I'm a fan of underdogs, of folks who try out their idea with their own money and try to make it work. Sometimes, it doesn't. The
Faneuil Media guys gained fame with some great interactive Google Maps mashups for the New York Times and Boston.com. But their vision for local media tools didn't play out. Rick Burns, with whom I had a pleasant lunch last year in Cambridge, explains
why the effort failed and what they learned. Some good insights on Google, the marketplace and more. Both he and the other founder have new gigs as they shut down in the coming weeks.