Mentations on Mentations

Google - The Sidebar

The latest splash in the search wars is the Google Sidebar.  They have certainly taken the battle to the enemy with this one as their sidebar looks very similar to what MS has been working on involving their own sidebar software (most probably to be released with Windows Vista), not to mention the Desktop Sidebar software that has been out for some time now.  The Google Sidebar is certainly cool (as is Konfabulator, Desktop Sidebar, Apple Dashboard, and, eventually, the Windows Vista Sidebar).  However, it is only part of the answer to having a fully integrated "personal intelligence agent" at your disposal.  If you want to get a glimpse at the next two or three steps beyond what Google and the like are doing, check out my Mentations product at www.mentations.com.  While still an early beta, I hope the intent is clear as to the direction we are taking it!  BTW, any constructive criticism is most welcome.

Venture Capitalists - The Paradox

I've gotta get this off my chest.  What is the deal with venture capitalists?!  Yes, I know they've been burned badly as a result of the dot bomb, but that doesn't mean that they should throw the baby out with the bath water!  There are many talented techies out there who are trying to do innovative stuff and who need help at the seed stage.  Many of us, coming from our geek/tech/introverted paradigms do not have the connections/network to get much, if any, angel funding up-front.  Hence, we need seed VC support.  Heck, I have even talked to some 'angel network' groups who are just as gun-shy as VCs.  Of course, I know the counter-arguments.  "If the entrepreneur can build out the product, grow the management team, get customers, and make some money before they contact us then this is evidence that they are worth funding and will save them some equity since their company will have a higher valuation at that point."  That might be true, but that's assuming we can even survive this first stage without assistance!  Trying to keep a day job and growing a start-up simultaneously is a tough nut to crack.  Plus, if I've already created a business that has customers and is profitable, am I really going to go see a VC or the bank if I need money??  Since the VC's requirements resemble the bank's in many ways at this point, and the bank is much less apt to kick me out of my own company, I'll choose to do business with the latter.  Sure, I may not be able to get as much money, but that's ok by me given the trade-off.  As many have asked, where has the 'venture' in venture capital gone?

Konfabulator - The Acquisition

Have you followed Yahoo's acquisition of Konfabulator?  Check out their Yahoo acquisition statement at http://www.konfabulator.com... very interesting.  Also, did you know that many accused Apple of stealing their Dashboard concept from Konfabulator?  FYI, here is more information on the Apple Dashboard: http://www.apple.com/macosx/features/dashboard/.  What’s my point you ask?  Well, just as I predicted ;^), the industry is finally beginning to realize the value and importance of taking all the disjointed information available on the internet, distilling it, and bringing it down to users’ desktops to provide information at a glance.  Now, if someone would only realize that I have been working on this problem for last couple of years in my Mentations product!  Argh.

Mentations - The Premise

Wouldn't it be cool if there was an application, a desktop dashboard of sorts, that unobtrusively monitored, analyzed, distilled, categorized, and reacted to all of your important net-driven information and provided it to you through an aesthetically pleasing "skinnable" interface??  This is what I have been working on for the last couple of years; I'm calling it Mentations.  The tagline for the product is "Transforming thought into action".  By this I mean software that will know you so well, your interests, goals, concerns, priorities, etc. that it will be able to be your "personal intelligence agent" on the web.  Not only will it collect, distill, and display pertinent information to you, but it will be able to react to information received with "meta-commands" that you have provided to it.  You will be able to fully automate these commands or require your final approval before execution.  An example you ask?  When your checking account balance falls below a certain limit, you instruct Mentations to transfer a $100 from savings to checking.  What do you think about the concept?  For more information check out the Mentations website at www.mentations.com.