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Name dropping! Now, what could go wrong with Silicon Valley

A lifetime ago, I went to Bombay and reported on Bollywood, India’s movie business. I met really cool people. I met really famous people. I met beautiful people. More importantly, I met people who did one thing that I have never encountered — name drop. They talked about who they are hanging with, the project they are working on, or who was directing them in what movie. I didn’t care, so I left.

Then, a decade ago, I went to Hollywood and encountered similar behavior. At lunch, in coffee shops, or at dinner parties — people talked about “projects” and dropped names. Not for me, so I left and go to LA only when I absolutely must for family reasons.

Fast forward to today, I see the same behavior happening in San Francisco. I am sitting at a coffee shop, and people around me are just busy dropping names. I

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Musings
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Complexity & Social Network Fatigue

Earlier today, I logged into Facebook this morning and was confronted by a whole slew of changes. It is jarring and confusing. So I shut it down. I much prefer the mobile app and the messenger, as they allow me to do the only thing Facebook is good for — messaging! I switched over to Google+ and found it less confusing. And warmer — folks were fast to respond to the status message I posted, though Google+ interface needs to be stripped down further for it become addictive.

Like Twitter. I use Twitter all the time because it is simpler, easier, real-time and always on! And I like Instagram because it is about photos visual experiences. And Foursquare because it is about location and locale discovery. Guess, there is something to be said about the complexity factor and social network fatigue.

Musings
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Push Pop’s Patzer Move

Just when you think a startup is destined for big things, they Pull a Patzer (no disrespect to Aaron). I had such high hopes for Push Pop Press and I thought they could redefine the idea of publishing. Anyone who saw Our Choice could see it — these guys could have been the next big thing. Instead they are now going to be acquired by Facebook, where in all likelihood are going to work on photo albums or something similar. Mark’s baby might be the world’s largest social network, it is also the arid in design creativity. Nevertheless, my congratulations to team Push Pop Press. I am going to miss your amazingness! via

Musings
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