SourceLabs and DeviceWise

I think the idea behind SourceLabs is an excellent one which will eventually allow them to reap a lionshare of the profits generated by open source movement.

DeviceWise is a similarly innovative idea that I thought about some time ago.  Instead of each hardware companies writing their own software, DeviceWise writes software for peripheral  hardware companies.

By specializing in producing quality software, there is a good chance a company like DeviceWise can play a dominant role in the peripheral hardware market like the way Microsoft plays in the software market.  Why?  Because hardware companies write shitty software.  Over time, such a company can cultivate a brand that customers will want on hardware boxes.  The downside is that the company could end up being just another contract programming shop.

I would have started up DeviceWise if I didn't hate writing firmware and device drivers.  It's a mindbogglingly boring yet troublesome job.  When I did it ages ago, I wasted half of my time dealing with faulty hardware or arguing with hardware engineers.  Ever tried to debug software running on hastily soldiered together circuits?  Urgh.

Skydiving with Search Hats On

I have accumulated quite a pile of search related ideas over the years, most of which are not new algorithms but just new approaches to searching.  Since I am going to be exposed to some NDA protected activities at Microsoft next week and there might be some overlap between their mindset and mine, I thought I should spill some out now just in case.  As to why I am helping Microsoft out and not Google: Microsoft asked, Google didn't.

First of these are Search Hats.  A 'search hat' is just a metaphor for the 'why' behind searches.  When we search for information online, we are searching for a reason.  Grouping those reasons by roles, perspectives, or interests, most people should end up with a handful of large clusters.

If each cluster is a hat a person wears when doing a search, a group of people with similar roles, perspectives, or interests should have similar sets of hats.  Search hats affect the presentation of search results such that items related to the roles, perspectives, or interests appear more prominently.

For example, if I search for 'Eclipse' while wearing the 'Software Developer' hat, I should get Eclipse IDE related links before links related to the astrophysical phenenomon.  If even I was interested in the later, results I get back should be different depending on whether I am wearing a Physicist's hat or a Photographer's hat.

Information on which links are relevant to which hats can be culled by keeping track of which hats searchers are wearing when they do the searches.  Same information can be used to recommend hats a searcher might be interested in wearing.  Hats can also be shared amonger searchers explicitly.

Like Dr. Seuss's magic hats, there are hats within hats so seachers can browse for the right hat that suits them by diving into hats or grabbing one of the hats returned as part of each search result.  Over time, a user's hat collection will be refined and adjusted to meet the user's search needs.

The nice things about Search Hats for search service providers is that a) search results will be more accurate and contain less noise, b) hat collections are great for targeted ads, and c) users will find it difficult to abadon their hat collection.

Oops.  I am out of time so I'll have to cover the 'Skydiving' idea later.  Now where did I put my hat?

Excitable Entrepreneur

If you are an entrepreneur, checkout Joe Krause's blog, Bnoopy, where he writes about the experiences and lessons he learned while starting up Excite.  I enjoyed every one of his posts so far and Joe is just getting started.  BTW, welcome to the blogosphere Joe.

Hometownless

It's full moon outside.  In Korea, everyone is going back to their home town to celebrate Choosuk, Korean Thanksgiving of sort.  For my family, there is no hometown to go back to.

My family is from northern part of Korea which is now North Korea.  I was born in Seoul which is nowhere in people's hearts.  There are just too many neon signs, asphalts, and endless rows of characterless buildings to give it a sense of place to long for.  Our family never went anywhere on Choosuk and I thought Choosuk was just a holiday of sort until I grew up and started reading Korean newspapers.

I suppose I could visit North Korea, but there is no one to go home to.  My father's younger brother supposedly lives there and I am sure there are many relatives, but they are strangers to me.  Yes, they will look like me and I am sure we share some of the strongest family traits like frequently forgetting to zip up.  Still, the place feels like wet cloths.  I don't want to put it on.

Speaking of forgetting to zip up, I did it again today although my son's zipper was proper.  It saddens me that my wife has been rather lax at inspecting my zipper ever since my son has gotten old enough to wear pants.  My father, my son, and I have yet to simultaneously forget to zip up at the same time but I am sure it will happen someday, a family event to remember.

For my son, I guess Redwood Shores is his hometown.  Did you know there are no redwoods in Redwood Shores?  My son and I corrected that mistake by planting one a year ago in our backyard.  In another couple of years, we'll have to move it somewhere else, a hidden spot where it can grow as tall as it can be without nudging disgustingly expensive houses aside.  In about a hundred years or so, everyone will be able to see it, hopefully even from the 101.

Wishstore

After writing the Mobile Orgasm post, I thought of Wishstore: an online retailer that sells imaginary products.  I think such a website would be entertaining enough to draw traffic and generate decent ad revenue, particularly since people will be drawn to product sections they already have some interests in.

Besides, if an imaginary product is popular enough, someone will make it.  Kind a dream come true for manufacturers, isn't it?

Mobile Orgasm

A raunchy post to celebrate Friday.

Gina Lynn's article on Teledildonics reminded me of a recent IM chat with Didier.  When Didier sent me a picture of a cellphone with old fashion telephone handset attached to it, I told him that attaching a dildo might be more marketable.  The raunchy idea is certainly more useful than Teledildonics which has to be hooked up to a computer.  And it's simple to make also: just use the audio signal as input just like those cellphone headsets do.  Upscale version will use Bluetooth, of course, instead of the usual 2.5mm jack.

I think the idea has legs although it would kind of awkward standing in the middle of the street talking and thumbing your girlfriend into orgasm.

Korean USB Memory Startup

A Korean startup with a line of patented USB memory stick products is looking for US partners.  Their product is selling well in Korea but they don't know where the cluetrain stops are in the US so they need help.

I get a lot of requests like this but this is the first time I posted about it.  Why?  Because it's one of those father's friend's son type of thing.  Not as thick as blood but near enough to motivate me to move a few more extra muscles than usual.

Seattle

I'll be in Seattle from October 3rd to October 5th.  I don't have any plans for the evenings yet but I am sure something will come up.  Maybe I'll attend a bloggers dinner.  I'll be staying at the Monaco Hotel downtown so I might just stroll down to the waterfront to stuff myself with seafood.

Last time I was there, I had a bucket of mixed sea food.  When they brought the food out, they just slapped down some newspapers on the table and emptied the bucket on top of it.  There weren't any utensils either.  Just a pile of sea food and some ale to wash down with.  Yum.  I hope I can find the place again 'cuz, while others might enjoy talking like a pirate for a day, I prefer eating like one.