The Long Blonde Tail

The Singularity Is Near, As Is Its Film Debut

Tracy Sheridan — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 13:07:34 -0700

The day is soon approaching when a lucky few - myself included - will see the work of futurist Ray Kurzweil not in words, but as depicted on film. A sneak preview of The Singularity is Near: A True Story About The Future, will be shown at the Sonoma Film Festival on Friday, April 16th, 2010.

Based on the concepts in Kurzweil's book, which bears the same title, the film presents his controversial yet daring arguments around a post-biological world, where boundaries blur between human and machine, real and virtual, and where human aging and illness are reversed.

Written and co-produced by Kurzweil, the film is a full-length motion picture which intertwines an A-line documentary with a B-line narrative story. The documentary features Kurzweil interacting with "a panoply of thinkers on the impact of exponentially expanding technologies on the nature of human life in the next half century." This impressive sampling includes Lotus founder Mitch Kapor, Sun Microsystems co-founder Bill Joy, robotics and telepresence pioneer Marvin Minksy, Aubrey de Grey, and more.

Segue into the narrative story, and here's where my heart starts racing:

The intertwined B-line is the story of Ramona, Ray Kurzweil’s female alter ego, starting with actual footage of Kurzweil creating and demonstrating his virtual creation at the 2001 TED (Technology, Entertainment, Design) conference, where Ray – as Ramona – sang Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” This presentation was the inspiration for the Warner Brothers’ movie Simone, where the character played by Al Pacino turns himself into Simone, just as Ray turned himself into Ramona at TED.

The B-line continues as Ramona goes into the future where she becomes more and more humanlike and independent - a Pinocchio story. She combats an attack of self-replicating nanobots (gray goo) and hires Alan Dershowitz (who plays himself ) to press for her legal rights as a “person.”

The judge rules that he will grant her full legal personhood if she passes a “Turing test,” in which she must appear indistinguishable from an actual human in a text conversation. She gets coaching from Tony Robbins (who plays himself ) to become “more human.”

The story continues from here. . .

In the past I've written about the topic with great interest, and have attended the Singularity Summit (which Kurzweil co-founded), so it would be accurate to say that I'm just-a-little excited to be part of the viewing audience at Friday's screening.

If you're in or around the Bay Area, you, too, can experience the film in the beautiful backdrop of Sonoma Valley wine country. Passes are available here - but move fast ... they won't last long.

The Apps Have It: Center Stage, That Is

Tracy Sheridan — Mon, 29 Mar 2010 17:05:37 -0700

As promised in an earlier post, here is the remaining lineup for tomorrow night's San Francisco App Showcase*. I'm looking forward to seeing all of the demos, but have my eye on Line2, Pana.ma, and See Here Studios', The Wrong Side of the Bed - the first 3D children's storybook for the iPad.

Other apps that will be demo'd include Address Assistant, ImageQuest ($ .99 on iTunes), MightyDecider ($1.99 on iTunes), as well as:

tvChatter, as described, is "your social media companion for watching the most popular TV shows." Frog Design brings us this fun little app, which allows you to check out the Twitter-fueled conversation stream around a particular TV show. Think: dual-screen (TV or PC plus iPhone or iPod touch) action - Tweeting, or following the conversation - while watching Mad Men, The Office, 30 Rock, and so on.

I think tvChatter will catch on, and already seems to be much more engaging than, for example, Miso - which allows you only to "check-in" (and, of course, win badges) when watching a TV show or movie. tvChatter is here on Twitter, and iTunes. Price: free.

WasteNot brings an earth-friendly vibe to the world of apps by encouraging you to explore ideas that can help positively impact the environment, then share - and measure the impact of - those ideas. You start by browsing for ideas (called "seeds"), then 'plant' the seeds, or share them worldwide. A planted seed that is put into action, by you or others, is deemed as 'watered.' More info can be found on their site.

WasteNot is here on Twitter, here on iTunes. Price: free

Think of Steel Trap as a personal trainer for your brain - or at least your brain's memory power. US Memory Champion Chester Santos brings his expertise and techniques of memory improvement to this iPhone app. A little bird has told me that for tomorrow's event, Chester will be memorizing the daily top 100 grossing apps in the iTunes store.

This app definitely comes in handy in the era of information-overload, and in an age when we don't necessarily use our memory skills as often as we used to, because of technology. Steel Trap is here on iTunes. Price: $2.99

Bonus: in addition to the demos, there will be a session on How To Market Your App on Facebook, courtesy of MPlayIt CEO, Craig Dalton.

*Note: If you'd like to join the fun, a 50% discount off the regular ticket price ($20 advance, $30 at the door) is yours, by using the code "TracySheridan".

Invasion of the Apps: There's An Event for That

Tracy Sheridan — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:38:22 -0800

When one of the most common phrases heard on the street is "there's an app for that", and you're an app developer, you know inherently that you face a real challenge. With Apple receiving over 10,000 application submissions per week, and an existence of over 150,000 apps in the App Store alone, the key question for developers isn't as much how to stand apart from the competition, but rather: how do we break the noise barrier?

Enter App Showcase, where the idea is to - you guessed it - showcase newsworthy apps, rising stars in the app world, and become the premier networking event to a room full of app developers and founders, investors, representatives of the media, influencers, corporations, and anyone interested in the mobile future.

Earlier today, I spoke with Seth Socolow, one of the partners involved, who said the idea to launch this app-centric event was actually self-serving. As an app developer himself, he and a few colleagues realized the need for the ability to show their stuff, live, and they came up with a solution.

Since launching in August 2009, there have been four San Francisco-based App Showcase events. The first one, fittingly, was held at the San Francisco Apple Store. However, since livestreaming and media attendance was of importance, the venue of choice then became 111 Minna Gallery.

The next event will be held on Tuesday, March 30th, and will feature guest host Robert Scoble. Some demos of the evening:

Pana.ma is an app that allows people to use their voice to message, rather than (or in addition to) text messaging. This has the potential of being incredibly efficient in business - for example, communication with groups of people, sales teams, etc. - and useful in one's personal life. Another benefit: it's free, while texting is not. They win the prize for the best tagline: Improve Your Text Life! Find them here on iTunes, here on Twitter. Price: Free

Moe's Notes is the latest thing cooking in Moe's Kitchen. It's a "multimedia note recorder, editor and organizer for creative and/or busy people." Some cool features include the ability to take photos and videos with geolocation data, a quick and simple interface to search and tag your notes, and the ability to instantly email your notes or upload them to Facebook. Find them here on iTunes. Price: $1.99

Line2 is a brilliant concept: alleviating the problem of poor cell phone reception by adding a second number to your phone. Here's the brilliant part: it works over 3G, Wifi, or cellular networks using the same number. This also comes in handy for anyone wanting to reduce their cell phone bills -- a pretty big market, I would say. They score extra points for also being BlackBerry compatible. Links: iTunes, Twitter, TechCrunch review. Price: free 30 day trial, then $14.95 monthly.

More to come on other presenters. For now, go here to register. Doors open at 5:30pm, and demos begin at 7pm. Follow the buzz on Twitter for the event here: #SFAppShow.

Irony: Twitter Killed My Blog. '140 Characters' and Square, Revive It.

Tracy Sheridan — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:14:47 -0800

During a recent gathering of 100 or so beloved fellow geeks, I experienced the third installment of Lunch for Good. It was indeed an impressive group, as was the event, which was orchestrated by some of the best in the biz: Chris Heuer (Social Media Club) and Myles Weissleder (SF New Tech Meetup). I encourage you to watch the videos of those who presented on behalf of their groups, and to keep an eye out for what will follow in 2010.

Historic, it was. For it was there that I first met someone named Dom, learned about a book that I knew that I had to own (and consume) and because of that -- unknowingly at the time -- became one of the first people to officially make a payment using Square. I love it when that happens.

Fascinated by our conversation, and what @Dom was up to, I asked if I could interview him in the near future. So, after his return from iPhone DevCamp in Amsterdam, and a book tour stop in Seattle, we agreed to meet at Sightglass Coffee & Roastery.

There is much to elaborate on, about everything we discussed, and certainly about the book itself. So while this may be putting the cart before the horse, here's the video of the interview, followed by a shorter one of Dom showing us how Square works, step by step (real-time emailed receipt included):

Using @Square to buy @thebook:

More to come on this. In the meantime, you can buy a copy of 140 Characters, here.

CrunchNotes Is Back, In Short Form

Tracy Sheridan — Wed, 06 May 2009 09:57:04 -0700

Not here. But, here.

(as Tweeted)

Musical Milestone: Moonalice, First Band to Twitter a Concert in Real-Time

Tracy Sheridan — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:09:15 -0700

This is big news, and although it was announced yesterday, it's definitely not an April Fools' joke.

On Friday, April 3rd, Moonalice will become the first band ever to Twitter a concert, in real-time. Here's how it will work:

Moonalice will post their upcoming CD release show and party on April 3rd at Slim's in San Francisco to Twitter. Immediately following each song during the show, Moonalice's sound team will take that song's audio, digitize it, upload it, and "Tweet" about its availabilty—all before the group finishes playing the very next song. This is the first time any artist has broadcast a concert in real-time on the Twitter platform.

It's really very cool, and is getting some nice pickup around the interwebs. I'm proud to have played a small part in it, and will continue to do so on the eve of the show (and beyond).

If you're in town, one word: GO. You will not be disappointed. You have my word.

Where: Slim's in San Francisco
When: Friday, April 3, 2009, 9pm
What: Celebration of Moonalice's Debut CD, First-Ever Twitter Concert, Suprises, and Amazing Music

Bonus: free posters, giveaways, even cupcakes

If you're not in the area, check them out on tour, across the US, in 2009.

photo credit: Moonalice

Moonalice's Debut Album: Music, Art, Technology, Celebration

Tracy Sheridan — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 12:01:58 -0700

As legend has it, it's been almost two years since I first wrote about a band called Moonalice. Right around that time, Chubby Wombat Moonalice (aka, Roger McNamee) and I chatted briefly about getting Moonalice on Twitter and a music social network or two.

Somewhere in the conversation thread, CWM officially welcomed me to the tribe and bestowed me the moniker, Long Blonde Moonalice. A few months later, a miniblog was born.

Fast forward to early '09: I'm back west, and finally find myself at a couple of Moonalice gigs. Before elaborating, a nice summary of the band:

A perfect example of the proverbial whole being greater than the sum of its parts, Moonalice turns its collective body of experience, ace musicianship, great songs, and love of adventure into live performances as distinct as they are compelling.

Ace musicianship, indeed. Beginning with guitar hero G.E. Smith (aka, Hardwood Moonalice), from Hidden Track's AJ Crandal:

Remember G.E. Smith? You remember, long blond hair, a jaw line that is kindly referred to as ‘chiseled’ and enough guitar playing talent to be the de facto band leader whenever he plays anything, even the radio. Sure you remember him. He toured for years with Hall & Oates. Led the Saturday Night Live Band for about ten years. ... Played with Dylan, Jagger, and Bowie. He even led the house band at Live Aid back in ’85. Yeah, THAT G.E. Smith.

The rest of the band members are rather legendary, as well: Pete Sears (Jefferson Starship, Hot Tuna), Barry Sless (David Nelson Band, Phil Lesh), Jimmy Sanchez (Boz Scaggs, Bonnie Raitt), Ann McNamee (Flying Other Brothers), Roger McNamee (Flying Other Brothers) and sometimes Jack Casady (Jefferson Airplane, Hot Tuna).

Music As Art. For each show, there is a highly artistic, custom work of art in the form of a poster which is given away for free (my collection is up to three, so far). As Chubby Wombat Moonalice explains:

Art has been with Moonalice from the very beginning. ... These posters are as much Moonalice as the music.

You can see some of this astounding artwork in high res pics, here. They're also available to purchase online, as is the Moonalice Legend.

Music as Technology. Moonalice's debut release is not only produced by Grammy Award-winning T Bone Burnett, but will feature his own ΧΟΔΕ (CODE) technology. In order to delve into that, I'm afraid a new blog post is required. But, in short, ΧΟΔΕ allows us - the music listener - to hear music as the artist intended us to hear it when it was recorded. In T Bone's words:

Sound is important. It is, as you know, one of the five senses. It is not to be taken lightly. Especially when it comes to music.

The debut release, available on April 14th, will be sold as a DVD audio disc, a CD, and two music videos. Also included are four ΧΟΔΕ audio formats: mp3, WAV, FLAC and AAC files. All in one package. All for the price of a single CD. Very nice.

Music as Celebration. On the eve of April 3, 2009, in celebration of the new release, the band will perform a special show at Slim's in San Francisco. It promises to be full of surprises, great music, and lots of fun.

Experiencing Moonalice live is something that I highly recommend. The level of rock hard-iness, hall of fame musicianship, and serious sense of tribal fusion on the Moonalice stage will not only blow you away -- it will rock your soul.

But don't just take my word for it. Go, and see them live. They are on a whirlwind tour across the US in 2009. In the meantime, here's a clip of a recent show in Felton, CA:

Artwork by Chris Shaw

Video by Guitar Vibe

2008 Singularity Summit: Stellar Lineup

Tracy Sheridan — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 17:44:59 -0700

Among many others, I'm incredibly excited about the upcoming 2008 Singularity Summit. This year's theme is Opportunity, Risk, Leadership -- and the speaker lineup, of course, does not disappoint. It includes:

* Vernor Vinge, science fiction author, mathematician and computer scientist
* Esther Dyson, entrepreneur, investor and philanthropist extraordinaire
* Justin Rattner, Intel VP and CTO
* Peter Diamandis, X PRIZE founder and CEO
* Nova Spivack, CEO of Radar Networks and creator of Twine
* Pete Estep, Cofounder and CSO, Intellispace

Previous speakers also featured this year include Ray Kurzweil, Ben Goertzel (if you happen upon him, be ready for a mind-bending conversation with Ben), and Peter Thiel. The full list of speakers may be found here.

For those unfamiliar, some background:

Each year, the Singularity Summit attracts a unique audience to the Bay Area, with visionaries from business, science, technology, philanthropy, the arts, and more. Participants learn where humanity is headed, meet the people leading the way, and leave inspired to create a better future. "The Singularity Summit is the premier conference on the Singularity," Kurzweil said. "As we get closer to the Singularity, each year's conference is better than the last."

The Summit was founded in 2006 by long-term philanthropy executive Tyler Emerson, inventor Ray Kurzweil, and investor Peter Thiel. Its purpose is to bring together and build a visionary community to further dialogue and action on complex, long-term issues that may transform the world.

I attended last year's Summit, and plan to attend this year's as well. Of the intellectually engaging, thought-driven conferences, summits and gatherings in which I've participated over the years, the Singularity Summit sits atop the list.

Best reason for attending? As I tweeted back in July:

You deserve a day to have your mind blown.

Details: October 25, 2008; San Jose, CA. Register here. Blog is here. See you there.

What is VRM?

Tracy Sheridan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:53:48 -0700

As described, quite succinctly, by psychologist and management consultant Tom Guarriello , just before heading to VRM Workshop 2008:

What is Vendor Relationship Management?

We live in a time when the information disparity that used to exist between what companies know about products and services, and customers know about those same products and services is decreasing rapidly.So that now, we’re in a position as customers to establish any kind of relationship we want with companies, enabling them to essentially bid on our business.

We’re a long ways away from doing that, but we are much closer than we’ve ever been to setting up conversations between customers and companies, and the conversations in which the customer gets to manage the relationships, and manage the information that exists in that relationship.

So for example, if I’m interested in buying a new video camera, I could essentially put out a proposal – or a Request for Proposals – from camera vendors, and let them know what I’m looking for, something about what my price points might be, and something about my time frame. And, to give those vendors the opportunity to bid on my business.

We’re getting very close to a time when the power will be shifting from the marketer “push marketing” to essentially the customer saying “I’m interested in these things. You guys tell me what you’re going to be able to do for me.”

Said here, on video. (note to self: need one of those t-shirts)

VRM Workshop 2008 @ Harvard, Live

Tracy Sheridan — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 08:31:54 -0700

VRM (Vendor Relationship Management) is something I've been paying attention to over the past months. And certainly I'm not alone. Doc Searls, Adriana Lukas, Christopher Carfi, Kevin Marks, and many others have been discussing it for some time.

To the unfamiliar, and in the simplest of explanations, VRM is CRM flipped. VRM says "give the individual the freedom and the power to own his/her own data". The opposite of the way "relationships" are managed by corporations today.

During a recent event in Amsterdam, Doc further explains:

A free customer is more valuable than a captive customer. Problem is, we still think the opposite way.

We're still in the era of a captive customer. On the sell side we still try to "manage", "control" and otherwise "own" them.

He then asks the following question to clients who inevitably boast about knowing their customer so well, that they own them: 'Really? What's another word for owning a human being?'

Project VRM, a community driven effort spearheaded by Doc (a fellow at Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society) is conducting VRM Workshop 2008 (VRM08), in fact, live on UStream. For your pleasure, here it is:

Online Video provided by Ustream

Bonus: one of the great VRM one-liners today was delivered via Twitter, which I retweeted:

Quoting @JoeAndrieu: Users aren't dying to control their data, but don't want to be controlled -by- their data.