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Europe

Europe is a great first destination for most USA travelers. Find ways to travel affordable, fast, and cover some cool unknown spots.

Turkey Mobile Payments: From Gold Coins to Carrier Billing

To facilitate trade between the east and the west in the 4th Century, Constantine the Great established the gold solidus as the standard of currency. This coin retained its status for about 1,000 years. In its most flourishing periods, the Byzantine state may have produced as many as several hundred thousand gold coins and a…

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Create a Startup State: What American Politicians can learn from Lithuania, Estonia, and Finland

Short Summary: • Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland have created active startup communities and produced successful startups like Rovio, MySQL Supercell, and Skype. • American States — the same size as these countries — have been much less successful in creating startup companies and communities. • American state economic development officials can learn from these countries. A template exists to…

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Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia with Maximilian in September, 2014

Most meaningful experience: Learning about the deep history and culture of Russia. Top tips: – Mingle with Moscow’s elite at Café Pushkin. – Get an education into Russian art at the Tretyakov Gallery and explore the art galleries of the Hermitage Museum. – Make a day trip from St. Petersburg to the lavish Peterhof Palace,…

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My Day At Wimbledon 2010

I started my day off at 5AM to get the tube to Wimbledon but the tube didn’t open till 6AM. So I killed an hour with work. After alighting at the tube stop, I caught a bus as instructed. The bus’s 2nd stop was Wimbledon Stadium. I was watching everyone on the bus but no…

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Dobré Ráno Prague – October 5-7, 2014

The way Dobré Ráno rolls off your tongue sounds very Spanish. Prague had a bit of romanticism that I did not expect from the Bohemian City. Interspersed in the old architecture were gardens, fountains, and nice restaurants. On my flight to Moscow, the Russian sitting next to me described Prague as an entire city that…

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Trip to Buda-pessht – October 3rd, 2014

Buda-Pessht (BP) or Pessht – Buda One side of the Danube is Buda and the other is Pessht. The Pesst side call itself Pessht-Buda and the Buda side calls itself, Buda-Pessht. Buda has the history and magnificence while Pessht has the future and the day to day. That difference conveys how I felt about my…

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24 Hrs in Bratislava – October 4-5, 2014

Most meaningful experience: Meeting some young startup guys at a bar talking about mobile startups. Top tips: Wander through the historic old town and soak up the views from the Bratislava Castle Check out the “Man at work” bronze statue of a sewer worker emerging from the pavement Sample the local craft beers, including the…

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Denmark: Daintiness, Designs, and Delectables

Denmark is a city for people with tastes of delectable design and dainty appetites. In only two days, i had a wonderful experience traversing through the city, peeping in small shops, and experiencing the cities first snowfall – which was strange since it was the last week of January. Again, just another example of the…

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Israel: From Jaffa to Jerusalem

Traveling Through Israel:Jaffa to Jerusalem Visiting Israel is an exciting religious, cultural, and overall powerful experience Most Meaningful Experience: Meeting new friends and getting to know the Israel scene Most meaningful experience: The tour of Jerusalem showed me that people are very passionate about their beliefs but its possible to exist together. The city is…

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Saudi Arabia — A Secret Mecca for Consumer Technology Companies

Saudi is a place startups should be investing — look at Uber’s success Consumer market is flourishing and technology services are in demand Doing business there is easier than one may presume Demand in Saudi Arabia for consumer software is shockingly high. But most people in Silicon Valley do not understand why nor how to capitalize on…

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What I learned Taking German Colleagues to a Golden State Warriors Game

What I Learned Taking German Colleagues to a Basketball Game  Sport can bridge the differences in working with different cultures  Most Meaningful Experience: Everyone loves Stephen Curry The Warriors are in the middle of an amazing run, and I was lucky enough to host some of my German colleagues at against the Memphis Grizzlies last…

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Learnings from RURU — Mobile Payments in Russia

Merchant adoption of NFC has been slow and those who have adopted it are unconvinced. Many experts think that just replicating the ecosystems of Korea and Japan will work in the west. Those familiar with Asian markets realize that consumer behavior and the payments ecosystems in those markets are far too different than they are…

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Lithuania: A Few Autumn Days

Most meaningful experience:Discovering my own heritage and the meaning behind my “Lithuanian eyes”. In 2018, I found out I was 50% Lithuanian through a 23andme test. Top tips: – Walk up to the Gediminas’ Tower to take in the views across Vilnius’ UNESCO-listed Old Town. – Make a day trip to the former capital at…

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Estonia – The Rising Medieval Empire – Oct 12-13, 2014

Most meaningful encounter: Hanging out with Kadri and exploring the town! Top tips: Learn about the startups at Garage48 Foundation and Tallinn’s position as a digital city. Soak up the views across the medieval Old Town from the Toompea Castle. Wander through the charismatic streets of the Old Town and shop for Lithuanian amber. As…

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Trip to Buda-pessht – October 3rd, 2014

Buda-Pessht (BP) or Pessht – Buda One side of the Danube is Buda and the other is Pessht. The Pesst side call itself Pessht-Buda and the Buda side calls itself, Buda-Pessht. Buda has the history and magnificence while Pessht has the future and the day to day. That difference conveys how I felt about my…

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Turkey: Outside Istanbul

Most meaningful experience: Traveling the town of Ephesus to see how magnificent the Roman Empire must have been and hanging out with friends. Top tips: Watch the sunrise over Cappadocia during a hot air balloon trip. Explore the hidden dwellings and walkways of the Kaymaklı Underground City. Admire the Byzantine artwork in the rock-cut churches…

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Two Days in Istanbul, Turkey

After a whirlwind trip through Turkey, I had two days to pack in as much sightseeing as possible in the enchanting city of Istanbul. If you want to follow in my footsteps and have 48 hours to spare, here are my recommendations. Day 1: Begin your day at the Rustempasa Mosque, which features some of…

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I spent 3 Weeks in Spain in 2008

I went to Spain for 3 Weeks. I’d been to Spain many times but the first was in 2008 when I went to Valencia, Madrid, Barcelona, and Sevilla. But I didn’t blog about it :(. If I had kept vlogging then, I’d been famous. But I went back from other events like the Global GSM…

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