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Fun with Photoshop #1

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A Subtle Detail from @mattcutts

     

Click here to download:

a-subtle-detail-from-mattcutts-YrYQg5tSIOvzwETdYfhO.zip (69 KB)

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Where's Mobile Headed

Preface: I think the iPhone 4 is what the iPhone should have always been. Minus the antennae “wardrobe malfunction” it’s a great device and fills needs of end-users very well. That said, this post is about the future of mobile technology and innovation. It’s not an anti-Apple post, it’s just a vision; and how I see things playing out:

The programming Language: QT

Operating system’s aside, a cross-platform programming language is in the works and adoption is imminent; in fact, it’s already begun. The world of Mobile is now centered on application development, media consumption, media creation – more so than communication. In fact, the application marketplace is the serious money-maker in mobile, and that’s not going to change any time soon.

Support for QT is available and will be available on:

• MeeGo: A combined effort by Nokia and Intel, combining two of their open-source mobile Linux distributions 
• Android (link): Google’s phone operating system, which is taking the US market by storm and starting to gain better traction over seas
• Windows Phone 7 (link): Microsoft’s soon to be launched mobile platform will also support QT applications
• Symbian^4: Nokia’s investment which is aimed at completely resetting the bar of the smartphone, by spreading smartphone features to low-end phones (more on that in a minute).

Developing a on a single application platform and hitting four application marketplaces, globally, will be the smart decision for any dev-house. Regardless of which language it’s done in, it’s within the best interest of developers to make applications that can hit a broader audience, on as many platforms as possible, with optimal effort.

The new developer model will end up being “develop for cross-platform” and then “port to Apple’s closed system” if the application works in the other markets. That’s just business sense.

Android, Windows Phone 7, MeeGo and Symbian^4 are the future of mobile technology, in its many forms and facets.

Resetting the bar

Symbian^4 is aimed directly at the low and middle-end markets. The strategy? Bring today’s smartphone features to non-smartphone phones…

What’s this do? It basically flattens the line on “old style dumbphones” that merely text and call. In fact, you can count on the dumbphone to become extinct in the next 3 years, at  least I think it will. If that’s the case, then what’s going to make smartphones… smartphones?

Tomorrow’s Smartphones

 The simple truth is, mobile technology is at about the same common-place as shoes and socks… Even 6 year olds carry cellphones now-days. In order for a smartphone to be considered truly high-end, it’s going to have to accomplish the innovations of tomorrow. It’s going to fill more voids than just “apps” and pretty, glossy UI. In fact, it’s going to have to require open standards and:

• Compatibility: Effortless synchronizing between television, computer and phone are imminent standards. Expanding that to home appliances, your car, and a multitude of other life-tasks (paying for goods, entering your house, etc).
• Entertainment: Phones will include 5.1 digital surround sound, HDMI-out, access to online movie warehouses, and video processing power for HD streaming.
• Interface: Interact with your phone wirelessly from your computer (texts, phone calls)
• Open Platforms: Standardized VOIP, cross-platform applications, and across-the-board compatibility.

This is already underway.

None of this is actually “the future”; it just needs to become accepted by consumers. If Apple’s done anything, it’s shown the masses of “Motorola Razr” users that you can do more with a phone than merely text and call someone. They’ve lowered the barrier of entry for the “do everything” devices I’ve been carrying for nearly a decade, and took the idea of smartphone to the teenager, not just the businessperson. Now, the true innovators of the industry can carry a torch and push the limits of consumer acceptance a bit further with  their already existing (and upcoming) technologies:

1. Bluetooth and WiFi data synchronization has been a feature available for many mobile devices for years (PC Suite, BB Sync, ActiveSync) and that process is getting better, more inclusive, and will be more media-enabled in the coming year.
2. Phones are already on the plate with Dolby Digital Surround Sound capabilities
3. There are also handsets being shipped with HDMI-out
4. Blockbuster and Netflix (yes, on iPhone too) are applications available to stream quality media to your device

QT is the next generation of cross-platform development, you can get it here. MoSync, established in 2004, is also a cross-platform SDK, it needs an upgrade in my opinion.

Closed-System Death?

As long as there is successful marketing, there will be available closed systems. For example; Verizon, a non-global system, a non-standard, a US-centric mobile carrier… they exist, they’re not going anywhere, and they’re going to keep on keeping on in their closed network, with their own technology. Apple isn’t going anywhere either, as I said above – the development priority path will/should change (cross-platform release, then Apple release), but there’s still a market for their devices.

It’s important to have competition. It’s important to have options. It’s important for companies to disrupt and stir up the market. It’s required for forward progress.

The next 18 months are going to be interesting.

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Paranormal Activity 2 - Mysterious Baby

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Social Media Infiltration

Social Media Infiltration (SMI), is a tactic used by those suffering from Social Media Entitlement Syndrome (SMES), a condition identified by Francisco Dao (@TheMan); and written about on Lalawag.com via Nicole Jordan (@NicoleJordan) and Melissa Rowley (@MelissaRowley) recently.

There are many angles this card is played out, but overall; the tactic is best used within groups of friends that know each other, that collectively don't know you (at all). Here's what you need to do to properly execute SMI:

1. Find a group of people that check-in together on foursquare, or are seen regularly together in photos on Facebook, etc.
2. Follow, subscribe, and start to interact with each of them online.
3. Reply to two or more of them in a single comment (bonus points to get more than 4 of them & receive replies)
4. Start to comment on their outtings, as a collective.
5. Start to show up at their events, parties, or otherwise, uninvited (bonus points for getting invited).

If you execute your Infiltration appropriately, you will leave the assumption open that at least one of the many people in the target group knows you, and the others will be more likely to accept you into their charished social circle. If you're really ninja, they'll even give you professional contacts, and you'll be able to work your way up a ladder of some sorts.

To take SMI a step further: Use the tactics to get a job you don't qualify for! Now we're talking. Want to become an instructor at a university? Brag about being a wine-expert? Be "the man in charge" of some random part of town? Stake your claim, and assume your new title! I mean, look - if you're saying you belong in a company, a social circle, or on the board of a city planning committee, I say you're correct!

Or not.

This action is fucking sad. Get your own god damned friends, or go through the proper sociological methods for making friends with people that interest you, don't be an infiltration douchebag. If you want a job in something, saying you used Social Media to "get the job" is about as awesome as saying you bribed your way to the top... You know, "how did he get that job?" - "Oh, I don't know, I think he sucked all the right cocks."

Yes, I know people have been using "infiltration" as a social class tactic for ages, but using Social Media for it? Honestly, the quality of infiltrators has seriously been on the decline, and it's starting to get fucking annoying to observe.

No, this doesn't happen to me or my very few personal/close friends. No one gives a shit about my tight social circle. Thank Christ. So this is a public service announcement for all you self-important, self-entitled, infiltrating asshats out there making complete jerk-offs of yourselves for some kind of social or professional (or both) gain. People know you're doing it. Most of the time, they're mocking your efforts offline - you know, at those parties you're missing out on.

Just sayin.

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The New iPhone 4.1

Idea c/o @TechFrog

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Self Assured Knowledge.

I’ve been reading a blog over the past few days. The author of this blog, Michael VanDeMar, seems very knowledgeable in his field, he seems like he knows what he’s talking about, and he knows enough about what he knows to make some well-formed arguments and targeted conclusions. Of course, therein lies the problem. If it’s one thing you learn in Philosophy classes from 101 through the ranks thereafter over the years; in logic – your extreme conclusion relies on extreme assumptions, and the more extreme your assumptions, no matter how well-formed & backed up they are, will lead to an equally, if not more, adverse truth to actually exist.

In the latest post, which inspired this write-up, there are quite a  number of “facts” leading to  grand, and “landmark” claims. These claims perpetuate the conclusion, which is inevitable given the title.

Here’s a flow of logic, in argument, in reply to this article – and others like it:

Educated, Undereducated, or Uneducated people, who have knowledge in what they’re writing about, reading about, or have an extended interest in, thrive on arguments and claims based on feeling and grand self-perpetuated claims where Intelligence is lacking, sometimes severely. At the core of the being who lacks the intelligence level required to comprehensively assess and determine the factors involved in the knowledge they retain, lies the love for tribal and self-assured knowledge. It is a requirement of someone who lacks comprehension to fill in the gaps of their intelligence with feelings of accomplishment from their own derived conclusions. It is equally important to argue those statements, regardless of actual facts, in support of their argument.

I won’t get into the details of a reply to supply facts in rebuttal of VanDeMar’s post; I don’t feed someone with a motive dug deep in their own self-inflated importance with actual truths. In fact, a reply was going to be written, either here or on the blog – but there’s little actual fact and comprehensive understanding in the posts I read; thus, it warranted absolutely no need for a reply, other than to perform some type of education; and after some level of consideration, I was reminded of another facet of the flawed arguer.

When you’re addressing someone’s argument  based on motivated beliefs and feelings, you’re no longer addressing or attacking facts on a truth versus truth basis. Using the post as an exact example; I hold all the facts and knowledge, VanDeMar holds only what he thinks he sees and believes is correct. Feelings and Facts cannot be used within the same arena, unless the concentration of Feelings is lower than the presence of overall Fact. Therefore, the only thing I would bring to the argument is knowledge based on fact, and staggering intelligence centered on logic and the exact truth of the overall claims. Adversely, VanDeMar would only provide emotional replies, based on “inside the box” knowledge, screenshots, and findings that would only prove to self-perpetuate his claims and thus, he cannot change his viewpoint with education, nor will he.

Another very important factor needs to be included as a prime ingredient prohibiting a catalyst of change in any unintelligent person who refuses a refute in retort to a presented rebuttal, the Ego. It’s astounding how powerful the Ego is; it can take a completely unintelligent, or undereducated person’s view on things, and require that path to be maintained, regardless of actuality, factuality, or reality.

In this case, and many other like it before – I reserve the right to educate or not. Given the assessment of quantity of fact in an argument; I choose to remove myself from addressing the actual argument, but will often provide insights, like this, as to why. Perhaps this form of insight could be used to properly bring an increased level of validity to claims, but then again – in doing so properly, most would find that there are no claims to be made that would require my insights.

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Traveling by Train

     

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Traveling_by_Train.zip (2748 KB)

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Thoughts on the N900

First, I'll just say: "This thing is ridiculous."

Nokia put together a hell of a device with the N900. It has all the usual trimmings of Nokia superphones: 5mp camera, video, streaming, multi-tasking, clipboard, loads of internal memory (32GB), an expansion slot, powerful removable LiIon battery, front-facing camera, tactile input, etc... etc.

Aside from the hardware features, the N900 is running a Linux distro, Maemo. It supports and runs Qt-based applications (that's the cross-platform development platform, look into it). It also boasts a speedy full browser, with Flash support... by default, as well as fancy JavaScript frameworks, and well, it's just slick as all hell, actually.

There are shortcomings out of the box; like no MMS support (so I installed the support for it), no portait view for general phone operation (but apps can run in portrait), video quality could (and will) be better, it's definitely tech-savvy centric in terms of apps, and the widgets could be better.

That said: The tech-savvy piece is why I enjoy the device; for example - I installed a Pandora client, called Pianobar; it runs in Terminal.

Overall, it's what I expected. There are loads of apps and options, lots of resources, and the hardware feels like you could use it to shield yourself from bullets if needed (don't try that though).

A few bonuses: I have Doom, Quake, Wolfenstein 3D, OpenArena installed and access to about 1000 Nintendo and Super Nintendo titles (as well as a slew of other console platforms); I am currently using it to control my television and media box (universal remote), I can VNC into my server, I can remote trigger my DSLR, and I'm pretty convinced that I'll find a way to turn my remote bedroom light on/off... etc. etc.

This thing is win.

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Tethering, as done since 2006 on AT&T

Step 1: Don't buy an iPhone

Step 2: Buy a Nokia (you can use other phones, but I don't have screen shots or those phones, sorry Droid/BB folk).

Step 3: Install (and love) Nokia's PC Suite, you will now be able to:

• Send MMS & SMS message through your phone from your Desktop
• Sync everything
• Backup your device
• Manage your contacts & files, etc
• Most importantly: Tether

The images below illustrate how tethering is done. Now, this might be a shock to you Apple-lovers that are blinded by your device as holy, but, again, it's not the network that limits your ability on the iPhone. I know, I know... AT&T is plastered all over the iPhone tethering fiasco, and that really sucks for you, I'm sure - but this is the fault of the manufacturer (Apple). Their shortcomings are remarkable, so much so, that they don't even have to own up to them.

This statement also goes to the "AT&T SUCKS! OMG! DROPPED CALLS!" arguement. Again, it's your phone.

               

Click here to download:

tethering-as-done-since-2006-on-at-t-ABuEeIHqupJHfBaodzFs.zip (390 KB)

Bonus: You can also tether via Bluetooth, since - you know, phones actually don't have real limitations when it comes to Bluetooth communication, unless you own an iPhone.