Melvil Poupaud

I love Melvil Poupaud, but why is he always playing someone who is drugged up, has cancer, or dying?!

Anyway - just watched an amazing film over the weekend: Monsieur Ibrahim

My Review of Yelp

I used to use yelp to find literally everything: restaurants, bars, dentist, church, but I've stopped relying on it because I realize it's really flawed in its ratings. Here are the reasons in which I think yelp is flawed.

• People are way too critical of higher-end restaurants. Just because you're paying $80 for a bottle of wine doesn't mean servers need to lick your shoes. Most people who review restaurants on yelp are people who don't go to nice restaurants all that often - and expect way too much just because they are paying a bit more than what they are used to. Literally I have seen reviews such as: "server didn't say bye... MINUS ONE STAR." Restaurants in the $$$-$$$$ price ranges are skewed down atleast 1 star due to this.
• Hole in the wall food joints have way too high ratings. $1 fish taco with ingredients from unknown sources does not deserve close to a 5 star rating. People on yelp also tend to think the more hole in the wall it is, the more "authentic" it is.
• Because there's an overwhelming percentage of Asians on yelp - ramen, pho, udon, korean food, etc. ratings tend to skewed higher. Don't get me wrong, I love Asian food - but not all asian food places are amazing and deserving of 5 stars.
• Esoteric services tend to have the highest reviews. It's all about supply & demand I guess. For example, iPhone repair places all average a near 5 star reviews. It's because some guy in the back of their basement replaced their iPhone screen with a dingy digitizer from China worth $0.05 for $100, when the Apple store charges $200. The service they are selling is iPhone repair. If he fixes your phone, he is simply doing his job - nothing more. These people are way too estatic about their iPhones functioning again that they fail to realize this is exactly what they are paying for. Compared to the Apple store, obviously it's going to be cheaper. But somehow people don't realize this and just give a 5 star review to any shitty quality job that anyone does.
• Another rant about esoteric services.... People just don't have anything else to compare to. i.e. I got my Marc Jacobs bag restitched in NY - completely redone for $100. In LA, this one guy boast himself as the best bag repair service in the area, and charged me $150 to put a patch over my bag. Didn't even attempt to restitch it and said he would charge $500 do to so. Somehow on yelp - everyone thinks that this guy is a god and gives him 5 stars for service that I can probably do myself - and charges way too much. Ignorance is bliss I suppose?
• New or exclusive bars / lounges / clubs are never on yelp. Yelp is for the masses - not for the exclusive. Also, most clubs are reviewed by the B&T crowd. I know B&T crowd is a term that only applies to NY as it stands for Bridge & Tunnel (i.e. people from the outer boroughs, CT, or NJ going into the city to party). But I use the term B&T crowd can be used generically as "Bougie & Trashy."
• I guess this is an underlying problem that I have alluded to in my previous bullet points, but the frequent users of yelp (i.e. the "Elite Users") are not people that I would trust in taste of restaurants / bars / clubs / services / etc. Most of them are people who spend the majority of their day (albiet - some while they are bored at work) "managing" their yelp account - so they have the most creative review of the restaurant they went to the night before. Or if they have the best pictures on their profile. I'm certainly not like that - so can't really agree with their choices of places they frequent.

If I were give yelp a rating - I would give it 3 stars. Mehh - I've seen better.

Los Angeles...

Ok - so after being in LA for 6 months, did I finally realize that most stores / services are closed Sunday and Monday.

Um what?! What kind of city does that?!

Making manufacturing sexy

Finally caught up on the last few issues of the Economist and came across something that has me so excited about innovation: 3-D printing for manufacturing of.... Well things. I've been exposed to the idea of manufacturing items in the context of nanotechnology - which is more theoretical in nature and not widely implemented. This article tells me that 3-D printing is full on real and happening right now. So essentially what it 3-D printing is using blueprints via the computer to manufacture items without the need of a factory. What are these items? Anything really - from airplane components, dental crowns, to the latest Louboutins. Imagine that - being able to create any THING from your own home. This will surely move forward innovation and creativity.

I guess I'm personally excited because I'm such a DIY person. I try to do everything myself from medical diagnosis to fixing my own iPhone. Manufacturing is one of the fields I have found a way to do it myself (in addition to surgery). 3-D manufacturing eliminates the need for me to... Shop? Why buy things if I can make it myself? I'm also very particular about the things I like - so being able to design it and make it myself is the ultimate customization.

What also gets me excited is that this can potentially change the way businesses are run. Obviously this revolutionizes manufacturing - since 3-D printing produces superior products (cheaper, better quality, lighter material) and it eliminates fixed costs on virtually the production of - anything.
It's easier for anyone to create a product. It's like a democratization of - manufacturing? The same way the internet enabled people like Perez Hilton to be a source of news and information - every regular Joe can create products on their own. Except the impacts of this is even greater - since the Internet is still a virtual space while manufacturing is producing tangible items.

My mind is running wild from business ideas that can be implemented with the popularization of 3-D printing manufacturing....

New Branded Consumer

3 people I think just kind of get it are: Steve Jobs, Richard Branson, and Steve Wynn. They create products / services that sell simply because they understand the consumer. They understand that a product / service is more than functionality.

Apple products are revolutionary not so much for the technology - but really the value add for the consumer in terms of functionality. The first iPods were latter to Mp3 players and MD players (mini disc players - anyone remember those?!) but somehow captured the market and revolutionized portable media. White headphones are ubiquitous and I believe actually expanded the portable music industry and brought it to people who otherwise wouldn't have owned a mp3 player.

Richard Branson (let's talk about Virgin Airlines since I'm on a Virgin flight now) creates a service - and somehow creates a flying experience that is superior to other airlines. With boring flight demonstrations by flight attendants replaced by funny cartoons for the flight evacuation info and purple lights emulating the ambiance of a swanky lounge - I, for some reason, don't mind paying a premium on my tickets.

What makes staying at the Wynn and Encore in Vegas just simply better than let's say the Mirage? Steve Wynn understands what people want - a full on experience - and focuses on the details on the furnishings and providing the best entertainment on the strip (XS?! Surrender?!).

All three companies trade at a premium to their peers because they give to consumers something that the other products / service lacks. These three men just kind of intuitively understand what that is.
Not to toot my own horn - but understanding the consumer fascinates me - and I think I kind of just intuitively get it. I can see trends and spot what the next thing that will take off because it connects to the end user. If only I can make a career or make some money off of such currently useless talent....