"Stay hungry. Stay Foolish" - says Steve Jobs to Stanford grads.

A very inspiring speech from Steve Jobs... he has a lots of of love and passion to share ... and as he says "you got to love what you do".

Apple - OS X - "Tiger" - "Leopard" - Intel - "Well done Jobs!"

Over the last few years, Apple has slowly started doing the right things. After the release of the iPod, the Mac G5, the macMini, the PowerBook, the new swanky Apple Stores, the release of OS X "Tiger", the groundswell emergence of PodCasting, the switch from PowerPC to Intel, the success of iTunes, the iPod "Halo" effect, it really is time for me to take stock of what is going on...

And i think, (i really do think), it looks interesting. It may even be the first indications of an Apple Tsunami....

• Firstly, it was a master stroke by Steve Jobs, to switch Mac OS X to BSD Unix (Darwin project). Smart move Jobs.
  
  
• Secondly, taking a leaf out of the Linux Open Source community. Make Darwin lean and mean, and based on a managed community distribution.
  
  
• by letting Apple engineers innovate where they really like to in the Usability/User Mode Operating System. Voila 18-months later -- from a tub of baby fat -- out comes OS X "Tiger"!
  
  
• Lets talk about OS X "Tiger"- Spotlight;Dashboard Widgets;iChat;Automator; Safari RSS; QuickTime (H.264) -- its remarkable the sheer number of tightly integrated features that are offered in what is an interim update.
  
  
• Not only that. Jobs promises another release of OS X, "Leopard", by end of 2006, the same as when "Longhorn" is promised.
  
  
• In the space of 2 years, Apple, has single-handedly re-invented the digital music market, and with a bit of luck may even become a significant part of the music industry supply-chain.

Look at the facts:

1. iPod sales. (5.3Millions units sold in 1Q 2005 -- 558% up from last year! - 15 Million sold worldwide -- It has 80% market-share of all hard-drive music players)
   
2. iTunes sales. (Half a Billion songs sold to-date! 1 Million sold in the first week -- 70% market-share for all online music download -- the Largest online music company in the World!).
   
3. iPod Shuffle sales (Apple has a 58% market-share of ALL Flash-players -- it has achieved this in only 6 months!)
   

Now what has the iPod, iTunes, iMac, iPod Shuffle got to do with anything...? Well its given many people the opportunity to look at Apple products, Apple software, Apple operating systems. This "Halo-effect" as analysts calls it has created a 10% conversion rate, not bad given the number of iPod sales...

Parallel to that -- the decision of Apple to switch from IBM Power PC (PPC) chips to Intel Pentium chips -- will have created another shudder at Redmond, afterall, Microsoft will be hyping up Longhorn with a lot of fanfare at about the same time that OS X "Leopard" comes to market. Given the technical advantage OS X "Tiger" already has over what we know about Longhorn, no doubt people will be looking with interest.

In fact you can see that the battlines are drawn, Steve Jobs is taking a more aggressive stance, trying to create the awareness in the consumer.

In fact, it certainly increases the pressure for Microsoft to get something out of the door in the same time frame as OS X "Leopard". Lets not also forget that with open-source virtualisation products like wine or hardware virtualisation like the dual-core Pentium M, running Windows apps on Apple OS X will be really easy.

I will certainly be looking forward to owning my first Apple Macintosh come this time next year 2006.

MBA - Left & Right brain economy

Dan Pink as well as being a contributing writer for Wired magazine, was also in da big house (The White House) as the chief speech writer to Vice President Al Gore.

His book "A Whole New Mind" attempts to move the whole upside-down thinking (Charles Handy - "Age of Unreason") and emergent thinking (Steve Johnson - "Emergence") theories forward... In it he talks about how Western economies have been built on the left-sided brain rationale of analytics, sequence, logic and reduction -- "aka The Knowledge Worker".

He says, that this mindset is so deeply rooted, that even though industries have disappeared or are disappearing rapidly by taking advantage of globalisation and outsourcing - no serious thought has been given to how our institutions -- schools, colleges and universities should deal with the situation.

Should Western corporations continue to accept churned-out MBA grads that are not properly prepared with the additional supporting ride-side brain conceptual skills that are more and more likely to be required?

As Marc Cecere of Forrester Research says, "As corporations bred a generation of leaders focused on reducing costs, outsourcing and calculating investment metrics. Somehow we now expect them to move move from the cost-cutting mind-set to more innovative and strategic work."

Information Overload

I think i am overwhelmed with Information.....

According to trendwatching.com - "New production processes, mass (!) distribution, technologies and communication channels, all enabling global economies of scale and scope, allow for virtually everything to be made and broadcast, at whatever specification, and whatever batch size.

- *China* India* Eastern Europe * $29 DVD players * Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding Group's 8,530 TEU container ships * Airbus 380 * New H&M and Zara collections every week * Podcasting * Virtual worlds * 254 TV channels * Google AdWords. * RSS Overload * [Reality TV * Bulgarian property markets * BitTorrent * WiMax * geek to chic Nokia phones * Bvulgari and Gucci lines in Mumbai and Shanghai *]"

This pretty much sums up my symbiotic world, where the Hyper-World consumes the Real-World, through the Internet.

And what is left of the Real world?Global Warming, Geopolitical tensions in the Middle-East, the Falling Dollar, Islamic Fundamentalism, Consumer ridden dept, US Trade Deficit, ,Global Dimming, Social Unrest in Western/Eastern Europe, Property Bubbles, US Borrowing Deficit, rise in Nationalism, Fall in Education standards in schools, loss of morality on T.V., American Imperialism, Reduction in Shareholder value, loss of confidence in Money market currencies, Liberalised attitudes to Drugs, Increased Child pregnancy, Post-Tsunami mass guilt-driven donation appeals, Juvenile disorder, Political Correctness.... The list goes on....

Is the Real World and Hyper-Virtual world poles-apart?, do we care about both as much, or are we slowly leaving one behind.....?

I think back to the book that i read 2 years back... "The Age of Spiritual Machines" by Ray Kurziewel

Annoying Rich-media Flash Ads

Pissing people off is not a great way of creating customer loyalty.

I don't know about you, but if im reading a particular page/website... there is usually a good reason for it, and i don't particulary like that web page being hijacked by some oversized and loud Flash advert.

When will advertisers realise that sticking a big ad in front of your customer is not going to convince them of much at all... except maybe installing software to disable it... Who worries about pop-up ads anymore?

If advertisers really want to convince us to buy something, they need to start using more passive marketing methods... Take for example, Google Ads, its highly targetted and doesn't piss people off.

Federated Identity Management

Well ok. Not the most interesting subject.... But nevertheless here i was, sitting on the train on my way to work... and guess what... im listening to these folks from IBM, Microsoft, Sun and HP talking about Federated ID Management... What the heck!

I have not payed much attention in this space for some time... well not since the days of Microsoft Passport and Sun's Liberty Alliance (if it wasn't an alliance then.. it sure is now).

Anyhow... I got thinking that i'd actually forgotten what it was like to listen to people talk. You know that kind of chatty... comfy... night time radio chat ... Ovaltine moment... Right now most forms of communications rely on me actually writing or reading something... we use IM, SMS Messaging, e-mails, blogs... so it was pretty refreshing to hear these folks talk on my iPod.

I got to hear these legends who are responsible for others things including the WS-* specs talk about:

• SAML, WS-Security, Liberty, Oasis.
  
• Microsoft and Sun's differing view on how standards should be created.
  
• Convergence between Liberty and WS-Security.
  
• Why ID management is important enough that there aren't differing standards.
  
• I liked Microsofts idea of a more informal trust management solution (Infocard) that meets the needs of ad-hoc/social/personal/collaborative situations, much like what is used in Groove and PGP) - Although the Liberty folks thought that Enterprises weren't interested in that... (i think thats an old skool security mindset.)

Anyhow getting back to Ovaltine... I like idea of an online directory based - offline radio broadcasting data cache. This time round the revolution will be Podcast.... right?

Google Desktop

Google has a cunning way of keeping their little ideas slowly creep up on you.... We'd all heard about the Google Search desktop.. looks like its arrived!


This site here provides more information on their ambitions beyond just search... (e.g. gBrowser).

Following on from what a few people have been saying regarding Googles strategy a couple of things are probably clear now:

- They will leverage their vast knowlede of Global Internet Server infrastructure.

- They are focused on building Service Oriented Applications (this means server-side apps)

- If they do venture into the Browser space, it will be tightly integrated through all their server side applications (Search, Gmail, Picasso/Hello, Blogger, Google News, Google Groups) using XML Web Services.

- Their own cookie-based authentication works across applications.

Well all this leads me to believe that if they do extend Gbrowser (they may build it via a Web Services layer) that exposes this via a Mozilla type application.

Ive even heard one person say that Google are going to create a rebranded version of Mozilla/Firefox that integrates Google apps re-written in XUL instead of HTML. XUL is essentially an XML-based UI language that allows you to describe Windows-like user interfaces in XML.

This would allow Google to develop browser-based network-centric applications that have rich UI functionality that web developers only dream about. Think about it...

Some goodies...

• Annoyed with how long Acrobat 6 takes to load up? Have you noticed how the latest version of Adobe Acrobat has really piled on the functionality, memory footprint, and consequently the time it takes to start up? Well this little bit of code can disable 95% of the plug-ins on start up. Anti-Bloatware cop, now that i like.
  
  
• Using GMail, who isn't right? Well this little bit of code, allows you to be notified when you get mail... Well hidden on Googles part.

"Going somewhere Solo?"

I came across this website the other day.... and what with George Lucas releasing his '2004 version' of the Star Wars trilogy, i say 2004 edition, since he will now doubt tinker with it for a few years more...

Anyhow the website, pretty much sums up my sentiments on the specific subject...

Spider-Raja

Whatever next!?

Yes it looks like our intrepid superhero is making his way to the streets of Mumbai and Delhi... Were talking about Spiderman India!

"Pavitr [Prabhakar] leaps around rickshaws and scooters in Indian streets, while swinging from monuments such as the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal."

This could be amazing...

Just imagine...

Spiderman teaming up with Indian mythological gods (e.g. Hanuman aka Monkeyman! or Ganesha aka ElephantMan).... fighting the 8-tentacled Dr Octupus or maybe even the 10-headed Ravana!

Friendster

Ok i admit it i've gone and done it... (no i didn't put an order for the new G5 iMac!)

I finally got round to signing up for Friendster last week, i had originally thought about joining it last October, but curiosity finally got the better of me....

Thoughts...? Well i used to use sixdegrees.com about 5 years ago, and it was based on the notion, actually a theory, that everyone in the world is connected to each other by just 6 people.. Its a great theory, but seemingly impossible mathematically or physically to prove, but with the internet these type of social networks are quite easy to prove and validate. Anyhow the website disappeared all of a sudden around 2000...

So it was with this thinking, and with a more net-savvy population, i stumbled onto Friendster.

So heres the things you can do...
- create a profile of your 'interests', 'jobs', 'books', 'movies', 't.v. programmes', 'about me', 'who id like to meet'...
- stick mugshots of yourself up on the site..
- invite your friends to join in (and do the same).
- create social networks (1st degree, 2nd degree, 3rd degree ) of associations..
- search people against any-one of the above profiles..

yeah... and?
Well i dont know what all the fuss is..... it probably would be more fun... if everyone i knew used friendster... and then it would be fun to see how this six-degrees theory would work...

If i want to find people who read the same books or listen to same music or watch the same movies... theres a much more powerful database of that information available... its called amazon... thats if they decide they want to go down the social computing route...

"River of Gods" SF novel by Ian McDonald

India set in 2047, where there has been no Monsoon for 2.5 years, a population nearing 2 Billion people, strife at the holy city of Varanasi, AI Machines being hunted down by a Dharma cop called Krishna, genetically enhanced Brahmins, a melting pot of philosophy, meta-physics, cyberpunk interspersed by the sights, sounds and values of India... Literally out of this world!

More on this new SF novel by Ian McDonald, when i get round to reading it...!!!


Here's some comments..
The first indication that McDonald is profoundly alert to issues of society and culture is the simple fact that River of Gods is set in India. It is refreshing to see a vision of the future that is less than completely Western in focus, and which clearly recognises that countries such as India are currently advancing rapidly in terms of scientific research and business interests. River of Gods is a book that acknowledges that the future is bound to bring huge cultural and political shifts in global power, and it also recognises that events of great significance can, do and will happen elsewhere than in the West.

But of course, this distinction between multiplicity and singularity is a little simplistic, philosophically speaking. The Hindu gods are ultimately all manifestations of the one reality, all incarnations out of the fundamental Brahma. Likewise, the many separate programs and functions that make up an [(AI)]aeai are all ultimately part of a single mind, a single consciousness. And in just the same way, the multiple plot strands of River of Gods, told from the point of view of so many different people, are all ultimately part of the one story. Each character's personal narrative comes together with all the others to form one vast and complex single story. And what a story it is!

You can read another review from the Guardian here.

iPod snobs?

This article in the New York Press, talks about the all too often human psyche of jealousy.

"THE BLINDING WHITE cords flowing out of my sublimely waxed ears say it all: I'm in no mood for talking, and my income bracket makes cumbersome CDs so unnecessary, so Second Wave. With thousands of songs from my iPod at my polished fingertips, I can now walk through life effortlessly, angelically, shielded by the anodized aluminum of my futuristic listening device. I can strut with confidence and disinterest past those in my chosen path. I'm cut off from your dirty world by my ear buds and their enhanced sound and noise-suppression features. I'm a creature of advertising, a walking cliche with 25-minute skip protection and Volkswagen dreams. Shit, my profile even resembles the faceless, platonic form in the billboard."

I mean, give me a break!... I take great offence that we iPod'ians should be marginalised as some sort of fashion conscious, Sunday Times reading, urbanite clique.

Were not Volkswagen drivers, we don't wink when we see another iPod'ian on the train.

Im sorry, the only reason they moan about people who have iPod's, (heh heh, im gonna say it), is because they can't affort one! I feel a whole lot better now. :)

I can think of a few people that fit this particular quote! :-)

"He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you. He really is an idiot." - Groucho Marx

BluePod - Apple Rendezvous & Wifi

I have seen the future and i believe this small Eastern-European software company has cracked it...

They taken the Apple Rendezvous presence protocol and ported it on to .NET/Pocket PC through Wifi.

Perrsonally i would have liked to seen support for GPRS and Bluetooth, rather that Wi-fi, since they are more pervasive....

check out the article..

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