I'm a Web Developer and Entrepreneur out of Washington DC.

Zvi Band

Founder of Contactually.
I'm also passionate about growing the DC startup community, and I've founded Proudly Made in DC and the DC Tech Meetup.

Politics

Iran and New Media

06/22/2009

Three things really stand out about the current Iranian conflict. 1. User generated content is easily able to slip through any blocks that the government puts in place over traditional media.  Journalists were locked in hotels in the dark, while a protester sitting on a balcony can snap pictures and post on Flickr/YouTube/Twitter/Blogs. 2. Instead Read More

While Detroit Slept

12/13/2008

Tom Friedman has a great op-ed in the NY Times regarding  the auto bailout. He raises a good point which I believe can apply to entrepreneurship… As I think about our bailing out Detroit, I can’t help but reflect on what, in my view, is the most important rule of business in today’s integrated and Read More

Obama Widget, Version 0

11/21/2008

I had an idea for a widget, and felt like brushing up on my Flash and Actionscript skills. Here is a very very rough Version 0, with Clearspring already set up! I have to work a lot more on the style of course. I’m also thinking that these narrow dimensions just arent cutting it.

McCain Is My Friend

10/07/2008

Just finishing up another great night over at the C-SPAN Debate Hub. One of the cool features in there is the Word Tree, a treemap display of the most popular words in the debate. One thing stood out. McCain said “friends” 18 times. Obama? Zilch. It’s clear who has my vote.

Fight the Maryland Tech Tax

02/13/2008

Thanks to Jimmy for pointing this out. Effective July 1, 2008, Maryland’s 6 percent sales tax will apply to computer services, including: Computer facilities management and operation. Custom programming. Computer system planning and design that integrate computer hardware, software, and communication technologies. Computer disaster recovery. Data processing, storage and recovery. Hardware or software installation, maintenance, Read More

Giuliani gets creamed by the NY Times

01/25/2008

I found this breathtaking – not just that they endorsed someone else, but that Giuliani gets completely torn apart. These three paragraphs disassemble the image of Rudy as “America’s Mayor.” Primary Choices: John McCain – New York Times The real Mr. Giuliani, whom many New Yorkers came to know and mistrust, is a narrow, obsessively Read More

What The Next President Should Do

01/23/2008

362 days, 6 hours, 41 minutes. In 362 days, we’re going to have a new president. We’re mired right now with candidates of both parties yammering about their platforms, attacking each other (since when did being called a Muslim get considered an insult?), and telling us what we think is important. But what do you Read More

The Organization Kid

10/02/2007

In short, at the top of the meritocratic ladder we have in America a generation of students who are extraordinarily bright, morally earnest, and incredibly industrious. They like to study and socialize in groups. They create and join organizations with great enthusiasm. They are responsible, safety-conscious, and mature. They feel no compelling need to rebel—not Read More

Map of Candidates

09/11/2007

A nifty Google Maps mashup shows where all the presidential candidates have been. If you drag the right-hand slider above the map all the way to the right, you can see the full timeline. New Mexico isn’t getting any love (Bill Richardson does not count). Nor is Maryland. And if anyone can tell me which Read More

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