From Digg.  Only in Silicon Valley?  One of the bigger news items at this year’s TiECON 2007 tech conference in Santa Clara, CA was the CEO of gaming startup Elementeo.  The news?  Elementeo’s CEO, Anshul Samar, is only 13 years old.

To keep things in perspective, Elementeo is a four-person company that seems more like a elementary school project.  The company’s VP is Anshul’s 11 year old sister, and other executives (pictured) are middle school students.  Elemento isn’t a high tech startup either - the company’s main product is a set of playing cards designed to teach kids about chemistry.

But still, 13-years old is impressive, and the company took a decent number of pre-orders at the conference.  The company seems to have a decent product, despite it’s sideshow appeal.  One thing though, Anshul talked about getting VC funding for his company, and I think it’s a stretch for a VC firm to actually invest in a company run by a 13 year old.

Here’s an interview with the CEO:

Today the Japadamus.com homepage had an ad for the “Linkman” smoke cessation device.  It’s not a drug delivery device, like say, a patch.  Instead, it basically gives you guilt about smoking every time you have a cig.

How it works:  Every time you want a cig, you’re supposed to press the Linkman.  If it glows green, it’s OK for you to have a cig.  If it’s red, then you have to wait.

The idea is that the Linkman will slowly increase the time between cigs, gradually helping you break the habit.  By decreasing the number of cigs you have per day, you will supposedly eventually reduce your dependence on nicotine.

It’s an interesting idea, but really one that requires a lot of dedication on the user’s part.  Also, it’s not very different from my last idiot hippie girlfriend that gave me grief every time I lit up.

For $100, seems a bit much.  I mean, it’s basically two lights on a stick.  But it comes with a free trial for all of you that are interested.

Check out this Foie Gras Burger available via mail order from dean and deluca. You get four 8 oz. patties, each filled with duck foie gras. Too much? Maybe, you only live once.

With three episodes left of The Sopranos, things are getting really interesting.  The murder of Christopher by Tony last week sets the stage for the ultimate meltdown of the family.  I personally think that the show’s creators are trying to tear down the likeable Tony Soprano image that’s been building up for some time.  Tony is completely out of control: he’s doing peyote, talking to the feds, gambling all the time, letting ego get in the way of his business interests(not paying Paul Leotardo the 25% to dump the asbestos), and turning his back on family(killing Chris.)  This all leads into what happens next? 

I’m predicting that Tony will eventually have to do something about Paulie since he’s becoming a liability.  What takes that situation to the brink?  My guess is Paulie will have some interaction Paul Leotardo behind Tony’s back.  The interaction will ultimately get Tony into more trouble and he’ll decide that he’s allowed Paulie to get out of line too long.  Paulie is also a constant reminder of the past.  Most of Tony’s interactions with Paulie are of the “remember when” category.  Killing Paulie allows Tony to kill his father.

Since the show The Sopranos is ultimately about family, I’m going to predict that there will be a choice Tony ultimately has to make, himself or his family.  Where this plays into the story I’m not sure, maybe AJ gets in some trouble?

What about if the New York family found out that Tony was in therapy?  In the beginning of the series they alluded to the danger of anyone finding out.  Will there be some ultimate consequences?

What ever happed to the theory that someone is in fact wearing a wire?  I still think its possible that Sal is somehow the sleeper that will bring the whole family down.  He seems to there when all big discussions take place but they never really make him a focal point.  I could see them somehow weaving a story that he made a deal with the feds on the heels of big pussy’s demise.