Oxygen doesn't grow on trees.

Posts tagged ‘Open Source’

Spring is Coming

I’m hearing of more and more people starting up new businesses with cool, innovative ideas. Spring season in the Start-up Nation is coming.

The differences from the years 2000 and 2008, I think, are:

  1. Crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Headstart)
  2. Affordable IT Infrastructure (AWS, Google)
  3. Affordable and idiot-proof (read: hackable by software engineers) hardware platforms (Raspberry Pi, Arduino) and sensors (Oculus Rift)
  4. Affordable Manufacturing (3D Printing, CNC, PCB)
  5. New, disruptive, open-source software and hardware technologies (Bitcoin, DIY 3D Printing, Flying Machines)

Don’t let the Waze deal fool or blind you – most chances are: you will fail.
But you might just be one of the lucky ones. Starting up is less riskier than ever before. If you’re committing to be the Pig, and you have a solid business model, I say go for it!

PRO TIP: Put your ego aside, and build a team of superstars who complement each other, a team of people who know one another’s strengths and weaknesses.

Category:

Bitcoin, Israel, Science, Startup

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OculusStreetView

I still haven’t had a chance to really enjoy the Oculus Rift so far, simply due to lack of time. I’ve heard a lot of games already have support for it (can’t wait to try Half-Life 2).

However, the coolest thing I’ve experienced with the Rift so far is a hack developed by Luca Siciliano (aka troffmo5) that puts you inside a Google Street View scene (GitHub repository).

To experience it, you have to run a small piece of code that takes the Rift sensors data and streams it to a WebSocket, and then browse to oculusstreetview.eu.pn

My favorite places so far: Heron Reef (it just started there, didn’t even know you can dive underwater), standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, Times Square, Grand Central, and just outside the tracx office in Tel-Aviv.

Category:

Geek

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