Author Archives: Rakesh Agrawal

About Rakesh Agrawal

Rakesh Agrawal is a 0-1 product leader. Ex-Amazon, Ex-Microsoft, as well as a number of startups. He tweets at @rakeshsfnyc

Occasional reader – Gas prices, trashing hotels, brain chemistry, hunger cafes

Posted on June 18, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Some interesting reads from the past few weeks: Top Car Dealer Says High Gas Prices Are Good for the U.S. Auto Industry (WSJ) — The CEO of AutoNation views high gas prices as just what we need to spur innovation … Continue reading →

Posted in reader, travel, weekly reader | Comments Off

The first first draft of history

Posted on June 15, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

In journalism school, you’re taught that newspapers are the first draft of history. Today it’s common for news outlets to scoop themselves on their Web sites. But even that may not be fast enough when news breaks. Lost Remote reports … Continue reading →

Posted in flickr, journalism, media, newspapers, television, twitter, wikipedia | 2 Comments

More Americans get their news from… Facebook?

Posted on June 13, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

I found out about Tim Russert’s death today through Facebook. One of my friends had updated his status to say he was “shocked by Tim Russert’s death.” I glanced over at my Google Talk contacts and noticed that two other … Continue reading →

Posted in facebook, im, instant messaging, journalism, media, newspapers, publishing, social networking, twitter, web 2, web 2.0 | 3 Comments

Google offers fresh perspectives on travel photography

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Google’s Panoramio has launched one of the most exciting advances in online pictures since flickr added geotagging. A new “Look around” feature shows you when pictures are available from other angles. In the screenshot below, you can see the dome … Continue reading →

Posted in flickr, fun, geotagging, google, microsoft, photography, travel, web 2.0 | 1 Comment

Occasional reader – Saying no to Google, popcorn prices popping, economics and height, Pringles

Posted on June 3, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

North Oaks tells Google Maps: Keep out – we mean it (Star Tribune) — A suburb of St. Paul, Minnesota has demanded that Google remove all images from Street View, citing its laws against trespassing. The city’s roads are privately … Continue reading →

Posted in fun, google, maps, movies, privacy, random, reader, street view, weekly reader | 1 Comment

Occasional reader – Airport security, future of journalism, working with Yahoo!

Posted on May 18, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Some interesting reads from the past couple of weeks: The Airport Security Follies (New York Times blog) – Pilot Patrick Smith takes a look at the idiocy of our airport screening processes. Smith argues (and I fully agree) that airport … Continue reading →

Posted in airlines, journalism, media, newspapers, reader, social networking, travel, web 2, web 2.0, weekly reader, yahoo | Comments Off

Old and new

Posted on May 17, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

Saw this odd juxtaposition of a Corona manual typewriter and Windows Vista Home Premium at a Noe Valley sidewalk sale today.

Posted in fun, random | 1 Comment

From chits to bits

Posted on May 14, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

I was meeting some colleagues and partners last night for the Pistons playoff game. As we sat down for drinks, we realized that we’d left the tickets at our hotel – more than an hour away from the Palace. Six … Continue reading →

Posted in customer service, wireless | Comments Off

The Internet’s perpetual motion machine

Posted on May 5, 2008 by Rakesh Agrawal

In my comment on Clay Shirky’s speech on the cognitive surplus, I mentioned the effect of increased content production on consumption patterns. I didn’t mention the Internet’s perpetual motion machine. I was reminded of that when I reviewed the post … Continue reading →

Posted in media, publishing, web 2.0 | Comments Off