If there is any place I have wanted to visit, it has been Israel. A country so closely linked with the technology industry, and one with a bloody and violent history, and yet one of the most fascination places on the planet. I have been invited to visit Israel to be part of a blogger conference.
This not only gives me a chance to meet my readers in Israel, it has also given me a chance to see the country itself. I am going to be immersed in the experience for next five days, so posting will be light. This is my first quasi-break in a year, and I hope not to post as much, or obsessively check email. My very able colleagues will keep the site simmering, but since a long holiday weekend is coming up - I am betting you will be spending time traveling or being with your families. If I don’t get back to you, or respond to your comments, you know why.
Of course, this also means that I am going to miss the main event: iPhone launch. As your correspondent I should be reporting on the biggest launch since iPhone, but frankly I am little iPhone-d out! Or as a gentle reader and a dear friend wrote:
Two Sexy things I don’t want to hear or read about anymore — Paris Hilton and the Damn iPhone, we want them so badly, but they come attached to so many constraints that bound you and take your freedom away.
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11:10 PM PT
[...] Om Malik is going to Israel, hope he does not get brainwashed. [...]
12:18 PM PT
[...] Friday, January 25, 2008 at 12:18 PM PT Comments (0) Early next month, 15 web startups from Israel will spend a week touring Silicon Valley, meeting with investors, strategic partners, customers, [...]
13 comments so far
3:47 AM PT
Plan on seeing you at the conference (Although there have been registration problems for your panels so only time will tell).
If you need any wining or dining recommendations for your stay feel free to email me :)
5:01 AM PT
Happy Vacation Mr. Malik!
I personally, travelled to Israel twice.. And, I totally agree with you.
Israel for its technological advancement, warmth and at the center of several conflicts in the region..
6:12 AM PT
hey, have a great time! been there several times, and lived there briefly many years ago..
at any rate, while you’re there - if you wanna get the pulse of web 2.0 in israel - please ping yael elish, founder of esnips.com (and netsnippets software)…she’s sooo cool, met her a few times….
if you’d like some contact info for her, please ping me (dcarpe / gmail) and i’ll shoot a note to both of you to move the intro quickly to time with your visit…
personally, i’d love to see a roundup of cool stuff going on there, not just esnips, but other work (crypto, video, etc)
7:49 AM PT
Disappointing to see Omm so excited to visit an occupying regime built on the similar apartheid principles in South Africa.
:(
8:52 AM PT
Give my favorite Isreali girl a hug for me, Om!
9:15 AM PT
Have a blast in Israel! I was there many, many moons ago. Thought the place was beautiful, plus for the linguist impaired such as myself - after all the other countries in Europe - I liked that English is spoken! Communication was very easy. :)
Rex
12:40 PM PT
I’m glad you’re coming over. I’ll be at the conference, and I hope that I’ll be able to attend one of your sessions.
And, like another said, I’d be also glad to share wining and dining recommendations.
1:02 PM PT
Glad to see the anti-Israel trolls even on here.
I hope you have a good time and manage to see the awesome history that is there.
10:50 PM PT
Make sure to give a shout out to the Palestinians under occupation. We are your readers and big fans also.
Make sure to try Taybeh and Maccabee beer, they are truly world class.
Cheer.
10:57 AM PT
Welcome to Israel!
I was happy to hear about your visit and would like to wish you a pleasant trip.
All the best Om!,
12:12 AM PT
Shalom, Om!
I love your blog.
I’m happy to hear you’re visiting Israel. Lucky you just missed a helluva heatwave. Sorry I won’t be at the conference to meet you in person. Too bad that you didn’t announce your visit earlier - I would have loved to coordinate meet-up with you.
Enjoy your stay…and Goldstar is a tastier beer than Maccabee! :-)
2:01 AM PT
Weeee! :-)
Welcome to Israel OM!
(thanks Val)
5:48 AM PT
Hi Om,
I hope this will be just the first trip out of many to the holy land!
Waiting to see you here.
Moti.
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