Blake Callens

I’m still kicking myself for not buying Facebook stock. In the beginning of 2012 I made a mental note to pay attention to the Facebook IPO that was announced for later that year. By that fall, when it had dropped to a third of it’s initial price, I had forgotten to pay attention. Therefore, my resolution this year is to write down what I think the top tech trends will be and to put my money where my mouth is. Here are my top four forecasts for 2014: Everything’s turning up mobile If you’re a smartphone owner, chances are...

I’m getting out the software business to open a chain of barbershops. Here’s my plan: First, I’m going to need a seed round to open my first location. The business can’t take off unless I build a user base, so I won’t charge for haircuts. The seed money will cover the salary for me and two barbers, but, once our free haircuts service starts getting popular, I’ll have to go in for a series A. This will allow me to open a regional chain. By the time we get to a series C or D and make the business...

I’m about to have my first child, a girl, in December. In twenty-two years, if she has the entrepreneurial bug like her old man, I want her to not only have the right skills, I also want there to be a vibrant, full-spectrum startup community in the Triangle for her to work in. I don’t want her to be plucked out of school to work at a company three thousand miles away, because few, if any, exciting, disruptive businesses are here. I don’t want her to have to work in the dog-eat-dog, money over quality of life, California tech...

My name is Winston Randolf. I’m the President and CEO of awtow. We’re revolutionizing the way people drive. I’ve been driving for over twenty years, so I know a lot about cars. I know what people really want is a cheap, alternative fuel. That’s why we made a fully stacked sports car that runs purely on water. That’s right, water. Have I blown your mind yet? Our cars cause zero pollution, get one hundred miles to the gallon, and have the world’s best crash test rating. What? Can you see the car? Well, let me show you this Power...

Earlier this year, Emma Coates, Pixar’s Story Artist, individually tweeted twenty two guidelines for story writers. While the list is expertly geared towards traditional storytelling, its insights are applicable to just about any profession. After all, every product has to tell a story to its customer. With that in mind, here is how (half of) Pixar’s 22 Rules of Storytelling can be applied to software development. 2. You gotta keep in mind what’s interesting to you as an audience, not what’s fun to do as a writer. They can be very different. Many software projects have gone off the...

Blake Callens is the Lead Engineer at SpotTrot, a fully customizable, plug-and-play solution that allows you to implement your mobile commerce strategy and start generating revenue quickly and easily. I receive a large amount of emails from recruiters, which is not uncommon for developers. The emails, likely sent by automated systems, tend to focus on keywords found in my resume or Linkedin profile. For example, my inbox is inundated with this form subject line at least three times a week: New position for [skillset keyword] job in [city] now open Over the last few years, the most common skillset...

Blake Callens is the Lead Engineer at SpotTrot, a fully customizable, plug-and-play solution that allows you to implement your mobile commerce strategy and start generating revenue quickly and easily. My wife and I moved to the Triangle from Los Angeles last fall. When I told coworkers and friends that we were coming here, most were dumbfounded by our decision. To many people, L.A. is a mecca for creatives, including technology related fields. The thought of leaving a place where it’s almost always sunny and where your ‘uniqueness’ is always validated is unheard of. I know only two other native...