Tretakoff Musings

Disclosure: I consulted for OpenTable for some time. Every now and then, restaurant reservations juggernaut OpenTable sees an article about how their stranglehold on online reservations is under attack. The latest is this article in SFGate , and follows the usual narrative: OpenTable is too expensive, plucky startups are trying to show there's a better, more restaurant-friendly way to do business, and maybe one of them will be a success. There were a raft of "pay for play" reservations services that would allow the diner to prepurchase vouchers that would get them a seat; most of them have gone away (although Reserve , in this piece, has clearly pivoted from that). There was SeatMe , a really innovative product, which was gobbled up by Yelp years ago. There were even efforts by credit card companies to provide a concierge to do this. And this is the latest. But most of these articles miss the point altogether. Put yourself in the shoes of a restaurant owner: you ...

On a recent trip, I was able to fully try the new service from Flightcar . If you are a regular reader of Tretakoff.com, you heard my excitement about the concept . For a refresher, Flightcar allows you to rent out your own car when traveling, in return for free airport parking, and a cut of the $ if your car is rented. Since I was traveling from San Francisco to Boston, I was able to test out the full range of Flightcar's operations, as those are the only two cities they currently operate in: in San Francisco, we made our car available, and in Boston we rented a car. So, how did it go? Some prelude first. When we made the reservation for the car rental in Boston, Flightcar's site allows you to choose your car and rate, a very appealing feature. You can see photos of the exact car, get a description, and more. As I mentioned in my previous post, we chose a 2009 Lexus GS sedan, at roughly half the price of a Nissan Versa economy car from the traditional rental agencies. V...

Would you rent your personal car out to a traveler? That's what Flightcar , a new company operating out of San Francisco and Boston, want to help you say "yes" to. What if I told you your car would be covered by a $1 million insurance policy? And that you'd get free parking at the airport? And that you'd get free valet curbside service to your flight and when you arrive? And that your car would be professionally cleaned before your arrival...for free? Not convinced? Ok, tell you what: what if I throw in a $10 gas card? OK, that answers the question of why you'd want to list your car. But what about renting a car? Would you choose Flightcar? Why? For an upcoming trip to Boston, I priced rental cars out: the least expensive for about $500 for a compact for the time I will be there. Flightcar? How about a swanky 2009 Lexus GS for less than half that? You even get to see a picture of the car, learn about its owner, its description, mileage, and they throw in ...

As regular readers of this blog know, I am a big fan of two things: comic books and the transition from dead tree publishing to digital. Even in my post on why I was not a big fan of the iPad , I mentioned that one area it could potentially dominate is the digital transition of comics, something that Kindles and iPhones simply cannot really capture. In the months since, ComiXology has released several versions of their digital comics app, including the "Big Two" of DC and Marvel. I have happily purchased many a comic since this way, and read them on my iPhone (and yes, it does make me yearn for the tablet size). But yet, maddeningly, the offerings consisted of a microscopic sampling of the titles published by both. Why? This month's Wired magazine answers it very well . In essence, comic book publishing is a razor-thin symbiotic affair, with the slightest threat to the retail stores having a disastrous effect that becomes a maelstrom that pulls down the whole industry t...

For those of you who follow my feed in Google Reader , you may have seen a few of these latest posts. This USB-enabled replacement for the humble wall outlet is one of my recent smack-on-the-forehead "Why didn't I think of that?" Moments. For a measly $10, you can replace your wall outlet with a source for your vampiric gadgets, especially the Dracula of the power hungry, the iPhone 3GS. I've had sporadic luck with these USB slots at airports and planes with Apple's tether, but with a whole house of power available, I'm fairly sure it can force the ravenous appetite to be sated.

Every day, I ride the ferry from Marin to San Francisco. Frequently accompanying me is my friend and coworker, Charles. We often take inspiration in the Bay air and beautiful scenery and come up with what we call "The Million Dollar Idea of the Day." I've been coming up with these since I was a kid, and I vow to someday make good on one, but for now, I am content to share them with the world...and you, gentle reader. :-) Today's was inspired by a recent concert I attended . I hadn't been to a live orchestral performance in some time, and I was surprised and shocked to see two cellists experiencing what I can only consider to be challenges of the trade. Both were sharing a single music stand and the sheet music on it; when the piece they were playing came to the end of the page, one stopped playing and reached out to turn the page. When he picked up his bow again, he was lost as to where in the piece he was. The other cellist stopped playing, and, with his bow, ind...