long way round.

February 7, 2010

Weekend Reading

I'm starting a new section called "Weekend Reading." And in celebration of this glorious new beginning, I'm writing it while in a car driving across central California heading back to the bay. The Verizon USB modem is good enough to keep me connected and productive. And yes, I'm in the passenger seat.

I'm a big proponent of reading. A lot of times, my reading on the internet is sporadic and short, further perpetuating the idea that the internet (google) is making us stupid. Of course, ideally we could all balance our quick/surface-level reading with deep reading by picking up a book every so often. But the internet is tremendously valuable in giving access to an unprecedented amount of information. Hence, a weekend post of all the reading I find beneficial, interesting, and sometimes fascinating.This is coming a little late as the weekend is almost over, but better late than never.

Rolling Stone's interview with Steve Jobs... from 1994. It's a fascinating read that highlights the vision Jobs had 16 years ago and how some of it has already come into play, or seems to be in the near future. Also, his explanation of object oriented programming to a non-techy journalist is simply brilliant.
Jim Stogdill likens the iPad to the Prius. The automobile, after the advent of the catalytic converter became inaccessible to the tinkering of "lay people." The iPad, now may do the same for the computer.
Quote of the Day. Obama responding to the birthers, who simply won't go away.

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February 3, 2010

Is Social Search The Future?

Aardvark, the social search engine, recently published a paper titled "Anatomy of a Large Scale Social Search Engine." The title is an ode to Sergey Brin and Larry Page's paper explaining how Google search works, which was aptly called "Anatomy of a Large Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine." And similar to the Google paper, which was published back in 1998, Aardvark submitted the paper to the same WWW conference and was accepted.

Some of the paper's outlines are showcased in Aardvark's blog, which highlights the difference between the "library" paradigm to search, which is Google searching through already generated webpages, and the "village" paradigm to search, which relies on answers generated at the moment of query. The "village" paradigm, as employed by Aardvark and according to its paper, allows users to use natural language instead of keywords, content is generated on-demand, and the system is fueled by the goodwill of the users (the most social aspect of it all in my opinion).

Further, the success of Aardvark largely relies on the users that actually deliver the answers to queries and thereby provide content. For Google, the point is to have excellent search capabilities through indexing and crawling the web, but for Aardvark, it relies on its network of users and their knowledge, as well as their "enthusiasm" to share their knowledge when someone else is requesting it. In short, it heavily relies upon social relationships for data. It is a human search engine.

My main point of this writing is to say that social search seems to be where the future is headed. Now more than ever, people rely on Facebook (what do my friends think about the movie Avatar?), Twitter (what is going on in Haiti?), and Yelp (is French Laundry that good?) to get their information. If I want to know whether Shanghai Dumpling King is indeed a restaurant worth going to, I'll Yelp it rather than Google it. If I want to see if I can get a road bike for under $500, I'll use Aardvark rather than a traditional search engine. There's many more illustrations of a move towards social search beyond the few I've mentioned here.

So is social search the future? it seems more likely every day.

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January 28, 2010

Thoughts On The iPad

The iPad is finally here. I was waiting with a lot of skepticism, but now that it's released, I'm actually kind of a fan. Actually, I'm a big fan. Here's why.

The iPad is not the end game. Capacitive touch computing is. The world of computing is entering a new era where the way we interact with computers will primarily be through touch. During the nascent stages of Windows, Bill Gates boldly proclaimed that one day using pc computers will be as natural and easy as using the telephone. The only reason why I know this is because my mother would quote this all the time growing up when I was doing BASIC programming and switching floppy drives every so often to play games. That "one day" has just come a little bit closer.

Sure, the only people that will feel using the iPad is easy and natural are iPhone and iPod Touch users, but that population will grow. Children under the age of 2 already know what it means to flip through pages on the iPhone. It's only a matter of time when people will expect for all their computing devices to respond to touch.

The other reason why I'm a big fan is because Apple and the iPad, as Nicholas Carr points out, is bringing in a new era of computing in which "media and software have merged in the cloud." We will no longer need our data, be it music, video, photos or documents, to be stored locally on our devices. Everything will be on the cloud, if it's not already. My music lives in Lala, my mail is GMail, my photos reside in Flickr, and my files are in Dropbox. If I have a device that allows me to access these things, in essence, I won't need a traditional PC any more.

Now there are some downsides to the iPad. Peter Kirn points out that the iPad, like other Apple devices, is built on a closed platform. It has proprietary ports, has a closed ecosystem in the form of iTunes and the App Store, and Apple controls both the hardware, software, and distribution channel.

And what about the AT&T data plan? $14.99 a month for up to 250MB. $29.99 for unlimited data. I already pay exorbitant amounts for my iPhone plan, and for my DSL connection at home. To add another data plan for another device would mean I'm potentially paying up to 3 times the amount just to access a Youtube video, or to read the New York Times online. The internet is really not free.

I would love to see someone revolutionize the way we pay for information on the internet. If it were up to me, I'd like to pay one low price to get internet access on all my devices and locations. In fact, I'd like a tiered plan. If I want to only consume 500MB a month, then why can't I choose to consume that 500MB on any device that I own? Now that, will be the new era of computing.

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January 15, 2010

Remembering Where I Came From

Over the weekend, we moved to Mountain View, a quaint little apartment, in the heart of the Silicon Valley. While packing all of our things for the move, I came across some of the "thank you" cards I received from my departure from Michigan. Many of them had very sincere and touching notes. Most of them were from leaders that I oversaw, and others were former high school students. It brought a flood of memories, all of them good, about the work I have done while there. It's hardly a secret that I left under very tumultuous circumstances. But I've made my peace and I've even managed to visit Ann Arbor back in May of last year. But I've struggled for a very long time, trying to make sense of my journey up to that point.

Sometimes I still wonder why I went through what I did, and seeing how I am no longer in ministry, what the purpose of all those years were. By reading those cards, and all the things that people mentioned, I realize why. Just simply to be there among the people, at that very time, and to do what I was supposed to do... minister.

Since leaving, I've alienated some people, intentionally and unintentionally. I've de-friended a few people on Facebook (mostly because I found the too-frequent updates quite annoying), stopped emailing people, and made google chat conversations more infrequent. Perhaps some people felt offended and others hurt that I didin't value their friendship.

And I apologize for that.

I'm no longer frequently on Facebook, for reasons that are better articulated here (hat tip to Steph for the find). You can find me on this blog, or via email, david*at*iamdz.com. I'd much rather talk through email or by phone, so please feel free to reach me and I'd love to re-connect.

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January 6, 2010

Google's Advantage

By now everyone knows that Google jumped into the mobile phone market. It started with the very underwhelming and yawn inducing G1 and a plethora of Android based phones. But now, Google has its own phone, the Nexus One, and is selling it on its own website. I've read a few articles pointing out Google's marketing strategy with the Nexus One. Being the new kid on the block in the mobile phone industry, you would think that Google would inundate the TV airwaves with hip, cool commercials. But, they say Google is focusing primarily on the web for its marketing blitz, and after seeing the Google homepage, it makes sense.

Google is selling the phone on the web, which means its target audience is already web-savvy. They're not looking for the soccer mom or the grandma who stumbles upon a Verizon or AT&T kiosk at the mall. They're looking for someone who wants something more out of their phone. And not only that, they have the advantage of posting a link, a very prominent one at that, on their main homepage. That's millions and millions of eyeballs. Bigger than Superbowl ads. Bigger than Time Square billboards.

Google has built the cache of users in a short span of 10 plus years (how long did it take NBC to build an audience?). Now, whatever Google wants to do, it can do it because people will be watching, whether they like it or not. There's no shortage of an audience. The only thing is, can Google deliver with its products and customer service? Time will tell.

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December 29, 2009

A Winter Wonderland In Korea

I'm spending Christmas in Korea. It has been a tradition since college. Everywhere is covered white with snow, which is bad for traffic but good for romantic dates walking through downtown.

Every year I come back, Korea seems to be changing. Nothing is ever the same. When I was in grade school, we were told to walk on the left side, a relic from the Japanese occupation. Now, we're told to walk on the right side, a sign of things to come. People don't just make phone calls with their cell phones anymore. They make video calls. All the cement and all the high rise cranes are created to find their home here. There's skyscraper building projects in every corner of the city. Pretty soon, the 10 million residents of Seoul will all be living in the clouds.

Usually, my time here during the holidays is a time of reflection, of contemplation, and of pondering of the past. This time, I've decided not to do too much of that. Instead, I'm thinking forward, thinking ahead. There will be less internet surfing, less facebook'ing, and alas, less twittering. No more dwelling on the past. Vicarious living is out.

More living and risk taking.

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December 15, 2009

The World Of Books

via bibliodyssey.

I love reading. It's always something I did since a little child. I didn't have a Nintendo game system nor did I spend hours upon hours watching tv. Instead, I read books. It sounds really nerdy but it's true. I practically read every "Choose Your Own Adventure" book published. There's something about reading that captures my imagination and leads me to a world that cannot be captured by film or television. It is a world in which the pages literally come alive.

In this digital age, my appetite for reading has crossed over to the internet. I'll read everything and anything. I subscribe to blogs upon blogs. I just wish that I had more time to read. I wish that I could speed read. Then, I wouldn't have so many unread books collecting dust on our shelf, waiting to be read. Or maybe not.

Next on my list to read in no particular order.

Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway

Traveling Mercies - Anne Lamott

The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand

Purple Cow - Seth Godin

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December 12, 2009

Herr Hans Solo

I love these ironic creative takes on popular cultural icons. Yes I said it. Hans Solo is a cultural icon. Hat tip to hornoxe.com for the find.

By the way, check out our collaboration blog on all things cool at whysohypebeast.com. A friend just bought a jesus piece and is loving it. All wood too.

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December 8, 2009

Asking For Advice

Friends,

I've had my domain for over two years now, and I have yet to find a niche for myself. I blame it on my scatterbrain interests. The term, "jack of all trades but master of none" comes to mind regarding my blog presence.

So I'm opening it up to the crowds and asking for advice on what you'd like to see on this blog. In the past, I've dabbled with the "cool", posting anything cool I find on the web, usually graphical or art&design related. Other times, I've written about soccer. And still others, I've written a fair share about Christian faith and church related posts (mostly opinions and critiques rather than feel-good advice). Lately, I've been writing more about social media marketing. I blame it on all the Seth Godin and Ben Casnocha posts I've been reading.

The reason why I am asking for some input is because quite frankly I feel I need a more focused approach to my blogging, and am not sure what direction to head into. On top of that, I have two domains, iamdz.com and iamdz.net. I was planning on making one (iamdz.net) a portal for music using opentape... so if you want to create your own mix, let me know. And with the addition of our wedding-turned-to-marriage-blog, I've been finding myself duplicating my thoughts on both blogs.

What do you want to see? What do you benefit most from of all the topics I've written in the past? I'll seriously consider your input. Either leave a comment or drop me a line at pdidds at gmail dot com.

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December 5, 2009

Some Of My Favorite Things

I've recently acquired three items that I have absolutely fell in love with. I give a hat tip to Oprah for popularizing "My Favorite Things" as a way to pitch products, and I just want to say unlike Oprah, I am not being paid to say these nice things. But that's what happens when you absolutely love something. You evangelize it for free because you feel so strongly about it.

The first is my new pair of dress shoes. They are a pair of Bruno Magli. It is a classic slip-on loafer with a calf leather upper and shaped slightly narrow to give it a subtle modern look. The sole is rubber so it doesn't make too much noise on hard floors. It's not because of the brand or because of the looks that I love this shoe, although both have been pluses. It is the fit of the shoe. It literally fits like a well worn glove the first day I wore them. I walked all over Michigan Avenue in Chicago for a whole week while on business not too long ago and never felt uncomfortable. The only drawback is the price, but in my opinion, it's well worth every penny of it.

The second is The North Face Redpoint Optimus jacket. It is an insulated shell with a hood that when worn feels like walking around with a sleeping bag over my body. This is my first ever North Face article of clothing I have ever owned having been a life long Patagonia fan since the yesteryears of college. And what can I say? This jacket is comfortable, warm, and versatile. I can stuff it into its own sack when I travel, and can escape the cold and the rain if need be. If all North Face gear is as nice and useful as this, then I'm completely sold.

The third and last of my "favorite things" is the PS3. I've been lucky to receive it as a gift from my groomsmen and after using it for a month or so, I feel it is an amazing entertainment system. Obviously it plays video games. And the games are spectacular, especially on an 1080p HD TV. As a plus, the Playstation network is completely free so I can play my Gunners in FIFA10 against another person across the world, say in Kenya. I guess the world is truly flat. Aside from games, the PS3 also plays amazing blu-ray movies. And best of all, I can play all my media from an external drive by simply plugging it into one of the USB ports. It is, in essence, an all-in-one entertainment system that provides hours and hours of fun.

I feel a slight irony for sharing these things in light of my ongoing pursuit of living simply and minimally but that just goes to show life is full of irony and hypocrisy. It is such a paradox.

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