Happy Anniversary Cube-ists! On this date one year ago, we illuminated the Life Cube in downtown Las Vegas. The journey from Burning Man to Downtown Las Vegas was an exhilarating ride.  Kudos and heartfelt appreciation to all the artists, Downtown Project Las Vegas, and our volunteers, especially Donna & Jay Manto, our lighting engineers extraordinaire! Photo of Life Cube illumination by Justin Tyler Gines; Photo of Life Cube Landscape Las Vegas by Nancy Good, and Photo of Daytime View of the Life Cube by Christopher Cunningham. TAGS #LifeCube #LifeCubeProject #DowntownProject #DTLV #BurningMan #burningmanart #Burningman #downtownproject #dtlv #lifecubeproject #blackrockcity #skeeter #artburningman #lifecube

The Life Cube is an electrifying public art installation emphasizing interactive engagement in the Black Rock Desert at Burning Man ’13 ENVISION: The Life Cube’s new design for 2013 The Life Cube is currently accepting donations on Kickstarter!  Please Donate Today! The Life Cube returns to Burning Man encouraging the expression of goals and dreams, sending them skyward in a spectacular fiery ceremony. INSPIRATION ENVISION: The Life Cube provides an engaging and interactive place on the Playa for the shared expression of ambitions, dreams, goals and wishes, with more opportunities to participate than ever before. This project encourages participants to look at their past, engage in the present, and set goals for the future. It’s based on the artist’s belief that if you write down what you want to accomplish in life, the chances of attaining it is much, much higher!

Nice article on Fred Wilson and USV in NYT this week. A New Kind of Venture Capitalist Makes Small Bets on Young Firms, Hiroko Masuike for The New York Times Fred Wilson, co-founder of Union Square Ventures, gave a keynote last week at Web 2.0 Expo. By CLAIRE CAIN MILLER Published: September 21, 2008 From the day he founded Etsy in 2005, Rob Kalin refused to raise money from venture capital firms to expand his company, which hoped to bring the sale of handmade crafts from small local fairs to the international marketplace of the Web. He met with several top firms, but they all wanted a 20 percent stake in his start-up company, and he was hesitant to give an investor that much. When one of his board members advised him to visit Fred Wilson at Union Square Ventures in 2006, he went grudgingly, certain the meeting would turn out like the others. Instead, Mr. Kalin was impressed when Mr. Wilson said he would settle for less than 5 percent of the company in the first round of fund-raising. Union Square Ventures has built its portfolio making small bets on young companies. “We say, ‘Let’s go on this ride together,’ and if we do get great traction, we’ll try to invest in a second round as well,” said Brad Burnham, who co-founded the firm with Mr. Wilson. As Mr. Kalin soon discovered, the small initial stake was not the only thing that distinguished Union Square from its competitors. Grounded in a philosophy of discipline and openness, the three-partner firm focuses on services that use the Web to change a market rather than simply make it more efficient. The partners become active in the management of their portfolio companies, and they make a point of personally using the products of those firms, which currently include the Web darlings Twitter and Meetup. “It never feels like they’re doing this for someone else’s money,” Mr. Kalin said. “They love the challenge.” Union Square’s nurturing approach and keen eye for promising ideas have made it a magnet for Web entrepreneurs. At the Web 2.0 conference in New York last week, Mr. Wilson drew excited whispers — and more — from participants. “I waited as if he was a very good-looking girl,” said Fabio De Bernardi, a London entrepreneur who slipped him a business card and hoped to pitch a shopping site. Mr. Wilson has a particular celebrity in technology circles because of the blog he has written since 2003, A VC, which gets 25,000 visits in an average week, according to Sitemeter, a research firm. In addition, readers of TheFunded.com, a social networking site for entrepreneurs, rated him their favorite venture capitalist in 2007. “In New York, Fred has got a following like John Doerr or Michael Moritz on the West Coast,” said Moshe Koyfman, a principal at Spark Capital. Mr. Doerr and Mr. Moritz are two of Silicon Valley’s most successful venture capitalists. Union Square’s reputation has been burnished by its track record of helping entrepreneurs sell their companies in a tough environment. Three companies financed by Union Square have already been sold for big profits. Yahoo bought Del.icio.us, a Web bookmarking service, in 2005 for a reported $30 million, returning Union Square seven times its investment after only nine months. In 2007, Google bought FeedBurner, a service to help bloggers track their R.S.S. feeds, for a reported $100 million, and AOL bought Tacoda, a behavioral focusing service for online advertisers, for a reported $275 million. The Union Square partners are quick to tamp down hype about their magic touch. The firm is just four years old, and their first fund is less than halfway through the typical life of a venture capital fund, which means losses in some holdings could still offset some of the early gains. “It could easily turn around,” Mr. Wilson said. His caution comes from experience. During the dot-com boom, Mr. Wilson was a partner at Flatiron Partners, which invested in high-profile start-ups like Kozmo.com, TheStreet.com and the Industry Standard. “We got successful very quickly. People were saying we were the best V.C. firm,” Mr. Wilson recalled. But when the boom ended, many of the firm’s companies flamed out, and Flatiron wrote off one-third of its investments. In 2003, over breakfasts at French Roast, Mr. Wilson and Mr. Burnham, formerly with AT&T Ventures, discussed quitting the venture business. Instead, the pair decided that what they really needed to do was form a different kind of firm geared to the special needs of the new crop of Web companies. Mr. Burnham had spent his career investing in companies that made chips and routers, which differentiated themselves from competitors through groundbreaking technology. Web services start-ups, on the other hand, use simple, off-the-shelf technologies and cost very little to get up and running. Their business advantage comes from their Web sites’ artistic design and ease of use, and their challenge is attracting and retaining users. “That’s a different business than the historical bread and butter of the V.C. industry,” said Mr. Burnham. “So we had to change.” Mr. Wilson and Mr. Burnham decided to make very small initial investments, often less than $1 million in a first round of financing, in exchange for 5 to 12 percent of the company, instead of the usual 20 percent. Then, if the company did well, the firm would invest more in future rounds. Because they join companies so early, they take a hands-on approach to building them and seeing them through the growing pains of start-ups. They have kept their team small, adding just one partner, Albert Wenger, and they must all agree before they make an investment, so no one can point fingers when they make mistakes. In the case of Etsy, Union Square has taken an active interest in the company through four rounds of financing. Mr. Wenger, an engineer who made a personal investment in Etsy before joining Union Square, essentially served as Etsy’s chief technology officer until the company hired one, running all tech-related meetings. Mr. Wilson coined Etsy’s slogan, “Buy Handmade.” At one board meeting, when Mr. Kalin presented a long list of fancy new features he wanted to add to the site, Mr. Wilson stood up and crossed each one off the list. Instead, he advised Etsy to focus on creating a bare-bones site that worked well. Although Etsy had a business plan when it came to Union Square Ventures, the partners are sometimes willing to take a chance on a team with a good idea but no clear path to making money — which does not seem so different from the anything-goes investing of the Internet bubble. Twitter is one example. The service, which lets users send short messages with updates on what they are doing, is popular with a tech-savvy crowd but crashes frequently and has not figured out a way to earn significant revenue. “People are too impatient,” Mr. Wilson said, defending his investment. “I’ve made more money in my career investing in very early-stage companies where the business model was not clear. No revenue, just a product, but it was clear people would use it.” He and his partners are avid users of the Web 2.0 technologies in which they invest, which they say is essential to understanding how the services work and why people use them. They also embrace the values of openness and sharing that drive these services. The firm has invited entrepreneurs to submit pitches via podcast, which are then put up on Mr. Wilson’s blog, giving competitors easy access. Mr. Wilson’s blog posts receive 20 to 200 comments from readers, which the partners mine for investment ideas and research. One-third of their investments grew out of these comments, including Twitter, FeedBurner and Zemanta, Mr. Wilson said. Union Square’s investment strategy will continue to be tested. It is much harder to find promising Web start-ups now than three years ago. There are so many services and so much more capital financing them, and users have less time and attention for new offerings. The partners said they planned to look at how Web services might transform sectors not yet touched in a big way, like education and the environment. “We have only begun to investigate the impact of information technology on behaviors, habits, needs. We believe it can be profound,” Mr. Burnham said. More Articles in Technology » A version of this article appeared in print on September 22, 2008, on page C11 of the New York edition.

6+ friends who are from very different walks of life posted on Facebook the Westjet Video. Over 16 million views on Youtube. Brilliant marketing. WOW! Smart advertising campaign saves big $ in ad production & media buys. #advertising #airline #westjet #viralvideo #advertising #airline #viralvideo #westjet

#TheLifeCube #burningmanburningman #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #burningman2012 #lifecube #artatburningman #bm2011 #burningman2011

The Life Cube Project Happy to share that we will be creating a Life Cube installation in Downtown Las Vegas in March/April 2014. The success of The Life Cube – Art at Burning Man over the last four years could not have happened without the 100s of supporters, contributors, volunteers, and an ever-growing community of Cube-ists. Creating a Life Cube Project in a major city is a big step and an exciting moment. The location will be part of the Downtown Project Las Vegas in the East Freemont District, and we hope to partner with as many local artists, volunteers, and members of the community as possible. As with each progression of The Life Cube, there’s a plan for a new level of interactivity and engagement, which we are going to incorporate.  Stay tuned… more news to come! #thelifecube #lasvegas #downtownlasvegas #downtownproject #dtp #lifecube #burningman #urbanart #art #blackrockcity #eastfreemont #eastfreemontdistrict #downtownprojectlasvegas View original post

Got tired of the auto play on my blog – so removed the video

We are live! Another venture to go forth and create. Have asked a few friends to check out http://www.VideoAdGames.com – I think AZ and the guys at C-MD did a great job of getting the site redesined to be fast and working in a short period of time. Fact is, now we have to see if there is potential to build a company around this product/idea. I have been working on the Biz Plan, presentation, and financials. See photo section of my BLOG for screen shots of the old and the new.

#TheLifeCube #burningmanburningman #artatburningman #skeeter #BM2012 #burningman2012 #lifecube #artatburningman #bm2011 #burningman2011

In discussing concerns about application failures and concern about scalability, I was offered the following advice.  "In the absence  of certainty, having a Plan B is a good idea"  Christopher Cunningham, CEO of LeadFusion.

Music Review | American Beauty Project One Concert, Multiple Bands and a New Life for a Dead Classic By JON PARELES Published: January 22, 2007 Even in their absence, the Grateful Dead can pack a hall. On Saturday night, the World Financial Center’s Winter Garden was filled to capacity for the first night of the American Beauty Project: various groups performing all the songs on “Workingman’s Dead.” (Sunday’s concert covered “American Beauty,” the other album the Dead released in 1970.) None of the Dead were on the bill; the aura was enough. Hiroyuki Ito for The New York Times Catherine Russell, backed by Larry Campbell, left, and Lee Hudson, sang Grateful Dead songs as part of the American Beauty Project. “Workingman’s Dead” and “American Beauty” were the kind of music few had expected from the San Francisco band devoted to sprawling psychedelic jams. They were carefully rehearsed collections of concise songs, rootsy and pensive, somberly reconsidering the late 1960s. “Workingman’s Dead” was the bleaker of the two: a collection of songs about jobs, duty and death, topics that weren’t a big part of the hippie agenda. The concert lineup, produced by David Spelman (who also played guitar in an instrumental duo between songs), mirrored the eclecticism of the Dead and generally recast the songs. Catherine Russell, a longtime backup singer, was the concert’s discovery. With the Holmes Brothers, she turned “High Time” into wistful, sultry rhythm and blues. She sang “New Speedway Boogie” over a jazzy bass vamp and Larry Campbell’s mandolin, in a skeletal arrangement that only heightened the song’s philosophical reflections. And she merged her voice precisely with Jim Lauderdale’s classic country twang when he sang the deathbed testimony of “Black Peter” in a string-band arrangement. In the concert’s biggest stylistic stretch, the Klezmatics jovially relocated the bluegrass oompah of “Cumberland Blues” to somewhere in Eastern Europe, where it could take on a hora interlude. Another klezmer musician, the clarinetist Andy Statman, played an instrumental interlude backed by the twangy drone of a Brazilian berimbau. There was no discernible Dead content but plenty of sinuous melody in a long, modal, Greek-flavored improvisation allegedly based on “Uncle John’s Band.” The banjo virtuoso Tony Trischka turned up with a Jerry Garcia rarity: a minor-key banjo tune, “Jerry’s Breakdown,” from 1964. Mr. Campbell on guitar and Rob Barraco on vocals (who have been in the band led by the Dead’s bassist, Phil Lesh) carried “Dire Wolf” back toward ragtime picking. Ollabelle, less successfully, tried “Uncle John’s Band” with the lilt of “Sugar Magnolia.” And Tim O’Reagan shifted “Easy Wind” from blues to brooding ballad. The concert’s full-ensemble encore was also death-haunted: Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door,” with a ghostly falsetto by Popsy Dixon of the Holmes Brothers. One band was happy to emulate the Dead: Railroad Earth, a jam band with the lineup of a traditional bluegrass band plus a drummer. It started “Casey Jones” with a folk version of the song about the dying railroad engineer, then switched to the Dead song, using its rhythm and instrumental hooks (though they were played on mandolin and fiddle with banjo counterpoint). As soon as the song turned familiar, Dead fans in the crowd were up and dancing.

Paltalk Partners with VideoAdGames to Incorporate Video-based Advertising in Upcoming Version of Paltalk Messenger Online Game Show Offers Paltalkers Ability to Participate in Advertising in Quiz Format; Users PLAY, WATCH and WIN Prizes Within the ‘Paltalk Today’ Window New York, NY, June 20, 2007 – Paltalk, the leading real-time, video-based community pioneering the socialcasting movement, today announced that it has partnered with VideoAdGames to incorporate video advertising into the upcoming version of its video chat messenger and community platform. Paltalk becomes one of VideoAdGames’ first publishing partners and will soon offer advertisers a unique way to reach its 4 million members. Founded by Internet veteran Scott Cohen, VideoAdGames offers brands the ability to turn consumer advertising consumption into a fun, game experience. Paltalk users will have the ability to watch popular commercials from leading brands and participate in trivia games following each ad. Paltalkers will be quizzed on the details of the commercial with the opportunity to earn prizes such as electronics, vacation packages and cash based on their score. VideoAdGames is entertaining for consumers but also promotes more attentive, prolonged engagement in commercials, giving brands more opportunity to impact consumers and create brand awareness. “Paltalk is a natural fit for our advertising model, and we anticipate a great response from subscribers when they login next month,” said Scott Cohen, founder of VideoAdGames. “While online video advertising presents so many great opportunities for brands, it is often difficult to maintain a captive audience, let alone measure response rates. Our solution offers a more compelling advertising experience for consumers and also allows brands a better opportunity to reach their targets, keep them engaged, and extend brand awareness through popular online platforms such as Paltalk’s video chat community.” “One of our main objectives with our new version of the messenger is not only to bring more compelling video content to the platform – live and broadcasted; user- and professional-generated – but also to pair that content with unique ad models, enabling brands to access our broad online user base in a meaningful way,” said Joel Smernoff, president and COO of Paltalk. “VideoAdGames offers a fun experience for our subscribers, but also brings a valuable advertising component to all of our programming. We look forward to launching VideoAdGames in July with our next release.” For more information on Paltalk and its scheduled programming, please visit www.paltalk.com. About Paltalk Paltalk is the premier real-time, video-based community pioneering the new socialcasting movement. Socialcasting is defined as the convergence of traditional broadcasting media, social networking, user-generated content and video chat. With more than 4 million active users, Paltalk hosts the world’s largest online video chat community offering thousands of users the ability to interact in a chat room together via voice, text and video in real-time. Privately held, the company’s patented technology allows for large scale video rooms where members can join in with thousands of other Paltalkers and engage in voice/audio, video and text conversations.  Members can create their own chat groups around any topic as well as individual profiles on themselves in a social network.  Paltalk also hosts “Scheduled Shows” including regular programs with celebrities, radio personalities and newsmakers such the shock jocks Opie and Anthony and Samantha Daniels. The company also broadcasts live interactive video chat events such as musical performances and comedy variety shows. In both cases, Paltalkers can interact with the featured hosts and performers in real-time as well as other members in the room. About VideoAdGames VideoAdGames is the web’s first Internet Game Show advertising vehicle for consumers to view and interact with TV commercials. Players watch commercials, answer trivia quizzes, and win points based on recall and correct responses, engendering voluntary and dedicated attention to advertiser content. As a result, VideoAdGames sets a new standard for premier brand recognition, data and detailed reporting for advertisers, and versatility, as it can be distributed on major portals or on an advertiser’s own Website. Responding to the challenges to traditional online advertising, including a shortage of video ad inventory and advertising viewed by the consumer as a barrier to content, VideoAdGames provides a platform for the commercial video to become the focus of consumer attention – in essence, the "anti-TIVO®". Finally, VideoAdGames’ fresh approach provides cost-effective content for advertisers and portals, since the game IS the content. A privately held company, VideoAdGames was founded by David J. Moore, CEO of 24/7 Real Media (TFSM), and co-founded and developed by Internet veteran Scott Cohen, most recently President of GameTrust, and previous co-founder and/or senior management of 24/7 Media and LivePerson (LPSN). For more information on VideoAdGames or to play sample games, visit www.videoadgames.com.