A Silicon Valley Girl Navigating Through the Tech World
Randomized Connections
Mar 5th
Social Media has allowed for average people to connect with people all over the world. Sure, the majority of those connections are with friends, family, colleagues or acquaintances not strangers on Twitter, Facebook and the other popular social networks. Especially with Twitter allowing anyone to follow your stream, the random connections are unavoidable but usually based on something like a comment about a similar interest.
In comes Chatroulette! to truly randomize connections. The site has been covered in excess since it’s launch as a breeding ground for flashers and perverts but with some filters and focus it can be a great access point for connections. Although I’m too scared to actually try it out (random nudity is not my thing), the process to play the game is simple. All you need is a webcam and internet and you’re good to go. There are no filters, search terms or common interest just raw, random connection.
This concept is exciting and intriguing because it is fundamentally dangerous. That danger attracts a certain audience for at least a one time visit but to keep people interested and coming back, it will require the option of filtering. For example, today I might want to talk about Fashion and Style, I would be much more likely to jump onto the site if I knew it was likely I would connect with someone wanting to discuss the same topic. With those filters, Chatroulette could become a site with staying power rather than a passing trend.
Here is a video, no nudity included, showcasing the fun nature of the tool.
Happy Valentine’s Day
Feb 14th
Just want to wish everyone a Happy Valentine’s Day! With such a high frequency of cell phone video recorders and the internet as a simple and easy distribution method, there is no shortage of celebratory videos about Love. Here’s one highlighting a few love failures from the FailBlog
Friday Find: RadicalParenting.com
Feb 12th
As part of my job, I spend a lot of time researching blogs and bloggers that would be interested in a variety of topics including everything from politics to magic. There are an amazing amount of blogs out there and every now and again, I stumble across a blog that is a true gem.
Radicalparenting.com is site that approached parenting from a different perspective, the teenagers. A blog only makes up a portion of the site with those posts covering everything from teen trends to building confidence in teens. In addition to the blog portion of the site there are videos and other resources so parents and teens can get a little closer to being on the same page. Finding a way to bridge the communication gap between parents and teens is a challenge, with RadicalParenting making that gap a little smaller.
Vanessa Van Petten, author and founder of RadicalParenting.com, was kind enough to answer a few questions for the Bub.blicio.us audience. A teen herself when she began to explore the teen mentality, is 24 years old and provides a unique perspective on parenting by providing an opportunity for teens and their parents to connect through the social web.
What inspired you to create Radicalparenting.com?
I wanted to hear the teen voice in all of the parenting blogs out there. What did teens think about their behavior and what parents should do.
Who is the primary audience of your blog?
Parents of tweens and teens.
What type of feedback have you received from teens and their parents?
We have had an amazing response with over 200,000 reading the blog and we get applications for inters every week!
Where do you see Radicalparenting.com going in the next few years?
We plan to have even more teen writers to give them a voice and hopefully a few partnerships to expand our webinar and ebook offers.
As someone who is neither a teen or a parent, it’s interesting to read through issues and topics that are important to teens and how much that demographic has evolved since I was a teen and will continue to evolve. During my teen years, I would have loved having a resource like this so I wouldn’t have to explain to my parents what a Facebook wall is or what LOL means, I would just direct them to this site and roll my eyes (yep, I was an eye roller as a teen). There are also great opportunities for teens to participate in the site as a contributer and intern.
Have any Friday Find recommendations? Email me at pseudotechgirl@gmail.com
Connecting Beyond the World of Social Media
Jan 10th
I love having the opportunity to connect with people through social media tools. I’ve reconnected with old friend, built bridges with former acquaintances and stayed in contact with those I see on a more frequent basis. From best friend to networking buddies, we’re all connected through one social network site or another.
A few weeks ago, I thought this would be a great tool to help my brother connect with some of the friends he’s made over the years. Let me tell you a little about big my brother, Peter. He has cerebral palsy and is quadriplegic. He can’t speak or communicate beyond a simple nod “yes” or “no”. He’s smart and stubborn, like all men in my family, and has a lot to offer the world, even though his body may limit him most of the time.
My brother and I get together to update Facebook as often as we can. It can be as simple as sharing what he had for dinner or posting the artwork he creates at one of his programs, Creativity Explored. He attends a program each weekday so it’s become an opportunity for communication between his aids and my family. His aids can share if he had a good day or a bad one and what they did so we know to ask Peter the right questions.
Facebook has also allowed for Peter to connect with his friends that have similar limitations. They may never be able to “talk” to one another but they can communicate through their Facebook pages and the person managing that page. I run everything by my brother before I post it and we play Farmville together. It’s not perfect but has opened so many communication doors. It has even inspired my brother to be interested in his communications device that he’s long given up on because it’s a challenge to learn to use. Bringing that enthusiasm into that challenge was difficult but Peter’s activities on Facebook presented and opportunity to reintroduce the idea.
My brother has 17 friends on Facebook. If this were a numbers race or some kind of client launch, it may not be viewed as a success but what we’ve been able to accomplish in the past few weeks is beyond measurable. There is not measurable ROI beyond the smile on his face when I show him some of the comments on his wall or the pictures posted by a friend. This is where I see the true value of social media: giving a voice to those that didn’t have one before.
*If you’re interested in checking out additional art by my brother and other artists at Creativity Explored, please click here for times/dates of gallery showings in San Francisco”
Digital Downloads and the Movie Industry
Jan 5th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Ke$ha, a Los Angeles based singer, moved 610,069 downloads of her first single “Tik Tok” in a week placing her at the number 2 spot for one week downloads ever with Flo Rida’s “Right Round” at number one in one week sales (with Ke$ha as an uncredited singer). That number is remarkably similar to the number of times New Moon was illegally downloaded online during it’s first week of release (610,000). That number pales in comparison to the first week illegal downloads for Avatar which came close to one million illegal downloads.
Illegal online downloads during the theater run doesn’t appear to have much of an impact on the box office numbers, the challenge for the movie industry comes when the films are released to DVD/Blu-Ray. With Netflix and other cost effective (or illegal and free) options for watching movies, it’s become harder and harder to sell DVD/Blu-Ray discs. According to the Wall Street Journal, 2009 was the first year since 2002 that ticket sales out did DVD/Blu-Ray sales, challenging the existing business model of the movie industry. The music industry faced a similar challenge with the appearance of digital downloads but they were able to recover from the disaster that Napster could have been after a little resistance. The did lead to the near death of the compact disc.
The movie industry isn’t quite there. With new release digital movie downloads costing up to the monthly membership at Netflix (and I mean the good membership with 3 movies at a time), what is the movie industry to do in 2010 to turn that around? SmartMoney recently released a list of things not to buy in 2010 and along with newspaper subscriptions, new college text books and CDs was DVDs. Perhaps it’s time the industry lower the cost of a digital download and move the home release date closer to the theatrical release date. This will allow for two money making opportunities for the industry and allow for the movie watcher to choose the type of experience they want and trump the massive amount of illegal downloads. Of course, with Avatar passing $1 billion dollars at the box office, the need for change is not as immediate but as the quality and availability of downloads become a bit easier for the non-techie, that may shift quickly.
What to do? What to do?
Dec 18th
My computer is my life. Yes, that’s a bold statement but almost everything I do is tied to this one electronic. I know some people are tied to their phones or their cars but for me, my computer is everything.
My personal computer is also my work computer. It’s relatively new and still under the Apple store warranty so when the track pad started to act weird, I made an appointment with the Genius Bar to get it fixed. The Genius takes a look and finally convinces me to back up my data (smart!) and tells me the repair will take anywhere from one to four days (what?!?)
I can survive a weekend without my computer, I’ll plan ahead but four days could mean two full work days without a computer or access to important documents and information that I need. Sure, it’s all backed up now but I need to have the computer to access it.
I do have a Samsung Netbook (with a missing “M” on the keyboard) so I will have some access and my lovely iPhone functions almost like a Netbook. I won’t be without any access but I will be a challenge to be computer free for up to four days.
This is such a difficult decision. Do I bring in my computer on Friday after work and hope that it only takes until Sunday or do I just deal with a slightly less than perfect track pad? Addiction and separation anxiety is clearly how computer companies keep people from getting their products fixed. This is going to be touch…
Objectified: A Documentary
Dec 13th
Like so many other design-loving filmgoers, I was pulled into the intricate story and visuals in the 2007 documentary, Helvetica. Although a documentary about a font may not initially seem captivating, it is a beautifully crafted independent film that explores typography, graphic design and global visual culture. Helvetica as a typeface celebrated its 50th year in 2007 and had a surprising impact on design. After seeing the film, I couldn’t wait to see what came next for the director. 
Gary Hustwit, the director of Helvetica, decided to look at design from another angle in his 2009 film, Objectified. The film was released in the theatres in March and made its television debut in November on PBS. Although similar to Helvetica, this film focuses on the origins and designs of objects. The term “objects” can cover almost anything: the focus of this documentary is on modern design. Something as simple as the grip on a vegetable peeler was a well thought out design created for each consumer by focusing on the needs of the weakest and strongest to find the perfect balance. The documentary examines our relationship with objects and by proxy, those that design those objects. Objectified opens viewers eyes to the process that takes place to create and perfect the products consumers us on a day-to-day basis.
On of the more interesting sections of the film was the discussion around sustainability and the future of design. Electronics in particular are designed for short-term consumption and are quickly discarded and end up in a landfill. Smart marketing makes the newest product old very quickly and leaves us craving the next new thing. The challenge for designers is to create products that are recyclable and/or reusable that also stand the test of time. The film features interview and commentary answering this question as well as many others tied to the history, present and future of design.
The documentary is smart and interesting. You may also find yourself rattling off random facts about design to your friends (which may or may not be appreciated depending on the setting). If you missed Objectified in theatres or on PBS, the film is available on DVD for rent or purchase.
Forget Black Friday, Shop on Cyber Monday
Nov 23rd
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Just a few more days until Thanksgiving followed quickly by Black Friday, the official beginning of the holiday shopping season. It’s true, there are some amazing deals that can be found on Black Friday but those deals come at a price. Waking up ridiculously early to shop with thousands of other people trying to get the best price on a new television or pair of designer jeans. This can be incredibly effective but the benefit doesn’t always out weight the difficulties, especially for a non-shopper. That’s where the web comes in.
For the non-shopper, there is another great shopping day, the Monday after Thanksgiving (this year, that is November 30th). Cyber Monday, the official kick off of the online shopping season, is a huge day for online retailers. This is the perfect time to track down great deals online, free shipping and discount codes. This may require waking up early but nothing beats the ease of shopping in your pajamas for those prized holiday gifts.
Of course, the web is vast so finding those deals can be another challenge. That’s where CyberMonday.com comes in. This site is the central hub for Cyber Monday deals at every store from Home Depot to Overstock.com and everything in between. They consolidate the deals from over 650 online retailers making it easy to search and find what you’re looking for. You can shop by category, deal of the week or a simple search.
So here’s my early holiday present to all of you, enjoy the Friday after Thanksgiving and worry about gifts for the holidays on Cyber Monday.
Happy Shopping!
Brizzly.com: Social Networking Made Simple
Nov 20th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
Brizzly.com, a reader that works with Twitter and Facebook, officially launched to the public today (previously available by invitation). The site pulls in the information from each social networking account, which is relatively straight forward. Beyond simple aggregation, Brizzly adds additional features that make the site attractive to users of both social networking sites. The two streams are accessed with tabs at the top of the page and at first glance, it seems like a simple site that brings Twitter and Facebook onto one page but the additional features are what make this reader useful.
One of the additional features that stands out is the “why?” button next to the Twitter trending topics. For example, Oprah Winfrey is trending and you may be curious why. Click the “why?” button and you see this simple blurb “Oprah is ending her talk show in late 2011 when her contract expires. She will then launch her Oprah network in partnership with Discovery Networks” Brizzly allows users to get that extra trending information not available in the web based version of Twitter.
Also, the ability to save searches is included in Brizzly so you can easily track conversations that interest you without having to do a unique Twitter Search every time. Brizzly will also translate a tweet from one language to the accounts default language.
The Facebook tab does not offer much in addition to the existing streams in Facebook. The ease of quickly clicking between Facebook and Twitter is one of the features that makes Brizzly useful when accessing Facebook information. There aren’t many perks for the Facebook only user.
Brizzly did officially launch today so additional features will likely be added in the near future. The site offers a simple and clean user interface, making it an attractive option for staying on top of your social networks. There’s also an adorable bear mascot, who wouldn’t love that?
Vook: book meet video, video meet book
Nov 13th
Originally published on bub.blicio.us
A book may not be the first thing that comes to mind when discussing innovation but as technology has progressed, the way we consume the information presented in books has made a steady evolution. From the audio book to the Kindle, technology has jumped in to make books easier to consume in a variety of formats creating a debatably richer experience.
New to the market is Vook. It is the latest innovation in reading that brings together books, video and the Internet. Vooks are available on the web and to download on a mobile phone. It’s an interesting idea with the goal of supplementing books with video and social content that aren’t available in the static format.
The web-based version allow for the reader to view the text of the book in a similar format to an e-Reader. Video is incorporated on the side of the screen so you can easily view complementary material without flipping between screens or from book to computer. It also includes social media capabilities by integrating with Twitter, Facebook and other social networks. The mobile format has similar features but due to the size of the screen, readers are directed to video rather than it being incorporated in the screen. Although I have yet to try it, I imagine this is incredibly useful for cookbooks and fitness materials more so than novels.
The book selection is on the smaller side and focused on fitness and cooking texts but the site is new and I expect their library to grow. I do wonder if they will attempt to turn some of the classics into Vooks, which could be very interesting to see.