Month: December 2017

2018 beckons

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

I have spent the last few weeks in Thailand, upcountry near Cambodia in the sticks, and it is always enlightening for me. I read a bunch, hit the gym, and walk an hour each day. I also finished a bottle of wild turkey without drinking buddies.

Alas – I am back in Singapore, minus a few kilos and back at work. I love getting back to work!

Actually worked some while I was away since I have my 4G wifi router and for like 30 bucks I have all you can eat data for a few weeks. It never ceases to amaze me that I can basically keep operating like I was back at home. No – I don’t want to be a digital nomad, my productivity is way too low but I love that my gig allows me to move around.

The world is a strange place right now. I am glad to be in Asia. Especially glad to be in Singapore. I think tech will continue to explode but I also hope Singapore can learn to lead the way for how to deal with automation and the effect it will have on common employment. Governments are going to have to take an active role when it comes to society and AI – it can’t just be left to the people and big companies.

This is why I am big on blockchain but dubious about crypto. All I see is rich folks or the elite getting richer over it and a bifurcation of who have it versus who doesn’t. More of what is messed up in our world. I hope it will all rationalize and make sense while benefiting the globe versus a few. Let’s see. I carry the view that this is a strike against governments and central banks which in some sense if you think governments are corrupt then you may favor this but I think the world needs governing since most people are selfish and only care if they get rich. Crypto seems to only make that worse.

I am looking forward to the next year on many levels. It is possible this is tied to my personal and recently found satisfaction with work and my work tribe. I’ll write about this more when I am old but it may take you years to find something you love with people you enjoy being around. 

Took me till my 40’s to find the dream job. Thank you #jungleventures.

No predictions here – just anticipation for the year ahead.

Have fun!

Breaking up Big Tech

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Such a great video – check it out first:

I think a lot of what he says is terribly true and I wonder if most of the world’s governments have simply bowed down to Big Tech assuming that it will always do the right thing for everyone. Sure – these companies are doing amazing things but some of their success feels like it is coming at the cost of meaningful things.

I don’t have the answers but I think government and the people must remain vigilant and not always assume Big Tech has all the answers or always means well.

This is also why I feel conflicted about bitcoin or crypto – on the surface the ideas are amazing but at the same time it is for the moment creating another way to generate wealth that is concentrated mostly with the tech elite and creating a sense of moving away from central management of capital. This could be good or it could be bad, all depends on how you see it or benefit from it.

I think this post is slightly sensationalist but does make some meaningful points :: https://hackernoon.com/ten-years-in-nobody-has-come-up-with-a-use-case-for-blockchain-ee98c180100

All in all I am pro-tech and crypto is here to stay but the world still feels like it continues to bifurcate into the have’s and have not’s and I am sure that is a bad thing.

 

There is Netflix – and then everyone else

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

Was listening to this on one of my long walks, https://overcast.fm/+F-0WRB7Pc, and you get the feeling that the tide is slowly turning towards Netflix. Now some of the most respected people in film absolutely love working with Netflix and the stuff they are excited about shows you how much the game has changed.

They way they market, they way they work with the film makers and the appetite they have to try new things.

With all the stuff going on with Disney and Fox – it is clear what their worry is – it is Netflix. Obviously Disney has more than just movies and shows with the theme parks and all that but the battles for streaming must be the biggest fight they have.

As a user of all these services – HBO, Netflix and some of the local ones, I tend to look at the tech or just how well they all work and bar none – Netflix has no competitor. Right now I am stuck in upcountry Thailand using an LTE wifi hotspot to get connectivity for my laptop, my son’s laptop, and 3 or 4 phones. Guess what streaming service works everytime and even supports both of us using it at the same time? Netflix.

Many times it even works better than videos on FB or YT. Add to that the amount of great original content on it and the local subtitles and there is just no comparison. Of course there is the other battle being fought with all the regional players and the telcos. iFlix so far is easily taking the lead but it is still in another class compared to the depth of content and the technical acquity of Netflix but that makes sense given how long Netflix has been around and how much they have invested.

It will be interesting to see how they giants take the battle to Netflix – that is even if they can find the battlefield.

Venture capital investment hits all-time record – Axios

~ michael_msft ~ Leave a comment

So winter never really came to startup land but I think VC’s care more about fundamentals, especially in SEA region, are more sensitive to valuations and I think due to the bigger companies getting bigger rounds – there is less seed money available in some instances.

I am really excited about 2018, the SEA region and what SeedPlus will bring to the party!

Venture capital investment hits all-time record – Axios