Nov 7, 2015 | Entertainment, Humor
As most of you know, the Star Wars franchise will release it seventh installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, in December 2015. Who wants Star Wars for breakfast?
Now you can with the Star Wars waffle. That’s right. For around $30, you can get a waffle maker that produces this breakfast staple in the shape of Death Star. Finally, you can begin your day with the planet destroying menacing military battle station staring at you. For no extra charge, you can imagine which Death Star you want to devour. Will it be the one destroyed by Luke Skywalker and Hans Solo or the one destroyed by Wedge Antilles? I’ll opt for the first one. So if a geek is at the breakfast table yelling, “Your lack of (syrup, Nutella, whip cream, strawberries, sugar powder, etc) disturbs me!”, you can blame it on the Star Wars waffle maker. But wait…there’s more. Why just have Star Wars in the morning when you can take the force all day? For you ladies, this is where these high heel shoes come in. You can be the envy of the club, party, or social gathering of your choice with these Star Wars shoes. They’re only $320 (you can hint the sarcasm there, right?).
The Star Wars waffle is something I wouldn’t mind trying. But come on: Can’t this waffle have more Star Wars icons to offer? This is one of the most successful movie franchises of all-time! They have countless icons to choose from. For example, who wouldn’t want to devour Darth Vadar before facing teachers, bosses, classmates and colleagues? That’s the way to start a day! But let’s talk about these shoes. These clownish, expensive shoes. Well, they’re great for Halloween and Mardi Gras. But would you even want to be caught in shoes like these in bed, much less out on the town?
Nov 6, 2015 | internet
In the last several years, there’s been a lot of talk about wealth inequality in this country today. There’s been a lot to back that up. Apparently, the online business is hardly an exception.
According to a USA Today article, ?five Internet companies made an overwhelmingly 70% of online profits so far in 2015. Amazon comes in first. Amazon alone raked in a third of all our Internet dollars this year. Google/Alphabet came in a respectable second. This leading online conglomerate made off with nearly one fourth of our online business. Online bidding giant Ebay placed third. Social media outlet Facebook placed fourth. ?Guess who placed number five? It’s wasn’t Apple. It wasn’t Walmart. It was Liberty Interactive, a media conglomerate that gives us cable shopping networks like QVC and online invitation sites like Evite. But these five companies made the majority of online wealth. In fact, Amazon and Alphabet/Google alone have 57% of all our online wealth. Unfortunately, that leaves little profit for smaller online companies, even for ones that aren’t very small at all. Coupon provider Groupon is one of the top 20 largest Internet based company in the world. Yet they lost over half their revenue in the last year alone. Groupon stocks are trading only at around $3 a share.
Groupon is the one of the largest Internet companies today, and even they’re struggling. So you can only imagine how small online companies are doing, or not doing. You see the problem here? When five conglomerates own most of the wealth, that makes it nearly impossible for others to even survive. And it discourages people from starting an online business, doing for themselves, and achieving the American dream. I can see why there are mergers going on every time I look around. While it might save the smaller entity, it makes the big guys even bigger. The smaller entity feels it has no choice but to merge. So the cycle continues. When our ancestors and forefathers came up with free market enterprise, is this what they had in mind? And what can be done about it?
Nov 5, 2015 | internet, Uncategorized
Yes indeed Facebook triumphs along. For example, Facebook video views have doubled from four billion to eight billions. Keep in mind video hits have doubled in just seven months! And that’s just part of Facebook’s good news.
Facbook has had a Q3 most businesses can only dream of! It’s user numbers have grown to 1.55 billion users. That means 20% of the whole world are on Facebook. As of Q3 2015, one billion people log on daily. It’s made $4.5 billion in revenue, up 11% from last quarter. Their monthly use rate went up too, rising 4% this quarter. Facebook added 4 million users in the US and Canada alone. That’s a good thing because these two nations are Facebook’s biggest money makers. They’re also getting new demographics, like senior citizens. While Facebook use among 15-19 year-olds is fading, they’re making good recruits out of younger teens. But perhaps the best news of all is their international influence. Global internet access, especially in poor and oppressed nations, has been Mark Zuckerberg’s dream. This quarter, he saw morsels of it. Facebook use grows in developing nations. In Q3 2013, countries and continents other than Canada, United States, European countries and Asian/Pacific countries had 144 million active users. Today, those nations have 167 million users.
Some time ago, Zuckerberg began an initiative to make Internet use available for all. We’re not there yet, not by a long shot. But Facebook should be proud of these numbers. I would especially be proud of getting the new users in developing nations. Yes, I could be cynical and say something like,”He wants online access over there so Facebook could get more users and he could make more money.” That may be part of it. But I believe there’s a deeper meaning here. We need computer technology to do just about anything these days. And with the right computer technology, not only can those living in developing nations lift themselves up, but lift their communities up as well. What do you think about Facebook’s triumphs?
Nov 4, 2015 | internet, News
Last week, just days before Halloween, I saw a funny, but deep post. It said, “For Halloween, you should be the person you pretend to be on Facebook.” This brings me to this story.
An Australian model named Essena O’Neil quits modeling on social media. She became a star by posting bikini photos and other sexy pictures of herself on Instagram, You Tube and Tumblr. Now, O’Neil is taking them down. She’s now claiming the ‘perfect’ life she portrayed on social media sites was fake. And she’s writing such messages on her perfect looking photos. For instance, on one bikini clad photo, she writes about needing 100 takes and hardly eating that day to make her stomach look good. Another photo shows O’Neil practicing yoga on a beach. But she writes, “Nothing zen about trying to look zen.” Essena O’Neil claims she was paid hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars for these photos. Now she’s deleting all 2,000+ of her photos that she took in the name of money, self-promotion and social approval. Despite the money, modeling contracts, and over a half million followers, O’Neil says she was miserable inside. O’Neil says social media, “Is not real life”. But she’s not giving up the Internet altogether. ?Essena O’Neil renamed her Instagram page “Social Media isn’t Real Life” and will promote deeper causes, like vegan dieting.
This opens up a debate about so-called perfect lives on social media, and so-called images. All that glitters isn’t exactly gold. So when the next time you see the perfect 1950s-style family on your page, don’t envy them too much. You don’t know what they’re going through in real life. The next time you see a sexy body online, you don’t know the circumstances behind the photo, or even if the body is real or photoshopped (there! I said it!). The next time you see someone posing in a big house, maybe it’s not their house. The next time you see someone posing in a big fine car, maybe it’s not their car. And don’t get me started about these fools posting their big wads of money online. How broke are they? I applaud Essena O’Neil for exposing how fake social media can be. She’s right: Social media isn’t real life. What lessons can Essena O’Neil teach us?
Nov 3, 2015 | General
King Digital Entertainment was acquired by Activision Blizzard for 5.9 billion dollars. What’s the big deal behind that and what does it mean to you? Do you like playing the popular online game Candy Crush?
King Digital Entertainment is the company behind Candy Crush. And now they’re no longer they’re own entity. It’s the biggest gaming acquisition since Microsoft/XBox bought out Minecraft last year. You see, Activision Blizzard’s bread and butter comes from console games. They want to make it big in the mobile market. They believe paying for one of the most popular mobile games out there will make it happen. This is an all cash transaction. This deal will give both entities a combined 500 million users in around 200 countries. That covers most of the world. According to Activision chief executive Bobby Kotick, this deal would make Activision Blizzard have the third highest social media audience membership behind You Tube and Facebook. The acquisition should be official by early 2016. All it takes is approval from 75% of King’s board of directors in Ireland. Activision is confident this will happen.
King Digital Entertainment was founded in Sweden back in 2003 and has headquarters in New York City, London and Dublin, Ireland. They’ve produced and released over 200 games in the twelve years since. They gave us popular mobile games like Farm Heroes and Bubble Watch. Candy Crush was released in 2012. That’s what put King Digital on the gaming map and won them gaming respect in the gaming world. That game alone made for a third of King Digital’s revenue. I often get many, many Facebook requests to play Candy Crush. I often turn them down many, many times. Candy Crush isn’t just a video game. Candy Crush is a cultural icon that has done really well. Does King Digital really want to lose control of that to Activision Blizzard? Is any amount of money worth it?
Nov 2, 2015 | internet
How was your Halloween? I hope it was good. What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Hold that thought. It’s just two days after Halloween, over three weeks before Thanksgiving. Amazon prepares for the holiday shopping season.
The day after Halloween, Amazon launched Black Friday deals as they begin their countdown to the traditionally big shopping day. We can expect deep deals in computers, smartphones, electronics, clothes, toys, and other products until December 22. Like last year, Amazon is starting it’s Black Friday special on November 1. In fact, Black Friday for Amazon is so big that they had a Black Friday sale in July. We all know about how Walmart showed them up. But despite that, that Black Friday special did better than last year’s Black Friday sales on the real Black Friday! This year, Amazon Prime members will see over 30,000 lightning deals. But to do even better, you need Prime Early Access. This will give subscribers a 30-minute head start ahead of the big crowd. Imagine lines of people camping out all night in front of their favorite store. But right before the store opens to this mob, you get to skip the line, shop for everybody on your list, and get out of there before the mob hits the store.
My question is: Why are we even talking about holiday shopping on November 2? I’m just reporting the technology trends I see. One thing about it, things aren’t what they used to be, neither is Black Friday. Now, people are actually shopping on Thanksgiving Day. I think that’s just plain blasphemous, and I applaud those taking a stand against it. But it just goes to show how things are changing. And look at how extreme Black Fridays are getting now. They’re starting earlier, often at 12:01 am Friday morning. The lines are getting longer. The mobs are getting meaner. So is Amazon forcing an early holiday shopping season down our throats? Or is this a smart move?
Nov 1, 2015 | Computer technology
Technology and technology ownership has changed dramatically since the beginning of the decade. This is particularly true with smartphones and tablets.
In 2011, 35% of Americans owned smartphones. Today, it’s 68%. Smartphone ownership has almost doubled in such a short time. Ninety-two percent of Americans own some kind of a cellphone. In some demographics, smartphone use and ownership has about peaked out. Statistics say 86% of Americans age 18-29 have a smartphone, as do 87% of those aged 30-49. And 87% of those making over $75,000 a year have one. Tablet computer use has also skyrocket since the beginning of the 2010s. In 2010, only 3% of American adults owned a tablet. Now, that number is 45%. Tablet computer ownership has grown fifteen fold so far this decade, and shows no signs of slowing down. But these are about the only technology devices that have seen rapid increases in ownership in recent years. Other devices have either leveled off or have been in decline. For example, 40% percent of Americans own a MP3 player, compared to 47% just five years ago. E-Book readers have apparently peaked out. In 2009, 2 out of 100 Americans had one. Two years ago, that peaked to around 30%. Today, nineteen percent of Americans own e-book readers like Amazon Kindle. Desktops, laptops, and gaming consoles have remained steady in ownership this decade.
What’s to make of all this? It should be no surprise MP3 players have taken a decline. Smartphones and the iPod Touch has taken that market over. In fact, I’m surprised that many people even have MP3 players today. I am a little surprised that e-book devices have taken a decline. Maybe it’s because smartphones are seeping in that market too. Or maybe it’s because people really do miss the feeling of a good old hardback or paperback book. But just like desktops, laptop, and game consoles, smartphones and tablets will eventually peak out. That means they will no longer become trendy phenomenons but normal necessities. Or are they already?
Oct 31, 2015 | Smartphone
The year 2015 has been a very busy one for Google. There’s been Google’s Alphabet. There’s been new Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Now there’s the Who’s Down app.
The Who’s Down app is exclusively on Android products. It’s an invite app to show who’s down for whatever. For example, you can use this app to ask your invite only circle: “Who’s down for lunch?”, “Who’s down to work out at the gym?”, “Who’s down for this concert?”, etc. Obviously, your friends can ask you are you down. If you are, confirm it. Once they know you’re ‘down’, they’ll see your confirmation and include you in whatever the activity is. You can also reply with a status message to say what you’re down for, whether it be partying on Saturday night or church on Sunday morning. Who’s Down is praised for the group chatting features it provides. But there are complaints. First of all, it’s invite-only. Plus, there’s not a?lot of instruction on how this works other than the handful of screenshots. Experts aren’t even sure how it matches your friends. Maybe it’s through Google chats and contacts. Maybe it’s through Hangouts. I’m still a little confused on how you make this invite only circle.
Keep in mind Google Who’s Down competes with Apple’s Find My Friend and Foresquare’s Swarm. But the Who’s Down App is offering nothing new under the sun. I can text my friend and ask him or her are they down for certain daily activities. I can call around and ask who’s down. I can go on Facebook and other avenues of social media and see who has invited me somewhere or who has messaged me to go somewhere. At best, this new app is just a new way to plan activities with family and friends. But can’t you do that anywhere? Are you down with Who’s Down?
Oct 30, 2015 | Entertainment, General, Humor
It’s Halloween again. Still deciding what your costume should be? We at Geek Choice are here to help with our top ten tech Halloween costumes.
10. Steve Jobs: With the biopic out, why not? He’s pretty simple to pull off: glasses, black turtleneck, New Balance sneakers, jeans.
9. Black/White/Gold Dress: Over the past year, this head-scratching color changing dress has been a social media icon.
8. Any Mortal Kombat X Character: It’s the top selling video game of the year and even more intense than it was 20+ years ago. This game is the reason why video games are age restricted. Get over here!
7. Emoji: Some say they’re cute. Some say they’re funny. Some say they’re annoying. But these social media icon faces will definately get you noticed.
6. Kermit the Frog Sipping Tea: Then there’s this social media phenomenon. You’re spending all this money on Halloween but forget Christmas is under two months away. But that’s none of my business.
5. Any Retro Video Game Character: Pac-Man, Super Mario Brothers, Zelda, Sonic the Hedgehog, and others allow us older gamers to relive memories. They also teach the young folk about about how we used to play. Who knows what Q Bert is?
4. Astronaut: It’s classic, but always work. It’s a good way to honor these space and tech geniuses who paved the wave for us. You can even carry some Tang around.
3. Any Star Trek Character: Did you know we’re coming up on the 50th anniversary of this historic TV franchise? Beam me up!
2. Minecraft: They’re simple to do. All you need is a cardboard box, Minecraft printouts, glue, scissors and tape. It’s a ?budget friendly costume as well.
1. ?Any Star Wars Character: It’s back! Star Wars VII will be released in December 2015. There’re many Star Wars fans (sorry, I’m not one of them). How much Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, Yoda, and Princess Lela ?will we see this year?
Oct 29, 2015 | Computer technology, Entertainment
Yes, the days of traditional TV watching are almost over. It appears Apple TV will help make sure of it. Apple TV is here!
I’ve been reading reviews and reports of this computer/TV phenomenon. It offers all the stuff most customers want, like Hulu, Netflix, HBO Go, Showtime, Youtube, AOL On, Yahoo Screen and more. Come to think of it, maybe Apple TV offers too much. One thing it doesn’t offer is Amazon Prime Video. Maybe it’s because Amazon kicked Apple influence from it’s storefront. But of all the apps offered by Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video won’t be one of them. But you can play video games with Apple TV, and plenty of them. Thanks to the A8 chip, and a gyroscope remote control, gaming is made simple. Many say the games are more realistic with Apple TV than they are with any hand held Apple device. Then there’s the Siri Remote. Many critics say it’s better than the old remote. The critics still say there’s still room for improvement. And what about this $79 for a spare Siri Remote? That’s half the price of a whole Apple TV system altogether. ?But the remote has a touchpad on one side. You can even swipe it across a show to get to your favorite part.
So for those (myself included) who are cynical of that annoying Siri voice, the remote still has some value. Some of us can’t wait to the climax of a show or movie. So I can thank Siri Remote for fast forwarding that part for me. But is a spare one worth half the cost of an Apple TV? That’s what I’m wondering. It’s funny how Amazon and Apple are virtually censoring each other from their networks. Will Apple TV contribute to changing the way we watch TV? Who will win the battle between Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV?
