Twitter killed the Film Festival? Or was it the recession?
Perhaps a heavy statement, but with Sundance behind us, many of us opted (mostly from lack of funds) to instead follow the festival via Twitter or other online sources. The availability of previews, reviews and in some cases, entire films, make for an easy pseudo-Sundance Film Festival experience right from your couch!
The NY Times provides a great article detailing some strategies that film makers took this year to make the rapid online availability work to their advantage as well as thoughts from festival organizers, such as Robert Redford, on decreased attendance.
I don’t know about everyone else, but as much as I enjoy readily available content online in the comfort of my own home, there is nothing quite like the idea of throwing on your puffy coat and snow boots, attending screenings introduced by the film makers and actors, and successfully talking your way into one of the many exclusive parties…
Haas MBA Google Trek and initial impressions of the Droid
By Nan Duan.
Following is my latest post on my blog, bayjinger.com
Last Friday, a group of 50 Haas MBA students visited the Googleplex. During the 3-hour afternoon visit, we had an enjoyable tour of the campus, and engaged a panel of Googlers (many of them Haas alums!) from various products and functions in a lively round of discussions. A big shout-out for my classmate and former Googler Lauren Gellman for organizing this spectacular trip!
Haas MBA Google Trek 2010
Besides having a great time talking with the Googlers, I was also lucky enough to win one of the 5 Droids handed out in a surprise lottery (you can see the winners showing off their gear in the photo). The phone, targeted for developers, comes with a one-month free trial from Verizon, as well as a nice discount for a 1 year or 2 year contract.
This is the first Android handset I have used, having been a loyal iPhone user since January 2009. There are things I immediately like about the phone, and it really is almost a completely different experience from the iPhone. I know there are plenty of Droid reviews out there (since this device has been out for a quarter now), but here are some of my first impressions:
- Great support for Google products – really, no surprises here. The turn-by-turn navigation, a coveted app by many, could well be one of the killer apps for this device. (I am curious how well that works on the road, especially in areas with patchy reception – this was a key differentiation point Nokia was trying to emphasize for its Ovi Maps, where the maps are stored locally and require less data transmission – and therefore less dependence on reception – on the go.) And of course the Google Voice app is great, but it does make you wonder how Verizon feels about it.
- Background apps – Pandora while surfing? No problem. However, it’s not apparent what apps are running in the background, which could both be a drain on your battery and also a potential nuisance – I realized I was always on Google Chat, even though that wasn’t my intention.
- Poor support for business users. This is not a phone ready for corporate America. It supports Microsoft Exchange, but apparently the “corporate email” app doesn’t support search. That’s right. No inbox searching. That alone is enough for me to hold on to my iPhone. (I could, in theory, forward all my emails to Gmail, but I’m sure there are plenty of users like me out there who prefer to keep their work-email and gmail separate)
- Very slow charging on USB? I have a habit of carrying only the USB cord, and not the adapter, for my iPhone. For some reason, the Droid charges at a very slow pace via USB – something like 15% an hour, which is not satisfactory.
- The physical keyboard is redundant. Yes. I’ve gotten used to typing on virtual keyboards. Having to actually push down feels painful, and there is no auto-correct. In this regard I’d probably like the Nexus One a lot better.
- App market. Good number of apps already, most of the web2.0 services are present, but much less presence of old-school stuff – e.g. WSJ, FT, NYTimes etc.
Reading through the points above, it’s interesting to note how many of them are talking about consumers’ habits. For example the point about the keyboard – if I came from the blackberry world I probably would love the physical keyboard (remember all those people who hated the virtual keyboard on the iPhone when it first launched?), but I’ve grown accustomed to virtual keyboards. Same for the email search – my work-around would solve the problem, but it is asking me to change my behavior, so I have a strong distaste for it.
One final point – I want to comment on how fundamentally different the Droid is from the iPhone. I felt it was a phone for geeks and engineers. The UI was less polished, but there was much more that the user could customize (menus, widgets etc…) You need to spend time to play around with it. The iPhone, on the other hand, is a device ready for mass adoption. It’s frustrating for geeks who want to do all kinds of things (but can’t), but perfect for everyday users who can just use it intuitively. Very different philosophies, and therefore potentially a sharp divergence in consumer segments going forward.
DMEC Visits the Googleplex
By Della Huff ‘11, DMEC VP Careers
Everyone has heard the rumors about Google’s amazing campus, and last Friday, DMEC members got to experience it firsthand.
And I can tell you, firsthand, that everything you’ve heard is true. There is a dinosaur. And nap pods. And volleyball courts. And a small army of massage therapists. And Google-colored bicycles. And a spaceship in the lobby.
There are also over 10,000 Google employees, working on everything from Gmail to Maps to Adwords, and our group was able to hear from a panel of Haas alums at Google and ask them our burning questions about what life is *really* like at the Googleplex.
From what we heard, it seems that life is nearly always interesting at Google. White boards, adorning nearly every wall at Google, are filled with network diagrams, complex algorithms, and creative doodles. Posters advertising visiting speakers from political leaders to artists decorated the walls and doors, which reminded me of a college campus. Public spaces are filled with diversions from foosball to yoga balls to encourage creative discussions. And of course, there’s Google’s famous 100-foot rule, which dictates that Google employees never be more than 100 feet from sustaining caffeine and goodies.
When we asked what Googlers liked best about their jobs, the panel was in consensus: it was the stimulating work environment, the brilliant people, and the challenging work that keeps Google going. When asked what is most challenging about working at one of the most innovative companies in the world, the panel was also in consensus: managing and prioritizing the workload was the most difficult aspect of their jobs.
Google also proved that the company is always full of surprises: the day was made even sweeter by a random giveaway of five Verizon Droid phones for the Haas visitors. Unfortunately, I was not amongst the lucky five, but I felt lucky to visit the Googleplex nonetheless!
A BIG thank you goes to Lauren Gellman, Haas ’11 and former Googler, for arranging our incredible visit!
Haas - DMEC Visits Google, February 2010
Musicians and Technology
Greetings from your new DMEC music industry expert. As a musician, I’d like to kick off my first blog posting with some information around how musicians currently use technology to increase attendance at shows, promote their music, and break into the industry…without the hassle of actually having to play in front of a studio executive. Let’s start from the beginning…say you are a new artist, just wrote and recorded your first few songs (using these iPhone apps), and want to let your friends know about your talents. Where can you post them? Well, myspace and a facebook fan page are the obvious places to start. But assuming you have decided to monetize this hobby and have published a CD with a bar code (through discmakers.com), you can work through cdbaby.com to stream your songs on lala.com, amazon, zune, rhapsody, and itunes, and even have your songs appear at the top of a google search (through lala). Yeah, if you have a bar code, it’s just that easy. In fact, you could probably belch into a microphone 35 different ways and those unique sounds could appear on itunes within a month. If you would like a review of those belches to show up on itunes, you could drop $75 and have radioindy.com write one for you. (It is important to note that you do actually have to apply to get your songs on pandora or most other radio programs.)
Now, say you actually recorded legitimate music and aspired to perform at a bar or club …where should you start? Well, you could always conduct a google search to find the local venues, and email the bar managers individually (then harass them in person when they don’t respond), or you could pay a small monthly fee to sonicbids.com to conduct an extensive search of not only local venues looking for musicians, but also festivals and competitions. If you were successful in securing a gig and wanted to inform all of your closest virtual friends on facebook, myspace, and twitter of this momentous occasion, you could set up an account on artistdata.com, enter the date, time and location of the event, and artistdata would automatically send an announcement to all of these sites and update any music calendar you may have.
And success! You have made it! Or have you? “I’m tired of the bar scene,” you say after 3 shows. “It’s time to take it to the next level.” As an impatient musician, overconfident in your abilities, you can then pay an annual subscription of $300 to taxi.com to have the opportunity to submit your songs ($5 for each song) to music industry executives looking to sign you (or a more talented version of you) and place your music in ads, movies, and TV shows.
So good luck and remember that if after 2 or 3 submissions, you still haven’t made it, there’s always the magic of a viral youtube video…
Apple Trek
Last Friday DMEC headed on a Company Trek to Apple, with a group of 50 very excited Haas students. Only days after announcing the revolutionary iPad, we were in the heart of where this product was created!
First, we heard from Apple University, a program in which MBA grads write cases based on events in Apple’s past. This group will interview those involved with the business decision to put iTunes on Windows to create a case. Then, this case will be taught to leaders throughout the company to help them become better Apple leaders. Very interesting! And even better for us, they’re hiring!
Then we had the chance to hear from the VP of Finance. We were lucky enough that he had awhile to spend talking to us. First, he walked us through the amazing growth that Apple has had in the last decade, from growth of the Mac, to the iPod, to the iPhone, and hopefully the iPad! He also shared with us with some of the features that have made Apple successful, including risk-taking and focusing on few products. And he also quoted Steve Jobs in saying that, “Software is our competitive advantage.”
Finally, we had the chance to hear from a Product Marketing Manager who has focused on Safari and iPhone OS. It was very interesting to hear about the expansive role of the Product Marketing Manager at Apple, a role in which someone may have to work on the technical details of a product with engineers one part of the day and give quotes to newspapers about the latest Apple product the other part of the day. What a fascinating job!
After walking around the Apple campus, we had the chance to go to the Apple Store on site, where we received the employee discount! We then headed back to Haas, many of us hoping that we would be able to spend our summers right back here in Cupertino!
A big thank you to Brian Ellis, DMEC’s outgoing VP of Careers for organizing, as well as to Apple for hosting us!
Haas visits Apple!