AI, Mobile, and Eveything Around the Cloud

I abhor Facebook.  I think its campaign to erode privacy to allow Facebook to sell the best product it can, you the Facebook users, to the highest bidder is just horrible but it essentially undermines what privacy is all about for generations of users and it'll only get worse over time. It's why I am not on Facebook and it's why more folks are waking up to the realization that they don't want to be sold by Facebook to advertisers. However, not all tracking is bad if there is a benefit to the user as well.  Sure, companies like Google track users and also pushes ads out to us but at least we are getting great suites of apps and services.  Facebook offers none of that. Take Google Now.  It's been on Android for a while and most people who use it love it.  And now, it's also available in limited functionalities for the iPhone. So yes, Google is absolutely not giving away its apps and services for free out of the kindness of its corporate heart.  It’s ...

No  IPO for Twitter .  Not thinking about it. Good.  I think they see the headaches public companies like Apple have had to go through.  Apple buying back more than $50 billion stocks and dishing out $100 billion over the next couple of years. Other cash rich companies like Google and Cisco to name a few will eventually entertain this route. Don’t be surprised as time go on, Apple gets fed up and goes private.  Twitter, take your time on IPO or don’t go that route at all.  You’ve got enough cash to do small acquisitions you need and there really aren’t big companies you need to buy up.

Source:   Appleinsider . There is no doubt that monetizing apps, ads, and services is easier and greater percentage on Apple’s iOS than on Android even though Google’s mobile platform has the lion’s share of the market in terms of units sold.  Apple retains the grown in terms of profit with over 70% of the mobile profit and similar numbers in terms of app and ad sales. So, I found this Appleinsider post to have a lot to say about stickiness.  Once you’ve spent years using one platform and invested in it in terms of apps, music, and other media, it’s hard to make that switch to a new platform and having to start all over again. Without DRM, it’s easy to do that with music but iOS apps will not work on Android devices and iTunes video like TV and movies will only work in Apple’s iOS and OS X ecosystem.  It’s no wonder the analyst in the post changed his mind at the last moment and opt out of the latest and greatest from Samsung. So far, there is very little tha...

Source: Mac Daily News , 9to9Mac . This is huge and it looks legit. SWYPE has spoken to Apple about getting the SWYPE keyboard layout on the iOS devices. However, that is not to say that the talks went anywhere. On any given day, Apple is approached about new technology, features, or app ideas. Apple might even reach out to companies as well. However, with Tim Cook in charge, I can see the possibility of Apple opening up a few cracks in its walled garden for a privileged few like Twitter, Vimeo, and even Facebook. In the interview, Aaron Sheedy, a SWYPE VP, only confirmed that talks had taken place and called Apple smart. My guess is that Apple did not say yes (but it didn't completely closed the door on the idea) and SWYPE calling Apple smart was a way of it trying to make sure it doesn't run afoul of Apple's good grace regardless of whether Apple was receptive to SWYPE bring a keyboard option on the iPhone. If this happens and SWYPE is an option in the fut...

Since Tim Cook took over for Steve Jobs, what we have seen at Apple is quarter after quarter of growth.  It’s insane what Tim Cook has achieved.  And he has the advantage over other CEOs at competing companies in that he worked under Steve Jobs.  No matter now you look at it, I’m sure some of the reality distortion magic has rubbed off on Tim Cook. And despite the fall of Apple’s stock price, the reality is that Apple as a company has been dominating every market that it has a product in in terms of profitability. In the immediate aftermath of Apple’s latest earnings result that came out on Tuesday, we can safely say that Apple continues to be in good hands under Tim Cook’s guidance.  He has learn and grown.  Case in point is the iMac fiasco which he owned up and said that he should not have announced the iMac back in October of 2012 when Apple just was not ready to ship yet. No CEO at any other company would do this.  Think, folks.  This is hug...

The title said it all… NBC News  has more.  The rest of the Hostess brands also coming back. I should end the post here but I can’t help but take another dig at the union.  Look, I get that unions are good.  They have a purpose but when unions become an entity unto itself and tries to get bigger at the expense of the individual workers, well, it becomes what I like to call “cancerous”. Again, unions are good if they do what they are supposed to but in the case of the Hostess company, all those unionized bakers and support staff all lost out because it put its interests as an entity above the workers.  Isn’t that what cancers do? Once more, hooray!  Twinkies are coming back!!!  Now, to commemorate this occasion, someone make a Hostess mobile app and game!

Source:   Southern California Public Radio . So, kinda a full circle. In middle school, we were told how drugs, expecially like LSD, was going to ruin our lives and I generally still believe that which is why I don’t ever be experimenting with any kind of mind altering additives for whatever reason.  However, a psychedelic conference will be discussing how LSD and other similar drugs can be of benefit to neuroscience and medical benefits to treating conditions like alcoholism. Of course, as you well know by now, Steve Jobs tried LCD during his younger years and had an eye opening experience.  Whether that is attributable to his genius or not, well, who knows.  Jobs certainly thought it was one of the most profound experiences of his life. He also suggest that Bill Gates should try it because he was just such a boring guy.