Startup Weekend coming towards the end of May (Memorial Day Weekend). Information here. Tickets are $40.00 and broken into several different areas of expertise:
I had an interview today at StepChange, a local software company located downtown that I think went very well. If there was such a thing as an ideal interview, this was certainly it. Greg and Kevin, the two primary interviewers, were sincere, inquisitive, and laid back. They asked me about my hobbies, my academic history, and personal goals, but also shared with me their stories about school, the startup world, and their reasons for seeking out an intern. I got a good vibe from these guys. I hope to hear back from them.
Now, the moral: I got at interview with Greg because I posted a comment on a blog about Portland based startups. But before that I applied to a combined 9 positions at Intel, Standard Insurance, and IBM--positions ranging from Software Test Engineer Intern (more experience required) to Tech Support Intern (almost no experience required)--with very little success. Even if I don't get this job at StepChange, how wild is it that a simple blog comment could be the difference between an interview and just another resume in the stack.
Keep blogging folks!
Once you get past the over the top flow of this book, you realize that there is actually quite a bit of good advice. Also, for the love of God, please don't get caught up in categorizing yourself an "NR" (read the book to find out what this means) or any of Timothy Ferriss' other buzz words!! However, you will be pleasantly surprised to find outside of the box concepts (cliche', I know) which give us hope of avoiding the 45 yrs in the work force followed by cribbage games in Florida dream life.
The very best concept I took away from this book is that productivity is the key. Those who brag about working 60, 70, or 80 hour weeks may only be productive for half of those hours or less. Eliminating tasks is more important than cramming your schedule with busyness. Ferriss' objective is to work as little as possible to achieve the greatest possible results. The 4 Hour Work Week is refreshing and a necessary read for both employees and business owners.
I saw this clip pop up this morning on Engadget and it reminded me to do a post about what the entire episode is making fun of... South Park really offers some great graphic social commentary that everyone can relate to (hopefully).
If you want to watch the full episode go here
So this commentary almost everyone I know has experienced with their parents. My best example was when my mother decided to upgrade to a newer PC (she'd been using a circa 1999 Dell up until 2007!) and she had Qwest MSN web suite installed. So when I was setting up the new PC for her, she was very concerned... and I quote, "about all the emails in My Butterfly..."
I was actually a bit concerned, it was my understanding that she has a web-based email client, so I as her what client she was using? She replied "My ButterFly!" So I had to resort to hooking back up here computer having never dealt with MSN bloatware myself to be sure that there wasn't a funky version of Outlook storing her emails locally. Sure enough all her worries were because behind "The Butterfly," which is literally the MSN butterfly desktop icon, was just a crappy browser and a regular MSN web-based email account, which had eluded my mother do to its "user friendly interface." So all her precious emails were stored on the magical thing called the internet, and I reintroduced her to the wondrous Firefox "web browser" and showed her the difference between a "local email client" and a "web based email client," which led to the basic understanding that if her computer catches fire the emails will still be around.
I think many people explore the wonders of technology without feeling any compulsion to understand it. Granted, I have no clue how many things on the internet function but I do feel the need to basically understand what it is that I am using, and probably would not enjoy using it if I didn't. Its like, if you put gas in your car and only get as far as "that the car is drinking gas and breathing out exhaust" you might want to wiki internal combustion. Do the same with the internet and I think the world will be a better place.
...But for now, I think the Gen x/y will carry on helping the tech-handicaps who still think the entire internet is the auto homepage of explorer (or even worse... AOL... LOL). The millienials won't be old enough to care until most of the B.Boomers are gone.
Znomics is a company that allowed me to use a line of their fish during my undergraduate thesis, through the wonderful lab of Dr. Ransom during his time here at OHSU. I really think that Znomics has a great tool in their ZeneMark Library, a massive catalog of zebrafish mutated via insertional viral mutanogenesis. This is basically a shotgun blast of the zebrafish genome, then using husbandry to breed out interesting phenotypes. Then to catalog the gene and location of the mutation, and tag it in a massive library of the 11,000 other tagged mutation. The power is in the numbers, and with over half of the genome covered, the tool will prove incredibly valuable in the long run.
I think that Znomics is a peice of Portland pride, in that the company was founded by researchers at OHSU, and is a testament to how Portland is an icon for the "progressive city". Portland is consistently ranked #1 in the US for Green and Eco-Living (also here), and #2 for Best Biking City on the Planet!!! I believe due to the focus on progressive science and progressive living, Portland will become the destination for the BioTech revolution. Hopefully resulting in something like the scale of the S. valley's tech mecca. But for now, Znomics is holding things down here in Portland BioTech.
Znomics Launches Drug Discovery Program in Obesity Using Proprietary In Vivo Screening Model
It appears I jumped on Comcast too quickly. Frank Eliason, one of the Comcast employees I've been in contact with, provided me with an update to University of Colorado: Boulder research.
"A note regarding our findings: Further experiments have led us to believe that our initial conclusions that indicated Comcast's responsibility for dropping TCP SYN packets and forging TCP SYN, ACK and RST (reset) packets was incorrect. Our experiments were conducted from behind a network address translator (NAT). The anomalous packets were generated when the outbound TCP SYN packets exceeded the NAT's resources available in it's state table. In this case, TCP SYN, ACK and RST packets were sent. We would like to thank Don Bowman, Robb Topolski, Neal Krawetz, and Comcast engineers for bringing this to our attention. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience that this posting may have caused." link
Good catch, Frank. And hurray for science and truth.
In what appears to be a most serendipitous week for my latest blog topic, Comcast will not stop providing me with excellent material.
A bit of explanation: The way Comcast was shaping (read: limiting) BitTorrent traffic is by sending a special kind of packet called a TCP reset packet. This packet disrupts BitTorrent traffic by making it difficult to maintain a stable connection (essentially). Even better, they send this packet from a forged address, disguising their connection disrupting tactics. Anecdotally, Alex and I even experienced a severe connection ban upon attempting to use the BitTorrent network, making it essentially impossible to browse the internet. The FCC launched an investigation of sorts and after some bickering, Comcast agreed to adopt a more neutral traffic shaping policy (not targeted specifically at the BitTorrent community).
The latest bit of news comes from network management research conducted at University of Colorado: Boulder. Several Ph.D. students were able to show that Comcast is now sending the above-discussed TCP reset packets to several different TCP connections.
Implications quoted from the article:
"Users may find it extremely difficult to establish new TCP connections while using any application that has a relatively high rate of TCP connection establishment on a Comcast link."
The main issue is that this affects basically all internet traffic: web browsing, any IM service, Xbox Live, Webcam conferencing, Skype or any other VOIP application all use TCP connections, and quite a few of them actually. Under Comcast's new traffic shaping policy, you're likely to notice more frequent connection drops. It will be interesting to see if this new policy transpires into a real issue. Fellow Comcast subscribers, hope for the best...
Michael Arrington of TechCrunch also had a run-in with Comcast (full story here). After becoming frustrated with their customer-service over the phone, he used Twitter to vent his frustration, which was picked up by a few bloggers. Within 20 minutes of his first twitter message, he got a phone call from a Comcast executive to help solve his connection issues. They sent out a team and got him back online.
Comcast confirmed to Arrington that they monitor their quality and P.R. in the blogosphere. Moral: Companies are paying attention to the blogger community. Got a complaint? Voice it.
In an effort to break from my usually meangingful pieces, I've decided to post a few tunes for no other reason than they are down right sick. And by sick I mean ripper. Mega ripper.
Re-mixes and mash ups are getting more and more popular. Here are a few of my faves...
Jay-Z 99 Problems vs. Hendrix
Ratatat with Biggie
Green Day, Oasis, & More
In a recent blog post, I concluded with a short statement regarding my frustrations with Comcast--"I hate Comcast" was the concluding remark, just for a refresher. Curiously reading our user comments for the week, I stumbled on this:
Hi Chris,
I work for Comcast and I will be happy to offer my assistance to you. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need assistance with your service.
Thank you in advance for the opportunity!
Sincerely,
Mark C.
Comcast Executive Offices
We_Can_Help@cable.comcast.com
Crazy, huh? Comcast does quality control via blogs? Wild. I played with the idea of responding and a few days later did just that. Here is the email I crafted:
Mark C.,
You recently posted a comment on a blog I post at, www.utopianrealist.com, in response to my "I hate Comcast" remark undoubtedly. Historically my complaints have been directed at your install people...and only when I first sign up for your service. Mostly because I don't think a shred of time spent complaining will result in any change of service. Nevertheless, if the Comcast PR dept never hears of the issues, how will you know to fix them...here are a few of my questions/complaints. Perhaps you can shed some light on some of them.
Comcast promotes the "powered by fiber" even though they don't offer fiber connections straight to your home. I get that you're trying to hop on the "fiber optic" buzz word bandwagon, but you don't actually offer fiber lines directly to anyone's homes! You're deceiving potential customers. Honesty and trust are what build loyal customers, especially in this modern age.
Why does Comcast promise x Mbps down and y Mbps up, but fail to deliver? Moreover, why are certain users penalized (P2P traffic shaping) for actually using their connection. Why does Comcast oversell it's bandwidth so much? It really bothers me that users active enough online to take advantage of the bandwidth they were sold are being penalized. It's not the customer's fault if your infrastructure can't handle the traffic--you sold x Mbps, they're gonna use it. Maybe its time increase the infrastructure budget for next quarter.
And the fees!! Why am I charged a fee for a self installation? Your charging me to do my own install?
When trying to sign up for your service a couple months ago, I signed up online, where I was transfered to a live chat session. That's fine, in fact I applaud the progressive attitude towards the process. However I was told I didn't qualify for most of the packages and that promo deals were not for new customers....wait what?! I've gotten promo deals in the past...promo deals are typically to entice potential customers....I'm a potential customer...I don't follow. My parents were told the same thing.
And for comparison, I had Verizon's Fios connection for a year--the 5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up package. It was miraculous. I could download the latest Linux distro (1 GB or more) in less than an hour, without being penalized or limited. I paid $34.99/month for the first 6 months, $39.99/month after that--no ridiculous spike in cost after the promo period. How is it that I get pure, unadulterated fiber optic heaven, rated at 5 Mbps down/1 Mbps up cheaper than the intermittent, 6 Mbps down/2 Mbps up package Comcast sold me for $52.95/month. In your defense, the PowerBoost feature theoretically is a great feature, particularly for browsing--I applaud this idea as well. But if you asked me under which service web pages loaded faster, I would have to tell you Verizon...because it's the truth. Anecdotal, I know, but browsing under the Verizon Fios connection, for whatever reason, was always faster than browsing with my current Comcast Connection.
And what's this about HD content quality issues? (link)
You guys have a tough job dividing bandwidth amongst your many subscribers and people love to hate the big corporations. Nevertheless, please try to improve the quality of your service. I'm a fair man and I will admit when I'm wrong...I'm capable of reevaluating my opinion of Comcast's services. I hope this rant didn't come across as simply bitchy, and that you might use these criticisms to shape your business in the future.
Curious to hear back,
Chris
Here is the crafted-by-public-relations, customer friendly response I received, not from Mark C., but from a Frank Eliason:
Mr. Eigner.
Thank you for the feedback. Hopefully we will be able to work to improve your perception of Comcast. We do not work for the PR department, but rather for the Executive Office. In our role we work to ensure Customers have a good experience with our company, when they do not, we try to improve the experience.
I will attempt to address each of your points:
Fiber
Comcast actually has the largest fiber network in the US. Like at&t, and all major cable companies, Comcast takes the fiber to the node, which would be located near your home. From there, the signal is transmitted via coaxial cable. Verizon decided to run fiber to the home, and then transmit through coaxial cable.
Speed
Customers do usually receive the speed that they sign up for, and when they do not, I usually prefer to have this checked out. In many cases it is a technical issue that is fixable. I do understand your comments regarding network management. Comcast, like all major ISP’s does have to manage network resources to ensure we are creating the right experience for all our Customers. We are currently working with BitTorrent, Inc to develop routing techniques that improve the handling of BitTorrent files. This should help with Customers that are downloading a large number of these files.
We are also working of DOCSIS 3.0, which will allow us to offer speeds of 160Mbps or more in the future. Visit the follow URL to learn more about this, and many other initiatives that were presented at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show:
Fees
The amount of the fees, specific to new product installation, depends on the promotion and equipment being supplied. I would be happy to review any promotion with you and see if there are alternatives.
Chat Experience
I apologize, if we advertised something to you, we should have honored. Sometimes offers on the web are exclusively through 3rd parties, and you would have to work with that company to receive the promotion. I would be happy to look into that further
Verizon Comparison
I actually know the Verizon product very well, but I typically would not comment on another company’s product. Page loading differences are caused by a variety of issues, from connection speed, route to the website, DNS server information, etc. So it would be difficult to pinpoint the exact cause, but I would be happy to work with you regarding that.
HD Compression
As you are aware, we are constantly striving to provide improved services to our Customers, including a wide variety of HD content. In an effort to do this, we have recently started using a new system to deliver some HD channels. While this system works well with clean 1080i signals, we’re making some adjustments to improve how it handles other types of HD signals so we can bring you the best HD picture. I do apologize that this has not created the HD experience that we intended, but we will work towards getting it right.
Customer Service Improvements
We are doing many enhancements to improve the experience, including hiring additional technicians and Customer Service representatives. We are providing our staff with better tools, including new devices that will perform a 150-point check prior to a technician leaving an appointment. Most importantly, we are improving the training provided to our staff to ensure we provide the best experience during any interaction that we have with our valued Customers. More information regarding these efforts is available at the following URL:
http://www.comcast.com/Corporat
Besides these enhancements, we are also making it the top priority to listen to our valued Customers. We are doing this in a variety of ways, including our ‘Ask Rick’ program which allows Customers to easily forward feedback regarding their experience with Comcast. We are also visiting Customers around the country to learn from our first hand on how we can improve. To learn more about this, please visit the following URL:
http://www.comcast.com/Corporat
I would be happy to discuss all of this with you and I can assure you that your feedback will be shared. Thank you for this, and I look forward to talking further!
Frank Eliason
Comcast Executive Office
215-286-7480
This post is already massive, so I'll reserve my comments to Frank's email for another time. But I'm curious what other people think of Comcast. Anyone have any horror stories or complaints?
No, don't type this in as a URL. It's actually a documentary film that some of you may have heard of.
The film has been out since 2001 I believe, but it just hit the top of my Blockbuster Que. Turns out, it's GREAT. Especially if you're interested in starting a business or the inner workings of raising capital and establishing a brand.
An unknown and first time CEO, Kaleil Isaza Tuzman, takes a company from zero employees to over 200 and hyped on every major network in the world...in one year. He also finds himself schmoozing with the likes of Bill Clinton and other major politicians regarding his company, govworks.com.
The film is fast paced and it shows the kind of hustle it takes to start a business. Check it out instead of watching The Real World Awards tonight.
Click here for the trailer.
