Aquarionics

Interestingly, it appears I have now actually been with a startup long enough to launch a brand new product.

So, we – and by ‘We’ I mean “some of us and the lead designer” – went off to San Francisco to be one of the TechCrunch 40 (Who apparently believe just because their name is intercapped so is ours), and we did our presentation.

I shall, for the sake of my sanity, draw a thick veil over the leadup to the presentation, because a) I’d like to turn it into an episode in the corporate blog, and b) I do not particually wish to be murdered in my sleep.

Most fun has been reading the reports of our presentation, which include things like

My god�¦ Trutap developers take stage and peform Boys-II-Men-style jingle. What a multi-talented bunch (and apparently quite at home with public humliation.) John Paczkowski From Digital Daily

Um.

I’m in London. I can see the entire development team from my seat. Trust me, not only are we not in San Fransisco, where it’s sunny for starters, we’re also not being publically humiliated quite yet.

On the other hand, we have just launched a new service, so there’s still time.

It wasn’t us on stage. Really it wasn’t. I really am not joking. From the dev chat room this evening:

(Vivek) what was the audience reaction to me? also, which of us do they reckon is going to be the breakaway developer?

Incidentally, we’ve launched trutap, which is the name of the product I can actually say now. It’s a messaging platform with a useful and easy to use mobile client, which also does IM from the phoen. As CTO Carl said on stage, we’ll be releasing things like APIs soon.

• Recharge brain.

• Laundry

  Methods to do this:

• Mindless flash games.
• Mystery Case File (Which is basically “find these objects in this picture” done on computers, but done with skill and artistry. Plus: three quid.)
• Bioshock (Put on hold because I broke my mouse playing it)
• Catching up on unread news items brought on by spending last weekend Maelstroming and this week busy.
• Writing letters from my Maelstrom character to other people’s
• Doing laundry.

• Extreme Peggle.

A small flash game

on which my record is 27.494

From the the ex-maxis creator of Tower of Goo, Kyle Gabler.

Comes this:

So, this weekend I went to Maelstrom, which is a LARP event. Further updates will appear at some point in the IC Diary. If you want to know more about the setting, you can watch the promotional video (Which, Maelstromers, is the same thing as is on the DVD you got in an event pack) or visit their website

Stuff that was good:

• The sinking feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realise that that major bit of drama going on over there is partially your fault.
• The “Explode on death” blessing as a concept
• Finally making it to Jade Lotus (IC japanese resturant) which was nice.
• Playing croquet.
• Group angst! Yay!
• Singing songs around the fires.
• The ginger cider
• My character making his mind up about something cool.
• The weather not being too hot or too cold.
• The trebuchet.
• Meeting Shebit & Rhiannon IC.

• FOIP
  

  Stuff not quite so good:

• New tent is too small.
• Campsite is a deathtrap in the dark, due to pools of well-lit areas with black pits of rocks, sudden slopes and guy ropes between them.
• Campsite is too small for the event – event isn’t going back there, though.
• IC traders (ie, us) being too far off the beaten track
• OOC traders being too far off the beaten track.
• There not being much of a beaten track, really.
• The musicians who were playing in the OOC camping area at 4am on Sunday.

• Leaving my pirate hat on the train.