davros

A huge barrier to fitness is that it is typically taught and promoted by those who find it easy, and they really can't understand how difficult it is. However, if you persist over a long period of time you can get enormous benefits. And this gradual approach means it is not painful - in fact the slogan ought to be 'no pain maximizes gain'.

The leading US internet companies are all built on a foundation of trust. Undermining that trust counterbalances the convenience of their services and over time new competitors without these trust problems are only a click away.

I don't mind targeted surveillance against genuine suspected terrorists. What frightens me is broader intelligence collection especially commercial intelligence. Over time programs broaden and if we're not really, really careful we'll find gmail being read by intelligence analysts who can brief our US competitors.

If non-Americans can't trust Google with their information that is an existential risk to its future. I think the Google leadership needs to do a lot more than this one short post!

[1] From Obama's comments: Now, with respect to the Internet and emails, this does not apply to U.S. citizens, and it does not apply to people living in the United States. And again, in this instance, not only is Congress fully apprised of it, but what is also true is that the FISA Court has to authorize it.

So in summary, what you’ve got is two programs that were originally authorized by Congress, have been repeatedly authorized by Congress.

That seems pretty clear - there is a congress-approved spying on non-US citizens Internet and email.

EDIT: added Obama quote

Now if only there was a shortcut for 'reply/forward in new tab' or I could change the default size for cmd+r reply in new window or gmail remembered the dimensions I last resized the new window to.

Of course, there will be times when founders need to be on the road a lot. But putting these trips on top of a base of family engagement makes them a lot less painful for all involved.

These are smart and capable people too. They're just somehow got this deep bias about only pretty powerpoint could be important.

If you use Chrome its easy to get Drive to store docs locally (but not images pdfs etc) [1]

[1] http://support.google.com/drive/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answ...

In comparison, metals can absorb the energy in cracks through several mechanisms ranging from the movement and formation of defects in the atomic arrangement in the metal crystals to large scale plastic flow.

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fracture_toughness

Thought-provoking. In hindsight, many of the things I've done that have impacted on culture have had this sort of 'shock value'. I'm currently working on changing an established culture and a shock/conversation-creating initiative is just what is needed to help the other processes along.

Here's what the managing director Google UK said [1]:

Dan CobleyDec 13, 2012+63: Folks. I am very sorry to hear about your poor experiences. I will look into it and get back to you.

Yes, on December 13 he sounded surprised by the flood of complaints on his G+ post and would 'look into it'.

Two days later all he could come up with was a generic apology and a vague commitment to do better:

Dear all, I know that what you are going through is unacceptable and we are all working through the nights and weekends to resolve this issue. Supplies from the manufacturer are scarce and erratic, and our communication has been flawed. I can offer an unreserved apology for our service and communication failures in this process. I am optimistic that we will be able to share some positive news shortly, but I do not want to cause any more disappointment by making a commitment until we are 100% sure we can deliver on it.

I realise that the people who ordered the Nexus 4 so early are among our most committed and loyal users and we are doing all we can to put things right.

I've seen corporates where customers are basically viewed as a nuisance and this is exactly the way they communicate.

[1] https://plus.google.com/113390679691036376988/posts/5GygopdU...

If phones don't start flowing very soon, they will also miss the christmas gift market. A real pity, such a well-priced quality phone could have really set a new benchmark.

There's nothing wrong with ambition or aiming to make lots of money, but when these are driven by envy you maximise angst on missing a goal and you will always have someone to still envy no matter how successful (unless you're literally one in a billion successful).

As an investor I'd look for a business like this to be break-even after 12 months then aim for 100% growth funded from cashflow or 200% with a modest additional investment. VCs will be interested and bring big dollars after you've reached a critical market threshold, but in the mean time you're building a real business.

Cash invested should match your ability to use it effectively, but as in this case it can distort your priorities by making your day more about getting more investment than creating a great business.

Amir, stick with it. Focus on building a rapidly-growing busines. If you do need more investment, keep it to the minimum and be really clear on what you're going to achieve with that capital. If you're demos are already that good, you should be able to find the money.

I've solved the problem by marking it as spam.

One way to understand what the offerer wants is to look at the deal structure on offer to infer what they want from you. If there is a lot of emphasis on future profits then they want you to keep growing your business, if there is shares in the parent business then thats where they'll want you to focus, etc.

Finally, as per Jacques article, consider other sale options - can you find other buyers and get a competitive process going, etc.

EDIT: OK, I can disable remote wipe entirely by disabling 'find my mac'.

Startups can provide flexibility, especially in working times and telecommuting options that larger businesses usually cannot. That flexibility can enable you to spend the right time with your family and still meet the demands of a startup (which you shouldn't underestimate).

Our business won two awards for our flexible practices and I believe that the reason we were ahead of the competition was that when the judges visited I was able to point to real results not just reams of HR policies and documents.

Founders and early staff really understand that they need to get a lot done and they should also be highly motivated to contribute to the business success. If the business takes the view that it can give people some flexibility in return then this can work out really well.

Some of the people who 'need' the flexibility should be founders or part of the key management team. In a startup you have tremendous control over the way your systems and business practices are set up - think about your family needs when doing this. Allow people to find what works for them. One of my cofounders found that she worked best after your children went to sleep and so we got a huge amount done between 9pm and midnight. We built all our systems so people could work from home and told our team that if their kids were sick they could work from home to look after them. That safety net makes a big difference.