Archive for Misc
August 1, 2005 at 12:43 pm · Filed under Misc
Hey everyone, I've been very very busy lately. New job, new apartment. You've heard it before. Not as much time to blog as I'd like. But I'll try to sneak in a few posts here and there.
This one is about a cool new product I just heard about. Forgot where I got the link; probably from another blog. The concept seems pretty cool. You know how you can record live TV using your DVR box? Well, with the Slingbox, you can broadcast your TV/Cable signal into hyperspace and then download and watch it from anywhere in the world, as long as you have a fast internet connection.
So imagine you are in some 3rd world country and you really need to watch the next espisode of Enterouge. You could be blown to bits at any moment, and you don't want to leave this world w/o finding out what happened in this weeks episode. Just go to the local internet cafe or some hotel with a broadband connection and start watching your TV shows.
At least that's how I think it works. I haven't had a chance to really investigate it and its capabilities. Why not go to the site and read up on it for yourselves:
www.slingmedia.com
July 25, 2005 at 9:39 am · Filed under Misc, Resources
I started writing this really long blog entry about MSN Virtual Earth, but then Firefox crashed on me when I tried to use the "Locate Me by IP" feature. I had all these nice things to say about MSNVE, but then it crashed on me and I lost my post. I'm very upset now. But it's ok, I'll just summarize what I wrote and allow you to experiment with the site yourselves. (sigh..)
Ok, basically I was comparing the two services. I mentioned how they were very similar in their feature set. MSNVE copied all the cool features of Google maps. They have smooth, draggable maps. They have nice crisp and clear images. They even have a satellite view (although theirs is not in color for some reason.)
However, MSNVE decided to add some additional cool features. Some things that I've wanted from Google Maps for a while now. For one thing, MSNVE allows you to plot multiple addresses on the same map. I know you can do this using Google Map's API, but MSNVE allows you to do as part of the site. You don't need to mess with any API or create your own hacked version of it.
Another cool feature of MSNVE is the ability to search for any business and it will show up right on the map along with the rest of your previous searches. By default, when you search for an address (like your home), MSNVE will show you nearby pharmacies and bookstores. You can then search for other businesses or busines types, like Blockbuster.
The whole interface is pretty nice and intuitive. I haven't tried it in IE yet, but I'm sure it looks even better on IE. I'm pretty impressed by MSNVE and I hope that Google wakes up and starts improving their Google Maps (which I'm sure they are already doing.)
Note to Google: You made a big mistake in not hiring me to help out in the UI efforts! We could've had Google Maps 2.0 out by now! But NO... you decided not to hire me. Well, its too late now. I'm with someone else.
July 20, 2005 at 9:30 am · Filed under Misc
Warning: This post has nothing to do with Internet related technologies or development of any kind, but it's a rather funny thing that happened to a close friend of mine. I just thought I'd share it with everyone.
To make a long story short, a friend of mine received a $50 ticket in a public park in Manhattan around 10:30 pm (park closes at 1 am), apparently for standing in a "No Standing or Stopping" zone, which is clearly meant for cars and NOT pedestrians. The reasoning? The park official (not a real cop) asked them what they were doing there, at which point they decided to just keep walking, ignoring the official. This act of defiance didn't sit so well with the park official and he decided that he should flex his authoritative muscle a bit and issue them a ridiculous $50 fine.
Well, my friend was so amused by this that he decided to tell the NY Daily News about his experience. Read the full article here: Fire zone tix for 2 on foot
UPDATE: I just saw my friend on the 10 'O clock news on both channels 9 and 11! I can't believe he made it all the way to the news. Heck, even Mayor Bloomberg was notified about this incident (he just chuckled at it and said it was ridiculous.) Good job J, I'm glad you faught the system and won (the tickets were nullified.)
July 15, 2005 at 10:28 am · Filed under Misc
I'm a huge advocate of entrepreneurship and running your own business. I've never been satisfied with any of the jobs I've had (even though they pay very well and are extremely comfortable.) I always had this feeling that I should have my own business and be my own boss.
Well, one of the biggest obstacles in starting your own business is the fear; the fear of failure, the fear of the unknown. My brain is constantly trying to come up with business ideas. I've come with a few good ones too, but it seems almost impossible to get started on one.
Well, it dawned on me today that I have been approaching things the wrong way. Being a person of high standards, most of my ideas involved big businesses, high capital and lots of man power. I think you can (and should) only tackle such tasks when you have had more experience. I believe the first step in becoming comfortable with starting your own business is to start out small. I mean really small. Meaning low cost, low risk and perhaps little or no return. This first few times you do it, you will most likely fail or get very little in return. But the lack of monetary return is balanced out by the great amount of experience gained.
So where do I go from here? I've been reading a lot of interesting blogs about starting your own business and what to do and what not to do. They have all been very helpful and I know a lot more now than I did before. But the one blog that really caught my attention was Neville's Financial Blog. The reason I really liked his blog is because Neville is actually doing "something". He is acting upon what he has learned and experimenting with it. He is putting together little businesses and scenarios to see how well his ideas do in the real world. Not all of them are successful, but most of them are very inexpensive and require little or no prior knowledge in business or finance.
Since he started his blog back in January of 2005, he has made a total of $9,108 and his total liquid assets are nearly $23,000. That's not bad for a hobby. I believe starting out small like Nev did is a great idea. So if you see me on the side of the highway selling bottled water, please don't laugh at me, I'm actually working on building my empire :-)
July 5, 2005 at 9:43 pm · Filed under Misc
What are these guys up to now? Hmmm..
http://www.writeboard.com/
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