is summarily rejected - and the realization that Oh Shit Consumers Love This We Better Get On Board.

This particular window is still wide open.

TechBacon #27: Earlier Than Ever

Mon, 05 Sep 2011 15:02:41 -0700

TechBacon #27: Earlier Than Ever:

Lots of ground to cover this week: new details on the forthcoming Amazon Kindle tablet, the Netflix/Starz brouhaha, iTunes Match goes live for developers, and Scotty and I pay a visit to my new favorite L.A. eatery, Masa of Echo Park. Incredible food.

Magic hour. #nofilter (Taken with Instagram at The Grove)

Sun, 04 Sep 2011 19:09:48 -0700

Magic hour. #nofilter (Taken with Instagram at The Grove)

F You, Pay Me

Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:49:00 -0700

Today Starz announced that they won’t be re-upping their deal with Netflix, taking a huge chunk of Netflix’s Instant Streaming catalog with them:

“This decision is a result of our strategy to protect the premium nature of our brand by preserving the appropriate pricing and packaging of our exclusive and highly valuable content,” wrote Starz in a statement released Thursday afternoon. “With our current studio rights and growing original programming presence, the network is in an excellent position to evaluate new opportunities and expand its overall business.”

There’s been much talk made of the original deal the two companies struck, with Starz being seen as getting the poor end of things, especially as it was in large part their content that gave Netflix the traction it needed to set their streaming service soaring. Negotiations have been ongoing, slowly, with many observers thinking a deal would be struck before the current deal expires in February of 2012.

Then, this.

Of course, that’s not the only Netflix news today. Today is when Netflix’s incredibly unpopular new pricing structure kicks in, doubling the cost of one of the most common DVD and streaming packages.

Coincidence? Hardly.

Starz is sending a strong message to Reed Hastings and his team at Netflix. We helped make you. So pay us. Or we’ll help unmake you.

Wall Street is taking the threat seriously, with Netflix stock plunging more than 8% already in after-hours trading.

Will Netflix?

UPDATE: Reed Hastings: F Me? F You. We don’t need you.

UPDATE #2: Starz apparently wanted Netflix to charge users a premium for accessing Starz’s content.

TechBacon #27: Taste It While It Tastes You

Mon, 29 Aug 2011 10:33:21 -0700

TechBacon #27: Taste It While It Tastes You:

On this week’s show we talk about Steve Jobs and what lies ahead for Apple, Inc., have some hands on time with the new BlackBerry Curve, Rdio and RIM debut some new music service offerings, and Mr. Scott Gold goes off the rails in our craziest food segment yet.

You’ll want to listen to the end on this one. Trust me.

A Will To Be

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 11:09:00 -0700

Tom Junod has an interesting piece up on Esquire.com about the resignation of Steve Jobs. Despite the heavy-handed title, it’s a thoughtful essay, drawing together strands of admiration, thanks, and sad reflection, set against the backdrop of a man who faces the analog inevitability of human existence even while the digital world he helped create thrives around him.

In pursuit of a heartbreaking closing line, however, I think Junod misreads the situation:

Steve Jobs, in his career at Apple, reminded us that technological progress is but a human invention, subject to human hopes and human dreams and human choice. In his resignation — terrible and moving both for what it admits and for what it leaves out — he reminds us that technology doesn’t answer death so much as it shares its preference for forward motion.

We hope and we dream; maybe we even change the world by getting people to hope and dream that the iPhone 5 will come out in September. But we don’t get to choose much of anything, in the end. We succumb.

Yes, Jobs’ health may be deteriorating. We can’t know for sure, but at the very least we know that one day he, along with every one of us, will die. Jobs’ actions, though, are not those of a succumbing man, resigning himself to abdication as the ultimate endgame. Far from it.

From his leave of absence this past January, to the succession plan Apple is now enacting, to his personal appeal to the Cupertino City Council for approval of Apple’s new campus, to the timing and release of his own biography, it is obvious Jobs is taking the same measured, perfectionist approach to this phase of his life that has defined every aspect of his career.

Like a father sending their child off to school for the first time, he has set the stage for Apple’s continued success. Built it up, imparted all the wisdom and decision making prowess he has to offer, and now that the time has come, sending the company on without him at the helm. As he always knew he would have to.

This day has no doubt came before Jobs would have liked. The reasons behind it are tragic, and his family and friends are enduring great pain. But his force of will is palpable. He moves forward on his own terms, and that more than anything, is the true grace of the moment.

How we face our own mortality is the last chance we have to put a ding in the universe. It is, truly, our final act. For a man so focused on realizing his visions - in technology, in business, in architecture - it should come as no surprise that he is now, once again, realizing a vision. And the message that delivers is more empowering than putting a computer on our desks, or in the palm of our hands, ever was: events may rob us of faculty, ability, and time, but they need never rob us of our humanity and will to be.

"Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be..."

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 20:10:39 -0700

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

- Steve, 2005

Less Than Zero (Taken with Instagram at Devils Night Drive-In)

Sat, 13 Aug 2011 20:37:10 -0700

Less Than Zero (Taken with Instagram at Devils Night Drive-In)

TechBacon #24: A Learned Man

Mon, 08 Aug 2011 10:49:00 -0700

TechBacon #24: A Learned Man:

You knew it was coming: The Patent Episode™ .

Scott and I have a healthy discussion on This American Life’s recent expose on Intellectual Ventures, Google’s complaint-spree regarding infringement and competition, and the possibility that in some cases software patents may actually be a good thing.

Oh, and there’s also some stuff about AppleTV and Scott’s new phone in there, too.

S&P Downgrades US To AA , Outlook Negative - Full Text

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 18:47:49 -0700

S&P Downgrades US To AA , Outlook Negative - Full Text:

The political brinksmanship of recent months highlights what we see as America’s governance and policymaking becoming less stable, less effective, and less predictable than what we previously believed. The statutory debt ceiling and the threat of default have become political bargaining chips in the debate over fiscal policy. Despite this year’s wide-ranging debate, in our view, the differences between political parties have proven to be extraordinarily difficult to bridge, and, as we see it, the resulting agreement fell well short of the comprehensive fiscal consolidation program that some proponents had envisaged until quite recently.

Translation: Washington is too obsessed with playing political games to actually get the job of governing the country done.

Immediate response from GOP commentator Erick Erickson?

Dear America: In Barack Obama’s America, our credit rating went down. In Rick Perry’s Texas, the TX credit rating went up.

Bravo, asshat.

Hulu Teams With Morgan Spurlock For First Original Long-Form Show

Wed, 03 Aug 2011 10:07:11 -0700

Hulu Teams With Morgan Spurlock For First Original Long-Form Show:

The series will premiere with jet-setting entrepreneur Richard Branson. New episodes featuring rapper and songwriter will.i.am, comedian Russell Peters, musician Girl Talk and others will roll out on Hulu and the Hulu Plus subscription service every Wednesday, beginning August 17.

While I could go the rest of my life without ever seeing another interview with will.i.am, Hulu producing original content is a big step forward in digital distribution.

Or so it would seem, until you check out the show’s site on Hulu and get this:

We currently don’t have the rights to make this show available on TV or mobile devices - request to be notified if it becomes available in Hulu Plus.

So close, guys, and yet so far.

Google TV update: more Logitech Revue boxes returned than sold in Q1, price dropping to $99

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:09:00 -0700

Google TV update: more Logitech Revue boxes returned than sold in Q1, price dropping to $99:

Logitech says it’s taking the hit in order to “remove price as a barrier to broad consumer adoption” of Google TV and increase the installed base, although we’re not sure the lower price will fix blocked content and sluggish performance.

Forget blocked content or performance; let’s just think about the value GoogleTV as a concept provides.

There have been two big tentpoles trumpeted: 1. A better way to search the devices/services your GoogleTV is hooked up to, and 2. The theoretical potential to run apps, which are going to provide some sort of incredible, can’t miss functionality that will change the face of everything.

Nobody will deny that the first point needs to be addressed: cable and satellite box interfaces are terrible. Time Warner, Comcast, DirecTV; it’s a universal. Boxes are subsidized with your contract, so without direct market competition there’s no real incentive to create a great experience for users here.

GoogleTV, while a very handsome interface unto itself, is ultimately just a superimposed layer of abstraction that has to dump you back into your terrible cable box interface to get things done. With the ability to access additional content via Hulu, Netflix, or the net at large, this would be partially mitigated, but what is really needed here is a good user experience that can serve this content directly, unto itself. Bad cable box interfaces needs to be usurped, not skinned.

With regard to the second point, outside of video content delivery, I don’t know that I buy the inevitability of this TV app revolution-in-waiting. Games, yes, but your television as a superior web browsing experience? Watching an episode of True Blood while monitoring your Twitter stream on the same screen? All of these proposed use cases seem to forget the most important thing about television: it is a passive experience that people use to unwind and kill time. The joy of it is in the very lack of effort required, something that dissipates the instant you bring desktop peripherals to your coffee table.

GoogleTV is like many of Google’s products - an interesting idea, executed functionally but without real understanding of the needs of its intended audience, dumped into the marketplace in the hopes it will gain enough critical mass for users to overlook its weaknesses.

This isn’t to say they can’t success with further iteration. I hope they do, as an outside disruptive force, though their strategic intent has seemed aimed more towards reinforcing the entrenched system by becoming the OS of choice amongst cable providers (yes, this echoes Android and the ways in which it has strengthened the carrier stranglehold on consumers).

However, they’re not going to do it with their typical strategy. To succeed in the living room, products need to be laser-focused, have a clear and demonstrable benefit over existing services, and most of all must be geared towards an audience that is primarily passive. TV viewers are looking to shut off, not plug back in.