Social Media Lab

Holy Crap! Hybrid Cars Move Over!

2010-06-03T14:34:00.000-07:00

Because I'm getting myself a freaking HOVERBOARD!

Apparently young french artist, Nils Guadagnin, has created a replica of the hoverboard from the Back To The Future II movie (damn thing even floats). It's ability to float comes from an electromagnetic system integrated into the board and plinth. This allows a laser system to stabilize the hoverboard allowing it to... well, HOVER! Next step, funding from government to get this thing to work on normal roads. +1 to greener transportation and -1 on relying on yucky oil.
Actually, next step... make the time machine car! OR does he have one already? Hmm...

Where Are All My Nintendo Gamers At?!

2010-06-03T14:01:00.000-07:00

My cousin showed me this video a few days ago and I had a smile on my face the whole time I was watching the video. If I could meet the person who created this video I would congratulate him/her on being 100% AWESOME. It took the creator 120+ hours to create this video using 7000+ pictures and utilization of construction paper, LEGO blocks, play doh (or was it gum?), some candy, some Nintendo games, vegetables and even an iPhone (Apple-Nintedo fans will love this). Check it out and take a trip down memory lane (viral video style)!

Dyson Fan > Yours

2010-06-03T13:39:00.000-07:00

So while I was on vacation, I saw this fan from Dyson in the stores. The air flow is projected in circle form and I thought to myself, "What's the point? If I wanted to cool down, I'd rather get blasted with a gushing stream of air instead of a dinky ring of air." BUT THEN, I saw this video. Now, I want one of these fans. Actually, make that a few hundred... and a balloon.

Can Anyone Stop The Oil Spill?! James Cameron Can!

2010-06-03T03:41:00.000-07:00

Wait, what?!

"Federal officials are hoping film director James Cameron can help them come up with ideas on how to stop the disastrous oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico."
-CBSNews

You got to be kidding me. The only idea I can see Cameron coming up with is to make a 3-D movie out of this. After all, the guy is considered an expert in underwater filming and remote vehicle technologies .....and 3-D..... (cha-ching). Then again, maybe that is why federal officials want his help? *shrug* So, this is what it's come down to? Film directors solving world crisis? Great, if 2012 is real... we are SCREWED. Anyway, this whole thing sure opened my eyes. This oil spill must be worse than I thought OR our government is worse than I thought. Well, at least federal officials didn't go to Michael Bay because he probably would just say, "Blow it UP! ....in slow motion..."

Market pointing up!

2010-06-02T23:42:00.000-07:00

Today (June 2) the US markets pulled back from the prior week correction which had lost nearly 1000 points on the Dow. Gaining 2.25%, the Dow was embraced by the rosy implications sent by home sales for april which were up 6.0%. What does this mean for investors this week? Buy! When bullish sentiment is up for the week ride the wave with your favorite stock, this little jump is likely to be semi-permanent and stocks are ripe for the picking again, after coming down so much last week.
With increasing housing sales in mind look to the beleagured mineral and material sector which are at near 1 year lows at the moment. With rebounding housing sales comes increase in demand for materials.

Ocean Freight, Risk with no chance of reward

2010-06-02T23:32:00.000-07:00

Paying attention to current dry-bulk stocks, you may have come across Ocean Freight(ocnf), in comparison to other stocks in the sector it is abhorrently cheap! Although it looks like a good deal at $.50 per share, dig deeper. Ocean Freight has issued so much equity in the past year that its shares have become diluted to the point that retained earnings are negligible when allocated across the masses of shares.
Ocean Freight is considered one of the most risky stocks in the sector for good reason, they have broken debt covenants, over-issued equity, and likely will continue slouching to their death.

Careful When Choosing Partners

2010-06-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, here is the story:

The guy number one above and guy number two below become partners. Guy number one makes smartphones that use up a lot of data. He also has the uncanny ability to be nice to his customers. Guy number two provides the data network. He, on the other hand, comes off as a douche. What happens?

This is the case of one customer, Giorgio G, who emailed the CEO of ATT to voice his complaints about the company's data plans. Especially the ones that concern increased rates, removal of the unlimited plans, and the tethering option. In response, he was told not to email the CEO again or legal action would be taken against him.

There are two things to gain from this story. First, both parties in this partnership will be hurt by the loss of a customer. Second, even CEOs cannot be rude to their customers.

We can fix the latter one, though! Simply send out an email to the CEO of ATT and let him know he is in the wrong!

Internet is Funny

2010-06-01T02:08:00.001-07:00

Microsoft Loosing Dominance?

2010-06-01T00:55:00.000-07:00

I have spotted a trend in the headlines that indicates troubles for Microsoft's future:

It appears that companies everywhere are considering Microsoft alternatives in designing their products. Hardware manufacturers, like Intel and Acer, are putting their weight behind Linux distributions. So are software developers, like Google and Valve. One theory might start with the fact that Windows is getting slower and hungrier for resources, making it sluggish on netbooks (a device that has spiked in popularity & purchases) and slow on boot times. Combined with the restrictions Redmond has placed on netbook (and possibly other device-makers) in order for product manufacturers to license their software, no wonder people are moving away.

The leaders at Microsoft are not stupid, they have seen this coming. That is why Microsoft has diversified into phones (KIN), games (XBOX), mp3 players (ZUNE), and many other products. However, I believe they made one mistake. They made all of their devices work seamlessly only with other Microsoft devices and Windows, essentially locking-in people who use its services. They are also locking-out people who use other products and services now, but may buy Microsoft products if they were integrated with what they use now. When others are moving away, it is not a good time to close yourself off. Such a closed strategy sort of reminds me of Apple...

Motivation!

2010-05-28T14:53:00.000-07:00

I've always been a proponent of smart workplaces driven by smart rewards. From an entire year of HR and Management study, my takeaway was that you have to trust employees. They usually want to work, they want to meet goals, they want the company to be successful, but as a manager, you have to realize that throwing a load of money in their face does nothing but distract them. Watch the video below and see what happens when you expect A and reward B with some really entertaining drawing.

How to report a problem and receive a refund for iPhone or iPad app.

2010-05-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

Have you ever purchased an iPhone app that you regret about? Sometimes it is an accidental purchase, or bad quality. Would you like to return it and get your money back? Apple has a way to report the problem with an app and receive a refund. However, it is hidden deep in your iTunes account.

First, open iTunes and click on iTunes Store on the left panel.

Then, sign in to your iTunes account: click on “sign in” button on your top right corner of your screen.

Enter your iTunes ID and password.

After you log in, find a quick links menu on the right side of the screen and click on “Account”

The next page will show your Apple account information. Find and click on “Purchase History” button.

The following page will show all your purchase history from Apple. Find the order you have a problem with and click on the arrow next to it.

On the purchase history page click “Report a problem”

Now you will see a “report a problem” link next to the app title. Click on it and message window will pop up.

Choose an appropriate problem from the drop down list and explain why you are requesting the refund. Apple customer service usually relies within several days. One thing to remember: try not to abuse the system, because you may hurt the developers.

Dry Bulk Bullion

2010-05-27T16:35:00.000-07:00

Dry Bulk may be the next big thing in the market!
You might be thinking Dry Bulk? That's the bins full of granola and trail mix at the store right? Wrong!!
Dry Bulk is the large capacity shipping of ores and material across the oceans. Dry Bulk shipping is an extremely depressed sector due to the current sluggish trade. Whereas most market sectors have recovered quite a bit since the recession began near two years ago dry bulk has made sparing recovery. These depressed stocks are mostly trading at 10 percent of their previous values.
If looking at the past is any indication of future performance investing now in these beleaguered stocks could yield an unprecedented amount once the economy regains the fevered pitch present only three years ago.

One Laptop Per child making $100 tablet

2010-05-27T15:44:00.000-07:00

Running on Google Android's OS, it's expected to cost only $100 when releashed. OLPC’s Chairman Nicholas Negropante says the tablet will be part laptop, iPad and Kindle. He also hopes that the company will be able to produce 100% plastic devices by 2012, reduce the cost to $75 and include a dual mode display so that the tablet will work both in the sunlight and at night.

Greyson Chance

2010-05-27T15:32:00.001-07:00

So last Thursday we discussed the latest viral video that is Greyson Chance playing the Lady Gaga song. Apparently, he won Ellen's web talent contest which awarded him $10,000, a new piano and on top of all that that he is now the first artist on Ellen's new record label Eleven Eleven. So I guess there's the answer to how he can elongate his viral video success. Now all he has to do is stay focused because Ellen has all the other bases covered.

Human infected by computer virus

2010-05-27T13:05:00.000-07:00

Scientist of the University of Reading, Dr. Mark Gasson, highlighted the dangers of implantable electronics with an experiment. He purposely corrupted a small chip with a virus and proceeded to insert it into his hand. With the common use of RFID that is able to send and receive information, Dr. Gasson was able to go as far as gain access through security doors.

The public has always been wary of the heightened danger of technological devices malfunctioning when placed inside the human body, but what about the danger of when someone can hack that pacemaker? Or even someone with the purpose of breaching security to find valuable information as demonstrated with Dr. Gasson's experiment.

The MPAA just doesn't get it...

2010-05-26T23:59:00.000-07:00

The MPAA has finally decided that its usual way of doing business is now out-of-date. So, the organization now wants to cut the time between releasing movies on the theater screen and your own TV screen to 30 days (down from 4 months). The catch? It will cost you $20 to $30 a pop! And that's a video on demand rental...

Here is a question for you - would you pay that much to see a movie earlier? I think you would be better off seeing it on the big screen, if you can't wait for the DVD. Either way, it would probably run you cheaper...

Via Engadget

Audi to one up Ford in connectivity

2010-05-26T23:41:00.000-07:00

Remember those Ford commercials about that famous SYNC option in a lot of its vehicles?

SYNC is an easy-to-use in-car connectivity system, standard on all 2010 Lincoln models and available on select 2010 Ford and Mercury models. SYNC allows you to operate most popular MP3 players, Bluetooth®-enabled phones and USB drives with simple voice commands.

It basically enables you to connect a select set of gadgets to your car and its devices. Connect your phone with the car, connect your music player, connect ...

Well, Audi thinks it can do better: a factory-installed UMTS model (much like the one in your 3G cellphone) will connect all the devices in your car, and those in your pocket, to a 7.2MB internet connection. How's that for internet ubiquity?

Via Engadget

Carrie Bradshaw a PC user now!?

2010-05-26T17:46:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys - I may not be dragging my boyfriend to accompany me to the Sex and the City 2 release but I am still looking forward to the next installment of the story.

Lead character, Carrie Bradshaw, was often shown with her Mac, typing up her news columns. Yes, the tech-illiterate is a Mac, not a PC. She doesn't know how to use an iPhone, and found out the hard way the importance to backing up your work when her laptop crashed.

The new movie allegedly has HP product placement instead of Apple now. Carrie will still be loyal to her brand, but the other ladies have changed. HP is definitely becoming more aggressive in its advertising, but is also changing its branding. It is still working towards attracting the fashion conscious buyer, partnering with specific designers to create special netbook clutches.

Some Android Stats

2010-05-26T17:30:00.000-07:00

As a fellow Android user, anxiously awaiting when my phone will ask me to upgrade to Android 2.0, here are some interesting stats about the overtaking handheld device and its upcoming Android 2.2 - Froyo.

- there are more than 60 compatiable devices with 59 carriers over 48 countries
- over 100,000 new activations a day, growing faster than any other smartphone maker (with the exception of blackberry's RIM)
- over 50,000 applications available on the market
- ability to send a message through Google's cloud servers
- Flash!
- applications being stored on the SD card (!!!) freeing up memory
- entire iTunes library can be streamed to your phone

With so much more potential, I can wait for my contract to be up and upgrade to the newest Android toy.

Unlock Farmville items by buying a Slurpee!

2010-05-26T17:20:00.000-07:00

I found this hilarious.

The partnership with Zynga and 7-11 has grown from the simple agreement to sell Farmville, Mafia Wars, and Yoville playing cards in the stores. Soon, a new campaign will be launched. When you buy a slurpee, ice cream, or promotional products for these games, you'll be directed to perform a certain task on the game to unlock 7-11 specific products.

7-11 is smart with jumping on Zynga's back to get some help in social media. I'm sure they will both be profitable with this campaign, especially considering the kid in the UK who spent over $1400 on his mom's credit card just for "stuff he wanted" on Farmville.

Hospitality and Social Media

2010-05-26T16:56:00.001-07:00

To be honest, as grateful as I was for the presentations by Micros' Dan Jacobs, I was still left with the confusion on how there company was utilizing social media. It felt like more of an explanation of how a POS system worked. As he said he was working with more of a hospitality aspect (in which I have experience in, and while at the same time, try to forget about....), I thought of maybe some more research would be helpful.

Of course we are aware that practically any business needs to embrace social media to help survive. Twitter serves as a platform to announce special promotions and rates. (And therefore, creating brand loyalty.) But, the channel works both ways. As the businesses speak, they also have the position of listening directly to their consumers, and hospitality is all about customer service.

Various ways social media is being utilized in this industry consists of more than responding to complaints and thanking them for the visit, but bettering the experience to the destination. Foursquare works with telling various background history depending on where the user is. The small, neighborhood coffee shop, CoffeGroundz, is the first to take to go orders and reservations via Twitter. Disney and Royal Caribbean Cruises have attracted the 42 million women online looking for advice and recommendations through the mom bloggers. They invite them to participate in their attractions as a way for the household's decision maker to spread the word. How much more reliable is a review when it comes from a mom? Some companies are also encouraging their employees to tweet during their shift to expand that network.

iPhones for less than $100!

2010-05-26T14:11:00.001-07:00

The iPhone 3GS has beganits discounting phase with the prospect of the 'iPhone 4' to be officially released in the near future. Walmart is among the first to lower the 2 year contract price to $97. As Apple trends have been before, they will lower the price of the iPhone 3GS when the next iPhone is released. Walmart is just having a head start on dropping its inventory.

Will this method work? The common consumer of Apple products is someone who enjoys being ahead of the trend and owning the newest technology. Won't most people just wait?

Celebrities and Technology

2010-05-25T19:30:00.001-07:00

Lindsey Lohan has been ordered by the courts to wear an ankle bracelet that has breathalyzer technology built in. She is not the only one, courts are using these now for DUI criminals.

HP on Top in Server Market

2010-05-25T19:29:00.001-07:00

Hewlett-Packard knocked IBM from the top spot in worldwide server revenue during the first quarter, as the market for x86 systems picked up but sales of Unix and mainframe systems continued to decline, Gartner said on Tuesday.

Worldwide server revenue climbed 6 percent from a year earlier, to US$10.8 billion. Unit shipments climbed 23 percent to 2.1 million, meaning selling prices were generally lower.

McAfee buying Trust Digital

2010-05-25T19:25:00.000-07:00

Reported to planning to end deals by June 30th, McAfee is planning on purchasing Trust Digital. Can end up being a great aquisition for McAfee, as trust digital provides similar services to companies.