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Category Archives: webtech

Starbucks Crowdsources Two Obvious Apps That Every Retailer Should Have!

By John Julius Sviokla | Published September 22, 2009

Starbucks has announced that they are fielding two applications, in test, that help users find their stores, explore the menu and nutritional information.  They are have an application which allows customers to recharge their Starbucks card, and enables the phone to display a bar.

Also posted in branding | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

eBay Sells Skype – should Facebook have bought them?

By John Julius Sviokla | Published September 2, 2009

At $2.75 billion and 405 million users, Silver Lake Partners, Andreessen and company are paying $6.79 per registered user, and a little over five times 2008 revenue of $511 million.  Skype had grown by 44% in 2008.  Cheap or dear?  My guess is that.

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Waiting on Genius: Musing on why business design is so hard…

By John Julius Sviokla | Published June 9, 2006

In his brilliant book, Notes on the Synthesis of Form, Christopher Alexander asks, why can an illiterate builder create a dwelling that is cool in the summer, warm in the winter, and withstands hurricanes, but most modern designers create buildings that are too hot,.

Also posted in business strategy | 1 Comment

wikiCalc: The next killer app?

By John Julius Sviokla | Published April 7, 2006

Following on yesterday’s blog, I wanted to reflect on a more specific Wiki innovation.  My dear friend, and software genius, and wonderful human being, Dan Bricklin, in his understated way has launched wikiCalc, which allows the user to run a spreadsheet on a distributed.

Posted in webtech | 4 Comments

Why RFID Won’t Fly for a While

By John Julius Sviokla | Published May 12, 2005

How to Save RFID Initiatives for the Department of Defense and Wal-Mart When Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense (DoD) both push a new initiative it gets people’s attention, for together they represent roughly 5% of the US GDP. Today, they are both requiring.

Posted in webtech | 1 Comment