Tuesday, January 27th, 2009
So I’m not going to lie, I own a G1. I never got on the iPhone bandwagon. Wasn’t interested in switching a provider i’d been with for 6 years just for a new gadget. So I was pleasantly surprised when T-Mobile announced it would be the first to carry a phone running Android, also made by my secret favorite phone manufacturer HTC. This is my 4th HTC made phone (most sold under the T-Mobile band name, as HTC is a Euro brand with not a lot of stock over here in the US), and again, they’re not the iPhone, but they do more of what I’M looking for in a phone. So anyway, back to what I was getting at, Android. In drastic contrast to the iPhone app store, Android does NOT have a screening process to control what can and cannot be listed in their store. THe idea is its all open, users comment and rate the applications, they can even flag as Malicious or Inappropriate, so this should potentially alleviate any concerns around what applications you’re downloading, right? Well yes, it does a pretty good job of helping me decide whether I should download the app or find another, but one of the big downfalls is that there’s no way to really tell what a NEW application may do without waiting for a myriad of guinea pigs to get destroyed first, you know? So recently, the Android Market had its first invasion. A little application called “Memory Up” was released, claiming to better manage your memory, allowing your G1 to run much more smoothly and efficiently. Well, it did that in the sense, because it wipes your phone then spams all your contacts. Not good. So what happens in a situation like this? How do you get an app removed from an ‘open’ market? Well the app has been removed and neither the development group or Google will disclose who or what caused the app to disappear. So this raises the question, can the Android Market really stay ‘open’ or will a level of moderation need to be implemented to ensure no malicious activity… and if so… does that kill the concept of ‘open?’
Either way, there’s a good article over on Wired about this. Check it out: http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/01/rogue-googlepho.html
Monday, January 26th, 2009
This weekend I got the chance to see “The Wrestler,” the new film by Darren Aronofsky starring Mickey Rourke, a beautifully broken man, trying to find his place in the world. Its really something quite spectacular to see, and very human all along. I’m not going to get into my own personal review, because that’s what the writers over at Pajiba are there for.
So take a sec and read this review, if you weren’t already sold, you will be now.
http://www.pajiba.com/the-wrestler-review.htm
Wednesday, January 21st, 2009
Wired has a good little article today about how GPS is changing our lives and I couldn’t agree more. I remember back almost two years ago when I got my first phone that contained a GPS (and it wasn’t an iPhone, because Apple wasn’t the first to the game on that one). It came with TomTom running on it as well as integration with the “My Location” feature on Google Maps Mobile. I used it the first time about 3 days after acquiring the phone while on a trip to Lovely Ohio. I’d landed, hopped in a cab, and after a string of past cab screw overs, decided I was going to look up the best route to my hotel and follow it as we drove, to avoid ‘the long way’ and getting over charged. It was this funny feeling, like when you get your favorite toy for Christmas or something, a feeling of excitement and awe. I was mostly just impressed at how simple it all seemed yet confused that it’d taken so long to figure it out for phone (and how i was SO going to rub this in all my iPhone-ownin’ friend’s faces because I’d finally 1-upped them on something). Now with my newest device (the G1 running Android) its even as simple as scanning a bar code with the camera and letting the app not only find my exact location but then display the closest stores carrying the product I desire and the price they offer. I can simple then click the store icon and call them directly.
Ultimately, I think we’re just barely scratching the surface of this new wave of precise location based application, but its interesting to see what’s already being done and how that will shape the things to come. Should be another exciting wave of technology the next couple years.
Inside the GPS Revolution: 10 Applications That Make the Most of Location
Saturday, January 17th, 2009
With the re-release of Atmosphere’s epic “God Loves Ugly” album just around the corner, we helped the crew at Rhymesayers develop this nice little piece allowing fans to spread their own Ugly all across these internet lands.
So get on over there and show us what you got.
YOURESOUGLY.COM
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
There’s a nice little article on CNN today about how the “Change” we’re about to see in Washington is more than just about Politics. One of the biggest and most successful campaigns ever run owes a lot to technology. Utilizing social networks, mobile applications, YouTube and all the rest spoke volumes about not only the ‘reality’ of how deeply rooted technology has become in our society today, but how the concept of the average American’s connection to the President is about to drastically change. Never before has any candidate been this ‘connected’ to their base and its effects were clearly proven this past November.
So, I guess what most intrigues me is how this will all continue once he takes office. How does his new role effect how he’s able to connect with the ‘common man’ or will this connection ultimately effect his new role? It will be interesting to see how it all plays out. I think the game’s about to change in some exciting new ways.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/15/obama.internet.president/index.html
Thursday, January 15th, 2009
Just wanted to take a second and welcome Minneapolis’s best underground rap crew, Doomtree. We’re all excited to be involved and looking forward to all the great thing to come.
DOOMTREE.NET
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009
So I happened to catch this little nugget in the morning news and what a great find. So looks like the New Zealand Police have found a way to utilize social networking sites to help solve crimes. This little guy decided to break into a pub and attempt to crack a safe, while in there, he also maybe thought it would be a good idea to take off his mask and gloves… then look around… giving the security camera a clear shot of his face. So the next day, the Queenstown police simply posted the pic on Facebook and let the community point straight to the culprit. He was arrested the day after they posted the pic. You can read the full article here: http://www.cnn.com/2009/TECH/01/14/nz.facebook.arrest/index.html
So this brings me to something I’ve been thinking about for awhile, have we as a culture lost any true sense of privacy? It seems like these days every aspect of our lives can literally be broadcast to the entire world. We’re followed by webcams, we constantly update our ’status’ and we run on about everything on our blogs. I think its a bit of a double edged battle axe (wait, aren’t all battle axes double edged?). In one sense, the ability to be connected to everyone at all times can be quite useful (and addicting) but at the same time, we become so vulnerable to relatively simple invasions of privacy. I guess to a certain degree that invasion is brought on simply by being a part of these massive online communities, but other times, its becomes a much bigger problem… like for this poor fool in New Zealand.
Either way, I think it will be interesting to see where this whole online social mega-sphere goes as we push through the years. Its still so fresh and new, in the grand scheme of things, that I think we won’t really see its true form for at least another couple years. What will it bring?
Friday, January 9th, 2009
I’ve been putting some investigation time into Twitter lately, especially regarding the ways that companies are using Twitter. Maybe I should say, could be using Twitter. There are so many articles out there about the benefits of tweeting (or whatever the inside verbiage is), different ways you can plan your company communications around the site, and how to make the most of your company Twitter profile.
One would think that all this hullabaloo means that Twitter is the new awesome of marketing tool kits. So, I can’t help but find it strange that so many companies do indeed have a Twitter profile, but the profiles are empty! Someone thought enough to think ‘Self, our company can and will benefit from this Twitter thing!’ but then failed to even upload an image or fill in the sentence-long allowed bio. It can’t be that the person behind the magic doesn’t have enough time to keep the profile updated. At least put something. “I love orange juice” is better than nothing, right?
I’m interested to see how mission: Twitter is going to affect the larger companies’ communication efforts. And yes, Sevnthsin has a Twitter account. And yes, we update it on a regular basis, even if the post solely regards some kind of beverage. We’re very advanced you know.
In closing, Happy birthday Shanita! Holla holla holla.
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009
I’ve been noticing over the past, say, year or two that the concept of empowering the user has become quite prevalent online. You’re seeing it more and more and MORE everywhere you look. Everything from custom artwork generators to video/music mashup creators. With the obvious “sharing” technologies included, the bridge between traditional micro-site marketing and social marketing get blurred and our concept of the ‘web’ is rapidly becoming something new, right before our very eyes. So anyway, what i’m getting at, is an example I saw this morning. Producer/DJ Ghislain Poirier just recently launched an interesting little piece that pushes these ideas all together in a new way of online musical marketing, by allowing fans to remix both his music and the video that accompanies it. Remixing music and remixing videos, independently, have become more common over the past 6 months, but doing both simultaneously, is something rather fresh. Although the concept is simple, the merging of the two pieces into one little micro-site clearly points the way the entire music industry is heading… and its a wide open road for sure.
Even if i’m completely wrong, i still think this is a cool little piece.
http://poirier.departement.ca/index.php?lang=en
