Today's Apple Computer company is not the Apple of Steve Jobs' eye. Maybe it is impossible to follow SJ with any degree of success. He was amazing. The
P.T. Barnum of Technology. But Todays Apple leadership looks desperate. They have
N O T H I N G N E W.....Please do not tell me Apple watch. Half an idea that has not
clicked with the public and is a failure. Period. full stop.
Here lies Apple watch RIP: Born: Dick Tracy, Died: Tim Cook
Hey, failure is ok. A great learning experience but in this case it seems like these guys got together and said '' Jeez guys the public are expecting something new we gotta pull something out of our ___ uh..... hat.
The world is screaming for a better TV experience to match the quality of the picture.....
Now there is something Apple could do...Years ago SJ brought out the Apple TV and said it was a hobby and it seems once again his foresight is about to pay off... That little box that you attach to your hi def TV is going to change your viewing.... it allows the creators of content to sell directly to the customer, bypassing networks and cable rentiers. NO more bundling...just pay for the shows you want or the networks (like HBO and SHOWTIME and NETFLIX) No commercials, no Logos and commercial super slides on the screen to distract from the shows. And a remote that is out of the box usable without being an engineer or a teenager.
Please Tim Cook and Apple, finish this job...and please do not ''billboard'' your future products. Like an Apple car in 2019. Part of the Apple mystique is SURPRISE... Remember like kids at the circus as SJ from the MACWORLD stage said in January 2007 ... ''Oh ...just one more thing....'' as he pulled the worlds first iPhone out of his Jeans
pocket. I was there at the Mascone Center in San Francisco in the 17th row and I can still hear the echo ...
Wednesday, 30 September 2015
Sunday, 2 August 2015
Wisdom of Crowds Update
In 2004 a book appeared on the best selling lists titled ''The Wisdom of Crowds'' by ..James Surowiecki . The author postulates that the aggregation of information is more accurate than by the individual or even expert. Furthermore he sites many examples and case studies. Fascinating and subsequently many more examples have come to light. Here is one typical example
https://youtu.be/iOucwX7Z1HU
Pretty cool eh? and there are hundreds of other examples.It is interesting but impossible to take advantage of this knowledge even with the internet at our disposal..
Would it be useful to know who will be the next President or Prime minister
or the price of Apple stock at the end of the year? Sure!! But there are huge obsticles
to use this crowd wisdom in a pragmatic manner.....
.. .UNTIL NOW....
Enter Bitcoin and the Blockchain and DECENTRALIZATION and AUGUR
Historically, prediction markets have fallen short due to dated jurisdictional regulation, lack of volume due to limited payment options, a paltry number of markets, and sometimes even paying out the wrong people!
https://youtu.be/iOucwX7Z1HU
Pretty cool eh? and there are hundreds of other examples.It is interesting but impossible to take advantage of this knowledge even with the internet at our disposal..
Would it be useful to know who will be the next President or Prime minister
or the price of Apple stock at the end of the year? Sure!! But there are huge obsticles
to use this crowd wisdom in a pragmatic manner.....
.. .UNTIL NOW....
Enter Bitcoin and the Blockchain and DECENTRALIZATION and AUGUR
Historically, prediction markets have fallen short due to dated jurisdictional regulation, lack of volume due to limited payment options, a paltry number of markets, and sometimes even paying out the wrong people!
The root of these problems stems from centralization — an issue solved by blockchain technology. AUGUR'S prediction markets eliminate counterparty risks, centralized servers, and create a global market by employing cryptocurrencies including bitcoin, ether, and stable cryptocurrencies. All funds are stored in smart contracts, and no one can steal the money
That's right...you can enter your own questions and bet money against the rest of the world on the outcome on this decentralized network...The applications are almost limitless and you can participate and/or observe.
here is a link to AUGUR..
http://www.augur.net
Really bends the mind on a quiet Sunday
Thursday, 30 July 2015
Don't duck Donald
Gonna watch the U.S presidential debates? NO? Hold on a sec. Because if early polls are any indication Donald Trump will will participate with verbiage that we never get to hear from politicians whose only practice is to say things that will not offend any one or any group...Trump is the opposite ... he irritates everyone...he is the Don Rickles of politics.
Here is a preview of what you can expect....
On Obama
'' worst president ever''...
On Obama's golf
''If he’d like to play, that’s fine. In fact, I’d love for him to leave early and play. That’d be a very good thing,”
On former Texas Gov. and GOP aspirant Rick Perry
''He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate.He's doing very poorly in the polls. He put on glasses so people will think he's smart. And it just doesn't work! ''
On Senator Bernie Sanders also a presidential hopeful
'[Sanders] knows the country is ripped off. And I know the country is being ripped off, The difference is that I can do something about it and he can’t. He’ll never be able to negotiate with China.”
on Hillary Clinton
“Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of State in the history of the United States," and this tweet: ''If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?”
I do not know about you but I this is a must watch tv for me
Here is a preview of what you can expect....
On Obama
'' worst president ever''...
On Obama's golf
''If he’d like to play, that’s fine. In fact, I’d love for him to leave early and play. That’d be a very good thing,”
On former Texas Gov. and GOP aspirant Rick Perry
''He should be forced to take an IQ test before being allowed to enter the GOP debate.He's doing very poorly in the polls. He put on glasses so people will think he's smart. And it just doesn't work! ''
On Senator Bernie Sanders also a presidential hopeful
'[Sanders] knows the country is ripped off. And I know the country is being ripped off, The difference is that I can do something about it and he can’t. He’ll never be able to negotiate with China.”
on Hillary Clinton
“Hillary Clinton was the worst secretary of State in the history of the United States," and this tweet: ''If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband what makes her think she can satisfy America?”
I do not know about you but I this is a must watch tv for me
Donald Trump leads in New Hampshire with 21% support of potential Republican voters, according to NBC News/Marist latest polls. Jeb Bush has 14%, and Scott Walker 12% in New Hampshire
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Catching up
Wow ...a lot can happen between blogs... last entry was over a year ago...One of the great things about writing is to look back to see what you were thinking or amused or entertained by.... and on reflection I have just gotten older not smarter... so why bother
blogging? A lady friend asked me to talk with her 22 year old son about his future
and (I presume) advise him.. This is not the first time I have been asked to talk to young
people on what to do because I suppose I have had moderate success in life... which means 1 success for every 10 failures. Problem with that is I have nothing to offer except my own history. So all I now know is what made me happy. Steve Jobs in his commencement at Stanford* had the best stuff..'' Do what you love'' O God is he
ever right... Forget about the money...it will come but to chase money for its own
sake is folly. In the long road I have travelled I have never met a rich person who
was happy because of their wealth. NOT ONE!!! And I have met and know a lot of
them..... What seems to make them happy is friends, family and the enjoyment of free stuff like a warm day in spring, children playing, sunrises, sunsets, having a passion
for anything, Little things like being asked a question because someone respects your
opinion, asking a question because you are in the presence of someone whose opinion
or knowledge you respect, breathing in mountain air, a really good dinner party for
6 or 8, a laugh anytime over anything.
So what to advise a young person to do...The only common denominator I can think of
is TRAVEL. Go anywhere in the world. By yourself. just have enough money to
get by...sleep in hostels...work if you can any job no matter how menial .... You will
learn more in 1 year travelling than 4 years at any University. And it will be fun and
tremendously useful....do not put it off till you are older....You are young and free
from most responsibilities and your mind is (hopefully) still open.
22 million views of SJ at Stanford ...great way to spend 15 minutes
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
blogging? A lady friend asked me to talk with her 22 year old son about his future
and (I presume) advise him.. This is not the first time I have been asked to talk to young
people on what to do because I suppose I have had moderate success in life... which means 1 success for every 10 failures. Problem with that is I have nothing to offer except my own history. So all I now know is what made me happy. Steve Jobs in his commencement at Stanford* had the best stuff..'' Do what you love'' O God is he
ever right... Forget about the money...it will come but to chase money for its own
sake is folly. In the long road I have travelled I have never met a rich person who
was happy because of their wealth. NOT ONE!!! And I have met and know a lot of
them..... What seems to make them happy is friends, family and the enjoyment of free stuff like a warm day in spring, children playing, sunrises, sunsets, having a passion
for anything, Little things like being asked a question because someone respects your
opinion, asking a question because you are in the presence of someone whose opinion
or knowledge you respect, breathing in mountain air, a really good dinner party for
6 or 8, a laugh anytime over anything.
So what to advise a young person to do...The only common denominator I can think of
is TRAVEL. Go anywhere in the world. By yourself. just have enough money to
get by...sleep in hostels...work if you can any job no matter how menial .... You will
learn more in 1 year travelling than 4 years at any University. And it will be fun and
tremendously useful....do not put it off till you are older....You are young and free
from most responsibilities and your mind is (hopefully) still open.
22 million views of SJ at Stanford ...great way to spend 15 minutes
* https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc
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