sshadmand

Gas: Remember. Learn. Be Smart.

Complaining about gas prices is like complaining that your love of ice cream has made you fat. This is the data points that should matter to you: http://cl.ly/0H0R1H312e1h0n1h3x42… Stop buying big cars that suck gas, EVEN when this fall/winter gas prices go down, as they usually do.

If you feel like a baller and you want to get a big car that sucks gas, then keep that top-dog mentality and pay the high gas prices in with some pride. As a matter of fact, it would make more sense if you bragged about how much you get to pay for your big high-roller rich-boy status.

Again, please read the data before you shout form a hill and light those torches in the street, based on some guy in a suite trying to get the most sought after job in the world, and tells you something that makes him look good — no matter what side that may be.

As usual, here is my non-political mouthed stats and data, from the source, with links to where you can read more in case you are without time, or just lazy.:

http://www.opec.org/opec_web/en/about_us/25.htm

” (OPEC) was founded in Baghdad, Iraq, with the signing of an agreement in September 1960 by five countries namely Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Venezuela. They were to become the Founder Members of the Organization.

These countries were later joined by Qatar (1961), Indonesia (1962), Libya (1962), the United Arab Emirates (1967), Algeria (1969), Nigeria (1971), Ecuador (1973), Gabon (1975) and Angola (2007).”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OPEC

” OPEC members collectively hold 79% of world crude oil reserves and 44% of the world’s crude oil production, affording them considerable control over the global marke”

You also might have forgotten the highest increase in gas was between 2001 and 2008. Remember when we had all those awesome Hummers that were sold only a few years later? Oh and those wars in those countries that are the leaders of OPEC because we were “so angry”? Yeah – remember, learn, be smart.

Get more data about energy use and projections here: http://www.eia.gov/

Control what you can control, and think ahead next time some one out there tries to save up money in our national bank, asks you to help them cut down on our dependency on oil, and says you will look cool in a big gas thirsty car. Whether gas prices or high OR LOW.

Finally audio based commands and tagging that doesn’t suck

QR Codes

I have kept an eye on QR codes for a few years now; it is a simple technology. Simple technologies win because – well, they just plain work. So many new technologies do a better job of adding complexities to solve a problem than they do to decrease them. I mean, as an example, the majority of the world still uses headphone jacks and earbuds to listen to their iPod, even though blue tooth is a great technology that removes the need to use those easily tangled cords. BUT those annoying tangled cords are still far more reliable and simpler to use than bluetooth. So we wait for the “simpler” technology to become – simpler. QR codes have the same M.O. They are simple and work, but they are also annoyingly primitive. For example, that QR code image you see on the left of this article means absolulty nothing to you visually. Yet I use it to take up space on the page, because it can provide value if you are willing to pull out your phone and take a snapshot of it.

The QR code works becuase it is a unique image that contains data within all its black and wite specks, like a data finger print or a bar code. A device with an app that can read those specks convert the “fingerprint” into a equally unique URL that the app can then direct you too.

A more complex, yet more direct solution, is to have an image that is human readable, like and ad, act as the data rich finger print. That way a person can either take advantage of the precious realestate of the ad by siimply reading it, or taking a picture of the ad and get directed to the related URL. It looks like technolgies such as Google Goggles are on their way to crakingthat nut. For now however, Google Goggles is not more reliable or simpler to use then our ugly, cryptic; yet simple, and relaibale QR code.

Audio Commands and Tagging

The use of audio commands has had a problem finding its place as a “simpler” solution to the everyday problems they always claim to have solved, but as often fall short on expectations. I don’t know how many friends of mine have had voice-command car systems that in the end just dont work as reliably and effectively as turning a dial or pressing a button on their dash.

John’s car: “bee-eep. Can I help you?”

John in his car: “Call Sean”

John’s car: “Looking for Jons and bathrooms in the area.”

John: “Ugghhh! No , Call Sean!”

Car: “Bee-eep. Thank you. Calling Don now…”

John: :-[

Siri seems to be making voice commands better, or at least marketing it that way, but the dream of talking to our computers, as the easier way to interact with them, still seems as far away as it did here (See min 3:00 in 1984) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2B-XwPjn9YY

Okay, Siri and Google voice commands are doing better, and getting used more use than I have ever seen in the past with similar technologies, so that is promising…but yelling into your phone to “search for near by bars” in a crowded room is – well – shitty.

Shazam made some great leaps forward in the audio tagging and command space by finding the unique characteristics in songs, and turning that into pertinent data. That uniqueness is used so that the app can determine the song name, and its singer, just by holding up your phone to a song you hear on the radio.

This year, as some you may have already seen, Shazam has gotten into the QR related space by bringing their technology to TV comercials. When you see the Shazaam logo on a comercial open your Shazam app and let Shazam listen to the commercials unique audio. Their ability to link the unique “fingerprint” of sound coming form the commercials audio, and turn it into useful data allows them to link commercials to open a website on your device; much like a QR code. It is neat because the audio is as easily interpreted by human ears as it is by the Shazam app; maximizing the use of the allotted ad space. Unfortunately it falls short in the fact that it is impractical to expect a viewer to chase down their phone, open the Shazam app, and tag the comecials audio, before the comercial is over.

Audio Sync

I think I just saw a technology that actually make sense. Practical in its use, efficient in it implementation, and it solves a problem by decreasing complexity more then it adds.

In this case the audio is used to sync your tablet to a show you are watching. With this strategy you’re truly decreasing the steps needed to get what the show, and the viewer wants. No extra steps, no rushing for a unrelated app to open a web page, no ugly QR code images taking up space, just simply a way to help the user link the app their are using to the show they are watching.

It works by listening to the show you are watching, and applying the Shazaam like technology to the audio of the show to recognize what part of what show you are watching. The data is processed, and instead of just opening a web page, it sync your application’s experience to meta data surrounding the show on you TV. You can then interact with others watching the same moment at the same time, or listen to back stories related to the segment. Cool beans.

Finally audio based commands and tagging that doesn't suck

QR Codes

Audio Commands and Tagging

John’s car: “bee-eep. Can I help you?”

John in his car: “Call Sean”

John’s car: “Looking for Jons and bathrooms in the area.”

John: “Ugghhh! No , Call Sean!”

Car: “Bee-eep. Thank you. Calling Don now…”

John: :-[

Audio Sync

I think I just saw a technology that actually make sense. Practical in its use, efficient in it implementation, and it solves a problem by decreasing complexity more then it adds.

Nanoseconds for dummies

One of our talented engineers Aseem sent this out over email this morning to the group. I really enjoyed it for a few reasons, and figured I would share it as well. First, it is a lecture from the inventor of the compiler; second, it is a lecture from someone in the military; third, she ( Grace Hopper) is very old and I find that inspirational and cute (as offensive as that feeling if mine may be to others – it’s true); lastly, and most importantly, it gives a great visual example about space, time, speed, and badnwidth.

Check-id-ouuuut…..

What do 1250 Horses feel like?

Well, when they are supercharged and upgraded from a turbo Lamborugini the answer is – obviously amazing!

The experience was so cool that I felt like it was worth more than just a Facebook post to describe it all. It was nighttime so the video I got below doesn’t show much, but the sounds you hear are all 100% genuine. And I swear I got into the car trying to be as unbiased as I could be. How much of a difference could it REALLY feel like? Right? I figured it would be fun, fast, and exciting, but nothing too jarring.

Well, I immediately realized how wrong that presumption was. Almost all of my body’s senses were involved. As we pointed the car toward the straight and empty road you could feel the car tense up. It didn’t necessarily rumble like a muscle car, but you could feel the power simmering up behind you. The sound was tough to describe. It was as if all the air around us began to be sucked into the car with a “just switched the jet engines on”-esaqe sound. Actually you know what it sounded like? It sounded like the proton packs did when the Ghostbusters switched them on.

So the car tenses up, the jet engine sound spins up, and the pedal drops. Boom! I’m not sure if it was just from the overload of all my senses going off, as the jaring impact of the car lifted me from the back of my seat, as I felt the front of the car lifting of the ground, but the lights in the road started to blur. It sort of blurred like the way the movies depict the Star Trek Enterprise jumping into warp speed. You could hear the popping of the transmission, and the switching on and off of the turbo charges. It was a large thudding sound.

The funny thing was the whole experience didn’t even leave 2nd gear, and you could tell that there was so much of the car left tucked away.

Oh, and one more thing…The exhaust did this!

Use Case: Searching for PMF

Scan.me is great use case for focusing on the right customer, not just the right product.

AND that the product doesn’t *have to* be complicated or new to be wanted.

It just has to be easier to use, and packaged up better then the alternative.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/02/23/scan-gets-1-7m-from-google-ventures-and-shervin-pishevar-to-make-qr-codes-actually-useful/

Apple stores put their money where their mouth is

Ahhh the checkout line.

I know what I want, I found what I want in your store, AND I want to pay for it. So what do you do? You make me wait in line to give you my money! Man, that system is so archaic. Talk of “self checkout” has been around for a while, but I have seen very few instances of it in practice. Aside from the self checkout in the grocery store, that is still just a line in the end, checking out while picking up items in the store is not a part of our daily lives – yet.

So with all the rumors of our devices one day helping us checkout in our favorite stores, Apple finally made the decision to take the first step and offer self checkout on your iOS device at all Apple stores. Just download the newest version of the Apple Store App and buy til’ your hearts content, or your bank account runs dry, whichever comes first.

I have yet to use it myself, but am anxious to see how the company that is known for defining best practices around new concepts will implement their self checkout. I am also curious to see how they handle a jam packed store, with hundreds of very valuable items, mostly ranging in the $+1K range.

7-7 and the cure for hiccups. You will thanks me later.

There is sort of a funny story around this… My friend recently had hiccups that just wouldn’t go away. The funny thing is, this moment shot me back 20 years, reminding me of when I was in 6th grade and thought I had invented the cure for hiccups. I distinctly remember that my cure became popular when a kid who had hiccups in my school would tell them everyone to come talk to me becuase I was the man, or more like the kid, that can help get rid of them.

Fast forward a couple decades, and I am sitting in this situation with my friend. To be honest, I was actually too embarresed to tell her that “I have the cure; try this!” I thought it would sound dorky and cliche. So, doubting the legitimacy of my 6th grade nostalgic memory, I instead turned to the internet.

I found tons of hits on google, and me and my friend proceeded to try each one. From plugging her ears with her fingers, to holding her breath, to rubbing her throat with my fingers, we tried them all, and every time, after a few seconds of silence <hiccup!> – they were back.

So screw it I said, and I told her the story from my child hood, recalling my days as the defacto hiccup shaman of my 6th grade class. I swear to you, after she followed the exercise, the hiccups never returned.

With my new found blogger mentality, I went to my computer and decided to share my cure with the world. Here it is. Although simple, it is effective, and the combination and adherence to the formula is a necessity. Like the line “it was the best of times, it was the worst of times” any variation, no matter how similar, would do it unjustice.

Without further ado, here it is – the 7-7 cure for hiccups :

Fill up a glass of water
Breath in until you can’t breathe in anymore
while your lungs are full, pretend as if you were forcing out air from your lungs but prevent doing so and do it for for 7 seconds. If done right your abs will feel tight and a slight pressure will form in your throat.
(If you hiccup in the middle of this or at any time start over, it is necesary that you do not hiccup while practicing these steps, tell your mind “if I hiccup, I will do it the second i am done, but def not during the exercise.)
Now, while your lungs are full and after you have completed counting the seven seconds take seven large gulps of water. While gulping the water feel the gulps massage your throat. This may cause a burp, but again if it stops you from doing the exercise, you must start over.
That’s its. Once completed wait and see if it works.

To recap:

Full your lngs with air, hold it for seven seconds and then take seven gulps of water.

Steve Jobs in the beginning

Here are a couple videos that show Steve Jobs growing his philosphy, company vision, and product. One comes with a nice narration around his time building Next Computers. It’s a great glimpse into his fundemental beleifs that guided hmthroughthe years. The other is hi giving a lecture of where Apple came from and where it is going.

This video narrates Jobs creating Next Computers with the first group of employees at their company retreats.

This video is an early presentation by Jobs from 1980 describing how Apple started, what he sees its affects being, and some interesting insight into what he sees in tech startup potential and the growth of the human race.

The Know Nothing Party. The past finds a home when you aren’t looking.

I was watching Gangs of New York and some of the anti-equality debate in the movie sounded familiar. So, I started looking things up – as I love to do.

It’s funny how every generation has a group composed of those that are sure others are less equal to them, and believe their way of life is threatened, in this case occurring over 100 years ago.

The “Know Nothing” party was a political group created for the those that feared change. The differences they found to mark their divide were the “native” vs. the “non native” (AKA fresh of the boat irish vs. those born here) and the divisions of Christianity each gang chose as their own.

Check out the write up on the Know-Nothing party here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Know_Nothing, http://history1800s.about.com/od/immigration/a/knownothing01.htm), or on your own. Utterly amazing how little somethings change.

Hate and inequality seems to always find a way to influence those who think they are protecting tradition.

I guess a question to ask is, will your party, group, or even your name make its way onto that page for your kid’s kids to read 50 years from now so they can say, “wow, how stupid were they?!”