When I talk to my friends who are not currently at startups, or the Silicon Valley, the perception is that VCs and individual investors are throwing around investment dollars like drunken sailors. Outsiders think that there is a bubble, and that any company with two engineers and an idea will get funded (though there is some truth to that in certain cases). The reality is, competition has never been fiercer for startups, especially at the seed stage, to close a round. The pendulum may have swung for Y-Combinator companies, but not everyone else.
A few weeks ago, Switched On noted the challenges that even wildly popular, highly penetrated devices such as MP3 players and portable GPS devices have faced in the era of the converged device. Some of these devices, such as digital cameras, still hold on because of genuine advantages such as better image quality or optical zoom. For others devices, though, such as MP3 players and portable GPS devices, the grim news is that one of the main reasons consumers use them is to save smartphone battery life.
Former 'Survivor' contestant Rob Cesternino weighs in on the final five contestants vying for the title of Sole Survivor. By Josh Wigler
Kim Spradlin on "Survivor: One World" Photo: CBS
A foulmouthed special-ed teacher, a medical-sales-repping Southern belle, an indecisive career consultant from Hollywood, a sneaky bridal shop owner and a high school teacher from Brooklyn: These are the women competing for the million-dollar prize on Sunday night's (May 13) "Survivor: One World" season finale.
In a season dominated by just one contestant — 29-year-old Kim Spradlin, who has won numerous immunity challenges and forged multiple alliances to get to the endgame — predicting the "One World" winner isn't quite as challenging as it's been in "Survivor" seasons of yore. But this is "Survivor" we're talking about, and twists are the name of the game. There's no shortage of curveballs that could be thrown at the final five contestants in tonight's race for the Sole Survivor title.
As we've done all season long, MTV News joined forces with two-time "Survivor" contestant and regular commentator Rob Cesternino once again for his final "One World" predictions.
Most Likely to Win: Kim Spradlin "Since the departure of Colton, 'Survivor: One World' has been the season of Kim," Cesternino said. "She's been in control of every single thing that's happened the whole way. She's had her finger on the pulse of the game. She played an amazing game and I think it would be almost criminal if she did not win — barring a total collapse during the finale."
Least Likely to Win: Christina Cha "Christina at no point in the game has been in a favorable position," Rob reasoned. "It seems unlikely to think that she'll run off with two consecutive immunity challenges here at the end, when she's never even been in the mix to win one immunity challenge. She doesn't have the respect of the jury, considering some of those people were terrified by the possibility of going home before Christina. She hasn't done anything to get there."
Dark-Horse Pick: Sabrina Thompson "I think she is very savvy," the former player said. "I also think she's well-liked by the jury. I think she could be an alternative to Kim in the finals, where she's able to sit there and say, 'Look, I didn't lie to you, and I didn't backstab you. That was all Kim. All of that bad stuff? Kim. I was here the whole way, and I was tough.' Sabrina is someone who could at least get a couple of votes in the finals. Maybe, if the jury goes anti-Kim, she could potentially squeak out a victory."
Worst-Case Scenario: Bitter Jury Syndrome "I think it would be a shame if Kim makes it all the way to the finals and ends up losing the jury vote just as a way of getting back at her for voting out all of the men in the game," Rob said. "It's happened before on 'Survivor,' where the jury is bitter. I don't think Kim's social game has been lacking. It would be good to see someone who plays the best game get rewarded by the jury. Otherwise, as Russell Hantz has said before, the game would be flawed."
Biggest Possible Surprise: Kim Goes at Four "The most surprising thing that could happen at the end of the season, for me, would be that one of these players smartens up and realizes that Kim has had the immunity idol and can't play it once she hits the final four. If she doesn't win that immunity challenge, the smartest thing that any of them can do is to take her out," Cesternino said. "If I'm Chelsea, and if I'm Sabrina, I don't know how I've gone this far without ever trying to take out Kim. It kills me to see these players roll over and die and give this game to Kim as they've done all season. If they turned on her at the final four, I would be very surprised."
Get more of Rob's thoughts on "Survivor" by following him on Twitter.
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.
Hitting the slopes means ditching your phone for a few hours, or risking losing it while bombing down the mountain. More troubling than an AWOL handset, though, is getting yourself lost in the backcountry sans smartphone while searching for fresh powder. An intrepid skier / software coder is well aware of this, and he's taken to Kickstarter to fund the Neva ski poles, which keep you safe and connected by wirelessly communicating with the Android or iPhone in your pocket. Incoming calls and text messages pop up on the built-in OLED display, and a finger swipe lets you answer the phone without lifting your gaze from the path ahead, as long as you've managed to mod your mitts accordingly. It's on you to decide which calls are really so pressing they need to be taken on your downhill runs -- though, to do so, you'll probably want to buy one of those Bluetooth-enabled jackets. The poles also display temperature, time and elevation, and the related smartphone app lets you toggle features such as calculating your slope angle and tracking your route.
As far as Kickstarter pledge rewards go, the Neva project is quite generous. The base $1 donation gets you early access to the smartphone app, while stepping up to $120 earns you a pair of 7075 aluminum poles (only one is data-enabled), the app for Android or iPhone and a vinyl Neva decal. Of course, you could always shell out $2,500 or more and get a reseller pack of 25 Neva ski pole sets. While those are enticing offers for backers, the project has raised just $851 of its requested $100k -- and there are only 26 days left. Hit up the source link to donate, and check out the video past the break for a look at the poles in action.
Courtesy Harper’s BAZAAR It’s a wrap! After a day of shooting on location for the June/July cover of Australia’s Harper‘s BAZAAR, Nicole Kidman took a few extra moments to spend time with her two onset visitors: daughters Faith Margaret, 16 months, and Sunday Rose, 3?. The actress, who kept her youngest cuddled inside her black [...]
When I talk to my friends who are not currently at startups, or the Silicon Valley, the perception is that VCs and individual investors are throwing around investment dollars like drunken sailors. Outsiders think that there is a bubble, and that any company with two engineers and an idea will get funded (though there is some truth to that in certain cases). The reality is, competition has never been fiercer for startups, especially at the seed stage, to close a round. The pendulum may have swung for Y-Combinator companies, but not everyone else.
