Spring may just have sprung...

Stunning weekend (I got sunburnt) and a beautiful day today. Pity I've been locked indoors with my nose in my laptop working on proposals all day :(

Still, at least i survived the New York winter.

Why the US startup visa matters to Brits

By Ewan MacLeod

I'll just repost the link: http://www.mobileindustryreview.com/2010/03/the_us_startup_visa_a_boon_for_dismayed_frustrated_british_entrepreneurs.htmlA great commentary on the British character, and US views on risk & entrepreneurship by Ewan MacLeod. 

As most readers know, I'm in this struggle (for a visa for my startup) right now. It's not enjoyable, or cheap!

The hacking cough returneth

I'm back in the US of A (despite the seventh degree from US Immigration), and unfortunately still have this ridiculous rattly cough that I picked up on arrival in the UK. It is starting to really annoy me, keep me up all night and most probably annoy my neighbours too.

Enough already! 

Anyway, mucho work-related news and information will be forthcoming over the coming week, so watch this space :)

Daydreaming vs planning

What, pray tell, is the difference? I suspect only one woman knows, and she's not telling.

Honey & lemon again

It's great to catch up with family, and to spend time in the loving embrace of a 35kg Golden Retriever, but my timing sucks. Having only just shaken one yankee cold, I've now picked up a European varietal and am once again a snivelling mess.

Unfortunately I don't have the other half to look after me, though I do have my mum!

An episode of Father Ted

Due to late JFK takeoff, I cut it very fine for my connecting flight. I was consequently taken on a VIP, exceedingly rapid, guided tour of Dublin airport (including through the 'diplomatic' aisle at passport control and security). I swear this personalized run could've been scripted by Graham Linehan and Arthur Mathews.

Highlight - setting off the alarms and being told (in a broad brogue that I couldn't have made up if I tried): "Ahh, but you look trustworthy, so you do. Get yourself away".

:)

Home

Back in the, back in the, back in the UK.

Mostly to a warm (and slightly maniacal) welcome from my big bear, who is now fast asleep by my feet from all the excitement.

Leaving, on a jet plane...

I fly from JFK today, for a mini-marathon trip that will take in Dublin, Manchester and Berlin. 

Prior to boarding, I figured I'd pop down to my local brunch spot - 202 in Chelsea Market, where I ordered 'the usual', with a Virgin Mary ('but hold the foliage'). The day I leave is the day I suddenly feel utterly at home here.

Oh dear Google Buzz...

'don't be evil'?

Umm, apparently you've outed Iranian protestors, journalists' protected sources and put a domestic abuse survivor at risk. Way to go!

Being an entrepreneur

I've really started noticing (thanks, Twitter!) how Conservatives, Reaganites/Thatcherites, Ponzi-schemers and general oddballs flock to anybody who calls themselves an entrepreneur. I'm sorry "ConservativeFinanceCycles", I don't want to follow your polemics about Obama's "socialism", but thanks for the follow all the same. [BLOCK!]

"The opposite of play isn't work. It's depression."

Brian Sutton-Smith via Jane McGonigal (www.avantgame.com)

I understand Jane McGonigal's theme at TED this year was that the youth of today are spending thousands of hours gaming - so what skills are they learning as a result?

Firstly,  this isn't a 'youth of today issue', although obviously it's less social in some respects now (and more social in other respects) - you can play games online from your bedroom, or alone on your mobile phone while on the bus. No, I seem to remember spending thousands of hours perfecting my technique on an Atari 2600, or playing text adventures on my ZX Spectrum (actually, I had an Oric) twenty-five years ago, to be fair, and I remember the pikeys down the arcade who knew *exactly* how every pinball machine worked.

However, the only reason I was playing against a Brazilian and a Pakistani was because I lived in an expat community in the Middle East, whereas today the bedroom battler is engaging with different cultures the world over.

As for 'what skills are they learning as a result' - clearly death and mayhem rank quite highly. Personally, I'd quite like them to understand the concept of a retail consumer economy...

Postscript: Brian Sutton-Smith is a theorist about games and play, but may also be known amongst my kiwi readers as a novelist.

What a hectic week!

Between mobile advertising, m-commerce, the startup, interviewing games-y people, more investor meetings, and being camped out at 202 cafe in Chelsea Market all day today, I'm exhausted, though jittery from all the double cappucinos!

Fortunately, the beloved is apparently cooking me Dover Sole tonight, or the nearest equivalent Whole Foods can manage, so a nice relaxed evening to unwind with.

And Zynga just bought a social gaming startup. Maybe I'm not a dreamer, after all :)

Phone glitch

FYI, Friday Feb 5th, my phone is down. Seems to be texting just fine, but not receiving or making calls.

I'm at home sick all day anyway, so if you need me this weekend I'm likely to be on +1.646.360.2866, or email.

J 

Unsure which is more debilitating

This nasty ache-y cold, or the fact that Time Warner Cable still haven't turned my broadband back on...

Psychology, not technology

My personal-professional mantra

They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Which I guess means plagiarism is tantamount to love.

The phrase 'it's about psychology, not technology' first made an appearance in regard to mobile solutions in a presentation I gave to Orange in 2001 as COO of Scan Mobile. It has since appeared in presentations by Digital Rum, Run The Red, Fronde Anywhere, Flame Digital and Sponge, who I just discovered have co-opted it as their own.

I guess I'm going to have to work on a new one for a new decade, and the beginnings of a career in a slightly different direction. But I do love it so. Or maybe i should have trademarked it, and be earning royalties...?

Seeking NYC-based games designer

Contract or perm

We're seeking a talented games designer, NYC-based, who is keen to work with a small team developing compelling gameplay around our basic concept.

We're a social game startup, our initial concept is aimed at a young female market, and we want to make it sticky, viral and as much fun as possible. Contact me at jon@jukebucks.com for more details, or with a CV/portfolio or link to your work.