One of our investments is looking for a couple of strong web API engineers to help them integrate with a variety of existing public web APIs (services like digg, flickr, twitter, etc…). They’re looking to fill these positions in the Boulder area. Feel free to respond to me directly and I’ll forward inquiries along, or just checkout their posting at: https://boulder.craigslist.org/eng/607991214.html

My partners and I were hanging out at lunch last week when Jason brought up the question of whether or not we could patent the business method of “creating or acquiring intellectual property for the primary objection of bring lawsuits against potential infringers.” 

In essence, could we patent the idea of being a patent troll?  After a hearty laugh, Jason looked into it and discovered that this was not possible.  Since our “proposed method” has been used in the public for more than a year, there is a statutory bar to obtaining a patent.   35 U.S.C. § 102(b).

35 U.S.C. 102 Conditions for patentability; novelty and loss of right to patent.

A person shall be entitled to a patent unless —

(a) the invention was known or used by others in this country, or patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country, before the invention thereof by the applicant for patent, or

(b) the invention was patented or described in a printed publication in this or a foreign country or in public use or on sale in this country, more than one year prior to the date of the application for patent in the United States,

While plenty of patents (applied for an issued) violate this, we decided not to stretch things in this case. 

Oh well, it was fun to ponder for a couple of hours.

Zynga has started launching its games on MySpace as part of the MySpace apps program.  Texas Hold’em Poker is up and is currently the #1 game AND the #1 application.  If you are a MySpace dude (or dude-ette), feel free to friend me as I’m completely unloved on MySpace (especially when compared to Facebook.)

My partner Ryan just pointed me at FigurePrints.  If you are a World of Warcraft fanatic and want a physical instantiation of your favorite character, you are $99.95 (plus $14.95 shipping and handling) away from happiness.  As a special bonus, you get a nifty protective glass dome also.  Very cool.

My partner Ryan put up another post on the Foundry Group blog about our Implicit Web theme.  This is a theme that is particularly interesting and useful to me since I spend so much time in front of my computer trying to deal with and synthesize a never ending stream of data and information.

I want my computer to do more of the work for me.  I want the web to figure stuff out for me.  I want my computer to learn.  I want my friends’ behavior and interests to inform mine.  I want people I don’t know but am connected to through other people I trust to help me find things.  I want a pony.

A couple of years ago my path crossed with Eric Norlin.  Out of our interactions emerged a conference called Defrag.  The first version of Defrag happened last fall – as is typical of my schemes, I always have an evil plan.  In this case is was to get in the middle of a bunch of really smart people and hear what they think about the wide range of problems we addressed at Defrag (which was a proxy for the concept of the Implicit Web.)  Eric talked about this in his post today titled On Community-driven tech conferences.

My evil plan worked great and I learned a ton.  We’re doing Defrag 2008 in – surprise – 2008 (11/3 and 11/4 to be exact.)  I’m continuing to spend a lot of time looking at, thinking about, and investing in the Implicit Web between now and then.  And reading as much Alex Iskold as he will write.

I loved watching Lindsay Campbell on WallStrip.  I was bummed when she left to go do MobLogic.TV (although Julie Alexandria has stepped into her shoes quiet nicely.)

I just watched Does Client #9 Get 86’d for 69? followed by B*#tch, Please.  These two pieces go together great. 

B*#tch, Please – wow – right on the money.

On Google Blogoscoped, I ran into a post titled The Tools Google Uses Internally that is a short overview of a web seminar that walks through the tools a typical Googler works with daily.  This led me to the actual presentation (59 slides – many of them screenshots) which I found fascinatingly detailed.  If you’ve heard of MOMA, Snippet, and Ideas but never seen screenshots, now you can join the magic special club.

My partner Ryan wrote a long post on the Foundry Group blog about our interest in HCI titled Theme: Human Computer Interaction (HCI). 

I believe that 25 years from now we will look back on the way we used computers in 2008 and think it was quaint.  For a reference point, try to remember how you used a computer in 1983 (character-based screen, excitement over "graphics", and the year before the introduction of the first Mac.)  Or go back to 1978 and the dawning of the Apple II computer.

I just don’t believe that in 2033 we will be fighting with the double click speed adjustment on our mice while moving our Windows Live Writer window to the left and right so we can see our browser or pressing alt-tab so we can bring our email window to the front to quickly respond to an email.  The universal TV remote control – yeah, whatever.  Worrying about which server our data is on?  Air traffic controllers typing on keyboards?  Uh huh.  3D walkthroughs and large scale data visualization being done using a mouse and keyboard?  Right. 

The way we interact with these things is going to continue to change radically.  While I’m hoping the future view of Skynet is wrong, I’m going to keep reading and watching as much science fiction (which I think of as "potential science fact in the future") as I can.  History helps also since it lets you draw a nice, spiffy curve through the data points.  With your brain, rather than with your mouse.

If you are working in this area or simply fascinated by it, holler anytime.

Union Square Ventures just announced their new $156m fund – Union Square Ventures 2008. 

My relationship with USV goes back to the mid-1990’s – well before USV was created.  I vividly remember the first time I met Fred at Seth Godin’s Yoyodyne office somewhere near Waltham, MA.  We hit it off immediately and I ended up making a number of investments with Fred and Jerry Colonna – Fred’s partner at the time in Flatiron Partners.  Through this I got to know Fred and Gotham Gal – as did my wife Amy.

At some point around 2002 Fred introduced me to Brad Burnham.  I had an affinity for Brad because of his magnificent first name.  While we never did anything directly, we had a meal or two together.  Eventually Fred told me that he and Brad were raising a new fund together called Union Square Ventures.  I committed to being a (small) investor early on in the process.

Fred and Brad have done an incredible job with Union Square Ventures.  When my partners and I were putting together Foundry Group, we talked often about what USV has done right.  I’ve also had a great (and financially rewarding) time co-investing with USV and Fred through FeedBurner (acquired by Google),  WallStrip (acquired by CBS), AdaptiveBlue, BugLabs, and most recently Zynga.

Along the way, I’ve gotten to know Brad much better, am really enjoying Albert, think Andrew is dynamite, and try to remember to send Dorsey flowers or chocolate after every visit to the USV office where she always makes me feel at home when I’m camping out in NY.  Of all the VCs I’ve ever worked with, the team at USV ranks up at the very top.

Congrats Fred, Brad, Albert, Andrew, and Dorsey!