Should you keep your startup idea secret?

I recently facilitated Startup Weekend Hawkes Bay, the first such event in one of my favourite regions of New Zealand.  Most of the people there were first-timers, and they put in a fantastic effort. Just after the final presentations, one of our esteemed judges and local hero Sir Graeme Avery decided to give an impromptu…

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My TEDx talk: The four superpowers of the Internet

I gave a talk at the first TEDxWellington this year, called “The four superpowers of the Internet”, which are being direct, open, accessible and free. These superpowers are all underpinned by the golden rule, that we should treat all others as we would wish to be treated ourselves. This modern force of good has driven the explosive growth of the Internet, and can turn all of us into leaders and heroes. It includes an homage to entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurs as the heroes of our generation leading the creative destruction that will bring about a better world, and includes a brief history of the Internet and its governance and why humming is an effective tool in bringing about consensus.

Enjoy. A transcript follows.

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Speak little; listen much

I’ll be giving a talk at TEDxWellington next weekend.  I’m not allowed to reveal too much about what I’m going to say, but I will be spending some time talking about the IETF’s Requests for Comments, or RFC’s for short. One of the most important RFC’s is RFC 760, which defined Internet Protocol, or IP…

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Pitching tips

Idealog magazine published an article today about a great little initiative by MYOB – getting people to pitch their startup ideas for a cup of coffee on their way to work.  Nice one, Sarah Putt – I’m all for anything that encourages people to find their inner entrepreneur and find the courage to share. Sarah…

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Moxie: The next 25 years of the Internet

As a side event of NetHui this year, I was asked by Hayden Glass and Glenn Williams to participate in a Moxie Session with Jenene Crossan and Ross Young, marking the 25th anniversary of the Internet in New Zealand and discussing what the next 25 would be like. My bottom line is that we have…

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NetHui 2014 reflections

This year’s NetHui, InternetNZ‘s annual multistakeholder meeting, was the best yet. Multistakeholder meeting? Wasn’t it a conference? Yes and no. It was a conference in the sense that it was held at the SkyCity Convention Centre, some sessions had speakers with questions and answers, and people walked around with name tags.  But it was much…

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NZ politicians on their parties’ startup policies

I organised a Lean Startup Meetup today exploring New Zealand political parties’ policies related to startups. Jonathan Young (National), Gareth Hughes (Greens), Vikram Kumar (Internet Mana), and Clare Curran (Labour) all presented their parties’ positions. I made an audio recording of the session, which you can either download (mp3, 21MB) or play right here: Photo…

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Noodle Kugel

I love to cook.  After a day of mental exertions and various people- and process-related stress, there’s nothing like combining some ingredients, getting your hands gooey, controlling physical and chemical reactions in the process known as cooking, and then serving a satisfying meal to a group of appreciative people. Ethnic food is wonderful, and recipes…

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InternetNZ Election Statement

I’m standing for the InternetNZ Council again.  This is an important job in a great organisation. If you’re a member, I’d appreciate your vote.  If you’re not a member, then I’d urge you to join (note you must have been a member for at least three months prior to the election to vote).  It only…

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