Saturday, January 28, 2006

What's in a name?

I now know why companies spend so much time and money to come up with the perfect name. A bad or, mismatched, name can give a company serious problems in the mind share department. We've been trying to come up with a name that is more descriptive of and appropriate for our business. It's very difficult to find just the right name. Someone can always find something wrong with the name, which is really the point. At some level you have to create brand value by driving value to your customer. The name means everything but, at the same time, means very little. By the way, we had to go outside of the english language to find something we liked. I can't say what it is now but, I will when the time is right.

Tuesday, January 10, 2006

Stevenote '06

I don't know whether or not I've mentioned it here before but, I'm a huge Apple computer fan. Today they unleashed a couple new software and hardware gems. I won't delve into detail about the hardware (think dual core Intel processors) as I would rather rant about software. The reason I switched to Apple in the first place was their dedication to putting the user first. Everything they do is driven by the user experience. Their latest update to the iLife suite of applications seems no different. They just make complicated things (setting up picture gallery websites, etc.) easy to do. I call if the wife test. If my wife can do it then anyone can. iLife has definitely passed the wife test and this version should only allow her to do more. That seems to me to be the difference between Apple and most other tech companies; they understand what the people really want/need. Check out iLife and, for that matter, a Mac today. You won't be sorry.

Read more at www.apple.com/

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Finally

I've been an avid University of Texas fan as long as I have been cognizant of sports. Last night, in the greatest game my eyes have witnessed, Vince Young, in the greatest individual performance I have witnessed, beat USC to claim the National Championship. I have been waiting for this moment for around 20 years. Needless to say, I was as excited about a sporting event as I ever have been. When I was a teenager the Dallas Cowboys were just beginning their run in the early 90's. I hadn't been as pumped up about a game since the '92 SuperBowl. Honestly, my enthusiasm and excitement for sports in general has been fading as I've gotten older. Last night, however, made me feel like a young man again. Amazing what a silly game can do to some peoples' psyches.