It is my birthday, so here are a few random things about my life:
(You can also find this post on my Facebook profile.)

1. Too many people that I Love and care about have been (or are currently) homeless.
2. One of my good friends was shot twice last year (he did not die).
3. My senior year in High [...]

Alaska’s commercial salmon fishery is a huge part of my family’s heritage. My Grandpa started fishing commercially in Alaska on a sailboat in the 1920’s, my Dad is on one of our family’s two boats right now, and until I co-founded a few internet startups I used to spend my summers on the water too. If you’ve ever worked on a boat or in [...]

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of inverted reciprocity. I have no idea if it is a real term or something I made up. Nonetheless, I’ve been using it to describe a style of negotiation that I’ve witnessed time and time again growing up in Alaska.
The concept is pretty simple and can [...]

“It is really fun to sit and think outside the box, you just don’t want to confuse it with the shit that’s in the box.”
- Walt Kallenberg

Last time my dad was in Seattle we had dinner with my sister, her boyfriend and my uncle Jim. As Kallenbergs usually do, the evening was spent pontificating (i.e. [...]

A few days ago I posted an entry called “Tribal Economics,” in it I talked about respect as an essential ingredient to any group (such as a startup) whose members depend on each other. I put forth that respect isn’t something a person can [...]

If you know me, you have probably heard me make reference to “tribal economics.” I often use this concept as a way to justify working 18 hours a day in a startup (villij.com). Tribal economics is the concept that everyone contributes to her or his full capacity, and with that understanding, everyone is taken [...]

A few days ago I posted a video of one of my friend’s houses in Homer, Alaska. I grew about a half mile from him on 4 acres of beachfront property facing the Homer Spit. We had the best view in the world! I still remember helping my dad and grandpa build our house. It [...]

Lately, I have been talking to a lot of angel investors about Localcents. The importance of being able to quickly determine each investor’s intent, interest level and motivation is becoming clear to me. I’ll admit, when it comes to raising capital, I am a rookie . However, I have noticed that there are two [...]

Here is a short video clip my sister took of one of my best friend’s houses in Homer, Alaska. I’m guessing the video is at least 5 years old by now. They just don’t make them quite like this any more!