Derek Scruggs's Comments

VC Adventure : My Big Mac

Thu, 9 Sep 2010 15:51:47 +0000

QuickSilver is awesome, but apparently they've stopped supporting it. Alfred is a very similar app and is currently in beta. +1 for Omnifocus I like Sktich for screen shots. You can mark them up, share them online and even start a discussion thread in which others can mark up the original too.

Feld Thoughts : Entrepreneurial Density

Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:23:48 +0000

Boulder is a great place, but I suspect its sense of wealth is distorted because of government money. There is a boatload of cash flowing through here by way of the state of Colorado (CU), NASA, NOAA, NCAR etc.

Feld Thoughts : Trying Gmail For A Week

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 23:16:18 +0000

I actually prefer to delete for certain things, especially marketing messages and machine-generated notifications. I've set up a custom shortcut key to do make it more intuitive for me. Try multiple inboxes in Google Labs. I use it get a birdseye view of Inbox, Later (things I will get to soon) and Waiting Fors (things I'm awaiting a response on). A hack for waiting fors is set up a filter on outbound messages that looks for something like "wf" at the bottom of the message and applies the Waiting For label. Then when I send an email to someone asking a question or scheduling an appointment or whatever I just put "wf" after my sig.

Feld Thoughts : Reverse Flips

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 04:06:39 +0000

Are you finding the iPad has obviated the need for a Kindle, or do you still use both? I just broke down and ordered the new Kindle. I figured I'd wait until 2011 to get the iPad 2.

TechCrunch : Elon Musk: "Why Owen Thomas Is Silicon Valley's Jayson Blair"

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:50:24 +0000

I don't think he's a god, but I don't think he's the devil either. BTW government money played an essential role in development of the railroads, aviation and, um, the Internet.

TechCrunch : Elon Musk: "Why Owen Thomas Is Silicon Valley's Jayson Blair"

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 22:48:21 +0000

Yeah, but the Newspaper of Record is known for one faker in particular. I'd forgotten Blair was black until you brought it up. Way to go dragging race into it. And BTW Blair wasn't a plagiarist. He just made shit up.

TechCrunch : Conduit Reports Big Numbers: 250,000 App Publishers, 170 Million Users

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:14:34 +0000

"Do you really consider an RSS reader widget an app?" http://reederapp.com/ (PS I hate toolbars too)

TechCrunch : You Are Not Your F*cking Khakis (But You May Be Your Phone)

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 20:12:01 +0000

Yes because liking a product excessively is exactly like living in the world's worst totalitarian state. Also, making exaggerated metaphors is like the Holocaust. Or AIDs. You get my drift.

TechCrunch : Zendesk Ramps Up Twitter Integration; Allows Users To Turn Tweets Into Help Desk Tickets

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 18:32:13 +0000

Yeah but SalesForce case management sucks. Their Twitter integration is lipstick on a pig that hasn't had a major UI update since, what, 2001?

TechCrunch : Twitpic Blocks Posterous' Import Tool; Out Come The Lawyers

Wed, 30 Jun 2010 21:40:08 +0000

When companies spend their brainpower on legal BS instead of innovation, that's a sure sign you should stop using them.

TechCrunch : Exit To Nowhere: The Conundrum Of Being An Independent Mobile Ad Network Under Apple's Rules

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:14:21 +0000

I'm not a Google fanboy. I'm just sick of all the lawyering up. About once a week we hear about some BS game Apple is playing with their TOS or App store. The ratio of legal announcements to technology announcements is annoying high. BTW I have an iPhone, own two Macs, plan to buy an iPad etc. But that doesn't mean I should just keep my mouth shut. I spend a lot of money on flying United Airlines too but I still reserve the right to complain about their shitty customer service.

TechCrunch : Exit To Nowhere: The Conundrum Of Being An Independent Mobile Ad Network Under Apple's Rules

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 22:11:28 +0000

Eventually all this BS by Apple will really start to hurt them. I've been thinking of doing a mobile product and was going to to do it on the iPhone. But every time I turn around there's more chain yanking by Apple, so now I'm leaning toward Android. And legalistic stuff like this is the worst. I'd rather spend time writing code, not worrying how Apple's lawyers are planning to screw me.

TechCrunch : What Has Kai-fu Lee Done Since October?

Thu, 10 Jun 2010 19:14:10 +0000

No doubt typed on a computer made in China.

TechCrunch : Tony Hsieh Explains Why He Sold Zappos To Amazon Under Pressure From Sequoia

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 23:20:22 +0000

Culture isn't just about customers knowing that you're good at customer service. It's about setting a standard that allows employees to act autonomously without a giant rule book. Part of that standard is hiring people who are as passionate about customers at you are. Google's culture is about engineering, which makes up 50% of the employee base. Don't you think that's reflected in their hiring and, in turn, the quality of their overall execution?

TechCrunch : Here's How The Government Can Fix Silicon Valley: Leave It Alone

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 23:14:48 +0000

Ever hear of the filibuster?

TechCrunch : Here's How The Government Can Fix Silicon Valley: Leave It Alone

Mon, 7 Jun 2010 23:10:15 +0000

I support Net Neutrality, but it certainly is not a small thing. If it's such a small thing, why is Google pouring so much lobbying money into it?

VC Adventure : Am I just a greedy VC?

Thu, 3 Jun 2010 01:03:27 +0000

Only saw this just now. My dividends are taxed as personal income because it's an LLC. And my personal taxes are already double your current rate. Since you're not managing for cash flow but for cap gains, that means you can write off those losses against future gains, right? No, you can't. Because those losses aren't yours except for your personal investment. When you have actual personal capital at risk, then I'll be more sympathetic. I don't think the government is trying to change behavior. They're just closing a really glaring loophole. I do believe double taxation on C Corps should be eliminated. That's one of the few things W tried to do that I supported, but he made it way more complicated than it needed to be.

TechCrunch : Mark Zuckerberg On Facebook's Privacy Controls: "We Just Missed The Mark"

Mon, 24 May 2010 20:58:41 +0000

If you're a girl, it might matter if a stalker can see that kind of thing.

VC Adventure : Am I just a greedy VC?

Sun, 23 May 2010 18:11:01 +0000

Yawn. Trickle-down theory redux. Look, you're right that at the margin it will likely reduce invesment. But in the main the current structure is: Simply. Not. Fair. As a member of an LLC I pay a shitload more taxes than you, not to mention more than my employees and investors. And guess what? I went out and did it anyway despite the tax consequences. And while you're worried that your overall fund size may be smaller, you DON'T have to worry about being able to spread your risk across multiple investments. Me? I've only get to place one bet at a time. So while it's all well & good to offer appeals to innovation and the future of the economy, get back to me when you have something more persuasive than "privatize gains, socialize losses." Or at least convince the greatest investor in history (Warren Buffet) to go along with you.

Mendelson's Musings : The Carried Interest Debate â Down to the Wire

Sun, 23 May 2010 17:54:20 +0000

+1. This makes me think you don't really know how we are taxed. As an LLC member I pay a shitload more taxes than you. Ever heard of the self-employment tax? Principals have to pay it. Investors don't.

Derek Scruggs's Comments

VC Adventure : My Big Mac

Feld Thoughts : Entrepreneurial Density

Feld Thoughts : Trying Gmail For A Week

Feld Thoughts : Reverse Flips

TechCrunch : Elon Musk: "Why Owen Thomas Is Silicon Valley's Jayson Blair"

TechCrunch : Elon Musk: "Why Owen Thomas Is Silicon Valley's Jayson Blair"

TechCrunch : Conduit Reports Big Numbers: 250,000 App Publishers, 170 Million Users

TechCrunch : You Are Not Your F*cking Khakis (But You May Be Your Phone)

TechCrunch : Zendesk Ramps Up Twitter Integration; Allows Users To Turn Tweets Into Help Desk Tickets

TechCrunch : Twitpic Blocks Posterous' Import Tool; Out Come The Lawyers

TechCrunch : Exit To Nowhere: The Conundrum Of Being An Independent Mobile Ad Network Under Apple's Rules

TechCrunch : Exit To Nowhere: The Conundrum Of Being An Independent Mobile Ad Network Under Apple's Rules

TechCrunch : What Has Kai-fu Lee Done Since October?

TechCrunch : Tony Hsieh Explains Why He Sold Zappos To Amazon Under Pressure From Sequoia

TechCrunch : Here's How The Government Can Fix Silicon Valley: Leave It Alone

TechCrunch : Here's How The Government Can Fix Silicon Valley: Leave It Alone

VC Adventure : Am I just a greedy VC?

TechCrunch : Mark Zuckerberg On Facebook's Privacy Controls: "We Just Missed The Mark"

VC Adventure : Am I just a greedy VC?

Mendelson's Musings : The Carried Interest Debate â Down to the Wire

Mendelson's Musings : The Carried Interest Debate â Down to the Wire