(Font) Size Does Matter

http://www.newsvine.com/_news/2007/12/19/1174343-tattooed-privates-prove-not-so-private

More funny stuff. in a disturbing kind of way. The question is who gives nicknames to their penis? If some people do, do the nickname and the kind of nickname increase their chances of getting some action. I'm thinking of naming mine "El Rey". As in Kneel before your king. How's that? ok i'll stop now.

Catch Up Time: Funny on the WWW

Since it's beginning to slow down at work, i thought i'd catch up on this blog as well as see what's cooking on 'the internets'. Digg, Delicious, BoingBoing are getting a lot of clicks from me. Thanks to Digg in particular for making me laugh out loud. Here's one that i dugg up from Digg images


Valleywag.com is running a caption contest. and the entries are just hilarious. some of my favorites

• It's like a Wi-Fi status bar, for your ass.
• The only guys who think thongs are sexy are the guys that still think that girls don't poop.
• miss, you DO know your ass isn't covered under the applecare protection plan, right?

More funny stuff on the web to follow...

Effin' Genius

More news from Google. Absolutely brilliant!

Males all over now have the green light to ask directions...

Arsenal unleashed

woo

Google out to Rule World

Buy Nokia Now

or if you already own Navteq stock, hold on to it. I thought GPS was already moving into mainstream. but this transaction just accelerates that further. Buy Nokia stock now ($36.65 at close today)

The Apple Roadmap

Won't comment on the launch since it's all over the internet anyway (just go to digg to get the most popular apple fanboy news item there). What's interesting to me is the evolution of the iPod through the years (are we on 6th gen now?). in hindsight, the evolution has been almost predictable, in a weird deja vu'ish kind of way. The common thread is the waterfalling of features over time. At the lower level of the product stack, you'll see the shuffles and the nanos taking on some of the 'older' features of its more sophisticated siblings. In this round, the nano is now video enabled. In the higher rung, you see the iPod taking on 90% of the iPhone features. and, as you move further up, aren't the iPhone and more broadly the whole smart phone family just watered down notebooks in smaller packaging (MIDs, UMDs)?

Here's my prediction:

1. iPod Touch becomes Apples 'best' (as in good better best) offer in the iPod line -- either nano or Classic goes away. This will happen when Apple is ready to offer a 'fatter' Touch product with bigger capacity.
2. Either the Touch or the iPhone becomes their MID/UMD play as WIMAX goes mainstream in late 08/09. No need for mobile carriers if you have WIMAX and VOIP.
3. on the design side, macbooks due for a refresh. Am i the only one to notice the similarity between the iMacs and the iPod's design? The macbooks should follow.

End result is an elegant product line that should meet every consumer lifestyle and life cycle needs.

Do'h NBC to End iTunes Sales of Its Shows

"NBC Universal, unable to come to an agreement with Apple on pricing, has decided not to renew its contract to sell digital downloads of television shows on iTunes."Media giants have new brilliant plan for making more money from their content: by pulling them off the most popular online music + video store.

Eff you very much NBC. I didn't mind paying iTunes $2.99 for missed The Office episodes. Now i'll have sit through all the crap you have on nbc.com just to see the entire show. THis also may be the tipping point for me to get a dual tv tuner for my media pc.

read more | digg story

Rennaisance - Austin and the Marriott - Round Rock

Spent two straight weeks in Austin and was lucky enough to get rooms at two great hotels. I'll remember to always try to stay at Marriott hotels. Top notch. Both get 4.5-5. Will also have to see how their stock is doing.

Shameless plug...

...for PostSecret. I bought the book months ago. I am hooked on the site which doesn't get updated often enough (every week on Sunday).

And no, I did not send the card on the left.

iPhone Finally

Much has already been said about iPhone -- real or perceived (Google it). Well, the rubber finally hits the road for Apple in a few days.

AT&T released their iPhone service plan today (see image). The first thing that jumped at me was that unlimited data is built into every plan. that leads me to think that they're trying to pull people into the internet usage model -- youtube viewing, itunes integration, etc. It's the right move in my opinion.

As a point of comparison, I pay about $89 for my Intel phone. It's comparable to the $79 iPhone plan but i do get 100 more minutes. But I don't get visual voicemail, and the rollover minutes. So the iPhone plan is slightly better.

Of course, this completely ignores the hardware cost. this will be barrier to entry for some. But it's obvious Apple is after early adopters who are probably less price sensitive than the average consumer. Over time, cost and price will go down. At that point, whether the iPhone has generated good/bad press, we'll see how well this product is more broadly accepted.

Courtyard Hillsboro

Generally speaking, I love staying at the Courtyard -- cheap, clean bathrooms, crisp white sheets. This one is no exception...save for the unusual smell that greets you when you walk into room. uhm, the only way to describe it is that it 'smells like feet'. it's not that bad. besides, it's better than smelling like ass.

Fantastic Four 2: Rise of the Silver Surfer

Embedding the trailer above. It's only one of the few trailers of the film that I've seen so far. I hate to admit it but I'm looking forward to this film, even though I'm not a fan of the comic book. My brothers and I collected it at one point along with XMen and Spidey titles. When the publishers saw that multi titles and cross promotion increased readership, it became too costly to be buying and following all three comic books. It was bye-bye to FF4.

Back to the film. I didn't find the first film that interesting. The FF4 I grew up reading weren't that earthbound when it came to battling evil. Besides 4 against 1 (DR Doom) isn't really a match by any stretch of imagination. Which is why I like that Marvel pulled out the one FF4 storyline that resonates to its long time fans. At least that's what i expect from the Rise.

If I'm correct, the film will pit the Four against Galactus. Not your typical bad guy, Galactus is devourer of worlds but is also considered a force of nature much like Death is. He relies on his Heralds to seek out worlds that will satisfy his cosmic appetite. The Silver Surfer is his Herald in this particular FF4 chapter. And he has Earth on his lunch special.

SPOILER ALERT.

One of the trailers I saw alludes to this plot. In the comic book, at least, FF4 succeeds in turning back Galactus - in fact almost killing the guy - with the help of SS and Dr Strange. It is only through Reed's 'change of heart', thinking that killing a force of nature would have serious effects on the fabrics of reality, that Galactus is restored back to cosmic health. This also leads to SS getting punished and exiled on earth by Galactus and, later on, Reed getting tried by a galactic tribunal for crimes against the universe (for saving G). But I don't think the story will go this far. If anything, it opens the door for more Marvel features down the road. Secret Wars film adaptation perhaps?

Gotta buy Marvel stock now.

Google Takes Stake In Sergey’s Wife’s Biotech Company

Here’s an odd story. Google just took a $3.9 million stake in a biotech company called 23andMe Inc. The company was co-founded by Anne Wojcicki, who married Google co-founder Sergey Brin earlier this month. Other investors in the round include Genentech, MDV-Mohr Davidow Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. Read more by clicking on link below.

The author asks in the end, 'what's the connection with Google?' Pretty obvious to me. It's just Google being Google. Think of all the data stored in a person's DNA. Granted, we probably can't explain most of it at this point. But at least we've mapped it already thanks to Google and the Human Genome Project so that'll happen sooner or later. and when that happens, think of all the valuable information Google can glean from all that data. And then watch Google 'monetize' that information. In the final analysis, the initial $4M investment will be viewed as a rounding error in Google's ledgers.

read more | digg story

What Would Google Do?

What would Google do if they were our bank or credit card company, with access to our every purchase?

More on the dugg article shortly. Oh the pressure... of owning a blog. Even it's really just mostly the moral equivalent of talking to myself. Pathetic. Must. Blog. Now. As a result, I haven't been the most discriminate when it comes to blog topics. So i latch on the first topics that catches my attention. Which brings me to the digg article (link below).

Blogger O'Reilly puts forward some interesting applications to mashing massive amounts of digitized data and data mining them. O'Reilly writes:

What would Google do? What would Google do if they were our bank or credit card company, with access to our every purchase, our bank balance, our history of paying late or early, our salary and our savings rate, our preferences for where we like to eat or shop? What would Google do if they were our phone company, with access to our every phone call sent or received, how long we talk to Joe and how quickly we call Mary back? What would Google do if they ran our supermarket's loyalty card program, tracking our every purchase?

Sounds too much like Orwell's 1986? Maybe. But i say, George was two decades ahead of his time. Bring it on Google or whoever decides to run with this idea (uhm Google). I'm already suffering from information fatigue. Daily, constant multitasking is beginning to take its toll. I'm also not getting any younger, so I could use all the help i can get in offloading some decision making to technology. Like helping me determine the precise moment to buy low fat vs whole milk for household consumption. We've never gotten it right so we end up running out or throwing away spoiled milk. A rather simplistic example, i know. But Mrs Traveler and I spend waaaay too much time agonizing over this every week.

Or what would Google do if it were a sports team? All those stats finally being put to good use. Can you say moneyball? At a more mundane level, I could use all the help i can get on my fantasy teams.

I'm surprised this hasn't been dugg as much -- 4 so far including me. Before it's all over, I'm betting O'Reilly's blog will be self fulfilling. All yours, Google.

read more | digg story

Joost launches

Well, it's official, Joost just launched. there's been onslaught of news items and press releases on the launch and the various deals they've signed. Good for them. I'm still waiting for the killer content, and no SI's swimsuit edition video doesn't count. I'm watching this space closely.

Ebay Goes Widgets

Shameles Ebay plug. Cool new feature. I'm a big fan of widgets -- the web in bite-size snack servings. Even more importantly, comic books are going for these prices?! In case, the widget lapses, this particular ed is listed at $100 plus. that's ridiculous considering we bought ours at $1 at today's prices. That's more than i can say about my stocks. My brothers and I have this one in particular. Cha-ching.

DUGG: Sheryl Crow Suggests Limiting Americans Use To One Square Per Sitting

From the article:
Sheryl Crow: I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions.

Gave me good chuckle. Read more below by following the read more link. More importantly, read the comments on digg. Hi-larious.

I 'second' most of the comments made on Digg. Though i do think one can get by using one square of moist wipes...sometimes, not all the time. Let's just leave it at that. ;P

read more | digg story

Marriott Courtyard Anaheim

Part 2 of my {infinite} part series "Better Know a Hotel" (Mandatory Colbert reference there). Getting to know Marriott Courtyard Anaheim. Seeing as it was constructed fairly recently (2006), I had zero complaints about this hotel. It's brand new. Carpet was clean, bathrooms pristine, AC running smoothly, sheets were crisp white, mattress was just the right firmness, no problems getting on their wifi which was free unlike most hotels (booo). Very nice. I was half expecting flat screen TVs. But that's okay. My stay there was very good. 5 out of 5 stars.

Joost Official Beta Tester

Big effing deal, right? For now, it is for most people. I still think this may be the next killer app, a new kind of convergence -- Internet and TV. MIcrosoft's concept of WebTV on steroids.

Still, the Joost experience could be a lot richer in my opinion. Video quality is not high-def. But it's okay for day-to-day viewing. I don't need HD for Colbert or Heroes anyway.

And speaking of Colbert, when is Joost going to start showing The Report on their Comedy Central listings? This goes to the heart of my concerns with Joost. If Joost is just beta testing overall service delivery, it passes with flying colors. But if Joost wants to be a game changer, or introduce a 'new kind of normal', it needs to show more popular series. This will allow users to testand compare TV by appointment vs TV on demand.

Personally, I long for the day when i don't have to rearrange my day to catch/watch primetime TV. I think overall, that is the intent of Joost. Kudos to them. But they're missing out on an opportunity to win over the early adopters and future influencers of the technology.

Slow Day

Slow Day at work. One, it's Spring Break for most. Even for non-students, it's a good excuse to take some time off. Two, it's a Friday. Three, it's Good Friday. That's not to say that people are observing and going on vacation to celebrate Christ's 'death anniversary.' Some people, especially those from devout Roman Catholic countries, do take that seriously though. Lastly, the weather is perfect here in sunny (northern) California. I'm knocking off right now...

Welcome to Joost

Finally. I got an invite from a co-worker the other day. I proceeded to download the app and was glad that it was pain-free and uneventful. I decided to download on my media center PC which was hooked up to our living room TV. i'd like to try Joost on a 10-ft (vs 2 ft) experience. I already spend too much time on my notebook. My eyes need the rest. I may give in to the urge of installing it on my thinkpad. It will come in handy for when i have to travel.

As i fired it up, i was immediately impressed. I like the GUI -- had that Vista feel to it, not that I am completely enamored by Vista. The video res wasn't top notch but i didn't care. It suited my needs.

I decided to give it a spin and zeroed in on the soccer channel. Most of the 'episodes' were mash-ups of goal highlights, not unlike those you see on Youtube, only cleaner and professionally produced. As soccer is my favorite sport, I enjoyed the episodes.

More on my experience and my comments on content later...

Weary Traveler

I am also a weary traveler. I've always wanted to capture biz travel pics with my camera phone (Treo) and collect them. Of particular interests are hotels I stay in. Somehow I feel this strong urge to take photos of the rooms, maybe as a reminder for next time I'm in the same city, i know which dumpy hotel I should be avoiding. Luckily, I have yet to stay in one.

Here's my first pic on this blog. From my trip to CHicago about two weeks ago. I stayed at the Hyatt in downtown Chicago just off of Michigan ave. I rate it, as most travel sites do, a four-star.

i stayed on the 4th floor, so i didn't have much of a view. but the room was nice and clean. It also had a clockradio with an built ipod dock. Cool.

I'm all Joost up

I had been hearing about Joost for a while and am signed up to be a beta user. Recently received word from the company that the beta version is Joost around the corner.

I'm not yet convinced it has amassed enough content critical mass. It'll get there eventually but how soon and how much remain to be seen. They did sign up Viacom (MTV, Comedy Central, Paramount Pictures) recently so that's a big baby step. Another niche media player followed yesterday (sorry, can't find the link). Again, no question in my mind that more will follow. They better hurry as more players are jumping into the fray. NBC and Fox recently jumped into the online video fray with their announcement today.

Still fragmentation ultimately leads to consolidation/aggregation and I think Joost and their model are well-positioned for that. Consumers end up winners here. Big business? Not so sure. Tivo, Netflix and other new age content distributors must be shaking in their boots. I also happen to think it makes DMAs and DMA related devices like the Apple TV and Media Center PCs obsolete or at least redundant. All a person really needs from fully enabled Joost ecosystem is a PC. Make it an all-in-one PC with a 40 inch monitor (not there yet) and you've got essentially a web-enabled TV with access to all the content in Joost's servers.

Which brings us back to the importance of content. Personally, I'm happy they have Comedy Central. When I finally get my access, I can finally catch up to all the The Daily Show and The Colbert Report episodes I've missed. But I do look forward to the day when I can just plant my ass on the couch after a hard day's work, fire up my computer with 42 inch monitor, then navigate to "My Joost" with my own show listing, then watch my shows on my own time.

Can't wait.

It's begun...

I just set up this account. I've been wanting to for a long time. No direction yet. it'll be dynamic and organic for sure. So wish me luck...