The Rise of the Angels

Angels, super-angels, micro-cap VCs, and seed incubators are beginning to dominate early-stage consumer web investing. This is a permanent change because the underlying startups themselves have fundamentally changed. Startups also need to adapt to the new ecosystem of investors.

Google Instant 'Element's

Following yesterday's launch of Google Instant and the official Google Instant version of Bob Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues” the same synchronised lyric search has been done with the “Instant Elements” song in the video below based on instant searches to Tom Lehrer’s song, “The Elements”

The video was created by ad agency Whirled, who created the Pulp FictionGoogle Wave video.

via TechCrunch.com

Paul Graham of Y Combinator on Future Trends

Paul Graham of Y Combinator spoke at the Business of Software conference and answered the question that reporters had repeatedly been asking him for many years: What future trends does he see, based on his experience of funding 144 start ups?

1) Innovation
2) Software
3) Efficient Markets
4) Measurement
5) United States
6) Silicon Valley
7) Small companies
8) Economic inequality
9) Moore's Law
10) Things on screens
11) Server based apps
12) Super good customer service
13) Apparently frivolous stuff
14) Programming languages
15) Open Source
16) Linux
17) iPhone
18) Design
19) Real time
20) Venture funding
21) Founders

Five trends not to bet on
1) Don't bet on credentials granted by institutions
2) Don't bet on Business School
3) Don't bet on the government changing
4) Don't bet on copyright
5) Don't bet on anything that has a restricted flow of information

Thanks to http://www.businessofsoftware.org

Downing Tweet

‘The Downing Tweet Christmas Party’ on Friday 4th December was hosted by Sarah Brown who has over one milllion followers on Twitter. Good to see appearances by Mike Butcher, and Beverley Knight.

#downingtweet

From journalism to PR

Will Sturgeon, director of strategy and planning at Harvard Public Relations talk about his new role, experiences moving from journalism to PR and where he sees growth within the market.

Director profile with Will Sturgeon from Reputation Online on Vimeo.

A (Foursquare) introduction to Ealing, West London by the Mayoress

Real time Social Media

via Gary Hayes at garys-social-media-count/

Mike Kus, "Graphic Design: The Forgotten Web Standard"

A useful presentation from Mike Kus, designer at Carsonified on the importance on not allowing Graphic Design to be lost in the mass of technical discussions when creating web sites.

Interview With Andrew Keen At The Next Web 2009

Mike Butcher talks to Andrew Keen who tells of how 'Web2.0' is finished, and what will takes it place.

Andrew Keen: Web 2.0 Is Fucked (The Next Web 2009) from Robin Wauters on Vimeo.

David Heinemeier Hansson at FOWA Dublin

Video from the Future of Web Apps Dublin 2009

Credit Crisis: cause and effect visualisation

From Jonathan Jarvis "The goal of giving form to a complex situation like the credit crisis is to quickly supply the essence of the situation to those unfamiliar and uninitiated."

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Semantic Web intro

from Manu  Sporny at Digital Bazaar

Techfluff.tv launch

Fabulous launch of Techfluff.tv today. Hosted by Hermione Way of Newspepper.com. Sponsored by Sun Microsystems. Great format especially the 'Escalator Pitch' done facing backward on the tube. Loads of roving interviews + a useful bunch of upcoming events info.

robertloch Really impressed with @hermioneway 1st episode of Techfluff.tv http://techfluff.tv/ Great job. about 1 hour ago from web

huddlesuz RT @ssethi: @hermioneway congrats on techfluff.tv Love the bad boyz of huddle ref & the escalator challenge. Great roundup the London scene. about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck

mbites Really enjoying the first episode of TechFluff TV. This might be a UK RocketBoom... http://bit.ly/12ghJ about 2 hours ago from TweetDeck

huddlesuz RT @joshuamarch: Techfluff.tv episode 1 now live! http://techfluff.tv It's hillarious. Watch it. about 3 hours ago from TweetDeck

techfluffTV Episode one now live! http://techfluff.tv/ about 3 hours ago from web

Malcolm Gladwell's true way to happiness

Malcolm Gladwell speaks about The movement from the Search for Universals to the Understanding of Variability.

Using many examples from the food production business through the research of Howard Moskowitz, such as the importance of 'chunky tomato spaghetti sauce; the misguided desire for dark rich hearty roast coffee; and the non-hierachy of mustard' he discovers : in embracing the diversity of human beings you will find the true way to happiness.

US Election map real time update and holograms

Google real-time map as the results come in and CNN goes for holograms ...

Britney's lack of authentic Tweets. Fry and Murray do it right

Britney's attempt to enter the Twittosphere sadly fails as it is clearly just another PR stream from "her people" as Gary Vaynerchuk points out. The most important thing is authenticity. Either do it yourself or don't bother.

Two examples of famous people getting it right are Stephen Fry who began Tweeting 10 days ago on 9th October, and has gathered over 7,000 followers. What is impressive that despite his schedule, currently filming in Uganda, he manages to follow very nearly all his followers and even answers questions in real time, occasionally.

Scottish Tennis star, Andy Murray, currently ranked 4th in the world has been on Twitter since April 4th '08 and seems to be both authentic and mobile, tweeting from a 'Twitterberry' although he only follows just over 4 percent of his followers.

Obama '08 - Vote For Hope

“Vote For Hope” was written to encourage and inspire the hip hop generation—and everyone—to get involved, and contribute their time, energy, creativity, and other resources to be the change they want to see in the world.


Obama '08 - Vote For Hope from MC Yogi on Vimeo.

New York Times, Mac versus PC ads

More ad comparisons from the excruciating awful $300m Microsoft Seinfeld, Gates to I'm a PC and Apple's slick New York Times video response

Hubdubs TechCrunch50 Best demo

Predict the best demo at TechCrunch50 via hubdub

TechCrunch50: Which company will win Best in Show?

Ashton Kutcher's 'Blah Girls' celebrity gossip site

Ashton Kutcher and Jason Goldberg launch their animated gossip site Blah Girls at TechCrunch50 via Jemima Kiss and Liz Gannes on New Tee Vee