tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-93137142024-03-18T20:37:21.082-07:00The Lowbrow CornerDaniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.comBlogger136125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-49923364234363874352019-05-28T12:11:00.003-07:002019-05-28T12:12:25.280-07:00My Latest Thoughts Are Not HereI used to post here frequently, but I'm now mostly limiting myself to 280 characters - <a href="https://twitter.com/Dreymann" target="_blank">visit my Twitter page</a> to read my latest musings.<br />
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<br />Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-72027272797414777422017-05-27T08:54:00.000-07:002017-05-27T09:10:12.827-07:00Mobile Key - Great Concept, Perfect App Execution, but... It Doesn't Work (yet)I really like the concept of unlocking hotel room doors using my iPhone: one less thing not to forget when getting ready for a day of meetings, when hitting he hotel's gym, or visiting the lounge for a late drink.<br />
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So I was quite excited last week when the <a href="http://mobileapp.marriott.com/" target="_blank">Marriott Mobile App</a> informed me that the <a href="http://www.marriott.com/hotels/travel/wasco-marriott-marquis-washington-dc/" target="_blank">Marriott Marquis Washington D.C.</a>, at which I had booked a room for three nights, offered a "Mobile Key" option. At the hotel, a large banner touted its benefits.<br />
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Upon checking-in, I asked the clerk about the Mobile Key option. He told me they were "still working the kinks" and suggested I do take the hotel's standard plastic keys. A good call!<br />
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As far as app design, Marriott did a perfect job: the screens are informative, well-designed, and make the experience seamless. You can see for yourself below (click each screenshot to enlarge). However, one tiny little thing ruined the experience: though I tried multiple times, the phone consistently failed to open the door. Once it works, and does so reliably and consistently, I'll be thrilled to use Mobile Key. Until then, I'll still carry a plastic key.<br />
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<br />Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-91341256692438162142015-04-14T21:43:00.000-07:002015-04-14T22:06:16.702-07:00Keiser Indoor Cycle SucksThe <a href="http://paloaltojcc.org/" target="_blank">Palo Alto JCC</a>, of which I'm a member, and where I cycle indoor a couple of times a week, recently "upgraded" its stationary bicycles – switching from old Schwinn equipment to "state-of-the-art" <a href="http://mseries.keiser.com/m3.html" target="_blank">Keiser M3i</a> bikes. <b><span style="color: red;">The problem is that these new bikes are horrible.</span></b><br />
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Let me count the ways the Keiser M3i sucks:<br />
<ul>
<li>The bike's computer is a piece of junk</li>
<ul>
<li>Power (Watts) and Energy (kCal) share the same display field, and the computer alternates between them. If you are trying to maintain a steady power output, you are left guessing every few seconds; if you just want to glance down to see your current power output, you might see the energy you spent instead.</li>
<li>Every now and then, the computer spontaneously resets, all counters are set back to zero, and you lose all your session's data. This might happen when you rapidly shift gears, or (as it happened to me today) for no reason at all. </li>
<li>After 99 minutes and 59 seconds, the computer freezes. I occasionally take two one-hour classes back-to-back; after learning, the hard way, about this stupid design mistake, I'm now forced to reset the computer between classes.</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The old bikes had two steady bottle holders; the M3i has only one ridiculously designed holder</li>
<ul>
<li>Every class, multiple participants drop their bottles and are forced to dismount their bikes</li>
<li>There is no room to place a phone or any other device</li>
<li>When I go for two back-to-back classes, I need to dismount between classes to fetch a second bottle</li>
</ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The old bike was compatible with both Polar and Garmin heart rate monitors. Keiser is only compatible with Polar. As the owner of a Garmin monitor, I'm out of luck: doomed to see Todd's heart's rate on my bike's computer.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>OK, this is subjective, but I find the new bikes to be less comfortable and less stable than the old ones.</li>
</ul>
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On the positive side, the Keiser M3i bikes look sleek, and we can at least hope that they will wear down at a slower pace than the old creaky Schwinn bikes.</div>
Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-68463607150075879202015-04-12T18:44:00.001-07:002015-04-12T18:50:02.844-07:00Shakshuka - an Israeli RecipeMy colleague asked me where she could get a good Israeli Shakshuka in the San Francisco Bay Area.<br />
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<a href="http://orenshummus.com/" target="_blank">Oren's Hummus</a>, with locations in Palo Alto and in Mountain View, serves a pretty decent one.<br />
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But it's quite easy to prepare a shakshuka at home.<br />
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Here's the family recipe:<br />
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<u><b>Ingredients</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>6 ripe beefsteak tomatoes</li>
<li>2 large onions</li>
<li>2 large bell peppers</li>
<li>Tabasco, salt, pepper</li>
<li>2 to 4 Eggs</li>
<li>Optional: garlic, basil, oregano</li>
</ul>
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<u><b>Instructions</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Dice the onions and peppers and fry them in a pan with olive oil.</li>
</ul>
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<li>Place the tomatoes in a boiling water pot for a few minutes, so you can peel their skin.</li>
</ul>
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<li>Peel the tomatoes, dice them and add to the pan. </li>
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<li>Add Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Cover the pan, lower the heat, and stir occasionally – until the vegetables are soft and cooked.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Add the eggs without stirring (you want them sunny side up, or over easy) – don't cluster them: they should be distributed across the pan.</li>
</ul>
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<ul>
<li>Cover the pan, the eggs are poached with the steam.</li>
</ul>
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Enjoy!</div>
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Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-15946019472744240082011-10-11T10:09:00.000-07:002011-10-11T10:39:15.309-07:00How I Lost a Bet on QR Codes<div>Mowingo is running a cool promotion at McDonald's: guests are invited to download Mowingo's application (<a href="http://mowingo.com/app">available for Android and iOS</a>), enjoy a free milkshake and get access to other cool deals.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTIM7eKhlZ2GNguMLnNPCdlqeC9JqExC3Dr3OeEkgCpfSKfBIIv85MNW2Q6aTR2MtEMFfZm6VPgoiFwWRz7PEVsiOoHN-V56u59Xzes9HW_8XqxfETQHdlGPBGauPxt5_gwFV/s1600/P1010065-1024x768.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJTIM7eKhlZ2GNguMLnNPCdlqeC9JqExC3Dr3OeEkgCpfSKfBIIv85MNW2Q6aTR2MtEMFfZm6VPgoiFwWRz7PEVsiOoHN-V56u59Xzes9HW_8XqxfETQHdlGPBGauPxt5_gwFV/s320/P1010065-1024x768.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662288074004682338" /></a><br /></div><div>As you can see in the picture above, we have large posters hanging on the walls at the Embarcadero McDonald's in San Francisco.</div><div><br /></div><div>The poster invites guest to download the app either by typing a URL on their smartphones, or by scanning a QR code:</div><div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uTwnz1OIwi5whzTa_HCEDQiOgmtjTXIxUKlbXcsOUzjHM2jSKLt4od2nhE3us8NKT0VGYVSyOc9ctXJCbTUB8ZpKgxoAjUarNFFp7iy4n3v3vkvpV26u3qh2K32DpfVoHWSr/s1600/McD-SF-Small-Poster-for-Web.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5uTwnz1OIwi5whzTa_HCEDQiOgmtjTXIxUKlbXcsOUzjHM2jSKLt4od2nhE3us8NKT0VGYVSyOc9ctXJCbTUB8ZpKgxoAjUarNFFp7iy4n3v3vkvpV26u3qh2K32DpfVoHWSr/s400/McD-SF-Small-Poster-for-Web.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5662289640952601458" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Unlike my co-founder, Ehud, I was skeptical about the effectiveness of QR codes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boy, was I wrong!</div><div><br /></div><div>Here are the results for the first week:</div><div><ul><li>Download via URL: 41.3%</li><li>Download by scanning QR code: 58.7%</li></ul><div>We will see how things develop over the next few weeks, but I must admit I was wrong. QR codes do work!</div></div>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-17494239593530003472011-05-10T09:03:00.000-07:002011-05-13T09:58:07.379-07:00Startup or Hip Hop? 10% Luck, 20% Skill, 15% Power of WillYou might be as stunned as I was to discover, courtesy of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Minor">Fort Minor</a>, parallels between hip hop and tech startups:<div><br /><div><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>This is ten percent luck, twenty percent skill</i></div><div><i></i><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Fifteen percent concentrated power of will</i><div><i></i><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>Five percent pleasure, fifty percent pain</i></div><div><i></i><i><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>And a hundred percent reason to remember the name!</i><div><br /></div><div><i></i>It’s an almost perfect image: <a href="http://mikeshinoda.com/">Mike Shinoda</a> has got the ingredients right, but the ratios feel a bit off. I would increase luck and concentrated power of will, at the expense of pain. Watch the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5YJfPBqPNE">clip</a>, listen to the lyrics, tell me if you feel the same, and most importantly: remember the name - <a href="http://www.mowingo.com/">Mowingo</a>!</div></div></div></div>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-80056791225725081102011-05-06T20:44:00.001-07:002011-05-07T20:32:55.513-07:00Startup – The 2011 Capital-Efficient Model<p class="MsoNormal"></p><p class="MsoNormal">Starting up a tech venture in 2011 is cheaper and easier than ever. My co-founder and I were able to self-finance <a href="http://www.mowingo.com/">Mowingo</a> for a long while. Here is how:</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Capital Expenditures:</b> the cloud is your friend. My <a href="http://www.crunchbase.com/company/goodmail-system">previous company</a>, which I co-founded back in 2003, buried over two million dollars in data centers: we had to buy, install and maintain servers, routers, storage systems, load balancers, backup devices, etc. Mowingo uses the cloud: costless at the start (<a href="http://aws.amazon.com/">Amazon Web Services</a> offers a no-fee starter plan,) infinitely scalable, and very inexpensive as your traffic grows. Our only capital expenditure so far: a laptop. Repeat after me: No CapEx!</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Software:</b> this is not really a 2011 thing; open source software has been around for a while. Thanks to a variety of open source projects, we can deploy database systems, utilize bug tracking software, enjoy rich development environments, etc. – all at virtually no cost. But in 2011, the wealth of free possibilities is indeed staggering: we use Google Docs for collaboration, shared directories on <a href="http://www.dropbox.com/">Dropbox</a> as our Intranet, Skype for all our communications, and as a WebEx substitute we use <a href="https://acrobat.com/web-conferencing/features.html">Adobe’s ConnectNow</a> (free for two participants, extremely cheap if we ever need more.)</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Development: </b>get a super-talented technical co-founder and encourage him to burn the midnight oil. Need to hire some extra help? There are offshore companies, with local liaisons right here in Silicon Valley, which offer reliable low cost developments services. Be careful here: selecting the right offshore partner is critical, but once you found it, you’re golden.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>QA: </b>finally a justification for procreation: nothing like a teenage daughter to spot bugs in your alpha/beta smartphone application.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Sales and marketing: </b>if neither of the co-founders can sell… you should reconsider this whole entrepreneurship thing. Get a job.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Legal:</b> be your own lawyer (or like me, <a href="http://www.deborservices.com/">marry one</a>.) The web has a wealth of standard forms you can use as a starting point: not only templates for sales contracts and employment agreements, but even standard investment documents, such as Ted Wang’s <a href="http://www.seriesseed.com/">Series Seed Financing Documents</a>. Terms and Conditions? Privacy Policy? That’s what competitors are for. Visit their websites and plagiarize away. Once you are funded, you need to swim with the sharks and get a top-tier law firm; I can say only good things about <a href="http://www.fenwick.com/attorneys/4.2.1.asp?aid=525">Fenwick & West</a>. Hire them.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Office space: </b><span style="mso-spacerun:yes"> </span>given the recession and the excess supply in commercial real estate, you can find real bargains. Mowingo went one step further: a friend of mine is hosting us free of charge.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Smartphones for development and demos:</b> they are cheap to buy, but when you have friends in the right places (I do) and you aren’t above begging (I am not) they can even be free.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Recruiting:</b> need a temp sales rep? Post your gig on Craig’s List – they don’t charge you anything for that.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Banking:</b> that’s an easy one: <a href="http://www.svb.com/">Silicon Valley Bank</a> will offer you a lot of services for free, invite you to countless (free) networking events, and even feed you time and again.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><b>Meals:</b> you don’t need to rely solely on SVB’s food. Turns out angels and VCs can buy you <a href="http://buckswoodside.com/">breakfast</a>, <a href="http://www.rosewoodsandhill.com/dining.cfm">lunch</a>, and <a href="http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2011/02/18/obamas-summit-in-the-valley/">dinner</a>. Why pay for your meals, if you can pitch while eating at a potential investor’s expense? OK, maybe I’m stretching it a bit too far here…</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><a name="_GoBack"></a><o:p> </o:p></p><p></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-38004902905833676012011-03-25T20:54:00.000-07:002011-04-04T11:44:11.393-07:00Netflix Ruins My Evening and then Insults Me with a $0.24 Credit<div><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ll8cy2JqO-4OpKP93HEpubMT9uYfm2vaYJoj7Odr-2c8KZMM2cPCQ2X49lQjyTWxA4nwPxBPI1YHiExf2OGPyQgYyCFkBxh4AqhNdowoX-3EQekXx-ajpWINgPd5v95BgyAm/s1600/Netflix.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 330px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7Ll8cy2JqO-4OpKP93HEpubMT9uYfm2vaYJoj7Odr-2c8KZMM2cPCQ2X49lQjyTWxA4nwPxBPI1YHiExf2OGPyQgYyCFkBxh4AqhNdowoX-3EQekXx-ajpWINgPd5v95BgyAm/s400/Netflix.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5588232947882084082" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div></div></div>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-35886205203600045702010-12-07T13:09:00.000-08:002010-12-07T13:25:51.067-08:00False AlarmI am the <a href="http://www.mediapost.com/events/?/showID/EmailInsiderSummit.10.Utah">Email Insider Summit</a>, held at a <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/stregis/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=1588">posh hotel</a> in Utah.<div><br /></div><div>Entering my suite's bathroom, I noticed a red dot staring at me from the mirror on the wall:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzic-P64HCPHOdFV0R-GUBMFR_tF5I3tCTS3WUJd0Eo5hhQet4K6p0t-Q8VQvH-lXQvAiCe9QhYUnzAhqFovxQ0GC8n-WE-t6vlbQHZKymitb2gjrRXbfcE1wgF8kY-vMG_rv/s1600/RedDot.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuzic-P64HCPHOdFV0R-GUBMFR_tF5I3tCTS3WUJd0Eo5hhQet4K6p0t-Q8VQvH-lXQvAiCe9QhYUnzAhqFovxQ0GC8n-WE-t6vlbQHZKymitb2gjrRXbfcE1wgF8kY-vMG_rv/s400/RedDot.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548053507125470658" /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Not losing any time, I rapidly ducked down and swiveled back to locate the sniper aiming at me.</div><div><br /></div><div>There was no sniper.</div><div><br /></div><div>Turns out there's a TV embedded inside the bathroom's mirror; the red dot signals that the TV is currently off. Here's how it looks like, once you turn it on:</div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6i3J6I3h59ce9WtbiEHeaALd-uBrMCnSdaM8mBIs32XNoDwNNmO9SfkjrKlNdCNPw0fH_SZX6sGkISA7tS6LqxfeqoQa5ajiY4ctz_5F3J2_KHLJhiJIxYHz5qb4fN9VywZu/s1600/TV.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 337px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB6i3J6I3h59ce9WtbiEHeaALd-uBrMCnSdaM8mBIs32XNoDwNNmO9SfkjrKlNdCNPw0fH_SZX6sGkISA7tS6LqxfeqoQa5ajiY4ctz_5F3J2_KHLJhiJIxYHz5qb4fN9VywZu/s400/TV.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5548053912230581410" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Bottom line: (fortunately) my life is not an action movie.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-21060592016398642382010-09-23T15:30:00.000-07:002010-09-23T15:46:51.113-07:00Don't Use a Do-Not-Reply Email AddressI hate it when a company or an organization sends me an email from a do-not-reply address. It's stupid and counterproductive. Don't they want to hear back from their customers or audience?<br /><br />If I could, I would have sent the author of the message below a discreet reply, suggesting that having three typos in a single paragraph does not reflect too well on the school district. But since they don't want to hear from me, as evidenced by the use of a DoNotReply address, I'll vent my frustration on this blog.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4-0eR7_ZEVrVdUHAuEUbsa-Q_HsCQ-m1MCv7hvdyA95pH2odlG8XxepZXXgzq2Zq6vGzmtkgLB6ZFyWurY4HC8K7xoR0E4FtScu97cJdJaEjEISjGjpMA4Xr3dN_4jfglqyq/s1600/HighSchoolCantSpell.gif"><img style="WIDTH: 400px; HEIGHT: 193px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520243341683888994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG4-0eR7_ZEVrVdUHAuEUbsa-Q_HsCQ-m1MCv7hvdyA95pH2odlG8XxepZXXgzq2Zq6vGzmtkgLB6ZFyWurY4HC8K7xoR0E4FtScu97cJdJaEjEISjGjpMA4Xr3dN_4jfglqyq/s400/HighSchoolCantSpell.gif" /></a><br /><br />My older daughter, now at UC Berkeley, graduated from Gunn High School. My younger daughter is still a student in the Palo Alto Unified School District. They were taught to write better than that.Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-24939733341595178382010-08-25T14:28:00.000-07:002010-08-25T14:29:50.591-07:00Exciting times to be an email professionalFor the last couple of years, my colleagues at Goodmail and I have been on a mission - determined to advance email into the 21st century. Our catchy motto was that at the same time the web moved from "Web 1.0" to "Web 2.0," email moved a couple of steps backwards.<br /><br />In "Email 0.7," as we dubbed it, delivery is spotty, images are blocked, trust is nonexistent. Our CertifiedEmail product addresses these issues: by guaranteeing delivery of valuable email messages, displaying images and enabling links by default, and by placing a trust mark next to trustworthy messages, we began to restore trust in email. <br /><br />But we didn't stop there.<br /><br />Remember your excitement the first time you used Google Maps and you could actually pan and scroll the map using your mouse? If applications can live in web pages, why couldn’t they live inside email messages? The answer is security. The very same technologies that enable cool functionalities can also be used by malicious senders to harm users. To protect their customers, ISPs routinely block each and any active component embedded in incoming email messages. As a result, email remained moored in the 1990s.<br /><br />But what if ISPs could enhance the user experience and enable advanced functionalities with full confidence that their users won't be exposed to security risks?<br /><br />Goodmail developed technologies, based on its flagship CertifiedEmail platform, that can do just that.<br /><br />Over the last few months, Goodmail lead an industry initiative to leverage its unique enhanced email technology, and to introduce interactivity and "Web 2.0" capabilities into email. The interest we generated is enormous, the response from the email ecosystem electrifying, and the very large partners who have so far participated in the initiative extremely gratifying.<br /><br />These are exciting times for the email ecosystem, Goodmail, and for me. <br /><br />Daniel T Dreymann<br />President and Co-FounderDaniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-51603071122311758222009-09-30T18:51:00.001-07:002009-09-30T19:39:43.381-07:00Why Are Jews Liberal?I have just finished reading, on my Kindle, Norman Podhoretz's excellent book "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Why-Jews-Liberals-Norman-Podhoretz/dp/0385529198">Why Are Jews Liberals?</a>"<br /><br />Podhoretz's Wall Street Journal <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970203440104574402591116901498.html">article</a>, bearing the same title, does a good job summarizing the book, but to form your own opinion, do read the longer essay.<br /><br />One of the best passages in the book is reproduced almost verbatim in the article:<br /><blockquote><p align="justify"><br />Of course in speaking of the difference between left and right, or between liberals and conservatives, I have in mind a divide wider than the conflict between Democrats and Republicans and deeper than electoral politics. The great issue between the two political communities is how they feel about the nature of American society. With all exceptions duly noted, I think it fair to say that what liberals mainly see when they look at this country is injustice and oppression of every kind—economic, social and political. By sharp contrast, conservatives see a nation shaped by a complex of traditions, principles and institutions that has afforded more freedom and, even factoring in periodic economic downturns, more prosperity to more of its citizens than in any society in human history. It follows that what liberals believe needs to be changed or discarded—and apologized for to other nations—is precisely what conservatives are dedicated to preserving, reinvigorating and proudly defending against attack.<br /><br />In this realm, too, American Jewry surely belongs with the conservatives rather than the liberals. For the social, political and moral system that liberals wish to transform is the very system in and through which Jews found a home such as they had never discovered in all their forced wanderings throughout the centuries over the face of the earth.</p></blockquote><br />I couldn't agree more.<br /><br />The reasons behind the historical liberalism of American Jews, as laid down in the book, are almost undisputable. Podhoretz's conclusion as to why Jews remain liberal <em>now</em> is more controversial:<br /><blockquote><p align="justify"><br />Which is to say that for them, liberalism has become more than a political outlook. It has for all practical purposes superseded Judaism and become a religion in its own right. And to the dogmas and commandments of this religion they give the kind of steadfast devotion their forefathers gave to the religion of the Hebrew Bible. For many, moving to the right is invested with much the same horror their forefathers felt about conversion to Christianity.</p></blockquote><br />Podhoretz convinced me. Read the book and tell me if he convinced you too.Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-87122535077018729602009-09-30T10:46:00.001-07:002009-09-30T10:54:14.232-07:00Ken Is Calling It As It IsKen <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Magill</span> nails it in an article titled <em>"Stupid Statement Watch: <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-error">Umm</span>, That’s Not True"</em>:<br /><blockquote><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Goodmail</span> is not a way for marketers to buy their way past <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">ISPs</span>’ spam filters. In order to get <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">Goodmail</span> certified, marketers must adhere to certain best practices, among which are avoiding spamming.... to say <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-error">Goodmail</span> creates a two-tiered system, one for paying <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">spammers</span> and one for everybody else, is ridiculous.</blockquote>Read the entire article here:<br /><a href="http://directmag.com/magilla/0929-goodmail-rpost-patent-lawsuit/">http://directmag.com/magilla/0929-goodmail-rpost-patent-lawsuit/</a>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-24562818742110768312009-07-21T15:36:00.000-07:002009-07-22T15:54:50.329-07:00All In One ClickFrom my latest contribution to the <a href="http://goodmail.typepad.com/goodmail_systems_blog/">CertifiedEmail blog</a>:<br /><br /><blockquote><p>One of the most important business rules, whether you sell widgets or services, is that you want to make it easy for customers and prospects to buy from you. This rule certainly applies to e-Commerce on the internet, and it does not pertain just to the sale transaction per-se, but to virtually all interactions between an organization and the individual customers it serves. </p><p>Leveraging on <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/products/certified-email/">Goodmail's CertifiedEmail </a>technology, Goodmail partner, <a href="http://www.striata.com/">Striata</a> created One-Click, No-Registration, In-Email Payments </p></blockquote>Read the entire blog post <a href="http://goodmail.typepad.com/goodmail_systems_blog/2009/07/all-in-one-click.html">here</a>.Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-44371907343103833112009-05-10T20:30:00.000-07:002009-05-10T21:07:17.923-07:00Another MythWhat's the deal with mom and pop sports shops? My experience, over the last couple of years, is that, not only do chains offer a better selection, but they also provide a much better service. I have had bad experiences with a couple of bay area bike boutiques. Not bad enough to mention them here by name, but quite disappointing nevertheless.<br /><br />On the other hand, whenever I visit <a href="http://www.sportsbasement.com/">Sports Basement</a> in Sunnyvale, or <a href="http://www.performancebike.com/">Performance Bike</a> in Mountain View, I am getting an A+ service from passionate, knowledgeable and courteous employees. They provide good advice, they fix my bikes, they fit Emma with the optimal wetsuit, and they treat me well.<br /><br />Go big business!Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-54101772996919772382009-05-10T10:58:00.000-07:002009-05-10T14:05:58.387-07:00It’s a Painting of a Girl in a ShellAfter burning through a small stack of physical (i.e. "real") books, I finally got to read on my <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Kindle-Amazons-Wireless-Reading-Generation/dp/B00154JDAI">Kindle 2</a> a first fun book: the only other item I had purchased for my Kindle is a reference book, which one doesn't read linearly, cover to cover.<br /><br />The fun book is <em><a href="http://www.passiononthevine.com/">Passion on the Vine: A Memoir of Food, Wine, and Family in the Heart of Italy</a></em>, by Sergio Esposito (yes, he of <a href="http://www.iwmstore.com/">Italian Wine Merchants</a>). It's a lovely, well-written book. I'm almost done reading it, so I'm slowing down to prolong the joy and delay the inevitable.<br /><br />The only downside with <em>Passion on the Vine</em> is that it makes me hungry and thirsty, constantly craving hearty food and good wine.<br /><br />Using the Kindle's "clippings" feature, I can share a passage:<br /><br /><blockquote>And then there is unjustifiable beauty. It’s personal beauty, imperfection, ambiguity. It’s beauty you cannot argue for because you have no material proof, only your own certainty. This was the magnificence of Bartolo’s wine. It was constantly morphing, evolving, impossible to know entirely. You could experience it an infinite number of times and you would never be able to master it. This was the true beauty, the kind of great art that transcends its time and invites its admirer to continue searching within it for the answer to some unknown question. It wasn't a catchy pop song or a girl in a makeup commercial. You couldn't pin it down by saying it smelled like rose petals. That was as reductive and senseless as looking at The Birth of Venus and saying, “It’s a painting of a girl in a shell.”<br /></blockquote>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-90949448860513072392009-04-25T11:34:00.000-07:002009-04-27T09:49:23.920-07:00CertifiedEmail: Now with DKIMWhen we designed <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/products/certified-email/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">CertifiedEmail</span></a>, a few years back, there was no <em>suitable</em> standard for digitally signing an email message. <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Goodmail</span></a> thus went and used standard components, e.g. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RSA"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">RSA</span></a> for the digital signature, and <a href="http://www.isi.edu/in-notes/rfc3174.txt"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">SHA</span>-1</a> for hashing a digest, but we were forced to define our own process for combining these components into an authentication layer.<br /><br />Over the past few years, an email authentication standard emerged: first in the form of <a href="http://docs.yahoo.com/docs/pr/release1143.html"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">DomainKeys</span></a>, and later, its successor, <a href="http://www.ietf.org/rfc/rfc4871.txt"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">DKIM</span></a>.<br /><br />It was a relatively simple matter for us to substitute <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">DKIM</span> for our original authentication layer. The authentication layer was, and still is, a rather prosaic component of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">CertifiedEmail</span>. The other security components, the “secret sauce” that made <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">CertifiedEmail</span> the best and the only secure email certification system, remain in place. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">DKIM</span>-based <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">CertifiedEmail</span> is as secure as the original specification of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">CertifiedEmail</span>.<br /><br />By adopting <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">DKIM</span>, not only do we embrace and help further propagate a worthy standard, we also provide our <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/success/who-is-sending-certified-email.php">customers</a> with additional value. Beyond the large number of mailboxes operated <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/partners/who_accepts.php">by providers who agreed <strong>contractually</strong> to grant privileges to <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">CertifiedEmail</span> messages</a>, senders of <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">CertifiedEmail</span> will now also enjoy improved <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">deliverability</span> with other receivers who value the fact that <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">CertifiedEmail</span> messages are signed by a <a href="http://www.goodmailsystems.com/about/company/">trusted third party</a>.<br /><br />You can read the press release (replete with quotes from luminaries and a car safety metaphor) <a href="http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20090423006494&newsLang=en">here</a>.Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-61709522948515674782009-04-01T19:05:00.000-07:002009-04-25T11:33:22.945-07:00WSJ - Video Gets Entrée Into EmailRead the whole Wall Street Journal <a href="http://webreprints.djreprints.com/2160910941484.html">article</a>, but let me cherry pick a few gems (mixed metaphors, I know):<br /><br /><br /><li>Technology From Goodmail Opens a Long-Sought Horizon for Marketers<br /></li><p> </p><li>Video is coming to email. </li><p></p><li>Email-security firm Goodmail Systems plans to introduce Thursday a new technology to help marketers and media companies send videos via email. It screens video messages for bugs and viruses and emails them to consumers who have opted to receive them. The Mountain View, Calif., start-up is launching its video email service with Time Warner's AOL unit.</li><p> </p><li>Adding video to email marketing boosts customers' interaction -- such as opening the email or clicking on any of the content -- by as much as 200% to 300% </li><p> </p><li><a class="companyRollover link11unvisited" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=lyv">Live Nation</a> will be among the first marketers to test video emails with Goodmail. The concert promoter relies heavily on email marketing, sending 15,000 promotions last year to customers who subscribed to receive updates about events. Adding video to those messages will give Live Nation the chance to better showcase its artists and give consumers a preview of shows, says Bob Frady, the company's vice president of digital marketing. It tested emails featuring video of Katy Perry as part of its efforts to promote the pop singer. </li><p> </p><li>The email newsletter DailyCandy, which covers fashion and culture for a mostly female audience, plans to start sending videos via Goodmail next week. The newsletter, owned by <a class="companyRollover link11unvisited" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=CMCSA">Comcast</a>, will begin producing videos segments to complement its usual fare like shopping tips and restaurant reviews, says Catherine Levene, chief operating officer. It plans to sell short commercial spots to play before the programming starts. </li><p> </p><li>Thrillist, a newsletter which has 750,000 subscribers aimed at young urban men, plans to send video messages only if they have been paid for by advertisers, says founder Ben Lerer. Thrillist said it has sold its first video campaign to camera maker<a class="companyRollover link11unvisited" href="http://online.wsj.com/public/quotes/main.html?type=djn&symbol=caj"> Canon</a>.</li><ul></ul><ul></ul>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-15192189971553448582009-02-11T20:31:00.000-08:002009-02-12T14:49:54.421-08:00The Case Against Fannie and Freddie, as Made in... 1946<blockquote><p>Government-guaranteed home mortgages, especially when a negligible down payment or no down payment whatever is required, inevitably mean more bad loans than otherwise. They force the general taxpayer to subsidize the bad risks and to defray the losses. They encourage people to “buy” houses that they cannot really afford. They tend eventually to bring about an oversupply of houses as compared with other things. They temporarily overstimulate building, raise the cost of building for everybody (including the buyers of the homes with the guaranteed mortgages), and may mislead the building industry into an eventually costly overexpansion. In brief, in they long run they do not increase overall national production but encourage malinvestment.</p></blockquote><p>From Chapter VI "Credit Diverts Production" in Henry Hazlitt's "Economics in One Lesson," first published in 1946</p><p>HT: <a href="http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2009/02/henry-hazlitt-predicted-housing-crisis.html">Prof. Mark Perry</a><br /><br />I got "Economics in One Lesson" as a present for the last holiday season. It was slowly percolating to the top of my stack of books to read; it just jumped to the top. </p>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-76882246770900474342009-01-17T13:59:00.001-08:002009-01-17T14:07:30.405-08:00Paradigm Shifts: It's Not How Many Ideas You HaveWhen I started <a href="http://www.goodmail.com/">Goodmail</a>, the Accenture consulting group used to run <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=kHkVm_PXg1wC&printsec=frontcover#PPA11,M1">print ads</a> boasting an insightful slogan:<br /><br /><blockquote>"It's not how many ideas you have. It's how many you make happen."<br /></blockquote><p>And that’s indeed the difficult part, making it happen.</p><p>Five years into the venture that uprooted me and <a href="http://www.dreymann.net/">my family</a>, from the <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1188392526493&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull">land of milk and honey</a> to the <a href="http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9407E2DC1E30E132A25757C2A9679D946397D6CF">land of unbounded possibilities</a>, it is time to pause, take a step back, and reflect on the journey so far.</p><p>So here are some of the topics I might cover in subsequent blog entries:</p><ul><li><strong>Hiring:</strong> surround yourself with a team of losers and nothing will ever get done. Get the kind of people <a href="http://www.joelonsoftware.com/articles/GuerrillaInterviewing3.html">Joel Spolsky hires</a> and there will be <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xz-UvQYAmbg">no mountain high enough</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><strong>Venture Capitalists:</strong> a few geniuses, some talented guys, and so many worthless idiots. Masterminds can be found not only amongst the firms who invested in Goodmail (the best advice I ever got came from a VC who passed on the opportunity), but, taken as a whole, an unimpressive herd.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><strong>Marketing:</strong> those standing to benefit the most from your product are not necessarily going to be your first customers. Required reading: <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crossing-Chasm-Marketing-High-Tech-Mainstream/dp/0066620023">Crossing the Chasm</a>.</li></ul><p> </p><ul><li><strong>Upton’s theorem:</strong> it is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.</li></ul>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-65626891941228566832008-10-02T07:10:00.000-07:002008-10-02T07:17:12.436-07:00OK, But Why the Urge to Share?!As spotted yesterday in the school's parking lot:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dCICEdPlaN89yBGS2Vg5vv-Oc8cesQ9KELoWyOwDC4D3A6et2WvNx7EX-LJGDOo9z8CYMvzwTIO1DBNCLZOBHp13ndG9OFdGW3_JlvI4lM7GaNOde4QrojnVs5ernuwilRDe/s1600-h/L_nmbr2.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5252559094585538978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-dCICEdPlaN89yBGS2Vg5vv-Oc8cesQ9KELoWyOwDC4D3A6et2WvNx7EX-LJGDOo9z8CYMvzwTIO1DBNCLZOBHp13ndG9OFdGW3_JlvI4lM7GaNOde4QrojnVs5ernuwilRDe/s400/L_nmbr2.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div></div>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-61350775573918915842008-04-13T07:46:00.000-07:002008-04-13T07:50:50.895-07:00Idiocracy - Help Not Wanted<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv0yGsQnfYnm-gNZSZUMmd7syZMqY6fis0oaZx-kJcPT-pZU06B7O_8TBzpqy7JLOv2y65nzgxlcBO-kMSlwjXfiaGiFO4B6Qx0yhZNu2zCEjk6ySs89trTGsW25wJbOmP8aD/s1600-h/EconomistHelp.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTv0yGsQnfYnm-gNZSZUMmd7syZMqY6fis0oaZx-kJcPT-pZU06B7O_8TBzpqy7JLOv2y65nzgxlcBO-kMSlwjXfiaGiFO4B6Qx0yhZNu2zCEjk6ySs89trTGsW25wJbOmP8aD/s400/EconomistHelp.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5188742226791540786" /></a><br />From <a href="http://www.economist.com/world/na/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11016270">The Economist</a>:<br /><blockquote>Consider the annual April Fool's joke played on applicants for H1B visas, which allow companies to sponsor highly-educated foreigners to work in America for three years or so. The powers-that-be have set the number of visas so low—at 85,000—that the annual allotment is taken up as soon as applications open on April 1st. America then deals with the mismatch between supply and demand in the worst possible way, allocating the visas by lottery. The result is that hundreds of thousands of highly qualified people—entrepreneurs who want to start companies, doctors who want to save lives, scientists who want to explore the frontiers of knowledge—are kept waiting on the spin of a roulette wheel and then, more often than not, denied the chance to work in the United States. <br /><br />This is a policy of national self-sabotage. America has always thrived by attracting talent from the world. Some 70 or so of the 300 Americans who have won Nobel prizes since 1901 were immigrants. Great American companies such as Sun Microsystems, Intel and Google had immigrants among their founders. Immigrants continue to make an outsized contribution to the American economy. About a quarter of information technology (IT) firms in Silicon Valley were founded by Chinese and Indians. Some 40% of American PhDs in science and engineering go to immigrants. A similar proportion of all the patents filed in America are filed by foreigners. <br /><br />The United States is already paying a price for its failure to adjust to the new world. Talent-challenged technology companies are already being forced to export jobs abroad. Microsoft opened a software development centre in Canada in part because Canada's more liberal laws make it easier to recruit qualified people from around the world. This problem is only going to get worse if America's immigration restrictions are not lifted. The Labour Department projects that by 2014 there will be more than 2m job openings in science, technology and engineering, while the number of Americans graduating with degrees in those subjects is plummeting. <br /><br />How do you win the global talent wars when Congress is already in the hands of the idiocracy? </blockquote>Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-27309600467373091602008-02-27T11:46:00.000-08:002008-02-27T11:57:26.619-08:00Hurrah, Big Savings!<div>I love Expedia, but I'm afraid I don't share their excitement here:</div><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14L0KtOsdk8eGPVSVmy4VkiGDc_WTGSYK-IRIrzS86a5iibRY583JYTpPGchjg58UOdTEzNOgeHB79qRGEHhrwLU58AiLhFxjU3eZYP2Uq0TVbIAfcYp-L1258f1LHIIuW3F3/s1600-h/cent+horiz.png"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi14L0KtOsdk8eGPVSVmy4VkiGDc_WTGSYK-IRIrzS86a5iibRY583JYTpPGchjg58UOdTEzNOgeHB79qRGEHhrwLU58AiLhFxjU3eZYP2Uq0TVbIAfcYp-L1258f1LHIIuW3F3/s320/cent+horiz.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5171750571638723666" /></a><br /><br />Click on the scaled-down picture above and you'll see what I mean...Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-40797507419567013112008-02-24T11:30:00.000-08:002008-02-24T11:56:27.922-08:00Stuff White People Like<a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/">Stuff White People Like</a> is a funny "anthropological" blog that tells it the way it is:<br /><br />A few gems:<br /><br /><blockquote><strong>#60: Toyota Prius<br /></strong>If you see a white person in a Prius you can say “wow, that’s great to see that you’re doing something for the earth.” The white person will feel very good about themselves and offer to drive you home, to Ikea, or drop you off at 80s night.<br /><br /><strong>#62 Knowing what's best for poor people<br /></strong>It is a poorly guarded secret that, deep down, white people believe if given money and education that all poor people would be EXACTLY like them.<br /><br /><strong>#64: Recycling<br /></strong>Recycling is a part of a larger theme of stuff white people like: saving the earth without having to do that much.</blockquote><br />Desmond Morris's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Naked-Ape-Zoologists-Study-Animal/dp/0385334303">The Naked Ape</a> it ain't, but <a href="http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com/">Stuff White People Like</a> makes for a really funny read.Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9313714.post-56285907299160148662007-11-17T20:27:00.000-08:002007-11-17T20:41:47.605-08:00Dear Counselor, a Toast to You<div>If we hadn't learnt it <a href="http://members.calbar.ca.gov/exam/">online</a> yesterday, the letter Debora just got in the mail would have been even sweeter:</div><br /><div><blockquote>Dear Counselor:<br /><br />Welcome to the State Bar of California...<br /></blockquote></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsqeuvIWYT4lu6Wo_7cLuSQq0qAHapbiDaRi4h0a0ehw9cUrcHs09L57s7BugkmQmhmqx06V-WdFWmUrz7rtbh6I5lED9VcmU9DoiofBI5oGuzkVuybkjMWwRRB-DRYxXW65m/s1600-h/Img_2291+small.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5134034520628511762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjsqeuvIWYT4lu6Wo_7cLuSQq0qAHapbiDaRi4h0a0ehw9cUrcHs09L57s7BugkmQmhmqx06V-WdFWmUrz7rtbh6I5lED9VcmU9DoiofBI5oGuzkVuybkjMWwRRB-DRYxXW65m/s320/Img_2291+small.JPG" border="0" /></a><br />Mazel Tov, Debora!Daniel Dreymannhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15825694566848237181noreply@blogger.com0