10 Year old girls with iPhones these days..

While sitting in the waiting room of the chiropractors office filling out my new patient forms I became distracted by the person sitting across the room speaking on their hot pink covered iPhone. "She looks rather young" I though, not to mention speaking rather loudly on her mothers mobile phone for a doctors office. I put my head down and got back to marking the ares of my back with pain, "I just called to give you my new phone number Grandma" came the voice of the little girl "It's xxx-xxx-xxx, ok well I have to go, I have another call.." keeping my head down my eyes shot towards the little girl. I wont dictate the conversation that was had between her and her friend, but it was about the strangeness that her friend had not received the video text message sent to her while they both got ready for school.
(obviously meaning that her friend also has a phone capable of receiving video text messages).

The Doctor walked into the lobby and asked if the mother was ready, "Not me" replied the mother, this visit is for [Name], I almost choked. Once they were both in the Doctors office and while handing my clipboard to the secretary I asked how old the secretary though the little girl talking on the phone was, "10 I think" she replied.


I am not sure what to say about this quite yet, I just had to get it out of my head.

Important Tech news in a busy week

“@RevRunJnr: A prince gets married, the bad guy is dead. It's a real Disney weekend here on earth. #osama #obl”

I could not have said it better myself.

Now, if you add Manchester United’s emphatic win over Chelsea FC yesterday to secure one hand on the Premier league trophy, how could I not have something to say, right?
I am not however going to speak about any of this, for I have two very important pieces of Tech news to speak about. An augmented reality article written by Sharif Sakr for the BBC News, and Abobe’s beta release of Wallaby, by Adobe labs.

When I first saw GE’s Smart Grid presentation I became an instant evangelist for Augmented Reality. However, the problem I had was that I wasn’t thinking big enough, well that’s not completely true, I was thinking big budget games, Bluetooth glasses that are connected to your smart phone and all that jazz, but I was essentially playing into the gimmick. Sharif’s article instantly cause a charades gesture reaction from me. “That’s it! That, is what I have been trying to tell you all!” (I was saying to myself :)
Watch the video and see Sharif virtually trying on a pair of eyeglasses. It’s the future, its coming fast, and like broadband Internet, it will be difficult to imagine a world without it.

The other piece of outstanding technology that I am here to rave about is Adobe’s Wallaby. Wallaby is a big big deal for the web evolution to HTML 5. Today Apple was announced as the “World’s most valuable brand” trumping Google and the iPad and iPhone does not run Adobe Flash files (the largest software platform in the world). Reaching the number one spot without conceding to the pressure of Adobe has caused Adobe to admit defeat, but defeat is not always a bad thing, it’s a learning experience if anything, and defeats should always be see with this positive outlook.
Wallaby plucks out the frames of the flash, think animated GIF converter on a more complicated level.
Yeah, it’s a big deal.

I am going to sign of with an opinion that I did not have when I began writing this post, and I cant help but hear the Lady Gaga song that my girlfriend was singing as I was getting ready for work, “Born this way”. Apple said no to Adobe Flash, they said we don’t care if everyone does it this way, we are not, either deal with it or change for us, Adobe laughed, then screamed, and now conformed. If you know your right, don’t let others tell you otherwise, you just might end up changing the Internet.

Augmented reality

Adobe Wallaby

Apple is # 1

GE Smart Grid

Yahoo and twitter sitting in a tree.

Yahoo = Bing backend – yahoo face – twitter search – facebook share. What a Mutt.
Google uses meta tags to characterize web sites and provide more accurate and useful search results. Meta tags are abused; Google ditches the value and relevance that meta tags possess. Google focuses on quality of page content. Google notices the use of real time search tools.
Twitter uses hash tags (#) hash tags are used to document topics of discussion. Hash tags are also used for following and searching content.
Twitter provides a small window (140 characters) for attention. Competition for the appearance on search results starts now.
Google is huge, Twitter becomes huge, Yahoo still wants to play the game. Yahoo partners with Twitter. Yahoo uses hash tags to display relevant results.
On the next episode – hash tags and content becomes abused and unreliable, twitter becomes distrusted and cluttered. Yahoo turns to plan C, Google laughs.

Chatroulette, I like the concept but the results are disturbing.

Chatroulette is exactly what you think it is, a game of roulette with your chat cam. Before you open a new tab and check out the site for yourself I offer some caution. This is roulette with your web cam, with about twenty seven thousand strangers. I have tried this site a few times now and always end a session rubbing my eyes thinking I made a mistake in spinning the wheel.
The concept I reiterate is interesting, but men are dirty sick humans and they cannot be trusted. If you are strong, if you are have curiosity, or if you are a creep, check out the site.
When it works, I saw some potential. Myself and two Russians had quite a random laugh in a one minute interaction. Perhaps it should evolve into a craigs list frame where rooms are created for those that want to show off their dicks to those who want to see that.
For the rest of the interactions I had I was left realizing that no one wants to chat here. I repeat no one wants to spin the chatroulette wheel and have a regular conversation with a stranger, everyone is looking for something crazy, wild, gross, strange... Entertaining.
Good luck.

Google Buzz:

When I began using Facebook in 04/05 what I liked about it was its privacy. I didn’t like myspace because I didn’t feel the need to be friends with those that I don’t care to talk to.
When I received a friend request from someone I didn’t talk to like a high school acquaintance, I would reject the request. Why if I didn’t really talk them should I stay in contact now I thought. This was until more and more people I knew started using Facebook. I was not easily converted to accepting all if not most friend requests I received but once I began the gates opened.
I miss the original use of facebook, I miss the digital portal to my REAL friends.
Is this what Google is trying to do with Buzz? Does Google already know that I am not connecting with most of my Facebook friends and am constantly removing their status updates from my wall?
Is Google Buzz, Googles way of providing its users an interactive sharing medium with your REAL friends? Are Google going back to where facebook began?

If BUZZ is the next step in social networking and BUZZ uses your Google profile, and Google is the search king.. Does this mean that your Google profile will soon become the first page, position one result when you Google yourself ?
Are we ready for a world directory?
Facebook tried this with unique URL's and it failed because people want their Facebook activity private. Does Google think that people are ready for this?

Politicians’ Tweets:

Recently, I read an article in the NY Times that points out the use of Twitter by celebrities and those that follow them. The article showcases how celebrities have embraced Twitter but politicians cannot be bothered, and brings up examples of meaningless politician tweets.

Twitter founders suggested that its current use has not even scratched the surface of Twitter's possibilities. With Twitter's effect on the Iranian revolution and the possibility of eating lunch with Shaquille O'Neal, one has to be inclined to agree.

Celebrities like to be celebrated; it’s their character. Celebrities seek out attention and Twitter provides that self-gratification. Though, if we elevate ourselves from the now and peer into the distance, Twitter’s functionality could be used for much more than entertainment. If politicians adopted some of this 'celebrity' character, we could have a new movement on our hands.

Imagine for one second that most people had Twitter feeds of their town's mayor, state congressmen, and senator. Imagine following town hall or community meetings from anywhere in the world. Apathy and ignorance toward decisions that affect your day-to-day may not become extinct, but there would definitely be an increased awareness.

While most people would never be bothered to go to that council meeting or petition for their congressman, they would at least be aware of the issues, and that's a start.

Twitter could become your way to hear the questions, comments, or statements straight from the person you wish to hear from without going through an opinionated, reiterated funnel.

If you stop trusting your mayor's Twitter, start following their rivals. Perhaps this movement could become so large that the number or followers a user has influences the weight of his or her decisions on issues of communal importance. Scary or enlightening, what we do now in the time of an economic depression and technological revolution will be spoken about either with "could we have done more with Twitter?" or "can you even remember how we did things before Twitter?"

Just a thought.