From: Sean Kenny (seankenny@blueyonder.co.uk)
Date: Thu Mar 28 2002 - 15:49:45 MST
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/cx/uc/db
> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-extropians@extropy.org
> [mailto:owner-extropians@extropy.org]On Behalf Of David Lubkin
> Sent: 28 March 2002 23:29
> To: extropians@extropy.org
> Subject: Why I haven't been around
>
>
> Those who know me may recall that I've been talking about coming out with
> my own products for a *long* time. But nothing ever happened. I was
> consulting by day, single-parenting, attempting to have a life,
> and writing
> my software in whatever time was left. Of course nothing got finished.
>
> Then the dotcom collapse and the recession. I was too expensive for the
> company I was consulting at, and there were no jobs anywhere else. I
> decided my best bet was to make an all-out push with my own stuff
> before my
> money ran out. I've been making steady progress since then; as Samuel
> Johnson said, "Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be
> hanged in
> a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully."
>
> So now I'm finally there, more or less. There are still 14,000 details
> left but they're all getting done. Gradually. I have a few
> weeks left on
> the product itself. I'm close enough that consensus seems to be that I
> should announce now, and say that it will ship in April.
>
> If you remember me talking about a product, it's probably something
> different. This first one is just the first out the door. Then
> I'll make
> a decision based on the degree of response I'm able to generate. If it's
> fizzling, or taking time to build up, I'll shift gears and work on
> finishing up one of the other ones. If it takes off rapidly, I'll
> capitalize on the momentum, and do the other stuff later.
>
> My web site has been updated. In a day or two, I will begin the media
> blitz. Yay! I need to think of a good way to celebrate. (Lots
> of excuses
> coming up -- the announcement, the first press coverage, actual ship, the
> first sale, the first review....)
>
> You're encouraged to take a look at the web site and give me
> feedback. I'm
> taking the opportunity to switch servers at our provider,
> figuring that I'd
> rather take any hit now, before there's much traffic. I just
> told them to
> redirect unreasonable.com to the new server, but it will take a
> day or two
> to propagate. If www.unreasonable.com doesn't have the Unreasonable
> Software logo at the top, look at
> http://207.159.131.159/index.html instead.
>
> Comments are especially welcome now, before we get much farther, but
> they're welcome any time, if you're busy now. The press kit is off the
> press link at the bottom of the page.
>
> Beyond any desire to help me as a friend or a fellow extropian, you might
> want my product to succeed as a matter of self-interest. I think it's
> potentially useful to all of us because surviving the next few years is a
> prerequisite to arriving at the future we'd rather live in.
>
> Please take notes as you go along. I want the benefit of your first
> impressions. Comment especially on how well the product is pitched. If
> you were a journalist and you read the press release, would you want to
> write a piece on the product? If you read a piece in the paper,
> would you
> check out the web site? If you read the web pages, would you download or
> buy the product? Who do you think it will appeal to, and why?
> Who do you
> think won't be interested, and why? Does the site come off as one you'd
> want to do business with? Why / why not? Is the general tone pleasing,
> off-putting, or confusing? Etc.
>
> Beyond that, I welcome comments on any aspect, from philosophical to
> nit-picky. Whatever you feel qualified to talk about. Or even if you
> don't. Pricing, business model, spelling, grammar, product
> features, press
> kit, HTML style, international issues, security, visual aesthetics, legal
> issues, the best way to do session tracking, etc. I particularly
> would like
> to hear from the non-US crowd about stuff that might be wrong or
> confusing
> in their country.
>
> If you think your comments would be of interest to others, reply to the
> list; otherwise, write to me privately.
>
> Things not there yet. Some will be done soon, others eventually:
> Tune the
> web server settings. Revise all pages so they are completely
> accessible to
> the handicapped. Finish the legal page. Add a privacy policy. Add more
> screen shots. Validate the participation form. Remove a few broken
> links. Improve search engine positioning. Translate the site to other
> languages. Add a product summary page.
>
> Thanks....
>
>
> -- David Lubkin.
>
> lubkin@unreasonable.com
> Unreasonable Software Inc.
> www.unreasonable.com -- Protect Your Family From a Terrorist Nuke
>
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