Google Maps

Google has a relatively new feature (still in Beta) called Goolge Maps. You can look up most places like where you live then click the satellite button and see a satellite image of the location. Here is the Effiel Tower. Try it out, it is kind of fun in a tech geek sort of way.

Microsoft and RSS

Big news today from Microsoft. At Gnomedex, a big tech conference in Seattle, they announced that their new operating system, Longhorn, will support RSS. This is huge for the future of RSS. Don't know what RSS is, you will in the near future if Microsoft has anything to say about it. Alex Barnett, a Microsoft employee, has a nice post on his blog that explains RSS and he even has a short screen-cast that shows you how to use FeedDemon, a popular news aggragator for PC users. This is exciting stuff.

Boulder, Colorado is in the news...again

Big shocker, my alma-mater college town, Boulder, Colorado leads the nation in marijuana use. I could have told you that. After living there for a few years while going to the University of Colorado, it was very evident the whole town seemed to be stoned. This does explain the cloud that lingered over the town. That is why I stuck to the Business school where they just drank a lot of martinis. Go BUFFS! or should I say PUFFS? (I couldn't resist)

Thanks Steve for the great advice

Steve Jobs, of Apple, gave a great motivational/inspirational commencement speech. His speech is long but I read the whole thing because it really touched me. Steve Jobs never graduated college but most notably started Apple and Pixar. He says:

"You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something - your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life."

This struck me because starting my career it is hard to see where I will end up but I need to remember the dots will connect but I won't see that until I look back. I know I will be a part of great things but only God know what that will be. Steve's advice, "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." Good advice.

Post Source: Seth Godin

Paris Hilton's evil twin...an old, hairy, over weight man?

I couldn't resist posting this. Remember the controversial commercial Pari Hilton did for the Carls Jr. a little while back? Ok, some of you don't have any idea who Paris Hilton is (mom) or don't have any idea what commercial I am talking about. Well, then this won't mean much to you. For the rest of you this is a very funny clip making fun of the commercial. This is a great advertising idea for the recruiting company who made it.

Post source: Boing Boing

The new Teddy Ruxpin

It seems that my peers are beginning to have children (my cousin just had a beautiful baby boy on Sunday!) and the marketing people are capitalizing on this. Remember Teddy Ruxpin, the cute talking teddy bear? I do and he was great. Well, the toy maker is coming out with a new Teddy Ruxpin for today's youngsters. I am not surprised to find out "85 percent of adults who owned the toy as kids still recognize the brand." People who owned the toy as a child will likely buy one for their children because of the memories they had with the teddy bear.

In the new Teddy Ruxpin "MP3 cartridges have replaced his original cassette tapes, but Teddy Ruxpin's animatronic eyes and mouth will move in trademark fashion as he narrates a series of stories about the land of Grundo." Oh, the great memories from my childhood.

What a great idea. It seems that a lot of companies have had this same idea of using brands from the past and capitalizing on the brand recognition. Charles Angels, Dukes of Hazard, Brady Bunch the movie... any of those ring a bell from your childhood.

Shark Attack!

Anyone who knows me knows how deathly afraid of sharks I am. I know this is old news but there was a shark attack off the Jersey shore this weekend. Yikes! No swimming at the shore for me when I go visit my in-laws.

Ever heard of podcasting?

Ever heard of podcasting? Kevin (who I work with) explained podcasting this way:

Podcasting means recording an audio and playing it on your blog. Your blog readers, or in this case listeners, can listen at anytime by clicking on a link on your blog or download the file to their IPod or other MP3 player. The sound is usually excellent and as a listener there is not the buffering and re-buffering we experienced with early audio on the net.

Podcasting has been growing over the past few months and is really hitting main stream media. Yesterday Rush Limbaugh began offering a podcast of his radio show. California's Governor Arnold Schwartzenegger is now doing weekly podcasts. His site has a nice explanation of what podcasts are and how you can begin listening to them.

My guess is we will see podcasting continue to grow in main stream media in the coming months. This is fun to watch how technology is reshaping media.

Pictures

I have uploaded pictures from my wonderful birthday weekend. Click here, here, here and here to view my pictures. Enjoy!

Growing America

As American waistlines continue to grow the marketplace is adapting. Furniture companies who sell their tables and chairs to food establishments are making bigger chairs and bigger tables to accommodate the growing amount of growing Americans.

Hmm... let me get this strait. Companies are making bigger tables so we can fit more food on them. I wonder if some crazy person will someday sue the food companies for having bigger tables which in turn made them obese????

Lock your ice cream

Have you ever waited all day to get home and eat your Ben & Jerry's ice cream to find that you roommate/spouse/friend already ate it? Well I guess enough people have so Ben & Jerry's came up with a "Pint Lock" that allows you to lock your ice cream. This idea came from one of their customers. Interesting idea.

Can Darth Vador read your mind?

Some tech geek with too much time on his hands came up with this fun competition, The Sith Sense. This is basically just like 20 questions. I did it and he actually "read my mind". Try it and see if he can read yours.

By the way, this is another great business idea. It looks like Star Wars teamed up with Burger King to bring this game to life. This is a win, win for both companies. There is a very subtle incorporation. Basically, before Darth Vador guesses the "Burger King" whispers something in his ear then walks away and there is a link to BK.com at the bottom of the site. That's it. Cleaver.