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November 13, 2006: My 2006 Christmas List

With Thanksgiving nearing, I thought it was time to put together my Christmas wish list so Santa knows what to bring. Without further ado and in particular order, here is my 2006 Christmas list…

Web 2.5

Web 2.0 is beginning to get really boring guys. How many to-do lists, note takers, calendars, virtual desktops, social networks, bookmarking and Digg-clones are we going to build? Yes, all of these things were really cool when it all started. Heck, I couldn’t get enough of it. But now every week brings an entire new batch of the same thing. Let’s see something new. I don’t think we can have Web 3.0 until Web 2.5 shows some truly amazing applications of the technology and ideas of Web 2.0.

November 09, 2006: The Ultimate Rechargable Battery

Sometimes cool stuff happens in the real world too, like these incredibly geeky, rechargable batteries. When I first saw the USB Cell months ago, I was immediately upset though. You could only order them if you lived in the UK. This morning, I got email letting me know I can now purchase them in the United States. The USB Cell is ingenious. One end flips open and exposes the USB plug, you plug it into an available USB port and, before you know it, you have a fully charged battery.

November 07, 2006: Blurring the lines between online and offline

Scybe is the new kid on the block for productivity tools, but offers a twist many have been clamoring for. You can use it offline as well as online. Built using Flash and currently providing only a calendar and task list, Scrybe works pretty well. Normally applications like this don’t interest me much because I’ve never been much of a slave to my calendar (plus the lack of attention makes to-do lists laughable in my case). Scrybe, on the other hand, is just interesting enough that I want to see what else is in store.

October 25, 2006: No Time to Blog. Twitter Instead.

Twitter proclaims itself as a way to keep in touch with your friends no matter where you are or what you’re doing. As long as you have a cell phone that is. Otherwise, you’ll only be keeping in touch when you’re near a computer. At first I thought Twitter was just another take on instant messaging. As is often the case, I was wrong, Twitter is more like short, rapid-burst blog posting which can either be public or private depending on how you configure your account.

October 12, 2006: Google Docs and Spreadsheets. Google Never Sleeps.

Those folks at Google sure are busy this week. Remember Writely, the online word processor Google bought awhile back and only recently opened back up to the public. Well it’s gone. Google brings us another inch closer to the always rumored Google office suite with Docs and Spreadsheets, a tighter integration of its two main suite components. All that remains are presentation and database apps and Google office suite will exist, though in true Google fashion it will likely be named Docs, Spreadsheet, Database and Presentation.

October 10, 2006: Wal-Mart and Target Don’t Understand What Digital Means

Think Secret is reporting that Target has joined Wal-Mart in crying to the studios that Apple (and I assume other digital resellers like Amazon) are getting a lower wholesale price for movies. Do they not understand that physical DVD’s incur extra costs such as manufacturing, storage and shipping?

Look, if I sell you a handful of air, it will cost you about a buck less then the glass jar of air I also sell. See I have to pay for that glass jar, store it on a shelf, plus carry it over to you. The air in my hand I can just toss or blow your way, hence it is cheaper for both of us. Don’t expect me to give you the jar for free just because some of your competitors are buying air without jars.

If you don’t wish to sell air in glass jars, then buy the air without a glass jar. Otherwise, stop your whining.

October 10, 2006: What Google Did On Their Own Dime

As Greg mentioned in his post today, the internet is buzzing with thoughts on GoogTube and what it means. What struck me as amazing is that by spending a billion and a half dollars, the stock rose four billion dollars. Heck, go buy some more risky and expensive stuff it seems to be working for the shareholders.

Along with spending a lot of money, Google has again been pretty active in the past week but most of it was overshadowed by the rumors of the impending purchase of YouTube. So in as few words as possible, I present “What Google Did On Their Own Dime”...

October 03, 2006: An Experiment in Search UI

Coverpop puts a new spin on how a person might search for something. One problem with most current search methods requires that you leave the initial results as you click each result. With coverpop, not only do you see all the results while viewing the detail of a single item, but they are all presented as images which makes for an entirely different experience. It’s fun to go through the different coverpops that have been made.

Unfortunately, therein lies the only problem with coverpop. Every coverpop has been created by coverpop creator Jim Bumgardner. Meaning at this point, it’s just a fun experiment to play with. Fun it is, but you’re sure to waste away fifteen minutes of your day checking the collection of coverpops out.

October 02, 2006: Blingo Increases Prizes, Win a Ford Mustang

Remember about two months ago when I wrote about winning a $25 Visa giftcard from Blingo? At the time, I mentioned they had partnered with Publishers Clearing House and were likely going to be increasing the types of prizes they give away. It turns out the partnership with PCH was actually Blingo being purchased, and today looks like the first day to start winning big. Previously, I think the top prize was a $100 Visa giftcard, now it’s a new Ford Mustang or $20,000 cash. Other new prizes include $5,000 in cash, a 42-inch plasma television and $1,000 cash. If I could only have won today instead of a month ago!

September 29, 2006: When Worlds Collide. Apple and Wal-Mart Talk Digital Movies

This has to be one of the weirder and more disturbing rumors I’ve ever read, though it doesn’t sound so much like a rumor. Wal-Mart was at first accused of strong-arming the studios to not deal with Apple on selling movies, now it has flipped and the two companies appear to be working out a deal that would benefit both. If people thought the Apple and HP partnership to sell iPod’s was a match made not in heaven, I have no idea what this would be.

September 28, 2006: ESPN Shuts Down ESPN Mobile. Not Surprised.

I’m not an industry pundit and, for the most part, I really don’t follow the mobile market at all. I don’t like to use my cell phone as a phone let alone play games, listen to Coldplay, download ringtones, take photos, text message my buddies, watch the latest episode of The Amazing Race, check my stocks, manage my calendar, keep a to-do list or check on the score of the Twins game. And apparently the people that were using (or not using) ESPN Mobile and the fancy black ESPN phone don’t either.

September 28, 2006: Earn $300,000 With Google AdSense

You know those ads in the back of magazines offering untold riches to work from home? Well I’m going to tell you right now to stop wasting your time with that and get yourself a Google AdSense account immediately. John Chow has compiled a list of the top AdSense earners that Google sends ridiculously, enormous checks to on a monthly basis. Amazingly the top earner, the guy cashing $300,000 checks every month, operates his dating site Plenty of Fish with only one employee, his girlfriend.