Smart Vending!

http://www.techeye.net/hardware/smart-vending-machines-triple-sales

A vending machine in Japan is recommending drinks to customers based on facial recognition data.  Two vending machines in JR Shinagawa with the recognition technology are believed to be responsible for a vast increase in sales in comparison to traditional machines.

Beverage recommendations are made by the machine after physical attributes of customers are picked up by sensors which allow the machines determine age, sex and other attributes. It's funny to think about how a customer may react to being recommended three diet beverages based on the vending machine’s judgment. The article states, "As the technology becomes more commonplace we can expect to see plenty more chubby commuters crying into their skinny lattes while waiting for a train, too afraid or unable to argue with the machine's decision."  A catty machine could be interesting, but I am not sure if I am ready for a vending machine to judge me in such a way yet!

We knew this would happen but...

 http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/VtCxqswxXB8/reset-your-ios-alarms-for-daylight-savings-time

Even after hearing about the iPhone glitches in Australia and Europe, we here in the US were still thrown off guard when our iPhone alarms did not wake us up at the correct hour.  Funny how easy it is to forget.  I use an "old school" alarm clock, so I was did not awaken an hour late for my accounting class.  Thank goodness because the I did OK on the quiz today and I need all the good grades I can get in that class.  I wonder if I can ever trust iPhone with an important wake up call again?

iPhone alarm bug leads to UK lie-in

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/362407/iphone-alarm-bug-leads-to-uk-lie-in

Over the weekend when Britain switched from summer time back to GMT, the iPhone's clock automatically made the change, but forgot to update its alarm settings.  This little glitch gave users an extra hour of sleep.

The glitch was first noted last month in New Zealand and then a week later in Australia, with users woken up an hour early for that part of the world's hour jump forward.  I guess iPhone didn't think to fix the problem or notify the UK users in time for their switch.  Knowing this, I think all iPhone users here should expect the same result as our time change approaches next weekend.  I wouldn't mind getting an extra hour though, just as long it it occurs Sunday and not Monday because i have an accounting quiz.

E-Text Book switch mandatory in College?

http://chronicle.com/article/The-End-of-the-Textbook-as-We/125044/

This article discusses how to save student money schools may force a switch to E-textbooks.  They say e-texts would be required and colleges would charge students for them within a required fee.  The claim is that this is the best way to control skyrocketing costs and may actually save the textbook industry from digital piracy.  As it stands today buying a textbook is optional, student can do a many number of things to avoid buying a new text book, picking up a used textbook, borrowing a copy from the library, sharing with a roommate, renting one, downloading an illegal version, or simply going without. Here's what they are thinking that by ordering books by the hundreds or thousands, colleges can negotiate a much better rate than students were able to get on their own, even for used books. And publishers could eliminate the used-book market and reduce incentives for students to illegally download copies as well. 

As i read this article I was feeling annoyed, another fee give me a break , but as I read on I realized that this could really be a savings in the end.  Mirta Martin, dean of Virginia State's business school, speaks passionately about her reasons for taking part in the experiment with Flat World, which offers free access to its textbooks while students are online.  Students pay $24.95 for a PDF (a print edition costs about $30).  Virginia State business school pays a bulk rate of $20 per student per course, and the program allows students at the school to download not only the digital copies but also the study guide, an audio version, or an iPad edition (a bundle that would typically cost about $100).  Now this sounds more like a deal. 

I personally like having an actual text book because I like highlighting and writing notes in the margin or getting a used book with someone else notes in it that could be helpful and I like reading a book as opposed to a computer, however if it meant a huge savings in the end, I may be willing to make the switch, that is if the switch isn't forced upon me anyway first.

Super Soaker Strikes Again!!!!!!!!!

http://gizmodo.com/5666674/a-solar-power-breakthrough-courtesy-of-the-guy-who-invented-the-super-soaker

Lonnie Johnson is a prolific guy.  Not only has he helped do a risk assessment for the Atlantis space shuttle, he helped get the B-2 stealth bomber off the ground and he gave us the Super Soaker.  Well, he has done it again, and this time he may have made solar power viable. His latest project is called the Johnson Thermoelectric Energy Converter or JTEC and as Paul Werbos, director of the National Science Foundation, says "It has a darn good chance of being the best thing on Earth."  Now that's a statement.

The JTEC stands to double the efficiency of the best solar cells running today.  It has no moving parts and produces no waste.  When I was a child I believed that in a few short years we would be doing things like the Jetson's and everything would run clean and simply.  Well now it seems like we are well on our way and I think it's pretty exciting.  We aren't exactly the Jetson's yet, but a machine able to double the energy production of a current solar cell and be competitive with coal (but cleaner) is pretty awesome.

If a tree falls in the forrest and Google doesn't hear it, did it make a sound?

http://gizmodo.com/5650034/if-a-city-disappears-from-google-maps-does-it-still-exist?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+gizmodo%2Ffull+%28Gizmodo%29

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/world_news_america/9038870.stm

Sunrise, Florida could give their best guess.  For about a month the city could not be found on google maps, and this isn't the first time this has happened, apparently Sunrise has disappeared from google maps 3 different times.  The article states that if you searched for a plumber in sunrise you got nothing and a search for a florist yielded results all the way in Sarasota, FL 200 miles away.  Businesses suffered to say the least. But as soon as google put them back on the map, business was booming again.

This article amazed me when I first read it.  How is it possible that an entire has been looked over by google.  I myself have come to know google as the know all for everything especially addresses and businesses around town.  If I can't find it on google I am not going.

Premium Cable vs. Netflix

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_39/b4196021822248.htm

Netflix is growing quickly in its popularity and size.  Their deals have begun to put blockbuster out of business.  Now the company is beginning to encroach on the premium cable market with their ability to stream movies online.  61% of their customers are now streaming movies via the Internet.  One research analyst notes, "Adding a premium TV channel to your cable subscription can cost $10 to $15 a month, in contrast to Netflix for as little as $9 a month."

HBO does plan to battle it out with Netflix online, apparently offering new online services in early 2011.  However, as more gear such as the Apple TV, iphone and ipad become compatible with Netflix, Netflix is well on there way to rivaling the premium cable channels.

I know several people who have already reserved the Apple TV in order to stream Netflix into their living room.  I am liking the competition that Netflix is posing to cable premium channels.  I myself do not have any premium channels because they are too expensive for me, but I would certainly like to.  If Netflix becomes a real rival, and I think they will, then perhaps I will be able to afford the channels that I now covet.  Competition, especially online, will make all the premium channels more competitive and maybe even innovative.  I am eager to see how HBO plans to counter Netflix's growing popularity online.

Social Sites Orbiting Facebook

http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/10_38/b4195035456823.htm

This article discusses the rising up of niche social networking sites.  Since Facebook it has been only a matter of time that other networking sites, catered to specific hobbies, would start popping up.  Well, here they are.  According to the article, in July at least 280 million people logged onto a social site other than Facebook and Twitter.  One analyst estimates the number could be as high as 700 million.

Some of these popular niche sites include, Dogster, for the puppy lover, Eons, for the 50 plus crowd, myYearbook for teens and many more.  Apparently, Facebook gets people's feet wet with social networking online and then they are ready to move away from the mainstream and into sites which cater to their more specific interests. This is good news for advertising.  It makes a lot more sense for Frontline to advertise on Dogster as opposed to simply Facebook.  The audience with Facebook is simply too broad and I imagine that kind of advertising is not cheap.

This is a great way for companies to find the demographic to which they need to be advertising.  The emergences of these specially catered sites give them the perfect stage with which to do so.  TV ads have been not doing so hot since the emergence of the DVR and also with the additional ability to watch many shows online with limited ads.  Specific social networking sites gives a company another way to get their product out and also to a more specific audience, everyone wins (at least, the social site and the advertiser do).

This article reminds me of another social networking site I had heard about on NRP about a week ago called Affluence.org.  For this specific network you must prove a net worth of 3 million dollars or an annual income of 300,000.  That one in particular, takes things to a new level, but I think it's great that people are finding a comfortable place for themselves online.  I really had no idea there were so many different ways to network with something for everyone and more than one for everyone.

I have already begun to search another networking site for myself.  Maybe I'll join Land8Lounge.com, not sure, any suggestions?

Communication while Captive...

http://www.cio.com/article/610064/Freed_Journalist_Tricked_Captors_Into_Twitter_Access?source=rss_news

A journalist who was released over this past weekend was able to send communication to his family and friends while he was being held captive through none other than his twitter account.  Kosuke Tsuneoka had been held for 5 months until his release and no one had heard a word from him until just a few days before he was freed by his captors.  The two messages, written in English, stated:
"i am still allive [sic], but in jail," and "here is archi in kunduz. in the jail of commander lativ."

Having not heard from him over the course of his captivity, his family and friends very quite skeptical towards the tweets.  First of all, they were not written in his native Japanese, second, the tweeting seemed improbable if in fact he was being held hostage, and third they came from an unknown source (not his usual cell phone).  After his release, Tsuneoka was able to clear up the facts and explain how he was able to get access to the Internet.  Basically he was able to tweet using his gurds new cell phones while teaching him how to access the internet through his cellular account.

In a country where it can be difficult to find clean water, it is amazing to me that people are using  technologies like cell phones with Internet access and on top of that, TWEETING!  If the journalist had not been so cunning while teaching the low ranking soldier about the Internet capabilities of the cell phone, then he would definitely not have been able to send a hopeful message to his loved ones.  Who new twitter could be part of sending hopeful words from behind enemy lines.

This really speaks to the changes taking place within technology today.  The amount of connectedness we have with people around the world is incredible and it is slowly making the world a much smaller place.

Facebook Film - Thumbs up or Thumbs down?

http://www.businessweek.com/technology/content/aug2010/tc20100826_187353.htm

For my first blog post, I am glad to be writing about this upcoming movie The Social Network.  I enjoy watching movies a great deal and I have been quite curious about this one in particular.  This article discusses how the hype surrounding the new "Facebook" movie may not be all that it is cracked up to be.  On one side, The Rolling Stone magazine critic gave the movie a top four star rating, while the movies Facebook fan page has a meager 13,550 number of followers on its own website. 

Facebook being what it is today, I am interested to see how the movie portrays the events that occurred leading up to the websites inception.  As the article puts it, there is a challenge in marketing a movie where people type on computers and give legal depositions.  Translating this onto the screen seems difficult, but the trailer seemed convincing enough to me. 

Another aspect of the movie that is unclear, is how closely the movie sticks to what really happened.  In the article, Zuckerberg claims that he originally created "Facebook to improve the world and make it a more transparent place. This movie portrays me as someone who built Facebook so I could meet girls."  It is surprising to me to hear that kind of explanation.  I think creating the site originally to meet girls seems more plausible, but who knows, maybe his original aspirations were indeed that lofty.

This article ultimately made me think about how interesting it is to see such immediate reactions to movies and events and it's all made so easy through the thousands of connections we make online.  One thing is clear, that once the movie is released the feeling of the majority will be "heard" quickly through the social media on which the movie is based.