Want to be happy? Get a job and learn to cross stitch

When I talk to college students, I always give them two pieces of advice: go to class and get a job even if you don’t need the money. The reason for the first advice is hopefully obvious (although it is surprising how many college…

Whatever you do, don’t ask for a flight attendant’s name

So the first guy on the plane can’t get his bag into the overhead bin. It’s a puddle jumper, so the bins are small, and he’s got one of those backpack with large wheels. Clearly frustrated. Only one flight attendant, chooses not to…

Unemployed college grads, unrealized losses, and getting someone to write my blog

I really, really want someone else to be writing this blog entry. I want it so much I’m willing to pay for it, which is why I’ve been trying to hire a ghostwriter for the longest time. Seems…

I want a broken phone hackathon

Clearly, I have no time to actually be running a hackathon these days. But I do have a dream for the topic I want to see: broken/old smartphones.

There are three major types of hackathon-eligible phones:

Advisors: facilitators, not cheerleaders

When people ask me what I think the role of startup advisor is, I often liken it to the on played by some of the great professors I had in college and grad school. While I count many of them among my friends now, at the time they did two important things for…

Netflix, an HTC 8X, an AM Radio, and a bathtub

I tweaked my back moving boxes yesterday, so I decided to take a hot bath to see if I could loosen it up. And since I’ve been watching Star Trek: Enterprise on Netflix on my new HTC 8X all weekend, naturally I’m deeply engrossed and there is no way…

The importance of shaving things into your head

Observations from the land of Amazons

Amazons, not Amazon (although there were certainly people from Amazon there). Warrior women, in legions, with the young huddled around the old seeking advice and peers talking about battle scars. There was even two victorious festivals, complete with drinking and…

A day (or three) at the races

Recently, I lucked into a VIP invite to the NASCAR All-Star race in Charlotte (the same week I did the Star Trek red carpet, incidentally; surreal does not even begin to describe my life at the moment) and, despite my lack of experience and against strong stereotypes, I’m not…