Scott Ertz interviews Brody Horton of Latitude Tours. Latitude Tours is an app available for both Android and iOS that currently offers audio tours for New York, London and Paris.
The example given is that you arrive as a tourist in Paris. Once you are ready to take audio tours in Paris, you pay $15 dollars which gives you 24 hours’ worth of access to all of the Paris audio tour content.
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Bitcoin is lauded by many as the currency of the future. Supporters say the cryptocurrency is superior to the dollar because Bitcoin is decentralized, allowing the system to stay honest as it’s constantly being authenticated by everyone who uses it. Bitcoin has also developed a bit of a reputation as being the currency of choice for illicit goods and services, mainly because Bitcoin transactions can be difficult to trace, making a true “anonymous” transaction much easier.
But despite all of its futurist appeal, Bitcoin is still vulnerable to some very old fashioned problems, as one man recently learned when he was robbed at gunpoint for $1,100 worth of Bitcoin. It might seem impossible that someone could be robbed in the real world for something that’s essentially virtual. But many Bitcoin users will meet up in person to ensure their electronic transaction goes thru smoothly. It was during one such meeting that a Brooklyn man discovered trading in Bitcoin can be just as dangerous as using cash.
No details have been made public about the specifics of the transaction. But the man went to a prearranged destination and met with another man to make the transaction. There, he was led to a parked car in order to finalize the deal. Once inside, the other man allegedly pulled a gun and ordered the first man to send the Bitcoin. The robber then stole the man’s cell phone and took off.
Fortunately, no one was hurt during the robbery. But the incident shows why it’s important to be safe during any kind of personal transaction, regardless of the currency being tended. Always meet others in neutral, public places such as coffee shops or even police stations. If you’re trying to make an arrangement with someone else and they refuse to do this, they’re probably up to no good.
New York city announced that ICANN approved its request for the .nyc top-level domain. This is the first city to do so.
“Pursuing the .nyc top-level domain has been a goal of Mayor Bloomberg’s Digital Roadmap from the start”, said Rachel Haot, Chief Digital Officer, “and this caliber of innovation keeps New York City on track to becoming the world’s leading digital city.”
To get a .nyc domain, you must reside in a “bona fide” residence – meaning you can’t just have a P.O. Box. Even though that may be the case, you most likely will not be able to bid on domains like Microsoft.nyc and Yahoo.nyc.
Back in 2008, a proposal was put forward to obtain the top level domain. Now that ICANN has opened up this option, New York was quick to grab it.
Top 12 possible .nyc domains?
Broadway.nyc
TimesSquare.nyc
HudsonRiver.nyc
BrooklynBridge.nyc
Manhattan.nyc
EmpireStateBuilding.nyc
FreedomTower.nyc
NewYorkNewYork.nyc
LaGuardia .nyc
JFK.nyc
StatueofLiberty.nyc
CentralPark.nyc
To get a top level domain, you must apply with an application fee of $185,000. There is no mention of how much an .nyc domain will cost.
This morning the space shuttle Enterprise made what was likely its final flight, but this time it was on the back of a 747. After several delays the shuttle finally took off from Washington DC, where it had been housed at the Smithsonian museum, and headed to New York City and it’s new home at Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.
As the 747 and it’s passenger passed over the Big Apple, NASA photographer Bill Ingalls captured what could be one of the most iconic space shuttle images ever when he snapped a shot of the shuttle, mounted on the top of the 747, as the pair passed the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.
The Enterprise will officially go on display at it’s new home on July 19th. Meanwhile, the space shuttle Discovery has replaced Enterprise at the Smithsonian’s Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.
Next week I’ll be headed to San Francisco for TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco. Naturally, I added the hashtag #tcdisrupt in my Tweet deck. I went through the posts, and one seems to keep coming up:
TechCrunch Giveaway: White iPad 2 and Nook Color #TCDisrupt {link removed} via @techcrunch
I went to the page in question and they gave away a White iPad2. Yes, I said GAVE AWAY. This was for TechCrunch Disrupt in New York that happened back in June.
This is not the first time I’ve seen this tweet reaction. Someone sees a post saying “Win this, retweet and your entered”. You do so, but you don’t see the link they post. Now you’ve just entered into a contest that has been over for months.
I have held contests from time-to-time. I remember one where I was trying to increase my followers and said to Twitter the link information and hashtag. Weeks after the contest, I was still getting tweets. I even remember one guy who tweeted me “Did you draw a winner yet?” I had to reply “Yes, but that was back in April.”
This seems to be an interesting way to build people, but also is a bit deceptive. Of course, if people don’t read the rules, it’s not your fault, right?
In this case, I would say “wrong”. Why? Because TechCrunch hasn’t updated the page to say in the first line “CONTEST OVER”. Even in the title, they should put that information.
In the meantime, people are thinking they’ve just entered a contest for a white iPad2.Too bad they didn’t win…
Unless every American does his part – They’ll steal our Cheetos, Birkenstocks and Wal-Marts
And it won’t be very long – ‘Till the pirate version of this song
Tops the radio charts in Mainland China
In the last 48 hours, a blogger (called “BirdAbroad”) broke news of a new store in Kunming, China that was claiming to be an Apple store. It brought up this dilemma that anyone can make a fake store in China and how this is starting to become a major issue. But reality is, this is not the first time a fake store has been fabricated (and I don’t think it’s going to be the last, either). So what can we do to keep our purchases safe?
The Store that calls itself “Apple”
An American woman living in the Kunming China area – Blogging under the name BirdAbroad – discovered this store that claimed to be an “Apple Store”. They went home to verify on Apple’s website, but according to their searches, there were 2 stores in China and this was not one of them.
So they did what any other american would do – post this information on the internet.
Of course, this caused a major disturbance in the Apple force. Since the term “Apple” is a trending topic, People sprung on this story like a Apple fanboy to the Lion OS.
Reuters has been reporting from the stores on how upset customers have been swarming for refunds. They even noted some store employees didn’t know they were part of a big facade. I suppose if they could read english, they might have noticed the big faux-pas in the window that said “Apple Stoer”.
What Apple is Doing about the Fake Store
Nothing that we know of yet. They have been tight-lipped about the whole ordeal. Maybe they’re waiting to see what the outcome is. Maybe they’ll see this area as an important expansion and buy it?
OK, probably not.
There are two types of Apple stores – Apple (which is not called Apple Store) and an authorized Apple retailer. In town here, we have 2 AAR’s. Their store names are not related to any Apple trademark, for they would violate terms of service. But they do say “Authorized Apple Retailer” somewhere on the store.
Of course, this store is neither. Interestingly enough, you would figure (after all the press) this store would be closed up by now. Yet, the employees still come to work and more product gets sold.
Not the First Time
The reality: this is not the first time a fake store has opened up. It’s just the first time an Apple store has been opened.
We’ve heard about the underground knock-off world in the news many time. I can show you a few DVD’s I collected from friends that have been to China (horrible quality, so it’s just for show). I even remember a friend coming back with a fake Rolex watch – showing it off like it was the real thing.
There are some vendors on the streets who also sell the real thing. They get the product through black market or smuggle from other areas. Purses from Coach, dresses from Macy’s and iPhones from Apple.
This isn’t even the first time that has happened in the United States. In years past, people would open storefronts trying to fool customers that they were a brand it wasn’t. Most of the time, they also sold knock-off products. In 2008, police raided China-town and closed 32 vendors.
Be Aware of Fakes
Whether these people bought real iPhones or fake, Apple doesn’t have to honor the devices. That means if you spend $2,000 for a Macbook Pro and it dies within 30 days, you might have a nice paperweight.
Some people buy fakes for the novelty – like my friend I mentioned earlier. He knows that once the watch dies, he throws it away. Then again, it might just live his lifetime…
Even in the US, you cannot always trust a store. If you feel it’s a fake, then don’t buy from it. Do a little research and make sure they are who they say to be.
In the meantime, more fake Apple Stores have popped up in China. We’ll have to wait and see what Apple does to resolve this issue.
I found this utterly fascinating. It’s a five minute study of “a day in the life of New York, in miniature” and it’s just that. The director, Sam O’Hare has combined time-lapse photography and a tilt-shift lens (whatever that is!) to produce an effect akin to toy models scurrying around a miniature city. Look out for the helicopters and the diggers. There’s a bit more information on how he did it here.
The soundtrack complements the film as well – it’s by Human – and was commissioned for the project.
Beyond the tricks, I loved the short film for the picture of urban life – the pair doing tai chi beneath the underpass, the baseball games by the freeway, the pigeon avoiding the pedestrians, the slop bucket thrown on the road. Brilliant.
Scott Ertz interviews Brody Horton of Latitude Tours. Latitude Tours is an app available for both Android and iOS that currently offers audio tours for New York, London and Paris.
Bitcoin is lauded by many as the currency of the future. Supporters say the cryptocurrency is superior to the dollar because Bitcoin is decentralized, allowing the system to stay honest as it’s constantly being authenticated by everyone who uses it. Bitcoin has also developed a bit of a reputation as being the currency of choice for illicit goods and services, mainly because Bitcoin transactions can be difficult to trace, making a true “anonymous” transaction much easier.
Nothing that we know of yet. They have been tight-lipped about the whole ordeal. Maybe they’re waiting to see what the outcome is. Maybe they’ll see this area as an important expansion and buy it?
The Sandpit