__ People __
__ The Prodigal Guy __
The Mac's prodigal evangelist, Guy Kawasaki - now on leave writing Rules for Revolutionaries - is due to return to Apple this summer. But his return is looking less than likely. "Who in this business knows where they'll be in six months?" Kawasaki jokes of his plans. But his new venture, garage.com, is no joke. Kawasaki won't verify that the business will be a sort of venture capital network for non-VCs, but insiders familiar with his plans say the company will match angel investors with start-ups looking for the seed capital needed to get a great idea out of the garage.
__ Air Thresh __
So Dennis Fong - aka Thresh - went pro. The 21-year-old videogame star from Berkeley, California, is competing in the rookie season of the Professional Gamers' League. Knowing that winning first prize in the PGL Quake season will earn him only US$7,500, the young star is looking to endorsements for the big money. Several major equipment manufacturers have approached Thresh with deals starting in the low five figures. The joystick kid is even negotiating with one company about making a custom mouse and other Thresh products. But as his agent Peter Kim stresses, "Dennis is very, very picky about what he endorses."
__ Take Note __
When IBM bought Lotus Corporation for $3.5 billion in 1995, it was really buying Lotus Notes - and Ray Ozzie, its creator. Which is to say that you should pay attention to Ozzie and his new start-up, Rhythmix. Ozzie isn't talking specifics about the company's first product, except to say that the new software focuses on the same goal as Notes and Netscape - communication and collaboration - but with a different spin. And Ozzie has a luxury few software geniuses have even the second time around: a personal fortune of $84 million that enables him to be the majority investor. As Ozzie's Rhythmix grows, take note.
__ A Gathering Storm __
Current gaming powerhouses "are run by people completely alienated from the industry and its subculture," says Mike Wilson, of Ion Storm and id Software fame. The Wilson-organized Gathering of Developers aims to change that. His new company - a consortium of six big-name publishers - will create titles too alternative for mass appeal, real gamers' games that might make the suits in the marketing department uneasy. Wilson's gathering will release its first four titles this year.
__ The Unziff __
Chris Anderson, the man behind the spring relaunch of The Net, says the repositioned mag (edited by former Wired features editor Jim Daly) will target "a business audience that understands the Internet explosion." The aspiring new media mogul from Britain also invested recently in the webzine Feed. Anderson's vision is best summed up by a billboard for his Imagine Publishing company that proclaims "www.notziff.com." Though a man of grand ambitions might want to aim even higher.
