Lypp/37 Signals Mashup contest - or why I like 'use my tools contests' for market stimulation

http://blog.lypp.com/2008/04/14/37signals-voip-mashup-with-lypp
37signals VoIP Mashup with Lypp
We are less than one day away from opening the doors to the 37signals VoIP Mashup with Lypp. Tomorrow at noon (Pacific) the contest starts.
Developers, build a mashup application or mashup your existing application using both the Highrise API and the Lypp API and win stuff. This is a great way to show off your Ruby-fu and win some great prizes.
Best app:
$3000 Apple gift certificate
20,000 minutes of call time from Lypp (approx value: $1800)
12 months subscription for a Highrise MAX account (approx value: $1800)

This is not only a great example of why mashups in the corporate space are going to be huge in 2008/9 but also an example of exactly how new products like this should be launched.

By encouraging a 'sandbox derby' where for a limited time developers/users/customers are encouraged to come over and not only play with your 'toys' for free for a limited period of time but also possibly win cash and prizes - they win but also you get market awareness levels raised and get to stress test your tools to see how they may be adopted in the market.

Besides what better way to launch some tools then see what customers can come up with when really encouraged to be creative.


Cheers,
Dean

To Vista or not to Vista

I came across this article today
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24070867

Here's my reason for sticking with XP;
I'm a geek and I would love to upgrade to Vista, all my hardware is pretty much up to speed though laptop might need an upgrade but with the hard drive bitlocker encryption I would feel a lot safer when out and about with my laptop about loosing it.

But here is why I wont upgrade and the one and ony thing holding me back, licensing.

Being a geek I tend to change hardware a lot, some ram here and there, a new video card occasionally - upgraded cpu's when pricepoints fall etc etc.

So if I change two of these items....I'm up for a new vista license. Yep thats right, Microsoft in their wisdom have deemed that should you change more than 2 items of hardware your old license is now null and void and worth nothing.

hmmm somehow I'll stick with my 5pack of windows xp licenses that I bought ages ago and although I've never had more than 4 machines using my licenses at the same time I always know that should I remove one of those licenses I can run it on another machine.

Sorry MS, no amount of marketing or wishful thinking is going to make me change until this restriction is lifted.


Cheers,
Dean

Broadband Infrastructure Costs and what to do?

Martin Geddes writes a really interesting blog - often with fairly insightful vision.

He recently posted something about bandwidth auction costs that I've posted a reply to (but not yet online until he approves it). But you should go check out his article here

http://www.telepocalypse.net/archives/001130.html


My comments submitted are below;

Martin,
Excellent analysis about the costs not 'disappearing'- I cant help but think if 3g spectrum costs were cheaper then data throughput in countries where carriers got a little carried away (pre-crash) on their bidding would be higher/cheaper.

The carriers now need to recoup these wireless infrastructure costs somehow / somewhere and when you consider how vital to the well being of the economy/industry that connectivity is you almost wish for a more 'planned economy model' to delivering Internet bandwidth.

Anyone have any thoughts on if this is possible to implement for landline broadband.....nationalisation coup of carriers by the US marines maybe :)

Cheers,
Dean Collins
www.Cognation.net

Kobe 'Ikea' Monorail

Wow check out TrendHunter for a link to a super decked out 'Ikea' Monorail.

http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/ikea-kobe-portliner-monorail

How long do you think this would last here in New York?

Cheers,

Dean

Improv Everywhere

The guys knock one out of the park this time (if you haven't heard of the Improv Everywhere group search my blog for other posts in the archive).


http://improveverywhere.com/2008/04/07/best-game-ever/
Basically they turned up a little league game between the Mudcats and the Lugnuts and turned it into a major event bringing cheer squads, a jumbotron and even had the GoodYear blimp fly over the game.

Can you imagine how buzzed these 10 year olds would have felt.

This truly is the power of social networks.


Cheers,
Dean

Windows Mobile V's iPhone

Here's an interesting factoid for you;

Windows Mobile runs on 140 models of handsets with 160 operators in 55 countries.

It's real nice that the Apple iPhone is about to announce their 3g version which will make it their second model of handset but if I was developing applications for a global market I know which platform I'd be building for.

Now the Android OS that's going to make for some interesting competition.


Cheers,
Dean

Happy Friday Music Update

Well it's Friday again and I realised i haven't done a "Friday Music" thing in a while so...... for your listening and viewing pleasure.

In the Mood Music of the day box on the right is some of the tracks from one of my all time favourite cd's that I've been listening to lately - The Eels "Shootenanny" which trust me sounds way cool jacked up loud (and yes it's meant to sound over distorted like that). This is definitely my favourite cd of theirs.

(for those of you in NY they just played the Highline Ballroom which I missed out on getting tickets for).

However the clip below is from their debut album which I love just for the clip.

Enjoy.


Cheers,
Dean

Rainy Days :(

There are days like today where you realise why Australia is "the Dry Continent", it's because it doesn't rain that much.

You get used to it in the end but man I am so sick of crappy weather in New York. It's finally starting to warm up....now it's just warm and raining instead of cold and snowing.

There's a reason it's so green here.... all this water crap keeps falling from the sky.

Australia yes it may suck having to hand water your gardens and stuff like that but the alternative can be a drag after a while as well.


Cheers,
Dean

Skype 24 Hour Rolling Analytics

Totally stumbled across this really interesting post http://skypejournal.com/blog/2008/04/world_online_or_asleep.html

I cant comment on how accurate it is but looks like someone has tried to do some really interesting research on number of skype users compared to people awake on a rolling 24 hour basis.

Would be interesting to see some other applications tracked against this - twitter posts per minute maybe?


Cheers,
Dean

Dont They Get It I'm Going To Die

Wow what a really powerful exhibition - I really wish I was in London to see this exhibition

http://www.wellcomecollection.org/exhibitionsandevents/exhibitions/lifebeforedeath/index.htm
Nothing teaches us more about life than death itself. Journalist Beate Lakotta and photographer Walter Schels asked 24 terminally ill people if they could accompany them during their last weeks and days. From these vigils came a series of insightful descriptions and photographic portraits taken before and after death.

For those of you lucky enough to be in London be sure to get down and check this out between 9th of April and 18th of May.

Wellcome Collection
183 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE, UK
+44 (0)20 7611 2222

For those of you not there check out this link with some samples.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/gallery/2008/mar/31/lifebeforedeath?picture=333325401

I love some of the quotes that go along with these - really gets to the core of what it's about to be alive.


Cheers,
Dean