Love it! http://allthingsd.com/20110714/cisco-reminds-us-once-again-how-big-the-intern... 
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Portland Calagator
http://calagator.org/
Calagator is a unified calendar for the technology community of Portland, Oregon. We are an all-volunteer effort and encourage anyone to import, create, and edit events.
As websites become games, understand the trend with the Gamification Encyclopedia
http://thenextweb.com/socialmedia/2011/01/11/as-websites-become-games-understand-the-trend-with-the-gamification-encyclopedia/
One of the biggest trends we’ve seen on the Web in the past year has been the growing “Gamification” of websites and online services. From Foursquare to Get Glue and and services like One True Fan and even, er, The Next Web, it seems that badges and leaderboards are everywhere right now.
In order to explain this, San Francisco startup Gamify has launched an in-depth Gamification Encyclopedia. This wiki-based site covers gamification of all kinds, from websites to the ways it’s been applied by governments and industries like healthcare and transport.
Still a work in progress, some sections of the site are under development but its 197 articles are a really good read, with lots of examples of the many different game mechanics, design elements and user features that make up a ‘gamified’ service.
Simple Apps That Will Clean Up Your Hard Drive In A Snap
Excerpt:
 Image: Screenshot |
That makes it frustrating when you want to install new space-hogging software.
Thankfully there are plenty of tools out there to help you identify what you can delete and uninstall in order to clean up your cluttered drive.
Article: Why Apple's ITC patent victory over HTC Android phones is scary
Naturally, HTC appealed the judgement to the six ITC commissioners, who will ultimately have the final say on the patent verdict. But it’s easily possible their decision, which is due by Dec. 6, will uphold the judge’s initial ruling.
The ruling is scary for competition because it could ultimately lead to the ban of all HTC Android devices and, to take things to the extreme, the ban of all Google Android phones and tablets. The two patents ruled to be infringing appear to be vital to the Android OS itself, so other companies’ Android products will be in Apple’s sights too.
“I have looked at those patents before and they appear to be very fundamental,” writes Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents. “They are very likely to be infringed by code that is at the core of Android. This could in a worst-case scenario result in an import ban against many or even all Android-based HTC products in the U.S. market.”
The two patents relate to how data is processed. The first patent is described as a “system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data,” which Apple says applies, for example, to tapping a phone number and being prompted options to call or look it up on the web. The second is described as a “real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data,” which Apple says relates to data processed in real-time applications.
While the worst case scenario in this individual case is the ban of HTC Android products, Apple could use the same patents to attack all Android device manufacturers in court. Apple has already filed a compliant against Motorola with the same two patents, and there’s no telling which other companies could expect to see similar lawsuits.
Apple additionally has been in legal tussle with Samsung since April. The two companies have filed ITC complaints against each other with each asking for an import ban on the other’s products.
A less disastrous scenario for HTC would involve the company taking out certain features from its products and/or paying Apple licensing fees to use the patents, if Apple wants to offer that option. HTC is already paying licensing fees to Microsoft for every Android phone it sells, a strategy which seems to be paying off quite well for Microsoft. Paying out additional fees to Apple could end up being a major hit to HTC’s revenues, but it’s certainly better than some alternative outcomes.
Marriage, Obamas, and "Old School"
http://www.newsweek.com/2009/02/13/our-model-marriage.html
Excerpt:
Our Model Marriage
The Obamas have the kind of relationship millennials aspire to.
Kanye West is a tough act to follow—unless you are a middle-aged couple slow dancing to tuba music. It's unlikely that anyone watching last month's Youth Inaugural Ball on TV noticed much difference between how the crowd of millennials welcomed the Louis Vuitton don and how they reacted, a few minutes later, when Barack and Michelle Obama took the stage. But if you were actually in the audience—like me, and my eardrums—the change was impossible to ignore. The young people screamed. The young people sighed. Several young people even began to weep. "I hope my husband looks at me like that someday," said one girl. When the song stopped, Obama leaned into the mike. "That's what's called 'old school'," he cracked. The new-school crowd responded like a bunch of banshees.
At the time, I attributed the scene to inauguration-induced hysteria. But since Jan. 20, a dozen peers have confirmed that what I witnessed in Washington wasn't a fluke. "Yeah," a friend admitted. "I'm totally obsessed with the two of them together." Which got me thinking: havethe president and his wife become for 20-somethings what the stars of "Twilight" are for tweens—the swooniest couple around? And if so, what does that say about us?
My hunch is that millennials are going gaga over Barack and Michelle because they want to be Barack and Michelle. It's not that other generations can't admire the Obamas' bond; their marriage—a union of self-sufficient equals—embodies the post-'60s ideal. But unlike their elders, most millennials have yet to experience marriage firsthand, and what they've experienced by proxy hasn't been particularly encouraging: a 50 percent divorce rate, a steep rise in single parenthood, a culture captivated by cheap celebrity hookups. Even America's most visible household hasn't offered much hope, veering from '50s-era subservience (the Reagans) to boomer dysfunction (the Clintons). But now the Obamas—two independent individuals who also appear to be (surprise!) in love—have filled the void. For young people who have rejected the tired "wife in the kitchen" template but resolved not to follow their parents to divorce court, it's a relief to see that the sort of marriage they hope to have—equal and devoted—can actually exist.
Amazon’s Tablet Is No Threat To Apple, It’s A Huge Threat To Google
http://techcrunch.com/2011/07/13/amazon-tablet-android/
Excerpt:
The key point is that Amazon’s first tablet, any way you slice it, sounds like just as much of a threat to the iPad as all the other Android tablets have been so far. That is to say, no threat at all. Instead, it will likely be more of a threat to their own Kindle device (it’s hard to make the “this device is no good for reading” argument out of one side of your mouth while saying the opposite out of the other). And much more so, it will be a huge threat to Google.
Back in March, when Amazon released their own Android Appstore, I made the case for why Amazon now had to release their own Android-powered devices. Simply put, the process to install the Android appstore is way too complicated, Amazon needs devices they can ship with the store pre-installed. And more importantly, their stores pre-installed. As in, any device they ship is going to be filled with Amazon to the brim. That includes the ability to sign in to your Amazon Prime account the buy things with one click.
When that happens, Amazon will have an Android tablet that is more compelling than any other Android tablet on the market on day one. There are plenty of whispers of Google planning their own “Nexus” tablet for later this year when the Ice Cream Sandwich variety of Android is ready to go, but the consumer ease-of-use that Amazon can offer will likely trump anything Google puts out there.
That’s why Google should be scared shitless of this Amazon tablet. Thanks to the “openness” of Android, Google has handed Amazon the keys to the Android kingdom. Amazon is going to launch a tablet that runs Android, but it will be fully Amazon’d. It will use Amazon’s Appstore, it will use Amazon movies, it will use Amazon books, it will use Amazon music, etc. Google will have no control over this, even though it will be the seminal Android tablet. That would be terrifying for any brand.
Sure, you could argue that an Amazon Android tablet will still benefit Google because it will lead to more Google searches. But who says that will be the case? If I were Microsoft, I’d go all-in when negotiating with my Seattle technology neighbor to get a Bing search deal done for this new tablet.
Google has been able to control Android so far while keeping it “open” because they offer carrots to partners to stay with them for most services. Those carrots are Google apps, Google branding, early access to new Android builds, etc. But Amazon likely won’t care about those things. They could be the first major player to use Android that Google has absolutely no control over.
This is going to be fascinating to watch. All I know is that if I were Apple, I wouldn’t be too concerned by this Amazon tablet. Next year, maybe. But not now. But if I were Google, I’d put down those Android carrots I’ve been offering up and go find my stick.
"What G+ is really about (pst!!! it's not...
 | "What G+ is really about (pst!!! it's not social") -- +Vincent Wong Believe it? Go here http://bit.ly/qfHKZQ and see his G+ photo album that argues the case. (Just click the first photo.) As a subtle counterpoint, or maybe an attenuation, it reminds me of one of my first posts here: http://bit.ly/o9NC7N People continue to talk about G+ being a Twitter & Facebook killer, but if that happens, that's besides the point. G+ is something new and inspires its own behavior & userbase. That said, can you guess who Vincent Wong thinks should be worried about G+? |
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