What if when I typed into the search box in Safari (Mac OS X’s web browser) the text is interpreted by Siri? I could type “What’s the weather tomorrow” and it would display a forecast for tomorrow, or type “text my wife that I love her” and it would initiate a text message to my wife. Wouldn’t that be cool? I just typed into the search box “Is Kashi a company?” because I was in a Siri kind of mood, and of course I didn’t get a good answer. But maybe Siri on my iPhone would have known. (Update: I just tried it, and it didn’t but still, I think it’s a cool idea!)
A lot has been written about Siri (the new voice activated assistant in the iPhone 4s). I have to say that it works surprisingly well. It has been eerily accurate in properly transcribing my voice, although not quite as perfect in understanding w...
From the New York Times, How Exercise Benefits the Brain: > “For some time, scientists have believed that BDNF helps explain why mental functioning appears to improve with exercise. However, they havenât fully understood which parts of the brain are affected or how those effects influence thinking. The Irish study suggests that the increases in BDNF prompted by exercise may play a particular role in improving memory and recall.” (fromNYT)
I bought a Groupon for a local restaurant. About 1 week before it expired I went to make a dinner reservation and it turned out that they were booked up for the next 3 months – and so effectively I could not use the groupon for dinner. I have to use it for lunch, and given the price and the value of...
A few months ago, a friend of mine told me he was struggling, really struggling with a big career decision. Here’s what I told him, and what I believe and have applied to my own decisions: > “Try to pay very close attention to what you yourself want to do. It is easy to get confused by expectation...
Just one phrase that jumped out of the new missive from Zuck about privacy: > “As a matter of fact, privacy is so deeply embedded in all of the development we do that every day **tens of thousands of servers worth of computational resourc...
This is just a weird story: > “An Apple iPhone spontaneously began smoking and emitting a red glow while aboard an airplane in Australia. Passengers aboard Regional Express flight ZL319 were welcomed t...
Eric Riesis locally famous as being one of the strong promoters of the Lean Startup. He writes an [excellent and courageous article that explores why it is that there seem to be **many more whit...
I am not dead set against software patents, although I’ve been on both sides of the issue. I am the proud inventor listed on 3 or 4 patents. Some are more worthy in my opinion that others. I was also leading a development team that had to stand on its head to avoid conflicting with a patent that ev...
A catchy headline, but is it true? “Facebook Trapped in MySql ‘a fate worse than death’.This is a quote of what Michael Stonebreaker supposedly said in this interview article: > “The widely accepted problem with MySQL is ...
Out of left (star) field. Here’s a succinct tutorial on buying a telescope that my friend Ben Gomes Casseresemailed me which I thought might be of general interest. You can see [Ben...
What I don’t get is the price. First I had to have bought the music (from Apple or someone else) and now I have to pay again ($24.95 per year) in order to make it all available over iCloud. I think I will stick with my new favorite, Spotify. I am sure I don’t fully understand the details, but it s...
I was excited to hear about the Kindle Fire. But I was waiting to read some impartial reviews of one before running off and buying one. After all I am a big fan of the Kindle (gen 2) and enjoy reading books on Kindl...
Here’s a tiny social conundrum. When someone writes you, calls you and leave a message, calls and doesn’t, or even texts you, what is your obligation to respond? If the question is “are you free for lunch today” and you know you are not, is it OK to just not answer? If the question is “have you seen...