Aaarrrggghhhh! enough about Jason and his crappy idea already! I'll even settle for Arrington, Hoffman or that peeping tom guy for a change in subject. Please?

The me-tooism of picking a Hawaiian name is really annoying. Couldn't he have found a word in, I don't know, Sanskrit or Irish or Basque or something?

'Mahalo' was how Hunter S Thompson signed off his ESPN columns. Maybe Jason is keeping it real, Gonzo style.

Interesting, looks like he acquired the domain name mahalo.com in November.

http://www.calacanis.com/2006/11/20/mahalo/

I heard it was "Meli Kalikimaka."

Good chance this is his next business. He has the domain name servers setup at RackSpace which can be considered by many start-ups as expensive managed hosting. So the fact that the DNS server is there, could mean something.

http://whois.domaintools.com/mahalo.com

@cfhopkins LOL!

Calcanis has had the domain mahalo.com since at least November 20, 2006. That's within days of his departure with AOL/Netscape, isn't it?

First, I think there is a direct correlation between JC's generation of vague hype around a user-edited search engine and the potential offering of another Sequoia investment (see recent comments regarding potential reasons for Moritz's departure from the Google board). I also say this because at a time not-too-long-ago there was a "wikipedia-esque" search engine announcement from another Sequoia investment that was subsequently swept under the rug. PR strategy comes in all forms, and the best way to decrease/deflect unwanted buzz might be to assign a self-aggrandizing pitch man to sell some ssssnake oil.

Otherwise, I am no "serial entrepreneur" (what an annoying moniker, as though a single person makes a company successful), and I certainly am not so well networked and hyperhyped that I have Valley rags pitching my next etherware, but I have been watching it all closely for 13+ years. What I hear about JC is that he is annoyingly self-indulgent and ego-maniacal, yet is also so incredibly "successful" (meaning: rich?) and full-of-great-ideas. OK, good for him - he creates value wherever he goes!?

My viewpoint perhaps differs from the common "if it made XYZ money then it, and its founders, deserve to be worshiped and endlessly followed as pathfinders" in the Valley. Personally, I gravitate toward, and respect those that do NEW things, whether it is an invention, fulfills a previously-unidentified need, or simply attacks a problem otherwise ignored. Without belaboring the point, suffice it to say that the incessant, "paradigm-shattering and world-changing" businesses such as YouTube and MySpace are nothing short of well-timed, old media hyped, copycat variations of previous ideas/companies. I mention two, but there are thousands. If you don't know or remember history, you are bound to be gullibly enamored by the present.

When I read hype and spin about uberegos like JC, I can't help but wonder "why all the fuss?". Silicon Alley Reporter was primarily a newsletter and a magazine, and it was good stuff about the NYC digital scene. Weblogs is a blog network. "Mahalo" or whatever is a wikipedia-style search engine, maybe. These are not new ideas, but from the worship they garner you would think that Hawking is "in da house". Yawn.

My intent is not to put down anyone's game, for I try to respect the pizza delivery guy's life choices as much as I might Johnny Bigwig's. However, I think a serious disconnect exists between what media outlets such as Valleywag think is exciting, novel and repeatedly noteworthy, and that which is of real interest - and educational value - to its readers. Personally, I seek real insider information from Valleywag, not "what will JC name his next superinc.com" drivel. The only educational value in such musings is that it reveals Valleywag to be completely out-of-touch with what is new, valuable and truly interesting in the dotcom/Valley landscape.

From someone Calacanis has pitched on his idea: "Aloha. You got the name right."

*Yawn* Not enough coffee or interest in copycat variants this AM to care *Yawn*

PS: Tell him to put that Snorg T-shirt model in that tropical get up and I'll definately reevaluate my interest....

It's obvious this is spin (because nobody cares about this guy or this story this much) and it's fine, BUT he's been spinning it all week and at this point, it's reaching that annoying-everybody-will-start-to-ignore-it point. Particularly the "air of mystery" thing (as if everybody's pouring over what Jason Calacanis is up to). Jason, I know in your head you're certain you're a star and that's great. We get that you want to be Ari, or whatever (except you need hotter friends), but there's a point where PR spin can start to create an opposite effect and you're there.

Plus Joost and Me.Tv are stealing your thunder.

@pillsandpez: Me.Tv (or ChannelMe.Tv or whatever) is hording domains and should be sued. I wonder if they did trademark clearance on all of the horded domains, and if not, then they will be sued as a squatter ("Oh, but the PR it will generate, Boss!". Companies like this disgust me - just wait for the announcement of some other corporate scumbag selling someone else's open source software and DemandMedia will get a glimpse of its future. Oh, and Verisign is an accomplice.

Definitely copying the Hawaiianosity of the word wiki smells like cargo cult design thinking to me.

see how everyone is "ignoring" the spin? your digital "yawn" is just more hype! don't they say "any publicity is good publicity"?