Tretakoff Musings
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Ultimate Connected Device...through Sneakernet?
Let me start by saying that I love my Dash GPS. Billed as the world's first 2-way connected GPS, it offers me all I hoped for and more: real-time traffic, including crowdsourced data from other Dash users; the ability to send an address to the GPS from the web, so it's waiting for me...list goes on.
Got an e-mail update from them yesterday. Hidden in it was this tidbit:
I'm sure they'll say that the update would be too dense for over the air, but you live by the sword; you die by it. C'mon, Dash: put some damage control in place ASAP by sending a note that the update will primarily be available over the air, but the DVD will be sent as a backup, "just in case."
Let me start by saying that I love my Dash GPS. Billed as the world's first 2-way connected GPS, it offers me all I hoped for and more: real-time traffic, including crowdsourced data from other Dash users; the ability to send an address to the GPS from the web, so it's waiting for me...list goes on.Got an e-mail update from them yesterday. Hidden in it was this tidbit:
Um, let me make sure I understand. You make a GPS who's primary selling point is that it's always connected online, via WiFi or GPRS. It's called the "connected GPS." And the method you are using to send the Winter update...is the U.S. Mail??? Worse, on a DVD, so I have to connect the Dash to the computer, rather than just over the air?GET READY: New maps & software coming soon
We're putting the finishing touches on our Winter08 software release featuring updated maps of the United States and Canada plus a number of enhancements. Since this one is chock full of data, it will be sent to you on DVD. To request your free upgrade DVD, please enter your shipping address in the MyAccount area at MyDash.
I'm sure they'll say that the update would be too dense for over the air, but you live by the sword; you die by it. C'mon, Dash: put some damage control in place ASAP by sending a note that the update will primarily be available over the air, but the DVD will be sent as a backup, "just in case."
Monday, October 27, 2008
Full of Hot Air
Sightseeing by Zeppelin comes to the Bay Area. And CNet's Tom Merritt shows us what it's like.
Labels: business, San Francisco
Sharing is NOT Social Networking
An article in today's Boston Globe caught my eye: Barnes & Noble announced they would launch a site for customers to track their interests and favorite authors, and "share information with Facebook and other social networks." The headline of said article? "Barnes & Noble goes social networking."
Intrigued, as the article was picked up by a few retail-centric newsletters I read, I signed up. The results were disappointing, to say the least: it's not much more than a "build my library" feature. The "social networking?" It consists of a "Share" button that allows you to post an article to Digg or Facebook. You're kidding, right? That's not social networking; that's ShareThis, the same type of widget I put on the end of my posts to allow you to share my thoughts with others.
To be fair, I don't put the blame on this embarrassment on B&N; I put this squarely at the feet of the AP reporter, who's lead in the article started with "Barnes & Noble is playing the social network game." That's just poor reporting; my guess is the reporter simply read the press release, and rather than check out the site and report on it, they simply went with a hot lead. Of course, I could be completely wrong: the "social networking" features of My BN may be so hard to find that they were not apparent to me after 10 minutes, in which case they deserve the blame.
In any case, someone deserves to be called out for this, so consider yourself called out. Don't dress an elephant in pink chiffon and call it a ballerina; many retailers are using social networking in an interesting and creative way. This is hardly worthy of the title.
An article in today's Boston Globe caught my eye: Barnes & Noble announced they would launch a site for customers to track their interests and favorite authors, and "share information with Facebook and other social networks." The headline of said article? "Barnes & Noble goes social networking."Intrigued, as the article was picked up by a few retail-centric newsletters I read, I signed up. The results were disappointing, to say the least: it's not much more than a "build my library" feature. The "social networking?" It consists of a "Share" button that allows you to post an article to Digg or Facebook. You're kidding, right? That's not social networking; that's ShareThis, the same type of widget I put on the end of my posts to allow you to share my thoughts with others.
To be fair, I don't put the blame on this embarrassment on B&N; I put this squarely at the feet of the AP reporter, who's lead in the article started with "Barnes & Noble is playing the social network game." That's just poor reporting; my guess is the reporter simply read the press release, and rather than check out the site and report on it, they simply went with a hot lead. Of course, I could be completely wrong: the "social networking" features of My BN may be so hard to find that they were not apparent to me after 10 minutes, in which case they deserve the blame.
In any case, someone deserves to be called out for this, so consider yourself called out. Don't dress an elephant in pink chiffon and call it a ballerina; many retailers are using social networking in an interesting and creative way. This is hardly worthy of the title.
Labels: bullshit, business, social networks
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Gluttons for Punishment?
I was pretty excited about a new mashup of Google Maps, called Route You. In their own words:
Ok, so the cool aspect of the site is that it would give routes that were custom catered to non-automobiles: walking, bikes, and scooters. Great! Just what I was looking for to avoid those freeway-addicted Google Maps. Easy enough: signed up, headed over, indicated I was looking for the fastest route via bike, plotted my start point and my finish point, and voila: a perfect, bike-friendly route. Right? RIGHT?
Um, No.
While the route they produced did have a big plus, in that it showed an elevation chart for the ride, it completely failed on the core competency of navigating: it directed me to a freeway. Now, I know: the site is free, and you get what you pay for, but this is utter foolishness: you specifically set yourself up as a site that is providing non-auto related directions, and you include freeway navigation? Fail.
To be fair, if I wanted to plot the whole route out, waypoint by waypoint, I could have, and it would have been very accuate. For that, however, there is another option: MapMyRide, formerly RouteSlip. Although the site has more advertising on it than a NASCAR entry, it offers a ton more in the way of calculation and automatic work. Want to figure out how many calories you burn on your ride? Done. Need to see the local bike shops on your route, in case you need supplies. Boom. Want your iPhone to automatically log your rides and send the stats to the website? Got it. They even offer training programs, and suggested rides, based on your workouts. Now THAT is a bike-friendly site.
We produce and translate raw route-information towards digital structured data.
We also create route-networks for GPS navigation systems. Our focus is mainly outdoor navigation for tourists, hikers, cyclists and motorbikers. During the outdoor activity, the user wants to be navigated via the most suitable and relaxing route, rather than the shortest or fastest.
We produce these kind of routes and route-networks which allow route-planning and turn-by-turn navigation for cyclists, hikers, citytrippers, motorbikers...
Ok, so the cool aspect of the site is that it would give routes that were custom catered to non-automobiles: walking, bikes, and scooters. Great! Just what I was looking for to avoid those freeway-addicted Google Maps. Easy enough: signed up, headed over, indicated I was looking for the fastest route via bike, plotted my start point and my finish point, and voila: a perfect, bike-friendly route. Right? RIGHT?Um, No.
While the route they produced did have a big plus, in that it showed an elevation chart for the ride, it completely failed on the core competency of navigating: it directed me to a freeway. Now, I know: the site is free, and you get what you pay for, but this is utter foolishness: you specifically set yourself up as a site that is providing non-auto related directions, and you include freeway navigation? Fail.
To be fair, if I wanted to plot the whole route out, waypoint by waypoint, I could have, and it would have been very accuate. For that, however, there is another option: MapMyRide, formerly RouteSlip. Although the site has more advertising on it than a NASCAR entry, it offers a ton more in the way of calculation and automatic work. Want to figure out how many calories you burn on your ride? Done. Need to see the local bike shops on your route, in case you need supplies. Boom. Want your iPhone to automatically log your rides and send the stats to the website? Got it. They even offer training programs, and suggested rides, based on your workouts. Now THAT is a bike-friendly site.Labels: biking, Google Maps
Friday, October 24, 2008
Blogging from the iPhone?
Trying out a dedicated Blogger iPhone app. I'm hopeful, as it looks useful and yet another way to kill my laptop usage for day to day things. Of course, with a decided lack of copy and paste, it's already a handicap.
One nice note: with this app, they released a version with reduced functionality for free, so that you can, in essence, try before you buy. This lack of trial capability for the vast majority of the iPhone apps is yet one more problem plaguing Apple's App Store. Hopefully, with the release of the Android-powered G1 this week, competition will spur improvement.
One nice note: with this app, they released a version with reduced functionality for free, so that you can, in essence, try before you buy. This lack of trial capability for the vast majority of the iPhone apps is yet one more problem plaguing Apple's App Store. Hopefully, with the release of the Android-powered G1 this week, competition will spur improvement.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Pete: Electric Bike Test Pilot
My friend Pete, who writes the popular Treough blog, has a post up on his exclusive opportunity to test ride the new Pi Electric Bike. As a cycling commuter who hates hills, I am thrilled about the possibilities of this transportation option. Not to mention how damned cool it looks.
Pete, congrats on being a breaking transportation reporter!
My friend Pete, who writes the popular Treough blog, has a post up on his exclusive opportunity to test ride the new Pi Electric Bike. As a cycling commuter who hates hills, I am thrilled about the possibilities of this transportation option. Not to mention how damned cool it looks.Pete, congrats on being a breaking transportation reporter!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Drive Through Shopping?
I'm not sure what to make of this one. At my local Best Buy, I was greeted with a dedicated parking space and this sign to the left of the doors. I've seen similar signs at places like The Cheesecake Factory and Chili's, but not for a retail store before.
What intrigues me is the smaller sign that asks you to call upon your arrival; this implies that there will be some special response in doing so. I can only imagine it will be them bringing your purchase to your car, sparing you from the elements, so you don't have to sully yourself in picking up that iPod.
Anyone have any light to shed on this program?
I'm not sure what to make of this one. At my local Best Buy, I was greeted with a dedicated parking space and this sign to the left of the doors. I've seen similar signs at places like The Cheesecake Factory and Chili's, but not for a retail store before.What intrigues me is the smaller sign that asks you to call upon your arrival; this implies that there will be some special response in doing so. I can only imagine it will be them bringing your purchase to your car, sparing you from the elements, so you don't have to sully yourself in picking up that iPod.
Anyone have any light to shed on this program?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Facebook Pizza
Word today of one of the potentially most momentous occasions of the evolution of the top social media platform. Yes, not only has it been proving more popular than porn, but you can now finally free yourself from the frustration of having to leave the walled garden of Facebook to order your cheese pie, as Pizza Hut has debuted a Facebook app that allows you to order your pizza directly from the Facebook environment.
No word yet if you have to add the delivery driver as a friend first.
Word today of one of the potentially most momentous occasions of the evolution of the top social media platform. Yes, not only has it been proving more popular than porn, but you can now finally free yourself from the frustration of having to leave the walled garden of Facebook to order your cheese pie, as Pizza Hut has debuted a Facebook app that allows you to order your pizza directly from the Facebook environment.No word yet if you have to add the delivery driver as a friend first.
Labels: Facebook
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
An Embarrassment Of Riches
Yesterday, as I sat in the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, I almost choked on my sandwich. The TV above the bar reported that my beloved Dallas Cowboys had two major developments: Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended again by the NFL for a recent altercation in a men's room. That one, I had no issues with; Pacman, despite his once great talent, is a trouble magnet, and he simply should have known better than to get in any altercation, misunderstood or otherwise. Sure, it's unfortunate that the secondary lost a proven talent, and, combined with the injury to Terrence Newman, will be a tough loss. No, it was the second headline that got me: Roy Williams, one of Detroit's famous three straight top WR draft picks, was coming to the Cowboys, in return for multiple draft picks, including a first round pick next year.
How does this make any sense? The Cowboys already have T.O., who is clearly one of the NFL's top receivers. He has recently been starting to pull his frustrated routine, which wore out his welcome at two other teams. They also have a bona fide emerging star in Miles Austin, who benefitted from the increased reps earlier in the season as Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd went down with injuries. And Crayton is a solid receiver who doesn't make mistakes. Add to that they have the top receiving tight end in football, Jason Witten; a project speedster in Isaiah Stanback; a guy who they drafter to catch passes AND run in Felix Jones; and Marion Barber, their star running back, who showed what happens when he gets in the passing game last week.
My question is, with all of this catching talent, how, even with a healthy Tony Romo, are there enough balls to throw? This is a team that is built to win the Superbowl, this year; yes, their high powered offense has struggled a bit in the last few games, but adding another WR? Folks, the problems are not on the offensive side of the field; it's the defense and special teams! Where is the star defensive tackle to put pressure in the middle? Where is the stellar CB to defend those deep balls that Pacman wasn't even up to, and Newman will struggle to get back to form on?
Now, I know some will say that this a great opportunity to get a squandered talent to insure against the aging T.O., but this cannot look like anything but a high price to pay for a puzzler that may (may!) pay off, 1-2 years from now. Jerry Jones, you have always been a gambler, but this is an Al Davis move, not one of your savvy ones. If a trade was to be had, it should have been for a top CB, in my opinion, to shut down that deep pass option that other offenses are throwing so often, or an enforcer to lay serious hits like the other Roy Williams used to do, stopping teams from running those slants.
Jerry, remember: offense gets people in the seats, and I know you have a lot to fill with the new stadium next season, but defense wins championships. Ask the New England Patriots last year how they feel about having one of the top offenses of all times...and an 18-1 record. Remember, in the Superbowl, the Pats offense had done everything they were supposed to, but they were on the sidelines as the Giants tore through their defense to ruin the undefeated season.
Let's start the betting pool now on how soon before T.O. starts doing pushups in his Dallas driveway.
Yesterday, as I sat in the House Of Blues in Las Vegas, I almost choked on my sandwich. The TV above the bar reported that my beloved Dallas Cowboys had two major developments: Adam "Pacman" Jones was suspended again by the NFL for a recent altercation in a men's room. That one, I had no issues with; Pacman, despite his once great talent, is a trouble magnet, and he simply should have known better than to get in any altercation, misunderstood or otherwise. Sure, it's unfortunate that the secondary lost a proven talent, and, combined with the injury to Terrence Newman, will be a tough loss. No, it was the second headline that got me: Roy Williams, one of Detroit's famous three straight top WR draft picks, was coming to the Cowboys, in return for multiple draft picks, including a first round pick next year.How does this make any sense? The Cowboys already have T.O., who is clearly one of the NFL's top receivers. He has recently been starting to pull his frustrated routine, which wore out his welcome at two other teams. They also have a bona fide emerging star in Miles Austin, who benefitted from the increased reps earlier in the season as Patrick Crayton and Sam Hurd went down with injuries. And Crayton is a solid receiver who doesn't make mistakes. Add to that they have the top receiving tight end in football, Jason Witten; a project speedster in Isaiah Stanback; a guy who they drafter to catch passes AND run in Felix Jones; and Marion Barber, their star running back, who showed what happens when he gets in the passing game last week.
My question is, with all of this catching talent, how, even with a healthy Tony Romo, are there enough balls to throw? This is a team that is built to win the Superbowl, this year; yes, their high powered offense has struggled a bit in the last few games, but adding another WR? Folks, the problems are not on the offensive side of the field; it's the defense and special teams! Where is the star defensive tackle to put pressure in the middle? Where is the stellar CB to defend those deep balls that Pacman wasn't even up to, and Newman will struggle to get back to form on?
Now, I know some will say that this a great opportunity to get a squandered talent to insure against the aging T.O., but this cannot look like anything but a high price to pay for a puzzler that may (may!) pay off, 1-2 years from now. Jerry Jones, you have always been a gambler, but this is an Al Davis move, not one of your savvy ones. If a trade was to be had, it should have been for a top CB, in my opinion, to shut down that deep pass option that other offenses are throwing so often, or an enforcer to lay serious hits like the other Roy Williams used to do, stopping teams from running those slants.
Jerry, remember: offense gets people in the seats, and I know you have a lot to fill with the new stadium next season, but defense wins championships. Ask the New England Patriots last year how they feel about having one of the top offenses of all times...and an 18-1 record. Remember, in the Superbowl, the Pats offense had done everything they were supposed to, but they were on the sidelines as the Giants tore through their defense to ruin the undefeated season.
Let's start the betting pool now on how soon before T.O. starts doing pushups in his Dallas driveway.
Labels: Dallas Cowboys, football
Thursday, October 09, 2008
Fleet Week's Parade Of Scraps?
Maybe it's just me, but when I head over to learn about San Francisco's Fleet Week, and I see a feature is a Parade of military Ships, I kinda expected to see Navy craft. Instead, I check out the history of one of the 4 ships, the Bonhomme Richard, and find this tidbit:
Hey, can we change the marketing a bit to reflect this? Call it "Blue Angels Week" and be done.
Maybe it's just me, but when I head over to learn about San Francisco's Fleet Week, and I see a feature is a Parade of military Ships, I kinda expected to see Navy craft. Instead, I check out the history of one of the 4 ships, the Bonhomme Richard, and find this tidbit:Bon Homme Richard was ordered inactivated at the end of her 1970 deployment. She decommissioned in July 1971, becoming part of the Reserve Fleet at Bremerton, Washington. The ship was stricken from the Navy List in 1989 and was sold for scrapping February 4, 1992.Did I miss something here? The ship was decommissioned 37 years ago, removed from the reserve fleet 19 years ago, and supposed to be torn into little pieces 16 years ago...and she is proudly headlining the ocean part of the strangely named "Fleet Week?" Um...am I missing something? Not the least of which is, how the hell is this ship still sailing, since it was supposed to be a proud example of military recycling by now?
Hey, can we change the marketing a bit to reflect this? Call it "Blue Angels Week" and be done.
Labels: San Francisco
Wednesday, October 08, 2008
Bacon Lovers, Unite!
With my well-publicized fascination for the smoky goodness of pork pleasure, I just had to pass this latest bacon-related e-mail from the great folks at Yelp.com. Mmm...bacon...
Sometimes there's just nothing better than a thick, smoky, dee-licious piece o' bacon to quell your carnivorous cravings. But in a city with so many options, pan fried and smoky, served up gourmet-style or fresh from the Bacon Dog Cart, opinions vary as to which strips reign supreme.
If you’re a bacon traditionalist looking for the perfect accompaniment to your weekend brunch, join Matthew F in rhapsodizing about Abigail's, where the bacon is maple-glazed, "perfect, chewy and thick cut." Rachel A has come to realize that it really doesn't get much better than meat wrapped in meat, and for it all comes together with the bacon-wrapped fillet at Espetus Churrascaria. With "crispy bacon on the outside and a creamy, gooey burst of the sea inside," it's Anchor & Hope's bacon-wrapped oysters that are the decadent indulgence of choice for Brian J and other seafarers. Prefer cheap booze with that bacon? Then do like Kate K and hit up Pop's for happy hour on "Free Bacon Mondays."
Bacon lovers with a sweet tooth and a sense of adventure will appreciate the ice cream with honey bread and bacon brittle currently at NOPA, divinely crunchy and perfectly irresistible to Leahnora R. Bacon bars are today's haut chocolates, and Paul A hunts down these "bizarre but ridiculously delicious" treats at Chocolate Covered. Another victim of the craze, Erin M finds bliss in the applewood smoked bacon candy bar at the Bittersweet Cafe. The bacon cracker jacks at The Alembic are the perfect compliment to designer cocktails; Janney B finished off their "caramel-y, bacon-y, cashew-y goodness" like they were going out of style.
While chef Anthony Bourdain calls bacon the “gateway protein” for its mystical ability to tempt even the staunchest vegetarian back to the dark side, it is possible to love bacon and still remain meat-free. Millie M gives the faux BLT at Herbivore two greasy thumbs up, and Gabrielle C touts the veggie bacon-wrapped veggie dogs at Underdog. And no pigs were harmed in the process over at Therapy, known to have stocked bacon-scented air freshener, bacon mints and Kevin H's favorite, bacon-flavored gum, on occasion.
Taaasty. Now bring on the bacon!
Labels: bacon
Gettin' Social With It
Nice move by Virgin America to append the ways to reach them on common social media platforms on the base of their emails. I've seen this on the web, with the "Add This" functions (see this end of this post, for instance), but great move to include this type of alternative communication to e-mail. I'd love to see this trend expand, much like RSS with web pages, to allow automatic detection and aggregation of social network presences from an e-mail sender. Maybe an Outlook plugin?
That's today's million dollar idea.
Nice move by Virgin America to append the ways to reach them on common social media platforms on the base of their emails. I've seen this on the web, with the "Add This" functions (see this end of this post, for instance), but great move to include this type of alternative communication to e-mail. I'd love to see this trend expand, much like RSS with web pages, to allow automatic detection and aggregation of social network presences from an e-mail sender. Maybe an Outlook plugin?That's today's million dollar idea.
Labels: business, social networks, travel
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Airline Conformity
How is it that we have been able to book flights online for over a decade, but there is still a telltale ironic misspelling? I'd like to receive a confirmation, not a conformation. Reminds me of George Carlin's old airline speech riff, when he points out that he prefers to get IN the plane, instead of "on the plane." As he says, "Let Evel Knievel ride on the goddamned wing; I'm going inside!"
How is it that we have been able to book flights online for over a decade, but there is still a telltale ironic misspelling? I'd like to receive a confirmation, not a conformation. Reminds me of George Carlin's old airline speech riff, when he points out that he prefers to get IN the plane, instead of "on the plane." As he says, "Let Evel Knievel ride on the goddamned wing; I'm going inside!"Labels: travel
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Understanding The Customer
ChainLove, a "Woot for bicyclists," had a deal I could not pass up today. I got in on it, pressed the buy button, and I was good. Got an order confirmation in moments. Less than 1 hour later, got the e-mail you see on the right. Their opening line is perfect, and reflected exactly my feeling.
Nicely done, gentlemen. Holy crap indeed.
ChainLove, a "Woot for bicyclists," had a deal I could not pass up today. I got in on it, pressed the buy button, and I was good. Got an order confirmation in moments. Less than 1 hour later, got the e-mail you see on the right. Their opening line is perfect, and reflected exactly my feeling. Nicely done, gentlemen. Holy crap indeed.
I Wanna See Starz...Oh, I Can?
Interesting news today, out of Netflix and Starz (courtesy of CrunchGear) that might actually make Netflix's streaming service more compelling. Netflix, as the name might imply, has always been focused on delivering content over the web. They launched their streaming service last year, which was greeted with a universal yawn, primarily because of the paucity of content. Earlier this year, they stepped up the game, announcing a $99 Roku box that allowed you to connect directly to your TV and watch streamed Netflix content on the big screen. Interesting, but same content issues.
Today, they announced a two pronged approach, courtesy of Starz. First, Starz premium movies will now be available to stream on Netflix. This means that titles like the Pirates of the Carribean series, and other recent blockbusters, will now be available to watch on your computer or TV, instantly, at no additional costs. Second, and here's where it gets very interesting, they now will stream Starz's live feed directly. Now, look at that move: premium movie content, streamed, included in your Netflix membership. Combine that with the Roku box, and you have a legitimate challenger to cable and satellite.
I've often contemplated chucking cable, repurposing a PC into a tuner/DVR, hook it up to a digital tuner box to get HD network content free, over the air. The downside has been the hodgepodge of video sources I'd need to connect to to get my desired content: the tuner for the network shows; Hulu for some cable programming; Netflix for others. But if Netflix could expand this relationship to include the Big Three (Showtime, HBO, and Starz), and upgrade the Roku box to HD, we might have a seriosu contender for the battle for the living room. My bet is gonna be on Amazon to respond with a hardware and partnership announcement to do just that.
Interesting news today, out of Netflix and Starz (courtesy of CrunchGear) that might actually make Netflix's streaming service more compelling. Netflix, as the name might imply, has always been focused on delivering content over the web. They launched their streaming service last year, which was greeted with a universal yawn, primarily because of the paucity of content. Earlier this year, they stepped up the game, announcing a $99 Roku box that allowed you to connect directly to your TV and watch streamed Netflix content on the big screen. Interesting, but same content issues.Today, they announced a two pronged approach, courtesy of Starz. First, Starz premium movies will now be available to stream on Netflix. This means that titles like the Pirates of the Carribean series, and other recent blockbusters, will now be available to watch on your computer or TV, instantly, at no additional costs. Second, and here's where it gets very interesting, they now will stream Starz's live feed directly. Now, look at that move: premium movie content, streamed, included in your Netflix membership. Combine that with the Roku box, and you have a legitimate challenger to cable and satellite.
I've often contemplated chucking cable, repurposing a PC into a tuner/DVR, hook it up to a digital tuner box to get HD network content free, over the air. The downside has been the hodgepodge of video sources I'd need to connect to to get my desired content: the tuner for the network shows; Hulu for some cable programming; Netflix for others. But if Netflix could expand this relationship to include the Big Three (Showtime, HBO, and Starz), and upgrade the Roku box to HD, we might have a seriosu contender for the battle for the living room. My bet is gonna be on Amazon to respond with a hardware and partnership announcement to do just that.
