Why mobile WAP sites suck

What is this behaviorial mobile tracking all about? How is mobile traffic getting to your web site? Do we all want more personal content or just our phone? or should it just be special content? Isn't it about what you can do? Isn't that always the it for innovation? Isn't this post annoying because I'm asking so many questions(statment). What is so annoying is that everybody is trying to figure out how to monetize and not really spending the time to make it work first. Sure walking and talking is easy bu how can you monetize something that is so alienating to most users. Right now the good WAPs are one-way push content sites (porn & articles) but damn you if you try and login somewhere. The screen realestate and functionality is just not quite there but damn does it make for a good investment. Zeldman had a fantasy blog post back in aug 2007 about what the new iphone will do not sure if the next iteration, due in june, will live up to expectations but we can all hope.

Urban Myth confirmation Westfield NJ Memorial Pool

So it is indeed NOT an urban myth. People were in line to get an open slot for the Westfield Memorial Pool at 3AM today and it is now 5:45AM or so. I got in line at 4:15AM and about the 40ish person in line! There are now about 150+ people in the line which wraps along the front of East Broad St. and then back down the side of the old Library entrance. They were still coming as of 7:30...and by then the line wrapped by pond. Easily 500 people.

Recommended required supplies:
Sunglasses, coffee, whiskey, ipod, umbrella, and a chair.

Update:

Only 997 spots open and my family were some of the lucky ones. The joke is that after, according to the rumour mill in the line (Some of moms do gab a lot) the first batch "gets-in" and then there is waiting list that does nothing. So if you missed it get there early. Like 3AM.

On the plus side no monsoon as was forecasted. Just fog. So the experience could have been much worse.

The Best Pranks for April fools day

Whoopee cushions, messing up somebody's office space and more elaborate pranks never get old. The more evil and the larger the conspiracy the better sometimes. Some of the best pranks stuff take things to the outer limits Here are some choice ideas for tomorrow to pull on your internet friends. (1) Send them an audio prank. Add a hidden comment on their blog berating them needlessly. (2) Phone sex pranks. (3) Not sure how funny this is but a death blog listing is classy way to worry your friends where some girl names jane was counting down to her death. (4) Rick roll a major news paper like the NY times and some film trickery. (5) Spoof a major directory site and add some modern day graffiti to Craig's list. Save the Sharpe ink. (6) Make an outrageous claim and make Flickr a lot advertising revenue with link titles like "Photo of Jessica Biel losing her bikini top while swimming at the Chateau Marmont". Otherwise known as SEO backlinking and then have the link be so disgusting people will be sorry. (7) Tom Green is always good source. Check out this more elaborate Slut mobile video he pulled on his parents where he spray paints the roof of his dads card. classic. (8) The Japanese are always a little bizarre. Funny prank video comp of scaring people and giant rolling balls.

What are your prank stories?

Procrastination work flow and art of being efficient

In case you need some guidance on how not to get a lot done in one day do not follow this work flow. Do not ever answer the phone. Do not answer emails. Skip lunch. Let the window of IM's cascade completely full until people hate you and then, better yet don't even turn the dang thing on, and maybe only then will you actually be able to accomplish any work during any given day. You will clock out on time and you lead a happier life. The other option is to drill a hole in your head and do all of the above. Your call.

Church and State not for president

I like righteous and tenacious preachers like Wright and Farakan. They serve a purpose to motivate those that need direction. They have the gift to inspire through emotion and say some pretty outrageous words in church? Is this the right message to get the people all fired up in places like the South side of Chicago? I am not sure we want anybody to be referred to as the KKKamerica though or be a part of said establishment. That segment has gone pretty far underground and shrinking unless you need to feed it some hate fuel. Us vs the others is the same kind of chip on the shoulder mentality that keeps the real-estate divided, the schools and kids behind by making a race line. Culture is funny this way and the major media is picking up on it ever so gently and at the same time fighting morality with Spitzer's Emperor Club situation. Although, the issues are obviously more about class and not race and what money can buy; the people with money and the growing margin without do need hope. A deep understanding that money rules in the end is what is needed from a business and a Do The Right Thing perspective and not a us vs "them". We the people can affect change in the industrial complex but we need to do it without prejudice, without religion based on the information we have at hand and let people live a little and make mistakes. Obama is already looking weathered and it seems to me the reality of the politics at work is starting to take its toll. The question remains can he take the heat? We know a Clinton/Obama or Obama/Clinton ticket could be an ideal and effective team with the charisma and political toughness to make real change for all classes. Subdividing is not the way to go but at this stage of the game it is what it is all about and it is going to get worse. G*d help us.

Democratic Party on Clinton and Obama needles

Tonight the future of the country is in the hands of Texas and Ohio. No pressure folks. Is the new left going to win? Ideals over practicality are at stake. Who has got the fire power to withstand a full Republican attack? Lets focus on the end game people. Really focus. The 2008 Primaries and Caucuses are today and it all on the line for Hillary. She has 238 Superdelegates vs his 194. not sure what the weight is but let hope it is a race to the end. Politics has never been so thrilling. What constitutes a win anyway? A popular vote or a delegate win? Take the poll. The system is in place to protect the people from themselves and thank god that Hillary has a sense of humour as she pars and jokes with Jon Stewart yesterday and with Amy pollard on SNL this past weekend.

Related blog posts: Misogynist Politics | Obama vs The Clinton Bashing Machine

Misogynist Politics: Obama vs Clinton machine

The political war of words is in full session between the two democratic candidates. The clock is ticking. Tick-Tock go the Orwell metaphors. "Who do you want answering the phone"? Asks Clinton, somebody who has been there and knows the lay of the land? The Obama camp counters with but she voted for Iraq. Really? Who the heck cares. Move forward dude. Most of American was deceived about it and nobody did anything and then I find this video.



I was really confused and sort of not surprised to find a Barrack video that plays on fear and comparing Hillary Clinton to a police state alla 1984. Have you looked around lately? Remember W and Dick? There is a lot of history of political videos using nuclear scare tactics and other emotional devices. What is funny is that Obama's people don't use his words. You be the judge and listen to the smarter people around you who don't have the leisure or pleasure to make a dumb choice. The guys sound great but there is no depth. Remember the I had a dream speech? There were actionable items in that. Agreed change is good but isn't that what they both are offering? Watch the most recent debate on CN/UNAVISION between the two before Tuesday and see the info people are making decisions on and take a good 10,000 foot view. Experience vs Change.

Moonlight Mile Eastern Anchors session notes

Last weekend over three days and 30 hours we were able to track drums, bass and the basic guitar layers for the debut Eastern Anchors record. The sessions are being engineered by Mike Mobious at his studio Moonlight Mile. We waited almost three months to make sure the 24 track analog Studor machine had all the parts working. So far the process has been a pleasure. We spent a decent amount of time getting the right sounds through various amps and guitars. Now we move forward to vocals. More soon.

Pot Vending Machine

Leave it to the California residence of LA to make life easier, as you can get your sticky bud through a Pot Vending Machine, no standing in lines or driving in a sketchy neighbordhood and handing your money to a complete "stranger". This is of course if you are comfortable having your picture taken upon every purchase. Vince Mehdizadeh, Owner of Herbal Nutrition Center (HNC) has mentioned that users can get their prescriptions 24 hours a day and enjoy access with slide card! Now that is some service. So if you suffer from a video game glitch or god forbid glaucoma life just got a little better. All card members can sample the product during regular business hours at centers around LA. This has been a public service annoucement.

Obama vs the Clinton Bashing machine

Politics is a dirty game and the Clinton machine has just started to turn it up. A little crying was a great opener yesterday. I can't wait to see what is next. My only question for the peanut gallery is who made Iowa and New Hampshire the deciders? WTF? While it is old news Obama is/was Muslim we would all like to think religeon was not part of our US politics process. The truth is there is that whole middle part of America who cares. What we should all be afraid of is a Huckabee and Chuck Norris ballet according to the polital rumour mill. That would be freaking scary and the beginging of a whole other Reagan-Bush-esque *uck show. The industrial complex has been here for a very long time. So what are you gonna to do 'bout it? Don't forget you can also check check urban legends for yourself at scopes.com before sending your friends political spam. Although I must say it does make for good fodder.

How to slow down time

I'm not sure why times goes by so fast year to year or who the expert is but 2007 is gone. In this time I've joined every body's community site in an effort to slow time down or at least document all sorts useless information. In doing so I've seem to have lost precious time doing other more "productive" stuff but then again the amount of time i would need far exceeds the dismal amount of time for a blog post like this one lets say. Quality time comes in 4 hour chunks which is quite the commodity. Mr. Hand also had a theory as did Enstein with the theory of relativity. Does time really slow down when we are bored and move fast when we moving fast? This guy figured how to move things backwards. I started podcasting over 1 year ago to document time as it relates to music and have always had bands like the eastern anchors in an attempt to have a place in music history; which is one way I have found to slow time down, for whatever reason when you are playing music time seems to pause but for moment, so when you play back music you've actually created it has the physical ability to take you back in time. Taking photos is another way to this but not as strong as the music thing. So if you figure out how to stop time please let me know. I know cardio exercise is one way to slow down your metabalism for the pysical manifestation of one's own-self in body form. In any case have a happy new year and enjoy!

The Bush Legacy: Waging War for Political Gain

Help to stop the making of another war we can't afford and get this ad paid for in the NY Times and give peace a chance. Brought to by the kind folks at moveon.org. Give peace a chance this holiday. For some Holiday mp3 blog post and joy check out my review stalker post from this year and from 2006.

Today on Facebook I am still ignoring the following requests

2 friend requests - don't know you

1 group invitation - to Eat Murry Hill. I have no clue what this is

2 zombie invitations - Why do i want to live have my head chopped off

1 ninja invitation - Does this make a better person

1 cause invitation - damn lefties except this one is to support local music

3 werewolves invitations - teenage werewolves are wasting away on the interweb

1 hi five friend invitation -

1 superpoke invitation -

2 vampires invitations - why do we want to outlive our loved ones?

1 acounter invitation - sounds sexy

1 what's hot request - mary louise parker is on the list

1 live it up! request - I am a stick in the mud

1 name analyzer invitation - enemy. Goliath

1 likeness unrated invitation - there is a rated version?

1 my music invitation -

What is a social network graph?

The six degrees of separation are beginning to converge rather quickly. The current format of Social networks and advertising networks are trying to glean your click through and figure out what the CPA(cost per acquisition) comes out to, which is currently semi-silo'd. Meaning we live in distinct valleys of information that is ripe for the rooting of advertising stream billions. These silos are beginning to change how we connect with the advent of widgets and aps. Web 2.0 is already old news for most of us living in 2007 realtime intraweb. The next level, as discussed by Tim Berners Lee is this third level after (1) the internet phase and (2) the storage of web documents what is being called a social graph for web users to take back control. This current phenomenon, what is loosely being defined as what links relationships between people and/or documents -- "the things documents are about" and how they relate to people who give it meaning. It is easy to agree that nothing is free. E.G. Ads make the world go around. You accepted it on TV and we will accept in our future consumption of video content and any means of social entertainment (err, except for nasty interruptions of our 1-1 phone connections). The hypothesis is that users will demand DVR for web where YOU as the user gets to sort best of social connections and who pays to connect to you. I don't like Nike but will let Puma talk to send me stuff if i had to choose. Although, Wikinomics book says that "relationships are the one thing you cannot commoditize", and yes people harrumphed when gmail scanned your email for things you might like but we were quick to forget and then blindly import our email without flinching to suck their friends into facebook or linkedin, etc and invite them to join the fun. Who the hell reads the fine-print anyway when you sign-up Anyway? Most recently Plaxo Pulse allows you to suck in your favorite social network stuff (flickr, blogger feeds, facebook) and expanding their ap library everyday. The discussion now on the table in the blogosphere is to a create social network media API, as was done with the adopted J2EE standards, to get everybody in tune with the governance rules for usage of these social connections (remember all the info we put in our web docs? remember?). Read Write Web's post does a great job of explaining the concepts around the social graph and their implications with a lot of quality feedback and concerns around who controls the information pipe and goes in deeper with issues surrounding life online. There are some really cool visual looks into these vertical social connections. Graphs can be churned out of almost any kind of one to many mathematical relationship, like data from 9/11 terrorist networks to the Spread of Obesity in a Large Social Networks and everything in between, to have that A-HA moment visit Visual Complexity project dissections set for various social network queries. So the next time you fill out yet another profile be aware that your info is not your own.