Today was an exciting day for the company. We officially launched our geeky friend to the world with an article on the front page of the very prestigious and very cool TechCrunch Weblog.

Founded in 2005 by Michael Arrington, www.techcrunch.com has rapidly become an authority in the internet blogsphere. The company is dedicated to obsessively profiling and reviewing new Internet products and companies.

The article was written by Jason Kincaid, who covered in detail the functionality of the site. I believe he objectively and elegantly captured the essence of what Simon offers to users.

My wife, my partners, my sr. editor, the PR agency, and I were waiting all day in front of our computer monitors, our fingers numb from constantly refreshing the screen to see if  the article had popped out. Finally, after one brief telephone interview with Jason and 10 hours of waiting, the article suddenly appeared. It was so exciting to see our website name and logo in the middle of the screen with a big title that said: LetSimonDecide Takes On Life's Tough Choices. I was so happy that I screamed. It was our big moment, the 1 minute Super Bowl commercial.

Immediately after the article was released, I started receiving Skypes and e-mails from the team and friends. Our inbox was showing all these notifications from the server of hundreds of new users from all over the world signing into the page. This is very exciting to witness, the magic of the internet and the power of the social media.

I believe our servers started to slow down because of the traffic. Tomorrow the tech guys may have to increase our server capacity (one more bill to pay!), but this is one I will be happy to cover. We also received several Twitter followers on our @LetSimonDecide account, and other sites requested links to our page which is always nice.

Like i any other public announcement, the article has received positive and negative reviews from Tech Crunch users. We are closely following each of them, since they represent opportunities to learn and improve our product.
Our press release to other media outlets was distributed minutes after the launch and tomorrow a biz wire will be uplodaded for other media sources to pick up.

Couldn't be happier and more charged to continue with this adventure.
Well, tomorrow night I may not have as much energy, since my dear dentist will extract two wisdom teeth. Probably not the best decision to schedule this operation now...next time I will consult with Simon! 

Take a look at the article at www.techcrunch.com, if you can't find it, do a search for LetSimonDecide (all together).

Let me know your thoughts!

I'm excited to finally show you the mysterious website. This is an early beta version of the site and we are still working on it.

It's incredible how many things and how many people are involved in the development of a web 2.0 site. Investors, programmers, writers, psychologists, lawyers, PR experts, mathematicians, decision making experts, video producers, designers, quality assurance experts......aaaah!   

The premise is simple: We live in a world with too many options and too much information. Simon helps you analyze your decisions from a fact based and personal perspective and recommends you the best course of action.

We want to provide a real solution for a real need, the need to make better, smarter decisions in our lives. Our goal is to deliver the best free, easy to use, online tool for decision-making. How we will make money? Believe me, this is what keeps me awake at night. We are following Google's strategy of 
"if we build it, they will come," but we are also exploring business opportunities by providing customized decision-making solutions and research to educational institutions, CPG companies, and small businesses. 

We still have a long way to go, but we have an extraordinary team and, with your help, we are confident that we will get where we need to be.

So far, we have received very encouraging comments and I would love it if you could sign in, test the site, and give me your thoughts, good or bad, so we can improve. Please send your comments to contact@ricardosolar.com or you can leave your comments here at this blog.

Thank you very much, and happy decision making!

Please visit: www.letsimondecide.com

His ears bend backwards and are pointy like a bat's--aerodynamics?

When he goes pee he doesn’t raise his leg, he just kneels down. Surrounded by too many women?

...and my wife sings to him so he can go pee: “Potty Time, Potty Time.”

He doesn’t respond to his name; either he is deaf or doesn’t like his name (what's wrong with the name Dorito?!).

When he is sad he makes strange noises, like a cat.

He barks at big dogs like he is going to eat them alive but then at the dog park he hides behind my wife’s legs, trembling.

He is the only dog I know that lets himself be carried belly-up like a baby in breast-feeding position (see exhibit A in photos)

He has an active social life of regular play-dates with another dog. They play some strange games.

He is schizophrenic. Every night at 11:00 pm his sugar level skyrockets and he starts running from side to side of the house, dragging his bed with him.

The team is excited because our company just started a small project in Latin America with a big company in the US. It is a great feeling ! see news

Today, January 20th, 2009, was a great day in history, and I was fortunate to witness the magic with one hundred of my colleagues in a presentation theater at our headquarters at Mattel. We were clapping and cheering like we were all right there in Washington. I felt we were united and connected by our feelings of overwhelming happiness, hope, and pride for this country and its new leader. We were celebrating for him and for ourselves.

I have never been motivated by politics, but this election was different. I don't view what is happening as a political event, but rather I see this moment in history as a massive social movement toward change and the reinvention of this country and the world. I felt that Obama's speech was speaking personally to each of us; it was a call to every one of us to reach our maximum potential, as a country and as individuals, and not to settle for less. I'm proud to be here, to be an American, and to be a Mexican. I'm ready to take on President Obama's challenge--and the risks and rewards that come along when you follow your dreams. I'm ready for change.

This is an interesting article my friend Amy sent me that I can relate to:

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/worklife/01/08/jumping.ship/index.html

Source: www.cnn.com                  Big company. Big salary. Big sendoff.

I'm about to leave a cozy, highly-paid job after almost 13 years to open my own .com start up. Drinking a Michelada in Mexico inspired me to write my farewell letter to all my friends at the company. I received over 170 replies, full of the most encouraging and positive words I could ever imagine, and for that I will always be thankful.

I feel both excited and panicked (depending on whether I'm thinking about the day that Google buys my website or the responsibilities of my mortgage), and the words of my friends gave me the best boost of energy and confidence anyone could ask for.

I would like to share my progress, struggles, joys, and tears through this medium as I go through this adventure. I welcome your advice and comments as I head off toward uncharted territory.

Thank you all.

By the way, the recipe for the Michelada is at the bottom of my farewell letter.