Tretakoff Musings
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Pulse...Yahoo Style?
I've bitched about how I don't really like Facebook here before, as well as embracing Twitter and Plaxo. The latter is really great to me, as I can see a consolidated view of my friends' updates, sparing me from having to log into separate sites. Although Plaxo has an iPhone-enabled web version, it has not been quite as easy to catch up on the road, though.
Yahoo, of all people, has actually taken a pretty good first step, with Yahoo oneConnect for the iPhone. Simple, actually: download the app from iTunes, and it scans your iPhone's address book. Then, enter your credentials on sites like Flickr, Twitter and Facebook, and it pulls all of the updates from those sites into a single consolidated view. Nice.
My only complaint? The consolidated view is called "Pulse." Um...this is clearly the trademark that Plaxo has claimed, so we are headed for some legal wrangling. Worse, this naming puts Yahoo in an adversarial position with Plaxo, so I won't see Plaxo Pulse updates on oneConnect anytime soon. C'mon, Yahoo: I know you've lost a ton of execs lately, but you couldn't come up with a new word? Flow? Stream? Even Lifeline? Sheesh. Glad the technology exceeds the poor imagination.
Yahoo, of all people, has actually taken a pretty good first step, with Yahoo oneConnect for the iPhone. Simple, actually: download the app from iTunes, and it scans your iPhone's address book. Then, enter your credentials on sites like Flickr, Twitter and Facebook, and it pulls all of the updates from those sites into a single consolidated view. Nice.My only complaint? The consolidated view is called "Pulse." Um...this is clearly the trademark that Plaxo has claimed, so we are headed for some legal wrangling. Worse, this naming puts Yahoo in an adversarial position with Plaxo, so I won't see Plaxo Pulse updates on oneConnect anytime soon. C'mon, Yahoo: I know you've lost a ton of execs lately, but you couldn't come up with a new word? Flow? Stream? Even Lifeline? Sheesh. Glad the technology exceeds the poor imagination.
Labels: iPhone, social networks, Yahoo
Monday, April 07, 2008
Dark Side Of The Sun
Not sure if Yahoo is reflecting on their dark mood after Microsoft's ratcheting of the takeover bid, but my Yahoo Widget Engine weather widget apparently is either forcecasting a black hole, an eclipse, or the end of the universe today. Or it just forgot it's daytime. :-)
No worries; the sun IS still shining here. YWE obvious is trying out the new "mood ring" function.
Not sure if Yahoo is reflecting on their dark mood after Microsoft's ratcheting of the takeover bid, but my Yahoo Widget Engine weather widget apparently is either forcecasting a black hole, an eclipse, or the end of the universe today. Or it just forgot it's daytime. :-)No worries; the sun IS still shining here. YWE obvious is trying out the new "mood ring" function.
Saturday, March 24, 2007
March Musings
Just a random post to share, of some great tidbits.
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.
- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.
- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.
- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
- I always like to use this blog to share the new and cool online applications I find. Well, today I've found a blog that does nothing but this: I bring you MakeUseOf, a directory/blog of some of the coolest sites on the web for free things to make your life interesting. Although the visual style is closer to a wiki than a blog, it definitely offers a great, constantly updating collection of some of the more interesting sites that provide useful services to the consumer. Think Original Signal without the (ahem) noise.- Yahoo has released version 4 of Yahoo Widget Engine, promising less memory hogging, and new mini-docking, to allow your widgets to be displayed in an intuitive collection, for neatness. It also introduces a drag and drop upload widget for Flickr, as well as support for just about all old widgets. Seems like a worthy download, and is definitely sucking less of my precious resources.- Speaking of Flickr, they migrated everyone to a required Yahoo account this month. I have no objections to this, but the tool they have to merge an existing Yahoo account with your Flickr account definitely needs work: it kept getting confused. C'mon, guys...QA this stuff if you are going to require it's use.
- Looking for some new ringtones or audio clips? Check out Entertonement for a HUGE collection of freebies. Best of all, they have search and browse, and some really cool ones, such as the ticking clock for 24, or various TOS Star Trek clips. Movies, music, TV, commercials, sports, video games...they have them all.- Need a logo, or a great stylized text image? Check out the venerable CoolText for the ability to create like a pro, for free.
- Yes, the Jawbone arrived, and is as good as advertised. Controls are a bit cryptic, but it completely eliminates background noise to the people you call. Got a convertible, or like to drive with the windows open? This is your headset. Style is ultra cool, noise reduction is simply the best, volume is just OK. Bonus: charger is USB based, so you can always get a charge from your laptop: no need to lug that AC adaptor around on your trips.
More as I think to write...
Labels: blogs, cell phones, commercials, free, fun, gadgets, Software, Star Trek, TV, Video Games, Web 2.0, widgets, Yahoo
Friday, January 12, 2007
The Clash said it best
Should I stay or should I go now?
The quandary: I currently have Comcast for my broadband service; paying them about $60 a month. Speed, according to the CNet bandwidth measurement tool, is about 476.5 kbps. For my Phone service, I pay AT&T for their VOIP service about $30 a month: unlimited calls, great features.
My router is starting to fail, so I'll get a new one, but it made me wonder: were there other providers that could do the job for me? Lo and behold,DSL has finally made it's way to my neighborhood.
Looks like AT&T/Yahoo's system to determine if service is available at an address needs work. After a 45 minute chat online with a rep, she verified service is NOT available. Sigh. Read on for details for your research.
AT&T/Yahoo will give me DSL that is 6 Mbps for about $40; 3 Mbps for $25 a month. Roughly half the cost of cable, and almost 10x the speed. Plus, they'll sweeten the pot with a $75 prepaid VISA. Potentially, I could save even more if I combine with Cingular (which changes it's name to AT&T Monday). Downside? I have to put a phone line back in. Of course, they offer an "all you can eat" phone service for $40 a month, or I could just get a basic line for $10 and keep my VOIP.
Monthly total for broadband & phone today: $90
With AT&T:
1) $80 for 6 MBPS & Unlimited calling line
2) $70 for 6 MBPS & VOIP
3) $65 for 3 MBPS & Unlimited Calling
4) $55 for 3 MBPS & VOIP
If you'd like to benefit from my research, and see if this would work for you, I've put together a Google spreadsheet for you to use. Good luck!
The quandary: I currently have Comcast for my broadband service; paying them about $60 a month. Speed, according to the CNet bandwidth measurement tool, is about 476.5 kbps. For my Phone service, I pay AT&T for their VOIP service about $30 a month: unlimited calls, great features. My router is starting to fail, so I'll get a new one, but it made me wonder: were there other providers that could do the job for me? Lo and behold,
Looks like AT&T/Yahoo's system to determine if service is available at an address needs work. After a 45 minute chat online with a rep, she verified service is NOT available. Sigh. Read on for details for your research.
AT&T/Yahoo will give me DSL that is 6 Mbps for about $40; 3 Mbps for $25 a month. Roughly half the cost of cable, and almost 10x the speed. Plus, they'll sweeten the pot with a $75 prepaid VISA. Potentially, I could save even more if I combine with Cingular (which changes it's name to AT&T Monday). Downside? I have to put a phone line back in. Of course, they offer an "all you can eat" phone service for $40 a month, or I could just get a basic line for $10 and keep my VOIP.Monthly total for broadband & phone today: $90
With AT&T:
1) $80 for 6 MBPS & Unlimited calling line
2) $70 for 6 MBPS & VOIP
3) $65 for 3 MBPS & Unlimited Calling
4) $55 for 3 MBPS & VOIP
If you'd like to benefit from my research, and see if this would work for you, I've put together a Google spreadsheet for you to use. Good luck!
Monday, November 20, 2006
When the Emperor has no clothes
I've been in this position in Corporate America many times. Leadership is lacking; the passionate people are frustrated that there is no movement, and the rest of the employees are disgruntled at the tension. It becomes a situation that needs radical change, or the change happens without the company's involvement (see Inktomi).
At Yahoo, this seems to be the case today, and one man has decided to do something about it. Bard Garlinghouse, the SVP who is key to the company, has published a letter with startlingly frank critique and recommendations for change that has had an electrifying effect on the company. He will either be villified, pilloried, or heralded, but one thing is for sure: he will not be forgotten.
Read his refreshingly great comments, as well as TechCrunch's analysis to get a rare peek inside a company on the change wavefront.
I've been in this position in Corporate America many times. Leadership is lacking; the passionate people are frustrated that there is no movement, and the rest of the employees are disgruntled at the tension. It becomes a situation that needs radical change, or the change happens without the company's involvement (see Inktomi).At Yahoo, this seems to be the case today, and one man has decided to do something about it. Bard Garlinghouse, the SVP who is key to the company, has published a letter with startlingly frank critique and recommendations for change that has had an electrifying effect on the company. He will either be villified, pilloried, or heralded, but one thing is for sure: he will not be forgotten.
Read his refreshingly great comments, as well as TechCrunch's analysis to get a rare peek inside a company on the change wavefront.
