the Woot/Amazon thing
Saturday, 03 July 2010 15:23
Matt O
So Woot got bought by Amazon.
What's the business end of this deal? I've read the Blog Post, I've seen the video, and I'm still a little confused, or at least in the dark, about how something like this works. Like, who gets what? Presumably, Amazon paid something for Woot. They weren't a public company, so it didn't happen by stock purchses, right? No. So they just put up a certain amount of money and, boom, they now get the profits? Everyone gets the same salary and job description as before, just the ownership changed hands?
I guess, if I owned Woot and Amazon came along and gave me, in cash, the value of the profit I expected to make over the next three years (ten years?) and let me stay on as CEO with the same salary, etc., then I might do it, too. Especially if I had another idea that I wanted to exploit. Hmm.
Anyway, anyone who has a real clue about how this sort of thing goes down, I'd be interested in your take.
Gawker just lost its place in my Reader
Sunday, 14 March 2010 12:04
Matt O
Over the last week or so, there's been a change in the way my reader looks - all Gawker Media sites changed their full-text feeds to partial-text, AKA click-to-our-site-so-we-can-make-money-off-you feeds.
Not likely. There are other options out there, and/or the info I get from them isn't that important. I can drop Giz and only read Engadget. I barely skim Jalopnik anyway, and the porn blog? Pure tourism - no loss to lose it, really. Fewer tits in my day probably means more productivity. Besides, there's always Tumblr. So I'm on the hunt for new places to read on a regular basis if you're in the mood to recommend.
Ironically, at the same time (conspiracy?!), Slashdot just expanded their feed offering to show me selected comments - amazing. I'm not sure I even need all that information (and they provided a link to change the feed back that I haven't explored yet), but it's nice that they offer it.
Now, I'm not a particularly "valuable" reader from a demographics standpoint. I'm over 30, basically ad-blind to the ads that I don't automatically block and I rarely comment. So they don't care about losing me. But if they feel that way about everyone who's just like me (and anecdotal evidence suggests that we are legion), Gawker Media is losing a big chunk of their readership. Ah well.
Thanks to Mike Masnick at Techdirt for the article that pointed this out and prompted me to act.
edit: I *am* sad about losing Lifehacker, but a stand's a stand, and i'm sure I can find other places to read.
Last Updated ( Sunday, 14 March 2010 12:20 )
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I quit MySpace
Monday, 01 March 2010 17:38
Matt O
This is not news in any way, but I just wanted to mention that I'm no longer on myspace, officially. I'd sort of like to focus my presence online, and I think by removing my MySpace (and LinkedIn, probably) profiles, I'll have a little less online baggage. These were sites that tried, and succeeded, to a certain extent, but for me, at least, they've passed their expiration dates.
Two PCW gigs tomorrow - one with Bon Jovi and one with a video production unit in LA. Fun times. Gotta keep that bandwagon going, as the MWS bandwagon is coasting to a halt. I'd like to jumpstart that one to keep it going, too, but honestly, it's been dying for a year. Lots of little things (no more invitations to NYC, the hiring of multiple overlapping consultants, etc.) have been happening, so I just need to do the best I can with what I've got and maybe that'll be enough. Maybe it won't, but I'll do what I can.
Also, I'm tired.
the internet has an erection
Tuesday, 16 February 2010 21:41
Matt O
As I sit here alone at Dragonfish, a swank sushi joint across from my hotel, I wonder how i'll act on my next visit. The fact that i'm thinking about it outside of the weird, geeky confines of my "internet time" definitely means that the site has hit a nerve - I certainly never think "this will be great on Facebook" and rarely think to update my twitter profile except when i'm bored (a fact made abundantly clear by my updates, i'm sure), but this one is different. It's got human-style interaction, sort of. It's got that anonymity that brings us back to the old days of the pre-commerce web. It's got erections.
Shitloads of erections.
enough bullshit - if you don't already know what i'm talking about, you should. The site in question is ChatRoulette, and it's amazing.
The thing about ChatRoulette is that it's weird. Really weird. There are quite a few erections on it, but that's not all there is. There's an amazing variety of people on here, probably averaging 25,000 at any given time. Tonight, I've seen military guys, couples, tons of asians, groups of people sitting around, parties, lots of creepy guys (I'm probably one of those, given that I'm old and alone on here), and even a few girls. The thing about it is that you can be anyone you want (like what you told yourself before you went off to college, only in 3-second bursts) - and people really are. Apparently, a lot of them want to be watched as they jack off. How are these folks so on top of things? Like, they're just waiting for new ways to expose themselves, and get the memo before the normal people do, somehow. Anyway, it doesn't matter, because you, too, can masturbate for strangers' amusement, too. You can also practice your one-liners, your funny faces or voices, your crazy lies - whatever you want, because you can't find those people again and they can't find you. Yet. Also, you've gotta do it quick, because the denizens of CR are fucking FAST on the "Next" button.
This post has already taken three sittings and two days to complete, partially because ChatRoulette is so ineffable. The other part is because I've been at work, but that shouldn't be an excuse. Anyway, check it out.
Last Updated ( Thursday, 18 February 2010 13:26 )
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