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Terry Howard Orlando, Florida |
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Earth to Google, Hook up the AIM |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/29/2006 
Name This Blog |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/23/2006
Tech Reporters Just Don't Understand |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/23/2006
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| Photo taken from Engadget. Let me know guys if you don't want it up! |
In the September 18, 2006 issue of Television Week, Daisy Whitney writes:
"Apple CEO Steve Jobs took a step last week to lure television viewers back to the same living room sets he freed them from when he introduced the video iPod last year."
When the Video iPod first came out a lot of the press centered around how tough a sell it was going to be the get people to like the idea of viewing video on tiny little screen. Even after the product became a success, the question of how the small screen could compete against the coming wave of lower cost large format HD sets. I have to wonder if these writers ever even went to the Apple site much less use the item. It has video patch cables to plug it to pretty much ANY television and view your videos there. The only time anyone would ever need to actually view something on the screen would be to show off photos and little videos of your kids or something, or when on a plane, bus, long car ride, waiting room, wherever. But when you come home you can plop the thing right down into a cradle on the entertainment center and watch the latest video podcasts of Homestar Runner or thousands of others you can find for free in the Apple Music Store, or some TV shows or a movie you downloaded. You pretty much can have what the iTV will have now with the Video iPod, except for one big exception, well 2, the new iTV interface looks incredible!
No, the big exception is completely wireless networking. You have to sync your iPod and then connect it to the television before getting any of that great digital content to the living room. The new iTV appliance just has to hook to the power outlet and into an input on your TV, and through the magic voodoo that goes on in WiFi the machine can access anything on your computer and anything on the internet! Yes, that's right, the internet. The same article from Television Week fails to understand that point either:
"ITV, however, is unlikely to revolutionize TV viewing the way the iPod did, which set off seismic changes in the television industry. That's partly because iTV for now is simply another iTunes screen-in addition to the computer or the iPod-because the device will play only content accessed via iTunes, rather than all Internet video."
It will? Who told you that? I don't remember anyone on the stage at the special announcement in which iTV was previewed saying anything to the effect of what content it would not be playing. In fact, they clearly showed how you can view current and upcoming movie trailers from Quicktime.com. One would only have to assume that you will be able to view the Apple Music Store to download whatever songs, movies or tv shows you please from your couch. It's 2 computers connected to the network, if you have one of those connected online, then both can access it. The iTV will be internet ready by definition. Even if viewing YouTube or other web content isn't built in at release, there will be plug-ins and small apps created by the independent software community that well let you do whatever. iPhoto doesn't come with the ability to upload to a Flickr account seamlessly, but FlickrExport adds that functionality. Rest assured, you will be doing all kinds of cool stuff with an iTV.
This is what Apple's goal is, to make the media you own and the services and content available via the internet ubiquitous across your viewing devices, whether it be workstation, portable, or recreational.
CFLFR on ROI Revolution |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/22/2006
At Central Florida Fishing Report we have been doing exactly that for the printed business card campaign and other offline efforts, so I wrote up our story about how we've been successfully using it to gauge response and conversion on the site in regards to our offline efforts. Not only did we get a post, but they gave me and the wifey a free dinner out! Now that's how you run a blog! :)
Go read the blog post about how CFLFR uses Google Analytics to track offline marketing efforts for yourself, and if you're using or plan on using Google Analytics for your own sites, I highly recommend subscribing to ROI Revolution's feed, (or bookmark it, but that is so 2005!) Related Link
If Ever Someone Needed to Be Slapped |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/19/2006
The internet providers of the US (which are these jerk offs) are trying to make moves to charge the "multi-billion dollar silicon valley tech companies" extra for the services they provide you, their subscribers. They want to charge you for the access and then the providers for sending you data you requested via the pipe you paid to have access for. Horseshit! Plain and simple.
So let's analyze this horrific slap in the face commercial. First, they are clearly calling out Google. They use the term "Google-eyed" and then through the phrase "Mumbo Jumbo" onto the screen in Google's font and logo colors. So, we are all agreed, they are casting Google intot he role of the greedy company that is trying to fleece us, right? Okay then, when is the last time Google sent you a bill? Do you pay for search, as a user or site owner? Do you pay for Gmail, to send or receive? Do you pay for Froogle, to look at or be in it? Do you pay for Google Maps, to use or develop with it? Do you pay for anything at Google what so ever outside of being either A) A business advertiser, or B) a purchaser of the Google Search appliances? NO! So right there these frauds are flat out lying to you. Now, do you pay for cable internet access? Do you pay for renting the cable modem? Do you pay for having a tech guy come out and set up said cable modem? Do you pay for having them not show for hours if at all missing your work and not getting paid? So just who is wanting to fleece who here?
Short answer, the cable and telecoms want to rip you and every internet service provider off by double charging for the same packets of data. It's like putting a toll basket on either side of the arm at the toll booth. IT IS A RIP OFF!!! How will this even work? And they know exactly what will happen if and when they get approval to fleece the website owners and free service providers of the world, these free services will have to pass the costs off to you the consumers or go out of business, and the people who are getting the money in the end, the cable and telcoms, will get to say, see, they are greedy and want your money! It just doesn't get much more insulting than that ad right there and the snow job the NCTA is trying to pull on the American Consumer. Blatant piss on your head and call it raining commercials like this are the kind of thing people should go to hell for.
Visual Shaming |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/12/2006
I love football season!
ESPN Fantasy Football is THE WORST! |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/11/2006
First off, our league bought the league wide Edge package which gives you all the goodies including live scoring. I didn't know this yet, so when I logged in for the first games this weekend, there was a big add for upgrading to the Edge with live scoring. Yeah, I want that, so I click on the call to action banner and go through the buying process. I get back to the league homepage and THEN I see the note from the commish that we should already all have this upgrade. REALLY? Then why the hell is ESPN trying to sell it to me again? I mean seriously guys, it's a simple IF statement and a user database query. You just strong sold me and took my money for a service you should have already been paid for and delivered. That called a con.
To make matters worse, they didn't even apply the Edge service I paid for to my existing team, but instead it created some secondary generic Team1 that is attached to no league at all. Yeah guys, that's EXACTLY what I wanted. I wanted to create a new team with no league, 2 days after the season starts. That is called idiocy.
So what happens now when I go back in? I have the FantasyCast, but I don't have the rest of the Edge package, like every other team. What the fuck?!?! So it was paid for twice and I STILL don't get it? That is called pissing me off big time.
So the final slap is that I go to reply to the customer service email telling me thanks for giving us your money, sucker, and it comes back with a shitty auto-emailer that proclaims that they have upgraded their awesome customer service system to a nifty FAQ! No joke, they actually tried to tell me that direct email customer support has been supplanted with a FAQ, and that is a positive improvement. Fuck you ESPN, that is just lame.
I was able to find a contact form buried somewhere on the site to outline my issues and what needs to be fixed, and of course when hitting submit I get sent back to the ESPN homepage. No confirmation of the form being completed or what I should expect next. Basically these guys skipped "Building a Website 101". Lesson learned: Leave web services to web companies, TV networks SUCK at the web. Next year I'm using Yahoo or nothing at all.
Correction |
Posted by Terry Howard @ 9/03/2006
Full discussion on the above can be found here.