Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Gadgets,
Internet,
technology
Sorry about the title I just couldn’t resist. Anyways the saying know thy customer comes to mind often in any business. It hardly matters what your products or services are if you don’t know the needs of your clients and customers you cant possibly be doing a good job. I like to know exactly who my customers are and what their needs are. Thats why its so important to watch trends as they apply to people. I am not one to judge people or even lump people into categories. People if anything will surprise you! Some might argue that since I am younger I must like certain music or types of movies. My favorite book is Moby Dick, I like Blues, Jazz and Classical and all sorts of music. I like classic movies too! Yet most my age like mainstream movies and music. Call me weird.
But certain things apply to almost everyone and technology is having such a dramatic impact on peoples lives that it is hard to ignore. Young or old everyone uses technology today. But it is important to know how they are using it as well.
It probably goes without saying that age can have an influence on who uses what. So check this out:
By Jacqui Cheng | Published: October 31, 2008 – 01:05PM CT
Many of us undoubtedly know people who seem inherently resistant to adopting new technologies—perhaps your coworkers, your parents, or your friends have become increasingly curmudgeonly in their “old” age. This isn’t too surprising—although early adopters exist in all age groups, the older you are, the less likely it seems that you’ll wind up on the cutting edge. ABI Research has now confirmed what most of us already suspected: age tends to affect people’s willingness to adopt new technologies.
ABI’s Report, titled “Consumer Video Preferences and Profiles,” details the results of a survey of 1,002 video consumers regarding their viewing preferences and activities; the report’s authors then related these to age. The firm determined that TV and video growth in consumer markets tends to be limited by the age of both the consumers and the technology.
For example, because DVRs have been out for so long, DVR ownership has penetrated the mass market and growth was uniform across all age groups. A younger alternative, Internet downloads, are pretty much only popular with consumers under the age of 30. “The lack of wide video download popularity in all but the youngest group can very likely be attributed to inconsistencies in the process, a result of the industry’s immaturity,” ABI Research principal analyst Steve Wilson said in a statement.
Somewhere in the middle are video-on-demand (VOD) and video viewing on cell phones. According to ABI’s research, only 30 percent of those between the ages of 25 and 29 have never used a VOD service, while 65 percent of those over the age of 65 have not. VOD is addictive, though, once you do use it—40 to 50 percent of those who have used the technology continue to do so at least once a month, regardless of age. And, finally, consumers in their 30s are four times more likely to have watched videos on their mobile phones than those over the age of 50, although affluent mobile customers are more likely to do so.
Wilson pointed out that, when adoption appears to be tied to age, growth is mostly a matter of people getting older. “The willingness to adopt new forms of entertainment delivery is in many cases determined by the age of the consumer,” he said. “That means that market growth is simply a matter of time.”
Of course, there are exceptions to this pattern. In age groups where a certain technology has already approached peak saturation, growth is bigger among the older crowds. This is exemplified by the game console market, where ABI found that there was no appreciable growth in market penetration among the 18-24 age group over the last year, a time when the growth among those 65 and up grew by 200 percent. Indeed, it seems as if everyone’s parents and grandparents are getting a Nintendo Wii these days. At least mine have.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: technology
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Software,
technology
Perhaps the best known and most popular photoediting/graphics do-jobby is Photoshop. Well they have a new update and a new mortgage payment ready for you. At just under $1000 I wonder why it is also one of the most heavily pirated softwares out? Me thinks asking that much for software is just a bit on the crazy side. Anyways I am sure its much, much better and thats why of course you will need to fork over even more dough. I mean why offer this as a free update to those who have paid for every incarnation of Photoshop to date when you can just as easily add a few more features and make people pay each year. If it works for EA Sports it can work for Adobe! Oh wait it looks like EA is dying too.. weird huh?
Sarcasm aside here it is:
By Dave Girard | Published: October 29, 2008 – 11:15PM CT
It seems like we just reviewed Photoshop CS3
Photoshop CS4 Extended
Developer: Adobe (product page)
OS support: Mac OS X 10.4.11 or better, Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista SP1 (Vista required for 64-bit support)
Price: $999 for full version, $349 for upgrade (shop for this title)
It’s that time again: the latest version of everyone’s favorite missile faker and beauty maker has been released, and just in time for Christmas! Probably the first thing that most readers will think when they hear that Adobe Photoshop CS4 is in stores is, “didn’t CS3 just come out?” Yes, it came out in April of 2007, so CS4 has had a short development time by anyone’s measure. Still, Adobe is definitely capable of adding compelling features in such a short time, and Photoshop CS4’s bag of tricks is quite ambitious:
-
GPU acceleration for fast document drawing
-
64-bit on Windows Vista
-
Adjustments and Masks Palette
-
Content Aware Scaling
-
Painting directly on 3D objects
-
16-bit printing on Mac OS X 10.5 and up
-
A new tabbed interface
- RAW 5
There is a lot going on in this release, and the product’s potential appeal is wide. Aside from Microsoft Word, there aren’t many programs that fill the large, multicolored shoes that Adobe’s flagship app does. Graphic designers, 3-D artists, photo hobbyists, scientists, video and fine artists all make up a small portion of the huge user base that Photoshop must cater to, so let’s see how the new features stack up.
You can read the rest here.
I think a free alternative to this program would be a good idea rather than selling your kidneys each year, besides you only have two! So here is a link to GIMP an open source and free solution, the best of both worlds!
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Adobe
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
technology
I have watched the elections since I was a kid. The oldest president I remember was a speech Jimmy Carter gave and I must have been little. I remember the election of Ronald Reagan. My birthday often falls on the election night thats why they are so ingrained!
The one thing I have noticed is that the stupid networks report that candidates have won a state when only 1-2% of the vote is actually in! This is ridiculous and it obviously has consequences. I remember even seeing a report by one of the networks saying this is damaging and can actually throw the election because less people come out and vote if they think its too late… and they still keep doing it!!!! I am sure this drives everyone nuts and not just me. Well it seems someone actually tried to do something, I only hope its not because of some other motive:
By Matthew Lasar | Published: October 31, 2008 – 08:45AM CT
The Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has asked eight media organizations not to predict the result of Tuesday’s Presidential election until all polls across the country close. “Many, myself included, believe that when television stations call elections based on the results of a few Eastern States, voter turnout elsewhere in the Nation could potentially be lower than it would otherwise have been,” John Dingell (D-MI) wrote to the companies on Thursday. “This can affect the results of the Presidential election . . . and have a dramatic impact on other contests for elected office as well.”
The Michigan Democrat’s letter reminds the networks about the confusion that set in after some media organizations made early and incorrect calls on the 2000 Presidential race. But it does not ask them to refrain from predicting Barack Obama or John McCain victories on a state by state basis.
Dingell sent his request to CBS, CNN, Disney Media Networks, the Disney-ABC Television Group, Fox Entertainment, Fox News, MSNBC, and NBC Universal.
Don’t depress the voters
The missive cites reports that more Americans have registered to vote for the first time than in any election in recent United States history. It also notes that in various states polls have closing times that range from as early as 7 p.m. EST to as late as 11 p.m. Therefore “it is critical that television coverage of the election results does not serve to depress voter turnout by calling the election for a particular Presidential candidate before all polls have closed nationwide,” Dingell wrote.
The Democratic party has registered an unprecedented number of voters in some western states, such as Nevada, which supported Bush in the elections of 2000 and 2004. Capitol Weekly reports that, since 2004, Democrats have registered 100,000 more people there than have the Republicans. The political newspaper cautiously predicts that, if Nevadans go to the polls in the same percentages that they voted in 2004, Obama will narrowly win the state.
Early network poll predictions have been a sore point with Democrats ever since 1980, when NBC used exit polls while west coasters were still voting to predict the winner in the race between President Jimmy Carter and Republican challenger Ronald Reagan. Carter then conceded defeat early.
That concession, of course, wasn’t the networks’ fault, and left Carters’ allies fuming. “You guys came in like a bunch of jerks, and I see you’re going out the same way,” then House speaker Thomas P. O’Neill furiously told a White House aide.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Politics
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Gadgets,
Green,
technology
This definitely looks like its a bit more than just a toy. I think it is good and green too. Anything that saves money and helps out the environment is good. Its a good thing… blech!
By Glenn Fleishman | Published: October 31, 2008 – 06:10AM CT
In an age where we can put WiFi into a plastic bunny that wiggles its ears in response to commands over the Internet, why not stick the same wireless networking into a thermostat that allows remote monitoring and schedule changes? It could also shave substantial dollars off your utility bills. Toronto-based Ecobee thinks it has a winning plan for reducing everyone’s cost of heating and air conditioning, while giving utilities greater interaction with customers when needed. Ecobee also hopes to reduce the odds your home winds up flooded, frozen, or boiled over.
Ecobee marketing and sales head Jessica Dolmer told Ars that the thermostat was designed to make it easier for average individuals to better manage their energy usage, which her firm believes leads quickly to reduced energy expense. A poorly programmed or nonprogrammed thermostat causes waste by having heating and cooling running for longer than desired or necessary.
The Ecobee thermostat has a touchscreen that uses a graphical user interface to guide an owner through establishing settings. Like other programmable thermostats, the Ecobee lets you set a schedule for what the temperature should be when you wake, leave the house during the day, return, and go to sleep. You can also set date and time ranges for vacation settings.
Although I haven’t used an Ecobee, the company’s site demonstrates the interface quite well. My wife and I recently replaced our furnace and thermostat. Despite getting a middle-of-the-line programmable unit that uses a relatively intelligent screen-based approach, we still struggle to make changes—such as leaving at an unusual time—after a year of use. Ecobee’s graphical approach, including a weekly display much like a calendar program, gives Ecobee a leg up before any of its networking features.
You can read the rest here.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Green
Posted by admin on Oct 31, 2008 in
Gadgets,
technology
I have been seeing a lot of hype about electric cars. I cant deny that I am hoping the technology catches on. It is definitely better for our environment. It also might be a way to make our car companies more competitive. But one thing that doesn’t sit well with me is that they were already invented! In fact they were already in production! Except GM tried to hide the entire program. Now years later when they are failing because of their own monopolies and their anti-competitive practices it seems they are reinventing the wheel so to speak. By the way check out the movie called Who Killed the Electric Car.
Anyways here is the new car:
By John Timmer | Published: October 30, 2008 – 10:25PM CT
The invitation contained one obvious hint that the target audience was a bit different than the typical invitees to a New York City tech event: it offered free parking to drivers. Last night, General Motors held a press event with an audience that included reporters that serve a range of audiences, including car junkies, the green community, and general technology enthusiasts. The focus: a car that should appeal to all of them, one that the company has bet its future on. After killing off the electric car in its EV1 incarnation, GM hopes to resurrect it in the form of the Chevy Volt.
After having shown a concept model at auto shows that was basically a construct put together out of parts of existing vehicles, GM claims that what we saw last night was supposed to be the final design that would actually make it to market. The car was nonfunctional—as one of the engineers said, they have more important things to do with the batteries than ship them to New York—but intended to give a real impression of what a buyer might actually drive off the lot sometime in the next few years. GM has tackled the Volt project with a mix of marketing, engineering, and technology development. Last night’s event provided a little of all of them, but we’ll focus primarily on the latter two.
The Volt vs. the hybrids
GM is adamant that people recognize the Volt for what they consider it to be: despite the presence of a flex-fuel engine, this is an electric vehicle, not a plug-in hybrid. This has a lot of interesting consequences, but one of them is simply that it radically changes the driving experience. Unlike internal combustion engines, electric motors have full torque even at their lowest speeds. Hybrids have this to a certain degree, but they have a relatively low-output motor and make up for the difference by kicking in their gasoline engine as needed. That feature of hybrids, which the GM staff were happy to call “jarring,” won’t happen with the Volt. Its engine simply doesn’t ever directly interact with the driveshaft, but is instead used to power a generator.
You can read the rest of the article here.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Tags: Cars
