Starting Up by Rahul Pathak

Went for a short stroll today in Carkeek Park which is tucked away at Greenwood & 110th Street in Seattle. It’s a neat little park and apparently you can see tons of Salmon during the fall & winter when they return to spawn. It’s not very dog friendly though which did limit the amount of time I spent there.

We were fortunate to have gorgeous weather while we were there which was a bit of a shock given that Seattle saw snow and hail earlier in the day. Listening to the news apparently Seattle set records for rain, snow & temperatures today. Nutty.

It’s been a standard spring in Seattle - cold, grey, rainy. We were treated to a few hours of gorgeous blue sky today and it’s amazing how it lifts everyone’s spirits. Here’s hoping we have an early start to the summer.

Burke Gilman Trail by the Fremont Bridge

White Flowers

(Photos were taken on my Blackberry)

Spotted in SF last weekend.

Be prepared - that’s what I always say.

My girlfriend sent me this opportunity “as a new and creative way to augment my income since I now have a non-traditional work schedule.” She also added that since I had experienced malaria as a child, my prior experience would be an edge.

Seattle researchers to pay volunteers to get malaria

The Seattle Biomedical Research Institute will pay volunteers as much as $4,000 to be bitten by mosquitoes infected with malaria.

Scientists say no lives are in danger because the volunteers can be cured. The institute is testing which vaccines work fastest. The head of the program, Dr. Patrick Duffy, says volunteers will spend several nights under medical supervision in a hotel. All of the human trials will be reviewed for safety by the Food and Drug Administration.
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On the Net:
http://www.sbri.org

I think I should be worried.

I’ve been in and around startups for a while now but even though I’ve been at the ‘idea on paper’ stage for one of them, and have been a key part of the team at others, I’ve never been the final resting place for the proverbial buck. It’s different this time.

The level of pressure, and as a result the required level of commitment shoots through the roof. The only way to cope is to be prepared every day and work your ass off. The good news is that this is easy to do. When you’re invested in the idea and vested in the outcome, you don’t think twice about putting in the time needed to achieve your goals.

Q: Hey Rahul - thanks for joining Askablogr! I saw your post about your recent India trip and was curious: do you have any specific strategy tips for U.S. managers wanting to tap the Indian market?

Posted by Chris DeVore

A: Great question Chris. Also, I’m looking forward to trying out the Askablogr service. A few things jump out when thinking about tapping into a different markets.

1. Get a local contact you can trust:While it’s valuable to have an outsider’s perspective, I think it’s very important to also have good, trusted local contacts. Each country has a different tempo and there’s the official way things get done and the real way. It really helps to have someone you trust helping you manage relationships on the ground. 
2. Understand Local Nuances:Porting business models is tempting, but it’s important to also understand where things are different from what you’re used to. India’s consumer web use is still largely metered and dialup based. Also, more and more people are using their phones as their primary point of connectivity. This has major implications for how you might choose to do business. Another point that came up on my trip - copyright law. India’s copyright on things like movies is 30 years shorter than that of the USA. If you’re in the content business, you’ve got to understand this.
3. Be Patient:With any new endeavor, there will be obstacles. I think all the complexity is amplified when you’re going international. India will be a pretty big challenge from anyone moving from the USA. Having said that, the growth out there is insane and as you’d expect, infrastructure is straining to keep up. I think it’s a market that you can’t afford to ignore. Going global is similar to a local site in the US going national. Go market by market - establish a beach-head, build critical mass, repeat.

I came back from my trip pretty inspired by what I saw and also very aware that the pace of change out there can only mean increased competition here. It’s definitely a fun time to be doing business.

Seth has a great post on his blog about the Wired article about the making of the iPhone. He highlights an amazing point:

The takeaway for me is that there were nearly insurmountable hurdles in terms of investment, partnership, technology and even security, and that at any time, the easiest thing would have been to just say  ‘forget it.’ Everyone would breathe a sigh of relief and move on. Important stuff is usually like that.  

I think Seth is spot on. You always have to work for the good stuff. Whether it’s waking up every day trying to get traction with a startup or pushing through mile 18 of a marathon when every muscle in your legs is screaming at you to stop, it’s always more satisfying when you keep your chin up and continue putting one foot in front of the other. It’s feels easier to quit but if you keep pushing, succeed or fail, you’re going to feel better about yourself in the morning.

If you’re interested in learning more about solar power options for your home or are looking for a solar power provider, you should check out the solar power directory at Cooler Planet. They have pulled together a ton of great information on all aspects of solar power - from a glossary, to financing options, to a list of providers with information on the kinds of jobs they do. All told, a great starting point for anyone interested in solar options.    I know the team at Cooler Planet and they are great guys who will do their best to make sure your needs are met. Note: They are currently focused on providers in California, but they are continually expanding their coverage. 

UPDATE: The following issues have been addressed in the comments:

1. Only being able to see the default calendar:(Thanks Duke!)

“The login name is CASE SENSITIVE, if ou don’t use the right case you will only get the “default folder” option. Hope this helps.”

And another great tip from AAGie (Thank you too!)

“I figured out a big problem here. I was having this “Default Calendar” only issue, even though I tried all the fixes suggested here. Turns out I’ve aliased my “work” (non gmail) account to work as a login for all Google services, and I normally use that, and the same password that works for my official “gmail” login name to login to Google services. Well–if you do that (use some kind of aliased login account), turns out you only see the Default calendar. Go try your @gmail.com account instead & you’ll be very happy! (You do still have to use the “Options” feature after the first Sync & go select all the Calendars you want to turn on, but they’ll be there!)”

2. Your phone doesn’t support end-to-end secure connections: No guarantees on this one, but my suggestion in the comments was:

“One thought - go to the menu -> options -> Advanced -> Tcp. In the field labeled APN, enter: wap.voicestream.com. Leave the username and password blank and try syncing again.”

Original Post

Since my post expressing my delight about the launch of Google Sync for the Blackberry I’ve been noticing a fair bit of traffic around how to sync multiple calendars using Google Calendar Sync. This is a quick & dirty guide and assumes you’ve installed the app and got it working. After that, do the following:

1. Go to your blackberry applications menu and load Google Sync
2. Click the Menu Button and Select Options 3. Select the Calendars You See and Click the Thumbwheel/trackball
4. You should see all the calendars associated with your Google Account
5. Select the Ones you want and Use the “Go back” key to exit out

6. Save PreferencesYou’re done. Enjoy.

For your reference, here’s a link to the Google Calendar Sync Help Pages >>

Alison stumbled onto this and sent me a link. There are 2 in stock on Amazon and the product has 70 five star customer reviews. Hurry before they’re sold out.