Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Discursos aeroportuarios

... Bien sea en tierra ....

Uno de los pilares de los movimientos pacifistas y proderechos humanos de los anos 60 surgio en la Universidad de Berkeley alrededor del Free Speech Mouvement. Entre otras cosas, lucharon por el derecho de voto para los afroamericanos y otras causas vinculadas a los derechos civiles, entre ellas la abolicion de la obligacion de las facultades de declarar su tendencia politica (si, es asi, en los 60's las facultades norteamericanas tenian que declarar si eran de orientacion democrata o republicana, ademas del hecho que no podian ser apoliticas, tampoco podian optar por otras opciones, a que nadie lo hubiera dicho de los USA).

Pues bien, aunque anecdotico, el otro dia en la terminal de vuelas nacionales de San Francisco descubri esto:





Un Free Speech corner, es decir, un rincon en medio de las mesas de facturacion en el que las personas pueden expresarse libremente, al estilo del Speakers Corner de Londres.

... Bien sea de altos vuelos ...

Ayer por la tarde decidimos acercarnos hasta la universidad de Stanford atraidos por una convocatario sobre una charla titulada Ecoimagination. Personalmente no habia leido quien era el postulante, pero me imagine que podia encontrarme a un raro especimen de estos que rondan por Sillicon Valley mezcla de activista de Greenpeace y de ejecutivo de agencia de publicidad. Cual fue la sorpresa al llegar a la sala y encontrarmela hasta los topes, tuvimos que sentarnos en el pasillo. La charla ya habia empezado y pronto me di cuenta que el postulante debia ser alguien importante (esencialmente porque era un discurso del tipo politico, es decir, con poca miga). Era Jeffrey Immelt CEO de General Electric, para los del mundo de los negocios, el sucesor del mitico jack Welch (para los ignorantes como yo, este senor es basicamente dios). Entre nosotros me hubiera gustado mas el Greenpeace, el discurso de Mr Immelt tuvo poco de Eco-, entre otras cosas vino a decir que a el mientras haya negocio sera eco, y si luego de eco hay que hacerse del Betis para seguir haciendo negocio pues que tambien. Y en lo que a Imagination ser refiere pues que le vamos a hacer mucha mucha tampoco. En resumen una conferencia absolutamente mitomana y profundamente decepcionante. Que hi farem...

A Barcelona tambien la encontraremos en los ordenadores

Un par de noticias que llegan con un cierto retraso a mi mundo (concretamente la primera unos 10 meses, pero es que soy lento). Por si hay alguien peor que yo aqui estan:

1. El futuro micropocesador de AMD, el primer competidor que le hace un poco de sombra a Intel, tiene el nombre en codigo de Barcelona.

A partir de ahora tendremos que incluir a Sunnyvale, una de las poblaciones que integran Silicon Valley en, en la ruta Gaudi

2. Ya hace unos meses que Alfons Cornella, nos enseno una de la charlas de TED en la que Jeff Han, Universidad de Nueva York y Perceptive Pixel, ensenaba su desarrollo en interaccion con superficies, espectacular. (recomendacio, empieza a ver el video de Jeff Han y cuando llegue a la parte de las fotos arranca el de Microsoft, la comparacion es divertida)



Pues bien, Salvando las distancias, he aqui Surface, que Microsoft lanza al mercado este octubre (dunido). Quien hubiera dicho que Microsoft se iba a dedicar al mobiliario, tiembla IKEA tiembla!!!! He aqui lo que preparan los de Seattle



Como dice la version de parodia, take this Apple

Sunday, July 29, 2007

Fox news & La COPE

Donat l'interessant context que tenen els democrates als USA (on Mr Bush i els seus tenen la popularitat a l'alcada dels juanetes) hi han iniciatives que han aprofitat aixo per fer un xic de presio. Entre altres Moveon.org que s'ha encarregat d'anar denunciant les mentires de la cadena Fox amb campanyes informatives a youtube, aparenment mes d'un anunciant ha deixat la Fox gracies a aquesta gent. Dunido!

Silicon bit-e-s

1. El famos iPhone.

Que va passar el primer cap de setmana?? Doncs que els inversors de Wall Street creien que se n'havien venut 700.000, PERO resulta que l'operador de telefonia que te l'exclusiva del iPhone, AT&T, va publicar que havia fet nomes 146.000 activacions. Aixo es molt per un mobil qualsevol, es poc per l'iPhone, resultat 6% a borsa. PERO, al dia seguent, Apple va publicar que ells havien enviat uns 226.000 iPhones a les botigues, es a dir que se n'havien venut el 65%, que esta forca be, i el millor de tot, les ventes d'ordinadors van pujar un 30% durant el cap de setmana. Resultat, els de Wall Street cap amunt altre cop, exactament un 6%. Efectivament, un ball de xifres.

2. Tornem a les patents

Despres de un temps en el que el discurs de la novetat ha girat mes al voltant de la innovacio, que de la invencio, sembla que les patents recuperen una posicio central en la estrategia de la major part d'emperses (si es que mai l'havien perduda). Intellectual Ventures n'es un dels principals actors, cal estar al tanto del que fan aquests senyors (per cert, no son de Silicon Valley, son de Seatle)

Mascotes o persones


Un dels primers posts que vaig escriure ara deu fer un mes girava al voltant de les soprenents ofertes que els americans tenen a l'abast per les seves mascotes. Reciclo un tros d'aquell pest perque aquesta setmana la portada del Businessweek esta dedicada al fet que els americans gasten uns 41mil milions de dolars en els seus animalons. Si llegiu l'article i mireu els tres links de sota entendreu que la gent ha deixat de tractar els animals com a tals i els han passat a tractar com a iguals, com a persones. Haurem de deixar de parlar de mascotes per parlas de mascones o persotes, preocupant:

"..... http://www.waghotels.com/index.cfm
The Wag Hotel, a pet hotel in San Francisco. The Luxury suite has plasma TV, sofa, paintings, premium beds, and classical music

http://www.bellaanddaisys.com/
. A dog bakery and boutique, check the cakes

http://www.neuticles.com/index1.html . The best!!!! Testicular prosthetic implants for pets. Explanation: if you castrate your Rotweiler and you don’t want him to have a psychological trauma,.. You procure him artificial testicles, problem solved (haven’t found an image of the prosthesis) ..."

El senyor de Newticles, que ven collons artificials (els de plastic a 94$ i els de silicona a 900$), per si algu te curiositat, n'ha venut mes de 250.000 :).


Friday, July 27, 2007

Amazon sociology

Today I did a simple exercise. Looked in amazon books best selling list in different countries. Goal, see if there are specific issues that particularly capture the different countries attention (criteria: which issues have more than one book in the best selling list).
  • Everybody is crazy about Potter, although France doesn't care so much about the magician
  • They are all interested in religion but here's the thing, there a trend of anti-religion books (Canada, US and Germany)
  • They all care about food, but US cares more about how to eat less, it's all about diet
  • The novels are reality based, they are almost geopolitics book. France and Canada is about Darfur and US is about Islam
  • About Self-development: in the US is about spirituality as a mean for soul development. In Frances is about rational games as a mean for intellectual development
Potter + Healthier Food + Deeper Spirit seems to be the book Trinity of the moment. Not bad

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Beauty

I HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE 10 MINUTES, RELAX, AND WATCH THIS TEN MINUTES PRESENTATION FROM TED TALKS. AFTER THIS I CAN TELL YOU YOU'LL BE WILLING TO BECOME A MOLECULAR BIOLOGIST, IT SIMPLY MARVELOUS!!!

Walking around can be dangerous in the US and elsewhere



This is what you fined in the gaz stations, outside the elevators, some shops, in the glass of your new car, etc. The question is, if the authorities know, why do they let this happen?? (same for Europe, we also have cars, gaz stations, etc.).

Walking along the coast you better be ready to run, the slope looks steep!!


If you are French you are safe, you understand what the pannel says.

Smile! You are on Big Brother
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Wednesday, July 25, 2007

Freak blogosphere

You know who is the most influential person nowadays in Hollywood?? A big media mogul from Universal??, on of these universal movie stars from the A-list??, an ambitious TV producer from HBO??

None of these guys, the most influential person is a latino gay guy named PEREZ HILTON (Yes Perez Hilton is his public name and he is very friend with Paris Hilton, whom he veneers).

What are the attributes that have turn Perez Hilton into the Hollywood King?

His network, packed with what Malcom Gladwell defines as CONNECTORS. Him and his network are in every Hollywood event
The internet. He started a blog that nowadays is view by more than 5 million people. Any news happening in Los Angeles related to famous people stuff are automatically displayed in his blog

Three years ago Perez was looking for a job, today he has his own limousine

Ecologically conscious: still a long way to go

At the Hollywood Bowl in LA every time they host a concert they have some nice initiatives to collect money for fair initiatives. Last weekend they were collecting money for young musicians, for every signature a person did in some big white boards spread all over the theater a financial institution was going to donate one dollar. In exchange for your signature they gave everybody a little pin shaped as an instrument with blinking lights on it



Here is the point. Inside each pin you can find two button cell batteries. Yes you are right, these batteries that are highly pollutant . Do you imagine how many people will not be aware of this little detail, and therefore will through the pin into the garbage?



I have already sent an email to the Hollywood Bowl to let them know about, what seems to me, a huge mistake. Learning, it seems that there is still lots of work to do to change peoples mind and get everybody always aware of what taking care of the environment means. What worries me is that even charitable actions (you would assume they are sensitive to these issues) also have a long way to go.




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Wednesday, July 18, 2007

The to Stay or to Go Effect

You think you speak a foreign language until you go to the country of that specific language and you get to order a coffee in a bar. Usually then you realize you know nothing about English, for instance, and you fall in a deep depression.

I've gone through this tough moment a several times and in order to overcome the frustation that goes with I've done a long research and came out with some findings that I share with you. i hope they'll help you.

You are staring at the bartender and you think for yourself: "I don't undersand them because of their accent, I've learned English from South England and these guys are American, Australian, Scottish, or whatever". WRONG!!!!!

Here's my theory, it is not a language/pronunciation problem, it is a RITUAL problem. You usually understand everything the bartender tells you until you hit a point that differs from the same situation you would have in your country. Example, in Spain a Bartender never asks you if you want your coffee to stay or to go, and that's the point where you dont' understand him!!!

You are used to your daily rituals, and in Spain having your coffee implies A+B+D, you unconsciously know this. But when you go somewhere else, maybe the coffee ritual has an extra step A+B+C+D. Lesson open your mind an be aware of the To Stay or To Go Effect, that's probably the missing link that's causing the misunderstanding.

Happily I've solved my language depressions and now I have to deal with the "I'm too much in my paradign, and not open enough to new stimulus" depression. It's a never ending story!!

The stewed pork effect

If you want to create loyalty among your customers here's a powerful tool: The stewed pork effect

In Sant Mateo, there's this tiny Japanese restaurant (about 8 tables) where they serve some of the best ramen of the Bay. It's name SANTA RAMEN (amen!)


On a normal day you should expect 30-45 minutes waiting time. What is the success factor of Santa Ramen ?? Their secret tool, THE STEWED PORK EFFECT. Their ramen selection is very short, and among all the ramen their offer the star is the stewed pork ramen. But you know what!!, every day, about 30 minutes after they've opened the tiny restaurant, a smiley girl comes out and post a paper on the door that says "Stewed pork ramen, sold out". Here are the results of such powerful tool:

1. You immediately have a strong feeling of challenge, "one day I'll get to try the Stewed Pork Ramen"

2. A wanna be effect. You feel you need to a part of the elite that has had Stewed Pork Ramen

3. Organic and local effect. Their Stewed Pork Ramen has to be the freshest ever, the pigs probably run freely along the hills of the Bay

4. The inventory management effect. You are already there so who cares you'll still eat there. So you end up eating Rosted Pork Ramen.

5. The final satisfaction. The Rosted Pork Ramen are sooo gooood also!!! By the wime you finish the bowl you no more remember the original goal, the Stewed Pork Ramen, you are happy and satisfied. Good tip and until next day when you realize there's something missing in your life, the Stewed Pork Ramen from Santa Ramen in San Mateo

As you see, the Stewed Pork Ramen Effect provides a cheap (piece of paper, pen and tape) tool that generates strong costumer loyalty, increasing customer satisfaction, provides an experiential dimension to your business and generates a sense of belonging

Yeap!! AMEN!!!!!!



Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Bullet points about the iPhone and the iPod

The User Interface of the iPhone is just amazing, no really, it definitely is one of a kind, I love it!!!

  • Main weaknesses for the consumers market:
1. Does not support nor Java, neither Flash (this means hard to navigate internet)
2. Network coverage (AT&T problem)

NOTE: price is not a weakness, once you get to play with the device you forgett about how much it costs

  • Main weaknesses for the business market:
1. Same as consumer, the Java and Flash issue
2. Security issue with corporate emails

BUT good news are all this issues deal with software and therefore are solvable

Finally two bullets about iPod:

  • Next year 70% of the cars will have some sort of iPod plug (consequence, in 5 years CD players in cars are over !!!!!)
  • iTunes is the 3rd largest music seller world wide (after Wallmart and Best Buy)

Cool Lab research (from PCMag.com)

PLURIBUS (HP labs)

Get an ordinary PC workstation, an together with a camera, and some ingenious C code. You can then gather up to twelve projectors and create one image. If you are able to gather the twelve projectors, you can have a cinema experience at home much bigger than any existing home cinema. (the camera and the software adjust each projector so they all fit together)

SOAP (Microsoft research)

A mouse that works cordless, and FLOORLESS!! It doesn't need any sort of flat surface to work it works on the air (think something similar to WII's interface), it's a midair mouse! By the way check the story about the first prototype:

"Baudisch built his original prototype using an optical mouse he found lying around the lab and a few household items he picked up from a local RiteAid. He simply pried open his pointing device, pulled out the innards, and remounted them inside an empty bottle of hand sanitizer. Yes, an empty bottle of hand sanitizer—something that was transparent and would easily rotate inside his fabric hull. Once he pulled the hull around the bottle—and slipped some lubricant between the two—he had a mouse that worked in midair"

Topological quantum computing (Bell labs)

A new attempt at building quantum computing, too complex for me to understand so here's the quote with the basics: "n the simplest of terms, Bell researchers are tying quantum systems into knots. "In very exotic circumstances, such as very low temperature and high magnetic field, we're essentially grabbing onto the particles and moving them around each other, forming knots in what we call the space-time path," Simon explains. "If you can form the right knot, you can do the right quantum computation."

Content-Centric Networking, or CCN (PARC)

Problem: Today if you need a piece of data from the net you almost always have to get to the server that holds whatever you are looking for. If together with you there's a bunch of other people getting to the same server at the same time, everybody gets stuck.

Solution: instead of your computing looking for a specific server that has the data you are looking for, your computer we'll look directly for the data itself. So instead of everybody looking for the one server, the computers if other networked computers have the piece of data you are looking for. So if you are looking for a New York Timfroes article, your computer can get it from any computer that has the article instead of going to the NYT server

And in the coming future, check it out:

Milestones of the Future
Want a list of all the groundbreaking technologies due over the next decade? Tough luck. We've got neither the time nor the space. But we can give you the milestones—the 13 technologies guaranteed to change the world between now and 2020.

Summer 2007
The Real Quad-Core
AMD releases the first single-chip quad-core CPU. Code-named Barcelona, it promises 20 to 50 percent better performance than the competing multichip design from you-know-who.

Late 2007
Hello, OLED
Sony introduces the first OLED (organic light-emitting diode) television. It's too small and too expensive for mass consumption, but early adopters love its 3mm profile and 1,000,000-to-1 contrast ratio.

2008
Like Wi-Fi—but Everywhere
Carriers launch the first WiMAX services in the U.S., giving major metro areas wireless access that rivals the speeds of Wi-Fi. The difference? No more hot spots. It's everywhere you go.

2008
Eight-Core and More
Intel unveils an eight-core processor and completely revamps its Core architecture, moving the memory controller and graphics circuitry from distinct chipsets onto the CPU itself.

2010
So Long, Laser Printer
The first Memjet ink-based printers hit the market, delivering 60 pages per minute at a reasonable cost per page. The trick: multiple print heads that span the entire width of the paper you're printing on.

2010
The High-Def DVR
Seagate releases a 3.5-inch hard drive that stores 3 terabytes of data. That's 3,000 gigabytes. We're talking about a digital video recorder that records nothing but high-def video.

2011
Can You Say 4G?
Fourth-generation cellular networks debut in the United States. The LTE (Long Term Evolution) standard doubles the throughput of 3G networks, offering 3 to 4 Mbps to real-world users.

2011
Chips Go Optical
IBM perfects a chip for mainframes and other high-end machines that uses optical connections instead of copper. Moving photons instead of electrons improves data transfer speeds eightfold.

2015
A Cure for Jersey Drivers
The first cars equipped with Motorola's MotoDrive technology roll off the assembly line. Able to calculate their speed and position relative to other vehicles, these cars can automatically avoid accidents.

2016
HDTV Is Obsolete
Ultra High Definition Television (UHDTV) debuts with a resolution of 7,680-by-4,320 and 22 speakers of surround sound, dwarfing today's HDTVs, which top out at 1,920-by-1,080.

2016
Power Off, Memory On
Manufacturers use carbon nanotubes to offer NRAM (nonvolatile random-access memory). Unlike today's SDRAM and flash memory technologies, it can hold information even when you lose power.

2019
Wash 'N' Wear iPods
Flexible, washable OLED screens hit the market. That means laptops that roll up like place mats—not to mention smartphone and music-player displays built right into your clothing.

2020
Offices Everywhere
Wall-sized displays made of low-power polymers and improved video-conferencing technologies let groups of home-based workers interact as if they were sitting face to face.


Friday, July 13, 2007

A must read

Simply one of the best articles I have ever red, click and enjoy

Our Biotech Future, by Freeman Dyson

Monday, July 9, 2007

Me and the net

What you did and bought vs what you do and get for free!!!!!!


Before I never really red magazines, newspapers, etc. ...... now I keep track on world information using Google reader - reader.google.com
My dad bought an encyclopedia and a few dictionaries.... I do Webster - www.webster.com and Wikipedia - www.wikipedia.com and
Word Reference - www.wordreference.com



to find a new restaurant I had to buy the Michelin guide, now I just check what people say on Yelp - www.yelp.com

Before I had a business card holder and a contacts book...... Now I manage my professional contacts using Linkedin - www.linkedin.com


My favorite stuff??? in a box??? ... Now is all Delicious - del.ici.ous


How many times did I start writting a diary and writting letters... well now, like everybody else I simply blog. Blogger - www.blogger.com


My pictures never reached an album,...... now I've become a photo editor and publisher using Picasa - picasa.google.com


Get the cheapest ticket?? Well it depended on how good and trustful the travel agent was,.. now just do some metasearching with Kayak - www.kayak.com


Before when I wanted to buy something I relied on my friends opinion...... now you can get advise on Consumers Report - www.consumerreports.org (the only paying one!!)


Before if you were bored you turned on the TV now you can do some discovery with Stumble Upon - www.stumbleupon.com or watch some movies with Jaman - www.jaman.com


And of course, before to listen music I had to buy CD's or even K-7,... now I just use Pandora for music and iTunes for eveything else , essentially podcasts www.pandora

Listen radio on Pandora Radio - pandora.com. And of course, music and podcast go to itunes - www.apple.com/itunes

And i keep a list of books I should read at Amazon



And you know what all of these tools have in common, they're just built to help , and they charge the advertiser, not the user !!!!!!
GREAT!!!


Sharing bites

What's hot in the Baynet?? Basically anything that deals with you expressing yourself and connecting with others, 2.0. and the further we get in this trend the less time we have, the more friends we know, the more things we want to share, it's an explosion of community and creativity.


SQUIDOO - http://www.squidoo.com
this is about blogging but not exactly, it focuses on your passions, books, movies, restaurants, stores, etc., it is not about long posts it is about bites of knowledge you want to share. and talking about sharing, the ads posted on Squidoo also contribute to charity !!!

TWITTER - http://twitter.com/


Again some sort of blog but again is about short bites and not long stories. You are about to go to bed ? so just share it, you wake up?? so just share it. Twitter is basically about instant sharing, using both your computer and your mobile.

First water, then soap, then ....


Just in case you've forgotten how to wash your hands here are the instructions. You can find them in almost every Californian bathroom bar. And in case you don't speak english, no worries, also in Mandarin

Innovation, food for thought

Quote from Bruce Nussbaum blog on Technology, innovation and design published in Business week


So perhaps this is a long winded way of acknowledging Tom Peter's work and understanding today that the new table stakes might really be the trinity that is evangelized by Doblin (roughly paraphrased as..."What does the market need, what can technology do, what do customes desire.)

The trick for the future vitality of companies is figuring out the processes that are culturally viable in your enterprise that enables you to build platforms on which you can innovate on. Getting mired too much in any one area (even design) is not going to enable the continued vitality of most enterprises."


I definitely encourage you to go and discover this guy, he's good, really good:

http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/6974.1310413617

Thursday, July 5, 2007

Immigrant Oxymorons

Let’s say you want to come to live to the US. If you have tuberculosis or AIDS you will not be eligible for a Green Card. BUT if you just want to come as a tourist, tuberculosis, AIDS and Ebola are fine. You are welcome, no worries (really nobody is going to check).


According to my lawyer, I can perfectly work …. According to my future company’s lawyer I can’t...According to the Social Security administration (yes there’s Social Security In the US) I can work … according to the Homeland Security Office I can’t… I’m confused

Guess which is the only official identification shared among all the US citizens…passport??...driving license??...ID card??... NO!…. It’s the Social Security number (not everybody has a passport and not all the States have an Identity Card, and the ones that have it are totally different from each other). NOW guess which is the only developed country that does not have universal health coverage… The US

Multiple choice: You want to buy a house and you go to the bank to ask for a loan. Select A or B depending on which one you think is correct:

  1. . You bring all the necessary documents that proof you are a savings person
  1. . You get 20 credit cards, spend like crazy during a year then go to the bank with a record of all the transactions
Correct answer: B (Explanation: in the States what matter is not your savings capacity or earnings history; what matters is your credit history and your payment record. It really is a consumers country)

Monday, July 2, 2007

Modern toys


www.accoutrements.com

This Seattle based company defines the present as a step behind and so what they do is either go to the past or look at the future, The results... some of the most funniest products I've seen


The Jesus and bacon bandages


Vincent Van Gogh, with interchangeable heads (ear/no ear)

 Last supper after dinner mints
And the Cat-a-Pult


www.KidRobot.com

Then there's this little store in the Haight, San Francisco, where kids of all ages (0 to 99) can find really cool and unique stuff too...

Some Mickeys


And some other freak stuff