tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39666176757782832802024-03-21T05:45:12.341-04:00In MotionTales of an explorer, technologist, and adventurer.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-45714765394818965982014-10-09T18:15:00.001-04:002014-10-16T00:06:40.267-04:004 Lessons from Leading a Small Team at Google<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I mentioned in my last post, Friday was my last day at Google after a year and a half on the social impact team. For the last five quarters, I was the product manager for the One Today, a mobile app from Google with the purpose of creating a more socially aware and engaged world. The question we asked was this: Could we make learning about causes and taking positive action so frictionless, delightful, and engaging that we could change people's behaviors?<br />
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I could talk at length about the product and UX principles there (and who knows? maybe I will at some point), but for now, I wanted to take a moment to discuss the lessons I learned from leading a small team with a very large mandate.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Lesson 1: Leading a small team is like steering a big ship.</h3>
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Business books often say that leading a large organization is like steering a big ship; it's not easy to maneuver quickly. I would say the same goes for a small team with a large mandate. At one point, the One Today team was comprised of three engineers building and maintaining an Android app, an iOS app, and a web app. (I get stressed out just typing that sentence.) We had lots to do and any commitment the team took on meant weeks or months of work before we could take on another one, which brings me to my next lesson...<br />
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Lesson 2: Be sure before asking your team to invest time.</h3>
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At least in my situation, and I'd venture to say in lots of startup situations, my most important asset was my team's time. When I first took over, a lot of my justifications for asking engineers to build things was "because we should" or "because it's the right thing to do". It took me a while to realize that if something wasn't going to contribute directly to our product's success, it didn't matter that we "should" do it or that it was "the right thing to do". But how do you evaluate if something's worth working on? That brings me to my next point.</div>
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Lesson 3: It's all about asking the right questions.</h3>
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During my time at Google, I spoke to a lot of senior product leaders, and one piece of wisdom that really stuck with me was this: Good product managers know the right questions to ask. Great product managers make sure their teams know the questions too. </div>
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So what are these questions? Here are a few I use to evaluate a product:</div>
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<li>Why would someone use this? What’s the value proposition?</li>
<li>How are we going to get new users? How can we target potential users when it’s contextually relevant?</li>
<li>What’s going to keep users coming back again and again?</li>
<li>What makes this different from other products in this space?</li>
<li>Why are we uniquely suited to solve this problem?</li>
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I actually have a much longer list, but you can get a flavor here. If you don't have answers for any of these questions, you should take pause about your product plan. The best part is that when your team understands your thought process for evaluating products/features/ideas, it's very rare to get into disagreements.</div>
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And that brings me onto my final lesson...</div>
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Lesson 4: It's better to be right than to make people happy.</h3>
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When I first took the reins for One Today, my first instinct was to try to make everyone happy. Do a little bit of what made marketing happy. Do a little bit of what made consumer operations happy. What took me a while to realize is that, at the end of the day, I would be evaluated by the success of the product, not by how happy I made everyone else. That's not to say it's unimportant to have a happy team, just that without a successful product, a happy team won't be around for very long. Fortunately, when you approach your team with empathy and you've taken the time to explain your process for evaluating ideas, it's actually not hard to focus on product success and make your team happy at the same time.<br />
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What lessons have you learned from leading a team?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-12452417764888951772014-10-03T11:12:00.001-04:002014-10-16T00:07:07.656-04:00Onwards and upwards!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After a year and a half on Google's social impact team, today is my last day. At day's end, I'll hand in my hard-won Google badge, say goodbye to the plentiful free food, and part ways with many colleagues who have become respected mentors and friends. These last seven years, on again off again, with Google<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>have been an incredible ride: arriving at the Googleplex for the first time as a bleary-eyed 19-year-old, taking a year to travel around Africa on the emerging markets team, and last but not least, working with many extraordinary people.<br />
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So what am I up to next? On October 20, I'll be starting at <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/" target="_blank">Kickstarter</a> as the PM responsible for the "backer experience", i.e. the chunk of the product you've probably interacted with as a non-project-creator. I'm insanely excited to start this new adventure, and I'm incredibly thankful for the journey that Google has taken me on.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Why am I joining Kickstarter, you ask?</h3>
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You may remember from the last time I was looking for a job, about 2 years ago, I had a set of criteria that I used to evaluate opportunities. I the meantime, I've added a few more as well.<br />
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<li><b>Impact</b>: Work on something that provides real, tangible value for the world.</li>
<li><b>People</b>: Collaborate with smart, passionate people.</li>
<li><b>Work</b>: Do what you know and enjoy: product management on web/mobile software.</li>
<li><b>Location</b>: Be in NY, major bonus points if the company is based in NY too.</li>
<li><b>Alignment</b>: Work on projects core to the company's strategy and ultimate success.</li>
<li><b>Size</b>: Smaller companies with less bureaucracy are better than big companies with lots of it.</li>
<li><b>Scope</b>: Find a meaty role with room to grow.</li>
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On pretty much every one of these dimensions, Kickstarter felt like a step up.<br />
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Kickstarter's mission is to bring creative projects to life, and I can speak from personal experience, that a number of the projects funded on Kickstsarter have had a significant positive impact on my life. The people there are thoughtful, passionate, and happy. The entire company, fewer than 100 people, is based in NY, and the role itself is big and strategically crucial for the company's continued growth.<br />
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Onto the next great adventure. Onwards and upwards!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-30112481496559561872014-09-13T16:55:00.001-04:002014-10-16T00:07:44.930-04:00Reflections on Burning Man<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It's been a few weeks since I've been back from Burning Man, and after recounting the experience to many of you, it seemed about time to put my thoughts down for posterity. In short, Burning Man was incredible. When people ask me if it met or exceeded my expectations, I reply "Burning Man was a superset of my expectations." I'd heard so much about the experience from friends and from the media that I thought I knew more or less what I was getting myself into before I got there. Man, was I wrong.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>For me at least – everyone experiences it differently – Burning Man exists on at least three levels of meaning. The first is the one you hear about most often in the media: Burning Man is a giant playground for grownups. Yes, to a large extent, it's 75,000 people out in the dessert partaking in hedonistic delights and living largely without laws. If you want it, it's there: music, sex, drugs, food, and booze, though also yoga, meditation classes, and lectures. If you want it, it's there. But if that's all you take away from Burning Man, you've missed out.<br />
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Burning Man is also a vision of a post-apocalyptic utopia. Burning Man takes place in black rock dessert on a dried out lake bed. As a result, the terrain is serene and otherworldly. Instead of sand, the ground is mostly flat and firm with small pockets area covered in fine-grained dust particles. There's also no power grid or infrastructure for lights, so all of the structures and all of the people are lit up themselves. Imagine this: the sun has fallen for the night, and you look out into the expanse and see nothing besides art, and makeshift structures, and people lit up in neon LED lights. It truly feels like a different planet.
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Burning Man also turns all of our social norms on their heads, in a way that feels like it would only make sense at the end of the world. There are no taboos. You want to walk around naked? That's cool. Gay, straight, bisexual, polyamorous, non-gender conforming? No one minds. Want to dress in crazy clothes covered in fur and LED lights? Nice outfit! What's more, the social norms that do prevail are based on openness, generosity, and empathy. Everyone talks to each other. There's none of that weird "we're standing next to each other in line but can't make eye contact" nonsense. Everyone acknowledges everyone else as a human being worthy of love and affection. When you introduce yourself, you give the other person a warm, genuine hug. When you see someone in need, you stop to help, whether it's a person having an emotional moment or someone who looks like they need a bite to eat.<br />
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Burning Man is also profoundly disconnected from the outside world. Phones don't work there, so you say goodbye to the "default world" as Burners call it, and say goodbye to being able to make plans. This forces you to accept the present as it comes. There's an expression out there: "playa time". You do your best to make it to where you said you'd be, but everyone accepts that the playa (the colloquial name for the land) has the potential to throw a wrench in the best laid plans.<br />
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And then the final level, which proved to be the most meaningful for me: Burning Man is essentially a giant piece of participatory art that every Burner takes part in. More than a festival, it's a pop-up civilization that rises and falls in the span of two weeks. It has its own culture, its own sacred spaces, its own structures, and its own social norms. And everything is laden with symbolism. The obvious one is the Man, the center of the city and the most prominent symbol, which burns at the end of the week. Barring the periods of dust storms, where vision is occluded, the Man is always visible, a constant and pervasive symbol of humanity and of our transience on this Earth.<br />
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But it extends far beyond that. When I first heard about the structure called "the Temple", I thought it sounded pretty goofy. A temple constructed in a few days in the middle of the dessert. How could that really mean anything? But being there was a radically different experience. This building, which rises from the ground in a few days, becomes this profoundly sacred space for people, generally for those in grief. People go in; they write on the walls; they meditate, and they commune with their thoughts. On my first visit to the Temple, I saw people walking around, breaking into tears, and other random passersby stopping to embrace them. On my second visit, the day before it burned, the Temple was packed with people. There was one man sitting off to the side playing guitar and singing a melancholy song in Spanish. Just as I was taking this in, a mother and her two small daughters, maybe around 5 years old, walked up to the middle and put a few items down, a sign of mourning. This was more than I could handle, and I broke into tears, taking in the communal sense of loss around me. And at the end of the week, it burns in a giant moment of catharsis with thousands of people gathered round, completely silent. Just as we're ephemeral on this Earth, so are our monuments, religions, and cultures.<br />
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Even the nature of the city and the land speak to this metaphor. Black Rock City, home to 75,000 people for this one week, is laid out in a giant circular formation with the man in the middle and ring roads emanating outward. The rings are dubbed with letters, but the roads that cut across them are all named for times on the clock, a subtle reminder that the clock is ticking. The dust storms too, for that matter, remind you of the world's impermanence. Being caught in one of these "white outs", as they're called, is deeply surreal. One moment there's a bustling world around you as far as the eye can see, and the next moment, nothing. When the wind kicks up the dust particles, it creates a phenomenon where you can't see more than 10 feet in front of your face. One moment the world is there; the next it's gone.<br />
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To me, this was the most profound version of Burning Man.<br />
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When you put all of this together with the hard conditions: the extreme heat during the day, the cold at night, and the constant noise, Burning Man cracks you open and makes you ponder the deep questions we're not even aware of in our daily lives.<br />
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So will I go again? If I can make it work, you better believe it. Burning Man pushed me mentally, physically, and emotionally. It wasn't an easy vacation, but damned if it wasn't worthwhile. Next time I'll just know I have to allot myself sufficient time to "decompress" and recuperate after its over.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-4928247901521501752013-06-04T11:17:00.000-04:002013-06-04T11:17:50.493-04:00Techie's Dilemma: International Edition<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few months ago, I wrote the first article in this series on the Techie's Dilemma. In this entry, I'll continue to explore the question that I spent months wrapping my head around: Where, in an interconnected world, does a globally-minded techie settle down? As I alluded to last time, I didn't limit my options to the U.S. Quite the opposite -- I actively sought out international options ranging from Cape Town to Bangalore to Buenos Aires. Today, I'll look at two of the particularly compelling international locales I explored: London and Nairobi.<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-cole/techies-dilemma-internati_b_3375597.html">Read more on the Huffington Post »</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-65413274569499931392013-05-27T16:29:00.000-04:002013-05-27T16:29:37.108-04:00Launched: One Today by Google<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Just over a month ago, my team at Google and I launched <a href="http://www.google.com/onetoday/" target="_blank">One Today</a>, a new mobile app that encourages people to make charitable giving a part of their daily lives. The gist of the app is this: Every day, One Today serves you a new charitable project. If you think it's worthwhile, you can donate $1. If you're really excited, you can challenge the community to donate to the project by offering to match their donations. We're currently in a closed pilot, but one month out, I'm optimistic about the future of One Today.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>It's been fascinating to launch a product at Google and work through the inevitable issues that spring up right after. Things that you would have never expected, like realizing no one remembered to write the email that people get when they sign up for the waiting list, all of a sudden become big issues. During my last stint at Google, I worked with a team of engineers to build a product for small business owners in emerging markets, but I had to leave right around the time we launched, so I never got to see the aftermath. In many ways, the timing of One Today was fortuitous: I picked up right where I left off the last time around.<br />
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Another surprising turn of events that happened right after launch took place in a meeting with my manager. The week after we launched, he and I had sat down and I brought up the "what now?" question. I had come on to help with this launch. There was another product manager on the team, and after the surge of launch work calmed down, there wouldn't really be a lot of use having two product people on the same small team. Already we had begun to duplicate each other's work. He listened to my concerns, asked me some questions, and told me he'd think about the situation.<br />
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What surprised me happened the week later: I had my usual one-on-one with him, and he told me that the product manager I'd been collaborating with closely would henceforth be focusing on the other initiative he works on, and that I'd be taking the lead on One Today. I was so taken aback – I'd only been back at Google for two months – that my response was literally, "Oh, shit." So just when I thought things would be calming down, they've been quite the opposite. It's been a lot of work, and a lot more responsibility, but I'm excited for the new role. Onwards and upwards!<br />
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One month into its life as a Google product, One Today is alive and well. I can't share any of the internal numbers, but I've been very happy with what I've seen. The reaction from our users and the press has been absolutely wonderful too. We have upwards of 250 reviews on the <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.onetoday" target="_blank">Android Play Store</a> with an average rating of 4.9 / 5 stars, the highest of any Google app on the market. Reviews like these always make me happy:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0-B96z_biGGj2fM2091ilfdWGSHSA7TxRj_DFc1KpNAGO0d7RXOQayp2auz-LBGg7kYqKDAsS3wz6EJWDmGO_n7mJDh0EZxhm2NXm0epTzVG1X3f6nKNsb7_HMGG4E7N62746ZNbt9c/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+3.47.07+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs0-B96z_biGGj2fM2091ilfdWGSHSA7TxRj_DFc1KpNAGO0d7RXOQayp2auz-LBGg7kYqKDAsS3wz6EJWDmGO_n7mJDh0EZxhm2NXm0epTzVG1X3f6nKNsb7_HMGG4E7N62746ZNbt9c/s400/Screen+Shot+2013-05-27+at+3.47.07+PM.png" width="500" /></a></div>
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Not that I can really take credit for any of these; by the time I came on, most of the heavy lifting had been done. Now's the hard part for me: making sure we continue to move in the right direction, listen to our users, and iterate to the point where we're confident we can launch this successfully in a big way. Here's to the challenges ahead!<br />
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<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Screenshots</h4>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-38532930425752750102013-03-16T22:28:00.001-04:002013-03-17T09:47:52.502-04:00In Praise of Great Parents<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My family, as I was growing up, never resembled the "model American household." My mother was diagnosed with stage three cancer when I was six and never quite recovered afterward. My father often worked multiple teaching jobs and would wake up at 3am to meditate before his early morning commute. Neither one stayed home to take care of me like so many of my friends' parents did. There were never family dinners – we were all on radically different schedules. But for all of these seeming flaws in my family life, there were two things my parents supplied in abundance that, looking back, made all the difference: unconditional love and support.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>Since I've been able to speak, my parents and I have always ended our conversations with an "I love you," before the "goodbye." My mother was especially diligent in this respect. She had grown up the daughter of two Holocaust survivors, both deeply scarred from their experiences in the camps. The only time she ever heard "I love you" from her mother was when she (my grandmother) was terminally ill. My mother vowed that I'd never have to wonder if she loved me; she and my father made it abundantly clear every day of my life. There wasn't a day that went by when I didn't hear those three words.<br />
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My parents were also the first people to see something special in me. They never inflated my ego by telling me that I was unbelievably, super fantastically extraordinary, but they did provide me with unwavering support when I set out to do something. I'll never forget when I got involved with an extracurricular organization in high school; there was a regional conference taking place in Baltimore, but because my school had never been particularly active before, there was no way for me to get there and no funding for me to go. Not only did my parents offer to pay for it outright, but my father took time off work to drive me down and sit in the hotel room while I was out doing my thing. This wasn't the exception to the rule; it was the rule.<br />
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I look back on my childhood, and it's patently clear to me that these two factors have had the greatest impact as I've moved into adulthood. Like any other awkward, nerdy kid, I certainly went through periods where I wondered why anyone would ever love me. But I never questioned that at least two people did. And from that unwavering support: a deep-seated sense that I was worth something, a sense that people had made sacrifices to invest in me, and that I owed my best effort to them and to myself. Maybe the surface level of my upbringing wasn't always nicely polished or perfectly manicured, but underneath, there was really very little more I could have asked for.<br />
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Thank you, Mom and Dad.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-17638578663336943132013-02-25T08:38:00.000-05:002013-02-25T12:26:42.975-05:00Back at Google<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Here I am, back at Google for my fourth first day at this crazy company. And I couldn't be more excited. I spent the last few months investigating opportunities all around the world, primarily at companies under 100 people, but at the end of the day, my real criteria for this next move were these:<br />
<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Role: Some combination of software engineering and product management with a road to primarily product work.</li>
<li>Team: Smart, passionate people who will challenge me every day.</li>
<li>Problem: Work on something socially important. Provide real value for real people.</li>
<li>Technology: Web and mobile software.</li>
<li>Location: New York City.</li>
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And strangely enough, after a whole year of discussions with Google, they finally offered me exactly that.<br />
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So what will I be doing? Starting today, I'll be doing a mixture of software engineering and product management, working with a strong team of engineers building web and mobile software under the Google.org umbrella.</div>
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Last I was at Google, I did primarily product management work, and discovered not only did I really enjoy it, but I was also pretty good at it. That's definitely where I see myself in the long term, but I also recognize that in this industry, there's a one way road from technical roles to non-technical ones. In other words, once you move into a less technical role (like product management), it's much harder to become more technical (like a software engineer). What's more, having a strong technical foundation is very highly valued, even in non-technical roles. So it seemed like a good idea for me to spend my first several months on the job boning up on my technical skills. I have no doubt that I'll learn a ton, and it'll allow me to be a stronger PM down the line.</div>
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I can't say much about the team, product, or technology I'll be working on (those pesky non-disclosure agreements), but I'm excited about it. What I can say is that it's part of <a href="http://google.org/">Google.org</a>, which builds technology specifically geared at social impact. From their website, "Google.org builds technology to address global challenges and make a lasting impact." The division has undergone a number of transitions over the last several years, but I'm enthusiastic about this most recent technology-focused approach that Larry Page and my old mentor, Alfred Spector, have put into place. After spending a year building and deploying technology in the developing world, I know that technology can't solve every global problem, but it can go a long way to making things better. I'm absolutely pumped to start making my impact.</div>
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To another happy return!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-27982966452692002472013-02-22T12:42:00.000-05:002013-02-22T12:42:49.822-05:00Techie's Dilemma: Silicon Valley vs. NYC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After spending the last few years traveling the world, it seems almost every major city is an aspiring tech hub these days. No matter where I go, the locals tell me the same thing: the government has recognized the importance of tech entrepreneurship, and they're taking major steps to encourage it there. The obvious archetype for these places is Silicon Valley in California, but there's a Silicon Something-or-Other just about everywhere I visit: Silicon Alley in New York, Silicon Roundabout in London, even Silicon Savannah in Kenya. After months of trying to figure out where I should move next, the only obvious conclusion was that each place had its own pros and cons. In this series, I'll take a lens to each of the cities I considered and the facts that ultimately led me to my decision.<br />
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<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-cole/new-york-startups_b_2681804.html">Read more on the Huffington Post »</a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-76541080703923085452013-01-10T23:16:00.000-05:002013-01-10T23:16:10.375-05:00New York, I'm all in.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<h3>
Or alternatively, taking the Kenya option off the table.</h3>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblpny9bZ5RvjCTC-J10LFm5hHGylKsQ0WfHk3aclvgbARzENxLv9j9DVQUfH6sPBcDnqlvsdsQgXxVNErZI30ADwrsOS-HITeT8lFjGQ9f2dTcLcdvavcUbXWEpd9ZnjZ8YMk1FmCNDo/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-10+at+4.06.32+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: .3em;"><img border="0" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjblpny9bZ5RvjCTC-J10LFm5hHGylKsQ0WfHk3aclvgbARzENxLv9j9DVQUfH6sPBcDnqlvsdsQgXxVNErZI30ADwrsOS-HITeT8lFjGQ9f2dTcLcdvavcUbXWEpd9ZnjZ8YMk1FmCNDo/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-10+at+4.06.32+PM.png" /></a></div>
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That's right. You heard it here first. After two arduous months pounding the pavements, I've decided to take the plunge and stay in New York despite the continued job uncertainty. Looking back on when I arrived, I assumed that it would be difficult for me to break into the startup world here. After all, I haven't lived in the US for over two years, and I haven't worked in New York since the summer of 2008. A long time ago. But in the weeks since, I've gotten to speak with a number of exceptional companies, and to my great surprise, they've all been happy to meet me. But the largest moral of the story is that timing has played a much bigger role than I anticipated. No one seems to argue my qualifications or credentials – whether or not they need a product manager at that given moment is a thornier issue. In retrospect, it makes perfect sense. I've picked a role for myself where there's one of me to every five to ten engineers. Startups only need a PM at a very specific point in their life cycles. So after a great deal of thought and soul searching, I've finally decided to stay and see how it plays out.</div>
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It was no easy choice to make, and whether it was truly the <a href="http://blog.benscole.com/2012/09/making-right-choice.html" target="_blank">right choice</a> continues to elude me. Only time will tell. What I do know is that I love being 24 in New York. For the first time in my adult life, I have the prospect of staying in one place indefinitely, without a standing deadline to leave. That may not sound like a lot, but after living in five different places in the last five years, the thought of being able to stay in one place for more than a number of months sounds like paradise. Still, it's not totally in my character to turn down an incredible opportunity (the Kenya option) without an equally incredible alternative. But here I am. New York, you've got me. Chew me up; spit me out. I'm yours.</div>
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On a more practical note, you may wonder what my plans are for the interim while I continue to hunt for this perfect opportunity. Funny you ask! I've been wondering too. At the moment, I'm considering consulting with friends' startups, teaching tech business stuff, and writing. If anyone feels like they may be able to help me find opportunities to do any of those things, please let me know! I was also reminded today by a dear friend that I didn't decide to stay in New York just to work. I came here to enjoy the diversity of this incredible, multi-faceted city. So I plan to have a little bit of fun too. And of course I'm always open for help making that happen.</div>
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So here's to taking big risks! 2013, I hope you prove as fruitful as the years leading up to you.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-89335086221692539562013-01-07T21:28:00.002-05:002013-01-09T23:53:29.068-05:00It's Official: We're Living in the Future<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few days ago, while an old friend was visiting NY, I made the trek up to the Upper East Side to visit him at his brother's place. It was wonderful to meet his family, especially his very new little nephew. I don't see very many babies these days, so seeing how the little guy interacted with his grandmother made me remark to myself, "Wow, we're really living in the future." When I was growing up, cell phones didn't exist, and email was a largely unused technology. If a family member lived a long distance away, you got to see them a few times a year. The only middle ground was an expensive long distance phone call.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlkhXgFZeh_zemKHrOSmTYTOSVu5q94KO4ontkYOy8XWWgyEOpB-mzjwu7aFASdc6rWSf7ylV54-GCU98VwPhk68Jg0_3jBBB2KckFbwg-pWIFUn8cxECYkQhyphenhyphenfQiqQcpkjvSu74B_gk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+4.52.18+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: .3em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIlkhXgFZeh_zemKHrOSmTYTOSVu5q94KO4ontkYOy8XWWgyEOpB-mzjwu7aFASdc6rWSf7ylV54-GCU98VwPhk68Jg0_3jBBB2KckFbwg-pWIFUn8cxECYkQhyphenhyphenfQiqQcpkjvSu74B_gk/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+4.52.18+PM.png" width="200" /></a></div>
What made me do a double take with my friend's family was that this baby and his grandmother were actually separated by thousands of miles, communicating over <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FaceTime" target="_blank">FaceTime</a> on an iPad. Growing up in the first generation of digital natives, I've gradually become accustomed to video as a pretty standard mode of communication, but seeing this little baby and his grandmother communicate seamlessly through a computer the size of a legal pad blew my mind. How far we've come in such a short period of time, not just in the ways we can communicate, but it how easy and intuitive it's become that it seems 100% natural for a 11-month-old baby to be able to do it without any coaching. It was incredible to see how quickly the baby got it, touching the screen with his hand where his grandmother had put hers. In 23 years, when that kid is my age, how will we be communicating then?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-top: .3em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqolr74BtVzJsnZat8BRqj4NUVmgvnS-ORXxgnvD1w-93vL1GrPaqhM22D_Aq9_cTgZDBDaxNm9TgUD6pZ1leK2bV6SxL_veD4yfOWGrsMumymsZokFbDROSo8GTpbayvXsuABgG13cL0/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+4.57.33+PM.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqolr74BtVzJsnZat8BRqj4NUVmgvnS-ORXxgnvD1w-93vL1GrPaqhM22D_Aq9_cTgZDBDaxNm9TgUD6pZ1leK2bV6SxL_veD4yfOWGrsMumymsZokFbDROSo8GTpbayvXsuABgG13cL0/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+4.57.33+PM.png.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wearing a Google Glass prototype</td></tr>
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Just the next day, I was scheduled to catch up over tea with my good friend, Mike, who works for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_X_Lab" target="_blank">GoogleX</a>. It had been over a year since we'd seen each other, and since then Mike has transitioned into working on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_glass" target="_blank">Google Glass</a>, a revolutionary advancement in wearable computing. Google Glass is a piece of hardware that rests on your head almost like a pair of glasses except it has a small screen just above your normal line of sight on the right. It runs a simple, paired down version operating system and works in a way that I can only describe as magic. I'm not sure how much I can say about the experience of using it, but for the second time in two days, I found myself remarking with awe, "So this is the future."<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; margin-top: .3em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfSipENxBjgAXR8YVpU0x_TXWeefPlcULNsbKu1LNDoK96jxOSBCdoWoxavRjbCVsZyPul3Qie1R8eKTTbYawrsS62EZ8MRPnlNs0M_banZjJzeY5-reKALLpEV7bE3mqszTwdxxrxHA/s1600/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+5.11.14+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqfSipENxBjgAXR8YVpU0x_TXWeefPlcULNsbKu1LNDoK96jxOSBCdoWoxavRjbCVsZyPul3Qie1R8eKTTbYawrsS62EZ8MRPnlNs0M_banZjJzeY5-reKALLpEV7bE3mqszTwdxxrxHA/s200/Screen+Shot+2013-01-07+at+5.11.14+PM.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My head in 3D.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
As Mike and I were leaving the cafe, we stumbled upon living-in-the-future occurrence #3: the <a href="http://www.makerbot.com/retail-store/" target="_blank">MakerBot Store</a> in Soho. For those of you unfamiliar, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MakerBot_Industries" target="_blank">MakerBots</a> are the first generation of affordable 3D printers. "What does that mean?" you ask? 3D printers are devices that can print out plastic copies of custom-created objects. You can "print out" doll houses, model cars, Christmas ornaments, and even jewelry. One of the cooler features they had at the store was an apparatus to make 3D models of people's heads and print them out on the spot. Needless to say we got ours done. My nose got a little bit chopped off, but it was still very cool to have it all done in under 10 minutes. Not that long ago, it would have taken months to accurately model a 3D object and reproduce it. Now you can do it while you're on your way to dinner uptown. Pretty incredible.<br />
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The last occurrence that I'll point out was just the icing on the cake. As we finally left the MakerBot store, we were both rushing to catch the subway uptown, and as I was walking, I caught sight of this out of the corner of my eye: a person interacting with a <a href="http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57552857-93/nyc-payphones-get-revived-as-touch-screen-tablets/" target="_blank">giant touch screen computer</a> inhabiting what was once a pay phone. New York City is not known for its cutting-edge infrastructure, so this surprised even me. Apparently they're popping up all over the city. Who would have guessed it? Apparently we are living in the future.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpQqI9kuq8xtINC_lrM1NW1Dor0ZYEN0THEy8Bu91Kv6wZgPgCsjP2Wo0zEkYWmMGRFGSA9Dc5zp5HX3lQIFM90qOHfGhNVz5d-JhftuM9IH4rKuGLxaiJU3uF1FkDE1awDHAc_WwucQ/s1600/8091340404_578f76c0b2_z_610x458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpQqI9kuq8xtINC_lrM1NW1Dor0ZYEN0THEy8Bu91Kv6wZgPgCsjP2Wo0zEkYWmMGRFGSA9Dc5zp5HX3lQIFM90qOHfGhNVz5d-JhftuM9IH4rKuGLxaiJU3uF1FkDE1awDHAc_WwucQ/s320/8091340404_578f76c0b2_z_610x458.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-26507324944364372782012-11-16T16:49:00.000-05:002012-11-16T16:50:26.344-05:00Big Decisions: First Thoughts on NYC<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As some of you likely know, I've finally finished my travels, landed in New York, and begun the final step in my transition to whatever's next. I've been in New York for the last week, and I feel like I've gotten a good early impression about the tech scene here, life in NYC as a young adult, and what it would mean to be back "home". So here goes, my first thoughts on the big apple, the closest thing I have to a home, New York City.<br />
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<a name='more'></a><h4 style="text-align: left;">
The Tech Scene: Not Silicon Valley</h4>
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Over the last week, I've spoken to lots of people who are somehow related to the tech scene here, whether they were in venture capital, a startup, or a larger company like my <a href="http://google.com/" target="_blank">old employer</a>. The obvious thing to say is that the scene is much younger and smaller than the Valley, though it's growing super fast. The more interesting observation I've made is about what sort of problems NY techies tackle as opposed to those in Silicon Valley. In Silicon Valley, the problems people think of seem, to me anyway, to be a product of Silicon Valley's industrial insularity. If you've ever been to the Valley, you know how isolated it can feel; everyone is in tech, and everyone talks about tech pretty much all the time. In New York, there is a much wider range of industries to draw from, and you see that in the types of startups that emerge. In fact, the number of startups you find in different fields pretty closely mirrors the size of the industries in New York; 75% of the companies I've seen fall into one of three categories: (1) advertising, (2) curated and subscription e-commerce, (3) and social and news aggregation, plus pockets of fashion-, art-, health-, and education-based startups. What this means for me is that it's tougher than in Nairobi to find something that I feel like is disruptive and making a positive social impact. There may be the same number of companies that satisfy that requirement in the two places, but here it's much more of a needle in a haystack problem.<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Being Young and Unattached in NYC</h4>
<div>
Maybe it's the fact that just about as soon as I got here, a close friend took off for Brazil and left me his beautiful apartment in the West Village, but I've really been enjoying life here. (The fact that I don't have any job or any work to do might play into this as well, though I feel like that's at least partially offset by the lack of an income.) New York is full of young, motivated, hungry people (in the "<a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/answer-sheet/post/steve-jobs-told-students-stay-hungry-stay-foolish/2011/10/05/gIQA1qVjOL_blog.html" target="_blank">Stay hungry. Stay foolish.</a>" sense). There's also a seemingly unlimited number of cool cafes, bars, restaurants, and other cozy nooks to hang out in. I've rarely felt so spontaneously happy just walking down the street peering into the fun shops or drinking a cup of tea at a cozy cafe. On the other hand, New York is <i>expensive</i>. There's no way I'd be able to afford living in a place like the one my friend lent me or that I'd be able to sustain the lifestyle I have now. But I think that would be okay. Just to have all of this at my fingertips, however often or rarely I would get to indulge in it, is pretty spectacular.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Being "Home"</h4>
<div>
This whole concept of being home has been pretty weird to me. It's been a long time since I've arrived in a place and not had to start everything from scratch. For a change, I actually know people here. I have family here. I know how to get around without constantly getting lost here. What a strange feeling it is! And how strange for that to be strange for me. It's been really nice to be home, and yet, quite a transition too. So many people to see, so many old friends and family to reconnect with, and at the same time, so many new and interesting people to meet. In some sense, I feel torn between different versions of myself: the NY-based Ben and Traveler Ben. It's all a little jarring right now, but I'm sure the conflicts will resolve over time. I'll keep you posted on just how it all works out. Until then...</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-43905216889400399912012-09-19T14:51:00.001-04:002012-09-19T14:51:58.688-04:00The Traveler's Curse<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Whether it was the time I lived in a bookshop in Paris or when I saw the sun rise over Africa after climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the stories I tell often give people the impression that my life over the last few years has been nothing but joy and excitement. And while the excitement bit may be true, as any experienced traveler will tell you, the journey has its own hardships that most people (myself included) don't tend to realize until they've done it. When I get that look in my eyes of longing for a place to settle down, even for just a year or two, I have a hard time expressing why such a concept is important to me at this point in my life. But recently a friend sent me a story he found online that I feel sums up these experiences really well. So, for your reading pleasure...<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><blockquote class="tr_bq">
An old vagabond in his 60s told me about it over a beer in Central America, goes something like this: The more places you see, the more things you see that appeal to you, but no one place has them all. In fact, each place has a smaller and smaller percentage of the things you love, the more things you see. It drives you, even subconsciously, to keep looking, for a place not that's perfect (we all know there's no Shangri-La), but just for a place that's "just right for you." But the curse is that the odds of finding "just right" get smaller, not larger, the more you experience. So you keep looking even more, but it always gets worse the more you see. This is Part A of the Curse.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Part B is relationships. The more you travel, the more numerous and profoundly varied the relationships you will have. But the more people you meet, the more diffused your time is with any of them. Since all these people can't travel with you, it becomes more and more difficult to cultivate long term relationships the more you travel. Yet you keep traveling, and keep meeting amazing people, so it feels fulfilling, but eventually, you miss them all, and many have all but forgotten who you are. And then you make up for it by staying put somewhere long enough to develop roots and cultivate stronger relationships, but these people will never know what you know or see what you've seen, and you will always feel a tinge of loneliness, and you will want to tell your stories just a little bit more than they will want to hear them. The reason this is part of the Curse is that it gets worse the more you travel, yet travel seems to be a cure for a while.</blockquote>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
None of this is to suggest that one should ever reduce travel. It's just a warning to young Travelers, to expect, as part of the price, a rich life tinged with a bit of sadness and loneliness, and angst that's like the same nostalgia everyone feels for special parts of their past, except multiplied by a thousand.</blockquote>
<br />
This resonated with me profoundly. Looking back on these last few years, I've experienced many of these same sentiments, though I would like to offer a few brief counter arguments. First, the author points out that the more places you see, the more you realize that no one place has everything you want. Fair enough point, but I would actually say, from my perspective, all of the travel has actually helped me realize what pieces of a place are the most important to me and what I can do without, what's important for a place to live and what I'm happy having only in the places I vacation. Travel, I would say, has actually given me a greater appreciation for the places that I love, New York top among them. Growing up in or just outside New York City, it wasn't until I started traveling that I fully realized what a special place it is.<br />
<br />
The other argument I would like to make is a much less substantive one. I know all too well the pain that comes with saying goodbye to the incredible people I've met. I had to do it when I left Oxford, Cornell, Ghana/Google, and now, most recently, Cambridge. It's always a heartache, and every time it makes me want to stop moving around and stay in one place. The main argument I'd like to make, though, is that the Internet has allowed me to stay in touch with the incredible people I've met orders of magnitude more easily than it would have been just a decade ago. Granted I don't get to see many of my friends on a regular basis; in fact, sometimes it's months or years in between visits, but that doesn't mean those relationships aren't profoundly deep or important.<br />
<br />
Finally, about the loneliness of not being able to share your experiences with others, it certainly is true, but there's also the fact that from time to time, you meet others in the same position as you, the other road worn travelers of the world, and those people become true friends almost instantaneously. It's something like nothing else I know that bonds people like the common experience of travel and all that goes with it. I've been lucky enough to meet some such characters in Nairobi, and to be honest, it's been one of the most important factors in my reasoning about potentially staying here for a few years. But alas, that's still a decision left to be made. Until next time...<br />
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-52434724349297235852012-09-08T13:00:00.000-04:002012-09-09T14:31:05.478-04:00Big Decisions: First Thoughts on Nairobi<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As some of you know, I'm currently in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, to investigate potential job opportunities and the prospect of moving here for a significant amount of time. It's only been four days since I arrived (out of a total of two weeks), so my impressions are still being formed, but for now, here are a few of my early observations.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
Still the Developing World, for Better or Worse</h4>
Nairobi, while definitely a step ahead of Accra on many dimensions, still has most of the essential hallmarks of a developing world city. Getting around by foot is a tricky balancing act of avoiding getting hit by a car, tripping over the unpaved sidewalks (when there is a sidewalk), or falling into an open sewer. The water, electricity, and Internet go out every so often, and corruption is still a major problem at just about every level. On the other hand, it also means that you can live comfortably on a relatively small budget. I think I'm paying $14 a night to stay in a humungous apartment with a bunch of other cool young people. Life here isn't dirt cheap, but it's not bad either. On the whole, the feeling I get walking around is that it's basically a bigger Accra.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
But Boy Is It Developing Fast</h4>
On the other side of the token, I've never seen so much construction going on anywhere, especially when the housing market has gone bust in most of the Western world. There's a huge demand for luxury real estate fueled by the rapidly growing economy. Kenya's come a long way in recent years, and there's no sign of a significant slow down. Unlike any other Sub-Saharan African country I've been to, the quality of life here borders on what I could expect in some of the poorer parts of Eastern Europe. There are a number legitimate malls, hotels, and restaurants. I've actually eaten surprisingly well including delicious pizza (better than any I had in the UK, actually), Thai food, Chinese food, Egyptian food, and of course, Kenyan food. It's not quite New York, but again, it's not bad either.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
So Much Opportunity</h4>
I've spent the last few days exploring the local tech scene, and while I knew there was a lot going on here, I've still been really pleasantly surprised. Not only are there a <a href="http://www.kopokopo.com/">growing</a> <a href="http://ushahidi.com/">number</a> of <a href="http://www.frontlinesms.com/">interesting</a> <a href="http://mfarm.co.ke/">tech</a> <a href="http://msurvey.co.ke/">companies</a> working on important problems, but there's also a burgeoning ecosystem cropping up around them. The <a href="http://ihub.co.ke/">iHub</a>, an open tech space/incubator founded in 2010 by the noted tech blogger and entrepreneur, Erik Hersman, is the most typical example, but there's much more going on than just that. A number of other incubators have popped up like <a href="http://www.88mph.ac/">88mph</a> and the <a href="http://mlab.co.ke/pages/home.php">M:Lab</a>, and the iHub has expanded its presence into consulting, user experience testing and training, and industry research. The African tech scene has also finally caught the attention of venture capitalists, so we're finally starting to see some serious money flowing into the ecosystem. All of this is to say that there's a pretty high demand for people like me. It's a nice place to be.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4 style="text-align: left;">
And So Many Interesting People</h4>
<div>
I've been extraordinarily lucky over the last few years that I've been surrounded by absolutely incredible people, whether it's been at an academic institution, working for a cool company, or on the road. And the good news is that the people here tend to be very interesting as well. There are lots of smart, motivated, passionate, and adventurous people – in other words, exactly who I like to be around. The tech scene has a critical mass of people and the expat community is expansive. I've only been here a few days, and already, I have a number of options for ways to spend my afternoons and evenings. I feel like if I actually moved here, there would be far too much going on for me to ever be able to do.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So those are the thoughts for now. I would say the verdict is still out on whether I'll stay here for long, but it's been a mostly encouraging few days. Stay tuned for more!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-40259440939160495162012-09-01T05:34:00.000-04:002012-09-01T05:34:13.446-04:00Making the "Right Choice"<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The start of September marks the end of my summer of respite, and as a result, the beginning of my job search in earnest. I have lots of potential roads ahead of me: moving back to the developing world and establishing myself as a technology expert there, joining a more conventional small tech company in Silicon Valley or New York, going back to one of the big hitters like Google, or something entirely different. And so, for the last few weeks, I've had the question on my mind: How will I know if the choice I make is the right one?<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
This question originally emerged in a conversation with a good friend who had also just finished her master's at Cambridge. She was in the predicament of having to choose between a job doing refugee work in Cairo, which I thought sounded pretty cool but apparently had a number of suboptimal components, and waiting in the UK a bit longer to see if she could figure something else out. "How do I know if I'm making the right choice?" she asked me. How do any of us know? How would I know when it came to be my turn?<br />
<br />
After contemplating for a while, I concluded that, as far as I can tell, there are no right decisions. We're all navigating our lives with imperfect information. There is no universally optimal algorithm. We can only see what's in front of us and base our decisions on the experiences we've each had. And so, I've come to believe that much less depends on these "big" decisions than how we deal with them once they're made. There are countless decisions we make each day, and what makes them right or wrong is how we deal with the outcomes they bring. (In fact, looking back, it's often been the little, seemingly inconsequential decisions that have had the biggest impact in the long run.) With an upbeat attitude, enthusiasm, and intelligence, I'd bet you could make just about any well reasoned decision into the right one.<br />
<br />
Am I right? We'll see as I begin this big process of decision making myself.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-71979306916596781752012-07-02T12:27:00.000-04:002017-01-10T12:52:15.518-05:00Looking Back on a Year at Cambridge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe3SLvC1BnE4ft3P01TSjlHHGKkBvQLdsx5B-B94KmPD9zzxf35rFr2Bm2p6TMLaSECmKlFDH0fl9Mv__QRyoileN0OMYg06E1-0cTRObVthP0uQSE2xt9__RjhGqAeveMA2rhpLWIxE/s1600/Screen+Shot+2012-07-02+at+5.18.12+PM.png.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfe3SLvC1BnE4ft3P01TSjlHHGKkBvQLdsx5B-B94KmPD9zzxf35rFr2Bm2p6TMLaSECmKlFDH0fl9Mv__QRyoileN0OMYg06E1-0cTRObVthP0uQSE2xt9__RjhGqAeveMA2rhpLWIxE/s200/Screen+Shot+2012-07-02+at+5.18.12+PM.png.jpg" width="158" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Saying goodbye to my father <br />
before departing for Cambridge.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I'll never forget the trip I took from my family's home in Arizona late last September. I set off for England to start my master's degree at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity_College,_Cambridge">Trinity College</a> in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Cambridge">University of Cambridge</a>. I had just finished a whirlwind trip around the US after 14 months of travel; I was sleep deprived, whiplashed by the sudden life changes, and apprehensive to be moving to another country again. I remember the bus ride from Heathrow to Cambridge. I hadn't slept in nearly two days, and crazy thoughts were ricocheting off my skull. Was I making the right decision? Was Cambridge the right place for me? Would I even be able to stay in one place for nine months? Well here we are, nine months later, and finally, I can answer those questions with certainty.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Yes, Cambridge was the right place for me. And now, I'm so sad to leave. In my three terms here, I managed to accomplish most of the goals I set out for myself. I made an incredible set of friends, I met some extraordinarily interesting people, I passed my degree, I made it to every <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_of_the_University_of_Cambridge">college</a>'s <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formal_(university)">formal hall</a>, and I even scored tickets to four <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_Ball">May Balls</a>. But more than any of those things individually, I made this place my home, a notion that had been noticeably absent in my life for the year preceding my matriculation. Cambridge truly is a special place, with its <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academic_dress_of_the_University_of_Cambridge">academic gowns</a> and <a href="http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/students/studentregistry/current/newstud/graduation/ceremony.html">eccentric traditions</a>, its ancient buildings and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_University_of_Cambridge_members">illustrious alumni</a>, its weeping willows and, of course, its wandering cows. I wouldn't have traded this experience for anything.<br />
<br />
And now, here I am, on the eve of my graduation, my time coming to an end. So what's next for me? Well, to be frank, I'm not sure. In the immediate future, I'm going to spend the summer traveling, consulting with a few startups, and trying to figure things out. I'm not sure where life will take me next, but I am sure that I'm not one to accept anything short of something that I'm passionate about. So stay tuned. I promise you'll know (almost) as soon as I do.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-91927016688629539772012-01-13T08:54:00.000-05:002012-01-13T09:57:51.887-05:00Living without Regret<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There was an excellent <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/10/health/elderly-experts-share-life-advice-in-cornell-project.html">article</a> published in <i>The New York Times</i> the other day that resonated with me deeply. It doesn't take long to understand why – the article begins with the following passage:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
At 17, I wrote a speech titled, “When You Come to the End of Your Days, Will You Be Able to Write Your Own Epitaph?” It reflected the approach to life I adopted after my mother’s untimely death from cancer at age 49. I chose to live each day as if it could be my last — but with a watchful eye on the future in case it wasn’t. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
My goal was, and still is, to die without regrets.</blockquote>
<br />
<a name='more'></a>For those of you who know me well, it should be pretty self-evident why this piece called out to me. It was my very own experiences in the same situation that led me to take on the very same philosophy, and as I discussed in my <a href="http://blog.benscole.com/2012/01/reflecting-on-three-years-of-travel.html">last post</a>, it's treated me pretty well. Still, it was fascinating to see what people had to say on this issue as they looked back on life, especially as we start a new year.<br />
<br />
The article summarizes many of the main points from a new book, called <i><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/30-Lessons-Living-Advice-Americans/dp/1594630844">30 Lessons for Living</a></i>. I was skeptical at first, but the book is actually the product of the <a href="http://legacyproject.human.cornell.edu/">Cornell Legacy Project</a>, which has interviewed over 1,000 older Americans from different economic, educational and occupational strata. The article starts with three major components that define most peoples lives: marriage, careers, and parenting, but alas, three components I have not yet had the opportunity to live. More compelling to me personally were the latter three aspects that the article discusses: aging, regrets, and happiness.<br />
<br />
On aging, I'll confess that, for the last few years, I've been pretty afraid. One of my (unspoken) justifications for pursuing my gap year and graduate school was my reasoning that as long as I didn't settle down in one place indefinitely, I could avoid being a real adult. If I could keep my life in discrete chunks, I wouldn't have to grow up. But the section on aging begins with another enlightening quote. The experts on aging, those who have aged themselves, say,<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Embrace it. Don’t fight it. Growing older is both an attitude and a process...” The experts’ advice to the young: “Don’t waste your time worrying about getting old.”</blockquote>
This piece of wisdom (combined with a <a href="http://www.ted.com/talks/jane_fonda_life_s_third_act.html">TED talk</a> I recently watched about life's third act) has gone a long way to change my attitudes. Perhaps getting older, reaching that next step, is something I should be looking forward to rather than seeking to put off.<br />
<br />
The passage on regrets begins:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“Always be honest” was the elders’ advice to avoid late-in-life remorse. Take advantage of opportunities and embrace new challenges. And travel more when you’re young rather than wait until the children are grown or you are retired.</blockquote>
Okay, I may have been pretty far off on the aging bit, but I think I've got this one pretty much down.<br />
<br />
And finally, the passage on happiness reminded me of an old personal maxim that I think I may have forgotten on some level recently:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Happiness as a choice, not the result of how life treats you.</blockquote>
It's amazing – I think I may have actually been happier when I had major parts of my life to be unhappy about. Things have been going so overwhelmingly well these last couple years that I've almost lost that invaluable contrast; if I can be happy given the most unhappy circumstances, I can be happy always. Remembering that sounds like the beginning of new year's resolution I may actually keep.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-40127564447957202252012-01-10T11:05:00.000-05:002012-01-10T12:53:35.572-05:00Reflecting on Three Years of Travel<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4FrVIPHSkzeGmePX2Jncm0RsVVOPtHwZiSqzepzgz6QZZD003y4HlHIubWO8lroPL-3HqekJvM1FS4ZiDvhVtAJMI4DTLGRJor06Gc-3WreADBV_spPAH7Qcyg_h8NxTb3Gk9pm5-mk/s1600/n36405175_33033211_2823.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhA4FrVIPHSkzeGmePX2Jncm0RsVVOPtHwZiSqzepzgz6QZZD003y4HlHIubWO8lroPL-3HqekJvM1FS4ZiDvhVtAJMI4DTLGRJor06Gc-3WreADBV_spPAH7Qcyg_h8NxTb3Gk9pm5-mk/s200/n36405175_33033211_2823.jpeg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oxford, just after I arrived in 2009.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Three years ago today, I landed in England for the first time with my suitcases and a stomach full of fear and apprehension. I had never traveled on my own before, never been to Europe, never lived abroad, nothing. I remember getting off the plane and wandering around Heathrow as anxiety welled up within me. My phone wasn't working despite the preparations I'd made beforehand. I didn't know how to get to the tube stop where I'd be meeting my cousin who had been living in London. What was the difference between the rail and the underground anyway? I called my father from a pay phone in a panic. He didn't pick up. Neither did my aunt. I was stuck. I was alone. But though I didn't realize it at the time, this feeling of discomfort, of anxiety, would soon become an addiction.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
Today, looking back, it's hard to even remember the feeling of terror that pervaded me that day. I was such a different person back then, filled with hopes and desires of the young adult I'd like to become, but still falling short. I knew I had it in me to be adventurous, to be outgoing, to be courageous (read: kind of insane most of the time). How these years have changed me.<br />
<br />
After hanging up the phone for the last time, hopeless that anyone back home would be able to help me, I made the decision that would come to define the years since: I'd have to buck up and figure it out on my own. And how that realization has come back again and again, whether it's been finding an unconventional job for after graduation, figuring out how to navigate complex organizations like Google, or landing in a new country for the first time without knowing anyone or how to speak the language. It's amazing the things we can do when we have no other options. The addiction has been putting myself in those situations and finding out that that maxim holds true every time.<br />
<br />
Since that fateful day three years ago, my life has transformed monumentally: I've lived on 3 continents, traveled through 30+ countries, made some truly extraordinary friends in some of the strangest places, and learned more about myself and what I'm capable of than I ever dreamed before.<br />
<br />
Some time ago, I read a study showing that people who had traveled demonstrated more out-of-the-box thinking. They were more creative, less held down by the restrictions of their small spheres of the world. If my personal experience has taught me anything, it's that I am far less bounded by the expectations and norms that society creates for me. One of my favorite <a href="http://xkcd.com/137/">cartoons</a> from <a href="http://www.xkcd.com/">xkcd</a> (currently hanging on my wall) talks about this problem: "The infinite possibilities each day holds should stagger the mind. The sheer number of experiences I could have in uncountable... And no, I don't have all the answers. I don't know how to jolt myself into seeing what each moment could become." And alas, neither do I, but it's something I aspire to, and all the travel has been one hell of a start.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-66143796598830901362012-01-09T10:33:00.000-05:002012-01-09T10:33:12.940-05:00How I Spent My Gap Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Greetings, friends, family, and other readers. I'm going to be totally cliché and begin this post with an apology for not updating in months. I recently finished my first term at Cambridge, and after moving around so much last year, it was a relief to be able to stay in one place for more than a couple weeks. The classes I took were generally interesting and challenging, the people I met absolutely extraordinary, and the Oxbridge culture just as decadent as I remembered. But that's not what I really wanted to write about today. A few weeks back, I visited some former colleagues at the Google office in London, and heard really encouraging news about the project I used to work on. Since it was secret and un-launched for my entire time at Google, I never really got to talk about what I was up to, but now I can!
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The project I spent most of my year working on was focused on getting small and medium businesses in emerging markets online. While I was first focused entirely on Africa, the organization quickly changed so that I was working across emerging markets (hence explaining much of my crazy travel). The product I was working on, which you can now try <a href="http://signup.kbo.co.ke/signup">here</a>, aims to make the process of website creation for emerging markets business as seamless and easy as possible. We labored endlessly to make the user experience as simple as possible, constantly testing with users across the world, and incorporated a number of emerging-markets-specific features like SMS notifications and automatic mobile optimization for the websites created.<br />
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Today, the campaign/product is launched in a number of countries including Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda, Senegal, and Malaysia. You can check out some of the small businesses who have gotten online below:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li><a href="http://www.thesugar.com.my/">The Sugar</a> (Malaysian clothing store)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.binatafoods.co.ke/">Binata Foods</a> (Kenyan health food store)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.blogger.com/"><span id="goog_179339197"></span>Sparkling Logistics<span id="goog_179339198"></span></a> (Kenyan transportation company)</li>
<li><a href="http://www.redapple.co.ug/">Red Apple Cafe & Restaurant</a> (Ugandan restaurant)</li>
<li><a href="http://getrams.gnbo.com.ng/">Get Rams</a> (personal favorite, Nigerian ram rancher)</li>
</ul>
</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-14842686853908235232011-10-09T18:14:00.001-04:002011-10-09T18:14:14.799-04:00Life In Motion<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Greetings from Cambridge! I haven't decided yet whether to continue writing this blog, but seeing as I no longer work for Google and no longer live in Africa, at the very least, I thought it was fitting to come up with a new name. Why "In Motion"? Over the last year, I've done a fair bit of travel, and I've discovered that it's the one state that feels more natural than any other to me. It's the sensation of a plane lifting off the ground, the road speeding beneath my wheels, the wind rushing past me at furious speeds. I live for motion, alway pushing forward, looking back only to remember past joys and learn from old mistakes.<br />
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These last few weeks in Cambridge have been incredibly, absolutely hectic. We'll see once things normal out whether I can still find interesting enough things to say to put here. Until then...</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-87083601078552102232011-09-07T13:17:00.000-04:002011-09-07T13:18:05.159-04:00One Year Ago...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
One year ago today, I landed in Africa for the first time. Looking back at my journal, I arrived at my hotel, discovered I had no hot water, went to the office, and ate some chicken with jolof rice. Pretty typical day in west Africa, really, but it was anything but typical for me. I've come a long way since then, establishing an entirely new life and lifestyle for myself.<br />
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In short, some of my greatest accomplishments this year:<br />
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<ul style="text-align: left;">
<li>Visiting 2 new continents and discovering a newfound love for parts of the world I hadn't even thought of before.</li>
<li>Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and visiting my friend <a href="http://almaaldrich.blogspot.com/">Alma</a> in Rwanda after over a year of planning.</li>
<li>Hitting 20 countries in the span of 12 months, many of them for the first time, and many of them more than once.</li>
<li>Expanding my culinary comfort zone by eating all sorts of unusual ethnic dishes (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Achatina_fulica">Nigerian giant land snails</a>).</li>
<li>Discovering frequent flyer miles and learning how to <a href="http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/how-to-sleep-on-a-plane/">sleep on planes</a>.</li>
<li>Becoming comfortable taking bucket showers and surviving without proper toilets or electricity.</li>
<li>Finally achieving platinum status on the <a href="http://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/index.html">Starwood Preferred Guests</a> program (I'm actually way too proud of this given the fact that it just means I've spent way too much time living out of hotel rooms).</li>
<li>Making friends with some pretty extraordinary people.</li>
<li>Learning that I am in fact good at the work I've wanted to do for several years.</li>
<li>Coming to understand a lot about myself, what I value, and what kind of life I want to lead.</li>
</ul>
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Here's to hoping that this coming year holds just as much growth, fun, and adventure as the last!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-41782649985316894552011-09-02T15:25:00.000-04:002011-09-02T15:25:09.194-04:00New Beginnings, Once More<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Today is my last day at Google. Actually, to be more precise, today is my third last day at Google. After all these years, you might think that, by this point, I'd be used to coming and going, and yet, it's still pretty hard. It's been an incredible 12 months. Since I started this job last August, I've made my way to 20 countries, met so many fascinating people, and made some truly extraordinary friends.<br />
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And yet, one year later, I'm also ready for a change. The flip side of moving around so much is that I haven't had much of a home this last year, or more figuratively, much of a real place in the world. Living on the extremes of life has been profoundly eye-opening. Before I started traveling a few years ago, I had no idea that this type of nomadic, high-flying lifestyle was possible. Now I've lived it, and I can appreciate it for what it is. Many of my friends have commented that my life seems to be endlessly exciting and glamorous, and to some extent, it has been, though they miss the parts when I'm throwing up from food poisoning or stranded against my will in a strange city. But it's also been somewhat isolating. It turns out that the lifestyle I had growing up has some merit to it too: seeing the same group of friends more than once every few months, having a place to call home, feeling like you actually belong. These are the things I look forward to becoming reacquainted with next year at Cambridge.<br />
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Cambridge, approaching fast on the horizon. For the last few days, I've been receiving a barrage of emails about all of the places, activities, and people that await me. I wish I could express my excitement. If I decide to keep this blog through this next step, I think I'm going to have to change the title though... Suggestions welcome.<br />
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Until the next time, my friends.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dGljM2dCaGZnRE1kYWc3YUJWaW9zdlE6MQ"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;"><b>Sign up for email updates.</b></span></a></div></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-6499535942881418802011-07-21T15:12:00.001-04:002011-07-21T15:12:29.415-04:00Turkish Airlines: Worst Customer Service Experience EverAn open letter to Turkish Airlines customer service: <br />
<br />
Dear Turkish Airlines,<br />
<br />
In the past, I've flown exclusively on your airline whenever there's been a TK option on my route. I'm sorry to say the flight that I just got off will be the last. <br />
<br />
I booked a ticket from Tel Aviv to Nairobi with your company, despite the fact that there were cheaper and faster options available. When I got to the airport in Tel Aviv, the flight was delayed and they tried to reroute me. This was strike one. I had two more legs on my journey that I would miss if I didn't make it to Nairobi on schedule, costing me several hundred dollars.<br />
<br />
After checking my passport in the system, the TK employee at the counter told me that there was no way to get to NBO that night, and that my best option would be to fly to Istanbul and TK would put me up for the night until the next flight. I asked if there were any way I could upgrade to business since the delay was costing me a day's travel and a great deal of money. The employee said there was none left, despite the fact that there were several empty seats in business when I got on the plane. Strike two.<br />
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When I finally got to Istanbul and went to the desk to sort out the hotel and flight for the next day, they informed me that my travel agency had not confirmed my ticket, and as a result they wouldn't put me up for the night. "Are you kidding?" I asked, "An employee from your company promised me a hotel room when I got here. If I hadn't been promised a room, I wouldn't have gotten on the plane." "The man at the counter must not have checked your ticket," he replied. I asked him if it was my fault that a TK employee had screwed up when he checked me in, and the fellow kindly informed me that it was in fact my fault. I kid you not. Strike three. This was, hands down, the worst customer service I have ever received in my entire life.<br />
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Now here I am, loyal TK customer, and I'm stranded in Istanbul with no hotel, no ticket out, and no help from any of your representatives. I have to say I'm sorely disappointed. I thought loyalty counted for something in this business. I guess I'll just have to find another airline for whom it does.<br />
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Sincerely yours,<br />
Benjamin Cole Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-86917046746076083942011-07-06T06:20:00.000-04:002011-07-06T06:20:55.518-04:00Watching and Calculating, African Governments Learn From the Arab SpringIt's no secret that Africa houses some of the longest-serving and most repressive dictators on the planet. Even among the states that have progressed past authoritarian rule, many governments still restrict basic rights with heavy-handed and often violent tactics. It's also no secret that Africa has the smallest Internet penetration of any continent, though it also cannot be denied that the advent of cheap, web-enabled phones has been precipitating broad changes in the continent's Internet landscape. Up until recently, these two facts may have seemed only peripherally related. Most governments had taken a pretty laissez-faire approach to the Internet; it wasn't enough of an issue for most leaders to take the time to learn about, let alone address with policy. But as the Arab Spring continues to roar just a stone's throw North, tremors have rippled well into the heart of the continent. In response, many African governments have begun taking strong stances on Internet freedoms, even before most of their populations have had the chance to experience the free and open Internet as it was originally formulated.<br />
<div class="jump-link"><a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ben-cole/african-government-internet-freedom_b_890807.html">Read more on the Huffington Post »</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-79437085399555045512011-06-24T09:46:00.000-04:002011-06-24T09:46:27.309-04:00Encouraging Online Freedom of Expression in Sub-Saharan AfricaOur mission as a company is to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful - it is therefore in our interest for free exchange of information to flourish online. As access to online information continues to grow in Africa, and in the aftermath of the recent uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa, we are beginning to see governments <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/world-africa-13786143">crack down</a> on dissent in order to prevent free expression both online and offline. There is a growing need to raise awareness about the <a href="http://www.cpj.org/blog/2011/06/the-internet-in-east-africa-an-aid-or-a-weapon.php">complex issues</a> surrounding new technology and social media tools that are used for activism.<br />
<div class="jump-link"><a href="http://google-africa.blogspot.com/2011/06/encouraging-online-freedom-of.html">Read more on the Google Africa Blog »</a></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12789902919722195068noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3966617675778283280.post-7451147098331222002011-06-22T07:34:00.001-04:002011-06-22T07:35:01.282-04:00Umbono: Jump Starting the Internet Ecosystem in AfricaGreetings from Cape Town, South Africa! To preemptively answer your question, no, I'm not on vacation – I'm here to help set up a new program called <a href="http://www.google.co.za/intl/en/umbono/index.html">Umbono</a>, Google's new start-up incubator that will be located here. But before I delve too deeply, let me briefly explain what a start-up incubator is. While the concept of incubators is relatively common in the US, when I've told folks in South Africa what I'm doing here, I often get a look of confusion – "An incubator? Isn't that something you put eggs in?" Well, yes, you could say that...<br />
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Simply put, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Business_incubator">start-up incubators</a> are programs that select a group of early-stage companies, generally through a competitive process, that most commonly provide mentorship and funding. The start-ups are also usually given space in the same establishment so that they can form bonds and learn from one another's struggles as well. The idea was most notably popularized in the US by <a href="http://ycombinator.com/">Y Combinator</a>, a high-profile incubator founded in 2008 by software legend, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Graham_%28computer_programmer%29">Paul Graham</a>. Since then, a number of similar programs have cropped up around Silicon Valley and beyond, but very few outside the US.<br />
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That's where Umbono comes in. As part of Google's <a href="http://blog.benscole.com/2010/11/our-strategy-in-africa-part-iv-looking.html">goal</a> to establish a thriving, sustainable web ecosystem in Africa, we realize that there need to be a wide variety of players in the space. So Google partnered with a number of local South African players, including a variety of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angel_investor">angel investors</a> to provide funding and guidance, <a href="http://www.capetown.the-hub.net/public/">the Hub</a> to provide working space, and <a href="http://www.cellc.co.za/">Cell C</a> to provide internet connectivity. In addition, the program also includes business skills training, specifically tailored for new businesses, and mentorship from local experts and various Googlers with experience working in emerging markets (like me!).<br />
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The program is still in its very early stages – we're just vetting the candidates and getting the space set up, but I have very high hopes for how it will turn out. If all goes well, maybe I'll come back here in the winter (summer for South Africa) and work with my start-ups on the venture capital pitches. At least that's my secret plan for the moment – I'm sure it would be much nicer than dreary winter England!<br />
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