Reviews
/* BEGIN: Block 2 of 2 Greg Add 2013 (Jan 29) */ ?> /* END: Block 2 of 2 Greg Add 2013 (Jan 29) */ ?>Plagiarism Is Alive & Well In The Blogosphere - What's A Blogger To Do?
by Ron CallariWhile the book "Who Moved My Cheese?" is more about adapting to "change"
in the workplace, "Who Moved My Blog" could be about the "copy and
paste" mentality that unfortunately taints the Blogosphere and those who
attempt to make a living working in that very crowded space.
DIY DNA Sequencing At $5,000 Will Determine Cancer & Heart Conditions
by Ron CallariAnybody that remembers the sci-fi film classic, "Gattaca" knows
how a genetic registry database could be used by biometrics to determine
peoples' susceptibility to certain diseases later in life. While that
fictional tale seemed so futuristic when introduced back in 1997, it's
reality is now. And not only is it within our reach, it also comes with a
relatively reasonable price tag.
Hotels.com First To Use Augmented Reality For Virtual Travel Experience
by Ron CallariAugmented Reality has hit the streets of Amsterdam,
converted magazines into Harry
Potter-like newspapers, created
invisible cloaks and has surfaced on a countless number of apps
adapted for smartphones. But Hotels.com is the first online
travel agency (OTA) to make virtual vacations a lot more 'real'
using Augmented Reality to appeal to would-be travelers and tourists.
The Audacity Of Pole Dancing - Obama Club vs USA Pavilion At Shanghai Expo
by Ron CallariThey both opened their doors on May 1, but culturally, they are worlds
apart. While the Obama Club cost local Chinese club owners $US15
million, the USA Pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo 2010 received no
governmental funding and was only completed as a result of Secretary of
State Hillary Clinton seeking private financing to the tune of $US61
million. While the Pavilion will tell the story of the American spirit of
perseverance and technological innovation, the Obama Club is oddly a
'capitalistic' venture to capitalize on the name of the 44th President
of the United States.
Google TV App Developers Want To See Skin In The Game
by Ron CallariToday, when launching a new technological product or advancement, to
scale quickly and gain major traction, social networks, tech companies
and search firms recruit the assistance of third party application developers. Similar
approaches have been successfully undertaken by Facebook and Twitter. It
appears Google TV will also be venturing into these waters as they
shift the development of Google TV into high gear.
Opting Out Of Facebook's Instant Personalization 101
by Ron CallariIf you are unhappy with Facebook's Instant Personalization service
recently launched with their new Open Graph initiative, The Electronic Frontier Foundation, an
Internet watchdog organization has provided a step-by-step process of
making this slightly confusing and arduous task a lot easier.
Pepsi Loot & Shopkick, Social Media's First Location-based Loyalty Programs
by Ron CallariBack in January, when I wrote, "Tasti
D-Lite Program Needs Geolocation To Sell Product," I questioned why
this ice-cream vendor was not 'geotagging' their tweets to enhance
their loyalty program. At that time, Twitter was just rolling out its
geolocation tool and Tasti D-Lite was missing an opportunity by not
restricting their tweets to locations where their promotions were
offered. Today, 'Pepsi Loot' the and 'shopkick' apps are the first two
consumer product applications to offer location-based loyalty programs
that will geo-target customers.
Relax While the 2010 Crazy Fit Massager Vibration Plate Tones You Up - Product Review
by Kim PattersonThe vast majority of us do not like to exercise (and I think a lot of
those who claim to like it actually don’t either). There are constantly
new machines and exercise programs coming onto the market claiming to
be the quickest and easiest way to get in shape and maintain overall
health. One of these ‘big benefit for little to no effort’ machines is the 2010
Crazy Fit Massager Vibration Plate.
Kindle's New Features OutPad The iPads & OutRead The Sony Readers?
by Ron CallariWith the encroachment of eReader competition, Amazon's Kindle
continually searchers for new differentiators. Whether it's enough to
make a difference or its too little too late is up to the consumer.
Micello & Point Inside, Mobile Location-Based Services Navigating Indoors
by Ron CallariFoursquare and Gowalla have literally put location-based social networks
on the maps and Twitter's acquisition of GeoAPI is diligently working
on making the microblogging platform a communication center for
followers that are within close proximity of each other. With the
assistance of GPS devices and satellites, maneuvering outdoors is no
longer a difficult task. However when trying to access a similar
experience indoors, the necessary geo-location technology is just
beginning to emerge.
Bloggers & Twitterers Beware - Shield Laws Might Not Have You Covered!
by Ron CallariThe much debated iPhonegate pertaining to the alleged stolen iPhone 4G
continues to perplex Apple, the authorities and the legal system. The
Shield Law and even First Amendment rights can be challenged all the way
up to the Supreme Court, as a result of this case. But perhaps the one
group that may end up coming up short on this debate
are those getting the least attention - the Bloggers and Twitterers!
Google & ITA Software Could Be Game Changer For OTAs & Travel Industry At Large
by Ron CallariLots of "buzz" cyberventilating the blogosphere this week about Google potentially acquiring ITA Software. No, not Google
Buzz (that's old news) - but a buzz with further-reaching ramifications
for the online travel space. ITA
is the meta-search software that provides the booking
functionality for Online Travel Agencies (OTAs) and even Bing Travel. If and
when this happens, Google
could virtually shake up and reconfigure the entire travel landscape
online for at least the next decade or more.
Graphic.ly Speaking, Here Comes iPads & Social Networking For Comic Books
by Ron CallariSince the introduction of the
comic-book format in 1934, followed by graphic novels and Manga, the
market for writers, illustrators and fans have grown exponentially
within the last decade. While the printed format may at some point
follow in the footsteps of the dying
legacy newspapers, there are digital solutions emerging. Graphic.ly
is an option in the social media space, while iPads, on the device end
may actually take the place of the printed comic book and graphic novel,
in the near future.
Is Apple's 'iCops & Robbers' A New iPhone 4G Game App?
by Ron CallariDon't be surprised if the Case
of the Missing 4G iPhone doesn't become a Game App in the very
near future. It has all the components of an interactive mystery game
including a large tech company kingpin, the press, a police raid, a
'deep throat' character and a hapless software engineer who doesn't
have a shot in hell of ever becoming Apple's employee of the month any
time soon.
Hugo Chavez & The Devil Will Fight On Social Networks
by Ron CallariThe Twittersphere is known for a lot of things - but using it as a
battlefield seems like an oxymoron. Yet, that seems like the case, now
that the likes of the socialist President of Venezuela has joined its
ranks. Long known for fighting opponents aggressively in the real world,
Hugo Chavez is now seeking weapons of virtual destruction.