Traveling Geeks

On Japanese Quirks: Getting Over the Tokyo "Thing"

I spent a few weeks in Tokyo, the well recognized global city most frequent travelers have been to more than once. For this well-traveled chica, it was my first trip, largely since I had been told for years how hard it is to get around as well as how expensive it is to get around.
People also talked about the language barrier and truth be told, none of these stereotypes should scare a long time traveler and for some reason, between the stories and the radiation in the north, I put Japan on hold for awhile.

In just a few days, after nearly losing my cool getting lost five times in Shibuya’s massive maze of a station, I fell in love with this renowned global Asian city.
First of all, a few surprises for the record. Formal But Genuine Friendliness: I was astonished how friendly people were despite the language barrier. Regardless of whether I was pointing to my map trying to get directions from a subway station to a restaurant or shop, or simply saying hello, I was greeted by a warm smile and a concerted effort to help even if they didn’t speak any English at all.
One day as I flew forward in an effort to catch a fabulous shot in the north of Tokyo, I ended up face first on the ground, my camera lens thankfully was still in tact when I finally looked up. What wasn’t in tact was my knee, which had lost a chunk of skin and was bleeding profusely. I tried to ignore this little incident because there were far too many photos to take and food to try, however a few women nearby came to my aid by pulling out band aids and antiseptic from their purses and offering them to me.
They wouldn’t leave me alone until they were sure that my wound was covered and I was happily on my way. A similar thing happened in the airport on the way to Tokyo.
A Japanese woman sitting near me before we were due to board, noticed that I was shivering from JFK’s overly active air conditioning system. She grabbed her shawl and wrapped it around my shoulders, which not only took me by surprise, but for a moment, I thought I was in a small village and not an international city airport.

The act brightened up my day and frankly, my long flight ahead. It’s All In the Order & The Details: Japanese people really care about the details. From great design to clean lines, I found things in order nearly everywhere I went, from prestine hotel rooms to efficient sushi bars.
The shops were also well organized and I always felt like I was being “treated” after leaving a shop where I had purchased something, a bit like upscale shops in Paris make you feel after you’ve parted with your money. They also know how to present themselves….well.
Whether it’s women and girls in beautifully presented komonos or men in white business shirts who still looked good while they were drinking in a bar hours after they left work, it was a joy to see given how sadly accustomed I’ve gotten to the logoed t-shirts and jeans look in Silicon Valley.

Hair Cuts & Styles: Clean cut, design and sharp angles are the order of the day. I found this to be true in both women and men. They’re also not afraid of going wild with color, which I love!

Hair salons were literally everywhere and reasonably priced compared to American standards. I had the feeling that you’d get higher quality stylists for about 30% less than New York or San Francisco for average ones.
Heated Toilet Seats: I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Japan’s toilet seats its own category. Heated and overly technical toilet seats were literally everywhere. I found them in restaurants, hotel rooms, and even shops. It’s not just that they’re heated, but there are several modes you can choose from for a variety of things, including the power level of your flush. You can do a soft flush or a more powerful flush depending on what is needed. It’s certainly efficient although I have to admit, I was confused on more than one occasion and just wished it could read my mind and take care of the flush for me.
Great Restaurant Ambiance Inside & Out: I loved the restaurant scene. Aside from the sushi bars which you could find throughout the city, there were other more classic places where you could combine a cooked meal experience with music. Take Kuriya Restaurant in Tokyo for example, which also offers jazz on selected evenings.
This restaurant is on a side alley in the trendy Omote-Sando area which is also very popular for shopping.
Not far from the Omote-Sando area (a ten minute walk away), I discovered this cute little Japanese restaurant with the following entrance. You feel more like you’re going to enter a garden than a restaurant and the inside was equally as charming, with plants scattered throughout.

Remember that its a global city so despite the fact that there are boat loads of traditional Japanese restaurants, sushi and noodle bars, you can find many ethnic restaurants, more popular in some neighborhoods more than others.
Not far from the Yushimi subway stop in the north of Tokyo, I discovered Dela, a quaint little French restaurant that served up crock pots of cheese and onion soup and had a fairly extensive list of French wines, including a Bordeaux I was happy to sip slowly throughout the night.

Japanese but modern is Uotaru Restaurant on Kasuga Street in northern Tokyo.

Fun Side Streets & Alleyways: The world is but a maze in Tokyo where you can literally find an interesting side street or alleyway off a larger street in nearly every neighborhood. The following side street is near Asakusa – note the chaos, but also the culture and the color.

Below is taken near Shinjuku.

Quirky Bright Objects: Because of their love of all things electronics and entertainment, it shouldn’t be a surprise to find nearly life size brightly colored statues and objects throughout the city. Of course, they’re not everywhere, but in more populated areas, you’ll spot things like this.  This was taken near Cat Street, a widely known shopping street where hipsters hang out.

The bright and the loud extends beyond objects onto city walls. The below shot was taken in another popular shopping area – Takeshita Street.

Martial Arts & Theater: It goes without saying of course, but Tokyo has its fair share of martial arts and decadent costuming. Theatre is also celebrated and there are options throughout the city where you can see classic performances.

 Color: I’ve mentioned color quite a few times, but it shows up in places you’d least expect it such as the choice of paint for a building that would have remained gray in another city. Because the Japanese love gardens, there always appears to be flowering plants peaking around every building.

The Tokyo Tower Et Hem The Japanese Eiffel Tower: The Tokyo Tower was obviously inspired by the Eiffel Tower. Despite being taller than the Eiffel Tower, Tokyo Tower only weighs about 4,000 tons, 3,300 tons less than the Eiffel Tower.
The below shot was taken while I was whizzing by in a car, so it doesn’t look as grandiose as it looks in real time.

 Size Matters: While you might think that London’s Picadilly Circus or New York’s Times Square are massive and confusing, they are country sisters compared to Tokyo’s Shinjuku and Shibuya’s districts.
Overwhelming at first, you’ll soon find yourself like a kid in a candy store, intrigued by the size and choice of colors throughout the city. Below is taken in the Shinjuku area.

Here is a video I shot walking through Shinjuku late at night.
 
Diversity in a Homogeneous Kind of Way: While on the surface, it appears that everyone looks like they’re from Japan and its population even in Tokyo, is not as mixed as you’d expect, people are very individualized, expressing themselves in creative ways that make them stand out from the crowd, rather than blending into it.
I wondered if part of this wasn’t because of the former generation’s more traditional expectations and that the subsequent generations are wanting to set an example. There are several books out about this including The Lost Generation.

It’s Not As Traditional As You Think: While there are plenty of traditional restaurants, cafes, bars and shops, in the hipper neighborhoods like Omote-Sando and Shibuya where hipsters crawl the streets till the wee hours of the morning, I discovered many more cosmopolitan cafes where you could as easily be in New York.

Funky Fashion: I LOVED the fashion in Tokyo even though a lot of it isn’t necessarily a fit for my own personal style. Color exudes….everywhere. From shoes to komonos to more modern shirts and dresses.

White Gloves, Hats & Umbrellas Everywhere: Women take their skin seriously throughout Japan, not just Tokyo. Wherever you go, you’ll find them wearing long white gloves to protect their arms from the sun.
Every woman seems to wear a hat, which means that the hat stores in this country are incredible. I bought three hats in Japan and didn’t intend to buy any – love love love them.
The best hat store was one I discovered on the main drag at the Asakusa Market and yes, I did leave with one from his shop. Umbrellas are also incredibly popular and you’ll find women carrying them everywhere for protection from the glaring sun.

Bikes Everywhere & None of Them are Locked: I kept expecting someone to show up from around the corner of a shop, someone who was dedicated to watching all of the unlocked bikes in the street that is. Everywhere I went, regardless of neighborhood, I found unlocked bikes everywhere. Apparently bicycle theft isn’t a problem – how unusual for a global city but also refreshing. It reminded me of Stockholm, Oslo and Copenhagen.

Safety and…Unattended Children: Unlocked bikes throughout the city brings me to safety. The other shocking thing was how many children I kept running into who were unattended.
Even in boisterous places like Omote-Sando, I saw small kids in their school uniforms, walking alone. They’d have their cell phones with them, backpacks on their backs and confident in their stature as if they knew exactly where they were going and hadn’t a care in the world.

Shibuya Madness: Shibuya is as mad as everyone says it is. Regardless of whether you’re there by day or night, it’s a massive maze that can be confusing even for those without the language barrier. That said, it’s a fascinating place to get lost and there are some fascinating shops and restaurants in the streets surrounding the main square.
Even if you hate crowds, you must go there for the experience regardless. Despite how many cities I’ve been to around the world, this one had me in awe again and again, each and every time I went there, which was a few times before my cruise and a few times after I returned to Tokyo.

Prestine Gardens: Does every Japanese citizen grow up caring about gardens? It appears so since I found plants outside of nearly every apartment or home regardless of neighborhood and they were all manicured.
The below prestigious and well kept gardens at the 5 star Otani Hotel is another example of where it extends to public places as well, which are not public or private parks. I stayed at the Otani and absolutely loved it.

Incredible Service: Prestine gardens and great cafe for nature (and things) extends to the service the Japanese provide. While the 5 star Otani Hotel in Tokyo may have been over the top in graciousness and service, the Keio Plaza Hotel, where I stayed for the last couple of nights, is a four star hotel that makes American four stars look like two stars.
Below two employees help me with my luggage, grabbing it the moment I walked through the door. Later, BOTH of them escorted me up with my luggage, asking me if there’s anything else they could help me with again…and again.

Below, like everywhere I went, I was greeted with the warmest of smiles at breakfast one morning.

Speaking of Breakfast: Breakfast buffets in Japanese hotels are incredible. I could never understand why Americans would opt for the hotel restaurant that had American and western choices, when you could get the display of delicious Japanese options that are on offer. Have a look.

Bottled Drinks and Cigarettes EVERYWHERE: At first, I found myself hoarding bottled water every time I left one destination for another, because of how hot it was in Tokyo over the summer.
I later learned that this was a useless exercise since there are bottled drink machines literally on every corner. The great thing about them is that they’re inexpensive as well. For around $1 or $1.20 a pop, you can get bottled water, iced teas, juices and sodas in a nano-second every time you’re thirsty. It was one of my favorite things about the city.

 The Electronics Thang: I’d be missing an important part of Tokyo culture if I didn’t mention the electronics insanity of Tokyo.
There are a few neighborhoods that are worth exploring for electronics and one of them is in and around Shinjuku, which by the way, is a stone’s throw from the Keio Plaza Hotel.
 The other one is the notable Akihabara Electronic City, which is home to the world’s largest electronics and electronics consumer goods in the world. Offerings range from appliances to computers and everything in between.

City Boat Rides from North to South: Not everyone I spoke to knew about this which I found surprising, but you can catch boats and cruisers from north to south and south to north, which is a great way to see parts of Tokyo not easily accessible by train or foot.

Some of the views from my boat ride, which only lasts around 20-30 minutes each way.

Hipster Shopping & Movies in Roppongi: I discovered this neighborhood and shopping area by accident despite the fact that its a very well known urban hang out in the city, by both locals and tourists. Roppongi has a massive shopping center that is open late – below is the view of the ceiling and surrounding area as you come down the escalator.

Sense of Honor: Honor is a big part of Japanese culture, which is in Tokyo as well. People respect elders and there is a gentleness and polite formality to nearly every exchange you have. I even noticed it with taxi drivers, which I found astounding.
The service felt more like I’d find from a limo driver than a standard taxi driver. Americans and the rest of the world could learn a thing or two from Japan’s generosity and hospitality.
 Random Festivals Without Warning: I love this about Tokyo and Japan in general. You’ll find random festivals and parades when you least expect it. Below is the Shinjuku Eisa Festival, celebrated in part by a parade with dancers and drummers. It was incredible. I wrote a separate write up on the festival, so be sure to read it which includes a video of what I saw.

Did I leave anything out? What are some of the quirky and fun cultural things you experienced in Tokyo? Share below.
For more posts on Japan, see our Japan section and on Tokyo, visit our Tokyo Japan / top things to do in Tokyo section.

TEDxBerkeley Announces Speaker & Performer Line-Up for Feb 8 Event

The fifth annual TEDx Berkeley, which will be held at Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall on Saturday February 8, 2014, will feature 20 inspiring and innovative speakers and performers who will address this year’s theme Rethink, Redefine, Recreate.  

From education and healthcare to the monumental shifts we are seeing across technology, digital entertainment, sustainability, communications and the environment, the goal of this year’s event is to open up a global conversation around innovative ideas and transformations that happen when we don’t follow the status quo. The speaker and performer line-up for 2014 includes the following thought leaders and visionaries:
Kare Anderson: Kare is Say it Better Center founder, an Emmy-winning former NBC and Wall Street Journal reporter, columnist for Forbes and Huffington Post, and a translator of neuroscience research which improves how we connect and collaborate.
Nikki Borodi: Nikki is a musician, clown, aerial acrobatic, yoga instructor and artist who is in the process of writing a circus rock show to inspire people to manifest their dreams.
Vangelis Chaniotakis: Vangelis, who dreams of starting his own circus troupe, has been training on partner acrobatics since 2011 while also dabbling in hand balancing, tumbling, and static trapeze.  
Brenda Chapman: Brenda was formerly a story artist at Walt Disney Feature Animation, story supervisor on The Lion King, helped launch DreamWorks Animation Studios and created, wrote and directed for Pixar Animation Studios including Golden Globe winning Brave.
Dr. Al Greene: Dr. Greene is Medical Director at HealthTap, former President of The Organic Center, founding partner of the Collaborative on Health and the Environment and his site DrGreene.com, cited by the AMA as “the pioneer physician Web site”, has received over 80 million unique users.
Roberto Hernandez: Roberto co-directed and produced a documentary film which was nominated for three Emmy Awards and won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Journalism as a result of the film’s success in implementing an amendment to the Mexican Constitution.
Sarah Hillware:  Sarah is an outspoken advocate for young women’s health and women’s empowerment and founder and director of Girls Health Ed., a health education program for girl youth ages 8-17.  
Beth Kanter: Beth is a well-established international leader in nonprofits’ use of social media and her book “The Networked Nonprofit” introduced the sector to a new way of thinking and operating in a connected world.     
Guy Kawasaki: Guy is special advisor to the Motorola business unit of Google, former chief evangelist of Apple and a prolific author with 12 books under his belt.
Leslie Lang: Leslie is the Senior VP and General Counsel of Microclinic International, a global health nonprofit that is revolutionizing how chronic diseases are prevented and managed in under-resourced communities around the world.       
The California Golden Overtones: The California Golden Overtones are an all-female completely student-run A Cappella group on the UC Berkeley Campus, which has been around for over 20 years.
Yonat Mayer: Yonat and her band Yonat & Her Muse have shared the stage with artists such as post rock musician Fink and singer-songwriter Foy Vance.
Ted Miguel:  Ted is the Oxfam Professor of Environmental and Resource Economics and Faculty Director of the Center for Effective Global Action at the University of California, Berkeley, where his main research focus is African economic development.
Paul Rucker:  Paul’s work as a visual artist, composer, and musician combines media that integrates live performance, sound, original compositions, and visual art, and incorporates human rights issues, historical research, and basic human emotions.
Carol Sanford: Carol is the Founder and CEO of The Responsible Entrepreneur Institute and author of multi-award winning, The Responsible Business: Reimagining Sustainability and Success  and The Responsible Entrepreneur: Four Game Changing Business Archetypes.   
Dutta Satadip: Dutta heads up Sales Support for the Americas region at Google, where he is responsible for driving operational efficiencies and customer service across a multi-billion dollar portfolio of over 100 products.
Randy Schekman: Randy is an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a Professor of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of California, Berkeley, where his research is focused on the process of membrane assembly, vesicular transport, and membrane fusion. Schekman won the 2013 Nobel Prize for Medicine or Physiology.
Tim Shields: Tim is a desert biologist who has traversed a number of miles equivalent to circumnavigating the Earth and founder of Green Light Enterprises, now Hardshell Labs, which provides solutions to how to make conservation not only meaningful but fun.
Brian Sirgutz: Brian is the Senior Vice President of Social Impact at AOL/Huffington Post Media Group, where he leads all aspects of the company’s Social impact, CSR, business development and social innovation content and engagement strategy.
Ashley Stahl: An award-winning advocate for women in security, Ashley is Manager of the Enterprise Risk Management Center at Control Risks where she leads a team who advises companies on how to protect their personnel and assets from security threats in hostile environments around the world.
The New Orleans Manifesto: New Orleans Manifesto performs the various flavors of New Orleans Jazz with flair, funk and finesse, ranging from exciting groove oriented music to beautiful New Orleans serenades.
To attend this incredible event that takes over Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall at a special 25% discount, go our EventBrite page and use discount code: Renee25.
Disclosure: I am co-curator again this year and we are looking forward to an inspiring event next Saturday February 8. 

KEECKER’s Smart & Connected Robot Launches at CES 2014

Paris-based KEECKER is showing off its new smart, wirefree and connected robot on the International CES 2014 show floor in Las Vegas Nevada this week.  The new connected device will redefine the home entertainment and connected devices market. With a powerful video projection and 360° audio & capture system, KEECKER allows you to project movies, listen to music, browse the web, make video calls, play video games, transform the design of your home and more, all controlled through your smartphone. 

Using KEECKER’s innovative technology, you can transform your home with just one single device, eliminating the need for so many ”siloed” technology solutions we are forced into using today. KEECKER can project digital rich art, media, images and video anywhere as well as move around your home. Truly wirefree and mobile, KEECKER rolls alongside you using its advanced motorized wheels.
Moving beyond entertainment as we know it today, KEECKER transforms any room into an entertainment arena and any surface into a massive and immersive screen. Freed from its ”container”, content can be projected anywhere, whether its traditional entertainment, video, photos, interior design or beyond.

Equipped with a powerful video projection and 360° audio and video capture system, KEECKER allows you to project movies, listen to music, browse the web, make video calls, play video games and more. 

 
While many devices such as computers and smartphones are solely for personal use, KEECKER enables the sharing of collective experiences at home, bringing families closer together. Interested in taking a dive into the Milky Way or bringing your children under the sea in the comfort of your own home?

Want to draw monumental artwork on your walls or create pop up interior design just for a night? Whether you want to walk through your house Skyping with a friend in Tokyo, wake up to a view of Tuscany on your bedroom wall or countless other dynamic scenarios, KEECKER can create that experience for you. 

KEECKER can also be used to check home analytics (temperature, humidity, sound level, light level, CO2 level and more) and for security purposes, so you can check on your home remotely from the road.  From entertainment, games, web apps and home security to interior design creation, image and sound immersion, KEECKER can transform any room using your imagination.

 
KEECKER makes the nightmare experience of connecting home systems to game consoles, ISP boxes and mobile devices as well as the unsightly cables and wires in every corner of the house a thing of the past. 
KEECKER is 16 inches wide and 25 inches tall and is controlled via a free smartphone application (iOS, Android and Web). KEECKER’s prototypes are white with final colors to be announced at launch.
The device will come with one terabyte of local storage space, and be available to consumers in the $4,000-5,000 price range starting in Q4 2014. It will include the robot, free apps and its recharge base.
Disclosure: I provide consulting to keecker.

Kolibree Unveils World’s First Connected Electric Toothbrush

Kolibree, a company dedicated to innovative solutions to keep you healthy and smart, launched the world’s first connected electric toothbrush last night at the large renowned Unveiled Media Event in Las Vegas on the eve of the 2014 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES).  Unlike anything else that exists today, Kolibree’s smart toothbrush has a unique technology to analyze your brushing habits and display them on a mobile dashboard you can readily access from your phone.  
Kolibree’s connected toothbrush is paired with a mobile app. You simply download the free mobile app, connect via Bluetooth and every brushing is recorded. Then, the data about how you brushed automatically synchronizes to your smartphone telling you whether you brushed long enough and reached the hard-to-reach but important parts of your teeth and gums.
With the Kolibree connected toothbrush and mobile app, you can take control of your health and teeth with easy-to-understand monitoring and scoring. You can easily share your stats with your dentist and family or choose to keep it private. Designed for families, the app works with several toothbrushes so the entire family can participate. Kolibree rewards your progress and cheers you on when you are improving, allocating points to kids to encourage them to improve their brushing habits.

The Problem Kolibree Solves: Your dentist may have told you that plaque and tartar build up can lead to losing your teeth if not monitored and acted upon fast enough. Many people don’t realize that poor dental care can also impact the overall care of your health.
While Kolibree does not proclaim to solve periodontal disease or suggest that it can keep cavities or gingivitis at bay, the better you take care of your teeth, the more likely it is that you can and will avoid serious problems.
Before Kolibree, the issue is that there has been no easy and quick way to monitor whether you’re doing an A+ job or a C- one when you brush, so how can you improve on a habit you don’t have any data about? Kolibree solves that problem, making it easier than ever.
The Kolibree connected toothbrush will be available starting in Q3 2014 but ready for pre-order starting this summer. The price of Kolibree will range from $99 to $199 depending on the model and will include a free mobile app.  
Full Disclosure: I am providing consulting to Kolibree.

CES 2014: The Year of Wearables & Devices To Track Your Life?

The International Consumer Electronics Show (International CES) 2014 is around the corner once again and I’ll be there in spades as always like I have over the past two decades.
The event officially runs from January 7-10 in Las Vegas Nevada however pre-events, sessions and more start as early as January 5, including the fascinating UNVEILED Event which touts a number of new innovative products and services not yet on the market. I plan to be there in spades, so watch for tweets on my observations which will include photos as much as I can. (reliable wifi willing)

Major technology innovators will be talking about their latest and greatest in a keynote series called The Tech Titans.The keynotes will be held at The Venetian, on Level 5 in the Palazzo Ballroom. From Brian Krzanich of Intel, Audi’s Rupert Stadler and Sony’s Kazuo Hirai to Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer and Cisco’s John Chambers, the crowds will inevitably pour into these massive ballrooms to learn about what they’re doing and why. The Mobile Innovation keynotes at the LVCC (Las Vegas Convention Center) in N255 include John Donovan from AT&T,  Qualcomm’s Paul E. Jacobs, TechCrunch TV’s Andrew Keen and Ericsson Group’s Hans Vestberg. Twitter’s CEO Dick Costolo, Salesforce’s Scott Dorsey, and Ford’s James D. Farley also take the stage.
I’ll be there scouting out new products, services and innovations for the mobile warrior for an entire week. I will be looking for things like efficient designs, lightweight products easy for travelers to carry, useful products that help travelers connect or use services remotely (to access movies, music, photos and more), cameras, tablets, external drives, batteries (a godsend and critical for any traveler), battery chargers and alternatives, and wearables. This appears to be the year of the wearables so let’s see what comes out of the show. I’ll also be keen to see the explosion of where mobile meets quantified self in the areas of fitness and health — the more we can know about what’s happening with our bodies in real time, the more we can proactively take care of our health without having to solely rely on a doctor’s advice, often someone who barely knows us or what’s happening in our personal lives.

These devices will change the way we eat, think, sleep, exercise and yes, travel. New areas and events at CES this year which will be dedicated to the startup community include the Indiegogo Zone and UP Global LIVE Stage. The all-new Indiegogo Zone, housed within the Eureka Park TechZone, will feature hardware campaigners from around the world. The Indiegogo Zone provides an opportunity for anyone interested in learning more about crowdfunding for hardware. The UP Global LIVE Stage, sponsored by GE, will showcase the startup community, facilitate connections and provide programming in Eureka Park. The stage will feature panels with iconic entrepreneurs, leading investors, corporate executives and media. In addition to programming, UP Global will host mentor sessions and pitch competitions and provide resources and networking opportunities for exhibitors and attendees.
The second annual ShowStoppers Launch.it power session is a curated pitch event built exclusively for the young, transformative and entrepreneurial startups that exhibit in Eureka Park. Sixteen exhibitors will pitch to a panel of high profile angel/VC investors along with media, analysts and industry experts in the audience. An anchor for the startup community at CES, the 2014 Eureka Park TechZone will feature more than 200 exhibitors, 30 percent more than the 2013 CES. In partnership with UP Global, the National Science Foundation (NSF), General Electric (GE) and AT&T, Eureka Park provides a stage for new companies with technologies to market their innovation to venture capitalists, media and buyers. Eureka Park will have a French pavilion for the first time with UbiFrance bringing 11 French startups to the area. Viva La France!
Building off the success of Eureka Park, the new Eureka Park: NEXT hosts the progressing stage of Eureka Park startups. This TechZone is designed for mid-stage startups that have launched a product in the past year. In Eureka Park: NEXT, retailers, venture capitalists, manufacturers and more will discover established startups looking to expand their growth.
Floored within Eureka Park, Academia Tech focuses on the technologies coming from colleges and universities. CES also offers special networking events curated for startups and entrepreneurs like the invitation-only Entrepreneurs Reception and Tech Cocktail’s Startup Night.
This year, there will be over 3,200 exhibitors across 15 product categories.

GigaOm Roadmap 2013: The Intersection of Design and Experience

Before I learned that Tony Fadell was former SVP of Apple’s iPod division and had reported directly to Steve Jobs, there was a sense that he abided by the “Real Men Ship” rules and I hadn’t yet read his GigaOm Roadmap profile, where he presented on stage this week in San Francisco.

GigaOm events have always been more B2B and enterprise at their core regardless of the theme and this case was no different despite the fact that the conference was atypical in many ways, almost TED-like. Taglined “The Intersection of Design and Experience”, you were almost waiting for earth shattering insights from some of the best geeks, inventors, designers and visionaries in the industry.
In this case, I probably should have started with Tesla’s Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen, except I sadly missed that session, or Adobe on design or even the very cool discussion around using data to program creative spaces, which included Jennifer Magnolfi’s design examples and experiences with Herman Miller and most recently, the Downtown Project in Las Vegas.

But, Tony intrigued me largely because he had a “say it like it is” personality which was refreshing and ever so beautifully arrogant at the same time. He acknowledged how easy it was to raise money now because he was a known and trusted entity because of his so many successes while reminding young 20-something year olds how much faster they could work alongside mentors and get their projects to “go” because of easy access to people compared to two decades ago. It made me want to have lunch with him, maybe even dinner. 

You can’t be in your forties or beyond and not disclose at some juncture that you stand by profitability and having real metrics in place to build not just a perception for a “perception sale” but a sustainable company with an inherent value-add for customers that solve real problems again and again.
Post Apple, he built an energy-efficient home near Lake Tahoe and in the process, was so frustrated with the limitations of the traditional “thermostat,” he redesigned it with former Apple colleague Matt Rogers. The end result became Nest Labs, his current entity and where he spends his energy and time.
While the man has authored more than 300 patents, has a history of successes and seems to get “design” and the design process, it was his going back to basics message (rarer in Silicon Valley) that had me at “go.” He spoke of magical moments, a phrase that made me think of Tony Robbins who talks about creating magical moments in life as a daily practice.
He thinks its just not just our duty to create daily magical moments for ourselves, but in that creation, the trickle effect has a significant impact on everyone and everything around you.
You create them, you don’t wait for them to happen. Once in motion, they have a spiral bowling ball effect. You give (e.g, provide magic in some way shape or form) and the universe gives back in profound ways you never imagined.
Says Tony, “rethink experiences from ground up to create magical moments.” Obviously in this reference, he’s directly referring to product design, yet it’s a way of thinking, a way of life, not a principle in a board room or behind a computer. Enuf said!
Other messages included how data and connectivity shape our world. There’s a ton of Einsteins here she thinks but not a whole lot of Picassos. (Refer to the Steve Martin play Picasso at the Agile which transformed my interaction with an engineering team earlier in my career) Perhaps design is and has always been as important as the technology itself and as it becomes more prolific in our lives as time marches on, more people realize it.  
In the play, both men are on the verge of an amazing idea (Einstein will publish his special theory of relativity and Picasso will paint Les Demoiselles d’Avignon) and they embark on a debate about the value of genius and talent. Who provides more value, the artist or the inventor? You can probably guess my take away on this one.
Instagram’s Kevin Systrom was on their A-list of speakers, someone I’ve heard speak at large business conferences, technology geek fests and in a more intimate setting with Sarah Lacy and Pando Daily. I’m a passionate photographer but still haven’t drunk the Instagram coolaid despite how many times I’ve tried.
I have an account yet never use it and when I compare Instagram to so many other “blow it out the park” examples of design genius, I’m dismayed.
Don’t get me wrong – it’s not as if I don’t get that filtering basic photos on a smart phone isn’t a good idea or sticky, but worth what Facebook paid for it? Worth the frenzy that market gave it? Worth the badge of honor that the industry labeled as a game changer? Cool is cool, but we have an industry which has crowned thy jewel as such when it really shouldn’t be a jewel at all but in the cool is cool category only.  
Says Tony of the service, “the filters thing created an initial wow factor so it created hope.” Hope inherently comes from creating a solution that provides a new way to do something, solves a problem people have had for a long time or in this case, something that makes people feel more creative with very little effort.
Renowned designer John Maeda, who is now President of Rhode Island School of Design talked about how Moore’s Law is influencing design. Connected devices and the web have fundamentally changed the world’s relationship with design, but compared to other aspects of information technology, design can be much harder to quantify.
I first met and hung out with John in the early TED Conference days where he spoke about design concepts on the main stage some 12 or so years ago. I was a fan then and remain a fan today. Says John, “you don’t ‘do’ technology, you ‘do’ people and the people thing and then you add technology back in.” I couldn’t help but want a bunch of Johns to replicate themselves in Silicon Valley. 
It’s basic enough but not being implemented on a grand scale today. Developers more often than not, still build for technology’s sake and the human piece is an after thought, so much so that the UI is often confusing enough that mass scale adoption doesn’t happen.
John spoke of empathy, one of my favorite words. “Take the empathy route,” he encouraged the audience. He asserts that empathy is the grounding force of the intersection of technology, art and design. If the root of technology is in fact art then figuring out where technology, art and design collide is fundamental to understanding art.
“Design is in the details – it is all about empathy,” says John. Great design is as much about taking away as it is about adding to a structure, a product, an idea or a concept. More is great when it is measured against enjoyment (we always want more of a good thing), but the concept of “more” is flipped on its head when it equates to more work or more effort.
Design balances the two and yet as we are learning, computers despite their ability to fabricate real situations and design, don’t do a great job at creating that balance. Today, we want more and more technology and yet “more and more of it” doesn’t necessarily serve us in the most productive way regardless of how much state-of-the-art technology we integrate into our lives.
Ten years ago, technology made things better and more useful, but when “more of it” stops being a continuous and consistent positive return, then we begin to look elsewhere, like design. Design is on the rise again because we are yearning for balance. Great design can help balance the two and re-teach (and remind) us that less is more.
Focusing less about product design (although that was part of his message) and more on creating compelling customer experiences, Square and Twitter’s Jack Dorsey took the stage with GigaOm’s Om Malik.

Jack spoke about simplicity (critical to great design and his work on Twitter is a great example of it) and how so many companies focus on what they do rather than the value they provide. With regard to Square, he asserts over and over again that they’re not in the payments business but the e-commerce business and it’s the entire e-commerce customer experience, not just a piece of it.

Offline merchants never had access to analytics before but by using Square, they can get simple data on customer behavior in real time which can dramatically change the focus and priorities of their business. “End-to-end is what its about,” says Jack. “We want to make sure they focus on the human experience of their business, not the transactional piece of it.” 
Jack says Square’s mission is to focus on the most meaningful pieces of small business, such as the daily human interaction and communications. Square essentially brings commerce to people wherever they happen to be and in this way, transactions, communications and relationships are all conducted in parts of the world that never would have been possible before.
Internally, Square is extending that attitude by showing transparency and trust with their employees, demonstrating an open and caring ‘voice’ inside the company’s walls. Jack’s philosophy is that when you keep things open, you empower employees and build trust.
Truth be told, some of the best ideas can come from employees in other departments or through random ideas they come up with at the water cooler over lunch. With trust comes new innovative ideas and it often happens randomly when you least expect it. ”
“You can’t schedule innovative ideas,” says Jack. It’s serendipity: ideas come, get formed and executed quickly and seamlessly when you gather great minds together in one place and say “go.” The same applies to instilling that behavior and culture across an organization so free flowing ideas can not just see the light of day, but thrive.
Hear hear! I think entrepreneurs with like-thinking like Richard Branson and Tony Hsieh would agree.
Photo credits: Two images from Tony Fadell interview snipped from the GigaOm Roadmap video and all other photos Renee Blodgett.

Discount & Agenda For Silicon Valley’s DEMO Fall 2013

DEMO Fall is coming to Silicon Valley October 15-17, 2013.  
Known as the launchpad
for emerging technologies and trends, they’ll be unveiling 50 new technology products from the DEMO stage, across multiple verticals and industries, including mobile, enterprise, health, wearable
computing, digital money, big data, the Internet of things and more. 
Some of the speakers and judges include Di-Ann Eisnor from Waze, Evernote’s Phil Libin, Ayr Muir from Clover Foods, Yelp’s Jeremy Stoppelman, Jonathan Abrams of Nuzzel, Josh Elman from Greylock Partners, CNBC’s Jon Fortt, Rock Health’s Malay Gandhi, Spark Capital’s Nabeel Hyatt, EchoSign’s Jason Lemkin, Hilary Mason from Accel Partners, Google Ventures’ Shanna TellermanBrian O’Malley from Battery Ventures, FitBit’s CEO James Park and others.
You can register here at a discounted rate of $700 off the normal registration price. It will be held at the Hyatt Regency for those heading out from the East Coast, Asia or Europe. Check out the DEMO Fall 2013 agenda. 
  

2013 AlwaysOn Power Players in Technology Business Media List Announced

AlwaysOn just announced their first annual Power Players in Technology Business Media List. The AlwaysOn Power Players in Technology Business Media list honors editors, writers, and bloggers in the technology world who are keeping technology entrepreneurs informed and connected. Reporting on the massive technology breakthroughs hitting the market almost every day, this list of media have become the voices behind the ideas that make the Global Silicon Valley an incubator for success.

Cool beans that We Blog the World made the cut, which at face value may not make sense, but it’s largely because I also write about technology trends, conferences, events, startups, launches and entrepreneurs on Down the Avenue, on the Huffington Post and of course on We Blog the World, mostly in the products and events section. The site also has a Mobile category as well as a technology category, however the products covered range from luggage and fashion to mobile devices, social apps, gadgets which may help the on-the-go warrior and digital cameras.
While the list is extremely long, and the more traditional cast of characters are listed (NY Times, Wall Street Journal, TechCrunch, Mashable, etc), numerous bloggers are also listed who not just cover technology trends, but also social media and various vertical market industries, such as digital music, technology that moms and/or women care about and lifestyle issues.
As venture capital-backed on-demand companies continue to bring new, innovative products and services to the world, the founders and their products and services are being covered by the people on this list. Many of the winners of this competition will be featured at the upcoming OnMobile 2013: Mobile Venture Summit, which will be held at the Fox Theatre in Redwood City, CA on October 10.

If interested in attending, you can register here to secure your ticket at the lowest possible rate while tickets are still available.   The list is below. (warning: it’s long, but it is an eclectic and interesting curation of writers and pundits, so it’s worth browsing through).

Introducing the 2013 Power Players in Technology Business Media
Byron AcohidoTechnology ReporterUSA Today
Kiran AdithamEditorMediabistro
Erin AilworthBusiness ReporterBoston Globe
Mickey Alam KahnEditor in ChiefMobile Marketer
Chris AlbrechtHost, ReporterGigaOm TV and GigaOM Podcast
Cristina AlesciProducer, M&ABloomberg Television
Anjuman AliMobile EditorThe Washington Post
Jason AlkenyExecutive EditorFierceWireless
Mike AllenReporterThe San Diego Business Journal
Monica AllevenEditor-in-ChiefWireless Week
James AltucherBloggerAltucher Confidential
Chris C. AndersonSenior EditorBusiness Insider: The Wire
Larissa AndersonProducerMarketplace Tech Report – American Public Media
Nate AndersonDeputy EditorArs Technica
Tim AndreacciSegment ProducerBloomberg Television
Robert AndrewsSenior Editor, InternationalGigaOM
Julia AngwinSenior Technology EditorThe Wall Street Journal
Robert AnthonyEditorStadium Circle Features
Simon ApplebaumProducer / HostTomorrow Will Be Televised / BlogTalk Radio
Charles ArthurTechnology EditorThe Guardian
Scott AustinSenior Technology EditorDow Jones VentureWire
Ed BaigReporterUSA Today
Brandon BaileyBusiness and Technology ReporterSan Jose Mercury News
Chris BakerContributing WriterWired
Roberto BaldwinStaff WriterWired
Eric BangemanManaging EditorArs Technica
Emily BanksManaging EditorMashable
Mike BartonEditorWired
Ronald BaruschColumnistThe Wall Street Journal, WSJ.com, MoneyBeat, The Wall Street Journal (Europe Edition), MoneyBeat (E.U.)
Zoran BasichEditorDow Jones VentureWire
Dusan BelicEditorIntoMobile
Shawn BenderDigital EditorWSJ.com
Kevin BenedictEditorMobileEnterpriseStrategies.com
Drake BennettReporterBloomberg Businesweek
David BenoitBlogger, DealsThe Wall Street Journal
Greg BensingerReporterThe Wall Street Journal
Andrew BergEditor in ChiefWireless Week
David BerlindEditor-In-ChiefProgrammableWeb / TechWeb
Nick BiltonTechnology ReporterThe New York Times
Jon BirgerContributing WriterFortune
Matthew BishopNew York Bureau ChiefThe Economist
John BlackstoneNews CorrespondentCBS News Network
Nancy BlairOnline Technology EditorUSA Today
Steve BlankBloggerSteve Blank
Dana BlankenhornContributing WriterSeeking Alpha
Beth BlechermanFounderTechMamas
Henry BlodgetCEO / Editor in ChiefBusiness Insider
Renee BlodgettEditorWe Blog the World
Rebecca BlumensteinDeputy Editor-in-ChiefThe Wall Street Journal
Robin Goldwyn BlumenthalSenior EditorBarron’s
John BlylerEditorial DirectorExtension Media
Katherine BoehretWriterAllThingsD
Christina BonningtonStaff WriterWired
Julie BortEditorBusiness Insider
Wendy BoswellWeb Search GuideAbout.com – Computing
John BoudreauBusiness ReporterThe Mercury News
Clint BoultonStaff WriterThe Wall Street Journal
Paul BoutinFreelanc Journalist / BitsThe New York Times
Toni BowersManaging EditorTechRepublic
Tim BradshawDigital Media CorrespondentFinancial Times
David BrancaccioHostMarketplace – Tech Report
Nic BrisbourneBlogger / Venture CapitalistThe Equity Kicker / Forward Investment Partners
Russ BrittBureau Chief, Los AngelesMarketWatch
Chris BroganBloggerChris Brogan
Joe BrownNew York EditorWired Magazine
Alexandra BruellReporterAdvertising Age
Wendy BrundigeWest Coast TV Bureau ChiefBloomberg TV West
Daniel BrusilovskyHead of Business Development and GrowthRibbon
Joshua BrusteinTechnology WriterBusinessweek
Martin BryantManaging Editor / Co-Founder of TechHub ManchesterThe Next Web / TechHub Manchester
Peter BurrowsSenior WriterBloomberg News
Ward BusheeExecutive Vice President / EditorThe San Francisco Chronicle
Jeff BussgangBlogger / Venture CapitalistSeeing Both Sides / Flybridge Capital
Claire Cain MillerTechnology ReporterThe New York Times
Jason CalacanisBloggerCalacanis.com
Michael CaloreReviews EditorWired
Elisa CamahortBloggerBlogHer
Christina CapecchiContributorThe New York Times
Pete CareyBusiness ReporterThe San Jose Mercury News
Jennifer CarinciProducerYahoo! Finance
Nicholas CarlsonDeputy EditorBusiness Insider Silicon Alley Insider
Callie CarmichaelSenior Associate Producer, CNN MobileCNN.com
Sean CarrollManaging Editor, Software, Internetm andNetworkingPCMag.com
Pete CashmoreCEOMashable
Ben CasnochaBloggerBen Casnocha
John CassidyStaff Writer / BloggerThe New Yorker
Mike CassidyBusiness ColumnistThe San Jose Mercury News
Josh CatoneExecutive Director, Editorial ProjectsMashable
Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology CorrespondentBBC News
Bonnie ChaWriterAllThingsD
Andrea ChangStaff WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Emily ChangHost, BloombergWestBloomberg TV
Laura ChapmanHead, U.S. Broadcast Interview TeamBloomberg Television
Lizette ChapmanReporterDow Jones VentureWire
Stephen ChapmanContributorZDNet
Mike ChappleDatabases GuideAbout.com – Computing
Brian X. ChenReporterThe New York Times
Kevin ChenBloggerSeeking Alpha
Larry ChiangCEODuck9
Ericka ChickowskiContributing WriterDarkReading
Mark ChouekeEditorMarketing Week
Lela ChristineEditor in ChiefThe Power Player Lifestyle Magazine, Inc.
Brian ClarkBloggerCopyblogger
Cynthia ClarkSenior Writer1to1 Media
Don ClarkDeputy Bureau ChiefThe Wall Street Journal
Jason CohenFounderWP Engine / Smart Bear Software.
Sarah CohenSenior ReporterMergermarket – New York, NY
Alex ColonMobile WriterGigaOM
Louis ColumbusContributorForbes
David ConnellEditorTechmeme
Jim CooperExecutive EditorAdweek
Lane CooperFounder and Editorial DirectorBizTechReports
Michael CopelandPartnerAndreessen Horowitz
Stacy CowleyTechnology EditorCNNMoney
Jason CozzaResearch AnalystMergerMarket
Robert CringelyBloggerI, Cringely
Rex CrumTechnology ReporterMarketwatch
Mark CubanBloggerBlog Maverick
Kim-Mai CutlerWriterTech Crunch
Dancho DanchevZero Day BloggerZDNet News
Chris DannenSenior EditorFast Company
Mike DanoExecutive Editor, Telecom GroupFierceWireless
Mila D’AntonioEditor-in-Chief1to1 Media
Matt DanzicoReporterBBC America
Damon DarlinInternational Business EditorThe New York Times
Anil DashCEOAnil Dash
Lidija DavisEditorTechmeme
Lucia DavisExecutive EditoriMedia Connection
Wendy DavisSenior WriterMediaPost Publications
Michael de la MercedReporterThe New York Times
Anthony De RosaEditor in ChiefCirca
Brian DeagonBusiness and Technology JournalistInvestor’s Business Daily
Martha DeGrasseWriter / EditorRCR Wireless News
Jason Del ReyWriterAllThingsD
Peter DelevettBusiness ReporterThe San Jose Mercury News
Cotton DeloSan Francisco Bureau ChiefAdvertising Age
April DemboskyTechnology BloggerThe Financial Times
Kathleen DeVereReporterInside Network
Jesus DiazSenior Contributing Editor and Art DirectorGizmodo
Marla DickersonBusiness EditorThe Los Angeles Times
Larry DignanEditor-in-ChiefZDNet US
Sheila DoughertyAssistant Managing EditorAdvertising Age
John DvorakColumnistMarketWatch – San Francisco, PCMag
Esther DysonChairmanEdVenture.com
Cliff EdwardsReporterBloomberg News
Jim EdwardsSenior Editor, AdvertisingBusinessInsider
Eric EldonCo-EditorTechcrunch
Noah ElkinPrincipal AnalystEMarketer
Tobi ElkinSenior Digital StrategistEMarketer
Stuart ElliottBloggerThe New York Times / In Advertising
Shelley ElmbladPersonal Finance Software GuideExaminer.com, Freelance, About.com – Computing
Philip Elmer-DeWittFreelance Journalist / Senior WriterFortune.com
Rip EmpsonWriterTechcrunch
Ariana Eunjung ChaBusiness and Technology EditorThe Washington Post
Benny EvangelistaReporterThe San Francisco Chronicle
Joel EvansBloggerZDNet
David EwaltSenior EditorForbes
Rebecca FanninJournalistSilicon Dragon / Forbes
Nicole FarghalliBusiness ReporterMarketplace – NPR
Cyrus FarivarSenior Business EditorArs Technica
Sajid FarooqWest Coast BureauBloomberg West – Bloomberg Television
Katie FehrenbacherSenior Writer and Features EditorGigaOm
Brad FeldManaging DirectorFoundry Group
Loren FeldmanSmall Business EditorThe New York Times
Seth FiegermanBusiness ReporterMashable
Jim FinkleBureau ChiefReuters
Brian FitzgeraldDeputy Technology EditorThe Wall Street Journal
Michael FitzgeraldContributing EditorMIT Sloan Management Review and Information Week
Alex FitzpatrickEditor, Digital JournalistTIME
Michele FleuryProducer / ReporterBBC America
Robin FlynnSenior Analyst and Research DirectorSNL Kagan
Tom ForbesWriter / ReporterMarketingDaily Top of the News
Tom ForemskiEditor and PublisherSilicon Valley Watcher
Bree FowlerTechnology and Media WriterAssociated Press
Zoe FoxWriter and Content CoordinatorMashable
Mike FreemanStaff WriterThe San Diego Union Tribune
Wayne FreidmanWest Coast EditorMediaPost Publications
Ina FriedSenior EditorAllThingsD
Sarah FrierReporterBloomberg
Ben FruminEditor-in-ChiefThe Week
Deborah GageReporterDow Jones VentureWire
Amy GahranMobile Tech ContributorCNN.com
Dan GallagherTechnology EditorMarketWatch
Liz GannesWriterAllThingsD
John GapperChairman and Co-FounderFinancial Times
Antoine GaraDeals ReporterTheStreet.com
Josie GarthwaiteFreelance Reporter and EditorThe New York Times, GigaOM
Adriana GascoigneFounderGirls in Tech
Marilyn GeewaxSenior Business EditorNational Public Radio (NPR) Online
David GellesReporterThe New York Times
Nancy-Marshall GenzerSenior ReporterMarketplace – American Public Media
Tomio GeronReporterForbes
Colin GibbsMobile CuratorGigaOM
Kate GibsonReporterMarketWatch – New York
Melinda GibsonContributorDM2 Media.com
Tom GilesReporterBloomberg
David GillenDeputy Business EditorThe New York Times
Amanda (A.J.) GlasserManaging EditorInside Network
Seth GodinBloggerSeth’s Blog
Vindu GoelTechnology ReporterThe New York Times
Kaomi GoetzReporterNPR
David GoldmanTechnology EditorCNNMoney – Tech Tumblr
Michael GoldsteinCEOStun Media
Phil GoldsteinEditorFierceWireless
Lauren GoodeTech ReporterAllThingsD
Lisa GranatsteinManaging EditorAdweek
Andy GreenbergTech ReporterForbes
Zack O. GreenburgSenior EditorForbes
Kerima GreeneSenior Segment Producer, Power LunchCNBC
Stephen GregoryEditor, MarketplaceMarketplace Tech Report – American Public Media
Erin GriffithReporterPandoDaily
Grant GrossReporterIDG News Service, Washington Bureau
Lev GrossmanSenior WriterTIME
Galen GrumanExecutive Editor, FeaturesInfoWorld
Connie GuglielmoTechnology EditorForbes
Marc GuntherContributing WriterFortune
Bill GurleyBlogger / General PartnerAboveThe Crwd / Benchmark Capital
Jessica GuynnReporterThe Los Angeles Times
Anthony HaMedia, Advertising, and Startups ReporterTechcrunch
Stephanie HabermanSocial and Digital ProducerNBC News
Salim HafidEditorTechmeme
Walter HamiltonStaff WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Jonathan HandelContributing Editor / BloggerThe Hollywood Reporter / The Huffington Post
Devindra HardawarNational Editor and Lead Writer, MobileBeatVentureBeat
Francine HardawayPressStealthmode Partners
Quentin HardyDeputy Technology EditorThe New York Times
Peter HargroveManaging EditorIBR News
Lex HarisManaging EditorCNNMoney
Derrick HarrisSenior WriterGigaOM
Timothy HayReporterDow Jones Newswires
Jon HeEditorial WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Pia HeikkilaFreelance Journalistmergermarket
Christopher HeineStaff WriterAdweek
Jessi HempelPress, Internet and TechnolgyFortune
Stephen HennTechnology CorrespondentNPR
Arik HesseldahlSenior EditorAllThingsD
Michael HickinsEditorThe Wall Street Journal / CIO Journal
Patrice HillChief Economic CorrespondentThe Washington Times
Michael HiltzikBusiness ColumnistThe Los Angeles Times
Peter HimlerFounderFlatiron Communications
Dion HinchcliffeContributorZDNet News
Adam HirschSenior EditorMashable
David HoEditor for Mobile, Tablets, and Emerging TechnologyThe Wall Street Journal
Robert HoffWriterForbes
Melissa HoffmanDeputy News EditorAdweek
Matthias HohenseeSenior U.S. correspondent and columnistWirtschaftswoche
Christopher HosfordEast Coast Bureau ChiefBtoB
Denise HowellPressZDNet, TWiT
Dan “Shoe” HsuEditor-in-Chief, GamesBeatVentureBeat
Jackie HubaBloggerChurch Of The Customer
Katherine HuntContent EditorMergermarket
Elise Hu-StilesDigital Editorial CoordinatorNPR
Abraham HyattEditorReadWriteWeb
Gretchen HymanEditor-in-ChiefiMedia Connection.com
Julie IanuzziExecutive Producer VieoMarketWatch
Mike IsaacSenior EditorAllThingsD
Amish JaniBlogger / Venture CapitalistJust Getting Started / Firstmark Capital
Adrianne JeffriesReporterBetaBeat / The New York Observer
Nicholas JesdanunTechology WriterAssociated Press
Zem JoaquinBloggerecofabulous
Ben JohnsonProducerMarketplace Tech Report – American Public Media
Branwell JohnsonDeputy EditorMarketing Week
Steve JohnsonBusiness ReporterThe San Jose Mercury News
Dan JonesJournalistLight Reading Mobile
Pradnya JoshiNews EditorThe New York Times
Peter KafkaSenior EditorAllThingsD
S. Mitra KalitaCommentary EditorQuartz
Ziad KaneEditor-in-ChiefThe Next Web
Cecilia KangReporter / BloggerThe Washington Post
Matt KapkoWriterClickZ.com
Rimma KatsStaff ReporterMobile Commerce Daily
Guy KawasakiBloggerHow to Change the World
Kate KayeManaging EditorClickZ
Kevin KellyBloggerKevin Kelly’s Lifestream
Meghan KellyWriterVentureBeat
Andy KesslerColumnistThe Wall Street Journal
Olga KharifReporterBloomberg News, Bloomberg Businessweek
Queena KimSenior ReporterMarketplace – American Public Media
Ryan KimStaff WriterGigaOM
Rachel KingStaff WriterCBS INteractive
Rachel KingStaff WriterCBS INteractive
Richard KirklandSenior Managing EditorMcKinsey & Co.
Scott KirsnerContributing WriterBoston Globe
Alex KnappStaff WriterForbes
Dennis KnealeSenior Correspondent / Desk EditorFox Business News
Josh KopelmanBlogger / Venture CapitalistFirst Round Capital / Redeye VC
Steve KovachSenior Technology EditorBusiness Insider
Matt KrantzMarkets ReporterUSA Today
Tom KrazitExecutive EditorGigaOM
Carol KrolManaging Editor, Custom ContentCBS Interactive
Danielle KuceraReporterBloomberg
Sarah LacyFounder and Editor in ChiefPandoDaily
David LaFontainePartnerArtesian Media
Ed LambertBlogger / Venture CapitalistLambert’s Logon / Bridge Bank
William LangbeinWest Coast Managing Editor and Bureau ChiefMergermarket San Francisco
Matthew LasarAssociate WriterArs Technica
JD LasicaFounder and PrincipalSocialbrite.org
Doug LavantureEditorial Umbrella TeamBloomberg News – Bloomberg Television
Ryan LawlerWriterTechCrunch
Corrina LawsonSenior Editor and BloggerWired, Wired.com, GeekDad
Stephen LawsonSenior U.S. CorrespondentIDG News Service
Christopher LawtonReporterThe Wall Street Journal
Michal LenchnerInnovation and Cleantech WriterThe San Francisco Examiner
Rebecca LeveyWriterMashable
Sam LevinHost, Co-FounderAppMinute
Matthew LevineSenior Producer at Bloomberg TVBloomberg TV
Meridith LevinsonSenior WriterThe Wall Street Journal, CIO Journal
Michal Lev-RamWriterFortune / CNNMoney
Jessica LiebmanManaging EditorThe Business Insider
Michael LiedtkeReporterAssociated Press
Marc LifsherStaff WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Kelly LiyakasaAssociate EditorAdExchanger
Jeremy LockhornContributing WriterClickZ
Steve LohrSenior Writer / Technology ReporterThe New York Times
Constance LoizosTech Transfer Department HeadVenture Capital Analyst
Linette LopezEditor, ClusterstockBusiness Insider
David LouieTech Reporter and Business EditorABC7 (KGO-TV)
Ingrid LundenStaff WriterTechcrunch
Eric LundquistBlogger / Technology AnalysteWeek / ZBI
Peter LuriaBusiness EditorBuzzFeed
Matthew LynleyBusiness EditorBuzzFeed
Dan MabbuttVisual Basic GuideAbout.com
Douglas MacMillanReporterBloomberg News
Jamis MacNivenPancake GuyBuck’s of Woodside
Kate MaddoxExecutive EditorBtoB
Michelle MaistoSenior WritereWeek
Om MalikFounder and Senior WriterGigaOM
Joe MandeseEditorMediaPost Publications
Sue MarekEditor-in-ChiefFierceWireless
John MarkoffReporterThe New York Times
Matt MarshallFounder and Editor in ChiefVentureBeat
Cody MaxwellContributing WriterMediaBiz
Patrick MayStaff WriterThe San Jose Mercury News
Megan McCarthyDeputy Technology EditorReuters
Mark McCluskyEditorWired
Ben McConnellBloggerChurch Of The Customer
Becky McCrayBloggerSmall Biz Survival
John McDermottMobile ReporterAdvertising Age
Ellen McGirtSenior WriterFast Company
Scott McGrewProducerNBC- KNTV San Francisco
Kevin McKennaDeputy Business EditorThe New York Times
Robert McMillanSenior WriterWired.com
Jennifer McNallyVice President of Content MarketingIAB SmartBrief
Stephanie MehtaDeputy Managing EditorFortune
Fred MeierReporterUSA Today
Mark MeineroAssistant Managing EditorCNNMoney
Martha MendozaNational WriterAssociated Press
Diane MermigasEditor-at-LargeMarketing Daily
John MervinNew York Business EditorBBC America
Ellen MessmerSenior EditorNetwork World
Cade MetzEnterprise EditorWired
Rachel MetzIT EditorTechnology Review
Dan MeyerEditor-in-ChiefRCR Wireless News
Mike MichalowiczBloggerToilet Paper Entrepreneur
Michael MillerSeniore Vice President, Technology StrategyZBI / PCMag.com
Paul MillerSenior EditorThe Verge
Maria MinskerEditorCRM
Sarah MitroffReporterWired
Brett MolinaOnline Assistant Technology EditorUSA Today
Justin MontgomeryBloggerMobile Marketing Watch
Angela MooreCommentary EditorMarketWatch
Richard MorganEditor-at-LargeThe Deal
Mary MorrisonContributing Editor, NetMarketingBtoB
Brian MorrisseyEditor-in-ChiefDigiDay
Lucia MosesStaff WriterAdweek
Walt MossbergWriterAllThingsD
Ben MunsonAssociate EditorWireless Week
Samantha MurphyTechnology ReporterMashable
Greg NessBlogger / Venture CapitalistArchimedius / CloudVelocity
James NiccolaiBureau ChiefIDG News Service
Babak NiviBloggerVenture Hacks
Michael NoerExecutive EditorForbes
Yuki NoguchiNational CorrespondentNational Public Radio
Chris NolterAdvertising Industry ReporterThe Deal
John ObrechtWeb Site EditorBtoB
Chris O’BrienStaff WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Jolie O’DellreporterDow Jones VentureBeat
Steve O’HearContributing WriterTech Crunch
Oke OkaroGlobal Head, MobileBloomberg
Parmy OlsonReporterForbes
Gavin O’MalleyReporterMediaPost Publications
Randy OrtizExecutive EditorData Center Journal
Barbara OrtutayTechnology WriterAssociated Press
Matthew Osborn-GrossoEditorTechmeme
George OsterkampProducerCBS News Network
Adam OstrowChief Strategy OfficerMashable
Shira OvideReporterThe Wall Street Journal
Laura OwenWriterGigaOM
Peter PachalTechnology EditorMashable
John PaczkowskiDeputy Managing EditorAllThingsD
Mahendra PalsuleEditorTechmeme
Anna PapachristosStaff Writer1to1 Media
Franklin PaulTechnology ReporterReuters
John PeabodyOnline EditorReuters
Marisa PeacockSenior ReporterCMS Wired
Julianne PepitoneTechnology ReporterCNNMoney – Tech Tumblr
Sarah PerezWriterTech Crunch
Tim PetersonDigital and Technology ReporterAdvertising Age
Ben PimentelTechnology ReporterMarketwatch
Andy PlesserExecutive Producer / FounderBeet.tv
Therese PolettiTechnology ColumnistMarketWatch
Judann PollackDeputy EditorAdvertising Age Online
Dorothy PomerantzLos Angeles Bureau ChiefForbes
Chris PreimesbergerSenior WritereWeek
Emily PriceTech ReporterMashable
Daniel PrimackSenior EditorFortune.com
Maisie RamsayAssociate EditorWireless Week
Naval RavikantBloggerVenture Hacks
Tiernan RaySenior EditorBarron’s
Maggie ReardonSenior WriterCNET US
Brad ReedWriter / EditorArs Technica
Sarah ReedySenior ReporterLight Reading Mobile
Scott ReyburnFormer Editor at InsideMobileApp, Freelance writerMediaPost/Inside Mobile Apps
Aaron RicadelaReporterBloomberg / Businessweek
Matt RichtelReporter / BloggerThe New York Times Bit
Ed RingExecutive Director / EditorCalifornia Public Policy Center / UnionWatch
Gabe RiveraFounderTechmeme
Abigail RobertsPressMergermarket USA
Jordan RobertsonReporterBloomberg
Jennifer RooneyCMO Channel EditorForbes
Matt RosoffEditorial DirectorCITEworld
Caitlin RossmanAssociate EditorClickZ
Wilson RothmanDeputy Technology / Science EditorNBC News
Dan RowinskiManaging EditorReadWriteWeb
Steve RubelEditor in ChiefComputerworld
Dominic RusheU.S. Business CorrespondentThe Guardian US
Evelyn RusliReporterThe Wall Street Journal
Jon RussellAsia EditorThe Next Web
Terrence RussellFreelance Contributor / ResearcherWired, Wired.com
Jennifer SabaCorrespondentReuters
Albert SaccoSenior EditorCIO.com
Danielle SacksSenior WriterFast Company
Ira SagerSpecial Projects DirectorBloomberg Businessweek
David SarnoStaff WriterThe Los Angeles Times
Joel SchectmanReporterWall Street Journal / CIO Journal
Cromwell SchubarthSenior Technology ReporterSilicon Valley Business Journal
Robert ScobleBlogger / Rackspace Liasion OfficerScobleizer
Doc SearlsBloggerDocSearls Weblog
Laurie SegallTechnology ReporterCNNMoney – Tech Tumblr
Sascha SeganLead Analyst, MobilePCMag.com
Somini SenguptaTechnology CorrespondentThe New York Times
Alex ShermanMedia and Cable ReporterBloomberg News
Erik ShermanBloggerCBS MoneyWatch
Mike ShieldsEditor-in-ChiefMediaweek / Adweek
Robert ShrimsleyManaging EditorFinancial Times
Sara SilverReporterThe Wall Street Journal
Matt SilvermanEditorial DirectorMashable
Brad SmithContributing EditorWireless Week
Cooper SmithBusiness Insider writerBusiness Insider
Cooper SmithBusiness Insider writerBusiness Insider writer
Jacquelyn SmithReporterForbes
Steve SmithEditor, Mobile Daily MarketingMediapost
Ben SmithÂEditor-in-ChiefBuzzfeed
Mike SniderTechnology and Entertainment ReporterUSA Today
Brian SolisBloggerBrian Solis
David SparkPress960, The Quake
Lori SpechlerBooking and Market, Senior EditorCNBC
Dina Spectorscience reporterBusiness Insider
Suzanne SpectorTechnology EditorThe New York Times
Laura StamplerReporter, AdvertisingBusiness Insider
Prodan StatevEditorTechmeme
Emily SteelMedia and Marketing ReporterThe Financial Times
Liz StraussBloggerSuccessful Blog
Danny SullivanEditor-In-ChiefSearch Engine Land
Laurie SullivanSenior WriterMediaPost
Mark SusterBlogger / Venture CapitalistBoth Side of the Table / Upfront Ventures
Bob SuttonBlogger / ProfessorWork Matters / Stanford University
Peter SvenssonTechnology WriterAssociated Press
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VatorSplash, Where VCs, Entrepreneurs With Cool Apps & An Industry Ecosystem Meet

I haven’t had a chance to attend a VatorSplash event in awhile because of so much travel however I was in town for the latest one, held this week at San Francisco’s Cafe Du Nord on Market Street.

The event, as always, was packed full of interesting speakers, including renowned investors Jed Katz, Lars Leckie, Charles Moldow, Rory O’Driscoll, Keith McCurdy, Erin Hakansson, Alan Chiu, Dave Samuel, Rick Moss, Charles Hudson, Rob Coneybeer, Howard Hartenbaum, Tony Conrad, and others.
Docusign’s CEO Keith Krach keynoted on best practices and Jared Simon talked about lessons learned from their work at HotelTonight. In traditional VatorSplash style, the band Coverflow played in the basement at Cafe Du Nord following the event. With a new sound that has leapfrogged from their more well known 1980s standards, Raj Kapoor, Phil Kaplan, Ethan Beard, Prashant Fuloria, Tim Chang, Kristian Segerstrale and The Mule played through the night while the die hards danced.

Above, HotelTonight’s Co-Founder and COO Jared Simon on the VatorSplash stage.

Of the companies who presented, a few call outs include The Orange Chef Company, a great new product for foodies, which focuses on the notion that eating well starts at home. With the Prep Pad and accompanying iOS app, Countertop, you’ll have insight beyond your plate. Quickly assemble meals on Prep Pad and watch as Countertop presents you real time nutritional information on your iPad or iPhone. Set your own goals, discover more about your food and gain confidence in making the right choices. They’re taking pre-orders now.

SweatGuru was founded by two women and is based in San Francisco. SweatGuru is the first marketplace that brings people together around fitness classes and experiences. By allowing anyone to organize, discover, book and share fitness classes online, SweatGuru takes the work out of working out. They also help small and medium-sized fitness businesses get online and be more successful.

By offering easy-to-use tools for marketing, scheduling, payments and staying in touch with clients, SweatGuru allows fitness professionals to spend more time teaching and less time behind a desk.
TravelingSpoon is an online marketplace that connects travelers with vetted, local, and authentic food experiences — from cooking classes to homemade meals — in people’s homes around the world.
TravelingSpoon creates an alternative to traditional restaurant experiences that allows travelers to experience local culture and cuisine on the road, providing travelers with meaningful experiences and cultural exchange.  It has launched its beta in India, Thailand and Vietnam but they hope to expand to other regions later on.

In addition, they also offer in-home cooking classes as well as market tours as an extra add-on to many of the meal experiences. They say that all of their hosts have been vetted to ensure a safe and delightful culinary experience.

Kudos to Bambi and her team for always pulling off such an amazing event.

Vator’s Splash Event on October 2 Showcases Ten Innovative Startups

Vator, one of the
largest business networks dedicated to entrepreneurs and investors, is holding
its popular Splash event on October 2 at the Cafe du Nord in San Francisco followed by one of their infamous after parties where Coverflow will jam with attendees at the bar!
The event showcases ten promising startups who have raised no more than $2M, who will present on stage in front of an audience
of some 400 attendees in the high-tech space. Past winners have raised $50-plus
million in follow-on funding and have included Thumbtack, Udemy, PokitDok,
DogVacay, and others.

Speakers include Keith Krach (CEO of DocuSign), Jared Simon (Founder,
HotelTonight), Rory O’Driscoll (Scale Venture Partners), Rick Lewis (US Venture
Partners), Lisa Maki (Pokitdok), Jed Katz (Javelin Venture Partners), Howard
Hartenbaum (August Capital), Charles Hudson (SoftTechVC), Lars Leckie (Hummer
Winblad), Jenny Fielding (BBC Worldwide), Tony Conrad (True Ventures), Rob
Coneybeer (Shasta Ventures), Rick Moss (Hub Ventures), Charles Moldow
(Foundation Capital), Andy Ross (Grant Thornton), Dave Samuel (Freestyle
Capital), Ben Ling (Khosla Ventures), Kristian Segerstrate (Initial Capital),
Ted Wang (Fenwick & West), Raj Kapoor (Mayfield), Ezra Roizen (Ackrell
Capital), and Bambi Francisco (Vator). 

To get discounted tickets enter promocode “magicsauce15” to get 15%
off your registration. Register here: https://vatorsplash2013.eventbrite.com/.