|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
The Path to Immortality - At fifty-six years old, Computer Scientist Ray Kurzweil thinks he just might be able to do it. If he can just live twenty more years, he's convinced that modern technology will be at a point where it will allow him to live forever. He's dead serious, too. CNN recently reported, "As part of his daily routine, Kurzweil ingests 250 supplements, eight to 10 glasses of alkaline water and 10 cups of green tea. He also periodically tracks 40 to 50 fitness indicators, down to his 'tactile sensitivity'. ... Kurzweil is no crank [either]. He's a recipient of the $500,000 Lemelson-MIT prize, which is billed as a sort of Academy Award for inventors, and he won the 1999 National Medal of Technology Award." So what advances does he predict are right around the bend that could make such a fantastic notion a reality? Kurzweil expects that "millions of blood cell-sized robots, which he calls 'nanobots', will keep us forever young by swarming through the body, repairing bones, muscles, arteries and brain cells. Improvements to our genetic coding will be downloaded via the Internet." | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
So You Want to be a DJ? - Remember Adam Curry? He was one of the original MTV VJ's. Now he's the brains behind iPodder, a tiny application that many believe has the power to challenge commercial radio. The iPodder is basically a cross between a blog and the Apple MP3 player. So, now anyone can be a DJ! Currently the iPod broadcasting scene is like the early days of commercial radio. It's the good, the bad and the ugly. You might hear that splendid little tune from an unknown indie band or as one audiophile recently reported, "I [had] iPodder set to download random podcasts, and one day I got a 10-minute show of somebody just screaming." But, if you happen to be a really good DJ and gain a large following, you might just be approached by some big time advertisers and actually make some money. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Eleven Web Related Advertising Sins - Almost every company now has a website. And why do they have one? To advertise, of course. As you should know by now, we at Menlo preach usability and good design. Based on the visceral feedback of some of these potential customers, it's clear that a poorly designed website can be worse than no website at all. Take a look at your company's website. Are any of these sins being committed? | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
The Kings of Adware - Ever hear of these companies? Claria, WhenU and 180Solutions? No, we haven't either. But most of us have had to deal with the adware that they produce. Yes, these are the kings of adware, the companies that create the software that secretly gets loaded on to your PC and then proceeds to redirect you to specific sites. The software then generates tons of pop-ups and ultimately slows down your PC to a crawl. All this in an effort to get you to buy what they are sponsoring. There is obviously a lot of money in this or they wouldn't be in such a business. Now the public relations push is on. Just imagine, Direct Revenue, another adware company, is planning to spend a lot of money on a program to remove the adware software it placed on your machine in the first place! It's called "MyPCTuneup.com" and will include live customer support. Gee, how nice! This is all being done in an effort to fend off the bills outlawing such adware that is expected to come later this year. If these bills get passed, it just might be the end of these companies for good. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anthropology is the Key to Software Success - Find out how you can ensure that your software project will be a success by studying the concept of Anthropology, yes, Anthropology. Come to our next free 90-minute "Taste of Success" seminar focused on High-Tech Anthropology. A high-touch solution for a high-tech world. Bring your toughest software project stories to share. See you on March 24! | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Truly Smart Phone - Cory Doctorow, of Popular Science, hails new cell phone improvements. "I love the Internet because I can plug anything I want into it. No ISP tells me what computer I can use or what software it can run. Contrast that with the phone networks. Until 1968, it was illegal to even attach a non-Bell phone. Even today, phone companies charge for services like Caller ID. Imagine if your ISP charged you for seeing the 'From' line in your e-mail." But now things are improving. Now smartphones such as the Sony Ericsson P900 or the Nokia 6620 come with operating systems ready to run software of your choosing. Now, if there's something you want your phone to do, chances are that someone has built an app to do it that you can download and install, without paying the carrier's monopoly pricing. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Perfect Software? - This article from the Fast Company vault is worth another look. It's easy to hate MS Windows XP for example, with the service packs and the seemingly endless stream of patches. The bugs, holes, errors, whatever you want to call them seem to become more plentiful as the years go by. Why? Because software is so much more complex these days. Well, the software that was used to power the space shuttle in the late 90's was pretty complex, too. As was reported back then, "the last three versions of the program – each 420,000 lines long – had just one error each. The last 11 versions of this software had a total of 17 errors. Commercial programs of equivalent complexity would have 5,000 errors." So, just how were they producing such exceptional code? Many commercial software firms now could surely benefit from these same practices. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Cool Mind Reading Software - When you get home tonight, here's a neat mind reading trick you can share with your kids. So how long did it take you to figure it out? Sorry, we're not going to reveal the secret. Ask your kids though; I'm sure that they'll figure it out... eventually. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Invention Mysteries - Aaron Blanton reviews the book Invention Mysteries: The Little-Known Stories Behind Well-Known Inventions by Quincy University adjunct professor of business, Paul Niemann. According to Blanton, Niemann covers a wide variety of interesting topics: "In 1965 a chemical engineer named Stephanie Kwolek accidentally invented Kevlar, the practically impenetrable material used in bulletproof vests and goalie masks. Julie Newmar, the original catwoman to Adam West's Batman on the old TV series, patented ultra-sheer, ultra-snug pantyhose. Thomas Edison is often thought of as the greatest inventor of all time: he held 1093 patents. And a lot of the stuff he patented actually worked. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Great Classes at Affordable Prices. - The Menlo Spring 2005 class schedule is out. Hey, we know there's still a lot of snow outside, but Spring is just a few weeks away! So, we'll provide the coffee and donuts. Sign up for a Menlo class, stay warm, and learn the real secrets of software success. | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Need a Speaker for an Upcoming Event? - We love public speaking (can you believe it?) and are happy to deliver inspiring messages focused on business success with information technology. Call us at (734) 665-1847 to schedule your next event. Look here for a list of some of the topics that we've spoken about in the past. | |
|
|
|
|
|
About Menlo Innovations |
|
|
Menlo
Innovations uses its unique High-Tech
Anthropology®practice to help our
clients build killer software
applications. If you are asking any of
the following questions, consider having
us perform a Fresh Perspective
Assessment:
A Fresh Perspective Assessment provides detailed insights into your product's strengths and weaknesses. It also provides a roadmap for where to best invest your design and development dollars. Designing, building, and selling software products can be innovative, creative, and profitable. It can also be highly challenging. Sometimes a Fresh Perspective is required. Created in the spirit of Thomas Edison's Invention Factory in Menlo Park, Menlo Innovations is passionate about software innovations that make a positive difference in the everyday lives of businesses and their employees.
Menlo Innovations LLC Coding, format, and on-site content copyright ©2005 |
|
|
|
The Menlo
Briefs is a
permission-based newsletter. If you
would like to subscribe to this
newsletter please
visit our subscription page. If you
have received this newsletter in error,
please accept our apologies and use the
link below to unsubscribe. ### |