The Latest from TechCrunch |  |
- People Spend Twice As Much Time On Netflix Than On Hulu
- LG Prepping Ice Cream Sandwich Update For Q2 2012 Release
- Cooklet Aims To Disrupt The Stodgy Cooking Scene With Gingerbread Carp
- Streamonomy: Radionomy Opens Platform To Online, Traditional Radio Stations Alike
- Tango Card Aims To Make Gift Card Giving A More Personal Experience
- TechCrunch Moscow — All The On-stage Video
- 55 Inches: LG To Showcase World’s Largest OLED TV AT CES 2012
- Now GoDaddy Has To Contend With ByeDaddy
- Sony Exits LCD Joint Venture With Samsung
- TechGrinch Was Not Impressed By Google’s “Jingle Bells” Doodle
- Gratitude Scales. Take A Few Seconds To Say “I Love You”
- A Few Tips For Developers On How To Get Hired By A Startup
- How To Use Anyone’s Face As A Facebook Chat Emoticon
- What Startup To Build?
| People Spend Twice As Much Time On Netflix Than On Hulu Posted: 26 Dec 2011 08:50 AM PST  Netflix and Hulu are the two leading video streaming services on the Web when it comes to mainstream TV shows and movies. More people watch Netflix online than Hulu, and have since about 18 months ago. In November, 2011, comScore estimates that Netflix.com attracted 26.6 million unique visitors, versus 20.2 million for Hulu But a better metric to compare the two is how much time people actually spend at each site. And there Netflix trounces Hulu by two to one. U.S. visitors spent 1 billion minutes on Netflix.com in November, 2011, versus 480 million minutes on Hulu, according to comScore. (One caveat here is that people also go to Netflix.com to manage their DVD accounts and browse movie titles in addition to streaming videos, but the growth in time spent is most likely coming from streaming). Netflix has an edge over Hulu in that it streams more movies than TV shows, and those tend to be longer. But if that was the only factor, you’d expect to see the same ratio over time. Yet back in November, 2010, the two services were almost neck-and-neck in time spent, with Netflix users logging 750 million total minutes versus Hulu users logging 690 million. A few things happened over the past year which explain this growing gap. One is that Hulu, which started as a free, ad-supported video service, shifted strategies and pushed harder to convert viewers to paying subscribers. As a result, the number of people going to Hulu every month stopped growing (its 20 million unique U.S. visitors in November, 2011 was down from 21 million the year before). Netflix, on the other hand, spent the year promoting its streaming service at the expense of its DVD rental business (its U.S. unique visitors increased by about 8 million people over the same time period). Another difference is that Netflix benefits from the fact that it already has a paying subscription relationship with all of its customers, whereas Hulu still has a mix between free and paying viewers. The biggest jump in time spent on Netflix, however, occurred in September, 2011, when it rose by 26 percent in a single month (from 820 million minutes to 1.03 billion). September was the month when Netflix’s price hikes went into effect for subscribers who chose to keep both streaming and DVD rentals. For all the subsequent damage to Netflix’s brand and stock, the move did seemingly have the desired effect of boosting viewership of the streaming service. The total time spent on Netflix has been flat the three months since the big change. Now it needs to prove that streaming is indeed a better model than DVDs, and that should be reflected in subscribers spending even more time on Netflix. Time spent on Hulu should increase also as streaming becomes part of people’s regular viewing habits. The biggest barrier here remains the living room TV. For the vast majority of viewers, it’s still not hooked up to the either service. But once you do connect a big screen to the Internet, Netflix and Hulu become a lot more compelling. In my house, for instance, we are still only occasional viewers. We watch Hulu on a laptop in the kitchen or in my home office where I have a large screen already connected to my computer. My wife and I watched a movie on Netflix last night. We could have watched it on the bigger screen in the living room, but that would have entailed pulling out an HDMI cable and plugging in a laptop. The path of least resistance was the office set-up. My New Year’s resolution will be to hook up the living room TV to the Internet. Once I do that, I am sure we will be watching a lot more Netflix and Hulu. I don’t think we will be alone.
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| LG Prepping Ice Cream Sandwich Update For Q2 2012 Release Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:22 AM PST  Most of the big name Android smartphone vendors have already laid out their Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade plans, but LG has been notably absent from the list of companies offering an update schedule. Well, a brief announcement on the company’s official Facebook page has remedied that — Android 4.0 will be coming to select LG handsets as early as Q2 2012. The first round of updates will roll out to the Prada 3.0, Optimus LTE, Optimus Sol, Optimus 2X, LG Eclipse and strangely, the LG myTouch Q. Meanwhile, owners of other Optimus-branded handsets won’t be left waiting for too long. The Optimus 3D, Optimus Black, Optimus Big, Optimus Q2 and the Optimus EX will be getting their first taste of Ice Cream Sandwich in Q3 2012. But let’s go back to the myTouch Q for a moment. Though it’s a pretty unimpressive device when compared to some of the others getting the update, the myTouch Q is the only device on the list that’s actually available here in the States. It’s a puzzling choice, especially when LG makes no mention of devices like the Thrill or the Nitro HD, both of which are U.S. variants of devices that will indeed be getting the update. While I’m sure LG fans are probably heartened by the news (that is, if they have switched to custom ROMs already), the company still has a long (and probably bumpy) road ahead of them. LG’s mobile division, if you recall, has had a pretty awful run over the past six quarters, and 2012 could be a make-it-or-break it year for them. They’ve already devoted around half of their 2012 CapEx budget to revitalize their handset business, and here’s hoping they’ve got some blockbuster device launches planned along with these software updates.
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| Cooklet Aims To Disrupt The Stodgy Cooking Scene With Gingerbread Carp Posted: 26 Dec 2011 07:21 AM PST  Cooklet, a Poland-based cooking site founded by Grzegorz Trubiłowicz, features a lot of what you’d expect – lots of recipes, a few pictures of happy-looking skinny people who you know don’t eat much food, and some international flare. However, the rise of sites like Cooklet point to a change in the way people find recipes and make food. It’s a transition from the standard cookbook-based economy of yesterday’s kitchen to a more plugged-in experience we are now embracing. The site’s main draw are its many well-made tablet apps including versions for Android, a version for the Sony P, and a version for the Kindle Fire. The content, as it stands, is a bit of a mixed bag. Many recipes are in Polish but there are a nice selection of recipes for non-Slavs including something that looks like death on a plate, Gingerbread Carp. In this season of holiday feasts, I think it’s time to recognize that there are now many great places where home cooks can find recipes and that cookbooks should watch their backs. My own favorite site, Epicurious, collates recipes from Gourmet and Bon Appetite in an app that is simple to use and promises a good meal every time. Other sites like AllRecipes do the same and now upstarts like Cooklet aim to further disrupt the scene. Where does this leave Rachel Ray and that one lady who likes butter? While I would not call cookbook writers culturally relevant, I think sites like these push their relevance even further into the niche. Why buy Anthony Bourdain’s Post-One-Week-Bender Cookbook for $40 when you can make truffled scrambled eggs, miso soup, and Watermelon Drink from recipes gathered online. Sure you don’t get all of Bourdain’s wit and wisdom, but who reads cookbooks for the prologue anyway? This is also not to say that the veneration of great cooks isn’t important. However, I wonder how long it will be before the next great cooking personality comes from the web rather than the kitchens of WD50. Cooklet needs a lot of work. The UI is quite fresh and other cooking sites could do well to emulate it but the content, because it is user generated, could use an editor and translator to reach an international audience. However, that a young man in Wroclaw can take on Julia Child at her own game is not only impressive, it’s downright scary if my business is dependent on printing cookbooks. Click to view slideshow.
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| Streamonomy: Radionomy Opens Platform To Online, Traditional Radio Stations Alike Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:38 AM PST  Radionomy, which enables people to create and listen to radio stations online, is preparing the launch of a new service dubbed Streamonomy, which will essentially open up its platform to external radio stations, whether they broadcast online or the traditional, simulcast FM way. Streamonomy will also be available to online radio stations not produced with Radionomy, although the option to do so will of course remain available, free of charge. Radionomy has been growing by leaps and bounds this year, particularly in certain, large European countries, and by opening its ‘socialization’ and monetization platform to outside radio stations the company aims to accelerate this growth and attack new markets, including the US. One of the core services Radionomy offers to radio station operators is Adionomy, which enables advertisers to target a specific region or country (e.g. a radio station in the United States could run ads exclusively for French listeners, or even only those in, say, the Bourgogne area). Streamonomy is expected to debut in the first half of January 2012. Radionomy, a Belgian-French venture, has raised about $2 million to date, but is currently in the midst of closing a $15 million funding round from a French investment bank.
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| Tango Card Aims To Make Gift Card Giving A More Personal Experience Posted: 26 Dec 2011 06:00 AM PST  While gift cards are certainly a useful and practical gift, the act of giving a gift certificate to a store can be construed as impersonal. One startup is trying to change this. Tango Card, which offers a gift card program for consumers, is launching a new personalized experience, called ‘What I Got.’ For background, here’s how Tango Card works. A purchaser can buy a Tango Card, and give this to a recipient via email. The recipient can then exchanges the value for the card for one or multiple retailer gift cards (Amazon, iTunes, Target, Starbucks, others) or they can donate any portion of their gift card to one of 9 non-profits (National Park Foundation, World of Children, Habitat for Humanity, etc.). Any unused value can actually be redeemed for cash. Basically, it provides a more flexible gift card option which allows recipients to choose and then stagger the proceeds of a gift card across various retailers or charities. The Tango Card’s value can be used on the startup’s site or directly via its iOS and Android apps. The startup also offers physical Tango Cards for those that prefer a plastic product. With ‘What I Got’ (WIG), recipients can take a photo of what they bought with their gift card, and then share it directly with the person that gave it to them via the Tango Card iOS and Android apps. Tango Card users start WIG on the app, attach or take a picture of what they got, and select how to share the photo, via Facebook, Twitter, or a Picasa or Flickr album. The gift giver is notified by email and can instantly view how the gift card was used. The startup says that this is a more personalized way to close the loop with the gift giver. As founder David Leeds tells me, in November and December, U.S. consumers will receive about $30 billion in gift cards. Tango Card’s WIG offers a way to close the loop with the gift givers, and personalize the experience.
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| TechCrunch Moscow — All The On-stage Video Posted: 26 Dec 2011 05:31 AM PST  On December 5th, 2011 TechCrunch Europe came to Moscow again. Co-organized by TechCrunch Europe, Digital October and Kite Ventures, the second TechCrunch Moscow showcased several early stage startups and hosted panels on emerging technology trends in Russia and abroad. The event, held in English, proved to be a smashing success, bringing together over 700 participants and attracting several thousand viewers online. Videos of the event can be found below including the amazing interview between Andrew Keen and political commentator Anton Nossik on a pivotal day for Russian politics following the Russian Duma elections of the previous day. It’s a must watch.
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| 55 Inches: LG To Showcase World’s Largest OLED TV AT CES 2012 Posted: 26 Dec 2011 05:14 AM PST  We’ve been waiting for large-sized OLED TVs at least since Sony rolled out the cool (but too small) XEL-1 in 2007. Various bigger OLEDs and “breakthroughs” have made the news in the years after that, and now LG says it’s ready to showcase the world’s biggest OLED TV at CES 2012 (which kicks off on January 10). Sized at 55 inches, the panel has a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 and has been developed by using the Oxide TFT technology, according to LG. The company has been working on bigger OLED devices for quite a while now, for example a super-thin 31-inch model (which was shown last year). So far, so good, but unfortunately LG says they see the device as a step forward in popularizing the concept of large-sized OLED TVs. In other words, the TV is just a prototype at this point with neither a price tag nor a release date, and we might have to wait years before being able to actually buy one. Via Engadget
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| Now GoDaddy Has To Contend With ByeDaddy Posted: 26 Dec 2011 04:58 AM PST  Although GoDaddy’s new CEO, Warren Adelman, no longer supports SOPA (after supporting it), a mass movement (of critics is gathering pace. Adelman notes he is now taking a step back to “look at the current legislation.” Meanwhile the crowd has other ideas. Hence the appearance of Byedaddy.org where you can now handily check if a domain is registered with GoDaddy. Let’s just see… so it looks like wikipedia.org and wikibooks.org is still among them. Will we see ByeWikipedia.org appear? This story will run and run…
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| Sony Exits LCD Joint Venture With Samsung Posted: 26 Dec 2011 04:15 AM PST  S-LCD Co., the joint venture for making LCDs for TVs between Sony and Samsung, will soon be history. The Japanese company today announced it will exit the 50-50 venture by selling its share to the Korean rival for US$940 million, after seven years of collaboration. After inking a final agreement, Samsung is ready to absorb the South Korea-based joint venture into its existing LCD business and turn it into a 100% subsidiary. Samsung’s LCD business will then be the second-largest in the world by revenue, trailing only LG Display. Sony, which has been reporting losses for its TV unit for years, said that parting ways with Samsung will result in savings of about US$640 million every year. Last month, Sony issued a financial report forecasting a US$1.15 billion loss for this fiscal (for the company as a whole), but it didn’t say if the forecast will be revised. To some extent, Sony and Samsung are continuing to collaborate in the display area. The Japanese company, which will keep on producing TVs, says it “entered into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels with a goal of enhancing the competitiveness of both companies”.
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| TechGrinch Was Not Impressed By Google’s “Jingle Bells” Doodle Posted: 25 Dec 2011 10:03 PM PST  Warning, I’m about to get real critical of something pretty minor. It’s midnight on Christmas and the world is largely at a standstill, so pardon my rant. When I visited Google.com this morning, I was as excited as the kids sprinting from bed to tree. But all I found was a lump of sonic coal. Oh joy, after months of Christmas music, I get to hear a crummy elevator music version of “Jingle Bells” one more time? *sigh* But wait, is it a game where I guess how to play the song on the colored keys? No. Can I remix it and make my own song using the tones? Nope. Can I at least share something to the legion of strangers who’ve added me to their Circles on Google+? Well there was no readily available permalink, and the metadata wasn’t changed so sharing Google.com into G+ didn’t produce a doodle preview. Why the high expectations? I was impressed with the Thanksgiving doodle, mostly because a special button encouraged people to share their custom turkey to Google+. Considering the fledgling social network needs users and content, I thought that was a wise move. The Polish doodle the day before offered a sci-fi comic puzzle game. The Father’s Day doodle was a useful PSA to call your Dad. And the 65th birthday tribute to Queen’s Freddie Mercury was the pinacle of awesome, featuring mustachioed bears riding bicycles. Today we got a crummy elevator music “Jingle Bells”. I would have settled I would have settled for some 8-bit tones, a more expansive light show, or something actually interactive and not just triggered. In previous years, the Christmas doodles have been basic but classy. This one built me up with its shiny buttons but didn’t follow through. Maybe children were more elated. Oh sorry, am I being an overly entitled TechGrinch? Normally I’m a rather loving person, this is just some constructive criticism. I know the doodle is a delightful little service Google does out of the goodness of its 30,000 hearts. I’m sure it has plenty else to worry about and should be permitted an occasional flop. Still, Google needs loyalty and good will right now. It should be looking to make fanboys and fangirls out of all of us, because it’s launched some ambitious products in verticals with powerful incumbents. If services like Google+ and Google Currents are going to challenge the Facebooks and Flipboards, Google needs people to love it. Ask any parent — on Christmas Day the stakes are high. Google just got the 6 year old a big shiny box with a pair of socks in it. When it comes to holiday doodles, Google should either keep it simple, or really make it shine. TechGrinch signing off. Image Credit: Shipment Of Fail
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| Gratitude Scales. Take A Few Seconds To Say “I Love You” Posted: 25 Dec 2011 01:53 PM PST  Tell someone they’re special, remind them you care, share a memory, say “I love you” — it’s easier than ever. Thanks to mobile devices and social networks, love is becoming more scalable. Tweet or status update how you’re thankful for their friendship. Text, Skype, message, or email how their support has meant the world to you. Wall post, @reply, +1, upvote the people who make your life more fun. In just a few seconds, you’ve strengthened your relationships and made someone’s day. Today, everyday, take a moment and tell them. We stand above a bottomless well of gratitude. Say “thank you” to a hundred friends and you still won’t run out. It’s now so quick and inexpensive to communicate across long distances, the only limiting factor is our spirit. Sure, texting 20 friends in a row with the reasons you love them can be a mental work-out. But imagine doing it by phone, by letter, in person? A digital sign of gratitude is no replacement for a real hug. It’s a complement for use when our loved ones are out of reach. 20 years ago it would be nearly impossible to tell 100 people you love them in a single day unless you saw them all in person. Now, between face-to-face conversations and embraces, you can tell those far away that that they’re still in your heart. Through technology we can increase Dunbar’s number. A mass text is better than nothing, but a even a short yet heartfelt, personalized message will make someone feel extra warm and fuzzy. The antithesis of this is the standard Facebook birthday wall post. “Happy Birthday!” says you care, but it can also say you’re fulfilling some self-imposed duty, absolving yourself of guilt. It doesn’t take much extra effort to call up a shared experience or some advice they gave you. Then they’ll think “hey, he really cares”. If you have a little money to spend, you can send someone a Postagram. If you don’t, Pinger’s TextFree app lets you send texts, calls, and receive voicemail at no cost. Messenger apps from Facebook and Google+ let contact people without evening knowing what device or service they’re on. My favorite? Drawing someone a ridiculous portrait and posting it to their wall — the less artistic the more endearing. On some days like today, Thanksgiving, and birthdays, the real challenge is remaining present, being here now, avoiding interruption. Don’t sacrifice a great moment to check that buzz from your pocket. Consider waiting for a natural break, til after dinner, once you’re alone, then share and reciprocate. Our devices only detract if we let them. With will power and compassion, they can help us express our feelings like never before.
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| A Few Tips For Developers On How To Get Hired By A Startup Posted: 25 Dec 2011 01:49 PM PST  Not everyone is cut out to work for a startup. It involves a lot of hustling, a lot of nail-biting, pizza-eating, sleeping at your desk, tears, failure, confusion, and on and on. And wearing your startup’s t-shirt. All the time. That being said, it can also be extremely rewarding and, with all the cash flying around Silicon Valley (and beyond), aspiring entrepreneurs are flocking to startups. So, say you’re one of those people who is champing at the bit to go work for a startup, what do you do next? Well, you can try this, or in the event you’re not quite ready to grow a mustache, you can check out things startups should know when looking for top talent, and, hey, Justin Kan has written about how to get a job at a startup even if you don’t have a lot of experience. But what about the programmers and developers out there looking to work at startup? Is no one thinking about them?!? Today, we’re offering a small slice of holiday cheer thanks to Monetate, the platform that provides marketers with testing and targeting services for their websites (and recently raised $15 million from OpenView Venture Partners, Floodgate, and First Round Capital), as the startup has put together an infographic that offers a few tips for programmers who are looking to toss their talents into the startup ring. Developers want to shoot for the top, and Facebook, Twitter, and Google are highly coveted places of employment for programmers for a reason; of course, the harsh reality is that not everyone is going to work at these companies, nor do all developers want to work at these companies. (Though there are great books like this one if that’s the road you choose.) Opting to go work for an early-stage business means hard work and sacrifice — and doesn’t always offer competitive salary/benefits — but it can mean more freedom, more of a say in the direction of a company, and the chance to disrupt the old and be a part of building the new. There are tons of places to find jobs, including cool career advancement platforms for developers like Gild, there are incubators, startup networking events and meetups, hackathons, and more. (Identified, anyone?) Developers can showcase their best work and hacks on Github, or go build something awesome with a favorite startup’s API to offer prospective employers a taste of what they would do were they to get hired. Startups are looking for programmers willing to take initiative, those who display creative thinking, and those work well with others (on deadline). Do those and you’re well on your way. That being said, be careful of overusing the words “rockstar” and “ninja” when talking about yourself. As much as we all like ninjas, a plastic sword, geeky interests (and familiarity with Java) do not a ninja make. Take it from this guy. Without further ado, check out Monetate’s infographic below. And to all the hearty programmers and developers out there, please chime in with your expert tips. This is by no means complete.
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| How To Use Anyone’s Face As A Facebook Chat Emoticon Posted: 25 Dec 2011 09:32 AM PST  Emoticons no longer have to be anonymous smiley faces representing simple emotions. Facebook Chat now lets you use the profile picture of any user, official Page, or event on the service as an emoticon. That means you can make one out of your best friend, Chuck Norris, Justin Bieber, Barack Obama or anyone else. This opens up a whole new way to express complex emotions. Here’s how to do it:
You can send these custom emoticons from the web or mobile, but they’ll only display as photos on the web. When viewed through a Facebook app or mobile site they appear as their bracketed string. Similarly, you can’t use them in status updates, wall posts, or comments yet. They appear pretty small, but you can hover over the photos to view the username it belongs too. Community Pages, those that aren’t owned by anyone and that display a Wikipedia entry, can’t be used. Not so excited about other people using you as an emoticon? Tough luck. Profile pictures and usernames are public, so this doesn’t technically violate privacy and there’s no way to opt out of having your face used. For a long time, Facebook only had one custom smiley. The code :putnam: would show the face of Facebook engineer Chris Putnam. Now you can replace verbs, nouns, and adjectives with whoever represents them best. As our writer John Biggs described yesterday, you can use 4Chan Ragefaces (here are the codes), and Reddit user Sky_Prodigy spawned a thread full of codes for faces and alphabets. The emoticon has evolved. Here’s a few ideas for people and Pages you could use as emoticons. Just copy the bracketed text at the end. Have ideas for more? Leave them in the comments and I’ll add the best ones to our list:
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| Posted: 25 Dec 2011 09:30 AM PST  Editor's Note: Guest contributor and early TechCrunch writer Steve Poland (@popo) is exploring a fund to join the "overcrowded" early stage investment market. His last contribution was "Will It End Very Badly?" Probably Not. If you're asking which startup to build, not whether to build, you probably have several half-baked ideas and don't know which one to devote yourself to. Or you have no idea at all. Max Levchin and Peter Thiel would tell you innovation is dead and that you should go work on real, world-changing, notable problems. They say too many young companies are solving small problems and creating features. TechCrunch writer Rip Empson would ask you to not build a copycat app. Paul Graham of Y Combinator would tell you to check out instead his list of 30 startup ideas he's looking to fund. Or programmer Chris Moyer would tell you, “If you are asking what startup to build, then maybe you are too focused on doing a startup. Find something you are so passionate about, that this isn’t a question. Then make that. Worry about the startup bit later.” It's easy to get trapped and excited by the startup world we read about through the looking-glass of TechCrunch. Too many entrepreneurs focus their time on building things they think are cool or could be the next startup homerun. Stop building to get covered by TechCrunch or get an investment by Fred Wilson. What are your problems? That's what you should be working on. Businesses are solutions to problems. Solutions come from ideas. Ideas are hypotheses. These hypotheses need to come from a defined problem. Humans have problems. There are an infinite amount of ideas out there. I have a list of 100+ web startup ideas that you can poach from, but who knows what problems they solve. There are millions of opportunities to change and disrupt this world. However, most of those opportunities are very small and might only change the world for you or a few (which isn't a bad thing). Instead of brainstorming ideas, start by brainstorming problems. Problems are found in the processes that humans go through everyday. Start keeping notes of everything you do each day and things you observe others doing, at work and at home. Question the processes involved and write a few words explaining each step in the process. Jack Dorsey of Square questioned the retail purchase process and is now making it simpler and more pleasing for consumers. Dorsey asked why there were so many steps in the process of purchasing something: Why do I have to go into my wallet, pull out a credit card, swipe a credit card, wait awkwardly while a machine checks my authorization, wait for a receipt to print, wait to be handed the receipt from the cashier, sign the receipt, hand over the receipt, be given a hard copy of my receipt, put my credit card back into my wallet, all the while having a big uninviting machine in-between myself and the cashier? To start observing, start reading status updates by your friends on Facebook and Twitter to see what they are doing and talking about, but don't fixate entirely on their complaints. There are many processes we all go through everyday that we accept without question, but could be simpler and more user-friendly. Just like that clunky retail purchase process that we all hadn't questioned until a minute ago. Help fellow entrepreneurs know your problem. Try this: add one human process you go through either at home or at work to this Quora thread: "What processes do humans experience and what steps are involved in each?" Let’s talk about what problems need to be solved so that one of you can launch a startup to solve them. Image credit: Sean Rad; Instagram.
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