DrAjao

What if your name is Valerie and you hail an Uber ride and as you get in and shut the door, Amy Winehouse's (sorry Mark) version of The Zutton's "Valerie" comes on? You know because Uber has some special deal with Spotify where drivers have access to a premium subscription while on an active drive. Still not impressed? Okay what if your favorite...no scratch that...your most favoritest (favoritestest?) song comes up? You know, because Uber has allowed you create a playlist on its servers that it streams via fairy dust and rainbows to the driver's car speakers. Still not impressed? Okay what if you hear a radio station where up-to-the-minute local whether and traffic conditions (plus breaking news relevant to you in particular) are being read by a Siri-like voice? You know, because magic. Still not impressed? Never fret. The self-driving cars will be ready for deployment in our lifetime. Sheesh. PS. If you look hard enough, you'll find people at...

I tweeted earlier that "By itself, the introduction of New Coke wasn't dumb. It was the immediate removal of old Coke that made it dumb. Gotta respect the old fans." If I had it to do today, I would represent old Coke as a champion super hero. I would then introduce New Coke as a challenger to the championship and open the lines for voting. I would create video campaigns with the two of them duking it out. CGI animation, cool costumes, 'uber pwnage', you name it. If New Coke wins, I would declare him the new champion, but guess what...I still wouldn't phase out old Coke! Who says the two cannot coexist?

I'm impressed at how Facebook (FB) is 'sneaking' it's new timeline feature on us. With minimal advertisement the new template is spreading to 'hapless' users like wildfire. 'Unfortunately', the change is permanent (you might have to delete your whole FB account to undo the change). I've used the inverted commas above because...well...this time at least, I think FB made the right move. The timeline feature is actually a vast improvement. One that FB might not even have the incentive to implement, save a desire to please its users (and...em... compete better against Google+ ). I remember screaming bloody murder when FB first implemented their 'new' way of viewing photos. You clicked on the thumbnail, and instead of being taken to the photo in its album location, you got a temporary black background with the photo hovering over it. I hated the black background because I couldn't see anything else but the photo...no way to easily navigate...

I may be wrong but I predict that Apple will still be relevant for at least the next ten years. (If this world lasts that long). They will however not be as valuable...may be relegated to the back, not making too many waves...kinda like, Microsoft, Dell, IBM, etc, after their glory days are over and before they manage to reinvent themselves. Their stock could even go up for a short while...but for different reasons. Probably because of more people buying established technology from a reputable brand...and not because the brand is the go-to brand for what is cool (or needed) any more. There's another company who's rising value is dependent not too much on the super powers of their leader(s) but on the pool of talent they employ (or acquire). Anyone who's read my blog a llittle probably knows what company that is.

No matter how much you hate Apple's pricing or closed ecosystem, you have to hand it to the man. He is a legend!

One major thing Google+ has going for it is the benefit of hindsight. They can simply look back at all the glaring mistakes that Facebook has made, and...well...make the same mistakes in cooler ways. Google+ gives people the ability to start afresh...reimagine their social networking...basically, add friends with more discrimination. Same goes for uploading content (comments, 'likes', pictures, places one visits...etc). Google also probably has the resources (even if not mindset) to limit the abuse of the right hand column of their pages with sponsored ads and 'friend' suggestions of the Orwellian order. They have the 20/20 hindsight of not describing all human relationships with the word 'Friend' and then limiting the number to only 5000. The truth is, Facebook already gave users the ability to compartmentalize their relationships with lists, so G+ isn't doing anything new in that regard...but they have not abused the words 'Friend' and 'Like...

Every new activity on a Facebook Group has the potential to generate email notifications that clutter our inboxes. While groups have many advantages (many of which we have not even begun to tap into), there is no excuse for unwanted mail. If the notifications are getting to you, don't exit the group for that reason alone (the group hasn't even started yet...you'll see), just adjust your settings a little. Here's how: These instructions apply to Facebook as of 2011 June 20th, and can be rendered obsolete at any time. Such is the nature of the web. Go to the top right hand corner of your page and click on ' Account '. It will drop-down a menu, click on ' Account Settings '. This will take you to your account page. Click on the ' Notifications ' tab. Scroll down a little to ' Groups '. At the bottom of that section, click on ' Change email settings for individual groups '. Just untick the group you do no longer with to receive notifi...

Today, T-Mobile announced a brand new no-annual-contract plan on their blog. This move (along with the earlier news of AT&T's acquisition of T-Mobile), just points to my theory that the age of annual contracts is over. This is an extension of a theory that had me predicting a couple of years ago, that the most expensive phone call we will ever make will cost no more than the equivalent of 8 US Cents per minute, no matter what the distance between the speakers is. Recently I have extended that theory to predict that paid texts/SMS will soon be a thing of the past...at most, two more years (the time it should take for all phones/packages to have the ability to send e-mails). It shouldn't take man much longer to figure out that e-mails which cost next to nothing compared to texts, can send attachments and do not have absurd character limitations. Back to my post title, the age of two-year contracts is not compatible with the internet age. The fact that you sucker...em...I mea...

Do you heart Zappos, too? I'd already heard aobut Zappos state-of-the-art customer service and their high ranking amongst the "best places to work" , but when I visited their site something in particular struck me...their pricing. A $100 shoe costs just that. Not $99.95, not $99.99, but $100. Their prices looked so much neater and so did the photographs of their products. One could argue that the extra cent pools into hiring a competent photographer like...ahem...myself. Another could argue that the rounded numbers somehow save a tangible amount in arithmetic convenience and easiness on the eyes (fewer employee and customer headaches I presume). A competing store shaved a cent off their prices and at first their price looked as if it was a whole dollar cheaper (which is the point of such pricing in the first place), but once I noticed, it felt as if someone was trying to pull wool over my eyes and something inside me didn't appreciate it. I then knew I wasn't goin...

Anyone who knows me knows I can't stop talking about Google. They're everywhere...even on Mars (at least in theory). They snag up a lot of upstarts (one of them was even named Upstartle!) and make their products more readily available to the common user. Those that refuse to sell usually end up with Google as a direct competitor with more dedicated funds and the ability (even if not desire) to undercut. The end result usually benefits the general consumer though it leaves a lot of bad blood in its wake. OK, so now that Google has established themselves as some sort of omnipotent and omnipresent entity, it may be time to dial down my ambitions. Maybe it's time to change my goals from 'creating a company that will change the world' to 'creating a company that is innovative enough to attract Google's attention so I can sell and run like the wind'. Here's to great times ahead.

Polaroid was one innovative company in its heyday. Wonderful inventions such as polarized sunglasses, instant cameras, and the noun ‘Polaroid’, were a few of their claims to fame. They, however, failed to see the potential in their early digital camera model, and stuck to their forte, instant film…essentially allowing the digital market to swallow them up. They filed Chapter 11 on day 11 of October in 2001. Fast-forward to January 2011 and Polaroid has done it again…literally. They have produced the Grey Label line including the GL10, a pocket-sized (even if large pocket) wireless insta-printer-thingamajig, the GL20 (a combination of two of their most popular products, the camera and the sunglasses), and the GL30 (well…the instant camera all over again). However, in one masterstroke, they have linked these products to one of the most Googled names on the planet…Lady Gaga! Talk about a comeback. The genius doesn’t just stop at the rebranding; my guess is that Polaroid won’t be immediat...

Once upon a time, a bride hired a photographer to cover her wedding, which was to last 6 hours. They agreed on 6000 bucks for two 11x14 inch 40 side flush-mount albums, and 300 soft images on CD. The bride paid a $600 retainer and one week later, the photographer got a check for $5400 from the bride's parents. The wedding day went very well; the photographer came with all sorts of fancy gear, second shooter, and an assistant. The photographer was a true professional. He was very courteous, and just knew the right things to say to liven up the occasion. His assistant was also very helpful with coordinating things. The main wedding events lasted 5 hours 45 minutes but the photographer stayed with them for another hour, and then took them to a scenic private resort for some groovy portraiture. Everyone, even the staff, at the resort seemed to know the photographer. When all was done, he told the couple how much he enjoyed working with them. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. T...

CBS and Pepsi bring video ads to printed page According to the article linked to above, there’s a marketing experiment in progress that will lead to video ads featuring in print media. These wafer-thin videos will start when the reader turns to the appropriate page. This is in an attempt to reach consumers who are moving to digital media to avoid print ads. Sounds a bit counterintuitive in my own opinion. It will be a nice fad/craze for a few years (or months). Though the revenue from the ads may justify the expense, if it doesn't eventually bring life back to the dying print medium (as we know it), then it's a waste of money in the long run if attempts are made to sustain it. My prediction is that people will buy the magazines in question not for their content but to see the fancy ads. When the novelty wears off, they'll go back to their iPods, Kindles, and internet browsers...these are the media where they need creative ways to reach people who have found easier ways to b...

I hear you bro. You've paid your dues over the years, you've watched your step, you've stayed ahead of the game. By your sweat and blood you've hard-earned the right to a good name and good credit...and now you're being asked to throw away your hard earned savings to bailout some bozo who's reckless, irresponsible, outdated behavior landed him in the mess he finds himself. I hear you asking why in the world you have to compromise your hard earned yet fragile economic right-standing for the sake of someone who doesn't even deserve it. The answers are pretty simple...(ok maybe not pretty or simple...they never are and may never ever be)... 1. You don't have to be reckless, irresponsible, and outdated before you find yourself in a mess: anyone could find themselves in a mess. 2. He desperately needs your help: if you don't help him who will? 3. You are interconnected: if he goes down, he drags you down with him. Of course, it's your responsibility t...

one thing i'm sure of is that the recession will get us off our butts and to thinking more about ways to improve our lives/innovate/advance/not merely survive/etc. yes there will always be the occasional serendipity, but many of man's accomplishments will have to be attributed to constantly/persistently/thomas edisonly/etc applying himself to solving a particular problem. and nothing get's man to apply himself more earnestly than pressure. some things we've taken for granted/gotten accustomed to/not bothered to change cos they...well...worked.../etc will have to be replaced. the economy may still get worse yet...but it will emerge leaner (after shedding redundant weight) and more efficient. you won't get away with inefficiency for long...cos the recession is coming to gitchya! cheers DrAW! DrAjao.com