I retired from personal blogging in July 2008.
But you can find me over at http://blog.xero.com.
The latest Start Up Magazine this month seems to feature everyone I know. You can’t walk out of the building without running into a tech entrepreneur.
Peter Griffin did a great article of Silicon Welly. Laughed at the Glazier Mafia bit, but it is amazing how many businesses you can trace from our humble beginnings in Wang House.
I’ve been meaning to catalog them for while. Can anyone remember any more names of businesses that started from people at Glazier?So far I’ve got Utlilyx, Viatx, Context Connect, AfterMail, Intergen, Xero, ActionThis, Navitas, Provoke, Ponoko, Get Staffed, Plan HQ, WhatsInPlay, Mindscape …
Intergen must have over 200 people now. That’s awesome.
Our very own Craig has been learning and positioned himself well on the front cover. Dock 10 points for not wearing any branding.
It is is fantastic being part of a community that helps each other as much as people do in Wellington. It’s also fun when the band reforms (it’s like a geek version of the Dunedin music scene) as you get to work with people from 10+ years ago.
Great to see how much people develop and learn, and apply their skills.
Subscribe to the magazine at www.start-up.co.nz
While the rest of us were working, Troy (41) sends me some pictures of what he was doing at Plimmerton on Friday.
I’m working too much.
Watershots by Chris Brown.
Congrats to Wellington game guru’s Sidhe shipping Speedracer.
Sidhe shifts a gear with Speed Racer
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Presents Speed Racer - the Videogame
As a developer of business software I’m in awe of how much work must go into a video game.
Astoria is my least favourite Wellington Cafe. They have deliberate designed their customer experience to be annoying.
- No Trim milk. I’ve been asking for 8 years. Every second person asks. “No we don’t do that”. Grrrr.
- Please wait for your coffee. WTF ?!?!. I have an important meeting with my guest waiting at the table while I’m wasting 5-7 mins waiting for a surly barista to make the coffee. I’m seething. If there was an Astoria doll I’d be putting pins in it.
Astoria has had this feedback for years, yet value their processes above their customers.
Voting with feet. Never going back.
Now here is a great idea for the Miramar cutting
Imagine driving between these guys each night. We should so do that.
When are the next council elections? When can we start lobbying? Make them cellphone towers. Just make ‘em.
Here’s another great little company coming out of the Wellington tech scene.
BookHabit is an online publishing site that enables authors to self-publish works online for free, contributing to an online library of ebooks accessible by readers all over the world. Readers can sample a book with a free first chapter before they buy. Full books start from US$2.50 (approx NZ$3.30) to download.
“Authors take a 40% slice of each sale, and can earn more than the typical 5 - 12% traditional publishers might pay,†said Bookhabit.com co-founder Clare Tanner.
Should be an interesting one to watch.
One of the things we’re most proud about in Wellington is our Cafe culture. The horror this morning of seeing that our council has jerked Eva Dixon’s at the Zoo around now as well and they have to exit over the next few weeks.
This follows on from Scorching Bay being bereft of our beloved Chocolate Fish while resource consents are sorted. No Cafe over summer.
Now Eva Dixon’s who open early, are kid friendly and have injected some style into the Zoo and made it cool to go again have been turfed.
Great case of beauracry getting on the way of doing what’s right.
Council, show some common sense. Accelerate the Fish and leave Eva Dixons where they are.
Our City owes more to them then they owe to us.
It’s last days for Wellington institution The Chocolate Fish.
Background article here … Wellington’s Chocolate Fish to wriggle off hook, though things aren’t as optimistic as that article reports.
The real story appears to be less about the council, more about a local spat and opportunism. Regardless it just needs to get sorted.
The Wrights and the Pennington’s have done a huge amount for Wellington. They have been open now for 10 years with only a few days off. The Fish is the first place I take overseas visitors, straight off the plane, to experience a stunning view, unpretentious surroundings, great coffee and friendly staff who go out of their way to make you feel at home. I’d argue the Fish is more important to business in Wellington than TePapa.
There is a deal underway to move the Fish further into Scorching Bay to the triathlon club. The issue here is the land is on both Council and DOC land so you can imagine the bureaucracy in getting that sorted.
Council have been working hard but surely this is a case for a divine intervention.
The Chocolate Fish is too important to be down for even a month. Just get the Wrights/Pennington’s back doing what they do best, as fast as possible, and sort the paper work out later.
Miramar residents will be happy to see that our wharf is finally cleared of the Szap8 and James Cook.
Here was the scene this morning as they were being led away.
Only the Venture to go. Though it looks like someone’s living on it at the moment.
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