Disqus - Latest Comments for eldon

Re: What real-time data means to me: A better commute

eldon — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:19:04 -0000

Cool stuff, Joshua. How do you make money?

Re: What real-time data means to me: A better commute

eldon — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 17:15:34 -0000

Well, the new cars feel "light" and Caltrain could be considered light rail if/once electrification happens (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light_rail#Definit...). Here, I used the term "light" to try to help explain to people unfamiliar with Caltrain that I am not talking about an Amtrak-style long distance passenger train.

But, all that said, I concede that I meant something more like "local passenger rail." I've changed.

Re: Arrington on Twittergate: “I wouldn’t do things any differently”

eldon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:24:33 -0000

Heh, I think you know how everyone would have reacted :)

Re: Arrington on Twittergate: “I wouldn’t do things any differently”

eldon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:22:54 -0000

Well, for better or worse, the -gate suffix has entered the parlance of our times:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_scandals_w...

While I wasn't the first one to use the term Twittergate, I'm fine using because it is an easy way to communicate that the news is a Twitter-related scandal.

Re: Arrington on Twittergate: “I wouldn’t do things any differently”

eldon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:18:26 -0000

Hahaha. Like I told Shai, above:

I was thinking about going there in this post -- I certainly do have a strong opinion on the matter! Two reasons I'm not, at least not now:

1. I haven't talked through the debate with the rest of the VentureBeat staff. I'd rather us do a post that reflects our consensus as this is an editorial policy matter. We may do one in the future.

2. I'd also like to talk to some good 1st amendment lawyers before posting.

Re: Arrington on Twittergate: “I wouldn’t do things any differently”

eldon — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:17:07 -0000

I was thinking about going there in this post -- I certainly do have a strong opinion on the matter! Two reasons I'm not, at least not now:

1. I haven't talked through the debate with the rest of the VentureBeat staff. I'd rather us do a post that reflects our consensus as this is an editorial policy matter. We may do one in the future.

2. I'd also like to talk to some good 1st amendment lawyers before posting.

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

eldon — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 19:40:22 -0000

I *did* reply: http://digital.venturebeat.com/2009/07/21/iphon...

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

eldon — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 23:50:22 -0000

Here are some thoughts:

- I think your insanely long comment failed to address the points I made in the article about the very real pressure that Apple puts on its supply chain, and how that pressure is passed on to its partners' employees. You failed to note the connections between 1) the death being a fact, 2) that Foxconn has admitted problems on its end, and 3) that Apple is looking into this further.

- You didn't really recognize how I said that Apple makes great products (they're the only ones I use, for what it's worth -- I'm writing this reply on my iPhone). It is ludicrous for you to claim that I'm anti-Apple simply because I explain how Apple is connected to Foxconn and this incident.

- I find your personal attacks way off-base. If you think making fun of me for a failed startup is clever, then I'm not sure how familiar you are with the process of innovation. Failure is part of the game and I'm obviously not ashamed of it.

- In terms of my journalistic integrity, go read my other articles then try telling me I'm sensationalistic or lack credibility. I know a range of Chinese and expat entrepreneurs and investors based in China, who actually do know what's going on the ground right now. The way journalism works is that it is normal to publish anonymous sources. I have cited anonymous sources hundreds of times in various articles, regarding factual information that they could otherwise not reveal.

It is funny that you claim to not read blogs yet you're anonymously trolling this article like a pro. Try thinking more objectively if you want to have a serious discussion with me. I found your comment extremely insulting.

Re: Facebook story falls flat without Zuckerberg

eldon — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 14:10:10 -0000

Haha thanks, although I might not be the one for the job. I try to avoid sensationalism whenever it's inaccurate (which is most of the time).

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

bloodborne — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 08:59:49 -0000

OK!

Re: Can this save the Flash game market? Mochi Media launches virtual currency

eldon — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 18:43:29 -0000

Dean mentioned this in the article.

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

Drunken Economist — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:30:55 -0000

..and, as someone who's done business in Asia, the remarks of Charbax, Axure, JG, and gmo's remarks about suicides in Asia ring true. Little else.

Probably the most insightful comment was that by commenter Sun about 9 hours ago.

I apologize, but the copy/paster saying that Chinese cut & run in the face of competition is an insult, when we all know that it's *his* nationality that is most likely to do so.

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

eldon — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:25:18 -0000

I find ethnic and racial stereotypes to be far more inaccurate than the people who believe them think, but your thread wasn't extreme enough to delete. I did delete some other comments, though.

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

Drunken Economist — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 17:13:22 -0000

If you feel that my remarks, or those of the copy/pasting Indian trying to direct traffic to his own site are racist, feel free to delete them.

My points were: 1/ That's been my experience, and 2/ China doesn't work the way all you westerners want it to, and 3/ outside of tech, sadly, this happens more than is reported.

Re: iPhone prototype goes missing; Chinese worker investigated, commits suicide

eldon — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 13:03:56 -0000

Hey guys, please lay off the racist and sexual remarks here or we'll delete them. Thanks.

Re: Panjiva: Using government data as a platform for international trade

eldon — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 22:32:53 -0000

Certainly that's generally true. As a startup, Panjiva's edge is focusing on one vertical and building out a better platform as quickly as possible. As I alluded to in the article, it's not clear how defensible that plan will be. I'd be interested to hear more from Panjiva clients or prospective partners.

Re: Panjiva: Using government data as a platform for international trade

Mike — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:33:17 -0000

Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters, Dunn & Bradstreet, etc.

Re: Panjiva: Using government data as a platform for international trade

eldon — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 20:20:44 -0000

They don't disclose who all of their clients are. What are the better platforms you're thinking of?

Re: Can Facebook help apps get iPhone distribution?

eldon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 17:56:27 -0000

I'm not saying there would be a full OS within Facebook's iPhone app.

Re: Can Facebook help apps get iPhone distribution?

willwnet — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:29:21 -0000

That would be interesting if they did something like that.

I am a big fan of Apps that integrate with Facebook connect, and would love a way to discover them more easily and find friends who also use them. Integration with the Facebook app would definitely lend a hand in that!

Re: Can Facebook help apps get iPhone distribution?

eldon — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 10:24:14 -0000

I don't mean apps that you would actually use apps within Facebook's iPhone app.

"I suppose apps could have a page in the Facebook app with some content and link to a full standalone app, but then why even have it in there in the first place?" This is more what I mean.

There are a few things Facebook could do here. One feature would be to show you which friends and how many friends are using a particular iPhone app that uses Facebook Connect. It'd be a sort of automated list of recommendations, based on information from Facebook Connect (which I think would fit under the SDK terms). Another feature would be to fully integrate notifications from iPhone apps that use Connect into a separate tab or window from web-based applications. Users of the Facebook iPhone app may gloss over web-based app notifications but be more inclined to check out Facebook-connected iPhone apps while on their iPhones.

Re: Should Facebook employees sell stock to DST now?

Jeremy Wright — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:32:46 -0000

Facebook stock is kinda like Google stock pre/post-IPO. Googlers shoulda sold some in the IPO bump, then regularly evaluated every quarter for continued growth. If it kept going up, they should kept selling. Then every year they should have asked for more options to compensate (partially) for the shares they were selling.

FB employees should just keep riding the wave.

The only time they *maybe* shouldn't sell is on down valuations. But this is an up valuation for most since nobody ever *sold* at the 15BB valuation.

Re: Should Facebook employees sell stock to DST now?

eldon — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:27:26 -0000

You guys are guilt-tripping me into changing the headline to something like:

"Facebook employees: Don't sell any shares (unless your investment advisor says otherwise)"

Re: Should Facebook employees sell stock to DST now?

UniqueVisitor — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:39:17 -0000

Paraphrasing Warren Buffet from his mentor Benjamin Graham, “In the short-run, the market is a voting machine – reflecting a voter-registration test that requires only money, not intelligence or emotional stability – but in the long-run, the market is a weighing machine.”

When I began my career as a stock-index futures trader at the CME in Chicago one of my mentors gave me a piece of advice that has served me well over the years: "Sell some when you can, not when you have to. You never know what tomorrow will bring."

Both messages essentially tell you to lighten your position when market gives you the opportunity. Facebook employees have what might be a limited opportunity given the restrictions of this program and the uncertainty of any additional future exit chances.

Just sayin'

Re: Should Facebook employees sell stock to DST now?

eldon — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 15:16:47 -0000

That's certainly sound advice. I'm just saying that the opportunity cost of selling any stock now is looking higher and higher.