Here is something I could really go for. The ultimate iPod accessory.
Define Violent
June 19, 2006 By
Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco signed legislation that bans the sale of violent video games to kids under 18. Other laws passed in states like California and Michigan have been overturned due to free speech issues. Isn't this the same Govener that bugled hurricane Katrina? Maybe she should be doing more work planning for the upcoming hurricane season than worrying about video games.
AIM Bots – I don’t get it
June 14, 2006 By
AOL has introduced AIM Bots. As far as I can tell, these are instant message buddies that are more like robots and will respond when you chat to them. There are bots for all kinds of things including a Tyson PowerPlates bot that you can use to search for Tyson power-packed recipes. Oh boy, just what I always wanted. Who the hell is going to use that? There are more useful things like Moviephone for looking up movies and some sort of dating bot. Isn't this all much easier to do on a website. Do people really live in IM enough to make this useful? I don't use IM at all so maybe I am out of the loop on this one. Sorry, I just don't get it.
Why I love Mark Cuban
June 14, 2006 By
This guy is a multi-millionaire owner of a NBA team and he stops at 7-11 on his way the the opening game of the NBA finals. It's the first time Dallas has been to the big dance. He signs an autograph for the daughter of the guy who works behind the counter as well. Mark is rich, famous and can do anything he wants. But he stops at 7-11 because despite all that he is still a real guy. I love that. He's not too cool to hang out in the real world. Go Mavs!
Personal P2P
June 13, 2006 By
Om Malik has a great post about the future of Peer to Peer software. Most of this new software is based on the IM (instant message) metaphor. You have to establish an IM connection with someone and then send them your files. I would rather see a situation where I could simply decide which files (photos, music, ect) I am sharing and those people can come into my machine at any time and grab the files. If I need to get you a document, I just make it available to you and you come and get it. No email, no IM, no nothing. Apple has done something very close to this with photocasting, but it only works for Macs and only with .mac accounts.
Of the products Om talks about, Box Cloud looks to be the closest to what I am looking for. You only need to run their desktop application to share and people getting your files only need a web browser. The catch is you get 1GB of transfer per month. Sounds cool. I will test it out and report back.
Disney Launches Family Mobile Service
June 13, 2006 By
As an example of just how far mobile technology has pushed into our lives, Disney announced the availability of it's mobile phones and service in the US. These phones have GPS built in specifically for tracking your kids and knowing where they are. There also also other family friendly features like restricting the phone to certain hours and numbers that can be dialed.
It's not the first mobile phone designed for kids. My daughter has the Firefly phone for example. But these phone are the most sophisticated and feature packed however. I am not sure if this is going to work, however. First of all, family plans start at $159.99 for two phones and go up from there. That's much more expensive than similar family shared minuets plans from Cingular or Sprint. Also, the phones themselves are fine, but not as cool as other phones popular with teens today. And what cool teen would be caught dead with a Disney phone. It works well for kids 7-10 or so, but much older than that and they won't want to use it. Maybe 7-10 is a big enough market. Or maybe they can come up with a cooler teen phone.
At first I thought the GPS capability was a little too much but if a kid was kidnapped and the bad guy did not see or realize the phone had GPS, that could be a great way to track them down. That alone might sell people on that higher service price.
Anti-DRM Group Takes Aim at Apple
June 9, 2006 By
The Free Software Foundation's DefectiveByDesign.org campaign is organizing "flash mob" demonstrations outside Apple retail stores this weekend to warn customers about the evils of DRM (Digital Rights Management).
DefectiveByDesign.com claims that by restricting how software or files can be used, DRM-equipped products are “defective by design.”“This campaign will identify these ‘defective’ products, and target them for elimination. Our aim is the abolition of DRM as a social practice,” reads the campaign’s manifesto on its Web site.
Oh boy. The big problem here is that a great majority of people don't give a damn. Also factor in that Apple's DRM is about as good as it gets. There are much fewer restrictions than with most other DRM strategies. From what I can see, people love their iPods and they love iTunes and they have not come across any kind of problem with the DRM from a practical day to day standpoint. Do I like DRM? No, but I realize we will never have an iTunes or an iPod without it. These pie in the sky utopian ideas about intellectual property are oh so nice, but impractical for the real world. We don't live in the clouds. We need to fight for DRM that is fair and works for everyone, both the artist and the customer. So far I think Apple has hit a very nice balance that does seem to be working.
Video Game Rehab
June 9, 2006 By
Another story I almost did not believe. An addiction center in Amsterdam is opening a special detox clinic for video game addicts.
Bakker already has treated 20 video game addicts, aged 13 to 30, since January. Some show withdrawal symptoms, such as shaking and sweating, when they look at a computer console.
I guess it goes to show, you can get addicted to anything.
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