Kids in the Tech Workforce

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I have the entrepreneurial bug so I’m always checking out the latest news on successful business owners. I love technology based businesses. I salivate over the thought of someday working completely from home. So a few months back I was really impressed with a story I read in Inc Magazine about a teenager making money via myspace. It’s not what you are thinking…… no webcams and all that junk. This young lady was designing backgrounds and layouts for myspace pages. She had been using html since she was about 9 so she knew what she was doing. She started out making layouts for friends then expanded into getting paid. She also offers some layouts for free and makes money off of ads since her website is so popular. She made about $500,000 this past year! Not bad for a “kid” huh? This “kid” made more in a year than most adult Americans make in 10 years. She was able to do it because the tools were available to do so. The internet, cheap computers, and social networks made her business possible along with her ingenuity.

Stories like hers should be an inspiration to young people everywhere. Often, kids would like to have a job but cannot get one for any number of reasons. Either they don’t have a ride to work, don’t have time during the day, or are not old enough to be hired legally. But with an internet business they don’t need permission from mommy government, don’t need a ride from mommy, and can work at night after homework and sports. Obviously not everyone is going to make half a million a year but $5000 – $10,000 a year would seem like a windfall to a young person with no bills living at home. Elance is full of jobs for doing basic research online which would be a good fit for computer savvy students. Even though sites like Elance are very competitive due to overseas workers I think young Americans could compete on price since they are likely doing it for extra money.

I know some people think children should enjoy their childhood so they should not have to worry about jobs until after high school. But there are some that want to work badly so they should have the chance to do so. The kid growing up in a poor home deserves the chance to pull himself up by the bootstraps. And technology opens up another avenue for that person to change his or her life for the better.

iPhone iRony?

Apple

When the iPhone v.1 came out last year, Apple got a lot of flack for going Edge instead of 3G. Steve Jobs said in a public forum that the 3G chip took up too much power. There was also talk about the 3G chip being a really large chip almost doubling the size of the phone if it was in there.

People didn’t care. They wanted speed over power. Then the chip size was reduced. So Apple decided to appease the masses and brought out the iPhone v.2. It had 3G which was 152 kbps faster than Edge. It was slimmer than the 1st version of iPhone. People were happy.

That is, until they found out how much the 3G service sucked power out their iPhones…

Now in all fairness, I think a lot of people understood the 3G power issues getting into the new phone. I think the fact that there are other problems with 3G is the main reason why we are hearing about people not happy with the 3G power issues.

Now there is talk about iPhone getting a mass recall. Apple and Infineon (who manufacture the chip causing the problems) says that it’s just a software update needed to fix the problem, but it’s still getting a lot of talk back and forth. If this software update does not fix the problem, we may be seeing a recall happen.

Still, there are a lot of Bloggers out there that have talked about the iPhone 3G iDrain. Some sites have tried to help understand and even ways to turn on and off the feature if you don’t need it. Apple even put the 3G switch in about a month or so before the iPhone release.

The reality is the 3G will continue to take more power to run. You shouldn’t have it on all the time or else your standby time will be less than 250 hours. Talk time will be less.

Then again, you can always turn off the 3G option and go to the EDGE network. Last time I read, you have the option.

Will Linux Ever Be a Contender?

Linux

I read an article earlier this week saying that Linux sees a Windows Free world. Well if that’s true, I would have to wonder what people would go to, because Linux is not it. At least, not now.

Now before you chastise, remember – Linux is at 2% market share and although annalists say its growing, it’s doing it very slowly. Also, Linux took a blow from programs like OLPC when they moved to Microsoft because Linux was “too confusing”. The worst comes from those who want to use it, but end up going back to Microsoft.

I have heard a few stories from non-techie friends that say they installed Linux (a flavor of Ubuntu to be exact), but then found it to be too confusing and un-installed it. I agree with them – there are too many items that you have to install after the fact to make it run. A good example is the network card. If it supports your card then there is no problem. However, if it doesn’t – plan to spend some time getting it installed.

It doesn’t make sense. A free OS should mean more users, right? Not always. While it may be free, if you can’t figure it out, it will be more of a hindrance then a help. And there is no support – at least non-conventional support. I think people want to have that Helpdesk number so they can complain if things don’t work.

I really want to see Linux become a rival to Microsoft and Apple. Make Microsoft realize that they can’t put out Operating Systems that have a major disapproval rating and make Apple realize that being proprietary is not as profitable.

Even with IT professionals, a lot of them don’t even touch the OS. After all, if you live in a Microsoft world, and don’t use Linux, then why learn about it?

This can all change with future releases of the OS. A system that can accept and adjust to your hardware is key in giving the user a warm environment to work in. Linux will have the same “32 to 64 bit” growing pain that Microsoft has. If that transition is smoother on Linux, people will realize it and gravitate.

I also think putting a $25 tag and offering help through a phone number might just sway people in their direction. It would still be affordable and they would get someone to work with them in getting the system going.

Only time will tell who is on top in 5 or 10 years. I really do hope Linux can make a dent in the war, but they really have a lot of work to do to accomplish that. For now, it’s still a Microsoft world.

Nintendo Wii Internet Access

Gaming, , , , ,

Before I go on a tangent about the Wii, let me say that I like the system. More importantly my kids really like it. I don’t care for the overall selection of games but do enjoy the sports games we have. The problem I have is a simple one. Nintendo has an online store where you can download old school games to your Wii. You have to buy the games which I have no problem with. I really wanted to buy Techmo Bowl which was my favorite game when I was younger. It was a simple football game that took a lot less thinking than today’s Madden Football games. Perfect for me! Anyway when I investigated further I found out I need a special wire to connect to my router or wireless adapter (no longer available I think). Not only could I not use the perfectly good ethernet cable I had on hand, I could not even run out to Walmart to grab the special Nintendo one. Apparently it is only available at nintendo.com or Walmart’s online store. Don’t get me wrong, I like ordering online, but this was a weekend thing so I wanted it right then. I knew by the time I got it it would be a week day and I would be working so I would have to wait to use it until next weekend. So the passion for the game faded a bit and after a few days it was not on the top of my to do list. I know Nintendo is full of smart people and likely make a killing off selling this “special” ethernet cable but they are also putting up a roadblock between another product and the customer. They should either put the special cord in the box when you buy the Wii or better yet make it compatible with regular ethernet cables.

I know other game systems likely do the same thing so I don’t want to pick on Nintendo alone. Also I realize most products come with the bare minimum so the price is low enough to get you started in hopes that you will buy more later. My Sony HD camcorder records HD really well & the video looks great on the big screen. But guess what it would look better with…. a freaking mini HDMI cable! It came without one and you have to get it at sony.com I assume since the place I bought the camcorder does not carry one. This is frustrating but unlike the Wii it does not stop me from buying another sony product because of a roadblock to the internet. However it does make my viewing experience less than it can be.

HD Content No Good Online?

internet, Media, Technology, TV, video, , , ,

I love watching videos online when I have time especially High Definition content. Even though it takes longer to load (better off downloading) it looks so much better than Standard Definition. Mark Cuban has often dogged online HD as “not really HD” since the same content would not be HD on a big screen HDTV. I don’t know if that is true in every case but he should know since he owns HDNET. But the fact that the HD content online looks like Hi Def while viewing on a computer screen is all that matters. Perception is reality especially to the average non geek person. If it looks great to them they are not going to compare 10 different videos to see how much worse one looks than the other. Some content will never be viewed on a TV anyway. Stupid people falling down, ala youtube, only takes a minute to watch online at work or while waiting on an email. That stuff is not worth sitting down in the living room to watch. That said, it would still be better in Hi Def. I do some videos of my kids’ sports, my nephew’s sports, and local high school football with my Sony HD camera (consumer model). I share these online where family members can watch at work or while checking email. The best part of family or local content is that it can be easily shared. Watching a DVD of your child’s football game then waiting to see your sister to give her the DVD is a bit more time consuming than sending an email with the video in it. I normally do SD instead of HD just because of loading times and I know most people want to watch right then instead of downloading it.

There are a few sites that offer HD content: blip.tv, Vimeo, & Vuze. I like blip.tv since it is easy to use and I always get a human response to an emailed question. While content like major movies are much better in HD on TV that does not mean there is no room online for HD media. The right venue for the right content is the key. The phrase, “good enough for who it is for” also fits. Your Aunt Peggy in Florida will love your HD footage of your vacation. She won’t be comparing your media to a George Lucas production.

Uploading Your Vinyl Records

MP3, , , ,

If you like vintage records then you’d love Cliff Bolling. This guy is such an enthusiast that he digitized his collection, started a website, and began uploading his music to it to share. The first thing that comes to mind is copyright of course. But most of these records are apparently no longer for sale so there is no damage to the artists. But even if they were it is unlikely that 1 out of 100,000 people would know about these artists and an even smaller percentage would buy one of their records. So let’s say one of the artists would like to get paid some small amount if possible but the records are not being made anymore nor are they being made in CD format or available in MP3 format at online music venues. Likely the musician’s target audience is as old as he is. Let’s say 60-80 year olds. Likely they are not surfing the internet to get his 1940 hit in mp3 format and since the music is not available in physical form they cannot get it that way. The way I see it is the musician needs a new younger audience so the only way that audience will be created is by good people like Mr. Bolling sharing his collection online. The problem most artists, musicians, writers, etc have is their obscurity not people pirating their materials. If no one knows about your work how you can sell it? Would it be better to have 1 million downloads of your 1942 song go out free to possible new customers or have zero downloads go out? The answer is obvious. If no one knows about you are you really in business? Last year my cousin said he had just bought a USb turntable to convert old records. They were from her family’s skating rink back in the day. He said he and his son had a great time listening to all those songs that you rarely hear now. I bet at least a few mp3 downloads happened from that experience.

As of today Mr. Bolling’s website is down. According to the article update linked at the bottom of this post, apparently it is not due to the dreaded RIAA. But it is due to a huge traffic increase due to his press coverage online. Yahoo is his hosting company which according to a quote from Mr. Bolling “the option I’ve subscribed to offers unlimited bandwidth and unlimited data transfer” should not have ripped his site down. This goes to show another example of companies promising unlimited cell minutes, data transfers, and bandwidth only to go back on their word when unlimited gets to be too much for them. It is a tough battle for us normal people trying to share media we like with others. Between gangs like the RIAA and controlling internet service providers there may be a shift in the near future. There will always be sharing online but more and more people will begin trading hard drives with each other as storage devices get cheaper every day. If I were Cliff Bolling I would just transfer my domain to godaddy, make a smaller website, and upload my mp3s to places that will host for free then link to each song from his site. Filefront is a good service that I use sometimes. I don’t see that they would have a problem with any copyright stuff either.
Original article link.

Why IT users need to be politically active.

Technology

There is an eye-opening article by Joshua Green in this months Atlantic that gives some insight into how modern political campaigns work. The Front-Runner’s Fall is an analysis about the HRC presidential campaign and what they did right and wrong. What is revealed through reading it though is how politicians decide on which positions they will take on which issue, and while this article focuses on a specific campaign it is safe to presume that every other campaign runs in almost exactly the same fasion.

If you are not interested in reading the whole article, page 2 and the beginning of page 3 detail how some of the issues that the campaign followed and positions they took were decided. I hope it doesn’t crush anybody’s idealism to say that these positions were not determined by ethics, idealism or philosophy but rather by the prevailing sentiment, media noise and what would be considered to sell well to potential voters.

What it emphasised to me, and brings this back to a topic of tech interest, was how important it is to be vocal and engaged with the topics that interest us in the tech sector. Relying on logic or quiet determination will lose out to louder voices. It also shows that it does not really matter what the party of the politician is, it is likely they will be swayed to whatever they believe the popular sentiment to be. So when we want things like Net Neutrality, IP reform and upholding of fair use, making sure our collective voices are heard is important.

Consumer lobby groups life EFF and various political action committees (PACs) can hellp your one voice become many and get some of those important things happening like the appearance of your issue in opinion surveys, TV news and newspapers. During this presidential campaign and upcoming senate and reps elections consider joining EFF or a PAC and help drive some technology topics onto the agenda.