Videos

iPad is Deus Ex Machina in ABC's 'Modern Family'

by Ron Callari

With all the analogies of Steve Job's to God and Moses (see "Steve Jobs & The Ten Commandments,") it was no surprise to me that the iPad product placement would pop up on TV - sort of like the Deus Ex Machina device originated by Aristostle in early Greek theater.

Big Bang Too & 'The God(damn) Particle' Were A Smashing Success!

by Ron Callari

On Tuesday, March 30 at precisely 1:06 PM in Geneva, Switzerland, scientists revisited our distant past. It only took 16 short years and a paltry $10 billion dollars to recreate the conditions similar to the original Big Bang that occurred some 13.7 billion years ago and is one of the major scientific theories behind the creation of life as we know it.

1 comment

iPhone & Android In Bed Together With Knocking Live Video App

by Ron Callari

Apps are finally bridging the communication gap between mobile platforms and Knocking Live is the first to pioneer the effort. Developed for both iPhone and Android devices, this app can broadcast live video between both smartphone devices. So whether you belong to the Apple or Google tribe, technology has found a way to make these competitors play nice.

1 comment

Flash Mobs: From Social Media To 'Tsunami Of Kids'

by Ron Callari

What started as an innocent by-product of kids meeting on Twitter and Facebook has turned into a social experiment gone terribly wrong. A 'Flash Mob' is when teenagers organize a meet-up via social networks and text friends and followers to show up in large numbers at a specified time and place. Philadelphia alone has experienced four flash mobs since December.

Sarah Palin, the "Annie Oakley" Of Social Media

by Ron Callari

Supposedly she qualifies to be a Daughter of the American Revolution. She is a gun-toting member of the NRA and likes to shoot Moose when she's not taking pot-shots at Obama and members of his party. But this Soccer Mom needs to reassess how she unholsters her 'gun' analogies when she brazenly tweets and posts gunsights and cross-hair maps on her Facebook and Web site pages.

2 comments

James Cameron Smartly Sees 3D Smartphones' ROI

by Ron Callari

James Cameron, the award-winning director of Avatar and Titanic is banking on 3D Technology moving from the big screen to smartphones, as smaller screens don't require 3-D glasses. This epiphany was apparently rooted in economics. While Avatar is historically one of the highest-grossing movies with over $2.6 billion at the box office internationally- it also earned the distinction of being one of the most pirated movies of all times.

Augmented Reality For Tablets Goes Where No Man Has Gone Before

by Ron Callari

While Augmented Reality technology has been a topical point of interest these last couple of weeks at events like SWSWi in Austin and CTIA Wireless 2010 in Las Vegas, there has been very little talk of the suitability of utilizing AR features with the new tablets that will be flooding the market in the next couple of months. Granted, iPad's sin of omission by not including a camera or webcam kind of eliminates them from consideration, but it seems to me that the 10" tablet versus the 3" smartphone screen would provide users with a greater opportunity to view AR overlays, markers, advertising, points of interest and other layers of data that AR is known for.

1 comment

Social Search Wars: Aardvark vs Yahoo Answers vs Mahalo vs ChaCha vs Formspring.me

by Ron Callari

During the last ten years, search engines have basically provided us with information retrieval (IR) from strangers. We have relied on the credibility of these search results based on algorithms determining their relevancy and authority. In turn, content producers learned to optimize their pages to obtain higher page rankings. Over time, satisfied with the premise if 'Google says its so, who's to argue?' we accepted what was delivered. However the need for human interaction is not lost to the 21st Century and the desire to connect through search is evident with the entre' of a new type of IR - appropriately named 'social search.'

1 comment

Brands Still Sitting On The Social Media Fence

by Ron Callari

With unique users of 73.5 million on Twitter and 400 million on Facebook, it doesn't seem feasible that in 2010 organizations would not be utilizing social media as their primary branding tool . Yet a good number of firms and regions around the world are still sitting on the proverbial fence. Why?

3 comments

Debunking Health Care Reform Myths In The 11th Hour

by Ron Callari

While this blog was written one day prior to a watered version of the health care reform act moving to its final vote, there are still many in the U.S. who continue to wade through the misconceptions. Far from following the health care models of other countries and after over fifty years of fighting for some form of reform, if you're a 'dummy' like me, you may still not be as knowledgeable as you'd like regarding this revolutionary new legislation. However when dealing with the facts on some of the major issues, I was able to research some of the more topical myths that can be debunked.

73 comments

Join The Seedy Underworld Of Black Market Coffee Purchasing At BlackSunshine

by Austin Keenan

The old cup of morning joe gets a ganster makeover at BlackSunshine.com, a seedy online underground seller for the world's most popular morning drug.

'Invisibility' From Claude Rains To SXSWi Augmented Reality

by Ron Callari

If you're a Harry Potter fan, you're probably familiar with the concept of an invisibility cloak. Slip this magical garment over your head and to the eyes of of the beholder, you vanish. Well Muggles, science has some good news for you -invisibility is quickly becoming a reality.

1 comment

Dead Man's Body Parts Walking: How Much Is Your Dead Body Worth?

by Ron Callari

When veteran broadcaster Alistair Cooke died in 2004 few suspected that he was yet to uncover his greatest news story, postmortem. What happened to his body as it lay in a funeral home would reveal a story of modern day grave robbery that was stranger than fiction. As macabre as it might sound, dead body parts is big business and has opened up a grisly black market that gives a whole new meaning to "better off dead than alive."

Get A Makeover For Your YouTube Page At MyTubeDesign.com

by Austin Keenan

MyTubeDesign.com represents one of the first and best repositories of YouTube layout designs out there, and will even help you install the theme if you're not exactly a whiz with site design.

Conan O'Brien & Team Coco 'Tweets For Seats'

by Ron Callari

What does an ex-late night talk show host do after Jay Leno kicks him to the curb. In the case of Conan O'Brien, he picks himself up, dusts himself off and hits the tweets running.

2 comments

Sony Bloggie HD Video Camera Captures 360-Degrees

by John P. Barker

The Bloggie MHS-PM5K from Sony offers a unique lens that swivels and is capable of capturing a full 360-degree image - so it's now possible to record not only an alien invasion, but also your terrified facial expression all in one shot.

Junaio's App Moves Indoors To Put The AR In ScavengAR Hunt @SXSW

by Ron Callari

Developer Metaio just released Junaio 2.0, an updated version of their augmented reality browser with the most cutting-edge features available today. Strategically planned to debut at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference(SXSW) March 10, 2020 in Austin, TX, the Metaio team have integrated the app into a special event titled "ScavengAR" that will provide conferees with an opportunity to experience the capabilities of the application first-hand.

Evoke -The Social Network That Churns Virtual Game Theory Into 'We Are The World'

by Ron Callari

If you were tasked with saving the world in 10 short weeks, where would you possibly begin. Well if you're a gamer or an optimist, you might consider kicking the tires of a new type of social network. Evoke is a mash-up of the virtual and real worlds that is markedly different from any gaming enterprise that went before. Become your own super hero and solve the world's greatest challenges by evoking collaboration, creativity, entrepreneurship, resourcefulness ...and yes, even courage.

Will Steve Ballmer's Microsoft & Obama's Administration Share A Cloud?

by Ron Callari

Much has been written about Steve Ballmer's almost fanatic focus on cloud computing this month. With catchphrases like "we're all in" and "the cloud fuels Microsoft and Microsoft fuels the cloud" he makes it sound like his company is the lone pioneer in the field. Or when he does allude to Google, Amazon and Apple it is done in a dismissive manner. Could this ramp-up of 'all-things-cloud' be part of a larger alliance Ballmer is solidifying with the Obama Administration?

Worlds Collide: BBC 'SuperPower' Meets ABC 'V' TV Show

by Ron Callari

Two ethereal female guides offer help for planet earth. Both represent super powers. Both attempt to 'shock 'n awe' us into looking at our lives in different ways. The promos are similar in their 'otherworldly' approach and mood, but the intent is much different. One looks to inform while the other to entertain. Both connect with Barack Obama. While the president is actually featured in SuperPower's promo, the 'V' series has been interpreted as an allegory of the current administration, with its allusions to "change" and "universal health care."

1 comment