In response to Andrew Orlowski's piece for The Register that intimated that, as a strategic move on Joi Ito and Neoteny's part, we were showered with "advanced publicity" (where advanced publicity includes wining and dining and, oddly, showing me a cork trick) prior to the investment, I have only one comment: Mr. Orlowski, please get your facts straight. It was this stuffed Domo Kun -- presented to me by the cunning folks at Neoteny -- that was the backbone of the deal. I witheld posting this photo until now out of fear that our deal, and their interaction with us, would be totally transparent.
As to being called a "cute, but strangely synthetic twosome," I can only venture to guess that Orlowski got the "White Stripes of the weblogging world" memo. Synthetic? God, if only.
You would think, based on the way that Orlowski phrases things, that Joi making me wear the latest Shibuya fashions and having me promote weblogging at Japanese functions is a bad thing. As if it makes him the Lou Pearlman of the weblogging industry!
What's wrong with an executive showing a little flair?
