Posted 10:33 a.m. by Jim Courtney

I found it interesting to note the order in which I visited various blogs following a two week hiatus without Internet access following my surgery. I should mention that my interest is driven partially by my long term interest in startups and my heritage with Voice over IP where Quarterdeck had one of the pioneering VoIP software products in 1996. Here is what I found I was looking at to get myself updated (in order):

The Post Money Value: Rick Segal was our Microsoft evangelist when I was at Quarterdeck in Los Angeles ten years ago. His talks always combine elements of useful information with a wit and sense of humore that always makes sure you remember it. His posts are invaluable from not only the VC's perspective on what is important for considering an investment but also for his focus on ensuring there is true user value inherent in technology-based products and services. Why this one first? because I needed entertainment as much as information when recovering from surgery.

SaundersLog: Alec Saunders provides one of the more complete yet concise perspectives on Voice over IP and where it is headed. His background as a former Microsoft Product Manager serves this market well in viewing VoIP as a platform for application development, not simply a legacy phone system replacement. His Voice 2.0 Manifesto on Iotum's Simply Relevant blog is becoming recognized as an industry classic; Alec is CEO of Iotum. You do have to filter out the VoIP/technology entries from his well-articulated postings on Canadian politics and his enjoyment of both fine wines and the Ottawa Senators.

Skype Journal: Phil, Bill and Stuart do an excellent job of independently reviewing issues related to Skype. As a frequent user of not only Skype but also SkypeOut, I find it useful to keep up to date on the latest in their offerings. In addition due to a contact I made with the developer of a third party product for Skype last spring, I ended up being a beta test for Skype for Outlook when he was contracted to build this utility (and then later became a Skype employee).

Fractals of Change: Tom always provides interesting commentary from the perspective of someone who has been through both large corporations and the startup exercise in the rapidly changing communications world. And hopefully I will soon get the time to read his blook. (AT&T Internet was one of the "partners" for whom I was responsible when I was in business development at Quarterdeck.)

More to come... (I'll get to Scoble eventually..)