Management insights for startups

I've always innovated - there's something in the way my brain works that means that I just can't accept something that could be done better. But turning that impatience into entrepreneurial success is hard. I've made hardware add-ons for synthesizers, produced a model-based editor for FM synthesizers, figured out my own way to get 2/3rds of the way towards solving Rubik's cube, suggested some interesting corporate uses for metadata that I can't talk about, and founded a startup company from one of my ideas. But I'm still learning, and there's lots more to do.

One way to see how much there is to do, but also learn ways to get there, is to study people who have gone further. So when I found this article from one of my heroes, I was more than happy to blog it, because it has strong self-analysis, good recommendations, and it tells a fascinating story.

The article is by Nova Spivack, one of the creative thinkers behind Twine (now joined up with Evri) and gives a good insight into how challenging startups can be, but also how rewarding, and maybe it also hints at how addictive they can be...

If you haven't explored Twine, then I encourage you to do so. I'm resisting the temptation the say what it is all about, because I always think that part of the thrill of discovery is not to get a simple soundbite, but to have to try and figure it out yourself. I'm one of those people who has to have a mental model of what something is, how it works, and how it fits into the world. Until I have that, then my mind is feverishly learning, trying to figure it out. Once I've got it sussed, then I use the model to predict, to categorise, to cross-analyse and compare, and more. So I might take slightly longer to get to the 'Aha!' moment, but when I'm there, I'm thinking around the subject and figuring out how it relates to other things.

As you've probably guessed, this isn't very far removed from what Twine, Evri, and Nova are all about too...

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• Nova Spivack's Live Matrix: A Programming Guide for the Live Web (newteevee.com)
• Evri acquires Twine for a semantic search team-up (deals.venturebeat.com)
• Web Evolution: The network is the database (petervan.wordpress.com)
• Evri Acquires Radar Networks In Semantic Search Consolidation (techcrunch.com)

Alternative DVD storage...

Whilst the acrylic CD 'jewel case' has a few design flaws (the easily broken hinge support brackets, and the post-unsurvivable hub grips being just the two major ones), I do like its glossy look, and it feels right. It is so long now since I first tried to open one that I (and I suspect everyone else) have forgotten just how tricky it was to figure out how to open it was at first... But time has a habit of making things familiar, and I'm now thoroughly familiar and very happy with the CD case.

So it's a great pity that in these iTunes/MP3 times, the CD has been largely replaced by the MP3/FLAC/WAV download, although I'm one of those dinosaurs who prefers linear PCM and so whenever possible I buy the CD and then face the storage problems...

Image via Wikipedia

DVDs have a similarly ubiquitous, but less glamorous case. The flexible black vinyl ABS case may be tough in the face of abuse (if only the DVD inside was as robust!) but it does look rather utilitarian, and some of the ways that the hub retains the DVD are less than perfect in terms of usability. But again, regular use is a great way to ease acceptance.

However, in my DVD collection I do have something different, and it gives a glimpse of a very different possible future, but sadly, not one that we enjoy on this timeline - a DVD 'jewel case', or more specifically, a 'Super Jewel Box'as it proudly says inside. Yes, it's an overgrown CD jewel case done for DVDs, and I have just the one: for 'Gattaca', an equally individual film/movie. You can see the influence of the CD jewel case - the thickness is just the same, and the tray has the same folded printed sheet, with the cover having a similar folded booklet that kind of slides into place. But the hinge is hugely improved - gone are the thin and all too easily broken brackets, and in their place are much more substantial brackets.







All in all, this is the 'jewel' in the crown of my DVD collection in terms of packaging. The film isn't bad either!

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