thŕattle

Whatever business you are starting, think about how to serve millions of markets of dozens instead of dozens of markets of millions. Serving the head isn’t a bad strategy. You can build a great business. But, figure out how to serve the tail of your market efficiently and you’ve got a blockbuster.

Src: http://bnoopy.typepad.com/bnoopy/2005/03/the_long_tail_o.html

I already believe in certain Small things such as Small-well-knit-teams, Small-distinct-projects, Small-healthy-markets, Small-indefinite-returns. *Millions of markets of dozens* falls in this category. It had triggered lot of thoughts in me. Need some time to munch on.

Update #0: These results are for the year 2005. Don’t waste your time. >:O)

Few Facts on the Pass %:

1. AnnaUniv Average: 54.77 (Best Univ in TN)
2. J.A Institute of Engineering and Technology: 0 (19 appeared)
3. Arignar Anna Institute of Science and Technology: 17.09 (No Arignars)
4. Einstein College of Engineering: 30.06 (humiliation)
5. Coimbatore Institute of Engineering and Information Technology: 54.91 (Mufti)
6. A.C College of Engineering and Technology: 83.49 (ACC super strong)

Src: http://www.annauniv.edu/coe/all_pass_043.PDF

The top 10 questions would-be entrepreneurs should ask themselves before pursuing an idea for a business:

1. What is new and different about your innovation?
2. What other things like this are out there? Why is yours better?
3. How big is the market? How many people have this problem?
4. How much would it cost to make this product? And what do you think the market will pay?
5. How defensible is the concept? Is there good intellectual property?
6. How is this innovation strategic to my business?
7. How easy is it to communicate the innovation?
8. How could the product evolve? Is there an opportunity to build it out into a product line? Can it be updated/augmented in future versions?
9. Where would someone expect to purchase this product?
10. What will be tricky or difficult in developing this product?

[thro' emergic.org]

I believe 7th to be the most important. How can an innovation be communicated? Simputers failed to impress. Will Amidas?

When you rearrange the letters:

ASTRONOMER -> MOON STARER

DESPERATION -> A ROPE ENDS IT

DORMITORY -> DIRTY ROOM

THE EYES -> THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH -> HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE -> HERE COME DOTS

SLOT MACHINES -> CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY -> IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS -> LIES - LET’S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS -> ALAS! NO MORE Z ‘S

A DECIMAL POINT -> I M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES -> THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO -> TWELVE PLUS ONE

This has got to be one of the good E-mails I’ve received in a while. Someone out there either has too much spare time. [thro' Igay]

We had ordered for an evaluation copy of VxWorks and the Tornado Development Environment. Yesterday the consignment from WindRiver had arrived at our office. It is a box mimicking a jumbo size Bible, which on its inner side read:

Welcome to Wind River. Welcome to untold possibilities. The place where possibility becomes certainity. Within this box, you’ll find software that’s a building block, not a stumbling block. What it has made possible are some truly remarkable things: A way to return safely from Space. Accurate mapping of the human genome. 100% reliability, 43 million miles away from home. Safety at any speed. Wind River. Time and Time again.

VxWorks has a great presence in the embedded industry. Heard of PathFinder Mission? But now Linux is coming in a big way (see pic), have to wait and see.