Four short links: 1 November 2017
Crypto Docs, Ultrasound, Anti-Innovation Investors, and IoT Security
- Airborn OS — attempt to do an open source Google Docs with crypto.
- ButterflyIQ — ultrasound on a chip. IEEE covers it: announced FDA clearance for 13 clinical applications, including cardiac scans, fetal and obstetric exams, and musculoskeletal checks. Rather than using a dedicated piece of hardware for the controls and image display, the iQ works with the user’s iPhone. The company says it will start shipping units in 2018 at an initial price of about $2,000. See also adding orientation to ultrasound to turn 2D into 3D.
- Innovation vs. Activist Investors (Steve Blank) — “activist investor” is all about financial games to transfer cash from banks to the investors, by loading the company with debt. The bad news is that, once they take control of a company, activist investors’ goal is not long-term investment. They often kill any long-term strategic initiatives. Often, the short-term cuts directly affect employee salaries, jobs, and long-term investment in R&D. The first things to go are R&D centers and innovation initiatives. They don’t want genuine growth; they want fake growth that leaves the company weaker.
- Security, Privacy, and the Internet of Things (Matt Webb) — if I meet a startup that has spent ages on its security, pre getting some real customer traction, I am going to be nervous that they have over-engineered the product and won’t be able to iterate. The product will be too brittle or too rigid to wiggle and iterate and achieve fit. So, it’s a balance.
