Winding down the week

‘back in Poole, I took a walk along the beaches, the winter chill finally starting to warm.  While things are not advancing as quickly as I might like, they are grinding ahead and the season is turning more hopeful.  Plans, products, investors, and resources are all converging positively: while it feels like I should do this more easily after thirty years in the business, I’m still learning new things each day that are improving our progress.

Following on the heels of the FCC decision to regulate Internet providers as a utility, the NY Times ran an article describing the Dutch experience with similar legislation.  While acknowledging that the Netherlands is a smaller place than the US, the effect of Neutrality has not been constraining on the ISPs.  The greater factor in determining quality of service seems to be competition.  If the Free Market folks would limit the monopoly power of Comcast et. al, then the US might achieve the level of service that the Netherlands enjoys.

Instead, my right-wing friends maintain The US government, given the time and resources, will screw it up for all.  With a Republican Congress?

The FT ran a nice commentary on the difference between Unicorns and Zebras, the ones with billion-dollar floats vs .the ones that only go on to establish successful businesses.  Any startup that achieves revenue and profitability is a rarity, and all achieving that milestone should be supported and celebrated.

I’ve been listening to the Startup Podcast, a narrative eavesdrop on the entrepreneurial journey.  Developing a pitch, dividing shares among founders, what shoes to wear to a meeting: its all there.  But he dos it so badly, so naively.  I find myself giving his pitch, telling him what he percentages should be…it’s a measure of how far I’ve come in five years.

‘and a delightful account of Senior Nomads in the NY Times: a 60-ish couple who have spent the last two years living a week at a time in AirBnBs across Europe.  I went onto their blog and found a lot of expat experiences that resonated with me.

We have a better understanding of the world and just what it takes to get by in life and still be comfortable. We have slowed down and enjoyed each day as it comes.

We will keep doing this as long as we haven't run out of money, stopped having fun, or fallen over and can't get up.

So far so good!

Indeed.