Volkswagen has a new initiative, offering a cash prize for ideas that change group behavior for the better. The web site is here. The video below is one example.
I think this sort of thing makes for good corporate citizenry. Bravo, Volkswagen. 
– Dave
Bottom line, Google will offer free turn-by-turn directions for Android and third party phones like the iPhone. And that spells big trouble for dedicated device manufacturers such as Garmin and TomTom. In my opinion, they are toast. Might take a few years, but the days of specialty devices are quickly drawing to a close. And you can thanks Steve Jobs for his brilliant vision of a device that is incredibly easy to program and an App Store that makes the distribution of powerful apps easy as pie and enriching for the company.
Google’s turn-by-turn service will be free, and free is hard to compete with.
Here’s a nice article from the NYTimes that goes into detail. Kudos to my buddy Todd for bringing this to my attention…
– Dave
The Computer History Museum, in Mountain View, California, has a terrific online timeline showing the origins of the internet. Lots of fun facts and interesting things to explore. For example, did you know that the ASCII alphabet was developed in 1963?
Or that J.C.R. Licklider (known as “Lick” to his friends) was the original visionary of internet, evangelizing what he called the “Intergalactic Network” wherein everyone on the planet is interconnected.
– Dave
From Allen Lang: This is a terrific interview with Leonard Kleinrock, one of the pioneers who helped connect the first machines to communicate over the internet and whose PhD thesis established the basis for modern packet switching.
Here’s a link to his wiki page…
– Dave
I have never seen a goal from this distance. Terrific shot that traveled almost the entire length of the field that turned out to be the winning goal. This shot is the talk of the soccer world right now. Amazing!
– Dave
I was in Pittsburgh recently and had a chance to swing by WQED, the Pittsburgh television station where Mr. Rogers created his masterpiece of a television program from 1966 until his death in 2003. In front of WQED, there’s a statue erected in Fred Rogers’ memory. I think it is beautiful. I took this picture with my iPhone. Take a look:
Here’s a link to Fred Rogers’ wiki page. He was a brilliant man. I still miss him…
– Dave
This is kind of amazing to me. Microsoft made a deal with Fox to create a special “live” version of Family Guy that would air in prime time, hosted by the creators of the show, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein. Consisting of typical Family Guy material, the special was to be part of Microsoft’s Windows 7 rollout, weaving highlights of Windows 7 in amongst the hilarity.
I can only imagine the shock and dismay on the Microsoft Exec’s faces when someone suggested that they actually watch a bit of Family Guy, just to make sure they were all on board with this hip thing the kids are all into. Hah!!!
According to Variety, “We initially chose to participate in the Seth and Alex variety show based on the audience composition and creative humor of ‘Family Guy,’ but after reviewing an early version of the variety show, it became clear that the content was not a fit with the Windows brand,” said a Microsoft spokeswoman. “We continue to have a good partnership with Fox, Seth MacFarlane and Alex Borstein and are working with them in other areas. We continue to believe in the value of brand integrations and partnerships between brands, media companies and talent.”
Um, I suspect what really happened was that the lower level marketing folks love the show and thought it would give Windows 7 a cool, hard edge. But then mom and dad found out what the show is really about when execs attended a screening and were, to put it mildly, dismayed by what they saw: “typical ‘Family Guy’-style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest.”
An amazing gaffe. The show will go on, and I suspect there is a lot of scrambling right now to find another sponsor less worried about offending people and more interested in that huge ‘Family Guy’ audience.
Here’s the Variety article that lays this all out.
Sheesh…
– Dave
I try not to get too political in this blog, but this is a big deal. No matter your view on our involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq, please take a minute to read this article. It is not long, and I believe is an important sign of the times in which we, and our children, find ourselves. I am not espousing a particular viewpoint, but I think Hoh was in a position to see the war in a way that I cannot.
Here’s a link to the article…
– Dave
Bill Keller is the Executive Editor of the New York Times. He’s an odd duck for a New York Times editor, having been a staunch proponent of the invasion of Iraq and an opponent of Colin Powell. Excellent creds, though, having won a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the breakup of the Soviet Union. And now he’s overseeing the transformation of the New York Times for stodgy grey lady to a leading member of the emerging digital news culture.
Earlier this year, Bill answered questions from readers about the future of the New York Times. Fascinating. Here’s the article.
More recently, Bill gave a talk to the digital group at the New York Times, talking about the movement of the Times to the web and to mobile devices. I found the talk fascinating, more for its tone and insights into the culture of the paper than for any particular revelation about the future. But I also found it interesting that he mentioned the “impending Apple Slate” as one of the mobile platforms they needed to perfect support for. That mention is in the talk below at about 8:30. Enjoy…
– Dave
The Transportation and Safety Administration is starting a program requiring the name on your government issued ID and the name on your airline ticket to match exactly. That means if your middle name is on your drivers license, it has to be on your ticket.
The program is known as Secure Flight. Here’s a link to the TSA website that discusses the program.
Here’s an article that discusses the program.
If you plan on flying, read both. Best to know about this stuff before you miss a flight because you didn’t follow the rules…
– Dave
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