Finovate Spring 2011 and the 3G Blood Bath
The whole event is a strange combination of high-tech magic show, circus act, and speed dating. Following the philosophy that there is no such thing as bad press, it’s not unusual to have a presenters accompany their product demo while playing a ukulele solo or performing a juggling act.
Big O Notation
So if you have been suffering from recursive algorithmic nightmares, or have never fully understood the concept of algorithmic efficiency, (or plan to interview for a position on my team), here is a short and concise primer on the subject.
Just Say No to Features
To hit the market early and within budget, your feature development strategy must focus on creating the bare essential functionality. So in this vein, you should make it prove itself to be a “worthy survivor”. Your features need to be tough, resilient, and lean. I have come to embrace the U.S Navy SEAL’s “hell week” screening approach before letting any one of them into my development cycle.
Scaling the Wall
It’s romantic to view the world as a wall, scaled heroically by pure self-esteem. But in complex endeavors you’re certain to fall, without the support of a team.
The Startup Leap to Success
In the words of Ecclesiastes, there is a time and purpose for everything under heaven. In the early stages of a startup’s life cycle, process is negotiable. Too much process may hinder the speed in which you can build a functional POC. In later stages, however, good process and procedures (e.g. requirements, QA, unit testing, documentation, build automation, etc., ) are critical. They are the very foundations of any commercial grade product.