September 29, 2005

Pictoral history of Nikon SLR 1948 - 2005

Nikon SLR History

Cash is King

Fred, as usual, says it best.

September 23, 2005

Teeny tiny games

guimp pacman: world's smallest pacman game

September 22, 2005

Product Development and Focus Groups

Excellent post on Ken Norton's blog:

It's not that users are lying (usually), it's just that they don't know what they want when they don't know what's possible.

That's the best one-sentence summary I've read on the matter. The entire post is fascinating.... read it.

September 21, 2005

Congratulations JetBlue!

An amazing emergency landing tonight by my favorite airline, JetBlue!

Watch the video to see the fantastic job by this pilot in landing a front-wheel-less airplane with aplomb!

Way to go!

Highlights from TheLadders.com Ping Pong Invitational

Ping Pong!

Google Map links for Unesco World Heritage Sites

Google Map links for Unesco World Heritage Sites. This is really fantastic. I love UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and having an easy map to find them is great!

September 20, 2005

Google building Natoinal Broadband network

PaidContent reports:

Google Reviewing Bids for National Broadband Network(reg. req.): Google, which is looking to build a national Wi-Fi/broadband network (Om reported about it here first), is reviewing bids received from multiple technology vendors for the development of a national DWDM fiber network, an optical switching fabric that would cover the entire continental U.S., and ultimately the globe. Says this story, according to vendors who responded to Google's request for proposals for the optical network, Google's architectural demands suggest the company is looking to become a major competitive communications network provider.

The move by Google comes on the heels of the company''s widely reported purchase of dark fiber and hiring of an optical fiber expert to head up initiatives by the company to construct fiber-based networks.

(I wish PaidContent would fix their anchor links so I didn't have to excerpt at length!)

September 19, 2005

excruciatinly cool

netvibes, which is an instantly editable Ajax homepage.

LarrySearch

David Manaster takes note of LarrySearch beta but isn't quite sure this is the coolest job board search technology this decade. Well, if not, it surely is a top 10 candidate. What would the others be? :)

My front door on A9.com Maps

23 years of emoticons

Those little sideways smileys and frowns are twenty-three years old today!

:)

We killed the search button!

Ever wonder why you had to go and hit "search" and wait for a job board to bring back results? Why couldn't the system just see what you're typing and let you know how many jobs meet your criteria?

Well, that's exactly what we've done at TheLadders.com with our new beta search technology, code-named "LarrySearch".

This is the biggest advanc ein job board search technoogy this decade. With each and every keystroke, the system automatically updates all the results. No need for a search button. No need to wait. No need to hit the back button.

In the post below, I'll give a step-by-step walk-through. But why don't you just check out "LarrySearch Beta" in its implementation on TechnologyLadder here:

http://technology.theladders.com/larry

And leave your comments below!

The How and Why of LarrySearch

It’s pretty self-explanatory, but I’ll give you a step-by-step. Go here:

http://technology.theladders.com/larry

Now you’ll notice it says “keywords >>” to the left of the search box. And to the right of the searchbox…. nothing.

No “submit” or “search” or “I’m feeling lucky” buttons.

But a little more over to the right, it does say “3017 jobs found” (this number will change throughout the week.)

Now, let’s say you’re looking for a job in Dallas as a software architect. Let’s watch what happens as you hit each key:

“d” – 2,860 jobs found. LarrySearch immediately discards any job without the letter “d” in the description, title,

company, etc.
“a” – 1,681 jobs found with “da” in them.
“llas” – 105 jobs found with “dallas”.

Now isn’t that pretty amazing? LarrySearch instantly tells you how many jobs there are that match your keyword

search. No need to hit “search” and wait and wait and wait.

Now watch as you continue typing:
“s” – still 105 jobs
“o” – now just 96 jobs found
“ftware” – 69 jobs found
“architect” – 63 jobs found

With each and every keystroke, LarrySearch tells you exactly how many jobs are in the system that meet that criteria

over the past two weeks.

Next, let’s say you decided that you’re actually more interested in Dallas management jobs than architect jobs.

Delete “architect” and type “manage” – 64 jobs found.
Type the final “r” – and just 26 jobs found.

Now isn’t that a huge help? You didn’t have to hit submit for “manage” and then go back and do a new search on

“manager” to find the huge difference in the number of results for these two very subtly different search terms.

Congratulations to the dynamic duo behind LarrySearch – our very own Adam and Larry. What amazing work this is!

Idea generation methods

The definitive collection of idea generation methods

September 18, 2005

If the Boss Has a Problem, Maybe You Do, Too

A good article from the Career Couch at the New York Times on what to do with a faltering boss:

There's no formula for assessing irrational behavior. "If you've worked for your boss for a while, you probably know what types of actions would seem odd," said John Baldoni, a management consultant in Ann Arbor, Mich. He said that unprovoked tirades by the boss could be just as suggestive of trouble as his disappearing for days at a time.

Out-of-character behavior could be caused by almost anything - including personal issues such as alcoholism, chronic depression or problems at home, as well as under-the-radar stresses at work, such as an internal audit, lawsuit or performance review. Whatever the reason, Mr. Baldoni says, it is prudent to note unusual behavior and to compile a written record of your observations in case you are asked for specifics down the line.

Overall, I agree with the author's call for direct, but very discree, action. This is probably one of te toughest situations that any employee can face.

Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing

We've got a new feature on TheLadders.com called "The Seven Deadly Sins of Interviewing". Drop by and share your experiences!

September 15, 2005

Happy birthday Marco Polo!

He woulda been 751 today!

So Happy Birthday Marco!

and, oh yeah... to me too!

September 14, 2005

Monster for sale

An industry wag sends this very interesting message from the Yahoo! MNST message boards:

"...on September 8, 2005, the Compensation Committee of the Company's Board of Directors authorized the Company to enter into amendments of the employment letters or agreements with each of Andrew J. McKelvey, William Pastore, Paul Camara, Charles Baker, John Mclaughlin, Myron Olesnyckyj, Brian Farrey and Peter Dolphin (each an "Executive")...The amendments provide, among other things, that if after a change in control of the Company, the Executive is subjected to an excise tax under Section 4999 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Excise Tax"), because of payments made under his employment letter or agreement and any benefit received under any other agreement, including the value of accelerated vesting of stock options (referred to collectively as "Change in Control Payments"), the Company must pay the Executive the amount necessary to place him in the same after-tax position (i.e., after the payment of federal income tax and the Excise Tax) as he would have been in if the Change in Control Payments were not subject to the Excise Tax..."

WHY DO THEY ALL NEED THIS PROVISION ALL OF A SUDDEN?

$45!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think the commenter is exactly right. There is no reason at all that Andy McKelvey(!!) of all people would want a change-of-control provision in his contract unless they were contemplating a sale. And the breadth of the folks covered: EVP, CFO, CTO, etc. makes it pretty plainly clear that the company is trying to keep its senior management team in place during a transition.

An additional question would be: "why now?" You know, perhaps this is just a standard corporate action?

Well, given that Andy's ownership position in the company was greatly reduced over 4 years ago by a margin call, it would seem odd to have waited all this time to shore up Andy's position.

So my read on the announcement: MNST is for sale.

Kudos for Jobster

Looks like the Jobster guys are delighting customers.

Here's what one senior manager in recruiting at Samsung has to say.

Great work on bringing a new wrinkle to the recruiting space, guys.

p.s. also interesting to note that the Samsung employee uses a GMail address for communications. With the advent of easy-to-use scalable internet tools, employees are increasingly going outside and around the red tape that gian corporations put in the way of doing their jobs. The red tape, processes, and hierarcy that works so well in some things -- like makin sure Samsung is producing excellent, inexpensive, huge plasma screens -- can get in the way of tiny efforts -- like a recruiter trying to get his or her job done.

September 13, 2005

deeply, utterly, impossibly cool

census google map

eBay - Skype: the power of 3

Here's the official 78-page PowerPoint from eBay explaining the acquisition of Skype. Actually makes a lot more sense in this context than the explanations I've seen in the press.

Baseball price-performance

Nice graphic on how teams are performing relative to their payroll. And, yes, this is my first baseball scoop of AOK.

Amazing Zipcode Viewer

I really love the zoom feature on this cool zipdecode viewer from ben fry.

September 12, 2005

Congratulations, Steve!

Monster Worldwide Appoints Steve Pogorzelski Group President, International.

Steve has risen up through the ranks at Monster after joining the firm through an acquisition. He's lead the company's tremendous sales growth, and this looks to be an effort to gear up Monster's international efforts to be as much of a success as their domestic operations.

UPDATE: Hmmmm. For a different viewpoint, see this Yahoo! post that one industry wag sends along for our attention:

Steve Pogorzelski -- Promo or Demo? Can anyone help me? I'm confused by this release:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/050912/125754.html?.v=1

Was Steve 'Promoted' to managing one-fourth of Monsters' revenue from his former position of running three-quarters of Monster's revenue? Or is the word 'Former' one he may need to get used to?

Is he doing this from the USA or does Andy McKelvey have him uprooting to a non-USA local?

Andy sure seems to love playing 'Monkey, Monkey, Monkey...Find the bananna when the music stops!'

Interesting, if cynical, viewpoint.

September 11, 2005

Rubik's Cube Solver

clever

That dark, bright Tuesday

Fred is exactly right. Today is precisely the same day as 9/11/01.

A bit of crisp in the air, a blue sky achingly clean and open, and a sense of loss at the world as it has changed.

September 11th, that dark, bright Tuesday, back to haunt us.

The Anger and the Froth

Anybod who works in this Brave New World of Recruiting in the Internet Era, or, like me, who services one or both sides of the equation, knows the heartbreak and the angst associated with Misplaced Expectations.

Johanna has a great post here titled Do Not Send Me Your Resume, that I think speaks pretty well t the recruiter's point of view (even though she's not).

Candidates, understandably anxious, eager, expectant, float their resmes into the ether and have a set of Misplaced Expectations about what an appropriate timeline for feedback should be.

The problem is that the recruiters and HR groups they are sending their information too have a completely different
set of expectations that have arisen around the fact that they typically see several hundred applpicants for each job these days. It is simply not possible to give people the level of personal engagement that one would ideally hope for when this is the case.

Like robins in spring

The first signs of the new hiring boom have arrived like robins in the spring!

Zany recruitment antics have returned to tech campuses!

Hold on to your seats, folks, looks like the next few years are boomtime...

The People vs. Google

Russell Glass proposes a wager:

So a wager -- I predict that the government begins anti-trust proceedings on Google within ten years. Anybody want action?

Well, my senior thesis in college was on the Alcoa anti-trust case, so I'm game, Russell. What are the stakes and which side do you want?

And it wasn't even Craig!

David Manaster declares "Craig was robbed!":

According to this article in SmartMoney, eBay's 25% stake in Craig's List cost them only $15 million. (The size of eBay's ownership stake has been well publicized, but I have not seen the price tag until now.)

Call me crazy, but this seems ridiculously cheap for a company that is a bonafide cultural phenomenon and threatens the business model (or at least the pricing structure) of every peddler of classified advertising in the United States.

I've seen a price tag as high as $30 mm for the 25% stake, but that's not the real crime here. Even though buying a piece of Craiglist for ~$100mm valuation seems absurdly low.

But what's even worse is that it wasn't even Craig that got the dough!:

I made craigslist into a real company in '99, and made it a corporation (on paper, not attitude) to get the legal protections that you get that way. That's the way it works in the US.

Looking into the future, I figured that maybe someday I'd go middle-aged crazy and/or megalomaniacal, and already, "I can resist anything but temptation" (Oscar Wilde) So, with the idea of establishing checks and balances, mostly on myself, I entrusted some equity in craigslist to a guy who was working with me at the time. (I won't name him, out of respect for his privacy)

I figured it didn't matter, since everyone agreed that the equity had only symbolic value, not dollar value.

Well, the guy later left the company, and decided to sell his equity, which i learned he had every legal right to do.

Let's just call this An Abject Lesson in the Need for Good Lawyers at the Start of Your Venture.

A bold boast! And a chance for gold!

For those folks out there looking to improve their company's employment brand, there are few savvier online experts than Joel Cheesman at HRSEO.

I think Joel has pretty cleverly caught onto the wave of changes that Google and SEM will be bringing to recruitment, and his blog is one of the few where an online-recruitment/internet geek like me can get a daily fix of insights as to how that's happening.

I really loved his line in this post to the effect that "Give me the dollars and a little patience, and I'll dethrone Monster from their No. 1 ranking on Google for "jobs."

As CareerBuilder's spending over $250mm on AOL and MSN alone over the next five years to do just that, Joel ought to give them a call and see if he can get a slice of that pie!

A great effort by Monster

Monster will apparently have a site where members of the National Association of Manufacturers can post their jobs for victims of Hurricane Katrina for free. That's a class act from the folks leading the world's largest online recruitment site.

E-mail domains at TheLadders.com

The below chart shows, on a logarithmic scale, the trends in the percentage composition of subscribers, by domain, to TheLadders.com over the past year.

It's interesting to see that AOL, which in the early days was our #1 domain, has now fallen to number three.

Yahoo has continued to grow, and even picked up a little bit of speed, following its move to expand storage and make Yahoo! mail more useful.

And that fast-growing line coming up the bottom of the chart? Well of course, that's Google's Gmail.