Digital Living

Microsoft "Un-Mojave" Experiment: Have These People Being Shown A Mac OSX Before/After They Are Being Shown Vista??

Microsoft Mojave experiment try to tout the "beauty" of Vista by sharing to the world how people get "ooh ahh" by the sheer beauty and magnificence of "Microsoft's future operating system" which later they found out was VISTA!

They said people really "Oooh Ahh" about it, as they never thought such great operating system was VISTA!

Hmmm ... this is so Ballmerian "trick" by nature. >:-(

I think this experiment "miss" ONE key important point:

• Have these same people and audiences being shown Mac OS X BEFORE they are being shown Vista?
• Or at least: Have these same people and audiences being shown Max OS X AFTER they are being shown Vista?

If they have been shown the Mac OS X before (or after) they have been shown Vista, what would then these same audiences feel? Would Vista be still "feel" the "same" ??

 

This is what I called the "UnMojave Experiment". ;-)

Oh, Mr. Ballmer, your "old dirty trick" is such a "tard".

OpenOffice Conference 2008 - Beijing

This year OpenOffice Conference will be held in Beijing (November 5-7).

While during last year conference in Barcelona we spoke and shared our idea & vision about the "future of Office System", this year we will showcase the "OpenOffice Server" --  a real rendering of how those concept, ideas and technologies being implemented in reality.

This would be exciting!

Interesting to see that on the next session after our presentation ("Woorknet - The OpenOffice Server"), the IBM team will be talking about Lotus Symphony.

It has been quite sometime I haven't seen these "Lotus based" technology in place. Would be exciting to learn what has happened during all these years we haven't met each other. ;-)

Here's a link to the conference program.

See you in Beijing. ;-)

The Era Of Pico Projector Has Arrived!

It is truly fascinating to see the latest innovation in projection screen technology. Called pico projector, the device is about the size of our hand (which makes it truly portable), and the price is a wonderful $395!

 

With this, no longer people need to carry "bulky projectors" around. Everything becomes truly portable instead; pocketable -- to be more precise. 

There are two model avaialable today. One from Toshiba. Another from 3M. 3M says, the first device will be launched in the market on September 30.

This is awesome! Truly awesome! No longer projector becomes luggable anymore, it has become pocketable instead.

Apple Next Step: Leveraging iPod Touch As A Platform For "Next Generation" Game Machine?

Apple just announced a new "refresh" of its iPod product lines yesterday. While "on the surface" there seem to be "not so many significant changes happening", I think it is inside where there are many "strategic attempt" and innovation really happening.

One of it is in regards with the iPod touch. While the outward explanation of the device "modestly" say: the funnest Apple ever, the "inner attempt" for the re-introduction of this device -- I strongly feel -- is probably to make it the "next" platform for game machine! A kind of a portable wii for everybody?? one day a strong contender to the Sony PSP??

Let's see where Apple have been in the past 7-8 years:

• from the creator of innovative scroll-wheel based music player,
• to the inventor of music download sites (which now reach total 5 billion downloaded songs),
• to the creator of series of super exciting music player than can do video and stuff,
• to the inventor of the "handphone" platform of the future,
• ... and now to the "inventor" of the next platform and foundation for game machine of the future.

This is the pictorical description regarding the evolution of the Apple product set, and the key series of innovation that is happening from one phase and one stage to another:

For me, reading this picture, it "become obvious" that Apple aim to focus, win and leveraging its "iPod" platform, to become:

• the number one digital music & digital media (video, photo and stuff) player in the world.
• the number one ground breaking & most innovative smartphone platform in the world.
• the number one portable-wii-style  game machine platform in the world!

Apple under Steve Jobs leadership is really becoming a superbly awesome great super company once more!

They systematically, passionately, meticulously and super smartly invented, win, redefine and "own" the platform for the future! and make those platform that don't change becoming obsolete or totally irrelevant in the future.

What a wonderful company! (Just like Sony in the past -- under the leadership of the great Akio Morita).

Google NEXT Greatest Act: Linking Today & The Past!

To accomplish its messianic goal of "organizing world information", Google started to buy copyrights to newspaper headlines and content of the past, so that soon such "valuable content" would be available for the world to search, look, and see.

Here's an example result of such attempt:

Can we believe that now we can see Ford Motor's advertisement during the Henry Ford's time!! There are so many things that we can learn from that!

Come feel it for yourself! Give it a "test ride". ;-)

This is truly awesome. When Google accomplish such noble mission, many people and organization around the world might have access to vast collection of historical happening of the past.

I imagine, if later people start annotating, tagging, linking and integrating today's event with what was happening in the past, then may be the world collective knowledge would become even more complete, exciting, interesting and powerful, as not only now we can find and search information in the "digital age", but we can also search, find, discover, and "look back" to the past!

Such accomplishment would be truly awesome!

In many retrospect, Google is a cool company. Similar to what Apple (and Sony in the past) does, it seem to have instinctive "messianic zeal" in every attempt that the company pursue.

As for Ballmerian Microsoft, in the midst of these exciting development of the web, digital device, media, mobility, and stuff, ... what does it busily do today?

It is so busy delivering Zune -- the boring music player!

Ballmerian's new zune: it was a boring concept and product ... and is (still) boring until today!

Oh, long gone the days when Microsoft was the company with "great mission and zeal" of bringing the power and usefulness of PC into everybody, every business, everyhome and everydesktop around the globe.

Under the "Ballmerian empire," Microsoft increasingly loosing the "edge" of its industrial leadership, "forgetting" how to become leading innovative fascinating company that makes (and contributes) the "next crucial thing" that matters.

Instead, it increasingly seem being totally adept at turning itself to become "simply a company" ... a BORING one!

Here Comes The "Apple Latte" !

A week ago we talked about the most artful (and beautiful) cappucino created by Barista artist Sammy Lin at Bottega del Vino, NY.

Today I discover this photo on Idris Mootee's blog:

Welcome to the "Apple Latte"!

Anybody know where to get it? I "seriously" want one. ;-)

Like It Or Not, Soon We Will All Have To Accept The New Facebook Look!

Recently Facebook start to announce to its audience that the "new facebook look" soon would be the only facebook look in existence.

This means although many people switched back to the "old facebook look" after they try the new one, soon people will have to accept the new interface, because that would be the only interface used.

While in the past I have been the "early critics" of the "emptiness feel" resulted by the new interface, as the interface get mature, I think its start to show its most balanced posture and potential.

I guess today I start to like it. Not the home page, as this home page still look awkward. But the other pages: the profile page, the info page, the photo page, the box page, .. all the "other stuff" .. except the home page. ;-)

We all might (eventually) had to give it a try too. *sigh* :-)

Portable Chrome: Carry the Google Browser on a USB Thumb-Drive!

I found this article written by Amit Agarwal on September 4, 2008. I thought you might also find it useful:

For people who love to carry software on a USB drive, here’s something you have been waiting for.

Carsten has created a portable version of Google Chrome that has all the features available in the the main browser but requires no installation - just unzip all the files and start Chroming.

This portable Google browser can run directly from the USB stick on any Windows computer and all user settings including web history, cookies, etc. will also get saved to the same folder on the stick.

To download, go to Carsten’s site (English). Portable Chrome is tested on Windows XP SP3 and Windows Vista SP1 machines.

I think this can become a very useful thing, especially when the Linux Chrome arrive in the market.

With such, we can practically burn both the (Linux) Operating System and the "future Linux Chrome Browser" into our thumb-drive, hence each time we need to browse information or access our web application and our own computer is not around, we simply just need to:

1. find the nearest computer that we can find,
2. attach our thumb-drive to that nearest computer,
3. boot the computer using our thumb-drive Operating Sytem (Linux)
4. start browsing using (Linux) Chrome browser that resides that same exact thumb-drive!

Such would become a very convenient and portable computing solution ever. One day this approach perhaps could become more convenient, and more portable than what Netbook computer today can offer.

Happy thumb-driving. Windows version only for now :-)

The Team That Develop "Google Chrome"

Google took 6 years to develop their "chrome" browser. The project involves many people with different expertise and extraordinary gifted talents. During the past 6 years, these people come to Google through  hiring or through series of strategic acquisition.

Here's a picture of the team involved:

And here's the fascinating story behind "chrome" great effort and development:

http://www.niallkennedy.com/blog/2008/09/google-chrome.html

During the great days of Windows (1990s), we always remember names like Brad Silverberg and the bunch of team that created Windows. During the era of the excellent Mac OS X Tiger we remember names like Avi Tevanian.

I wonder who now develop the "boring, dorky" IE ??

Apple Soon Launch 9 Sept Event, Google Launch Chrome, And Microsoft's "Greatest Innovation" Is Releasing IE8 & Pooh-Poohing Non Vista Product??

Microsoft's "innovation" increasingly feels too-late and irrelevant.

Take a look at this week's "contrast" for example. Feel the difference between Google/Apple creative, exciting, forward looking innovation vs. Microsoft lame, retarded, boring innovations ever:

• While many people currently looking at Google's fresh idea and innovation with their new multi-process "chrome" application-centric, super stable, super speedy browser, the "greatest innovation" that Microsoft can do is releasing IE8 beta 2. :-( Lame!

• While Apple is soon going to announce "something exciting" on September 9, the "greatest interesting launch" Microsoft plan to do is "responding" to Apple "false claims" regarding Vista pitfalls through its Seinfeld+Gates advertising campaign. Oh My God!! :-(

Today, Microsoft leadership in innovation and in making great exciting product is may be at its worst ever. People say great founders create great companies, lauzy leaders that later takes over makes it a lauzy company afterward.

In the case of Microsoft, this seems to be true. While Bill Gates successfully made Microsoft into a truly exciting, loveable and relevant company in the past, the only "thing" Mr. Ballmer can do today is making Microsoft even becoming more strange, boring and irrelevant than ever.

Mr. Ballmer -- with all respect to what he might try to do for the good of Microsoft -- really never can be my "favourite" Microsofties, perhaps. His lame, lauzy, arrogant pooh-poohing act, and his crazy "monkey-dancing" act is really makes me loosing my respect, believe and apetite for Microsoft.

He (Mr. Ballmer) really bring this once great entity into its lamest stature. At the time when Microsoft really need to technically lead, envision, re-excute and rearchitect its view and implementation regarding its technology, framework, business model, strategy and architecture around the internet, the future of desktop, content and media, search, advertising, software as a service, cloud computing, and business, it got the lamest, wierd, non-technical, non visionary, non charismatic CEO leader ever.

Really really sad fact. :-(