Just for Fun

  • It Would Be Funnier If It Wasn’t So Sad

    There is a kernel of truth in most good humor.  So last week I posted a clip of Jon Stewart poking fun at CNBC on the Daily Show … and it was funny.  This week, Jim Cramer went on the Daily Show to defend himself … and the results are funnier, with even more kernels of truth.  Here are un-edited extended versions of that interview.  This is certainly worth watching.

    Part 1 of the Interview.

    Part 2 of the Interview.

    Part 3 of the Interview.

    Click here to see more of the Daily Show's and Colbert's Best Jim Cramer Moments.

  • It Would Be Funnier If It Wasn’t So Sad

    There is a kernel of truth in most good humor.  So last week I posted a clip of Jon Stewart poking fun at CNBC on the Daily Show … and it was funny.  This week, Jim Cramer went on the Daily Show to defend himself … and the results are funnier, with even more kernels of truth.  Here are un-edited extended versions of that interview.  This is certainly worth watching.

    Part 1 of the Interview.

    Part 2 of the Interview.

    Part 3 of the Interview.

    Click here to see more of the Daily Show's and Colbert's Best Jim Cramer Moments.

  • Social Media 101 – The Name Land-grab

    Real Estate is about location, location, location.  That's true on the web as well.  Years ago, I watched people rush to register Internet domains.  Well it's happening again; only this time it is on a wide-range of social media sites.

    Before I go further, or before you decide to skip to the next article, here's a piece of advice worth paying attention taking; Register your name, your company name, and any other product or keyword you want to protect on Twitter.

    I'll take that even further; register those names on other social media services as well. I'm talking about companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, and Digg. Even if you don't believe you'll use the service, you may not want someone else talking to the public using a name that they may associate with you. Here is a link to a service that helps you reserve your name.

    I watched my kids use instant messages, texting from their phones, and
    then Facebook. Slowly I've adopted these technologies. Still, it's hard
    for me to believe that I'm using Twitter.  If you're not using them
    yet, you probably will soon.

    The Big Three:

    090306 LinkedIn Logo
    LinkedIn is the most corporate of the services. It's an enhanced resume with a clever algorithm to figure out how you can connect to someone else. So, if I wanted to contact Mark Cuban, it would tell me which of my director second level contacts have contacts with him.

    090306 Facebook Logo
    Facebook used to be for college students, but has quickly become the most popular social media application. I'm amazed at how many business people use this as their primary form of keeping in touch with people socially.  The Facebook platform is evolving quickly and is very easy to customize by telling it that you want to see you more of this and less of that.

    090306 Twitter Logo
    Twitter is getting popular quickly; and it has a lot of business momentum.  It drives traffic and is quickly becoming useful as form of search engine that shows trends and what's happening right now.  I see more third party development and support for Twitter than the other platforms combined.  I didn't "get" Twitter at first; but it is growing on me.

    Here is a cartoon comparing the three services.

    090306 Making Friends in Social Media

    • On LinkedIn it seems like connections are made based on worthiness. 
    • On
      Facebook connections are based on how you know the other person
      (and
      it's common to have more Facebook friends been LinkedIn connections).
    • On Twitter your follower list is more elastic; people will come and people will go
      (and it's common to have more Twitter followers than Facebook friends). 

    So go register some names, and next time I'll share some of the tools I use to make using social media easier and more productive.

  • Social Media 101 – The Name Land-grab

    Real Estate is about location, location, location.  That's true on the web as well.  Years ago, I watched people rush to register Internet domains.  Well it's happening again; only this time it is on a wide-range of social media sites.

    Before I go further, or before you decide to skip to the next article, here's a piece of advice worth paying attention taking; Register your name, your company name, and any other product or keyword you want to protect on Twitter.

    I'll take that even further; register those names on other social media services as well. I'm talking about companies like Facebook, LinkedIn, FriendFeed, StumbleUpon, and Digg. Even if you don't believe you'll use the service, you may not want someone else talking to the public using a name that they may associate with you. Here is a link to a service that helps you reserve your name.

    I watched my kids use instant messages, texting from their phones, and
    then Facebook. Slowly I've adopted these technologies. Still, it's hard
    for me to believe that I'm using Twitter.  If you're not using them
    yet, you probably will soon.

    The Big Three:

    090306 LinkedIn Logo
    LinkedIn is the most corporate of the services. It's an enhanced resume with a clever algorithm to figure out how you can connect to someone else. So, if I wanted to contact Mark Cuban, it would tell me which of my director second level contacts have contacts with him.

    090306 Facebook Logo
    Facebook used to be for college students, but has quickly become the most popular social media application. I'm amazed at how many business people use this as their primary form of keeping in touch with people socially.  The Facebook platform is evolving quickly and is very easy to customize by telling it that you want to see you more of this and less of that.

    090306 Twitter Logo
    Twitter is getting popular quickly; and it has a lot of business momentum.  It drives traffic and is quickly becoming useful as form of search engine that shows trends and what's happening right now.  I see more third party development and support for Twitter than the other platforms combined.  I didn't "get" Twitter at first; but it is growing on me.

    Here is a cartoon comparing the three services.

    090306 Making Friends in Social Media

    • On LinkedIn it seems like connections are made based on worthiness. 
    • On
      Facebook connections are based on how you know the other person
      (and
      it's common to have more Facebook friends been LinkedIn connections).
    • On Twitter your follower list is more elastic; people will come and people will go
      (and it's common to have more Twitter followers than Facebook friends). 

    So go register some names, and next time I'll share some of the tools I use to make using social media easier and more productive.

  • First Impressions of the New Kindle.

    090227 Kindle

    Frankly, I didn't think I would love it. I was wrong.  Perhaps more important than just "loving it", I like using it.

    It's thin, light, and easy-to-read. At first I wasn't sure it felt right … But, at first, I didn't buy the leather cover. Believe it or not, that made a big difference. I like that it now feels like a "book" in my hands. There is a lot to like, and I got used to it very quickly.

    A Mini Feature Review:  Here are the basics.

    • Terrific Display: it uses fast and crisp E-Ink technology;
    • Huge Capacity: it will hold over 1,500 books;
    • Wireless: it has built-in free access to Sprint's data network;
    • Great Battery Life: it lasts for more that 4-days worth of reading, even with the wireless on;
    • Built-in Keyboard: to annotate text, or to use search capabilities and the Internet;
    • Text-to-Speech: surprisingly well done and useful while driving or doing things.

    Looking Good Is A Good First Step.  While I was waiting for my Kindle to come, I guess the thing I questioned most was whether I'd actually read on it.  Right out-of-the-box, my first impression was that the Kindle had a great display.  I took it outside, and it still looked terrific, even in the bright sunlight. I did have to adjust the font size for it to feel "right" to me. However, it was easy to figure out what felt
    natural (and here is a hint for the older readers … at night, a slightly bigger size is what feels natural to
    me).

    090227 Kindle Is Pencil-Thin
    Having Lots Of Things To Read Is Nice Too    . Carrying a bookcase full of books in pencil-thin package is pretty cool.

    There's over a quarter million books available for the Kindle, and that number is growing rapidly. Many best-sellers are just $9.99, which is much cheaper than the paper versions.  In addition to books, Amazon has made it easy to read web and blog content with the built-in browser and free Sprint data network. Also, you can convert and transfer Microsoft Office and PDF files by e-mailing them to your Kindle's e-mail address.

    Cheap Is Good, Free is Better.  To get you used to reading on the Kindle and using Amazon's store to get the content, they've made an impressive amount of books free. The first book I downloaded was a free copy of the Bible. I heard it was a Good Book. That's good business on many levels.

    Download Sample Chapters To Make Sure You Like It.  Taking that concept a little further, Amazon also makes it easy to download a few sample chapters of many books to your Kindle before buying. This has already changed how I use Amazon, and it adds a key benefit that the storefront bookstores relied on, browsing several books to find the one that suits me. Now, I can do that anywhere and anytime.

    And once the sample is on your Kindle, it's only takes one-click to get the whole thing. It's all very fast, very convenient, and very clever marketing.

    Yes, I sense
    it's the future. And I'm a gadget guy who loves to play with the future
    early. However, I'm also a gadget guy who has a pretty big gadget graveyard for
    things that didn't work so well. The Kindle works well. I can tell
    because I'm using it more, not less.

    All-in-all, I'm impressed.  Next time, I will talk about the business implications of the Kindle on Amazon and its customers, competitors, and suppliers.  Till then, here are a few other links worth exploring.

  • First Impressions of the New Kindle.

    090227 Kindle

    Frankly, I didn't think I would love it. I was wrong.  Perhaps more important than just "loving it", I like using it.

    It's thin, light, and easy-to-read. At first I wasn't sure it felt right … But, at first, I didn't buy the leather cover. Believe it or not, that made a big difference. I like that it now feels like a "book" in my hands. There is a lot to like, and I got used to it very quickly.

    A Mini Feature Review:  Here are the basics.

    • Terrific Display: it uses fast and crisp E-Ink technology;
    • Huge Capacity: it will hold over 1,500 books;
    • Wireless: it has built-in free access to Sprint's data network;
    • Great Battery Life: it lasts for more that 4-days worth of reading, even with the wireless on;
    • Built-in Keyboard: to annotate text, or to use search capabilities and the Internet;
    • Text-to-Speech: surprisingly well done and useful while driving or doing things.

    Looking Good Is A Good First Step.  While I was waiting for my Kindle to come, I guess the thing I questioned most was whether I'd actually read on it.  Right out-of-the-box, my first impression was that the Kindle had a great display.  I took it outside, and it still looked terrific, even in the bright sunlight. I did have to adjust the font size for it to feel "right" to me. However, it was easy to figure out what felt
    natural (and here is a hint for the older readers … at night, a slightly bigger size is what feels natural to
    me).

    090227 Kindle Is Pencil-Thin
    Having Lots Of Things To Read Is Nice Too    . Carrying a bookcase full of books in pencil-thin package is pretty cool.

    There's over a quarter million books available for the Kindle, and that number is growing rapidly. Many best-sellers are just $9.99, which is much cheaper than the paper versions.  In addition to books, Amazon has made it easy to read web and blog content with the built-in browser and free Sprint data network. Also, you can convert and transfer Microsoft Office and PDF files by e-mailing them to your Kindle's e-mail address.

    Cheap Is Good, Free is Better.  To get you used to reading on the Kindle and using Amazon's store to get the content, they've made an impressive amount of books free. The first book I downloaded was a free copy of the Bible. I heard it was a Good Book. That's good business on many levels.

    Download Sample Chapters To Make Sure You Like It.  Taking that concept a little further, Amazon also makes it easy to download a few sample chapters of many books to your Kindle before buying. This has already changed how I use Amazon, and it adds a key benefit that the storefront bookstores relied on, browsing several books to find the one that suits me. Now, I can do that anywhere and anytime.

    And once the sample is on your Kindle, it's only takes one-click to get the whole thing. It's all very fast, very convenient, and very clever marketing.

    Yes, I sense
    it's the future. And I'm a gadget guy who loves to play with the future
    early. However, I'm also a gadget guy who has a pretty big gadget graveyard for
    things that didn't work so well. The Kindle works well. I can tell
    because I'm using it more, not less.

    All-in-all, I'm impressed.  Next time, I will talk about the business implications of the Kindle on Amazon and its customers, competitors, and suppliers.  Till then, here are a few other links worth exploring.

  • So Bad, It’s Good

    Microsoft has a new product that people use to create a new genre of really bad music.  I have to admit that I enjoy it, even though it's like watching a train wreck.

    Microsoft just released Songsmith, a product where you sing the words as best you can, and its software supplies computer-matched musical accompaniment. The truth is that it probably has some pretty advanced technology.

    It has become trendy to take a vintage rock video, strip out the instruments, and then let Songsmith process the classic song in "unexpected" ways.  So, if you want to hear the Police's song, Roxanne, differently than you had before … Songsmith is the right tool for that job.

    To make things worse (or better) Microsoft's promotional video for Songsmith is so bad that it is painful to watch.  It is so campy I suspect it was done intentionally to generate buzz. You've got to see it to believe it.

    Here is the direct link. 

    For the record, I'm a fan of Microsoft.  It may not be a popular
    position to take, but I like and use lots of their software.  They come
    up with many innovative things.  The ad, above, may not be their best
    effort. So watch and listen for yourself?

    Here is the result of Songsmith processing the classic Police song, Roxanne.

    Remember, you get to choose lots of options, like tempo, style, and instruments.  So, someone wanted it to sound like this.  Still, it speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Here is the direct link.

    Here's one with a slightly better result … Oasis' Wonderwall.

    Here is the direct link.

    Here are a few other links worth checking.  Remember, real music sounds better when this stops.

  • So Bad, It’s Good

    Microsoft has a new product that people use to create a new genre of really bad music.  I have to admit that I enjoy it, even though it's like watching a train wreck.

    Microsoft just released Songsmith, a product where you sing the words as best you can, and its software supplies computer-matched musical accompaniment. The truth is that it probably has some pretty advanced technology.

    It has become trendy to take a vintage rock video, strip out the instruments, and then let Songsmith process the classic song in "unexpected" ways.  So, if you want to hear the Police's song, Roxanne, differently than you had before … Songsmith is the right tool for that job.

    To make things worse (or better) Microsoft's promotional video for Songsmith is so bad that it is painful to watch.  It is so campy I suspect it was done intentionally to generate buzz. You've got to see it to believe it.

    Here is the direct link. 

    For the record, I'm a fan of Microsoft.  It may not be a popular
    position to take, but I like and use lots of their software.  They come
    up with many innovative things.  The ad, above, may not be their best
    effort. So watch and listen for yourself?

    Here is the result of Songsmith processing the classic Police song, Roxanne.

    Remember, you get to choose lots of options, like tempo, style, and instruments.  So, someone wanted it to sound like this.  Still, it speaks for itself, doesn't it?  Here is the direct link.

    Here's one with a slightly better result … Oasis' Wonderwall.

    Here is the direct link.

    Here are a few other links worth checking.  Remember, real music sounds better when this stops.

  • Resonant Chamber

    This Animusic video is mesmerizing.  The animation is better than what you find in many video games and adds something to the music, which is pretty good in-and-of itself. 

    The video was not animated by humans.  Instead, the studio that created this video invented an animation engine that analyzes the notes in a piece of music and the engine's algorithms animate from there.

    Fascinating; check-it-out for yourself.

    Here is a direct link to the video on YouTube.  Animusic has their own YouTube Channel.

  • Resonant Chamber

    This Animusic video is mesmerizing.  The animation is better than what you find in many video games and adds something to the music, which is pretty good in-and-of itself. 

    The video was not animated by humans.  Instead, the studio that created this video invented an animation engine that analyzes the notes in a piece of music and the engine's algorithms animate from there.

    Fascinating; check-it-out for yourself.

    Here is a direct link to the video on YouTube.  Animusic has their own YouTube Channel.