Author: Deano

Deano’s answer to: “Couldn’t Facebook and Twitter charge users a very small annual fee to immediately generate massive cash flow?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

The question assumes that it’s an either-or situation. I think Gmail provides a great counterexample for how a paid Facebook might work.

I see it as entirely possible that, once Facebook growth starts to level off, they could “take a few more users off the table” by offering a paid, ad-free alternative for anyone still on the fence. In fact, they’d still be collecting massive amounts of information that could be exploited by advertisers off-site, simply suppressing display of ads to end users WHILE THEY ARE ON FACEBOOK.

Another option would be to simply charge users to opt out of sharing certain data – that is, to basically say that participation in the various information sharing aspects of Facebook is the core business and utility, and required for free use.

The real question is, what would be a fair price to opt-out in that case… Perhaps they could even use variable pricing, and allow users to effectively “buy out” their own display inventory based on how much said user is worth, and which features they wish to turn off? How cool would it be to see the “real cost” of blocking Farmville notifications from my stream? 😉

Either option (or one of several others one could imagine) would pose an opportunity to potential competitors to offer a truly “free” solution; but given that (a) most existing users would simply continue to use the ad-supported version, and (b) migrating from Facebook to another option would be time consuming and difficult, it is unlikely that even such a “mistake” would have a big impact on Facebook market share…

In fact, by offering both “free” and “paid” versions, it’s also possible that Facebook might be able to make inroads with individuals and organizations who currently ban the use of Facebook over privacy and security concerns.

Would I pay $50/year for an ad-less Facebook, as I currently do for Google Apps Premium? If it meant that advertisers no longer had automated access to my home address, then YES, I would happily do so…

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Couldn’t Facebook and Twitter charge users a very small annual fee to immediately generate massive cash flow?

Deano’s answer to: “Is the Bollywood film Enthiran better than Avatar?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

The only way it could be meaningfully better, is if they used James Cameron to shoot it in 3D.

(Even Gold Cylons love Enthiran!)

A lot of the humor may come off as very antiquated/cliché, but it fits. Enthiran is essentially a great 80s US action film melded with a great 80s Hong Kong action film. That it’s also a drama, and a romantic comedy, and a retelling of Frankenstein, and about 5 more whole movies (oh, and a multi-tiered dance competition) layered on top is just a bonus. 😉

(It’s also the story of an aspiring medical student, looking very studious here.)

It’s a great film, to be sure… Those who dislike or don’t understand the Bollywood style may disagree. It’s easily the best Indian film I’ve seen, in terms of easy crossover to just about any other world market/mainstream US audience.

(Guns and Leather. Come on, what could be better or more universal?!?)

Avatar, by contrast, is Dances in Wolves in Space. The universe created and referred to is amazing if you think deeply about it, but the actual film/plot on screen pales beside the special effects.

(Okay, blewbs. Blewbs might just be better.)

Neither film wastes a second of screen time being just plain beautiful to look at, but Enthiran excels at keeping your brain exploding with twists, turns, and completely unexpected characters and events constantly added into the plot throughout the film, at times seeming completely non-sensical, but in a way that somehow adds to the whole.

(This reminds me: everyone who saw Bicentennial Man deserves a refund.)

If you haven’t seen either, see both. If you’re trying to decide which to watch again, I’d suggest Enthiran, especially for home viewing – the constant jumps between settings make bathroom/kitchen breaks much easier to manage.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Is the Bollywood film Enthiran better than James Cameron’s Avatar?

Deano’s answer to: “Why isn’t the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” seen as being more depressing than it is?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

For one thing, the protagonist is no longer trying to kill himself.

(Not until after the holidays, and reality sets in, anyway…)

That said, the main reason the film is not seen as depressing by modern viewers is that it wasn’t filmed more recently. A color version with the current field of acting talent would produce either a much more truthful/depressing version of the film, or one seen as far less entertaining in it’s sugar-coating of current economic realities, presumably on behalf of the wealthy elites still trying to push the message that “hard work and good hearts still win the day”, rather than being horribly crushed by big business folks and the politicians who work for them.

(Your gong-fu may be strong, Jimmy. Goldman-Sachs will still pwn you.)

Thus, by being an older film, in black and white, and calling to mind a more innocent era of the American dream, viewers tend to distance the film from more direct analysis, or “what ifs”, and simply enjoy the nostalgic Christmas-y goodness.

(Nothing, however, can change the fact that your daughter’s name is Zuzu.)

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Why isn’t the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” seen as being more depressing than it is?

Deano’s answer to: “Are Sunnyvale and San Jose geek/nerd places?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

Both are “geek/nerd places” in terms of residential density of Ruby/Python/Java/PHP developers, but neither is a “geek/nerd place” in terms of atmosphere…

San Jose has a bit of a “true town”, but is still a lot of highways and strip malls – shops/restaurants/bars that close down comparatively early, and the exceptions tend to have a more “townie”, or even worse “hipster” vibe.

(Liar! The Winchester Mystery House is open til midnight around Halloween!)

Sunnyvale, CA is a great place to live if you like biking to work for a valley startup in the neighborhood, and not much else. Much moreso than ‘San Jo’, Sunnyvale basically lives and breathes the corporate daily schedule, and while it may have its share of decent lunch/dinner spots, and some fairly nerd-friendly coffee shops, there just isn’t enough of that “late night, burning the Mt. Dew” coder-feel to the place.

(Sunnyvale makes Redwood City look positively thrilling)

As Robert Scoble says, Palo Alto has a lot more of the “hacker vibe”, though it’s seriously hamstrung in that it does double-duty as a college town, so it’s a bit of a mixed bag for community nerd-support, especially in the coffee shops (which are just as full with PoliSci majors and Soccer Jocks as engineers)… Still, make a few Stanfordian friends, and you’ll have your “in” for those passionate coding discussions at venues and events on/just off campus.

(BTW, Google “Palo Alto excitement”, this is the result…)

All is not lost, however – there are several co-working spaces in the area, and for as little as $100/month membership (or $10 a visit), you can get all the “coder-nerd” lifestyle, conversation, and energy you could possibly want from places like the Hacker Dojo[*] and SemanticSeed[†].

(That looks a little more like it, non? Hacker Dojo FTW!)

[* In Mountain View – hackerdojo.com ]
[† In San Jose – semanticseed.com ]

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Are Sunnyvale and San Jose geek/nerd places?

Deano’s answer to: “Why do kids not like to wear warm clothes?”

Posted on by Deano in Q & A

Based on my own childhood in Minnesota with “old school parents”, versus what I see in the Bay Area with my current parental peers:

Because, by and large, we massively over-dress our children.

Children may not be fully aware of their bodies, core temperatures, or potential for catching colds, etc… But in my experience, you put five or six of them together on a playground, there’s no amount of clothing that will prevent transmittal of all kinds of bugs.

Further, when kids say that a jacket is “too hot”, they may actually be on to something – as the querent said, their higher metabolisms do quite nicely in temps that most Californian adults would consider unlivable outside of Tahoe… And that most midwesterners would call “shorts weather” in springtime, with snow still on the ground.

Finally, based solely on my own experience: kids want to have more personal control – and when my 3 year old daughter insists that it’s not cold out (having stepped outside into the sun to test, but between strong gusts of wind), I have learned to respect her opinion, so that when her teeth are chattering a bit on the swings at the park, she’ll remember to at least put her windbreaker in the snack/water bag she carries when she doesn’t want to wear it all the way there and back. When I have the patience myself for such lessons, they are by and large learned after only one or two instances… But when we “baby her” as far as the weather goes, or always seem to have those rain boots or socks or knit beanie at the ready while out and about, she takes advantage and revels in the personal butler service entirely knowingly.

When your kid can verbalize their own intentions, expectations, and desires, try listening more to them, and accommodating or negotiating where possible. Amazing things can happen – I have a 3 year old who takes her own showers, fully dresses/undresses herself, and can produce her own non-cooked meals safely and with small enough mess it’s totally worth the free time I get back. Compared to her peers, she seems lightyears ahead, but it really all comes back to listening to her, and treating her reasonable suggestions and plans as reasonable.

In summary, I’d say it’s a combination: higher metabolism and core temperature, an accompanying misperception of such on the part of parents/adult caregivers, and resistance against imposed rules/yearning for greater independence.

This answer originally appeared on Quora: Why do kids not like to wear warm clothes?