The Seed Capital for Startups Blog

The Linkedin Nightmare

The Linkedin Nightmare

For some strange reason, Linkedin is the only networking site in the universe which doesn't allow users to block communications from spammers and other troublesome individuals. Unfortunately, spammers have now flooded Linked using multiple accounts which are then used to spam their websites.

About a month ago, I sent a message to tech support asking them if there was any way to block unwanted PMs (or Inmails as they are called on LInkedin). About a week later, I received a reply explaining that if I needed to block someone, it would cost me $10 a pop. It's not just spammers that are the problem. Linkedin appears to attract some desperately lonely people who just need to be your friend, even if you're not interested. You can ask them a dozen times to please stop contacting you, but it just increases their desire to become your best Internet pal.

Come on Linkedin, get with the program. Provide users with a means of blocking these people.

This is unacceptable.

Anyone else starting to experience this problem with Linkedin?

Don Knotts Last Movie Role

I was saddened to hear of the death of the great Don Knotts over the weekend. As a youngster I watched Andy of Mayberry reruns ever Saturday morning. Barney Fife was one of my favorite characters on the show. Anyways, in honor of a very funny man, I point you to his last role as President George W Bush in Dubya the Movie.

Enjoy.

Tip: Let it load first before hitting play.

Note fro 2008: this used to be short and funny. Then they made it longer by adding scenes that aren't funny.

How Innovative is the Open Source Movement?

One of my favorite bloggers is Jeff Vail an ex USAF officer who frequently writes about rhizome vs hierarchical social structures, among other topics. Today he's posted an interesting comparison of innovation between the open source movement vs traditional capitalist ownership model. Go here to read it:  A Critical Look at Open Source Innovation

As always a lively discussion ensues.

Google Doesn't Respect Privacy

Do you want your private email archived forever by strangers?

http://www.gmail-is-too-creepy.com/

Read it and then stop using gmail. Google archives everything you say FOREVER. Even when you delete gmail a copy is still stored for all time at Google.

This archiving includes all in and out-going mail. Even if you personally don't use gmail yourself but correspond with someone who does, it get's archived too.

Think about it.

Then dump gmail and tell your friends to do likewise.

Some people are even refusing to correspond with anyone using a gmail account.

I do the same for confidential and legal correspondence.

New Cell-phone Recharger

Interesting technology for recharging your cell-phone.
http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_1513938.html

Sure the kid earned only a D for the course. But then recall that Fred Smith's college paper describing the service that would become FedEx earned only a C.

House Bans Gay Unions

I love the juxtaposition of this photo with the adjacent headline. Click on the thumbnail to embiggen it.

For all intensive purposes, they faded into bolivians

Top Ten Malapropisms

A year ago I started collecting malapropisms.

Here is my list to date. You are welcome to use them when posting replies here.

It's a mute point.

Swab and deboner.

For all intensive purposes.

He's now on the straight end arrow.

It's a doggy dog world.

Get your ducks in a road.

Stop spilling hairs.

Sixty one or half-a-dozen of the other.

Stop using your bully puppet.

A wolf in cheap clothing.

It's not sketched in bone.

Don't take me for granite.

Pigment of your imagination.

Pineapple of ignorance.

He's the black sheet of his family.

It's just the tip of the icebox.

You're gasping at straws.

The death nail.

Don't cast your urls before swine.

At my wick's end.

Slip these into a conversation and watch the other party stop to replay it in their mind while asking themselves, "Did he really say what I think he just said?"

Nota bene: don't confuse these with homonyms.