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The Dead Simple Secret to Startup Success: Ask for the Order
March 5, 2013
Brad Svrluga
We had our annual Peak Pitch event last Friday at Hunter Mountain, a couple hours north of New York. Peak Pitch is our take on a mashup of business plan speed dating/elevator pitching and a day of skiing.
This year we had fifty VCs and angel investors and 70 entrepreneurs gather for the day at Hunter. The format goes like this: everyone wears a colored ski bib – investors wear gold, entrepreneurs wear blue. The mountain gives us one of their chair lifts for the day – a 7 minute ride to some pretty basic skiing (making sure the event is accessible to as many people as possible). In the lift line, you pair up with a bib of the opposite color, ride to the top, and the entrepreneur has a captive audience for 7 minutes to make his pitch. Get off the chair, ski down, find a new bib of the opposite color, rinse, repeat.
We give each investor a wad of "Peak Pitch Bucks" at the beginning of the day, and they allocate their Bucks throughout the day to reward the best pitches. At the end we tally up the Bucks, and the entrepreneur with the most is the winner.
This was our seventh annual event, and it's been an absolute blast every time. The event is mostly about the networking value – it's a rare thing to bring together such a big group of quality people, away from their normal work environment, where everyone can relax a bit. It's a special day. As one notable (and colorful) NYC VC said to me Friday afternoon, "It's just great to get all these Type A's out of the office and in an environment where they can loosen their sphincters a bit."
As I drove away from this year's event, I was struck by the consistency of one truth that has held, year in and year out. I don't think there's ever been a runaway best business at Peak Pitch. But we've had a number of runaway winners. And the winning formula is the same ever single time.
This year the winning entrepreneur, in a landslide, was Brendan Burns of 1000 Museums. Brendan is a talented and experienced entrepreneur, and 1000 Museums is a fantastic concept that is having some great success. He was a very worthy winner.
But was he landslide worthy? No way. Brendan was without question amongst the best, but this was a very talented room, and should in no way have been a landslide.
So why the runaway victory?
As I explained to a handful of other investors over a beer at the end of the day, in seven years of running this event, there is one clear variable that predicts the winner every time. Brendan's victory this year was no different.
What's the secret to success? It's dead simple, it's a secret that applies broadly to startup success, and it's also the Golden Rule of selling:
Ask. For. The. Order.
What Brendan did this year is the same thing that every other Peak Pitch champion in the past has done. He combined a great business with an effective pitch, and he topped it off with some hustle and the willingness to do what every single investor in attendance would full on expect him to do – after giving his pitch, he asked each investor for some of her Peak Pitch Bucks.
I rode lifts with 21 entrepreneurs on Friday (I didn't get to ride with Brendan). How many of them asked for the order?
That's right – 21 entrepreneurs who were there to try to win a contest and get the attention of prospective investors had me alone on a wind-blown chairlift for 7 minutes and not a single one of them did anything other than tell me their story. We'd get to the top of the lift and I'd say "Cool, thanks for the pitch. I'll see you at the end of the day," and ski away.
21 out of 21 let me get away without even as much as a "Hey, wait!" And 21 out of 21 came into the lodge at the end of the day, while Bucks were still circulating as investors made their final decisions as to who would get their votes, and chose not to corner me there and ask.
Ask for the order, people!
It's a fundamental principal of sales, but it's also a fundamental principal of all things entrepreneurial.
Whether you're selling your product, pitching for financing, recruiting a star developer, or managing a team member, if you're not asking for the order, you are irresponsibly adding a ton of unnecessary risk into the situation.
Believe it or not, people don't actually get out of bed in the morning wondering what they can do for you. You've got to ask for what you want. Let the target in each of those situations know exactly why you're there and what you're hoping to accomplish. Make sure they know you want them. Tell them how much it means to you and what a great thing it will be for them if they say yes.
Ask for the order.
This game of building startups is god damn hard. There are elements of building any company that the entrepreneur simply has to will into being. Don't make it harder on yourself than it needs to be.
Ask for the order.
Sure, you can't be a bull in a China shop about it. And there are times when certain prospects need to be subtly massaged and engaged in a more nuanced sale. But in my experience entrepreneurs err way too far on the cautious side of the sale.
Think about this: We've run Peak Pitch seven times. That's several hundred entrepreneurs in total. But I'd guess only 5% of them have ever asked for the order. And with all due respect to Brendan and the other winners, the singularly most promising business idea has not once won, in my opinion. Because they've never asked for the order.
Which goes to show you – as important as great ideas, great product execution, and great go to market strategies are, you'll never win without great sales skills up and down your organization.
Please, people. Ask for the order.
The Search is Over – Welcoming Ben Sun
February 2, 2013
Brad Svrluga
Last April, I set out on a high stakes and very public quest to bring a new partner into our firm, High Peaks Venture Partners. Today I am thrilled to announce that that search is over and Ben Sun has joined us as a Venture Partner.
[The full story of that search and what I learned from it was published by Business Insider here.]
Ben is a lot of things, but most importantly to me, he is a remarkable combination of intellectual curiosity, analytical rigor, empathetic relationship-builder, and creative innovator.
You can get Ben's story from him directly here, but by way of CV he is a seasoned operator, having founded and led Community Connect, a successful social network/digital media business, from its founding in 1996 to its sale to publicly-traded Radio One in 2008. He's got all the scars and lessons learned you would imagine from someone who piloted a single company through the heights of the internet bubble, the depths of the bust, and the re-imagination of Web 2.0.
Since selling Community Connect, he's put together a pretty remarkable track record of success as an angel investor. Most notably, he was the founding seed investor and remains lead outside board member at Coupang, now one of the fastest growing ecommerce companies in the world.
Typical of Ben's style, Coupang emerged from his deep investigation of a promising new market. Studying the dynamics that were leading to Groupon and Living Social's early successes in the daily deal market back in 2009, he helped construct an alternative model for South Korea, a large market that he knew had the right dynamics to support a new model for ecommerce. He talked a friend into leaving Harvard Business School and helped him start the business. Just 3 years later, Coupang is at a $1 billion revenue run rate, solidly profitable, and was recently named in Business Insider's Digital 100 as the 37th most valuable private tech company in the world. They are well on their way to a huge outcome.
But more important than the successful outcomes of several of his investments or the gaudy financial metrics that characterize his aggregate portfolio is what I heard from the CEOs that he has backed. In short, this is a guy who has massive impact on the companies he partners with, and does so in a way that balances challenging mentorship, unwavering support, and deep, trusting commitment. Culturally, he's precisely what I wanted to find in a partner. And not surprisingly, that style of operating has led to a large and committed network in NYC.
Intellectually, Ben is an investor who likes to deeply understand the markets he invests in. He works hard to develop an informed point of view and invest against what that point of view suggests. He has already had a very real impact on our thinking as a firm. Currently he's spending a bunch of time working on some ecommerce models and tool companies that are informed by his recent experiences with Coupang and a handful of other ecommerce investments. As ecommerce continues to eat away at the retail world with ever-evolving models, we think there are a bunch of important technology opportunities that feed off and support that trend. Ben is leading our thinking on that front, as well as a few others.
In short, I consider this a huge win for High Peaks and a massively satisfying personal success. I get goose bumps thinking about the impact Ben will have on our continued evolution. If the first month of his working with us is any indication, it's going to be a great ride. Sure, it's still on the come, but it's a very exciting place to start.
Openness and Transparency: Lessons from our CEOs
January 22, 2013
Brad Svrluga
Last week we hosted our first ever formal CEO Summit for our portfolio companies. We've done a number of less formal gatherings over the years, but this was the first time we had ever gathered everyone for a focused session with a structured agenda. Based on this one experience we're all kicking ourselves for not having done it previously.
We spent a decent amount of time talking internally about what the right sort of content for this session was. We wanted to make sure that the group got a chance to both get to know each other better while also learning something valuable that would help them in their day-to-day lives back at the office. The concept that ultimately emerged, in keeping with the spirit of the times in which we live, was to crowd-source both agenda and content, and ask the group to teach each other something.
So we gathered last week in a room at the NYU business school – the High Peaks team plus 14 CEOs – for a few hours of startup management wisdom. We hear all the time from the teams we work with about the ingenious management tools that they have either created or picked up along the way – secrets to recruiting, running the hyper-efficient management team meeting, driving on-time product development, keeping a team focused on a truly shared vision, etc. We asked each CEO to come to the session with one pearl of wisdom that they had picked up along the way and "teach" a 10 minute lesson on it.
Based on the feedback we got from the group it worked spectacularly well. Not only did I get off the hook on having to come up with any content, but the CEOs got the benefit of a veritable buffet of startup management wisdom. There was some remarkable content, and I'll be sharing the most valuable gems in the weeks to come (we videoed everything and are working on editing now, so you'll get much of it direct from the CEOs).
As I reflected on the discussion at the end of the day, however, I was struck by an overarching theme that had wound its way through many of the talks. That theme, which I was slightly surprised (but delighted) to see coming through so strongly, was openness. And when I say openness, I mean openness of just about everything in the organization.
Maybe it's a sign of my ever-advancing age, but the degree to which this group of hyper-talented managers had embraced full transparency and inclusiveness within their organizations was remarkable to see. I've spent a lot of time as a board member over the years trying to convince CEOs to open up. And when I was in the CEO seat myself I know I didn't play it as openly as I should have. But here, with a collection of New York's best and brightest, openness carried the day.
Not surprisingly, we heard a lot about creating a culture that expects direct, open, and honest feedback. This is a group that pulls no punches in that regard. They are creating open cultures of accountability, and they expect all players to contribute.
For many of the smaller companies, they start each and every day with a team huddle where everyone in the company reports quickly on what they're working on, what their goals are, and what they've achieved in recent days (many of the larger co's do this in groups). Be it a daily or weekly huddle, you can't hide from the accountability that structure drives. And that kind of clarity on what the entire organization is focused on helps individual contributors understand where their work fits into the larger picture. It also exposes people to weaknesses in the organization and creates space for them to try to impact areas beyond their immediate responsibilities.
We also heard about full transparency around corporate goals and performance. In fact, for most of these CEOs, nearly everything they discuss with their boards is then freely shared with the entire company. By and large, they find full transparency around financial performance and success or failure in meeting their goals creates a more engaged and motivated team. The standard seems to be that the only numbers kept private are individual compensation details.
The fundraising process has been opened up and demystified by this bunch. These CEOs are talking to their teams about what's working and what's not when they're out in the market talking to prospective investors. Not surprisingly, some good ideas come from that, and people like to know where the organization stands.
Recruitment is a complete team sport. The most progressive of the bunch are not only engaging the whole employee base to source talent but also seeking each team member's input on every hire. A couple of the companies are so relentlessly focused on creating exceptional cultures that are driven by A+ players at every position that each new hire must be approved by the entire existing team. If any one person is not excited about a candidate (and the burden of proof is indeed excitement), they don't get the job. Of course that's a practice that will have to evolve as the company scales from a 15 to a 100 person company, but there will be ways to do that.
Many of these tools and techniques, like the collaborative hiring decisions, will not scale in their current form as these companies scale. There will no doubt be growing pains. But given the monumental nature of the challenges that these companies face – each is an under-resourced David slinging rocks at the Goliath of their market – I was quite proud to see this theme of openness emerge through nearly every discussion.
As has been written by many people before, being a startup CEO is an unbelievably lonely endeavor. So why make it any lonelier than it needs to be? I'm glad to see that the CEOs of our portfolio companies are opening things up and working with their teams to make it all a little bit easier, and a lot more successful.
Doing Well by Doing Good: PublicStuff and Amicus Founders Crack Forbes 30 Under 30 List
December 20, 2012
Brad Svrluga
I wrote a post awhile back about the incredible advantages that accrue to startup companies whose businesses have compelling social missions.
At the time, I was focused on our investment in Flat World Knowledge, a company that continues to make waves in the higher education market with its disruptive model for shaking up the oh so Paleolithic higher ed textbook market. Flat World's mission of open and affordable higher ed content continues to generate massive karma value, creating a tailwind around the company that aids in PR, recruiting, sales, and just about everything.
This week I'm particularly proud of two other socially impactful companies in our portfolio – PublicStuff and Amicus.
In particular, we're thrilled that founders Lily Liu and Seth Bannon have each been recognized by Forbes on their 30 Under 30 list of Social Entrepreneurs. Particularly cool is the fact that what these companies are doing has been recognized as so socially impactful that Forbes chose to include them as 2 of only 10 for profit organizations included in a list that's mostly 501c3 organizations.
PublicStuff has developed the leading platform for helping municipal governments connect with and interact with their citizens. Think of it as a mobile & social native version of the old 311 phone systems. Cities from Philadelphia, PA to Fontana, CA are lining up to take advantage of this category-defining platform.
Amicus is fast emerging as the leading social fundraising and advocacy platform for non-profits. By tapping into the social graphs of staff, volunteers, alumni, and friends of the non-profits they work with, Amicus supercharges the reach and effectiveness of fundraising and advocacy campaigns. Organizations like the NEA and Human Rights Campaign have massively scaled their volunteer outreach efforts through use of the Amicus platform.
A few weeks ago Seth and Lily each shared their stories at the annual meeting High Peaks' investors. The room was blown away by the talents, missions, and passion of these two remarkable young entrepreneurs. And the group was unanimous in their shared pride to be associated with two companies that are doing so much good in their efforts to do well.
Check out these two young rockstars at this year's Forbes 30 Under 30 list. And while you're there, pay attention to the other 28, as well. If only we could replace everyone on Capitol Hill with these 30 plus 505 of their closest friends. I'm sure debates about Fiscal Cliffs and Debt Ceilings would pretty quickly fade away.
A Plea for Humility
December 5, 2012
Brad Svrluga
We had our annual Limited Partner meeting last week (Limited Partners, or LPs, is the legal name for investors in venture capital funds). It was a terrific meeting. We had a bunch of exciting new news to talk about – 2012 has been pretty good to us. And as always, we spent a good deal of time talking about our challenges and failures.
As I reflect now on the feedback we got after the meeting, the theme I am most proud of is exemplified by this comment from an LP, "You guys are always straight with us. There's always some bad news, and you don't try to bury it. Instead, you talk about what you've learned from it."
Indeed, in the venture industry, where we build portfolios of very risky bets, there is always bad news. As I structured the story for our meeting last week, I made sure we were (a) direct and honest about that news and (b) put it up front (I've always been a "gimme the bad news first" kind of guy).
This is, unfortunately, a very different approach than what I see from most entrepreneurs. In the hyper-competitive, high flying environment that has characterized the past couple years in StartupLand, it seems like everyone feels compelled to tell a story about their uninterrupted run of dramatic success. Entrepreneurs bend over backwards to tell revisionist tales of their history, burying the challenges and dead end strategies burn time and resources in nearly every startup.
I'm here to tell you that if you come to me spinning a tale of uninterrupted progress and positive developments, then I can be certain that you are doing one of two equally unappealing things:
- You're in denial about your own reality, and aren't focused as a CEO on understanding your failings and learning from them, or
- You know where you've made missteps, but you're not the sort of person who believes that the best course in such conversations is to be direct and authentic in what you represent to potential partners.
The former is certainly a killer. If you are that blind to reality, you'll never raise a dime from me, no matter how strong your successes have been. But the latter is equally bad – I just won't enter relationships with people I can't be open and honest with.
When VCs invest in startups, we are investing in the formation of a partnership between entrepreneur and investor. When from the get-go that partnership is characterized by the entrepreneur putting the best possible spin on every situation, things are doomed to get irretrievably challenged when times get tough.
What too many entrepreneurs fail to see is what a positive thing authenticity can be. Hiding these lessons learned (or worse, not reflecting on your failings enough to even see the lessons!) denies you the opportunity to trumpet something almost all investors appreciate – your lessons learned from hard knocks taken. The startup ecosystem is built on an understanding and even celebration of failure. So please, let us hear it.
When pitching your business, you can trust that I will listen to you the way my LPs listened to me. We both know that you've done a bunch of things wrong along the way. So let's be honest about that and focus on what you've learned and how that is shaping your strategy moving ahead. Think of the difference in customer response between Steve Jobs' handling of 'Antennagate' and Jawbone CEO Hosain Rahman's handling of the failure of his UP product. How would you rather be perceived?
All the best CEOs I've worked with manage to delicately balance two seemingly conflicting things – an overwhelming confidence that often borders on arrogance, and a willingness to acknowledge mistakes, reflect on them, and move on having learned. Most of the bad ones have the former in spades. It's how the latter gets carefully integrated into that confidence that becomes a real differentiator.
I try to embody that reflectiveness in how we manage our firm and our funds. I think it works, I think people respect us for it, and I think it gets people disproportionately on our side. And that's a good thing, for we need all the help we can get.
As an entrepreneur, if you stick your neck out too far and cross the line into excessive confidence, rather than winning fans and creating empathy, you end up with a target on your neck. Then, when times get tough, people will take the first chance they get to swing an axe at you.
Unfortunately, Steve Jobs provides an example that seems to empower entrepreneurial arrogance. But there really, truly was only one Jobs. Do we need any more counter examples than Zuckerberg, Mason, and Pincus have provided us in the past year? Yes, they've built big businesses. But they've done so with a stubborn arrogance and failure to acknowledge failings that has made haters out of legions of otherwise satisfied customers. Their stock performances now reflect the reality of those armies of eager axe-swingers.
So as 2012 draws towards a close, with the financing environment's chilling paralleling the seasonal turn here in the northeast, I'll make a plea for humility and authenticity. We're going to need it, as public and press sentiment starts to turn strongly against startup arrogance (see this powerful, but I think largely appropriate post from Dan Lyons this week).
When thinking about how you carry yourself as an entrepreneur, try taking a page out of Buddy Media CEO Mike Lazerow's book. Mike carried himself thoughtfully and authentically through every phase of building his company. He earned the respect and admiration of nearly everyone he came in contact with (present company wholeheartedly included, through our work together as investors in Savored), and when he sold Buddy spectacularly this year to Salesforce.com, he was unanimously applauded. And to top it all off, at the peak of his success and influence, he took the opportunity to share this with the world.
That's the kind of guys we aspire to be, and the sort of entrepreneur we hope to back. Here's hoping a slightly chillier environment on 2013 inspires a bit of a return to humility.
Paying it Forward, Community, and My Visit to the Hall of Fame
October 19, 2012
Brad Svrluga
I visited the Hall of Fame yesterday.
Over the course the late morning & early afternoon I spent back-to-back hours with Fred Wilson and Alan Patricof. Fred, of course, is almost without question the most successful and impactful venture investor on the east coast (and perhaps the country) over the course of the past 10 years. And Alan is no less than the father of the venture business in New York City and a major player in the national venture scene almost since its beginning, having founded two great and enduring firms.
Alan has been a valued mentor of mine for several years now. Fred I don't know very well, but I sure enjoyed the opportunity to get to know him better.
It was pure coincidence that these meetings ended up scheduled back-to-back; and taken separately, I wouldn't have thought much about the significance of the conversations. But as a pair, the 2.5 hour chunk of my day they created left me pondering the importance of what each of these guys was doing in those discussions.
Each meeting was, pure and simple, a pay it forward type conversation where Alan and Fred were offering me advice and perspective on building a great venture firm.
Neither of these guys owe me anything, and I have no delusions about my standing in the world – certainly a meeting with Brad Svrluga is not something many people, let along these guys, take out of some sense of obligation.
But both of these guys just get it. They understand how the game is played. They remember the people that gave them formative advice at critical points in their careers. And now they're taking their turn and paying it forward.
It's a remarkable gift to me, and a great example that we should all follow. The lesson of these meetings extends into any profession, but I think it is critically important in the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
This ecosystem is so important, it represents such critical potential for our economy, it is so tightly knit and interdependent, and it is comprised of such fragile individual pieces. Our leaders, and everyone, paying it forward and supporting the ecosystem is an essential component of its continued growth and development.
It makes a difference, and I believe is a responsibility of citizens of the tech community at whatever level in their careers. It is no less important for a talented junior software developer to mentor the newest young hacker as they enter the community than it is for the Deans of the VC community to look out for the leader of a smaller, younger firm.
And it's not purely altruistic. Doing this work will genuinely impact the 'giver,' exposing him to new ideas, fresh perspectives, and a heightened awareness of what's going on throughout the ecosystem. Not to mention that it helps to ensure that the next generation of leaders is on your side.
Too many entrepreneurs live in a ramen and pizza-fueled cave, focusing exclusively on the things that directly and immediately advance the cause of their business. But without exception, all of the best entrepreneurs I've worked with have, like Fred and Alan, taken the long view in staying connected to their communities and being generous in contributing to a rising cohort of young leaders.
We do a pretty good job of this in the tech community, but we can do so much better. Everyone has a role in contributing to raising the tide that will float all our boats. What are you doing?
P.S. Speaking of paying it forward, you should definitely have a work at the exciting and massively important work that Fred is doing with AFSE, the Academy For Software Engineering. Was so great to learn more about it. Thanks, Fred!
Savored, Groupon, and the Realization of an Investment Thesis
October 1, 2012
Brad Svrluga
Every time we, or I suspect most any venture investor, makes a new investment we develop something called an investment thesis. This thesis is basically the rationale for the investment.
The exercise of articulating an investment thesis, as simple as it sounds, is a critical element of how we work. Starting to work on it early in the process of evaluating a company can be enormously productive in helping to focus our work on the most critical issues. And you'd be surprised by how many things seem exciting at first or second glance, but then fall apart when it comes to actually trying to construct a cogent thesis. If you're interested in an opportunity but can't crisply articulate why it might be important, there's frequently a good reason for that.
We write these things down, share them internally, debate them actively, and refer back to them regularly. And every once in awhile, you make an investment and a thesis plays itself out more or less exactly how you imagined it would. Our investment in Savored, and Savored's ultimate sale last week to Groupon, is a great example.
Here's my original investment thesis for what was then called VillageVines, as I shared it with my partners in late 2010:
- Consumers have been thoroughly trained in concepts like daily deals, discount travel sites, etc.
- The restaurant business has a decades-long history of experimenting with online and offline deal and promotion companies, all of which were complex & inelegant in their implementation and user experience.
- Groupon, et al have opened eyes to restaurateurs re: a massive marketing opportunity, but failed to deliver a solution that works for their businesses. VillageVines model is consistent with my belief that there are opportunities to offer deeper, more consistent relationships for restaurants/retailers/service providers.
- Restaurants desire a steady channel through which they can move their daily quantity of perishable inventory – VV is a model with which restaurants build deep, lasting relationships (and even dependency on), and which they can control and tweak to suit their own needs.
- The user experience is clean, simple, and discrete, making it a more compelling value proposition for consumers.
- While not yet implemented, model will be brilliantly suited to spontaneous, mobile usage – should be a major growth opportunity
- This is truly a virtuous, everybody wins model – early restaurants report absolutely loving the service
- Viral growth to date in NYC has been very strong, despite only negligible marketing. The model is inherently well suited to a high degree of virality.
- Super-talented, energetic, highly analytic young founding team who will run through walls to make this win.
In this case, amazingly, it turns out that stuff all more or less proved out. Anti-Groupon vitriol grew steadily in the fine dining world, and Savored became viewed as something of a heroic antidote, leading to rapid growth of the restaurant partner community. The diner user experience got better and better and consumers loved it. Many restaurants became addicted to Savored's ability to fill their tables.
Sometimes, as with Savored, a team is right enough that the business they set out to beat through competition becomes the logical place to end their entrepreneurial journey. In many ways, that's as powerful a form of validation as you can find. At the same time, it tends to be particularly bittersweet.
And so it is with Savored. Ben and Dan set out to build for restaurants a genuine yield management solution that would be the perfect antidote to the unrealized promises of Groupon, LivingSocial, and others. Two years later, they've succeeded. And guess what…people noticed. Especially Groupon, who had struggled with restaurants while being desperately interested in developing ways to build more enduring, day-to-day relationships with their merchant partners (witness their purchase this summer of Breadcrumb POS in the restaurant space).
So this week, an investment thesis that hinged on a company positioning itself as a beneficiary of the macro trends that Groupon was leading, but which also was deliberately positioned as an alternative to the legions of Groupon-burned restaurateurs, becomes part of that same company.
Savored will continue to operate under its own brand, and I think Groupon will be very successful with this investment. Regardless what you might think about Groupon, those guys have an amazing sales machine, and unrivaled reach with consumers. Breadcrumb + Savored is a compelling two-pronged foray into restaurants, and a demonstration of just how serious these guys are about the business (if you need any more evidence of their commitment, just look at the fact that CEO Andrew Mason has been spending a night/week actually working in a high end restaurant to get a better understanding of the business!).
We wish Groupon the best with Savored. It's been a great experience for us, and we're proud of the work done by co-founders Ben McKean and Dan Leahy in building Savored. We were honored to be a part of it.
A bittersweet reality of my business business is the fact that the interesting & fun companies inevitably get bought, so our relationship with them ends. At least in this case I'll be able to continue to be a very happy – and regularly satiated – customer.
K.I.S.S.: FieldLens and Enterprise App Simplification
September 19, 2012
Brad Svrluga
When I wrote a couple of weeks ago about our investment in Routehappy I also introduced some new thinking here at High Peaks about our investment focus, describing our interest in Consumer Empowerment. I also alluded to a second theme we're excited about, and said an announcement highlighting that theme was coming soon.
Today we are excited to announce that theme and our investment in FieldLens. Started by childhood friends Doug Chambers and Matt Sena, FieldLens is, in short, going to completely change the way that construction projects get managed – from skyscrapers all the way down to condo renovations. And in doing so, it will be a shining example of a whole new generation of b2b companies that we are actively pursuing.
As we think about the rapidly changing b2b application landscape, our thinking has centered around a theme of Simplification. For us, Simplification is about an entirely new world of business applications that are lightweight, inherently social, simple to deploy, simple to use and, very importantly, simple to sell.
All of this is driven by two fundamental and much discussed changes in the technology landscape. First is the iPhone-led mobile revolution.
In a world of 50% smartphone penetration and an app economy that won't quit, we've hit the point where one can reasonably assume that the vast majority of employees in any enterprise carry and are very familiar with the functionality of a smartphone. Further, the realities of app development for 5" smartphone screens has enforced a new sensibility that is changing application design on all platforms. Less is more, and simplicity reigns.
Second is the Facebook & Twitter-led social revolution. There are a billion people on social networks across the world. And while we can debate the relative merits of one network vs. another, there's no questioning that we have hit the point where Facebook, Twitter, etc. have trained the substantial majority of Americans on the basics of these new social communications modalities. This familiarity is growing and moving up the age ladder rapidly – in the past year the % of 45-54 yr old Americans with a social media presence has jumped from 45% to 54%. From 55-64 yrs old we're now past 1/3 penetration.
Take these two megatrends together, add in for good measure the fact that cloud technologies and standardized, off-the-shelf components have cut the cost of starting a web-based business by as much as 90% from 10 years ago, and it's game on for innovation.
In this mobile & social world, we believe the very nature of business communications and collaborations is only in the earliest stages of a massive transformation. We've all got smartphones, we are all engaged in social nets. The implications of these realities are arguably as powerful as the dawn of the browser and web 1.0.
One very attractive element of Simplification businesses is that they are so easy to use and thus, easy to adopt. As we've seen with Simplification leaders like Dropbox and Google Apps, these applications have a remarkable way of starting out being adopted by individuals or small groups within an enterprise. Frequently their use is free, or at least dirt cheap, in these smaller use cases. But then as their usage proliferates within an organization, it makes sense to bring in some control and standardization, and enterprise sales opportunities open up.
Done effectively, these distribution models flip the traditional enterprise sales model on its head. Talk about something that's been needing a flip…
The first generation of enterprise consumerization companies were largely focused on horizontal applications – that is, applications for things like file storage and workgroup collaboration that are applicable to almost any business.
We think there is much more ground to cover on Simplification of these horizontal applications, but we are also increasingly excited by opportunities for Simplification of vertical applications. We've made plays here already with our very promising investments in Ticketfly and PublicStuff.
Now FieldLens is as good an example as we've seen yet of these game-changers – lightweight, elegantly designed, mobile-first, and tapping into elements of the "friend and follow" communication modality of the leading social platforms.
The FieldLens opportunity stems from the fact that in the construction industry, the desktop web revolution never really happened. Why? Simple: No desktops!
Think about it…management of tasks and workflow on a job site is something that can't be done with even the sexiest & most elegant of browser-based web applications. The guys who run these jobs aren't sitting at desks, they're walking around in hardhats.
So when FieldLens CEO Doug Chambers was running huge pieces of projects like the New York Times building and 4 World Trade Center, how did he manage tasks and to do's on the site? You guessed it – a clipboard and paper notes. Not surprisingly, during one of Doug's sprinkler system inspections a few years ago one of those pieces of paper got lost, a defect didn't get reported, and when the system went live for final test a massive flood ensued, wiping out the electrical system for 5 floors of a skyscraper. A very, very costly mistake.
And thus, in a classic "there's gotta be a better way" moment, FieldLens was born.
You can read the press and see the FieldLens site for more on the specifics of the product, but suffice it to say that its time has come, and by leveraging the best elements of simple mobile applications and efficient, collaborative social communications, this is about as much better as mousetraps get.
Like all great Simplification businesses, FieldLens will be easy to trial, cheap to adopt, and viral by nature.
The platform is valuable for management of a whole building, but also valuable to any individual sub-contractor working on just one corner of the job. So FieldLens use will proliferate organically, frequently bubbling up from the bottom, and spreading virally from job to job and firm to firm, as the networks of organizations involved in any one job interact and connect through the platform. These network effects are an important characteristic of the best examples of Simplification.
We couldn't be happier to be partnered with Doug, Matt, and the team at FieldLens, and we expect remarkable things from them.
More broadly, we couldn't be more excited than to be sitting where we are on the front end of the broader theme that FieldLens represents. Simplification is going to continue to dramatically change the landscape in enterprise IT, and we're very eager to add even more investments in companies tapping into this wave of change.
Our Refined Investment Focus, Part 1: Routehappy, Consumer Empowerment & A Redefinition of Flight Search
September 5, 2012
Brad Svrluga
This morning we were very excited to announce our investment in Routehappy, the world's first flight experience engine. Partnering with our good friends at Contour Ventures, we're looking forward to helping Bob Albert and his team save us all from a world of crappy flight experiences. TechCrunch does a pretty good job hitting the basics of the company here, as does GigaOm.
This investment represents a very satisfying manifestation of some hard work we've been doing over the past year to refine our thinking and investment focus at High Peaks, and I want to share some of that in this and a second, upcoming post.
Looking back at the history of what we've done well and where we've succeeded, plus forward to where we see important trends emerging in the technology landscape, we've identified a couple of key themes that I hope will dominate our investing activities in the year or so ahead.
As our thinking has coalesced around these themes we've been working hard to identify the companies that best marry a manifestation of the theme with talented, experienced management. We've been fortunate enough to identify two real standouts in recent months. Routehappy is the first, and I'll speak to the theme they represent today. The second deal, and a discussion of that theme, will follow in a week or two.
At a high level, our investment strategy starts with a clear focus on the application layer of the web, largely forgoing tech-heavy infrastructure plays. (Important note: like any good rule, we'll consider breaking it, making occasional exceptions when an infrastructure play is consistent with a strongly held thesis we have about the emergence of an important growth market and also led by a truly exceptional team. See our highly successful investments in TxVia – alternative payments, and Enterproid – enterprise mobile security management.
Within the web/mobile application world we are not, as a rule, investors in what most people think of as classic consumer web companies. Gaming, consumer mobile apps, and e-commerce are not places we've played nor do we expect to play. Of course, in choosing to largely steer clear of these sectors we know we are eschewing sectors that have defined some of NYC's more stellar wins of recent years – OMGPop,Foursquare, Gilt, and Fab.com, amongst them. But we know what we know and what we don't.
While straight up advertising, virtual goods, or commerce driven consumer plays will not be in the fairway for us, there is a segment of consumer opportunities where we are very interested, and we use the term Empowerment to characterize them. Routehappy is a stellar example of an Empowerment play.
By Empowerment, we mean the following: Groundbreaking consumer experiences that harness existing data to empower broader, better-informed choice through business-class decision tools and game changing user experiences.
OK, so what does that mean? It means that a whole world of new consumer applications and services is being enabled by the easier-than-ever ability to aggregate, standardize and present data from disparate sources. And today, it's possible to do that in one real-time, multi-platform application that enables a whole new level of data visibility and information. Think of Mint.com as a key 1st generation instance of Empowerment. By aggregating all of your important financial data, Mint empowered consumers with a breakthrough experience – offering the first easily accessible, truly holistic view of our personal financial status. The first time I got all my accounts wired into Mint it was truly a "wow" moment.
Like many of the services that we think will be most interesting in the empowerment theme, Mint is free to consumers, and offers what we call a b2c2b business model. The b2c part isn't the business model, it's the engagement experience that enables the business model. The business model emerges because of the way these businesses aggregate and engage consumers, creating new data and insights as well as marketing opportunities for businesses who want to reach these consumers.
Routehappy will work this way. As their platform rolls out and becomes more robust in the coming months, I have little doubt that it will become your go to first stop when you're looking for plane tickets for your next trip, be it business or pleasure. And like any online travel tool, it will be free to you. There will be the obvious booking fee revenue stream, of course, but in the process of offering consumers massively more information to guide travel decisions, Routehappy will also be building a completely unparalleled collection of consumer preference data. Nobody else will be able to use real flight purchase information to generate empirical data that exposes just how important things like wifi, premium seating, and in-seat entertainment are in driving purchase decisions. Routehappy will hold the keys to this data, and that's a powerful place to be.
Stay tuned for more news and thinking about our interest in Empowerment. We've got a couple of promising opportunities in the hopper on this front and hope to announce another deal or two before the end of the year. in the meantime, I'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas on the theme in general, and about your experience with Routehappy more specifically. Bring 'em on.
Building Enduring App User Relationships: The Three Flavors of Stickiness
August 14, 2012
Brad Svrluga
At High Peaks we spend all of our time looking at investment opportunities in the application layer of the web. Mostly it's business apps (though for us that generally means very lightweight, "consumer-ish" business apps), but we also get excited about data-rich, consumer analytic applications.
In the context of evaluating applications, we consistently end up in discussions about stickiness. I've found that when entrepreneurs talk about their applications and why they will develop valuable, enduring customer/end user relationships, they consistently overemphasize features – their app is cool, and that's going to bring people back.
The reality is that coolness – or even directly addressing a customer pain point – is not a driver of stickiness. Certainly not an enduring one. Applications – be they business or consumer applications – that successfully build the deepest, most enduring, most valuable relationships with their users require a lot more than the right features.
Here's a simple framework that we use when thinking about application stickiness. We consider three types:
- Feature stickiness, where the delivery of application features that are tightly aligned with user needs brings users back.
- Data stickiness, where user data becomes deeply embedded in the application.
- Network stickiness, where multiple users and networks of users actively interact within the application.
Within that framework, we have a clear point of view as to the hierarchy of these differing types of stickiness.
- Feature stickiness is table stakes. If you don't build applications that your users find compelling, that make their lives easier, then you're dead before you've started. But features on their own will not keep users coming back again and again. Your application will always be at risk of being usurped by the next big thing, as there won't be much reason for users not to switch to the shiny new penny. As a result, feature stickiness is illusory, and not enough to drive overall application success.
- Data stickiness is a great step forward from feature strength. With data sticky applications, users actively, or by default, build more and more of their personal and usage data into an application as they use it. That data becomes a valuable asset that makes their user experience more powerful. When combined with a solid feature profile, data stickiness can make for powerful, enduring relationships. Users of Mint.com are familiar with data stickiness. When you register and begin using mint, you put a lot of energy into connecting your accounts, inputing data, and building a personal profile within the application. And then they've got you. How much better would a new personal finance application need to be, feature-wise, to get you to switch from Mint? The same holds for business applications like finance programs and CRM systems. Once your data is in Salesforce.com, it can be god awful painful to leave. That said, it's doable. Given a compelling enough reason to move, some portion of users will do the work to pack up their data and go.
- Which is why network stickiness is the most powerful, but also the toughest to build. Network sticky applications get their power from users interacting with each other within the application. The power of the application is the power of the network. Skype, LinkedIn, Yammer (and all the successful consumer social apps). These applications have features that draw you in, but then it's the network of people you interact with there that keeps you there. Even in the Web 1.0 world we had apps with network stickiness – think of the MSFT Office suite? Why did we all end up using Word and Excel? Were they definitively the best word processor and spreadsheet? Not at all. But they were what everyone else used, and once email made file sharing a daily experience, the world collapsed onto one "standard."
The very most powerful and enduring apps manage to play to all three types of stickiness. Think of LinkedIn. Lots of great features that get us engaged. Then from a data standpoint we've got our core electronic CVs, which have grown and evolved over time, plus probably some recommendations of us and by us. So there's some data work to be replicated if we want to move. But then the network stickiness would stop any would be LinkedIn abandoner in her tracks. Similarly, Salesforce.com and other historically data sticky apps are increasingly building in network stickiness both within and outside of the enterprises they sell to. This success is a big part of why I think they will continue to dominate their market.
As we look at new applications every day, the three flavors of stickiness is an important framework for us. We see a lot of applications fall far shy of having even two strong flavors of stickiness, let alone the elusive third, and when they do, they're an easy pass. But on the rare occasions when we find all three flavors of stickiness being driven by a strong founding team, we're all over it.


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main index
Fireball 20XL is a webcomic hub created and run by Bryon Beaubien, also known as Super Psyguy, Psyguy, and Psy. Rather than being a site that hosts comics, it's essentially a website that links to other comic websites, whose authors post on the front page of Fireball 20XL whenever they update their own comics. The idea is for people to be able to check for updates on all the different comic sites, without actually having to go to each site individually and check.Originally created under the name www.psyguy.com, it started out as simply a website where Psy hosted his own comics, which at the time consisted of a Sonic the Hedgehog sprite comic called That's My Sonic! and Dirty Power, a drawn comic featuring original characters and an original story, which was axed early after the drawing (done by Prismaya, a former member of Fireball 20XL) started to progress faster than the actual script.As well as managing the site, Psy has also done several (hundreds) of comics, both on his own and collaborating with others. Possibly the most well-known is his graphic novel, Chaos Diamonds 3, a "fanfic gone comic" set in the Sonic universe, but featuring Tails as the hero, Amy as the love interest and Sonic as the villain. It has been drawn by several artists, with Wil Brendel having worked on it for the longest time. (One of the few comics that has actually been finished, the end giving a teaser for a sequel, Chaos Diamonds 5. It's still in the planning stages, though.) Another of Psy's more famous works is his still-ongoing comic Greed, a Zelda/Mario crossover featuring Wario as the hero and Link as his sidekick. Many artists have worked on this comic, too, Cailen Crow so far holding the record for longest time worked on it (though he eventually had to be replaced due to being too busy to work on it). Red & Black, a comic that speculates and expands upon the death of Maria and just what happened on the Space Colony ARK 50 years ago, is also popular. (Drawn by Fooly, written by Psy, it was cancelled halfway through, but Psy released the complete script online so fans could see the ending.)Other works Psy has done include Samurai Pizza Cats: COLD, a Samurai Pizza Cats fancomic written by Psy and (formerly) drawn by OMA (now on hold), TMNT: Cowabunga!, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comic drawn by Wil and written by Psy, and several sprite comics including That's My Sonic!, That's My Sonic! 2, Garden Chase Drive, I Don't Care Anymore!, That's My Sonic! 3 (all roughly within the same series, a sort of Sonic/Dragon Ball Z parody crossover also featuring original characters), Save Point Java (which was going to be a story about Mario and Luigi travelling to different game worlds before Psy got bored with it), Replay Value (a sitcom about Wario, Bass, King Dedede and a black Yoshi named Steve living in the same house) and DAMN. (ostensibly a comic about Shadow the Hedgehog (the character, not the game), though frequently dissolves into plain randomness). Psy's latest works are Updates!, a comic featuring the Fireball 20XL staff drawn by Steph O'Dell and written by Psy, and GG-Guys!, a collaboration comic written by Psy and drawn by Supa Dave, featuring Psy, Dave, Shannon, Liz, Johnny (all real people) and Amber (not a real person) parodying a different video game each comic. So far it has been well received, winning #1 on the Joystiq Awards.Other things on and related to the site include Bastardized, a series of parody dubs inspired by LittleKuriboh's Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series done by Psy and the rest of the Fireball 20XL cast, with occasional celebrity guest appearances, including Kyle Hebert as Optimus Prime in Transformers: Bastardized, and Wha-Chow!, an online radio show hosted by Psy where he basically records Skype conversations and then broadcasts them. Recently he started recording these shows live via ustream. Special guests on the show include Little Kuriboh and Masako X (creator of Yu-Gi-Oh The Abridged Series and Naruto The Abridged Series respectively), Kajetokun (the man responsible for IT'S OVER 9000!!! and other such videos), Pete Cappella (the voice of Silver The Hedgehog), Kyle Hebert and Mike Pollock (the new [at the time] voice of Dr. Eggman).Notable staff members of Fireball 20XL include Kirbopher, whom you may know as the creator of TOME, Go Go Parody Rangers!, NiN10Doh! and $00pah NiN10Doh!, and Mike (author of In Wilys Defense, Tales of Southtown and the new collaboration Fetch Quest, drawn by OMA - though Mike isn't really a part of the site anymore, updates for Fetch Quest continue to be posted on the main page by OMA).The site got over 4,000 hits per day and being on the site (or having your site in the links section) used to be considered an honor.After abuse and other allegations appeared on Tumblr, Beaubian has taken down fireball20xl.com, many of his online accounts, and all other domains that he owns, as well as offering apologies. He has addressed the accusations as such: [[[1] "I also want to address the allegations that have been made about me. I have never sexually touched a minor and I categorically deny any such allegation".]]
This website provides examples of:

subset: commoncrawl


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A Girl can do anything with the right pair of shoes! Every girl and woman loves shoes and these two little girls are no exception...
Keywords; shoes, girls, red, tap, heels, boots, girl, child, woman, Captive Images Photography, pumps, sandals
The right Shoes
by Captive Images Photography
Stretched Canvas
Fine art print on bright white, fine poly-cotton blend, matte canvas using latest generation Epson archival inks. Individually trimmed and hand stretched museum wrap over 1-1/2" deep wood stretcher bars. Includes wall hanging hardware.
- 65Promote
I appreciate everyones comments, it really means a lot that you stop and check out my work! Thanks again...


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AAA All-Purpose Travel Blanket 58"L x 48"W, Model# 4014AAA
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Item# 22710
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{"catalogEntry": { "catalogEntryIdentifier": { "uniqueID": "200481076", "externalIdentifier": { "partNumber": "22709" } }, "description": [{ "fullImage": "/images/product/114x114/227/22709_114x114.jpg", "shortDescription": "Medique 61-Pc. Portable First Aid Kit, Model# 40061", "longDescription": "This Medique 61-Pc. Portable First Aid Kit is a great kit for use in the home, at the office, on the jobsite, in the car, on the sports field or anywhere you need basic first aid. U.S.A." }], "offerPrice": "Only $12.99", "wasPrice": "", "salePrice": "", "productRating": "4", "productNumRatings": "1" }, "catalogEntryURL": "http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200481076_200481076" }
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{"catalogEntry": { "catalogEntryIdentifier": { "uniqueID": "200609090", "externalIdentifier": { "partNumber": "38076" } }, "description": [{ "fullImage": "/images/product/114x114/380/38076_114x114.jpg", "shortDescription": "Genuine First Aid 10-Person ANSI OSHA Kit — Plastic Case, Model# 9999-2125", "longDescription": "This Genuine First Aid 10-Person ANSI OSHA Kit utilizes the patented "Easy Access" pocket system used by all 700 Red Cross Chapters. Each pocket of this first aid kit is labeled with contents and instructions for easy access. Each pocket also has a transparent back side with resealable pockets. This innovative approach to first aid has been proven to save lives. Kit meets the new guidelines for the ANSI Z308.01 2009 revision." }], "offerPrice": "Only $14.99", "wasPrice": "", "salePrice": "", "productRating": "", "productNumRatings": "0" }, "catalogEntryURL": "http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200609090_200609090" }


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Book your room at Howard Johnson Inn La Crosse/I-90
Please enter your travel dates.
La Crosse hotel with a complimentary breakfast
Situated in La Crosse, this hotel is close to Riverside Amusement Park, Myrick Park, and Riverside Park. Local attractions also include La Crosse Queen Cruise Dock and Pettibone Park.
Hotel Features
Howard Johnson Inn La Crosse/I-90 offers a complimentary continental breakfast. Other amenities include complimentary wireless Internet access, laundry facilities, and free self parking.
Room Amenities
Televisions come with satellite channels. Guestrooms also feature complimentary wireless Internet access, refrigerators, and microwaves.Information missing or incorrect? Tell us!
At your hotel
At your hotel
Guests can enjoy a complimentary breakfast each morning. Public areas are equipped with complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access. This La Crosse hotel also offers a 24-hour fitness center, barbecue grills, and laundry facilities. Onsite self parking is complimentary.
Howard Johnson Inn La Crosse/I-90 is a smoke-free property.
- RV, bus, truck parking
- One meeting room
- 24-hour fitness facilities
- Number of buildings/towers - 1
- Free Wi-Fi
- 24-hour front desk
- Number of floors - 2
- Free breakfast
- Express check-out
- Total number of rooms - 99
- Luggage storage
- Barbecue grill(s)
- Express check-in
- Laundry facilities
- Free self parking
- Smoke-free property
Stay connected
Available in all rooms: Free Wi-Fi
Available in some public areas: Free Wi-Fi
Park your car
Free self parking, RV, bus, truck parking
In your room
- Cribs/infant beds (complimentary)
- Free Wi-Fi
- Rollaway/extra beds available
- Microwave
- Desk
- Refrigerator
- Air conditioning
- Television
- Blackout drapes/curtains
- Satellite TV service
- Coffee/tea maker
- Free local calls
- Hair dryer
- Daily housekeeping
- Iron/ironing board
- Climate control
- Complimentary newspaper
- Private bathroom
- Shower/tub combination
- Phone
Eat and drink
Guests are offered a complimentary continental breakfast each morning.
The recreational activities listed below are available either on site or nearby; fees may apply.
- Golfing nearby
- Snowmobiling nearby
- Kayaking nearby
- Hiking/biking trails nearby
To make requests for specific accessibility needs, complete the "Special or Accessibility Requests" section of "Trip Preferences" when you book your hotel.
- Accessible parking
- Accessible bathroom
- Accessible path of travel
- In-room accessibility
The fine print for Howard Johnson Inn La Crosse/I-90
When you arrive
Check-in time starts at 3 PM
When you leave
Check-out time is noon
How you can pay
Accepted at this hotel: American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa
Your pets
Pets allowed, Pet maximum weight in lb is 180
You need to know
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on hotel policy.
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card or cash deposit are required at check-in for incidental charges.
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges. Special requests cannot be guaranteed.
- Pet fee: USD 30 per stay
We should mention
Children 17 years old and younger stay free when occupying the parent or guardian's room, using existing bedding.


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Traffic was backed up for miles after a bus caught fire on southbound I-35.
Department of Public Safety spokesperson D.L. Wilson says the passenger bus was going south bound in Bruceville-Eddy on the 316 mile marker when the tires blew. Wilson says that could have possibly led to engine lines being knocked loose which then led to a massive fire.
The driver pulled over just before noon and luckily no one else was on the bus. The fire quickly spread completely engulfing the entire back section of the bus. Local fire departments responded and it took them 30 minutes to douse the flames.
Wilson says they had to block the interstate for about an hour and traffic was backed up for around 15 miles. All lanes were eventually opened shortly after 2:30. There were no injuries reported.
The bus was on its way to Austin for the University of Texas football game.
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Book Description:
Facilitation skills are crucial to the success of groups and teams. Facilitators guide and direct the process, therefore resulting in more effective and efficient projects. Considering all the meetings that project managers and leaders hold, it s easy to see why facilitation is fast becoming recognized as an essential core skill! Not only do project managers need to know how to run highly effective meetings, they also need strategies for creating buy-in, overcoming resistance and building true consensus. After more than12 years as a best seller, Facilitation at a Glance! is now in its third edition packed with even more resources, exciting tools, and a new concise look! Ingrid Bens, a nationally known consultant and trainer, continues to enlighten us with a comprehensive overview of the role of the facilitator and the essential core practices that are always in play. Included is a compendium of strategies for gaining buy-in, ensuring participation, overcoming resistance, building consensus and creating a positive team climate. The book retains all the tools that made the first two editions so popular: the summary pages, checklists and tip sheets. Existing sections about what to do at the start, middle and end of facilitated sessions have been greatly expanded. Decision-making methods have been revamped to include more strategies about when to use each approach. New bonus material has been added to the conflict management chapter related to ineffective behaviors. By user demand, we have additional process tools and more about facilitating distance meetings. The most notable update is an entirely new chapter about how leaders can balance the facilitator role with their other duties, since most facilitation is actually done by leaders and not neutral outsiders. We are confident that this NEW and improved version of Facilitation at a Glance! will become an indispensable part of your toolkit!
Tags: Business-Money, Skills, Communications,


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5MinutePhoto.com - Products/Extras for Onsite Event Photography
Welcome to 5 Minute Photo's Onsite Event Products Shopping Area. We hope you enjoying your shopping experince and the good deals we have to offer.Click Here to Return to the 5 Minute Photo home page.
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'The Good Wife's' Super Awkward Party
"The Good Wife" is celebrating its 100th episode with a big bash. In "The Decision Tree," Florrick/Agos & Associates throws a rockin' holiday party.
10 months ago with 8 notes
'The Good Wife's' Super Awkward Party
"The Good Wife" is celebrating its 100th episode with a big bash. In "The Decision Tree," Florrick/Agos & Associates throws a rockin' holiday party.
10 months ago with 8 notes
10 months ago via uptownhags with 131 notes
Battle on, Alicia.
10 months ago via emlary with 254 notes
What's Next For 'The Good Wife'?
Well, the sh— hit the fan on "The Good Wife" in "Hitting The Fan," the appropriately titled fifth episode of Season 5. Alica (Julianna Margulies) and Cary (Matt Czuchry) made their exit from Lockhart/Gardner and Florrick/Agos & Associates was born.
Kalica fans, special scoop for you.
11 months ago with 29 notes
Best 'Good Wife' Ever
"The Good Wife" has never been better. Everything literally hits the fan in "Hitting The Fan," a riveting hour of TV that I wished could have lasted forever. This was not only one of the best episodes of "The Good Wife," but one of the best episodes of TV.
SO GOOD. Just, oh my god, so good.
11 months ago with 63 notes
11 months ago via chrisharnick with 25 notes
Archie Panjabi Reveals Why There Hasn't Been A Lot Of Kalinda On 'The Good Wife'
Archie Panjabi knows viewers want more Kalinda on "The Good Wife," but she's enjoying the amount of screentime her co-stars have been getting with the big Lockhart/Gardner exit storyline. "I think what's fun about it is just the reboot quality for the show and the last time we had a big storyline like that was when Kalinda was found out [to have slept] with Peter, so it's really nice to see Christine Baranski have some really good storylines and really shine, and Matt have some time on screen because last year he didn't really have much," Panjabi told The Huffington Post in a phone interview.
Talked to Archie. She's super sweet.
11 months ago with 61 notes
#the good wife #kalinda #archie panjabi #kalinda sharma #television
Behind 'The Good Wife' Betrayal
"The Good Wife" is poised to turn everything on its head with one fell swoop with "Hitting The Fan," the fifth episode of Season 5. So much so that it feels like a finale and premiere all rolled into one.
11 months ago with 38 notes
#julianna margulies #television #the good wife #alicia florrick


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You hear about it all the time. Girl and guy date for years, maybe even have children and buy property together, but decide marriage is just not for them. Wow, cool, you think -- these two are clearly so secure and in love that they don't need their relationship to be defined. Then -- bam! -- couple break up and one or both of them immediately marry other people. What the heck?! This pretty much describes Johnny Depp and his ex Vanessa Paradis' situation perfectly. After a 14-year relationship with the French actress and singer -- who is also the mother of his two children - Depp is marrying Amber Heard. And we've finally got the goods on why he never put a ring on Vanessa's finger.
The 50-year-old Pirates of the Caribbean star told Extra:
I never found myself needing that piece of paper. Marriage is really from soul to soul, heart to heart. You don't need somebody to say, okay you're married.
Johnny hinted at the fact that Vanessa was actually the one who opposed marriage -- a fact she has admitted -- by adding, "If Vanessa wanted to get hitched, why not. But the thing is, I'd be so scared of ruining her last name. She's got such a good last name."
The first part of that quote -- great. But the last part -- just lame. It's very possible Johnny and Vanessa had such a good thing that taking that additional leap wouldn't have changed their relationship one bit. You certainly don't need to get married to have a fulfilling love life. But, given what he's saying about Vanessa, aren't you dying to know WHY he chose to propose to Amber?
Is it possible that, at 50, Johnny now feels like the "piece of paper" he previously dismissed offers him that sense of security when marrying 27-year-old Amber that he never before felt like he needed? Or maybe Amber is an old-fashioned woman who would like to be married and have children with Johnny? If that's the case, I think it's sweet and honorable that he is agreeing to do something he doesn't feel is necessary in a relationship.
What do you think? Do you believe Johnny's reason for not marrying Vanessa?
Image via Corbis
It's pretty clear to me that it was Vanessa the one who didn't want to get married. Johnny has never been opposed to marriage, on the contrary, he seems to be a total "marriage-enthusiast". He was married when he was almost a teen and after he did propose to every one of his girlfriends with the exception of Kate Moss (and in her case, it's said they broke up precisely because Kate didn't want to settle down) and Vanessa. I don't doubt Johnny is in love with Amber and maybe, he just found the right woman to propose and the right moment for her to say "YES, I DO"
A lot of times men try to correct the mistakes they make with their first wife or partner with the second one. Sounds like a classic case of that here.


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Saratoga Sales Notebook, Day 2
Last-minute bid secures sale-topper for Willis Horton, and Sequel Stallions proves New York is quickly growing beyond its reputation as a regional market.
Last-minute bid secures sale-topper for Willis Horton, and Sequel Stallions proves New York is quickly growing beyond its reputation as a regional market.
The second session of Fasig-Tipton's Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training May 20 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium picked up right where it left off a day earlier.
Following a weekend of grade I races for 3-year-olds in New York and California, the juvenile set takes center stage April 7 for Keeneland's April select sale of 2-year-olds in training.
A rainy morning in Lexington gave way to cloudy skies and dry conditions that prevailed just long enough to squeeze in the under tack preview for Keeneland's select sale of 2-year-olds in training April 3.
When it comes to evaluating talent in young racehorses, Becky Thomas of Sequel Bloodstock has repeatedly proven she possesses an eye for equine athletes.
Sequel Stallions in Hudson, N. Y., has appointed Christine Hosier to the position of stallion season sales and bookings manager.
Freud, New York's leading sire of stakes winners, had his first Southern Hemisphere-bred winner Jan. 3 when his 2-year-old Tiffany Blue captured the Premio Especial Palmarola at the Hipodromo Argentino De Palermo.
Becky Thomas and Joe McMahon announced that multiple graded stakes winner Forty Tales will stand at Sequel Stallions near Hudson, N.Y. His 2014 fee will be $6,500 stands and nurses.
Darley has announced that Godolphin's grade I-winning homebred Emcee has been retired and will enter stud in 2014 at Becky Thomas' Sequel Stallions in New York near Hudson, while Girolamo will relocate to its Jonabell Farm.
A daughter of Dixie Chatter breezed a quarter-mile in :21, and 11 other 2-year-olds went a furlong in :10 at the May 10 under tack preview for the Barretts May 2-year-old sale in Pomona, Calif.
The average rose 9.2% and the median was up 23.1% during the first session of the OBS March sale of 2-year-olds March 13 in Ocala. David Ingordo went to $480,000 for the day's topper, a son of Flatter for $480,000.
Mission Impazible, a multiple grade II winner by Unbridled's Song that has earned more than $1.2 million in his career, will be retired to Becky Thomas and Dennis Narlinger's Sequel Stallions in New York for 2013.
Susan and Charles Chu purchase Super Ninety Nine at the OBS June sale...and come up with a starter for the Nov. 2 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Sprint.
As the start of the Keeneland September yearling sale approached, people expressed more anticipation than trepidation about the market's prospects. Read what they had to say.
Grade I-winning New York champion Giant Ryan, who fractured both left front sesamoids during the June 9 True North Handicap (gr. II), was euthanized at New Bolton Center at the University of Pennsylvania June 14.
A municipal bond trader by day, Tony Grey knows a thing or two about playing percentages. The Florida-based breeder/owner will take a calculated risk May 19 with his Zetterholm in the Preakness Stakes (gr. I).
Coming off three consecutive 2-year-old auctions with increases in average, Barretts Equine Limited will offer a catalog of 116, plus eight supplemental entries for its May 14 2-year-old sale in Pomona, Calif.
Trainer Mike Harrington bought Creative Cause sight unseen.
Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky will open a satellite ambulatory division in upstate New York, Sequel Stallions New York announced March 29.
The Fasig-Tipton Florida select juvenile auction is known for its good-looking horses with attractive pedigrees and expensive prices. Here is what people had to say about their predictions for the market and other topics.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. select sale of 2-year-olds in training kicks off its two-day run March 13 in Central Florida. Here's what several participants had to say about the auction and the outlook for its success.
Becky Thomas and Dennis Narlinger have reopened Sequel Stallions New York near Hudson, N.Y., and will stand Freud and Noonmark at the nursery.
Following the conclusion of the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training, president Boyd Browning said he was pleased that in spite of the fact there were 69 more horses sold this year the average was down 1.3%.
A stately Indian Charlie colt, which had created a buzz at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic sale of 2-year-olds in training, lived up to all the hype May 24 by bringing $600,000.
The Ocala Breeders' Sales Co. February select sale of 2-year-olds in training in Central Florida has a reputation for producing good runners. But the size of its catalog keeps shrinking, which makes the sale's future shaky.
Graded stakes-winning sprinter Noonmark has been retired and will stand at Becky Thomas and Dennis Narlinger's Sequel Stallions at Keane Stud near Amenia, N.Y.
Sequel Stallions New York will transfer its stallions Freud, Hook and Ladder, and Read the Footnotes to Keane Stud near Amenia, N.Y.
The fastest times were slower than they were a year ago during the under tack show for the Fasig-Tipton Florida select sale of 2-year-olds in training. But the auction firm's officials and consignors said they weren't surprised or disappointed for a couple of reasons.
For the 16th consecutive year, Cot Campbell of Dogwood Stable presented the Dominion Award to one of racing's unsung heroes -- this time to Vincent "Vinnie" Garibaldi -- at a luncheon July 30 at the Reading Room in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
A Jump Start colt was euthanized Monday after fracturing a tibia during the under tack show for the Keeneland April sale of 2-year-olds in training in Central Kentucky.
One year after the sale registered positive results in gross, average, and median price, optimism remains the key word going into the March 12 Barretts March select sale of 2-year-olds in training.
On the eve before the March 12 Barretts March select sale of 2-year-olds in training, here are the horses that have people talking.
Prior Addiction, a son of Sky Mesa who bucked his shins and had to be withdrawn from the Calder selected 2-year-olds in training sale in March, topped the Barretts May sale of 2-year-olds in training at $650,000 May 15.
The times were freakishly fast at Keeneland Monday when the first under tack show for a juvenile sale in North America was conducted over Polytrack.
After establishing a record gross, average and median last year, Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's general manager and director of sales Tom Ventura is confident of another stellar sale when the two-day select 2-year-olds in training sale kicks off March 27 at the Central Florida auction house.
There is uncertainty in the select juvenile marketplace heading into Tuesday's Barretts March sale in Southern California. The OBS February and Fasig-Tipton Florida auctions produced mixed results, making people wonder if the unprecedented growth of recent years might be coming to an end.
Big spenders gather at Calder Race Course in Florida for world's swankiest sale of 2-year-olds in training, which produced a world record price of $16 million in 2006.
Dennis Narlinger has bought out Lewis Lakin's interest in Lakland North, and the farm has been renamed Sequel Stallions New York. Becky Thomas has retained her half of the farm.
The Fasig-Tipton New York-bred preferred yearling auction ended with an impressive display of financial fireworks Sunday evening in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Buyers have been busy as bees trying to sort out the prospects from the pretenders at the Barretts March select sale of 2-year-olds in training.
Becky Thomas and Lewis Lakin, one of the Thoroughbred industry's most dynamic teams in pinhooking and commercial breeding, have begun a major reduction of their partnership ventures.
The first foal sired by grade II winner Read the Footnotes is a filly that arrived Jan. 14 at Lewis and Brenda Lakin and Becky Thomas' Lakland North near Hudson, N.Y.
Grade II winner Read the Footnotes, who began his stallion career in 2005 at Becky Thomas' Sequel Stallions near Orange Lake, Fla., will stand the 2006 season at Lakland North near Hudson, N.Y.
Bwana Charlie, a son of Indian Charlie out of the Halo mare Shahalo, will enter stud at Becky Thomas' Sequel Stallions in Orange Lake, Fla. in 2006. He will stand for $6,500 live foal.
One Nice Cat, a stakes winning son of Storm Cat out of champion Jewel Princess, has been retired and will stand in 2006 at Becky Thomas' Sequel Stallions near Orange Lake, Fla.
Closing Argument, the 2005 Kentucky Derby (gr. I) runner-up, has been retired from racing and will take up stud duty for the 2006 breeding season at Becky Thomas' Sequel Stallions in Ocala, Florida.
Graded stakes winner Heckle has been bought by Dennis Narlinger's JMJ Racing and the partnership of Becky Thomas and Lewis Lakin from Dogwood Stable (Cot Campbell, president) for stallion duty.
A good-sized crowd of local breeders and owners, pinhookers, and curiosity seekers showed up for the first session of the inaugural New York Breeders' Sales Co.'s yearling sale Thursday night. The sale, which had a county fair-like atmosphere, was conducted under blue-and-white-striped tents at the Yaddo show grounds near Saratoga Race Course.
Freud, an English group II-placed full brother to prominent stallion Giant's Causeway, was represented by his first winner when his daughter My Interpretation won a turf race Aug. 3 at Saratoga.
Philip and Marcia Cohen have sold an equity interest in the their 3-year old colt Closing Argument to JMJ Racing Stables (Dennis Narlinger) and Sequel Stallions (Becky Thomas and Lewis Lakin), Narlinger announced May 20.


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User Group Representatives
A Cardiff People User Group has been established to ensure full representation across the organisation. Every School and Directorate has a member/members of staff nominated by the Head of School or Division to be the point of contact for the Cardiff People Programme. These individuals meet on a monthly basis with the Cardiff People Programme Team to receive regular updates and pass on that information to their colleagues when appropriate. A list of members by area is below;
Professional Services
|HR Business Partner
|Michelle Jones
|HR Manager
|Sue Vaughan
|Cardiff People Champion
|Rachel Jones
|Human Resources
|Debbie Bezant
|Information Services
Rachel Powezka
Annette Seeley
Cathy Jones
Carys Gordon
|Stephen Merchent
|Campus Services
Kristina Rushton
David Morgan
|Katharin Mathias
|Students Services & Governance
Melanie Steeles
Jaqui Kempa
Meg Peasley
Katie Hales
Paula James
|Research, Innovation & Enterprise Services
|Adrienne Evans
|Mary Tang
|Justin Edwards
|Sally Streeter
College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
|HR Business Partner
|Rhian Roberts
|HR Manager
|Elaine Howells
|Cardiff People Champion
|Rachel Jones
Karen Jones
Mark Johncock
|Planning & Geography
|Denise Phillips
|English, Communication & Philosophy
|Sarah Wilde
|European Languages, Translation & Politics
|Helen Walker
|History, Archaeology & Religion
Emma Fisher
Fiona Nicholas
|Journalism, Media & Cultural Studies
|Joanne Marshall
Lucy Hammond
Rhian Griffiths
Clare Pike
Janet Donovan
|Centre for Lifelong Learning
|Tina Heard
|Sarah Wooley
|Social Sciences
Sheryl Jones
Sandra Bonney
|Eirwen Williams
College of Physical Sciences & Engineering
|HR Business Partner
|Juliet Jukes
|HR Manager
|David Bevan
|Cardiff People Champion
|Andrea Freeman
|Frances Simpson
Mahmoud Aktar
Alison Thompson
|Computer Sciences & Informatics
John Evans
Pamela Munn
|Earth & Ocean Studies
|Briony FitzGerald
Joanna Cheeseman
William Gale
Lynne Peters
Karen Ellis
Alistair Clarke
Catherine Parker
|Physics & Astronomy
Phillip Treadgold
Glesni Lloyd
College of Biomedical & Life Sciences
|HR Business Partner
|Kim Newcome
|HR Manager
|Kath Davies
|Cardiff People Champion
|Andrea Freeman
Karen Fitzgibbon
Janet Sullivan
Nicola Jenkins
Lesley Bennison
Julie Cooper-Close
|Healthcare Studies
Matthew Williamson
Lucy Hancock
Ali Tovar
Fiona Gibson
Trystan Gwynedd
|Nursing & Midwifery Studies
|Linda Thomas
|Optometry & Vision Sciences
AnnA Courage
Felicity Brooks
|Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Studies
|Felicity Brooks
|Postgraduate Medical & Dental Education
Sally Walsh
Donna Hyndman
Justine Cooper
Elaine Rees
Terri Augbaya
|Joint Biological Services
Keith Davies
Deborah Adams
Nicky Walker


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Apple's Boulder store in June 2009 when people paid for their iPhones
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They smashed the front door of the Apple Store in Boulder with three LARGE ROCKS.
This is right up there with the guy that parked his Lincoln in the Lincoln Park Apple Store.
I suspect a roving gang of criminal punsters.
Well done geoduck
In Boulder, if that guy had been smoking on the street, the cops would have already found him..
What kind of door costs $100K?
An insured door.
Geoduck, going with your logic it's going to be a pretty messy job after the "Walnut Creek" Apple store gets hit.
UPDATE: Apple testing impact resistance to canon-fired frozen chickens. Threat to Tyson's Corner store acknowledged.


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Posted Mon, Sep 12, 2005 by Boomjack
Desert of Flames and Changes.
Sony Online Entertainment has posted an EverQuest 2 Producer's Letter featuring Scott Hartsman. The letter focuses on the upcoming Desert of Flames Expansion and on the combat changes that are being introduced at the same time. It sounds like a while new game. Tom Cruise refuted claims that he was a Enchanted Lands Fairy and retorted:
" For those of you who keep up with the forums, some of this is going to be things that you've heard before. For those who haven't, some of this may come as a surprise.
Many people will be relearning parts of their characters, getting used to new spell lines and working with altered buffs. That's a lot for us to ask, and we realize that. As a way of thanking you for sticking through the effect this will have on your first few sessions, we'll be running a week of Bonus Adventure Experience for characters under level 50 beginning the day that Desert of Flames launches.
I'd like to take a few minutes to talk about what it is exactly that's going on with the game, what you can expect to see on Tuesday 9/13, and our reasons for bringing you these combat changes. "
You can read the entire EverQuest 2 Producer's Letter at The Official Site.
Related Links:


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The turquoise waters of the Pacific have made Mancora one of Peru's most inviting beach destinations—where you can unwind in a stylish ocean-side resort hotel. In northwest Peru, a two-hour flight from Lima, its dry and sunny climate and waves captivate surfers and beach lovers. In this unique location, the convergence of the cool Humboldt and the warm Niño currents also attracts sea life such as Humpback whales, dolphins and sea turtles, which you may spot on an included half-day boat excursion.
|Select Experience
|3 days, 2 nights
|Trip Includes
|Number of Travelers
|Total in your party
|Price From
|per person double occupancy
Surcharges may apply for solo travelers as well as for trips during New Year's, Christmas, or national holidays.
Call 800.234.6900 to book this trip.
Itinerary and Accommodations
Arrival in Mancora
After the two-hour flight from Lima to the Piura or Tumbes airport, you are met for the private transfer to your luxurious and laidback beachside resort (also approximately 2 hours). Relaxation is almost immediate as you step into your suite at Las Pocitas beach in Mancora. You may choose to unwind by the pool or make your way immediately to the magnificent beach. Or, this arrival day may be perfect to indulge in a spa treatment at the hotel's ocean-view spa: reflexology, massage, hydrotherapy, and body treatments are available.
Enjoy a welcome drink in the poolside lounge, candles flickering, before a dinner of fresh seafood at the hotel's fine dining restaurant.
DCO Suites, Lounge & Spa
Las Pocitas, Mancora, Peru
This modern boutique, ocean-side resort has just 7 suites, all with ocean views and private terraces; full service inviting pool and beachside bars with comfortable daybeds and firelight; fine-dining restaurant; and spa facilities. Spacious, stylish rooms are equipped with all conveniences including air conditioning, iPod dock, "pillow" menu, and courtesy beach kit.
Half-day boat tour with optional snorkeling (equipment provided)
Awakening to the Pacific views from the private balcony of your suite, after breakfast, you embark on a half-day boat trip along the coast of Mancora (snorkel gear is provided), where wildlife sightings may include South American fur seals, dolphins, marine turtles, and colorful blue-footed boobies, among others. In the "winter" months, from August to October, you may spot Humpback whales, on their migration to these shores in search of warm waters for mating and birthing. The boat drops anchor in a protected bay for some refreshment and a swim, and, conditions permitting, if you want to snorkel, getting you as close as possible to the best "lows"—the cluster of rocks found close to the ocean's surface with the most accessible and fascinating underwater sea life.
Returning to shore in the afternoon, you are again free to luxuriate at your hotel, perhaps with a spa treatment, or simply unwinding by the beach or pool. Other optional activities (with arrangements made by the hotel and at your expense) are horseback riding on the beach, and, depending on the season, surfing or kitesurfing, which take place at Mancora's famous point with qualified instructors. Later, you are free to enjoy dinner and drinks at your hotel, or in one of the many bars and restaurants of the nearby town.
DCO Suites, Lounge & Spa
Las Pocitas, Mancora, Peru
This modern boutique, ocean-side resort has just 7 suites, all with ocean views and private terraces; full service inviting pool and beachside bars with comfortable daybeds and firelight; fine-dining restaurant; and spa facilities. Spacious, stylish rooms are equipped with all conveniences including air conditioning, iPod dock, "pillow" menu, and courtesy beach kit.
Departure from Mancora
This morning, again enjoy breakfast overlooking the deep blue Pacific and savor the final private beach and relaxation time before the return transfer back to the airport to catch your flight to Lima for onward connections.
Itinerary Disclaimer
Bear in mind that this is a typical itinerary, and the actual activities, sites, and accommodations may vary due to season, special events, weather, or transportation schedules. We reserve the right to alter the itinerary since tour arrangements are made up to a year in advance, and unforeseen circumstances that mandate change may arise. Itinerary changes are made to improve the tour and your experience. If you are currently booked on a CW adventure, an itinerary has been sent to you for your exact departure date. Please call CW at 800.464.9255 if you have any questions about the exact itinerary or hotels selected for any of our tours.


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On Buzzwords
"Big data" entered our language before anyone knew what it meant. So then we spent a lot of time discussing it: "Is it really about the 'bigness'?", "Isn't it about non-relational data?", "No wait, it's about the the need for speed." This got boiled down to the three Vs (volume, variety, velocity), but then "big data" just meant three things, which didn't clarify much at all.
So we, the tech community, are developing new vocabulary and distinctions, and in 2013, no one is going to say "big data" anymore. (Actually, given that Dilbert already skewered big data, its heyday may already be over.)
This is the life-cycle of any good buzzword. A buzzword is born when something so new and important is happening that we need to talk about it before we understand it; while it is still amorphous. It refers to a family of related concepts. Then we develop greater understanding and distinctions, and pretty soon you're embarrassed for your colleague when he trots out last year's buzzword (remember Web 2.0?).
So what is the crux of "big data"? Why is it so new and important that we have to talk about it with a buzzword? In short, we're all freaking out because old bottlenecks recently got shattered, the new bottlenecks are us and our existing tools, and mad riches are visible just over the horizon. (And it's not just about riches — there's also massive potential for human improvement. [1] [2] [3])
On Buzzwords


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Zoom Info
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Fantastic Design Works Co.'s new Alice In Wonderland.
Correct. This is an Alice in Wonderland themed restaurant in, where else, but Tokyo, Japan. It is based on the 1951 movie and has captured scenes from almost every part - completely decked out with everything that you saw in the movie. Minus an actual mad-hatter.
This is experiential dining at it's best. Check out more pics here.
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