Idea to Market in 5 Months: Making the Glif
On July 11th, 2010, Tom Gerhardt and I had an idea for an iPhone accessory: a tripod mount that doubled as a stand. Five months later, customers began to receive our product, the Glif, in the mail. This turnaround, from idea to market in five months by two guys with no retail or manufacturing experience, signifies a shift in the way products are made and sold — a shift only made possible in the last couple years.
The best compliment anyone could give us about the Glif project is that it inspired them to take their creative idea to fruition. The purpose of this piece is two-fold: to give an inside look at our creative process, and to offer guidance and inspiration for those who have their own ideas they’d like to see brought to reality.
Parse.ly Blog: Parse.ly's CTO profiled in NY Observer today →
In an excellent article discussing some software engineers’ transitions from working on Wall Street to working on startups, our very own Parse.ly CTO, Andrew Montalenti, is profiled.
You can imagine the surprise when we discovered the article as the top choice in our Parse.ly team account…
tedx:
This amazing acrobatic performance was featured at TEDxBG in Sofia, Bulgaria. The troop wowed the crowd with their amazing acrobatics in mid air. You can find more photos here.
I’m excited to be a guest on ROMANTIC FRIENDSHIP RADIO this Sunday, December 4, at 12pm EST, where I’ll be talking about feminism, theory and Ryan Gosling. Listen live at BBOX Radio, download the show from the site or listen to the mp3.
Thanks to c-wag for making an FRG!
PBS NewsHour: Tumblr Tuesday- Public Media Time →
Happy Tumblr Tuesday all. A while ago we posted a short list of Public Media-ites on Tumblr. On Columbus Day, NPR Fresh Air posted a similar thread asking for the employees to step up.
So, here is a new recommendation list of active and semi-active public media shows and stations and…
Iraq War Facts & Stats →
US soldiers killed: 4,481
Seriously wounded: 32,195
Psychological damage: 30% of US troops develop serious mental health problems within 3-4 months of returning home.
Journalists killed: 229
Iraqi Police & soldiers killed: 10,125
Estimated Iraqi civilian deaths: Between 108,000 and 150,000 although there’s criticism that that only includes deaths reported by media agencies.
Coalition deaths: 318
Private contractor deaths: 550
Approved & spent: $900 billion taxpayer money through Nov 2010.
Lost & unaccounted for: $9 billion and $549.7 million in spare parts shipped to contractors.
Lost and reported stolen: $6.6 billion dollars earmarked for Iraq reconstruction, reported on June 14, 2011 and called “the largest theft of funds in national history.”
Missing: $1 billion in equipment provided to the Iraqi security forces.
Mismanaged & wasted: $10 billion, per Feb ‘07 Congressional hearings.
Halliburton charges Pentagon has called unreasonable & unsupported: $1.4 billion
Annual air-conditioning cost in Iraq & Afghanistan: $20.2 billion
Percent of professionals who have left Iraq since 2003: 40%
Iraqi physicians before the Invasion: 34,000. Those who left: 12,000. Those murdered: 2,000.
