One last puzzle piece for open source
October 31, 2005
Open Source Risk Management Inc. (OSRM) provides insurance coverage to help businesses ensure the open-source license integrity of the software companies they acquire or applications they are using internally. The policies, up to $10MM, are under written by Kiln PLC and Lloyd’s of London.
Dallas gets another AV partner…
October 31, 2005
Austin Ventures recently hired Karl-Pekka Wilska, former president of Nokia Americas, as a partner. AV will let him stay in the Dallas area and focus on telecom deals. Karl joins recent hire of Tom Ball.
Rails, they’re not just for railroads anymore…
October 31, 2005
Interesting article on c|net this morning titled, "Ruby on Rails chases simplicity in programming." The article condenses what we have been saying all summer, "it is a great tool for developing Web 2.0 applications."
The Burton Group, a research company, "recommends that corporate customers consider Ruby on Rails for new web development progrects." Why shouldn’t you use rails? The article suggests that it is only practical when you have complete control of the database schema - i.e. ‘green field’ applications. This is because Rails does not support common database features such as stored procedures. The Rails guys believe that ’stored proceedures’ are "evil!"
Ruby has been around since the 1990s (invented in Japan) and David Hansson from 37Signals released the Rails version back in July of 2004.
Technorati Tags: 37signals, jboss, opensource, rails, Ruby on Rails, web 2.0
Web 2.0 is the new Red?
October 30, 2005
Request for comments: elfURL.com
October 30, 2005
We finalized the tool list for the beta launch of the Big in Japan project and elfURL made the cut. It will have to be rewritten to fit in the mix so I thought I would ask for ideas, suggestions or comments regarding the forthcoming makeover. The current idea list includes:
- Write the new version of elfURL in Rails, and of course add some cool Ajax goodness.
- Use CSS for the site and dump the tables.
- Make it easier to ‘get’ the URL (now it is sort of a pain to highlight and copy).
- Change the way elfURL creates delicious tags (instead of public tags, make them unique to the users delicious account)
- Include Technorati tags in addition to the current Rel-Tags.
- Offer suggested tags via Tagyu’s API.
- Build in the TinyDisk hack - i.e. support it.
- Improve the code to support the added requirements from TinyDisk.
- Offer a password for URLs - i.e. if you want to keep them private.
- Offer Apple and Konfabulator widgets for elfURL
- Offer Movable Type and WordPress plugins.
Technorati Tags: ajax, css, del.icio.us, delicious, elfurl, jboss, movabletype, rails, rel-tags, rubyonrails, technorati, tinydisk, tinyurl, widgets, wordpress
del.icio.us is now Delicious (.com)!
October 29, 2005
So your favoriate social bookmark site just keeps on rolling out the hits. First they added a cool search engine and now Joshua has added a builtin media player and something called tag bundles (don’t ask). Anyway, the best news is that you can now visit del.icio.us by visiting http://delicious.com - try explaining to someone how to visit del.icio.us. Mike thinks they should rebrand and dump the .us domain - I agree.
Technorati Tags: del.icio.us, delicious, fredwilson, tag, socialbookmark
Dixon Doll has another hit…
October 29, 2005
DCM’s Goodmail Systems just won major deals from AOL and Yahoo! [via]
Status Plugin for WordPress via Merlin
October 28, 2005
Merlin Mann is a must read for anyone who is breathing. For instance, today I was hanging around at the office after 5PM and decided to check out his blog. He was writing about his idea that everyone should have a status page. He pointed to a new WordPress plugin that makes it easy to create one. I IM’d Fred at Weblogs Work and asked him to install it for me. He had it up by the time I got home (just now) and I was able to add my status to this blog (check it out to the right). Neat huh? Anyway, thank Merlin for chaning lives, one plugin at a time…
Technorati Tags: merlinmann, 43folders, wordpress, mystatus, weblogswork, hacks
Our TV show was picked up!
October 28, 2005
Some of you are aware that we produced a television pilot called MotorSport Ranch (I blogged about the ‘making of’ here). Anyway, the pilot aired all summer on INHD (an HDTV channel on most U.S. cable networks).
Recently VOOM bought the HDTV rights to air 13 episodes and we begin filming the series next month. The show is about a country club where the members race their cars instead of playing golf or tennis. We are fairly excited about the deal. We are in talks for a spin-off series where we bring international amature drivers to the ranch to duke it out for international bragging rights. Here is the show opener and here is the trailer.
Technorati Tags: msr, HDTV, INHD, VOOM, reality show, enterprisedb
Back from Memphis…
October 28, 2005
I just got back from Memphis (so if you were looking for me, now you know). Anyway, have you ever been to the Memphis International Airport? It reminds me of an junior high school - low ceilings, school clocks, and porcelain water fountains. I like to call it, The Memphis International Junior High Airport. Why was I in Memphis? They have a huge Rails community that I was checking out (just kidding - my Dad and I were moving my Grandfather to Dallas).
“The Search“
Sighting: iPod Vending Machine in Atlanta!
October 28, 2005
If you are connecting through Atlanta, make sure you stop by the iPod vending machine.
[via]
Recruiting exotic programmers for Web 2.0
October 26, 2005
Recently I received an email from a Texas based software development company asking the following question: "…how is it going recruiting people who either already know Ruby on Rails or who can pick it up fast?"
I was about to respond to his email and I decided to blog about my thoughts here. To be honest it has been fairly easy to find good programmers who work in Rails, Ajax and Cake. I think it has been easier to find ‘good’ programmers in these ‘exotic’ environments because the signal to noise ratio is much lower than say for PHP programmers. You have to kiss a lot of PHP frogs before finding a prince. This is not the case in for Ruby on Rails programmers - at this point the vast majority of programmers in this space are great.
Technorati Tags: Texas, Ruby on Rails, PHP, Ajax, recruiting, programmers
Corporate Website as a Blog
October 26, 2005
Several weeks ago we migrated the M | Ventures website and my blog, Texas VC, into a single site (i.e. you are on it) that is housed on WordPress. Weblogs Work blogged about it here.
Architel, one of our companies, is in the process of migrating their traditional corporate website located at http://architel.com to a new site housed on WordPress. Dan Cederholm did the CSS and HTML design and the Weblogs Work guys are pumping it into WordPress. The news section of the new Architel site serves as the blog area - allowing press releases and other company news to be added quickly and easily. The Architel blog will appear to be on the same site, but it will actually be housed on another WordPress install (this was done so that the integrity of the primary website could be controlled, while allowing almost anyone from the company to post to the company blog). Now the marketing team can make changes to any page without involvement from the web guys.
It looks like this meme is catching on, examples include Union Square Ventures and Return Path.
Technorati Tags: WordPress, UnionSquareVentures, Fred Wilson, Return Path, Dan Cederholm, Weblogs Work, Architel, M Ventures, brianoberkirch
Note to U.N.: Disable Track Changes in Word!
October 26, 2005
So if you are going to perpetrate a global conspiracy don’t forget to disable track changes in Word. The U.N. just got caught doctoring Detlev Mehlis’, a German prosecutor, report on the murder of Hariri. Here is the story from the World Times Online:
Mr Annan had pledged repeatedly through his chief spokesman, Stephane Dujarric, that he would not change a word of the report by Detlev Mehlis, a German prosecutor. But computer tracking showed that the final edit began at about 11.38am on Thursday — a minute after Herr Mehlis began a meeting with Mr Annan to present his report. The names of Maher al-Assad, General Shawkat and the others were apparently removed at 11.55am, after the meeting ended.
[via]
Technorati Tags: UN, track changes, detlev mehlis
Investing in Bengladesh bull farming
October 26, 2005
Interested in making investments in the third world? Seth Godin points to Soni Pitts post on Kiva. Kiva’s concept is simple, anyone can be a microlender, “Instead of spending $25 on lattes, you can help a farmer in Bengladesh buy a bull… and then he pays you back.” I am in…
Technorati Tags: Bengladesh, Seth Godin, Kiva, microlending, bull farming
Search
-
Startup Jobs
-
Recent Network Posts
-
Interview with Phil Yanov - Founder of GSATC
From South Carolina Startup Blog -
Interview with Matt Dunbar of the Upstate Carolina Angel Network
From South Carolina Startup Blog -
Calling all NC Start-Ups!
From North Carolina Startup Blog -
Drew Curtis, Fark and a curry recipe database Part 1
From Kentucky Startup Blog -
Can you hand me the business section?
From North Carolina Startup Blog -
New Economy Survey
From Kentucky Startup Blog -
Interview with Evan Tishuk of OrangeCoat
From South Carolina Startup Blog -
Young Entrepreneurs of Lexington
From Kentucky Startup Blog -
Welcome to the Washington Startup Blog
From Washington Startup Blog -
Welcome to the Alabama Startup Blog
From Alabama Startup Blog
-
Interview with Phil Yanov - Founder of GSATC
Advertisement
