Tom Foremski
Latest from Tom Foremski
Pervasive Software: Betting On A Big Data Hadoop Future
I recently met with Mike Hoskins, EVP & CTO of Pervasive Software, based in Austin, Texas. It’s an interesting company that combines a large legacy database management system with developing technologies for big data applications around the Hadoop database. Here are some notes from our meeting: – The Austin tech scene is doing well, there ...
The 800lb Gorilla: Spotify US Launch Is Just Days Away
[I’m in London this week following keynoting a conference for Omnicom’s European senior leadership teams. The following news was from a panel I moderated on Tuesday.] Spotify, the most successful music streaming service, has signed the remaining deals it needs with record labels to finalize its US launch, which is now expected in the first ...
IBM @100 Years – Global Innovation is About Silicon Valley, not IBM
Congratulations to IBM and its 100 years in business – from making cheese graters to supercomputers, and much, much more. IBM is seen as very much an East Coast company yet its history shows a strong and long connection with the Silicon Valley area, way before it was even called Silicon Valley. Innovation is key ...
Really?! MoFo Tech – A Newsletter From Silicon Valley Lawyers
I just saw “MoFo Tech” (above) an edgy-designed newsletter from Morrison & Foerster LLP, a top Silicon Valley law firm. It’s certainly an attention getting title and look. And here’s their web site, great design: But I’m wondering about the title: MoFo? That’s a deliberate choice. Which leads to this ...
Steve Jobs Returns (Again) for City Council Pitch for a Huge “Spaceship” Campus
That old Steve Jobs magic is not reserved just for the Apple faithful. He recently took a break from his medical leave to present at Apple’s developer conference earlier this week. Now, he’s also turned up at a Cupertino City Council hearing to use his star power to persuade officials to green-light a massive new ...
MediaWatch: The Strange Joys Of Blogging
“I am no longer sure if I am in control of my blog, or if the blog could also be described as controlling me.” This line jumped out at me as I was reading Irving Wladawsky-Berger’s latest post: The Evolution of My Complex Relationship with Blogging It’s a great article about the many wonderful effects ...
Always Crashing In The Same Car? Here’s How Silicon Valley’s Boom Could Turn To Bust
Are we in a bubble? is a common question as I chat with people at various events around Silicon Valley. The concern is that if it’s a bubble then a crash is not far off. But I’m far more worried that the economy will crash long before Silicon Valley’s boom has had a chance to ...
Signs: It’s Not A Bubble Until…
I say Silicon Valley is in a boom period rather than a bubble. Others might disagree but everyone has some kind of warning sign to look for. For example: Mike Butcher, from Techcrunch Europe, Tweeted earlier: Signs of tech bubbles: Journos leaving for Startups; investment bankers in tech; Startups which try to change user behavior. ...
Notes from 8th Innovation Journalism Conference
Last week’s 8th Innovation Journalism Conference produced a lot of interesting sessions and sparked a lot of ideas. This year David Nordfors, the founder of the conference and Executive Director of the Stanford Center for Innovation and Communication, opened up the conference to public relations, a smart move because of the connection between journalism and ...
TEDxSF: A Curation of People and Ideas
I’ve been to several TEDxSF events but the most recent one felt like a breakthrough event because of the mix of people and talks, plus the new venue. The event was sold out with about 650 tickets for the Yerba Buena location, a larger theater than the Academy of Sciences, where it used to be ...