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<title>Haaze.com / djfunky / Published News</title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com</link>
<description>Test Web 2.0 Content Management System</description>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:11:14 +0000</pubDate>
<language>en</language>
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<title><![CDATA[Dude, your veins are off the shelf!]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dude-your-veins-are-off-the-shelf</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dude-your-veins-are-off-the-shelf</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 03 Feb 2011 08:11:14 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Social</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=dude-your-veins-are-off-the-shelf</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Not long after creating a functioning rat lung in her lab, Yale University Professor of Anesthesiology and Biomedical Engineering Laura Niklason is testing bioengineered human veins that could benefit some 500,000 patients a year who need to undergo vascular surgeries such as coronary artery bypass.Researchers are testing 6mm (above) and 3mm bioengineered human veins.(Credit:Science/AAAS)The tissue-engineered vascular grafts (TEVGs) were generated in a bioreactor using a relatively new tissue engineering method called decellularization--a process by which researchers remove a tissue's individual cells while leaving its structure intact. The veins are off the shelf and available at the time of surgery, and are said to be less likely to result in obstruction, clotting, or infection.The findings, published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine by researchers from East Carolina University, Duke, Yale, and Niklason's company Humacyte, suggest the veins could work in both large- and small-diameter applications (6mm and 3mm), be stored up to 12 months in refrigerated conditions, and provide unobstructed blood flow in large animal models for up to a year.&quot;Currently, grafting using the patient's own veins remains the gold standard,&quot; said co-author Dr. Alan P. Kypson, an associate professor of cardiothoracic surgery at East Carolina University. &quot;But harvesting a vein from the patient's leg can lead to complications, and for patients who don't have suitable veins, the bioengineered veins could serve as an important new way to provide a coronary bypass.&quot;And, with some 110,000 more people requiring dialysis each year--a figure that is growing at a rate of at least 3 percent annually, according to the National Kidney Foundation--these second-gen veins could help the roughly half of dialysis patients who must first undergo an arteriovenous graft placement due to unhealthy veins.&quot;While there is still considerable research to be done before a product is available for widespread use, we are highly encouraged by the results outlined in this paper and eager to move forward with additional study,&quot; said Shannon Dahl, lead author of the report and co-founder of Humacyte, which funded the research.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Logitech freezing production of Revue over Google TV]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-freezing-production-of-revue-over-google-tv</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-freezing-production-of-revue-over-google-tv</comments>
<pubDate>Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:10:05 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=logitech-freezing-production-of-revue-over-google-tv</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Rumors are surfacing that Logitech has ordered a production freeze on its Revue set-top box until Google finishes upgrades to Google TV. Blog Digitimes.com says Logitech ordered Gigabyte Technology, which makes components for the device, to suspend production of the Revue until sometime in January.The Logitech Revue set-top box.(Credit:Sarah Tew/CNET)Nancy Morrison, a Logitech spokeswoman, told CNET she couldn't comment on the report about the production suspension but said Logitech continues to ship the device to consumers. Earlier this week, The New York Times reported that Google had asked several TV manufacturers, including Toshiba and LG Electronics, to postpone plans to unveil their Internet-connected sets at next month's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas because Google wants to overhaul the Google TV software platform. The platform lets users access the Web on a TV. The system has met with mixed reviews because of its complexity and its inability to access content from the largest broadcast networks. The access issue isn't a technology problem. The networks have chosen to block the software from presenting their shows. Google didn't respond to an interview request, but the company has stated publicly that it is happy with the performance of Google TV. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Chrome Web Store could emerge soon]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-web-store-could-emerge-soon</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-web-store-could-emerge-soon</comments>
<pubDate>Thu, 02 Dec 2010 08:10:06 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Mobile &amp; Electronics</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=chrome-web-store-could-emerge-soon</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Google&amp;39's new Chrome Web Store icon(Credit:Google)The Chrome Web Store, Google's mechanism to bring online services and features to users of its browser products, appears likely to launch shortly.The online service is designed to let Chrome and Chrome OS users find, install, and potentially buy Web applications, similar in concept to what Google has done with its Android Market and to what Apple has done with its App Store. Chrome 8, which is in its final stages of development, is the first gateway.&quot;Chrome 8 is the first version that supports the Chrome Web Store,&quot; a Google programmer said in a discussion about Chrome 8 documentation. One element of that support likely will be a Chrome Web Store icon on the new page that appears when Chrome users fire up a new tab' it wouldn't be a good user experience, if the icon were there but were wired to an inert or missing Web site.In addition, the final Web store icons for Chrome and, yesterday, its open-source counterpart Chromium now have been added to the browser software project.Google had hoped to launch the Chrome Web Store in October, but that didn't come to pass.Here's how Google describes the Chrome Web Store on its Chrome Web Store developer pages: &quot;The store's primary purpose is to help Google Chrome users find apps. It'll do this by supporting search, by providing browsable categories of apps, and by displaying lists of various kinds, both curated and autogenerated. User ratings and reviews will be used to rank apps.&quot;Google is endowing Chrome and Chrome OS with an application-oriented look.(Credit:Google)There are three types of apps. First are &quot;installable Web sites,&quot; which are regular Web sites augmented with some meta data' they can be run either as hosted apps located on a server or as packaged apps that are downloaded and installed.Next are themes, which customize Chrome's appearance. Last are extensions, which customize what Chrome can do.Google released Chrome 7 on October 19' its new six-week release cycle would put a Chrome 8 release date two days ago on a strict schedule.Chrome is gaining in its share of browser usage overall. The software, while free, is not unimportant to Google's business. The company sees it as a vehicle to advance its agenda of making the Web faster and more powerful. The Chrome Web Store adds a new facet to that work, potentially making Google a gateway people use to find services on the Web.One other feature you can expect in Chrome 8 include a built-in Adobe Systems' Flash Player, which on Windows now is tucked in a sandbox where problems and security vulnerabilities are more confined.Via the unofficial Google Operating System blog<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[NRG, SunPower plan 250-megawatt solar plant]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-sunpower-plan-250-megawatt-solar-plant</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-sunpower-plan-250-megawatt-solar-plant</comments>
<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 08:10:40 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Eco</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=nrg-sunpower-plan-250-megawatt-solar-plant</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The projected footprint of the California Valley Solar Ranch project, which can supply energy for 100,000 homes.(Credit:California Valley Solar Ranch)NRG Solar and SunPower said today they expect to begin construction on a large 250-megawatt solar installation next year in California's central coastal region.The project would be one of the largest solar plants in the U.S., the companies said. NRG Solar, a subsidiary of utility NRG Energy, is purchasing the project from SunPower for about $450 million over four years. The California Valley Solar Ranch plant will use SunPower's solar photovoltaic panels, which are mounted on trackers that position the panels to follow the sun to optimize power output. SunPower will build and operate the plant. NRG Solar will finance and own it. In 2008, California utility Pacific Gas &amp; Electric signed a power purchase agreement to buy the electricity generated at California Valley Solar Ranch. At the time, SunPower estimated it would produce on average 550,000 megawatt-hours a year which could supply about 50,000 average U.S. homes. California is one of the primary drivers for large-scale solar plants in the U.S. because the state has a mandate that utilities generate a percentage of their electricity from renewable sources. This plant in San Luis Obispo County is expected to come online in 2012 and 2013. The companies have applied for a Department of Energy loan guarantee to finance the construction and have a draft term sheet. From a technology perspective, the project is win for solar photovoltaic panels over solar concentrating power systems, which use heat to make steam that drives a turbine to generate electricity. Updated at 11:20 a.m. PT with additional details. Updated at 11:45 with different estimate for number of homes that could be supplied. <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Wii gamers get sparkly glove with new Jacko title]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wii-gamers-get-sparkly-glove-with-new-jacko-title</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wii-gamers-get-sparkly-glove-with-new-jacko-title</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 01 Nov 2010 07:10:12 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Technology</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=wii-gamers-get-sparkly-glove-with-new-jacko-title</guid>
<description><![CDATA[I can dance this well, I just don't like showing off.(Credit:Matt Hickey/CNET)Those looking forward to the Michael Jackson Experience, raise your hand. Now put a rhinestone-bedazzled glove on it. Ubisoft says it's giving those who preorder the game--it launches for theWii, PSP, and DS on November 23 and other platforms later--a holiday gift. Yep, it's a glove just like the one Jacko was famous for wearing the night he introduced the world to the Moonwalk. It's a free extra for those who preorder the Wii version only, and the company isn't raising the cost of the Wii version to make up for it. The price will stay at around $50. The game will &quot;provide an interactive experience that enables players to step into the shoes of Michael Jackson himself and relive his most iconic performances through their own singing and dancing,&quot; Ubisoft said in a release announcing the upcoming title earlier this year. It &quot;will include the most famous tracks from Michael Jackson's extensive catalog...as well as an array of his awe-inspiring dance moves for players to learn and emulate within the game.&quot; And now here's a video of the performance that changed pop music forever. You're welcome.       With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. Matt is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Matt.  <br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Design-your-own dress site puts bridesmaids in control - Springwise]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=design-your-own-dress-site-puts-bridesmaids-in-control---springwise</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=design-your-own-dress-site-puts-bridesmaids-in-control---springwise</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Retail</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=design-your-own-dress-site-puts-bridesmaids-in-control---springwise</guid>
<description><![CDATA[The design-your-own trend is one we''ve seen brought to countless product categories already, including a4&quot; on several occasions a4&quot; dresses. What''s interesting about New York-based Coco Myles is that it brings the concept to bridesmaid dresses, allowing the bride to choose the colour scheme while the bridesmaids design their own styles.Consumers can create a variety of types of dresses at Coco Myles, including those intended for special events such as weddings and proms. All dresses are custom-made to the customer''s specifications and then cut and sewn by hand by a team of professional dressmakers. That''s all well and good, but the company really caught our eye for its special services for brides and bridesmaids. Specifically, brides can use the site''s tailored interface to choose the color and other features of their bridesmaids'' attire while permitting the wearers to choose a style that is right for their own tastes, body type and comfort. Available in sizes 0 through 32 a4&quot; including maternity designs a4&quot; Coco Myles'' custom made-to-order dresses take only about five weeks to produce and cost approximately USD 150. A Bridal Fabric Reservation System even lets brides make sure that their bridesmaids'' dresses are all cut from the same bolt, no matter when they get ordered.There''s no doubt letting consumers design their own dresses is a smart move, but targeting the niche of bridesmaids'' dresses is particularly smart. It''s a rare dress indeed that can please every wearer, so putting the bulk of the design decisions in the hands of the bridesmaids themselves is bound to make for happier bridesmaids a4&quot; and happier brides. (Related: Design your own swim shorts, earn up to $1000 a4&quot; Design your own jeans, custom-made for $145.) Website: www.cocomyles.comContact: customerservice@cocomyles.comSpotted by: Murtaza Patel<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Ask a VC: Nic Brisbourne Defends London&'s Entrepreneurial&nbsp'Honor]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-a-vc-nic-brisbourne-defends-londonrsquos-entrepreneurialnbsphonor</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-a-vc-nic-brisbourne-defends-londonrsquos-entrepreneurialnbsphonor</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=ask-a-vc-nic-brisbourne-defends-londonrsquos-entrepreneurialnbsphonor</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Oh, poor Nic Brisbourne. Unlike most VCs who come on Ask a VC who are used to my rude, outspoken American ways, Brisbourne is British and therefore incredibly polite. As this interview goes on he gets more visibly uncomfortable until the end when he brings up Spotify, and I just go a little pit-bull on him.But social graces aside, we have a fascinating chat about the investing scene in London and Europe generally. We discuss when an entrepreneur should stay in London, when they should move to the Valley, whether funding activity is picking up as it is in much of the rest of the world and the beauty of lifestyle businesses. Enjoy.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[From The Infinity Ventures Summit In Kyoto, Japan: 14 Demos From Japanese&nbsp'Startups]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-infinity-ventures-summit-in-kyoto-japan-14-demos-from-japanesenbspstartups</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-infinity-ventures-summit-in-kyoto-japan-14-demos-from-japanesenbspstartups</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=from-the-infinity-ventures-summit-in-kyoto-japan-14-demos-from-japanesenbspstartups</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Earlier this week, I attended the Infinity Ventures Summit Fall 2010 in Kyoto/Japan, a two-day web industry event organized by Japanese VC firm Infinity Venture Partners. During the summit, a few hours of the program were reserved for 14 Japanese  start-ups to present their services onstage to a panel of  judges and an international crowd of over 500 people.Here are thumbnail sketches of all the products that were shown at the event&amp;'s launchpad.The winner and four runners-upStock Prediction Robot by hottolink (winner of the launchpad)Best of show went to a software robot that&amp;'s presumably able to predict the ups and downs of the Nikkei 225 stock market index. Maker hottolink uses past financial data and a word of mouth analysis tool it usually offers as a marketing tool to analyze thousands of Japanese blogs and other sources to retrieve relevant information. During the demo, hottolink CEO Uchiyama said his software robot didn&amp;'t only do well in simulations but also achieved excellent results in the real world: a fellow web entrepreneur invested about $300,000 into a fund that made a 72% plus on the stock market over a seven month period, based on the robot&amp;'s recommendations.Lingo by Kazki Matsumoto (first runner up)Developed by an individual, Lingo is a text correction plug-in to check the grammar and vocabulary in English sentences typed in a browser. When the user makes mistakes, the tool suggests tips on how to phrase sentences correctly in real time. Lingo will be made available sometime next year.Cheerz by Klab (second runner up)Cheerz is a service that&amp;'s supposed to cover &amp;''the entire web with a social layer&amp;''. The way it works is that much like Weblin used to do, Cheerz makes people visiting the same website visible as avatars. These avatars can form interest-based groups, play games, befriend and communicate with each other. Cheerz will be free, but maker Klab is planning to sell virtual items so users can dress up their avatars. The service is scheduled to go live in English and Japanese next month.AndFriends by milog (third runner up)AndFriends is an Android application that makes discovering Android apps more social. The idea is to leverage your circle of Android-using friends who can share what apps they use with other Andfriends users (plus on Facebook and Twitter). Once you discover an app that you might like (i.e. through a push notification), you can download it directly through Andfriends.Chirpstory by Toshiaki Yoshida (fourth runner up)Twitter-based content curation and communication platform Chirpstory went live during the Infinity Ventures Summit. The service lets you create a &amp;''story&amp;'' about a specific topic by dragging and dropping tweets from your timeline and that of others. These tweets are arranged in the form of a thread on a dedicated topic page, to which users can also add different media (videos from YouTube, pictures etc.). As an example, here&amp;8216's the story (a tribute) for the late Elizabeth Edwards. Chirpstory&amp;'s popular Japanese version, Togetter, currently sees 9 million page views per month.The best of the rest of the IVS launchpadHerea4a4s a list of the nine other products that didna4a4t make the cut:MCS Elements 2010 (iTunes) by Ubiquituous Entertainment, a media content consumption survey for Japan delivered as an iPad appGazopa, a similar search engine developed by Hitachi America that&amp;'s made its debut during TechCrunch50 in 2008Energy Literacy Platform, an integrated system to keep track of what device at home uses how much energyQuestetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition, a business process management suite we reviewed earlier this yearFlash In Flash, a solution for Flash developers by i-Broadcast that cuts server-related costs by 30%Odette Solution by Orso, a CMS for mobile Flash applicationsHatena Koko by Hatena, a location-based mobile serviceVoisticky, an augmented reality application that not only stores voice memos as audio but also visualizes them as &amp;''stickies in a virtual space&amp;'' to show where they have been recordedBotSpace, a communication tool through which bots and real people can interactThe Infinity Ventures Summit is an invitation-only event that takes place twice a year. Click here for my coverage of the spring 2010 event.Credit for picture on top of this post: Yuji Kumagai<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Zombie Farm Hits 7.3 Million Total iPhone&nbsp'Downloads]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zombie-farm-hits-7-3-million-total-iphonenbspdownloads</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zombie-farm-hits-7-3-million-total-iphonenbspdownloads</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=zombie-farm-hits-7-3-million-total-iphonenbspdownloads</guid>
<description><![CDATA[A few days ago Apple released its top 10 list of iPhone apps for 2010 and only one freemium app was listed as top grossing, Zombie Farm. Zombie Farm combines all the fun of Farmville with zombies (!), allowing you to plant either crops or corpses (seriously). You can then use the zombies you&amp;'ve planted to attack your neighbors or pirates or aliens (no, I am not making this up).Apparently this is a winning combination, as the game hit 7.3 million downloads in November, up from 6 million in October and growing about 25% a month. Currently it boasts about 2 million monthly active users, a number which has been doubling every couple of months since the app&amp;'s launch this February. Users have spent 2.76 billion minutes playing the game, which have resulted in 61.5 million Zombie Farm invasions. And despite complaints about the most recent updates&amp;' slowness in the iTunes reviews, the developers are obviously doing something right.To the tune of millions of dollars. Playforge developer Vince McDonnell and his wife were in danger of a4slosing their house when he built the app, and now not so much. While McDonnell will not reveal how much total revenue the app has made thus far (people pay for in-game currency like $0.99 brains and tombstones) in comparison, Doodle Jump, the 10 app on the top grossing list sold about 3 million units in five months at $0.99 each which would project to about ($) 7 million sold for the year.a4sZombie Farm was at number 6 on the list, which means McDonnell has made at least a few million thus far.You can download the app here.CrunchBase InformationAppular Information provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Why Hulu Is The OPEC Of Online&nbsp'Video]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-hulu-is-the-opec-of-onlinenbspvideo</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-hulu-is-the-opec-of-onlinenbspvideo</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=why-hulu-is-the-opec-of-onlinenbspvideo</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Editor&amp;'s note: The following is a guest post bya4sMark Suster,a4sa venture capitalist based in Los Angeles at GRP Partners. a4sHe blogs at BothSidesoftheTable.The formation of Hulu was defensive &amp;8211' designed to stop another YouTube or Napster from emerging and causing disruption to the TV industry. a4sThe idea was that if you could put up a consumer site that was seen as the best place to consume content then people wouldn&amp;'t go to lower-quality or free sites to get it. a4sThe founders felt that having a legitimate site for content would discourage Silicon Valley VC&amp;'s from funding entrepreneurs to create the next big TV killer.This narrative has been confirmed to me by several senior studio executives. a4sOnce this new service became popular then the media companies could control the rules of distribution &amp;amp' advertising.To say that the tech elite were cynical of Hulu&amp;'s launcha4swould be an understatement, but by the time it launched just a few months later it wasa4sgetting great reviews.I have personally always felt a sort of cognitive dissonance regarding Hulu. a4sI have always loved watching videos there but always believed that any company controlled by a consortia of interests would be doomed in the long run &amp;8211' especially by established, large incumbents with an interest in protecting the past more than innovating the future. a4sI have made many of my arguments in a blog post I wrote ona4sThe Innovator&amp;'s Dilemma, a concept that is important for both innovators &amp;amp' incumbents to understand.When I recently wrote about how excited I was about investing in &amp;''The Digital Living Room,&amp;'' Hulu was only mentioned in the context of howa4sClicker.com was a much better metaphor for content discovery and search.So what does this have to do with OPECOPEC (the organization of petroleum exporting countries) is a cartel that was set up in the 1960&amp;8242's and represents the interests of the 12 biggest oil producing countries in the world with the goal of increasing prices of oil, a good supplied in limited quantities to a world that had insatiable demand for the product. a4sThe philosophy of OPEC has been that if they can limit the amount of oil supplied to the world they can maintain high prices in a world where demand and competition should naturally have downward pressure on oil prices.Hulu is an online video distribution system owned by 3 of the largest 5 film &amp;amp' television suppliers in the United States with the goal of limiting the supply of high-quality online video available in order to defend high prices of the supply of this content on televisions through cable, satellite &amp;amp' broadcast TV.Both systems are threatened in the medium run because alternative supplies of their core products will become more plentiful.The goal of anya4scartel is to control production, distribution &amp;amp' marketing of a set of goods with the goal of maintaining high prices. a4sBecause they are anti-competitive most countries ban cartels. a4sThe problem with OPEC, as in most cartels, is that the incentive for any individual suppliers is to &amp;''cheat&amp;'' the system by going around restrictions. a4sIf all other countries are reducing supply &amp;amp' holding high prices then you benefit by producing more yourself or secretly distributing to people who will pay higher prices. a4sThis has been the history of OPEC &amp;8211' it a cartel full of countries that routinely have cheated.Oil is a commodity with which the world has a love / hate relationship. a4sWe love the productivity and independence that comes from oil powering our machinery &amp;amp'a4stransportationa4sbut we hate enriching producers that we feel sometimes act against our best interests as consumers.So it is quite lofty to compare Hulu with OPEC. a4sHere is my case:1. Restricted Supply: We love the content that is produced by the companies that are the primary suppliers to Hulu: Modern Family, The Office, The Simpsons or even classics such as Arrested Development. a4sBut Hulu isn&amp;'t as good as we&amp;'d like it to be because the supply is held back. a4sCurrent shows generally only have 5 episodes at a time, which makes the service pretty mediocre as far as consumer value goes. a4sOlder shows might allow a single season.Why the limitation a4sMany reasons but a clue is that the studios have to honor &amp;''time windows&amp;'' for when the show runs. a4sThey monetize via high-priced advertisements during the prime-time airing on TV, via syndication to international audiences or less-watched channels after the original series has run and via DVD sales in retail channels.Of course it&amp;'s their right to do so and there is so much money involved you can hardly blame them. a4sBut this Innovator&amp;'s Dilemma restricts them from having as useful of a service as they otherwise might. a4sHulu Plus now allows you to get a more extensive &amp;''catalog&amp;'' for $10 / month. a4sIt has just been released to wide audiences November 2010 &amp;8211' mostly in response to the growing popularity of Netflix and ironically the introduction of the ABC.com player on the iPad.2. Limited &amp;''Targeting&amp;'' of Advertisements: a4sThe great promise of the Internet for advertisers was that they were finally going to be able to deliver targeted advertisements to users because they could finally know who you were. a4sThis has become a reality with banner ads, search ads, contextual ads and Facebook ads. a4sBut not Hulu ads.Why a4sThey know who we are, don&amp;'t they a4sYes, they do. a4sBut they generally don&amp;'t even allow advertisers to purchase ads for a single show let alone ads targeting YOU by reading your cookies on your computer. a4sSo we have ads that are even less targeted than those on television. a4sThe reason lies in protecting the high price of broadcast &amp;amp' cable advertising rates. a4sThey are nervous about &amp;''trading analog dollars for digital pennies.&amp;'' a4sSo advertisers have to buy &amp;''run of site&amp;'' ads rather than show specific ones.3. Cheating: As I pointed out cartels create the incentive to cheat because each individual supplier gains by cheating if everybody in the system doesn&amp;'t. a4sIn oil that is a country secretly producing more than their allowed rate limits. a4sIn Hulu it is each individual studio / network wanting to push their own stuff direct rather than through Hulu. a4sI might talk openly about how Hulu is my partner, whilea4ssimultaneouslya4slaunching an iPad player before Hulu does (as ABC did) &amp;8211' even when I&amp;'m a shareholder.Each of the major media shareholders maintain their own websites where they can (and do) promote their content directly and have every incentive to do so. a4sAs I&amp;'ve always argued, if Fox were to create another hit show as popular at &amp;''American Idol&amp;'' it is hard for me to imagine that they wouldn&amp;'t run exclusive content &amp;amp' promotions on their own site more than on Hulu, where they&amp;'re a smaller partner.4. Slow innovation: When Hulu launched I think it&amp;'s fair to say that it exceeded nearly everybody&amp;'s expectations. a4sThe website was easy-to-use, fast, clean and gave us access to the good stuff. a4sYet for all the fanfare at launch and despite its popularity as a website to consume video content I would argue that its pace of innovation has been slower than its initial launch might have suggested.If you want to search for video content on the Internet it&amp;'s far easier / more useful to do on Clicker.com than on Hulu &amp;8211' even for content that is offered on their site! a4sHulu emerged in the social networking era and yet Boxee has been way out in front in terms of creating social viewing experiences. a4sWe are seeing the emergence of the &amp;''digital living room&amp;'' and yet Netflix, Apple &amp;amp' Google all seem to be better positioned to have a seat at our couches. a4sWe are entering the age of &amp;''second screen&amp;'' TV viewing. a4sWe are really still in the first inning of this trend but it is not being led by Hulu. a4sThey were late to the iPad and late with a subscription service.At times the innovation has actually worked in reverse and not just a stand still. a4sAs consumers we all want to get content streamed to our television sets in addition to our PCs and iPads. a4sBoxee was created to give us this experience. a4sAnd as the service started to gain popularity it created an integration with Hulu to allow Boxee users to watch what was already free on the Internet on their television sets. a4sYet Hulu blocked the integration and wouldn&amp;'t allow Boxee to stream Hulu on the TV. a4sEven though any of us could just plug our PC&amp;'s / Macs into our TV sets ourselves (ora4swith a little help from YouTube instructions), Hulu wanted to block this.Why a4sBecause the MSOs (cable &amp;amp' satellite providers) don&amp;'t really want to see you watching Internet videos on your TV set. a4sThis kind of viewing, called &amp;''over the top,&amp;'' is what is leading many households to cancel their expensive cable packages. a4sWhen you can already watch Jon Stewart, Saturday Night Live, all the news shows, The View and everything else on the computer it seems like live sports, ESPN and HBO are some of the lasta4svestigesa4sof content keeping many from cutting their cords today.And yet I imagine that this lack of innovation must irritate nobody more than the CEO of Hulu, Jason Kilare. a4sHis launch at Hulu was so successful and we all started believing that maybe he could really just pull this thing off. a4sBut I suspect he, and the rest of Hulu, are starting to discover the Faustian bargain of having the big media suppliers as large shareholders in a world where startups or other tech companies get to play by their own rules. a4sIf you haven&amp;'t read Ken Auletta&amp;'s brilliant bookGoogled, you should. a4sAmongst other things ita4schroniclesa4sthe frustration many media companies have had in not being able to play by the same rules as the tech companies.They seem to have such a talented team over at Hulu and yet seem held back from the best that they could produce. a4sAs NBC (founding shareholder at Hulu) and Comcast complete their merger I suspect the pressure on and control of Hulu will be even firmer.5. The Road Ahead Hulu hinted at greatness. a4sThey clearly have a very talented management team yet are clearly held back by the Innovator&amp;'s Dilemma from their shareholders that binds them. a4sThey raised $100 million from Providence Equity Partners at a $1 billion valuation and have thus proven that they understand that a degree of independence is vital for their success.If I were a corporate shareholder at Hulu I would &amp;''set them free&amp;'' even further. a4sI would reduce contractual obligations that bind them to your archaic industry norms. a4sI would reduce my equity stake much further. a4sI would take a lower valuation in exchange for bringing in world-class investors that can create the right structure for future success.Disney has already shown it has innovation potential on its own in the tech meets media world and being too tied to Hulu will only continue to create inconsistencies. a4sFox has already divested much of FAN (the Fox Audience Network) and has been wanting to sell MySpace for some time. a4sNBC will merge with Comcast, owner of &amp;''Fancast,&amp;'' which would be a competitive offering to Hulu. a4sI think all of these players are better off reducing their ties to Hulu while driving their own innovation in house.The model I would look to a4sSkype. a4sIt languished under the ownership of eBay who didn&amp;'t have the right vision or structure to take Skype to the next level. a4sThe current executive team at eBay are not the ones that bought the company and thus were able to create a deal that brings the right incentives to spin-out Skype. a4sBut they didn&amp;'t just sell it and take the cash. a4sThey held on to a minority stake and brought in people like Andreessen Horowitz to help create a more valuable asset in the long-run for their reduced stake.I would much rather be a big media company with a smaller stake in a video company that transforms the industry than a larger shareholder in one that does not. a4sObvious.One day television &amp;amp' film are going to be disrupted and the opportunities for monetization by those that understand the future will be immense. a4sIn the current structure I cannot see how Hulu becomes this company.CrunchBase InformationMark SusterhuluInformation provided by CrunchBase<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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<title><![CDATA[Is Twitter no longer a San Francisco startup]]></title>
<link>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-no-longer-a-san-francisco-startup</link>
<comments>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-no-longer-a-san-francisco-startup</comments>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov -001 00:00:00 +0000</pubDate>
<dc:creator>djfunky</dc:creator>
<category>Latest News</category>
<guid>http://www.haaze.com/story.php?title=is-twitter-no-longer-a-san-francisco-startup</guid>
<description><![CDATA[Twitter, the popular messaging site, may be growing out of its startup phase with a possible headquarters move to Brisbane, California, according to brokerage sources in the San Francisco Business Times.The company appears to have more than 175 million users, has sent over 25 billion tweets, and 100 million accounts added in 2010, according to statistics from Royal Pingdom. What do these numbers have to do with moving headquarters Twitter is growing and with more than 300 employees it may be looking for more room.Twitter moved to its current location at 795 Folsom St., Suite 600 in San Francisco a little over a year ago and, according to the New York Times, it expanded from the sixth floor to the third floor in May. The article goes on to quote Twittera4a4s chief executive, Dick Costolo, as he predicted that Twitter will probably outgrow its 62,000 square feet around the spring of 2011 and need to take over new space in the building or move  elsewhere.The rumor is that the company may take over a 200,000 square feet Walmart.com complex on Sierra Point (pictured above) in Brisbane (just south of San Francisco).&amp;nbsp' While Walmart.com&amp;'s online operations are still on premise, it plans to move later this year, which may match up to Costolo&amp;'s prediction of a move in the spring.Twitter, founded in 2006, has recently raised $200 million  at a $3.7 billion valuation. The latest round was led by Kleiner Perkins Caufield &amp;038' Byers.Previous Story: Will Facebook ever be rid of the Winklevoss twinsPrintEmailTwitterFacebookGoogle BuzzLinkedIn      DiggStumbleUponRedditDeliciousGoogleMore&amp;8230'          Tags: Brisbane, California, headquarters, moving, San Francisco, tweetsCompanies: TwitterPeople: Dick Costolo          Tags: Brisbane, California, headquarters, moving, San Francisco, tweetsCompanies: TwitterPeople: Dick CostoloCody Barbierri is a social and digital media consultant. He works for Piehead and blogs about social media at Social Tab. (None of his posts are about clients or their competitors.) Reach him at Cody@venturebeat.com. You can also follow Cody on Twitter.VentureBeat has new weekly email newsletters.  Stay on top of the news, and don't miss a beat.<br/><br/>0 Vote(s) ]]></description>
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