Why Russian technologists aren’t cool

November 6, 2007 By

Yuri Ammosov, who lives in Moscow, Russia, and works in the Russian Ministry of Economics demonstrates why Russians aren’t cool.

1. He isn’t using an iPhone.
2. He isn’t using Facebook.
3. He’s reading blogs.
4. He’s running Russian RSS-reading software.
5. He reads Engadget, B5 Media, and TechCrunch.
6. He’s running Windows Mobile.

So yesterday. So uncool.

Just kidding.

Seriously, I spent a while with Yuri today and you should watch out for him and his band of Russian entrepreneurs. They are doing very cool things and I was jealous of the feed reader and the new interface he showed me on his Windows Mobile smart phone.

Now do you understand why Google announced Open Social and Android? I sure do.

There’s a lot of Russians who are going to buy cell phones and join a social network in the next 18 months. What will THEY be running? Will they think YOU are uncool for what YOU are running?

Longer interview coming soon on ScobleShow.com.

[kyte.tv appKey=MarbachViewerEmbedded&uri=channels/6118/69612&embedId=10011454]

Filed Under: Microsoft Office, Mommy Blog, Russia, S3, Scoble family, venture capital
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  • http://twitter.com/shvelmur Shivanand

    Would be really kewl if you could tell us what you found was very neat in the rss feed reader he was using. Maybe you have some close up shots?!

  • http://twitter.com/shvelmur Shivanand

    Would be really kewl if you could tell us what you found was very neat in the rss feed reader he was using. Maybe you have some close up shots?!

  • john

    pretty good, this should really make us [the silicon valley people] of what is happening outside the box.

    Among others Facebook is not used by everyone and long life to SIM card cellphones

  • john

    pretty good, this should really make us [the silicon valley people] of what is happening outside the box.

    Among others Facebook is not used by everyone and long life to SIM card cellphones

  • http://corvida.ilumine.net corvida

    Definitely would like to see that feed reader on my Q or maybe on the LG Voyager in the future. =) Greatness

  • http://corvida.ilumine.net/ corvida

    Definitely would like to see that feed reader on my Q or maybe on the LG Voyager in the future. =) Greatness

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  • Abstract

    Scoble,

    You may have been joking when you said “so yesterday…”, but that’s the prevailing attitude among geeks.

    In the end, does it matter what anyone runs? The only people that really care are people who have something at stake like the founders of a particular company or the ad companies.

    No one else cares. People are looking for cool and free. That’s what it boils down to. If Facebook or any other of these little companies started charging a monthly or annual fee, you watch how quick they would shed users.

    Email, IM, no RSS, whatever. Whatever people use is cool for them as long as they are getting the information they think they want.

    I, for example, don’t use RSS, no iPhone, no Internet-enabled devices on my person whatsover.

    Yet, I know what is happening more than my geeky friends. I like going to each website I read, even thought I could read the feeds via RSS.

    There is something about actually VISITING the websites in question to read posts, news, etc.

    I like email. I like IM. I’m not changing until there are patently and obviously better solutions out there. RSS, Twitter, all that is not impressive to me since it does nothing really new or better.

  • Abstract

    Scoble,

    You may have been joking when you said “so yesterday…”, but that’s the prevailing attitude among geeks.

    In the end, does it matter what anyone runs? The only people that really care are people who have something at stake like the founders of a particular company or the ad companies.

    No one else cares. People are looking for cool and free. That’s what it boils down to. If Facebook or any other of these little companies started charging a monthly or annual fee, you watch how quick they would shed users.

    Email, IM, no RSS, whatever. Whatever people use is cool for them as long as they are getting the information they think they want.

    I, for example, don’t use RSS, no iPhone, no Internet-enabled devices on my person whatsover.

    Yet, I know what is happening more than my geeky friends. I like going to each website I read, even thought I could read the feeds via RSS.

    There is something about actually VISITING the websites in question to read posts, news, etc.

    I like email. I like IM. I’m not changing until there are patently and obviously better solutions out there. RSS, Twitter, all that is not impressive to me since it does nothing really new or better.

  • http://michaelwoo.net/ Michael Woo

    Lolz.. but Russia was one of the leading technologist in the past.. during the cold war that is :) Great blog..

  • http://michaelwoo.net/ Michael Woo

    Lolz.. but Russia was one of the leading technologist in the past.. during the cold war that is :) Great blog..

  • http://scopettg.wordpress.com/ Scope

    Nay… Russian tech is one of its kind…
    Actually… I might be going to Moscow in a year’s time.
    Maybe not.
    Russians never commercialise their tech the way IPOD does. Their techs are mainly for political use.

    Scope.

  • http://scopettg.wordpress.com/ Scope

    Nay… Russian tech is one of its kind…
    Actually… I might be going to Moscow in a year’s time.
    Maybe not.
    Russians never commercialise their tech the way IPOD does. Their techs are mainly for political use.

    Scope.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Michael: they still are leading technologists. I cover that in my interview which will be up in a couple of weeks.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Michael: they still are leading technologists. I cover that in my interview which will be up in a couple of weeks.

  • Kyle

    Doesn’t a lot of “internet” crime originate from Russia or former Soviet block countries? I ask because, if there is a skew there, it would be very interesting to know if the economic conditions of those countries impacted a brain drain on development of any of the aformentioned web media in favor of development towards black market products/profits? Maybe their best engineers are too busy developing phishing programs, etc.?

  • Kyle

    Doesn’t a lot of “internet” crime originate from Russia or former Soviet block countries? I ask because, if there is a skew there, it would be very interesting to know if the economic conditions of those countries impacted a brain drain on development of any of the aformentioned web media in favor of development towards black market products/profits? Maybe their best engineers are too busy developing phishing programs, etc.?

  • http://www.b5media.com/ jeremy wright

    Unsubscribe ;-)

  • http://www.b5media.com jeremy wright

    Unsubscribe ;-)

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  • Alex

    (1)He isn’t using an iPhone.
    (2) He isn’t using Facebook.
    (2.5) He isn’t on Woozyfly.
    (3) He’s reading blogs.
    (4) He’s running Russian RSS-reading software.
    (5) He reads Engadget, B5 Media, and TechCrunch.
    (6) He’s running Windows Mobile.

  • Alex

    (1)He isn’t using an iPhone.
    (2) He isn’t using Facebook.
    (2.5) He isn’t on Woozyfly.
    (3) He’s reading blogs.
    (4) He’s running Russian RSS-reading software.
    (5) He reads Engadget, B5 Media, and TechCrunch.
    (6) He’s running Windows Mobile.

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  • Alan Jones

    I don’t understand why you’re always guffawing in your interviews. There’s rarely anything funny happening. the guy being interviewed looks confused as well.

  • Alan Jones

    I don’t understand why you’re always guffawing in your interviews. There’s rarely anything funny happening. the guy being interviewed looks confused as well.

  • http://www.timothypost.com/ Timothy Post

    Robert:

    As an American living in Krasnodar, Russia I can tell you that the iPhone is the must have tech toy amongst young Russians today. I am going to the States next week and already 6 of my Russian friends have asked me to buy an iPhone for them.

    Regarding Facebook, it’s catching on. I had a guy living in Moscow contact me through Facebook yesterday asking questions about Krasnodar.

    The “thing” to remember about Russian technology can be captured by the US Representative’s comments last week about his visit to the Russian radar station in Azerbijian.

    He noted that while the hardware in the station may have still been vacuum tubes the end results were still very impressive.

    Bottom-line, the hardware and software in Russian is still a little bit behind the West (perhaps not for much longer considering the oil revenues with oil at $100 per barrel) but the “wetware” (i.e. brainpower) of the Russians is unmatched.

    There’s a saying which goes something like, “If you have a tough software problem. Give it to the Americans. If you have really difficult software problem, give it to the Indians. But if you have an impossible software problem, give it to the Russians.”

    TGP

  • http://www.timothypost.com Timothy Post

    Robert:

    As an American living in Krasnodar, Russia I can tell you that the iPhone is the must have tech toy amongst young Russians today. I am going to the States next week and already 6 of my Russian friends have asked me to buy an iPhone for them.

    Regarding Facebook, it’s catching on. I had a guy living in Moscow contact me through Facebook yesterday asking questions about Krasnodar.

    The “thing” to remember about Russian technology can be captured by the US Representative’s comments last week about his visit to the Russian radar station in Azerbijian.

    He noted that while the hardware in the station may have still been vacuum tubes the end results were still very impressive.

    Bottom-line, the hardware and software in Russian is still a little bit behind the West (perhaps not for much longer considering the oil revenues with oil at $100 per barrel) but the “wetware” (i.e. brainpower) of the Russians is unmatched.

    There’s a saying which goes something like, “If you have a tough software problem. Give it to the Americans. If you have really difficult software problem, give it to the Indians. But if you have an impossible software problem, give it to the Russians.”

    TGP

  • http://krsnakhandelwal.wordpress.com/ krsnakhandelwal

    May be due to the fear of unknown that afflicted many an early generations of Russians because the whole scene was never avaialable for them to see.

  • http://krsnakhandelwal.wordpress.com krsnakhandelwal

    May be due to the fear of unknown that afflicted many an early generations of Russians because the whole scene was never avaialable for them to see.

  • http://www.secureyourtrademark.com/ trademark registration

    Did you know that you’re listed as one of the “Top Posts” on WordPress? That’s awesome…congrats!

  • http://www.secureyourtrademark.com trademark registration

    Did you know that you’re listed as one of the “Top Posts” on WordPress? That’s awesome…congrats!

  • Russian technologist

    Actually, there is no OFFICIAL iPhone in Russia. Only unlocked ;) So, huyushki, my Apple fanboys

  • Russian technologist

    Actually, there is no OFFICIAL iPhone in Russia. Only unlocked ;) So, huyushki, my Apple fanboys

  • http://www.codingrobots.com/ Dmitry Chestnykh

    Alan Jones: Nah, he was not confused, he was drunk ;)

    BTW, some people have unlocked iPhones here. You can buy one for ~$1300, fully unlocked and with Russian virtual keyboard.

    Facebook? Yes, people who speak English use it. For others, there are like 3 or 4 social networks from major portals here.

  • http://www.codingrobots.com Dmitry Chestnykh

    Alan Jones: Nah, he was not confused, he was drunk ;)

    BTW, some people have unlocked iPhones here. You can buy one for ~$1300, fully unlocked and with Russian virtual keyboard.

    Facebook? Yes, people who speak English use it. For others, there are like 3 or 4 social networks from major portals here.

  • http://www.quintura.com/ Yakov

    Rob, I suggest to read my posts on Blognation Russia at http://ru.blognation.com
    to get a feeling what is going on in Russia in Internet and mobile markets.

  • http://www.quintura.com Yakov

    Rob, I suggest to read my posts on Blognation Russia at http://ru.blognation.com
    to get a feeling what is going on in Russia in Internet and mobile markets.

  • jeremy

    Russians have their own social networking sites, like vkontakte.ru and the mamba system, and use them with much more frequency than google

  • jeremy

    Russians have their own social networking sites, like vkontakte.ru and the mamba system, and use them with much more frequency than google

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    I laugh because I enjoy life and cool tech makes me happy. If you don’t get that you might not enjoy my show.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    I laugh because I enjoy life and cool tech makes me happy. If you don’t get that you might not enjoy my show.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Dmitry: he wasn’t drunk. I really hate it when people say shit like that. You try to get on a camera when someone’s asking you stupid questions in a language that you didn’t grow up with.

  • http://scobleizer.com/ Robert Scoble

    Dmitry: he wasn’t drunk. I really hate it when people say shit like that. You try to get on a camera when someone’s asking you stupid questions in a language that you didn’t grow up with.

  • http://www.jakeludington.com/ Jake Ludington

    Robert: Re your post @ 23 at Dmitry, instead of blasting him, put him on camera. He’s in Moscow and a Russian native making software, which might be exactly what you’re looking for.

  • http://www.jakeludington.com Jake Ludington

    Robert: Re your post @ 23 at Dmitry, instead of blasting him, put him on camera. He’s in Moscow and a Russian native making software, which might be exactly what you’re looking for.

  • http://www.codingrobots.com/ Dmitry Chestnykh

    Robert: Hey, it was a joke! :) Maybe a stupid one… (Aren’t we, Russians, famous for drinking? :) )

  • http://www.codingrobots.com Dmitry Chestnykh

    Robert: Hey, it was a joke! :) Maybe a stupid one… (Aren’t we, Russians, famous for drinking? :) )

  • http://www.codingrobots.com/ Dmitry Chestnykh

    jeremy: Yeah, vkontakte.ru is a Facebook knock off :(

  • http://www.codingrobots.com Dmitry Chestnykh

    jeremy: Yeah, vkontakte.ru is a Facebook knock off :(

  • http://campuskoder.net/ Nikita Polyakov

    Woooooow! As a Russian, but a technologist here in US. This post and the video are some what uncomfortable to me, as it might portray the country in bad light.

    Russian Internet is moving/evolving a lot faster then US, except they don’t care so much for a share of the US online traffic, culturally the sites and communities there would make no sense or be any valuable to average US geek so naturally you would not hear about them.

    Basically, you are missing out, and you might not even know on what. But it will come out eventually.

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