Buying Girl Scout Cookie Online

While this may seem like a petty article, to me the ability to buy girl scout cookies online is revolutionary. I love the girl scout cookie season and now you don't even have to know a girl scout to be able to buy thin mints, peanut butter patties or one of the many other delicious cookies.

According to this article from Bloomberg business Weekly the No. 1 reason while people don't buy girl scout cookies is because they can't find a girl scout to buy them from. So accord to the Girl Scouts of America chief communications director they decided to evaluate what they were doing and find a new approach to hopefully solve this problem.

They are calling it the "Digital Cookie" program according to the article. The program will run January through April just like the regular selling season. Another perk to this new initiative is that it allows for credit card payment so that those without cash can still support a girl scout.


More informaiton can be found in this article from Bloomberg Business Weekly or on the Girl Scout website.

This new program has brought the girl scouts into the modern era, which is a big and heavily debated step for them to take. What do you think about this new program, is it hurtful to the idea of what girl scouts do and stand for to create an online ordering area.? Do you think you will buy some girls scout cookies online this season?

In Ear Monitors

Musicians have used In-Ear-Monitors for years. There are different beliefs, but the most widespread is that IEM's started showing up in the late eighties with Stevie Wonder and his engineer, Chris Lindop.

Since that time the technology has developed into custom molds of the musicians ear. 1964 Ears is one company that develops these. Here is a video to give you an idea of who they are and what they do. 

These can be used by professional musicians or just people that are really serious about the music they listen to. 

My question is this. Considering how much money people will spend for "Beats by Dr. Dre" and other brands of headphones that can cost over $300. Do you think people would spend the extra money to get in ear monitors that  are better quality and are molded to their ears?

Viral Social Media

This post is mostly me just being amazed by social media and how it works. We can analyze it all day long and talk about why things happen and what purpose they serve. However, like anything else, sometimes things happen that we can't explain. One recent example is the ongoing craze about "Alex, from target".  The article I read from Yahoo detailed an interview with the girl that took the picture.

Another article explained some of the numbers of his fame, such as followers, tweets, etc.
The article stated,  "Now "Alex from target" has 664,000 followers, fallout from the simple fact that, while at his job bagging groceries at a Target store in Texas, a girl took his picture and said he was cute. Other girls agreed, the picture went viral, and now Alex has been featured on the websites of CNN and The Washington Post. Ellen DeGeneres tweeted at him and (I'm pretty sure he was on the show too.) Five million people have read the BuzzFeed post about him.

All of this happened simply because one girl thought he was cute and wanted to know his name. So her friend took a picture of him with his name tag on.

Biotech / Parkinson's and more

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Google is a corporate giant that seemly has a hand in every type of commerce. In September, Google purchase a company called Lift Tabs. Lift Tabs is a biotech company mostly known for it's creation of a spoon that counteracts the involuntary movement associated with Parkinson's disease and essential tremors.

While it may look a little bulky and odd but inside the "liftware" is a motor that vibrates to stabilize the person's motion as they raise the spoon to their mouth. For more detailed information about this technology look on the essential tremors website. 

Here is a more in depth picture showing how the technology works. 

My thought is, why does google want this? I think the technology is obviously innovative and will be a great help to people that need it. 

Why do you think Google (a search engine giant) wants this Biotechnology?

Nike Magista

On May 6 of 2014 Nike released the new age of football boots. The radical new Magista changes everything that we once knew about football boots.

“Our aim at Nike has always been to meet the athlete’s particular performance demands and amplify his unique set of skills. Magista inherits that transformative history of design and innovation and supercharges it,” comments Mark Parker, NIKE, Inc. CEO and President.

Born from four years of R&D in the Nike Sport Research Lab and with feedback from some of the world’s best attacking playmakers, including Barcelona’s Andrés Iniesta and German forward Mario Gotze, the Magista is designed to enable devastating creativity in a game where space is at a premium.  

                               

Simply put the Magista is the footballer’s greatest tangible asset when it comes to gameplay. Its knit technology allows for the boot to “hug” the player’s foot. Never before has this been seen on a football pitch. This technology allows for unprecedented feel, fit and control by creating a second-skin, sock-like feel.

Nike Article

Health Care and Google

You might be asking yourself what in the world do health care have to do with each other? In this article written for the New York Times blog section: Bits the two things come together. The article is titled Am I Sick? Google Has a Doctor Waiting on Video. We are all guilty of googling our symptoms or a disease we hear that about. This is one step up from that, Google "helpouts" is a program that can connect you with an expert and video chat with them. The medical aspect is a work in progress of obtaining doctors with appropriate credentials to be available for questions.

Beyond this Google has launched itself into the health care world, it is actually one of its largest side projects. According to the NY Times blog they are working on developing a contact lens that monitors glucose levels. Ben Schachter had this to say about Google and its ventures into other areas, "When you’re as big as Google is, there are only so many other markets that matter, and health care is one.”

This idea of technology being used in medicine is not a new one. According to Jonathan Linkous at the American Telemedicine Association says that, “This year, between 800,000 and one million consultations will be done over the Internet directly to consumers in the United States, so clearly customers want this.”

Even new technologies such as Apple IPhones and Androids are joining in on being means to which someone can care for their health using different apps. The technology in medicine is continually expanding, and in many ways which we wouldn’t imagine. How do you feel about Google joining the health care world? Is this a logical move for them and would you feel comfortable using a Google “helpout” to talk to a doctor? 

The Size of Google

This video explains briefly just how massive Google has become. And it shows no sign of slowing down. If you are further interested in just how BIG Google is, you should check out this more detailed video. Recently, Google has been expanding even further. USA today released an article about former Google Executive, Megan Smith, becoming the Chief Technology Officer for the White House. Google is a player in countless markets, buying companies left and right and expanding their reach quickly and easily. When companies get too big or have a monopoly on a market, usually the government steps in. For example, When AT&T was in their big merger, the Government shut it down because the market would have been monopolized. Google has a big hand in countless different market segments. How big are they allowed to become? This is a business and they are creating products and services that enhance human life. How far can they go and still maintain a positive image?

Passwords: We're Doing it Wrong

The article I read quoted Winston Churchill who said, “democracy is the worst form of government ever tried — except for all the others.” The same could be said of computer passwords. They were fine, because it was the top option. However, most people use passwords that are not secure at all. Passwords like “password” or your name or birthday aren’t secure passwords.  The best thing we can do is two or three step authentication. Passwords are fine, but we need something more to be secure. Fingerprint readers, biometric scanners, facial recognition, and yubico keys are all good examples of security measures. Many computers come with a fingerprint reader but they are not popular with many brands because of the difficulty of setting up fingerprints that are accepted. The yubico key is a usb device that detects the electrical energy of your body when touching its surface, to prove that you are a human and not a software robot. We need to do a better job of protecting our online activity. What do you think is the best new technology for better security?

Yubico Key

Anti-Facebook

There is a social media network called Ello is receiving up to 31,000 requests to join per hour, according to its founder, Paul Budnitz. Budnitz originally designed the platform to be used for himself and about 90 other friends. On August 7th, the bike shop owner from Vermont, opened Ello to the public. The response has been incredible. 

The relatively new social media network has been dubbed the 'Anti-Facebook' due to its lack of advertisement. Budnitz was "flattered" by the creative nickname but insists that Facebook is not one of Ello's competitors. "We don't consider Facebook to be a competitor. We see it as an ad platform and we are a network," he explained.

"The traditional model of a free-to-use network has historically been the key to success", said James McQuivey, an analyst at tech research firm Forrester. "Over all the other social media experiences from Whatsapp to Instagram to Pinterest - the reason they work is because they're free," he told the BBC. Budnitz plans to eventually make money by selling features. "Like the app store, we're going to sell features for a few dollars," he said. Whether this is going to solidify itself in the social media world, its yet to be known. Thus far one thing is certain, 'Anti-Facebook' is creating quite a stir in the social media realm.

Anti-Facebook BBC Article 

The iPhone's lock button.... What do you think?

This is pretty specific, but I want to know what people think. The new iPhone has been a hot topic this month.  I’m sure you have already heard about all the new features but if you want a closer look, check out this 3d viewer of the iPhone 6. http://www.iphone6in3d.com

One feature that didn’t get much publicity, but is critical to the new design, is the placement of the lock button. In previous models the lock button has been on the top of the phone on the right side. The iPhone 6 and 6 plus have the lock button about ¾ of the way up the right side.

Personally, I like the new design. I think it fits perfectly, especially since the phones are larger. It would be cumbersome to reach up to lock the phone, especially on the iPhone 6 plus.

What do you think?

Picture This

Imagine this:
Step into a booth, put on a headset and step into the vacation of your dreams. Need a vacation? Feel like going to the beach, or maybe to New York city. Well Marriott has just the thing for you.

Last week Marriott hotel released a new vacation opportunity in eight cities on Marriott properties. The cities its offered in are New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Atlanta, Dallas, San Diego, San Jose, and San Francisco and will be available until November. This technology is equipped with 4D capabilities that according to Lucia Stoller, the director of social marketing for Marriott, makes it so you are "feeling the warn sun on their face, breeze in their hair, the rumble of the waves under food, and ocean spray on their face. They'll also smell lush palm trees, coconut oil and the salty ocean." This technology is equipped with the Oculus Rift DK2 virtual reality headset, wireless headphones and a suite of on-board 4D sensory elements. 

This Technology takes "a picture is worth a thousand words" to a whole new level. This by no means replaces travel, but there a many many uses for this technology. So step into a new world of technology and take a virtual getaway for a little bit to Hawaii, London, or one of the other locations offered by the new Marriott 4D experience.

Musical Revolution

On April 28th of this year iTunes will complete its eleventh birthday and what an eleven years its been. A simple concept of 99-cent singles completely rocked the music industry. Very few concepts have been able to accomplish as much as iTunes in such a small time frame. This simple concept came as a blessing to music lovers and served as a nuclear bomb for the music industry. Revenue was cut in half for the music industry since the birth of iTunes.

Apple orchestrated the perfect storm on the music industry. The iPod was already making quite a splash on the music scene and a runaway hit in it’s right. With such a good base to launch its product, iTunes was a clinical in complementing this one-two punch. One without the other would’ve stunted the growth of the monsters that we know so well today. The dynamic duo didn’t just revolutionize music sales, it simply destroyed it. 

Could music sales ever make a comeback? Most experts think not. Most artist have turned to touring, merchandise sales, and endorsement deals to make up the difference from the loss in revenue. Funny how the world turns. The ones that are in risk of losing its grip in today’s music market is Apple itself. Streaming music services like Spotify attempt to bring more stability to the a seemingly Apple dominated field. Can Apple maintain its superiority on music? It will depend on its ability to transition to the streaming subscription model. One thing is certain, the music industry will never be the same.

http://money.cnn.com/2013/04/25/technology/itunes-music-decline/ 

The Apple Take Over

With the new releases from Apple this week, there has been a lot of buzz about the new and continually advancing technology coming from Apple. Just this week they've released one of the biggest and most dramatic changes in technology since the original release of the iPhone. The tag phrase for this new iPhone 6 release is "bigger than bigger" which emphasizes the hugeness of this release . Included in the major software update is Apple Pay. A new card-less technology way to pay for thing through your Apple products including the new watch.

An article from wired.com suggests that the Apple takeover is upon us and that soon Apple and its products will soon rule our lives. Apple isn't just releasing individual products. All these individual products play into a bigger picture. According to Apple CEO Tim Cook the goal is "the Apple Experience." They aren't just releasing new iPhones, new IOS software, a revolutionary new watch, or whatever it might be. These are products with features that all work together. Apple is calling it their ecosystem

Do you have an iPhone? Is your laptop a Mac or maybe you use an iPad? Even if you don't own one of these things you probably know how to work one. Slowly, or maybe not so slowly Apple is working its way into each persons life, into each household, business, school or whatever it might be. Their goal is to create a computer for all. "The computer in the sky that connects to the computer in you pocket and on your wrist and in your car, your office, and your home," as the wired.com article puts it. Apple is creating products that can be used for everything with features that can be used in every way. Is the Apple takeover upon us? And if it is how long do you think it will take?

Phone/Tablet = Phablet

 The iPhone 6 and 6 Plus were announced yesterday Sept. 9, 2014 at Apple’s event in Cupertino. We all expected a new iPhone or two, and many expected a watch as well. These new products will revolutionize what we expect from our technology. However, I find it interesting that the iPhone 6 plus has a 5.5” diagonal screen. In 2010, at a press conference with a Q and A session, Steve Jobs was asked a question about the iPhone 4 and its antenna issues. They person asking just wanted to know if there was anything they could’ve done to avoid the issue. Jobs took the question as an opportunity to separate Apple even further from other brands. He said that making a phone so big “you can’t get your hand around it” would help, but “no one’s going to buy that.”  Obviously opinions change and I’m sure if Jobs were alive today he would have a clever response. What do you think; are these "phablets" going to hold on and become the norm, or with the smaller iPhone 6 take the lead in sales?

Goal-line Technology in Soccer.

Throughout history one of the biggest dilemmas in soccer worldwide is the question of rather or not the ball has crossed the goal-line. Many goals have been disallowed that crossed the line and many goals have been granted that didn’t quite make it over the line. This has been a pressing issue for quite some time and there never seems to be a simple solution. Well as technology evolved through the years the solution became presented itself. 

The games being played in a tournament, perhaps like the FIFA World Cup or the UEFA Champion’s League, have many millions riding on it. With such large amounts of money being shelled out for advancing in these tournament it becomes imperative that the officials minimize any officiating mistakes. FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association) is the governing body for soccer worldwide and they decided to take the goal-line issue out of the referee’s hands and rely on technology.

FIFA decided to place a micro chip in the ball, sensors in the goal posts, and a watch that receives all the information. The beauty of this process is that it is instant and virtually mistake free. The second that the entire ball has crossed the line the watch receives a signal from the sensors on the goal that has picked up the signals from the microchip in the ball alerting the referee that the ball has crossed. The whole process is instant and the center referee is the only one that receives any notification for he is the only one wearing this watch.

This past summer during the FIFA World Cup in Brazil this technology was introduced to much success. It came to be used many times throughout the tournament and not once did it fail. It is now also in use in the major European leagues with plans of reaching out to the rest of the world in the near future. Just one more way that technology is making the difference in the world.