Nerd Stalker

Happy New Year everyone. We wrap a great year of  Startup Blog  Insights for 2014 with the Top 10 articles of the Startup Blog with Taffy Williams -- Examiner.com writer and entrepreneur. We do a deep dive on the top 10 blogs of 2014 with Taffy's insights into what he feels made them one of the top hits for 2014. Let's start off 2015 right, g ive it a listen or view!

Our initial impressions of the Amazon Echo, in short two thumbs way up. If you are an Amazon Prime member this device is a no brainer and if you can get it at the $99 promotional price it's an absolute must have. The features, performance and high quality hardware are fantastic. I've noticed children love this device especially given it's tie in with wikipedia. Besides the entertainment factor the educational factor could be the hidden killer feature that in my opinion propel this device from a geek to mass adopted consumer hit. My wishlist of features: Fast forward what your listening to (not to be confused with skipping to next song/item). Read Audible audio books. Some sort of calendar integration. Some sort of phone/messaging integration. See more about the Echo at Amazon .

ANSI Grade 1 Highest Residential Security Durable Resistive Touchscreen with matte finish to protect against fingerprints and smudges Anti-pick shield protects against lock tampering Strong motorized bolt automatically locks and unlocks when a user code is entered Build-in Alarm Technology senses movement of the door and allows this residential lock with alarm to alert homeowners with an audible alert Select between three alerts- activity, tamper or forced entry alert- and customized to meet fit your security needs Employs Z-Wave®, a wireless technology that makes your house smarter, safer and far more convenient Connect with your home via computer, tablet or smartphone with the service provider of your choice and get the exact features* you want Holds up to 30 user codes Easy installation with just a screwdriver- no wiring required *Connectivity features dependent upon service provider

Merry Christmas startups and tech nerds! Our friends at RevMob  have put together a great infographic for Mobile App startups to take notice. If you are in mobile app marketing or just a mobile app entrepreneur, you may want to dust off a mobile ad campaign ASAP. Imagine all those new devices being opened today and tomorrow around the world. The number of app installs, vital mobile Ad metrics such as eCPMs  (effective cost per thousand impressions), CVRs (Conversion Rate) and CTRs  (Click Through Rate) all see a drastic boost in the November- January timeframe each year and peaking now. Check out the infographic! - SocialGreg

In this post I give my last minute "tech" gift suggestions. iPhone 6 Dropcam Pro Manything Smartthings home starter kit Bulletproof Vibe Plate Sonos Hue Lights TRX Nest

Most people would say developing a multi-product platform as a startup is challenging bordering on insane. Recently,  Nathan Beckord , Captain and CEO of Foundersuite , wrote a post in LinkedIn  giving some advice and encouragement to people who want or is developing a multi-product platform - all without getting yourself killed. I n this interview, w e go in depth on Nathan's philosophy on multi-product platform development. Nathan offers some 'pearls', some 'nuggets' of wisdom if you want to tackle this problem as a startup. Why not? Of course, Nathan's company offers a multi-product platform that helps startups. Give it a view!

Good news for Zackees fans and supporters. Zackees has opened a direct store this week to order their Zackees Turn Signal Gloves in time for the holidays. We caught up with Zach Vorhies , founder of Zackees, at 360Fashion Network's event at Dolby Labs this week.

This month, we take another journey into Agile thinking. We will go in-depth into an article on Examiner.com titled “ 4 Ways Agile Entrepreneurs Optimize Time ” with Taffy Williams, Examiner writer and entrepreneur, and the co-founder & CEO of Colonial TDC. Taffy gives examples from his experience of Agile ways of thinking and insights on how optimize your valuable startup time . Give it a listen or a view!

Early to the market? We talk with Akseli Reho who entered the wearable market over 15 years ago and now leads a Finnish company called Clothing+ delivering cutting-edge embedded wearable sensor solutions to companies like  Adidas, Garmin, Under Armour, Philips and Timex. Remember the Polar strap. Yeah, they developed it. He discusses role of clothing sensing in creating new data sets and Clothing+'s view of embedded sensors into clothing. Check it out!

What is Wearables 2.0? We talk with Davide Vigano ,  CEO and Co-founder of Sensoria Inc ., a company where they believe the "Garment is the Computer." We met Davide when he was giving a talk at the last IDTechEx USA 2014 where his section was focused on the future of sports wearables. In this segment, Davide talks about how Sensoria is pushing Wearables 1.0 - sense and tell devices to Wearables 2.0 - a true personal computing platform. Give it a view!

The Uptick Personality Match Algorithm connects clients with a real Wellness Coach using in-app text messaging, video chat, and photo messaging. The Uptick app also allows users to pair several popular fitness trackers and devices, giving coaches the ability to interpret and motivate based on live and historic data. "Fitness and nutrition apps today lack a personal touch. You get a cookie-cutter plan and spend your day entering every calorie you eat. We don't think that's a great experience. Uptick matches you with a real person who gives you instant guidance and turns your device data into a powerful tool for your wellness." -J.C. Mauricia VP, Product Uptick’s Vice President of Product, J.C. Mauricia, will be presenting Uptick to the show’s developer and conference attendees. Uptick will showcase consumers at all points of the Wellness Life Cycle, from the absolute beginner to the serious athlete. The app highlights the personal connection between coach and

DIY Inspired by the Rip Trainer and Gray Cook cable bar, I made this thing in a few minutes. Total cost for me not including resistance bands which I already had was approximately $11. One 4' Dowel, 2 hook eyes, 2 Carabiners. I would like to eventually put some grip tape on the dowel and replace the fixed eyes with swivel eyes.

l Have a startup? Looking for funding? Here are some events to help you find some potential funding opportunities in the holidays from Founders Space . Check them out!

Be still my heart the new J.J. Abrams teaser for the Dec. 2015 new Star Wars: Episode VII is here! Did you see that new saber?!!!

We were fortunate to attend IDTechEx 's USA 2014 expo featuring advancements in Wearables, Printed Electronics, Energy Harvesting and Storage, Internet of Things, 3D Printing and more. We interviewed Dr. Erkki Soininen of Canatu whose company just announced a release of a film capable of being used on 3D surfaces - a design game changer for wearables, mobile and automobiles. Give his interview a view!

Craft brew clubs have been around a while but a home brew club? That is exactly what Claude Burns has created in Noble Brewer. Noble Brewer is a new web service that will bring home brews to your table. You are probably asking "What's the big deal?" Well, home brewers can brew a few cases at a time and that is Claude's secret sauce. Listen to Claude as he tells you how Noble Brewer will bring home brewed award winning beer to thousands.

In this episode, Sean Charles (aka ＠SocialMediaSean) and Greg Viloria (aka @SocialGreg) talk about the social stories and events of the week. And here’s what we discussed: News: Facebook to Begin Cutting Back on Promotional Posts from Pages in News Feed | via @allfacebook http://buff.ly/1zrLy4m News: Facebook invites you to 'Say Thanks' | via @JLaffertyIF http://bit.ly/1zrMiGC News: Pinterest Doubles Its Male User Base | via @SocialTimes http://bit.ly/1xsopAY News: LinkedIn - We Tried The LinkedIn Feature People Say Ruined Their Job Search | via @businessinsider http://read.bi/1EPK4Uz What is a Fan - Discussion[Video from SF MusicTech Summit]

Want legal help at any time of the day on your mobile? QuickLegal promises this and more. QuickLegal connects you with a vetted legal counselor for quick advice via video almost like having the phone number of a trusted lawyer. We interview Derek Bluford , CEO and Founder of QuickLegal, who describes his new mobile legal service. Give it a view.

Hey pizza fans, your smart watch can now tell you the status of your pizza. Domino's   pizza tracker, which allows customers to trace their order from the time it is taken, baked and out for delivery, will now be available on the Pebble smartwatch. This marks the first time that   Domino’s Tracker   has been available on any smartwatch device.  Kevin Vasconi, Domino’s Pizza chief information guy said  “Partnering with Pebble makes perfect sense for our brand, as we continue to innovate and reinvent the ways Domino’s and technology can interact.  Pebble’s story of beginning as a self-starter with a great idea completely aligns with the values of the Domino’s brand – and we are proud to have such a shared entrepreneurial passion for the pursuit of innovation.” By loading the app on your watch, and synching with the Domino’s mobile app for either iPhone ®  or Android ™ ,  Domino’s Tracker  updates and notifications will show up directly on your watch in real time like Order P

In this episode, Sean Charles (aka ＠SocialMediaSean) and Greg Viloria (aka @SocialGreg) talk about the Mark Zuckerberg's Q/A at Facebook headquarters: Give it a view or a listen!

A few weeks ago, Creaceed released Prizmo 4 for iOS 8, and they had the awesome opportunity of being mentioned in Apple’s Keynote around iPad Air 2. Today, they release Prizmo 3 for OS X Yosemite including brand new features like Handoff support and extensions. Last but not least, the update is FREE for registered users of Prizmo 2. What’s New in Prizmo 3? Major new release with native OS X Yosemite support: Revamped user interface taking advantage of Yosemite's translucency and vibrancy. Handoff to easily switch from editing Prizmo documents on one device to another, with Mac, iPhone, and iPad support. Image Cleanup Extension: Prizmo image cropping and cleanup capabilities are now exposed globally to other apps as an image editing extension. OCR Extension: Prizmo OCR capabilities are now made available throughout OS X, as an extension. Textual contents can be retrieved from any image in other apps that support extensions (image viewing action). Support for third-part

The Nerd Stalker crew is live from SF MusicTech Summit 2014 here at SF Japantown's Hotel Kabuki. Wow, we have been supporting Brian Zisk (& Family) SF MusicTech Summit for some time and we are sad to hear this could be the last one. Listen to Brian's opening remarks and hear from him what he plans to do next.

Trying to create a global workforce for your company? Thinking about moving part of your company overseas? Stressed about managing an overseas team? We talk with Marla Rausch who has answered many of those questions in creating her company, Animation Vertigo , and maintaing it for over 10 years. Marla gives you 6 tips to help you create and maintain a global workforce.

Crowd funding has changed the way were invest. Micro-investing is the new stock certificate. There are a lot of alternatives out there. However, crowd funding does have its issues - Fraud , delivery delays, and order fulfillment itself are a few. So, it was refreshing to talk to Josh Lifton , co-founder of Crowd Supply . Crowd Supply manages the whole spectrum - from concept to sales. In fact, they call it Product Development as a Platform. Watch Josh as he discusses Crowd Supply and their uniqueness.

What happens when you ping 4 million IP Addresses? You find out about the internet's habits around the world. That is exactly what Dr. John Heidemann at USC's Information Sciences Institute did and his research team found out that the internet does indeed sleep. We published their findings a few weeks ago but we decided to dive deep with Dr. Heidemann and discuss what some of his findings mean especially to regulatory agencies like the FCC. His team released the f irst modern day internet census in 2006 and he shares some insight into what the internet of today and the internet of 2006 differs. Next time you see him ask him if his data can predict earthquakes? Check out the interview.

Well, Sean and Greg are at it again. After a long hiatus, Social Time TV is back again. In this episode, Sean Charles (aka SocialMediaSean) and Greg Viloria (aka SocialGreg) talk about the big four Social Networks: Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn and more, give some of the latest insight into each one and why you have to make more effort these days. Give it a view or a listen!

There is an emerging market that we just fell in love with - Printed Electronics. This can be a game changer from wearable technology to display technology. We interview Raghu Das, CEO of I DTechEx , whose company is putting on this show, Printed Electronics USA 2014 , on November 19-20 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. This show will highlight the current and future direction of Printed Electronics. Printed Electronics is a market where traditional printing technologies using conductive ink and flexible substrates to create functional electronic circuits. Raghu's company does research and business intelligence for emerging markets like Printed Electronics. Watch Raghu why he thinks Printed Electronics is a great emerging market.

Chip is an easy and fun electronics kit for everyone.  Attach the Pixel Power base and play.  Plug Chip into an Arduino and he becomes a friend you can program. Chip's cross activity design builds S.T.E.M / S.T.E.A.M skils. CHIP -  An electronics kit with character  Chip is cute and playful. Whether he is on your desk in his Pixel Power board or in an Arduino, his big LED eyes draw you in. His large size makes him easy for makers of all ages and skills to build.  . Chip is easy to build for all skill levels, especially  beginners .  Chip encourages exploration and play. Chip can be used to learn other skills, such as programming.  Chip is fun.  Chip builds S.T.E.A.M. Skills Many soldering kits do not offer anything more than a battery and a LED. Once completed, those kits end up in a drawer, never to be used again. At the other end of the spectrum, there are electronic kits that are really interesting but have so many parts that they are intimidating for beginners. That is w

This month, we take another journey into Agile thinking. We will go in-depth into an article on Examiner.com titled “ 5 Fails Agile Entrepreneurs May Regret and Never Recover ” with Taffy Williams, Examiner writer and entrepreneur, and the co-founder & CEO of Colonial TDC. Taffy gives examples from his experience of Agile ways of thinking and insights on how investors think . Give it a listen or a view!

Printed Electronics, Wearable tech, cloud tech, robot tech, education tech, and Interactive Reality will be present at btrax 's Japan Night VII. Six innovative companies were selected at the JapanNight semi-final in Tokyo  earlier this month .  On November 5, they come to SF to pitch at the popular  A utomattic Lounge in San Francisco . Check out your Nerd Stalker discount tickets here . Check them out!

First Thin Smart Fabric Sensors to Measure All Aspects of Physicality: Force, Location, Size, Twist, Bend, Stretch & Motion Patented Monolithic Fabric Sensors Let You Answer Calls from a Shirt, Predict Diabetic Events & Measure Gait through Insoles, Show Hand/Foot Location on Gym Mats, &  Track Driver Alertness in Steering Wheels For Clothing, Shoes, & Gear for Sports, Medical, Gaming, Robotics, Aerospace, & Security  Applications Include Controllers, Measurement, Monitoring, 3D Modeling, & More Berkeley, CA, October 27, 2014 – BeBop Sensors, Inc. www.bebopsensors.com , the wearable sensor technology company created by musical instrument inventor Keith McMillen and KMI, announced today their first products, BeBop Wearable Smart Fabric Sensor, the first and only ultra thin wearable smart fabric sensor that measures all aspects of physicality, including bend, location, motion, rotation, angle, & torque.  Employing BeBop’s patented p

It’s no secret that women in tech roles in STEM—the science, technology, engineering and math industries—face significant challenges.  Catalyst ’s groundbreaking new global report,  High Potentials in Tech-Intensive Industries: The Gender Divide in Business Roles ,  shows that those on the business side are impacted too, and it reveals a culture that is particularly unwelcoming to women, no matter what the job. This research is the first to study men and women in business roles in technology-intensive industries such as high tech and telecommunications, oil and gas, and automotive manufacturing. It shines a light on the male-dominated culture of STEM companies as a whole and provides specific steps organizations can take to better attract and retain talented women across both its tech and business sectors.   “STEM companies face a serious talent drain as women take their skills elsewhere, but these organizations also have a remarkable opportunity to turn things around by focusing on ho

We like to introduce you our latest content partner- Retrenders . Retrenders is a  complementary trendy blog focused on products and trends from all around the world – with a focus on art, fashion, videos, books, and toys – and bring them to you. If you look at our logos, it's Ying and Yang. We are excited to collaborate with Retrenders as they will bring more depth and variety to our tech blog and they are much like us - indie, small and stalkers. We have a tab on our website to get to their content. Check them out.

This entrepreneur spun away from the high tech but mature semiconductor market to being an entrepreneur at 500Startups and closing a seed round from GGV Ventures. Vijay Ramani is betting on mothers and sliming down their children's closets. TotSpot is a community of moms that have a marketplace for children's clothes. Please give it a listen.