Alex Lowe on Software and Startups

You need information; news, entertainment, research, or something else. Traditional media has become more corporatized and influenced by advertising dollars and politics. The web is following suit with major players bubbling to the top, advertisers directing content, and search empires telling us where to go. Blogs have been touted as the grassroots solution for free […]

I have been interested in the ideas of User Generated Content recently. Yes, I know it’s a concept that’s been around for a while and it’s being more and more formalized with the Web2.0 “thing.” But, let me try and draw some concepts out of it. Let me know what you think.
There is a scale of […]

Remember the EFF Blue Ribbon Campaign in the 90’s? Remember the Black World Wide Web protest? I recently stumbled upon the EFF Blue Ribbon Campaign again and found they are active in something very close to us, blogger rights. The EFF is working to bring awareness and I’d like to echo their message. As a blogger […]

I’ve seen a trend in blogging. To be popular you have to write about popular items with enough meat to inform but short enough to not lose reader attention. You have to post with a medium frequency, enough to stay fresh but not so much as to overwhelm. You have to give a personal touch, […]

There’s a lot of new technologies breaking on to the scene, especially in the Web 2.0 arena. The press and publicity seems to go to many horizontal players. While these groups have large broad impact, like traditional businesses they can’t serve every niche effectively. A horizontal approach gives you the center of the bell curve, […]

This is a philosophical discussion. In fact, switching barriers are one of the points that are argued during the open vs. closed information debate. Open-ness encourages trial of products and services while closed-ness encourages brand loyalty. As developers and entrepreneurs we have to look at out our philosophical view on information (our software, products, and […]

This is a nostalgic post for all of those who were in technology in the 90’s. I present a list of things that were great in the 90’s for me as a technophile. Leave a comment about what things you’re nostalgic about!
DJGGP, BBSing, War Dialing, Modems, Math Coprocessors, Coleco Adam Computers, Legend of the Red […]

So, startups are hard, scary, and statistically doomed to fail or underperform. But what is it that makes the experience worth while whether you succeed or fail financially? What is it that gives you the best chance at success? Well, it’s LOVE!
Here’s the lovingly way to approach your startup venture, whether it’s been started-up or […]

I am a victim of hi tech burnout and I want to share some insights I have on it. It’s the common story right, 60-80 hour weeks, multiple all nighters, lots of caffiene, and a drive to get that software written. After years of the physical and mental stress you hit the wall.
I think there […]

I often hear the sentiment that universities are doing a poor job at educating the new round of computer scientists and engineers. This obviously is not the universal case as there are a number of outstanding programs with outstanding professors, students, and support networks. But, in my anecdotal experience there are many poor programs and I […]