Master of 500 Hats

OMG. SweetCron Released! Automated Lifestreaming coming soon to a [self-hosted] blog near you. Fook Me? No, Fook Yo(u)ng!

I recently happened across SweetCron (via Mona's FF i think), developed by freelance renaissance geek YongFook who lives in Tokyo (gotta meet dude next time i'm over visiting the in-laws).  SweetCron looks pretty cool --  "Automated Lifestream Blog Software" -- which i guess is kinda like FriendFeed for your own [self-hosted] blog. 

first public release appears to have launched just a few hours ago.  congrats to YongFook, pictured at right :)

here are a couple of screenshot videos he did that will give you an idea of how it works:

Admin Panel preview:

Write Panel preview:

just guessing, but i think SweetCron could be pretty Fooking Huge.

UPDATE: more info on Sweetcron on ReadWriteWeb & Podcasting News.

Andrew Chen Knows How to Get PAID.

Andrew Chen lays the smackdown on how startups can maximize ad revenue: his guest post on the STARTonomics blog is here:

Counting Your Big Pile of Benjamins: 5 Startup Tips for Maximizing Ad Revenue

for more on how to bring home the benjamins, register for STARTonomics on October 2nd in San Francisco, and come hear Andrew's talk The Internet Wants to be Free, but YOU Need to Get PAID.

Very Close USA-China Olympic Medal Race (if you count points)

China is killing on gold medals. (pre-pubescent Chinese gymnasts tbd)
USA leading on total medals.

however, it's very close race if you count using points where:

• Gold = 3 points
• Silver = 2 points
• Bronze = 1 point

using this method, the results look like this:

Facebook Inbox 666: Number of The Zuck

Facebook Inbox 666: Number of The Zuck
Originally uploaded by davemc500hats

uh-oh... either Damien or Mark Zuckerberg has Possessed my Inbox.

pretty sure Merlin Mann has something to say about this.

Why I'm Big in Japan / How I Got Married

I've previously fallen in love with I Can Haz Cheezburger, also FAIL Blog... my latest infatuation is now EngrishFunny.com (warning: very un-PC, esp. if your wife is japanese).

and yes, i resemble that remark.

STARTonomics.com: Simple, Actionable Metrics for Startup Success (10/2 in SF)

After much work & preparation -- mostly by folks at Dealmaker Media & ACSseo; a bit by yours truly -- Startonomics is coming together quite nicely :) 

The new conf site is mostly launched, speakers & sessions are up, and the first Startonomics blog post is now live here:

If Your Startup Looks Like This, You're Doing it WRONG.

Hope you can join us for a terrific event... so go register NOW, before your startup goes down in flames! 

(hurry up, dammit.  daddy needs a new pair of ass-kicking alligator shoes, pronto...)

Finishing Dead Last... is Still Finishing.

I'm not an Olympian, but some days i still get out and try to act like an athlete (if you count Ultimate Frisbee a sport, and i do).

I'm not a great entrepreneur, but i ran a small business for a few years & managed to make payroll happen (most of the time); these days i try to help others with theirs (or at least avoid some of my mistakes).

I'm not an A-list blogger, but every once in awhile i write a half-decent post and maybe get a headline on TechMeme for 15 seconds (but most folks still hate my font choices).

recently i've had a lot of stuff on my mind, and it's been a little tough to get rolling on some projects i'm working on.  I don't really have any excuses; some days i just don't feel motivated.  some days i just feel old & tired.  some days i just do my best to put one foot in front of the other.

for those of you who occasionally feel the same way, i think you'll enjoy Ben Parr's 7 Lessons Olympians can Teach Entrepreneurs, and in particular the clip on Derek Redmond from Barcelona in '92 makes an impression:

You could say the same for Gabriela Andersen-Scheiss in the '84 womens marathon, or more recently just yesterday when the US mens gymnastics pulled a Bronze medal out of their ass. 

All of these folks decided to push just a little harder, and finish... even after they knew they weren't coming in first.  or second.  or even twenty-second.

Here in Silicon Valley, so many of us are obsessed with the big home run, the grand slam win, the next Google or YouTube or PayPal or Microsoft or whatEVAR.  Often, we don't stop to consider how important just getting on base is... whether it's a single, a walk, or even getting hit by a pitch.

Now i'm not saying it doesn't suck when you don't win... hey, no bullshit there: it sucks.  But many times we tend to forget what an achievement it is just to finish the damn race... even if it means coming in dead last. 

note to self: finishing dead last is still finishing.

so FINISH, dammit... get your ass across that line.

The Start Conference: Thu 8/7 in SF (tomorrow!)

Calling All Geeks & Entrepreneurs: Jeff Veen & Bryan Mason of (Adaptive Path fame) are hosting The Start Conference tomorrow (Thu 8/7) up in SF at Fort Mason. 

aside from their poor judgment in inviting me to speak, the lineup looks awesome -- Om Malik, Matt Mullenweg, Mena Trott, Merlin Mann... etc etc.  as usual, i'll be pimping Startup Metrics for Pirates & my own new Startonomics conference coming in October (co-produced by Dealmaker Media).

hope you can join us for what will likely be a terrific event :)

DNN: The Death News Network

DNN: The Death News Network
Originally uploaded by davemc500hats

Observation on today's online journalism: in my book, Death is not News.  Neither is the weather, nor the actions of religious or famous people.

out of a possible 20 "news" items on CNN.com, a full 15 focus on death (usually violent death), crime, weather, religion, or celebrity.

of the remaining 5 items, 2 are related to politics, 1 is related to business / entertainment, 1 is science, and 1 is random.

in other words, about 80% of news is simply death, weather, or fame.

think i'll go back to reading TechMeme and ESPN.

Facebook Big Pimpin': Using Social Networks & Platforms to Drive Content & App Distribution

This is an initial brainstorm presentation i put together on Facebook fundamentals (social network, social platform, FB Connect, FB Payments), for a discussion with some folks in entertainment media about social networks & platforms.  Much of it is high-level & speculative, however it might be useful for other folks to think about.

Facebook Big Pimping: Using Social Networks & Platforms to Drive Content & App Distribution

view presentation (tags: social network platform distribution facebook)

(Note: any guesstimates i make about Facebook Connect and/or Facebook Payments are highly subjective, and likely to be very, very wrong... so please don't assume i know what the hell i'm talking about here.  Caveat Emptor.)