Friday, December 17, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
STYLE CHECK: Lucious Lashes for the Holidays
Walking through our beloved department and cosmetic franchise stores like Sephora can be daunting: fighting for mirrors... and then for some privacy while you're searching for a last minute cover up, let us not forget the wait time for a sales associate to help you pick out the right product. Don't be alarmed, that's why we need to stick together on the internet and smartphone optimize fashion via Style Tips.
Make your eyes pop at this years holiday party by pampering your lashes. Get the most alluring look with or without your eyelash curler.
Mascara: Too Faced LashGASM
We've been diehard fans of Fresh's Supernova for casual, everyday looks and Make Up For Ever's Smokey Lash for the blackest smokey eye, but have now updated our team to a trio with Too Faced LashGASM. The rich dark color is not the only thing we love about this voluptuous lash queen... the 'flexi-firm' brush is what made it a staple in our make up bags. This baby combs our lashes to a T and makes each one stand out bolder than ever before, leaving the not-so-friendly sticking and clumping behind. The bristles makes this the perfect mascara to be worn post our fave new lash serum.
Lash Primer/Serum: Dior's DiorShow Maximizer Lash Plumping Serum
A new staple, click on to your fave online store and order this baby pronto. Eyelash curler? Who needs one when you have this serum that enhances, elongates, then strengthens your lash's curl while protecting your eye's assets by hydrating your lashes: promoting long-term growth with Dior's active ingredient of hydrolyzed soy proteins. Put this on as a nighttime treatment or party all-night-long and be dazzled to find zero mascara dust on your lower lids and blushing cheekys. All-in-all, prepare to be amazed.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The "Cheers Burger" (c) 2010
(c) 2010 | Lifestyle Innovation Technology LLC | All Rights Reserved Worldwide Michael Salafia
PulpBusiness.com
Sent from my iPhone
Friday, October 01, 2010
WSJ: 2010 Technology Innovation Awards
The Wall Street Journal 2010 Technology Innovation Awards
Among the winners: computer screens that can bend, adjustable eyeglasses, a low-cost genetic test, an online marketplace for receivables and a new way to battle malware
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
BBC E-mail: Blackberry launches rival to iPad
Research In Motion, maker of the Blackberry smart phone, announces its answer to Apple's iPad with a device called the Playbook. ** BBC Daily E-mail **
Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all in one daily e-mail ** Disclaimer **
The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified.
Sent from my iPad
Friday, September 24, 2010
Start@Spark I-cubator
Preparing to apply to the Start@Spark I-cubator program at Spark Capital (Boston, MA). Looking for initial seed funding to get our core product, Style Check, developed for alpha testing. Will be working hard today on enhancing the executive summary.
Want to get involved? info@StyleCheck.me
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Smart-phone Optimized Fashion with Microsoft Tags
This article about Jones New York and Microsoft's Tag technology is validating to our progress on Style Check. Microsoft has taken an aggressive stance in develeoping interactive tag technology that can be used in the retail experience in conjunction with smartphones.
As interest in this platform technology grows, applications like Style Check will grow in regards to universal hardware compatibility. This really opens up the door for a whole realm of possibilities that can be incorporated into our own user experience architecture by working with these growing platform technologies.
Clearly Microsoft has become a potential candidate for exit of this venture.
http://www.mobilecommercedaily.com/jones-new-york-pushes-fall-line-with-smart...
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Zuckerberg calls Facebook users "Dumb Fucks"
Are you kidding me? Who does this guy think he is? Where does he think all of his money is coming from? -M
Facebook CEO Admits To Calling Users 'Dumb Fucks'
Mark Zuckerberg admits in a New Yorker profile that he mocked early Facebook users for trusting him with their personal information. A youthful indiscretion, the Facebook founder says he's much more mature now, at the ripe age of 26.
"They trust me — dumb fucks," says Zuckerberg in one of the instant messages, first publishedby former Valleywag Nicholas Carlson at Silicon Alley Insider, and now confirmed by Zuckerberg himself inJose Antonio Vargas's New Yorker piece. Zuckerberg now tells Vargas, "I think I've grown and learned a lot" since those instant messages.
And yet the old quote resounds precisely because Facebook continues to stir up privacy controversies at regular intervals. Zuckerberg justifies his privacy rollbacks by sayingthe social norms have changed in favor of transparency, but, as tech executive Anil Dash tells the New Yorker, that sort of change is much more appealing for a privileged, Ivy Leaguer golden boy of Silicon Valley like Zuckerberg than for his half a billion users, many of whom work for less tolerant bosses and socialize in more judgmental circles.
The dichotomy between Zuckerberg's philosophy and the lives of his users makes revelations about the Facebook CEO's own private life all the more interesting. It seems natural to figure that this forceful advocate for transparency is ready to test his own informational boundaries a bit.
And Zuckerberg does open up a little to the New Yorker, admitting that he's red-green colorblind, and explaining the Mandarin lessons he's been taking: They're for a scheduled vacation with girlfriend to Priscilla Chan to China. And Chan, it turns out, is finally moving in with Zuck.
Then there's Zuckerberg's defacto unfriending of Aaron Sorkin, the screenwriter behind Zuckerberg's least favorite Facebook movie The Social Network. The CEO had listed Sorkin's TV show The West Wing as a "favorite" on his Facebook profile, only to remove it under questioning from Vargas. Now Zuckerberg's re-favorited the West Wing. Curious. Apparently living under the new social norms can lead to old school regret. Even if you're Mark Zuckerberg.
[Photo of Zuckerberg at an August 10, 2010 press conference at Facebook via Getty Images]
Send an email to Ryan Tate, the author of this post, at ryan@gawker.com.
My Take...
I have an idea. Lets all put misleading information on our profiles so we mess up his data mining scheme. Or lets just stop using Facebook so the company collapses. There are way too many alternatives for out right now for this guy to be so full of himself. Listen Mark, I'm not a "dumb fuck" and I am no longer supporting you or your products. Asshole. I'm on FourSquare now anyway.
Monday, September 13, 2010
Northeastern University News: Student startups take center stage
Student start-ups take center stage
Student Michael Illobre and his team present their I-Cubator venture that involves a rehabilitation device for stroke victims. Photo by Lauren McFalls
September 1, 2010
Recent Northeastern University graduate Christos Kombouras says mobile commerce is rapidly expanding, and while companies are salivating to capitalize on the trend, they simply don’t know how to manage and effectively market themselves in the mobile space. He says that’s where his venture, MobiLaurus, comes in.
MobiLaurus provides the digital platforms for businesses and customers to connect. For instance, people can use their mobile phones to access daily specials or place orders at local restaurants, or order a shuttle service to pick them up at the airport. “Everything is going mobile, particularly transactions in commerce,” says Kombouras, who just earned his master’s degree from Northeastern University’s School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE). MobiLaurus was one of 10 “I-Cubator” projects students presented recently to a group of Northeastern University professors and potential investors. I-Cubators combine experiential learning and technology commercialization, and are a component of STE’s master’s program. For a full year, students work in groups on their ventures to further develop a technology, create product prototypes, evaluate markets and customer needs and create fundable business plans. The students work in collaboration with Northeastern faculty. “What makes this unique is that it’s an experiential component of the STE graduate program,” says STE Dean Paul Zavracky. The program, at the end of its fourth year, exemplifies Northeastern’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the university’s commitment to use-inspired research that solves real-world problems. In all, nine I-Cubator ventures have been incorporated, including five of those presented this year. Another one of this year’s I-Cubator ventures has a uniquely collaborative twist. It is a rehabilitation device for stroke patients and integrates various complex hand motions for patients to repeat. A team of Northeastern students has researched marketing opportunities in the United States, while another group of students from Waseda University in Japan has done the same in that country’s market. The device was developed by Constantinos Mavroidis, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering. Other ventures presented included NeuBuild, which offers a green, prefabricated housing construction system for Chinese real estate development companies; Style Check, a mobile phone app that helps people select what type of clothing to buy and wear; and Nicknack Publishing, which provides services for an older generation of people interested in writing books about their lives and experiences. The presentations, meanwhile, served a dual purpose—students are not only graded on their presentations, but the review panel of potential investors provides its own feedback on the projects. The panel’s input is collectively used to determine whether each venture should continue in the I-Cubator program, should be spun out of the university, or be discontinued.Northeastern University News: Student startups take center stage
Student start-ups take center stage
Student Michael Illobre and his team present their I-Cubator venture that involves a rehabilitation device for stroke victims. Photo by Lauren McFalls
September 1, 2010
Recent Northeastern University graduate Christos Kombouras says mobile commerce is rapidly expanding, and while companies are salivating to capitalize on the trend, they simply don’t know how to manage and effectively market themselves in the mobile space. He says that’s where his venture, MobiLaurus, comes in.
MobiLaurus provides the digital platforms for businesses and customers to connect. For instance, people can use their mobile phones to access daily specials or place orders at local restaurants, or order a shuttle service to pick them up at the airport. “Everything is going mobile, particularly transactions in commerce,” says Kombouras, who just earned his master’s degree from Northeastern University’s School of Technological Entrepreneurship (STE). MobiLaurus was one of 10 “I-Cubator” projects students presented recently to a group of Northeastern University professors and potential investors. I-Cubators combine experiential learning and technology commercialization, and are a component of STE’s master’s program. For a full year, students work in groups on their ventures to further develop a technology, create product prototypes, evaluate markets and customer needs and create fundable business plans. The students work in collaboration with Northeastern faculty. “What makes this unique is that it’s an experiential component of the STE graduate program,” says STE Dean Paul Zavracky. The program, at the end of its fourth year, exemplifies Northeastern’s entrepreneurial spirit, as well as the university’s commitment to use-inspired research that solves real-world problems. In all, nine I-Cubator ventures have been incorporated, including five of those presented this year. Another one of this year’s I-Cubator ventures has a uniquely collaborative twist. It is a rehabilitation device for stroke patients and integrates various complex hand motions for patients to repeat. A team of Northeastern students has researched marketing opportunities in the United States, while another group of students from Waseda University in Japan has done the same in that country’s market. The device was developed by Constantinos Mavroidis, professor of mechanical and industrial engineering. Other ventures presented included NeuBuild, which offers a green, prefabricated housing construction system for Chinese real estate development companies; Style Check, a mobile phone app that helps people select what type of clothing to buy and wear; and Nicknack Publishing, which provides services for an older generation of people interested in writing books about their lives and experiences. The presentations, meanwhile, served a dual purpose—students are not only graded on their presentations, but the review panel of potential investors provides its own feedback on the projects. The panel’s input is collectively used to determine whether each venture should continue in the I-Cubator program, should be spun out of the university, or be discontinued.As Requested... Sequoia Capital's 2nd Gospel: Good business plans
http://techcrunch.com/2008/03/20/sequoias-gospel-of-startups-more-true-than-e...
http://gigaom.com/2008/03/20/sequoia-capitals-2nd-gospel-good-business-plans/
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Great guidelines for startups
If you are an entrepreneur seeking a moment of clarity, there is no better place to start than Sequoia Capital’s Elements of Sustainable Companies
.
It’s not new – these are the principles that have driven Sequoia’s investment strategies for decades. But today, with troubled financial markets beginning to spread cancer-like into Silicon Valley and venture capitalists starting to pull back from two plus years of carefree spending, startups have little wiggle room for error. This list is a beacon to help guide startups through their most common early mistakes.
We were reminded of the list recently when one of our interns, Bryan Scott
, wrote an article
talking about how important those ideas are to him. I informally polled some of my entrepreneur friends yesterday and today and was surprised at how few of them had read the list.
These principles are not for every new business, but they are certainly the key drivers of success for any startup looking for venture capital to drive growth. I’ve talked about some of these ideas in past posts, but nothing hits home quite as powerfully as a simple list, written by the venture firm that funded startups like Apple, Google, Yahoo, Cisco Systems, Oracle, PayPal and YouTube. Being able to put a check mark next to each item below certainly doesn’t ensure success. But ignoring them is a sure way to fail.
I consider this essential reading for any aspiring entrepreneur, along with The Man In The Arena.
Elements of Sustainable Companies
Start-ups with these characteristics often foretells the success of a business and the likelihood of it becoming a sustainable, enduring company. We like to partner with companies that have:
Clarity of Purpose
Summarize the company’s business on the back of a business card.
Large Markets
Address existing markets poised for rapid growth or change. A market on the path to a $1B potential allows for error and time for real margins to develop.
Rich Customers
Target customers who will move fast and pay a premium for a unique offering.
Focus
Customers will only buy a simple product with a singular value proposition.
Pain Killers
Pick the one thing that is of burning importance to the customer then delight them with a compelling solution.Think Differently
Constantly challenge conventional wisdom. Take the contrarian route. Create novel solutions. Outwit the competition.Team DNA
A company’s DNA is set in the first 90 days. All team members are the smartest or most clever in their domain. “A” level founders attract an “A” level team.Agility
Stealth and speed will usually help beat-out large companies.Frugality
Focus spending on what’s critical. Spend only on the priorities and maximize profitability.Inferno
Start with only a little money. It forces discipline and focus. A huge market with customers yearning for a product developed by great engineers requires very little firepower.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Website that makes lists of numbers of...
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Time Magazine's Top 50 Websites of 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Why wasn't I invited? Go Topless Protest in Venice Beach
Topless protesters turn heads at Venice Beach
About 200 people, including about 2 dozen women wearing red tape, Band-Aids and makeshift pasties, march on the boardwalk Sunday to demand equal rights to go bare-chested in public.
Online Video / Branded Entertainment Trends & Forecasts
Synopsis:
Trends and forecasts on branded entertainment spending and the rise of web-to-tv content consumption, including the market size, audience statistics, and more.
Interactive Marketing
michael@pulpbusiness.com
skype: michaelsalafia
Monday, August 23, 2010
Style Check // Final Presentation for Northeastern University School of Technological Entrepreneurship
Style Check // Final Presentation for Northeastern University School of Technological Entrepreneurship
This document is for investors review purposes only. Please respect the intellectual property rights of myself and Lifestyle Innovation Technology, LLC.
Monday, August 16, 2010
boston based social gaming start up raises seed capital
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Pulp Business in Mass High Tech
Pulp Business launching with animated scandalous office tales
By Rodney H. Brown
--
Michael Salafia | Interactive Marketing | Michael@Pulpbusiness.com
Monday, August 09, 2010
Branded Online Video Content is Heating Up
This lady convinced IKEA to sponsor her internet show "Easy to Assemble". She pulled 1.5 million views a month. She filmed it at home. Now she has linked up with MyDamChannel which a $4.4 million infusion financing deal on the table, as they are teaming up with Blip.tv.Sunday, August 08, 2010
What's your Smart Bike app idea?
Apple Files Patent for a Smart Bike
MTV is going down hill :( What the happened to the days of TRL after school?
Wednesday, July 28, 2010
Brooklyn Boulders on MSNBC
Saturday, July 24, 2010
WSJ // Venture Capitalist's New Frontier: Where Cellphones Meet Retailing
BY SPENCER E. ANTE
Reid Hoffman, the Silicon Valley entrepreneur who put money early into hot start-ups like Facebook Inc. and online gaming company Zynga Game Network Inc., now has his eye on the intersection of mobile phones and bricks-and-mortar retailing.
His latest bet as a partner at venture capital firm Greylock Partners is on Shopkick Inc., one of a number of young firms hoping to turn cellphones into tools for spurring sales. Mr. Hoffman, who joined Greylock last November, is leading its $15 million investment in the company and taking a seat on its board on behalf of his firm.
Founded in June ...
Friday, July 23, 2010
Pulpbusiness.com
Michael Salafia
PulpBusiness.com
Sent from my iPhone
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
No Comments Vol. 3
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Friday, July 09, 2010
La Mode Berlin
Can the Gritty German City Emerge as Europe's Next Fashion Capital?
By LAURA STEVENS
Berlin
With its cheap rents, gritty feel and high concentration of artists on a budget, Berlin is funky enough to have adopted the line "poor but sexy" as an unofficial motto.
The Berlin Runway
Agence France Presse / Getty Images
Kaviar Gauche gave soft materials and shapes a controlled look, sometimes adding contrasting accents such as black belts.
The city's edgy, sexy vibe was evident on Wednesday as German designers kicked off Mercedes-Benz Berlin Fashion Week, which runs through Saturday. Getting on the world's fashion map isn't easy, but Berlin is trying.
So far, it's not on a par with the fashion weeks of New York, Milan, Paris or even runner-up London. Most of the retail buyers are from Germany, and only a few of the designers, such as Hugo Boss—a German brand—and Calvin Klein, are major international names. Some big German labels, such as Joop!, Jil Sander and Escada, aren't participating.
Still, Berlin fashion week has grown steadily since its inception in 2007, and the biannual event is now a fashion hub for German designers and buyers. The number of designers showing has quadrupled, says Peter Levy, senior vice president of fashion-week organizer IMG Fashion Worldwide. The event now draws fashion media from all over Europe—eastern and western—including style capital Paris. And it is "now profitable," says IMG spokesperson Daniel Aubke. Amping up its impact, it's being presented at the same time as two other international fashion trade shows, the streetwear-oriented Bread & Butter, and the more upscale Premiere.
Berlin's cheap-chic character makes it a cultural center—and party town—for young Europeans. Its fashion reputation is growing as well. "Berlin specifically, but Germany is definitely a hotbed of creativity," says IMG's Mr. Levy.
"I like German fashion quite a lot," says said Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology. "It's kind of tough, there's lots of leather, there's lots of kind of denim, it's not sort of chic the way Paris or Milan is, it's more kind of funky street style."
"Berlin designers take more risks than in other cities, for example, in Paris." says Julia Quante, a journalist for trade publication BerlinFashion.Daily and website berlinfashion.tv.
Germans' own love of fashion is growing, some labels say. Berlin-based label Kaviar Gauche showed in London and Paris before winning an award at the first Berlin Fashion Week. Now, the designers, who have a small presence in Japan, Hong Kong, Paris and London, among other cities, show their bridal and eveningwear collection only in Berlin.
"Of course, we were really skeptical in the beginning," says Johanna Kühl, one of the designers, laughing. "Who needs another fashion week?" But she and her fellow designer, Alexandra Fischer-Roehler, were convinced by the strengthening buying power and enthusiasm of German customers.
The range of German design was visible on Wednesday. Several designers played with flowy and sheer looks. At the same time, most clothes retained a sense of wearability and comfort, channeling streetwear—a casual, urban look—and rocker influences.
Kaviar Gauche, whose show's music switched abruptly from classical to the metal band Rammstein, paired many of its elegant designs with sheer white pants. Some of the dresses had a Greek classical look, with only one shoulder strap and loose silk material cinched at the waist.
Lala Berlin, which started its show off with a singer in a silver leopard-print dress performing "Come As You Are" by Nirvana, featured several pieces in loose, open knits, such as a black-and-white striped see-through dress. A white tube dress was covered by a very loosely knit gown that looked like a spider web. Other soft knits were given a rock-and-roll edge by animal-print patterns. There was even a silver and orange leopard-print skirt. The knits and billowy silk tops were paired with separates such as bright orange jeans, navy-striped pants and silver micro-mini skirts.
The collection is "Kurt Cobain in Kenya," says Leyla Piedayesh, Lala Berlin's designer. "It's a totally new interpretation of [African] tradition." Lala Berlin is sold in 140 mostly German stores, including one in the trendy Berlin-Mitte neighborhood.
Other designers showed a more extreme side of Berlin style. Lena Hoschek, an Austrian designer whose pieces are worn by singer Katy Perry, put her models in shoulder-length black wigs with bangs in 1950s style. While poofy skirts and flirty tops followed the malt-shop theme, metal spikes and leather straps gave the looks a dominatrix twist. (Think Grease meets Catwoman.).
Dimitri, a Milan-based designer, used color-rich embroidery, sequins and beading to create a traditional, almost Eastern European flavor. His designs—ranging from extremely short to extremely long—featured flowy clothing, big belts, and flashy details such as a skirt and a dress trimmed with gold coins.
Not every event is taking place in the main fashion tent. Michael Michalsky, previously a head designer for both Levi and Adidas, is known for combining classic styles with a streetwear edge. His new line will be shown Friday at an off-site event called "StyleNite" in Berlin's Tempodrom arena.
Fashion week, he says, is "the resurrection of the old and very successful fashion tradition of our city," he says, referring to Berlin's creative heyday in the 1920s. "We all feel this and have the same dream—to tell the world that Berlin fashion is back."
—Christina Binkley will return next week.
Write to Laura Stevens at laura.stevens@wsj.com
Printed in The Wall Street Journal, page W3
Copyright 2009 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Sunday, July 04, 2010
4th of July Sunset
Michael Salafia
President // Lifestyle Innovation Technology, LLC
Masters Student // Northeastern University
School of Technological Entrepreneurship
// 305.932.8392
// http://michaelsalafia.com
// @michaelsalafia
// linkedin.com/in/michaelsalafia
Sent from my iPhone.
Please excuse typos.