Chris M

The "Will you marry me?" (WYMM) syndrome turns every online messaging opportunity into a nail begging to be hit with the donation hammer. I can point to dozens of orgs that create sites that are essentially fundraising brochures with donation buttons and paragraphs about the history of the organization. There are also not-for-profits that take the WYMM mistake beyond web sites and into their social media strategies, advertising opportunities, newsletters and partnerships - Chris M

The Mountain View Internet colossus said it will send out window decals to more than 100,000 U.S. restaurants, shops and hangouts that have proven popular on Google's search engine and map service. The stickers will proclaim the businesses a "Favorite Place on Google," helping to lure customers in much the way "Zagat Rated" signs or framed newspaper reviews have done for years. But Google being Google, there's a technology twist. Each decal will include a unique bar code that consumers can scan with the cameras on their mobile device -- like iPhones or Android-based handsets -- to find reviews and coupons or eventually submit their own feedback. - Chris M

he is a design dictator of the company. and it’s fortunate for apple and the world in general, that they have him because without his ironhand, the company would soon devolve back into a political, consensus driven company. it would still have great products from a certain point of view, but i doubt that they would ever have the game changing, superiority they exhibit now. committees would grow, politics would ensue, control battles would happen, and superior products would be hampered by all this. steve removes all that; he makes the final decision and pushes details that no one else would have the authority to push. and being at the top, you have to listen to him or else you’re fired. that’s it; end of story. - Chris M

At Google I/O this year, one demo booth stood out above all others: The Holodeck. It was basically eight giant, long screens arranged in a circle that displayed Google Street View imagery. When you stepped into the contraption, it was a bit like zooming around outside. Today, Google has taken the time to explain the project a bit, which it now calls “Liquid Galaxy.” - Chris M

The conventional wisdom about the venture capital business is that 1 of 10 investments “really” make money; 2 or 3 of them do “ok;” 2 or 3 return the money invested and the rest fail. The reality over the past few years is much worse - more like 60-70% of venture-backed startups fail to return at least the capital invested. Why do these companies fail? - Chris M

Oblong Industries is the developer of the g-speak spatial operating environment. The SOE's combination of gestural i/o, recombinant networking, and real-world pixels brings the first major step in computer interface since 1984; - Chris M