Filed under: Business, Internet, Video
Big names backing internet video company
Now you may not recognize the name Steve Wozniak. He never really did anything important. He had a hand in starting some little company, named after a piece of fruit or something. Doesn't really have any significance in today's world. But for some reason he seems awful respected in the high tech world, and when he throws his support behind something, people listen. And his newest interest seems to be in a small venture-backed company called HotSwap.com. Wozniak has signed on as an advisor. The company claims to have the ability to make common digital camera movie clips look more like high definition TV when played from websites. They say they can make the somewhat sketchy-looking amateur video loaded on sites like YouTube look way better using their technology. No word yet on if they can improve the actual content of the videos. They feel that this improved video technology will really help e-commerce take off, particularly the selling of vehicles online.
Steve Wozniak isn't the only person who agrees with them either. They've also got Red McCombs, co-founder of Clear Channel Communications on their side. And while Red might sound like the name of a 1930's Southern baseball coach, he's got a pretty solid track record with things like this. The founders of HotSwap.com are a few twenty-something nerd-extrodinaires who seem to have the right attitude for making technology work. As 21-year old chairman Luke Thomas points out: "when other kids were out partying, we were in our labs." Thankfully for Thomas, it seems like this technology might be the way of the future. It'd be a shame for them to put so much time into this and have it not to work out. Oh well, chicks dig pale skinned guys who never leave their labs, right?
I don't know if this is a labor of love or merely the brainchild of four very gifted games designers, but Level Up is a really weird mash-up of gaming elements that you have probably never seen in a Flash game before.
Let's start with the premise itself: Groundhog Day meets Memento. The game experience revolves around 'days': you explore the world and the clock slowly ticks towards the evening. You bounce around picking up gems and talking to the denizens of 'Level Upland'. Eventually you feel tired and head back to ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Emceay said 2:15PM on 7-28-2007
They're in their 20's. They don't need to get married yet anyway. And that pale, non uv damaged skin will keep them looking young for that decade they'll spend in the lab. Women their age probably won't give them the time of day anyway until they're cougars with options waning. When it's over, they'll be millionaires at 30 and still look 22 - and have all the time and resources they need to catch up on women. I wonder if there's any women out there kicking themselves for scoffing at someone like bill gates as a teen.
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rod / techfold.com said 12:35PM on 7-29-2007
Hopefully hotswap does better that "Wheels of Zeus" (W.O.Z.), wozniak's failed radio dog-collar tracking company. And whatever happened to the venture-less venture fund he was heading? Perhaps he should just rest on the laurels of his past and stick to segway polo.
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JDogg said 12:20AM on 7-29-2007
It's no good. Have you checked out the videos that are updated to HD?? They are bigger, sure, but they are the same sh1tty quality as the originals.
Am I missing something huge here??
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bingo watly said 12:09PM on 7-29-2007
This dweeb got lucky once, in the right place at the right time, but he has had one mega long string of flops since then. If he's backing it or involved these days, run away, run away.
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