Silicon Valley Diary #3
Posted on | April 9, 2009 |
The early night had done the trick; my batteries were recharged and a quick trip to the nearby Starbucks for a burst of caffeine before we boarded the minibus was the ideal setup for another day of meetings.
We had an earlier than usual start to the day so that we could squeeze in a hastily rearranged meeting over in Palo Alto.
When the coffee shop we had arranged to meet in turned out to be full, we took the British option and headed for the tea shop next door. Our genial hosts served us several pots of assorted brews, and a cake stand full of treats, and while this might sound like a scene from a costume drama, it was actually the setting for a meeting with Smule - a trailblazing iPhone developer.
Smule have released some playful toys / apps / games, such as Ocarina and Lighter. While it would be easy to shrug and dismiss these as trivial, Smule have worked hard to create real communities around each of their releases, and have an obvious belief and enthusiasm for everything they do. I was fairly blasé towards Smule before the meeting, but by the time we shook hands and parted ways, I was most definitely a fan. I’ve got a feeling that they’re going to go from strength to strength.
The guys from Smule - jamming at the tea shop
After Smule we were back aboard the bus and headed towards the quaint seaside town of Sausalito. Although we barely had time to take it in, there was definitely a Mediterranean feel to the place. We were here to meet Millions of Us - another relatively young but successful company. Since their birth in 2007 they’ve shot to fame as Second Life developers and then providers of content for PlayStation Home, and now in 2009 they’re spending more of their time toying with “telling stories using game like mechanics”. I guess most people would call this ‘ARG’, but that term is so fuzzy nowadays that their description is probably the safest description to use.
We were welcomed by a half dozen or so of the team; each showing real enthusiasm for their work, especially Reuben, their charismatic founder.
The guys all boarded the bus with a spring in their step, pleasantly surprised and entertained at what we had just seen. A quick pit stop at a roadside 7-11 served as our lunch break - we were heading back towards San Francisco, and a date with Lucas. You know, those guys that made those films…erm…oh yeah…Star chuffin Wars!
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