Feb 11, 2014 | Computer technology
For the last year or two, Google Glass and it’s reputation has grown. This year is expected to be it’s banner year. Now, this rising entity is partnering with a major airlines.
At London’s Heathrow Airport, Virgin Atlantic is giving their staff Google Glasses. They’ll be using this latest technology to help ‘Upper Class’ passengers check-in and get information about their flights. This glass service will even translate the info into foreign language. One poll said that over half of? travelers think flying has gotten worse in recent years. Both Virgin and Google Glass believe this is the answer. If successful at London Heathrow, expect this experiment to be seen at other airports worldwide. This trial will last about six weeks.
Well, Google Glass has proven to make life easier for firefighters, helping them navigate through burning buildings and even finding the nearest fire hydrants. But this is flying. I don’t see how this is going to make flying better. I’m sure it will make the experience more efficient. Look at the kiosk: You can just check-in your flight using that machine and the only time you even speak to a clerk is to give them your check-in luggage. More efficient, but I don’t think it’s better. You know what will make the flight better? How about stop crowding people on planes? How about letting passengers fly all their luggage for free? How about giving away snacks and meals for free? Maybe even an in-flight movie and friendlier service? Maybe even better on-time service? Those are the things that will make the flying experience better, not some technological glass. What technological things could be done to make flying better?
Feb 10, 2014 | Computer technology
In the last few years, the tablet has been as popular a tech accessory as any device. But according to a few bloggers on one website, the golden age of the tablet is almost over.
According to recode.net, the time of the tablet has about run it’s course. In the last few years, it has cleaned house in sales and revenue! In three years, devices like iPad, Amazon’s Kindle Fire, Barnes and Noble’s Nook Tablet and many other brands have sold over 225 million tablets. But times are changing. Now, the cell phone and the tablet are merging. And some experts feel that is going to be the death of the tablet. Well, tablet sales are already slowing down.
I think ‘death of the tablet’ is a little too strong. I think this could be a great opportunity for tablet renewal. Surely some of the best minds can make a tablet small enough to put in your pocket. I’m sure it will sale. Think about it: a phone, computer and TV/radio all in your pocket. People will jump at the chance to buy it. I’m the kind of guy who has one cell phone and an iPod Touch, separating the phone and other things. And there are many others who like to have two devices or more. Why not sell a package, like a phone and a tablet, for a low price. What I’m saying is, the tablet isn’t dead, but this is a great time for a tablet renaissance. So do you think the tablet era is over?
Feb 9, 2014 | internet, networking
At a meeting Friday, the 7th of February, Yahoo CEO Marissa Meyer announced an alliance between her mega search engine site and Yelp. Yelp’s reviews will be incorporated into the search engine.
You can expect to see this partnership unfold in the next several weeks. In a constant struggle to turn around fortunes of the world’s former #1 search engine web site, Mrs. Meyer hopes this integration can help compete with Google, the current search engine king, and Bing, the rising prince. Yelp already has partnerships with Microsoft and Apple. Keep in mind search engines make up for about a third of Yahoo’s annual revenue.
Yahoo’s search engine revenue has increased eight percent in the last quarter. I’m wondering if Yelp will keep the up trend going. Reviews are a huge part of any search engine, and a huge part of most businesses today. How often do you look at reviews before you check into a hotel, or eat at a restaurant, or even call for a taxi? I find myself checking reviews often. So why not combine a popular review site with a popular search engine site to gain the edge? It makes perfect sense to me. Do you think a Yahoo and Yelp partnership will work?
Feb 8, 2014 | Entertainment
Once in a while , a TV show comes along that inspires a generation and changes pop culture forever. I don’t think this is going to be one of those shows.
A tech based sitcom called Silicon Valley will premiere on HBO. The premiere is scheduled for April 6, 2014. It’s created by and stars Mike Judge. That’s right: the same Mike Judge that gave us Beavis and Butt-Head, King of the Hill and Office Space back in the 1990s. It also stars Thomas Middleditch? and Josh Brener, among other young rising actors. Middleditch’s character, Richard and his friends live with a dot com millionaire for free so long as they help the millionaire run his affairs. But he also works for online company Hooli. Eventually, Richard gets caught in a bidding war between his boss at Hooli and billionaire venture capitalist vying for Richard’s services. This season is expected to last eight episodes and it may or may not get picked up for a second.
I say don’t hold your breath. I better warn you, this is not family entertainment! I’ve seen a 30 second trailer and in that trailer there were at least 5 dirty words and sexual references. But the reason I’m pessimistic about Silicon Valley is because we’ve seen this all before. A bunch of introverted geeks with a token woman in the show: sounds like Big Bang Theory to me. And wasn’t The Intern movie based on the Silicon Valley? When I think of movies dealing with bad bosses, I can think of Office Space, Horrible Bosses, the lists goes on and on. Now I like good racy humor, but even Southpark can go 30 seconds without cussing everybody to death. These kinds of characters have been seen so many times it’s becoming stereotypical: the introverted nerd, the mean boss, and the hot chick that nobody can get. The reason Mike Judge succeeded back in the 1990s is because those shows had originality. I don’t see much here. Do you think Silicon Valley will be picked up for a second season?
Feb 7, 2014 | General
What if you saw the overall stock market drop hundreds of points in a week? What if you saw an eight percent decline in the shares of your own company?
What? would you do? Tim Cook, CEO, ordered Apple buy back $14 billion dollars of it’s own shares in the past two weeks. In the past year, they bought back over $40 billion dollars worth. This is a plan to eventually buy back $60 billion of it’s own stock. Mr. Cook says this is a vote of confidence in what Apple can do now and what it expects to do in the future. You see, Apple has lost revenue in the last year and suffered it’s first annual decline in about a decade.
So is this a move of confidence or a move of desperation? Let’s not forget: There was a time when Apple stock was at over $700 a share. Now it’s around $520, but last year it was lower than that. Some have even said Apple’s glory days are about over. You know, the decade of the 2000s, when Apple started a revolution with the iPod, iPhone and iPad and Apple store. I have to disagree with these voices. But I’m still not sure if this is really a vote of confidence or not. It beats the alternative: Not buying them back and letting stocks sink further and further. I don’t know if they will come back to $700 a share or not, but I praise this move. Is this a move of confidence or fear?
Feb 6, 2014 | internet, News, Security
The constitution says, “Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of the press.” That’s according to the US Constitution. Apparently, not all nations celebrate that kind of freedom.
The Turkish government, with the blessing of their prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan , are pushing for their government agency Telecommunications Communications Presidency (TIP) to block websites deemed…ahem…insulting. This is to be done without court authorization or any legal intervention. This adds to Turkish laws passed in 2007 which put Internet censorship almost to China’s level, one of the most censored nations in the world. Erdogan openly called social media sites like Twitter a menace, after these sites helped push protest throughout that nation last summer. Oh, one more thing…Erdogan’s political friends are facing corruption scandals. I’m just saying.
Of course, those in the Turkish government who oppose?Internet censorship are calling these bills and laws Orwellian. Some are even comparing Erdogan to some of the worst dictators of the 20th century. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but this could be a start to a disaster.?Learn a history lesson: If a?government is this?hardcore about censorship it means two things. It either?means they don’t want to be exposed or they’re slowly, systematically but surely?oppressing their own people. I’m not saying Turkey is doing that, but this is what it can lead to. But I do find it interesting this is happening at a time when political scandals and protests are?threatening?the ruling party, the?AKP Justice and Development Party. I also find it interesting this is the same Erdogan appeared?and spoke?in the?form of a?hologram. But this kind of censorship?is potentially very dangerous. Why am I talking about Turkey you may ask? Well, what if this mentality comes to America, or your own country?
Feb 5, 2014 | internet, networking, News, Uncategorized
Just 24 hours after Microsoft announced their CEO, Google announced it’s new YouTube leader. She will replace it’s current boss Salar Kamanger, whose held the position since 2010, and is now off to other Google ventures.
The new You Tube boss is Susan Wojcicki. She was one of the first Google employees, even had the headquarters in her own garage. For years, Wojcicki has been looking for a major leadership role. Now she has one, though she’s stepping in a whirlwind of uncertainty. There’s a tug-of-war going on between those who complain they’re not making enough money and those who want to turn it into a the next TV network. You Tube attracts over a billion visitors a month and has rumored to have profited over 5 billion in 2013 alone.
It’s interesting to see where this goes. I see Google stuck with one of their first and most loyal employees. I think that’s saying a lot. If you can’t trust someone whose been there since the beginning, who can you trust? And there are many who are actually watching YouTube channels as much, maybe a little bit more, than network TV. Plus, Wojcicki is an ad exec. Who better than an ad exec to clear up the ad problems and bring more revenue? Of course, I can’t even watch a YouTube video without an ad, but oh well. What do you think YouTube’s future will hold when Susan Wojcicki takes over?
Feb 4, 2014 | Computer technology, News
And now it’s over. The mystery has been solved. Microsoft, the company that started and continues it’s computer software revolution, has chosen it’s next leader. It’s a guy many never heard of.
Microsoft’s new CEO is Satya Nudella. The 46 year-old is expected to take over the position effective immediately. This is allowing Steve Ballmer to start and enjoy his retirement. Nudella wasted no time. At 9am Eastern time, Mr. Nudella was announced new CEO. By 9:40, he’s reading his first statement to Microsoft employees. I’m not sure, but I’m guessing it was already prepared by the way it flowed. He laid out his 22 year history with Microsoft, what got him here and his longing to take the company to the next level. He says, “This is a critical time for Microsoft and the industry. …as technology evolves and we evolve with and ahead of it. Our job is to ensure that Microsoft thrives in a mobile and cloud first world.”
Nudella was raised in India and studied computer science at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. ?He worked at Sun Microsystems before coming to Microsoft. While at Microsoft, he’s had a slew of? jobs: helping build Microsoft Office, transforming the cloud, and leading it’s server and tools business. Well, that make me feels good about this choice. Someone who has been on many levels of the company will make a greater CEO than someone who spent his whole career in one division. And I appreciate the fact they went with someone who has the credentials to lead, instead of just some handsome face or pretty bod that looks good on paper. What do you think of Satya Nudella’s chances of being a successful Microsoft CEO?
Feb 3, 2014 | Entertainment, internet
Ever hear of the Hashtag Bowl? It’s a contest of which social media sites see how many times they’re mentioned in Super Bowl ads.
Hastags were mentioned in 57% of all Super Bowl commercials that aired last night. Of the social media sites, Facebook was mention five times, Twitter four, and? You Tube three. The percentage of hashtags in Super Bowl ads have gone up. Social media sites Instagram and Google Plus weren’t mentioned at all, for what it’s worth. Hyundai and Subway had the most mentions. Budweiser had a lot. Nearly half of Super Bowl ads, 41% had a URL in them.
What’s to make of this Hashtag Bowl? It seems to me Instagram and Google Plus needs to step up it’s promotion skills. Speaking of You Tube, I saw many of these commercials on You Tube even before the Super Bowl. For instance, the Budweiser commercial that celebrated the soldier coming home: I saw that one on You Tube several times. It was a wonderful ad and message, but by last night, it already felt old to me. That’s my other point: don’t let social media spoil your Super Bowl ad. Keep these ads secret. We consumers love the element of surprise. And if you You Tube, Facebook, or Tweet your ad too much too early, you’re going to ruin that surprise. What did you think of last night’s commercials?
Feb 2, 2014 | Entertainment
And now we come to the word ‘selfie’. It’s been used so much it’s now in the dictionary. In fact, ‘selfie’ and ‘twerk’ will probably go down as the words that capture 2013.
Network ABC is putting a pilot together called Selfie, from the creators of the hit comedy Suburgatory. The plot is as follows: A twenty something lady suffers a break up that is caught on camera, then on social media. This embarrassing incident gets so many hits she becomes the next instant celebrity, whether she wants to be or not. But instead of hiding, she goes to a marketing agency and tries to spin this in her favor, while repairing her image.
It’s just in it’s newborn stages; Selfie may or may not even be picked up. Yes, these kinds of shows are timely, but they still I think ABC is taking a huge gamble. Most social media trends don’t last that long. The selfie may not even be that popular by the end of this year. Remember that You Tube video It’s Friday? I don’t either. Plus, this may hit too close to home for too many people. How many people have lost jobs other opportunities because of a bad social media post? It seems like you can’t even use the bathroom these days without risking it being caught on camera. Most TV shows are successful because they take us to a world few will ever know, not because it’s our daily reality. Selfie can be a hit, but they better be creative in doing so. What’s going to be next: A reality TV contest called Twerk?
