Interesting thread going on under a post by Andrew Baron about ello. #

Andrew thinks Ello is going in the "right direction." I think not. It's VC-funded, no feeds, no API, it's buggy, it's more like Twitter in 2006 without the API. There's no appeal in that, at least not for me. I suppose it could catch on. Lots of things catch on. #

Ultimately the killer idea would be for Facebook to federate. Let me put my content on my server, to be part of whatever networks I want it to be part of, and at the same time also be on Facebook. That combination imho would create an infinite number of competitors to Facebook. Funny thing is I think they're actually doing this. Why? Where do you think the kickass new ideas for networking will come from? From a service operating at Facebook's scale or from something new that gets a chance to iterate, to start small, and get to some new place. If you know how technology develops, you know that only the latter approach has a chance of working. I've been waiting for a platform vendor to get to the stage Facebook is at now, and realize that they'll do better if they plant the seeds for successors of their current product, and make sure they have a good seat from which to observe. Then keep the checkbook out, and make investments and acquisitions, and help distribute the products that achieve critical mass (in this day, distribution means operating huge data centers).#

Update: Cross-posted on Facebook.#

Interesting TechCrunch piece about Steve Ballmer and the Clippers throwing out iPads in favor of Microsoft-compliant tablets.#

That got me thinking about all the other tech industry execs who now own NBA teams.#

1. Of course there's Mark Cuban at Dallas.#

2. And Ted Leonsis, a former top exec at AOL at Washington.#

3. Robert Pera at Memphis.#

4. Vivek Ranadive at Sacramento.#

5. Joe Lacob, a Kleiner VC at Golden State.#

6. Paul Allen, Microsoft co-founder, at Portland.#