steve kwan user experience designer

Humour journal, entry #7

(February 27th, 2007 - 10:22PM)

I was listening to a "Top 25 Web companies to watch" list, which recited 25 obscure Web micro-companies that are apparently going to completely change the world. All of these companies offer some variation of user-generated video content, cell phone software, or user-generated video content on your cell phone.

This, of course, is the flavour of the month: anything "user-generated" is in. It doesn't seem to matter if a company has a business plan or any possible way to generate revenue. Someone explain to me how a company that specializes in sharing personal video over cell phones is going to make money?

It's incredibly frustrating because we've already been through this before. Doesn't anyone remember 2001? I do. I remember the entire market tanking just as I was about to join the work force. And the big problems back then were stupid ideas, reckless enthusiasm and piles of venture capital. Now it's happening again.

When the dot com bubble burst in 2001, I was worried because I was about to get into the field. But now that I'm entrenched and my income is stable, I'm just amused.

Why do I find this funny? Probably because there's something comedic about watching people repeat the same mistake over and over again. Just like Sideshow Bob and the rakes. It's funny the first time, but repeating the mistake makes it funnier because it shows a pattern of stupidity. And as we know, we find this funnier if they show inferiority.