Wine Tasting, Open Source & 3 Days

I'll start by saying I usually don't write about my little projects, but I think this one can be really fun if it takes off big. I was looking for an interesting web project and happened on an open source project called Pligg which is a clone of Digg, the more famous news site. Well, I had just visited El Dorado wine country enjoying some fantastic wine tasting and thought, you know - it would be really cool if there was a website where wine tasters could submit reviews of wines they had tasted and then vote and comment on other reviews. Since one and one make two I decided to install and customize Pligg to do just that. So many times I hear people say "What are some good wines?" or "What wine goes well with this or that?". Now you have a place to go to find out. After I set it up I found a website from the Bay doing something similar, but without user ratings. I do have to say, it's not bad for getting it up start to finish in 3 days. Oh - the website, it's called The Wine Vine.

If there are any hackers or painters who would like to work on this project with me let me know.

Google Aquires DoubleClick

-As Google expands into more advertising mediums they get closer and closer to becoming the Advertising Agency of the future. The real question is who should be running scared, is it the advertisers who will be at the mercy of Google or media companies who will be begging for a share of the ad dollars?

Ending weeks of a bidding battle with Microsoft, Google reached an agreement to buy online advertising network DoubleClick for $3.1 billion in cash, the companies announced today.

The deal expands Google’s foothold in online advertising. The price is almost double the $1.65 billion Google paid for YouTube last year. DoubleClick, founded in 1996, provides display ads on Web sites. The deal gives Google access to DoubleClick’s relationships with Web publishers and advertisers. Perhaps equally important, it keeps them away from Microsoft.

In 2005, DoubleClick was taken private by two private equity firms, Hellman & Friedman and JMI Equity, in a deal valued at $1.1 billion.

I've been following with great interest the discussions surrounding an online media marketplace, which Ebay and other companies are rumored to be building. If anyone has thoughts on how an online media marketplace would work let me know.

What is the Future of the Internet?

Here is another great can't miss event for tech exec's in the Sacramento region. For entrepreneurs looking for cash, this is the place you need to be with the following angel and VC firms in attendance: DFJ Frontier, Innovature Capital Partners, Hummer Winblad, Venture Partners, Garage Technology Ventures, T-Ventures, Sierra Ventures, Trinity, Ventures, Outlook Ventures, Keiretsu Forum, American River Ventures, Mohr Davidow, Ventures, Storm Ventures, Shasta Ventures, Intel Capital, Cisco Ventures, AT&T Ventures, Panorama Capital, and the NorthBay Angels.

Join TechCoire and the region’s technology executives in welcoming Vint Cerf, VP and Chief Internet Evangelist, Google to the region on April 16th as he kicks off Investorfest 2007 with his keynote on "Internet : The next 10 years and beyond"

Vint Cerf is widely known as the "father of the Internet" and this event is a must attend for anyone interested in knowing what the future holds for us! The evening will also feature power networking with CEOs of emerging tech businesses as well as heavy hors d'oerves and complimentary fine wines!

REGISTER TODAY