Remember those annoying little tamagotchi keychain games that were all the rage in the last 90's?  The goal was to raise your little animal by hitting buttons to feed or train it.  Jeremy Toeman points to what I call "Analog Tamagotchi"- real plants and cactii on a keychain.  Just a little water every few days.  Eventually these can be moved to pots to become full-sized.  Or you could just kill it like I do most of my plants and carry around a plant corpse, noting you're too busy to water it.

Source: LIVEdigitally » Blog Archive » Who’da Think it? - 5

If you're like me, you know how infuriating it can be to have a layover between flights and no access to power to recharge your battery.  Airports are often stingy and attempt to hide their power outlets.

Jeff had a great idea- start a Wiki where users can post pictures and details on how to find AC power. Whether you want to watch a movie, surf, or get real work done, this is a great resource.

Sean's Travel Tip #28: Often times when you find the outlet, someone else will be using it.  Bring one of those dandy $3 3-outlet adapters with you to share with the other power user and potentially a third person such as a coworker. Worried about surges?  There's a solution here for you too.  Go ahead, recoup some of the "Airport usage fee" rolled into the cost of that ticket. ;)

Long Zheng from Australia was excited to win my little giveaway a few weeks back and finally recieved one of the first iRiver Clix players in his country.  His thoughts are posted here as well as pictures of the swank jacket we created for the launch team which I included as a bonus.

Now comes more good news for our friends down under. The Clix is now available officially at Dick Smith Electronics.

Sorry, I don't have any additional details on Clix availability in other markets- please contact iRiver and/or your favorite retailer directly for your region.

Last week, at Microsoft's Financial Analysts Meeting, reporters poked fun at a demo bug with speech recognition, some going so far as to call it "Speech Wreckognition". Slashdot had it, Neowin had it,  Digg had it, Reuters had it.  

Clearly this was a bug in a test build of Vista and it made for a good chuckle (you don't hear about all the other demos that ran flawlessly of course).  There must be someone responsible, to hold accountable right?  That was probably a faceless, nameless developer somewhere in the "Echo Chamber" who would never admit it publicly right?  When these things happen, engineers tear the demo system apart to learn from it but then keep that to themselves and quietly fix the bug, right?

Wrong.  The owner of the issue, Larry Osterman is one of those developers I just admire the heck out of.  He fessed up.  "It was all my fault" he writes on his blog about the bug, noting what caused it, creating a shared learning with others. He could have said, "I spoke to the guy who owns the bug" but that would have been disingenuous.  He held himself accountable.  Kudos Larry.  Subscribed.

This past week, my aunt and uncle were visiting.  He's one of the top Pediatric Cardiologists in the nation and used to teach at Harvard Medical School.  My Aunt is Headmaster of a presigious school for children with special needs.  Neither has much time for geekery.  Self-professed near-luddites, they were Mac users for 10 years, and hated moving to XP from Win9x.  (I believe my Aunt said the UI was inspired by Fisher Price.) But this week, after they saw how easily I could pull up pictures from my son's 3rd Birthday Party last weekend and a recent family reunion they were floored.  They asked "Okay, what's this Vista thing?" and "Where and when can I get it?".  I've never seen this response before.

Tagging is super-simple in Vista. Insert a card, plug in a camera, add a few words and you'll save hours of searching through pictures by person, place, event, occasion and more.  Users of Flickr and Zooomr know this.

The Microsoft PhotoBlog has more on this feature and others in Windows Vista. They're posting pretty regularly and it's nice to see.

Update0: Fixed the missing "o" in Zooomr - thanks!

Nick White from the Vista team posts on their official blog more details on Vista changes coming in the Release Candidate or already seen in interim builds here on their official Vista Blog.  It's a good start but pretty wordy.  Thanks Nick - how about some shiny happy screenshots with John Madden-like chalk talk to detail the changes before/after?    :)

I can't believe I'm actually excited about this.  The iCup arrives at Microsoft and I can't wait to get some fresh joe at the office that doesn't cost me $5 a cup.  Be sure to check out their video.

(Courtesy Jeff Sandquist, Duncan, and Adam)

 Since moving to the outer 'burbs a few years ago, my wife and I have been making a try at agricultural gardening.  Our home came apportioned with a peach tree, a large cherry tree, pear tree, 3 varieties of apples, and 4 plots.  Our goal has been to not kill everything off at once (we actually saved the cherry tree thanks to smart fertilizing and water management).  Still, our garden patch may runneth over with tomatos, green beans, potatoes, our corn is looking pretty lame.  Many of the seeds were duds because I put them too deep in the soil or were eaten by the &@(#$ crows.  Our attempts at flash tape to scare them away didn't work either.

From the "Why didn't they think of this earlier?" files, check out Matchstick Garden.  It's a matchbook that holds 10 cardboard matches loaded with seeds and ready for planting.  They're doing wildflower and herb assortments right now as well as custom versions. Throw in that the sticks are made of bio-degradable, recycled waste and you have a cool solution for Sean-proof gardening.

(via Cool Hunting)

What if you could take all the pictures of a particular place on Flickr, taken at different angles, and without a 3D model, your computer could stitch the pictures together into a 3D, navigable model where you can zoom in or out, walk around and more?  Enter Microsoft Live Labs' project, "Photosynth"

Update0: On10.Net has a cool interview and more in-depth demo of Windows Live Labs' PhotoSynth here.

Todd Bishop of the Seattle P-I has updates on Zune and Vista from the Microsoft Financial Analysts Meeting (FAM).

Correction: Todd Bishop of the Seattle P-I. ;)

From the "Don't believe everything you read on the Internet" file, Anything but iPod is reporting has been relaying a rumor that an iRiver Clix 4GB version is expected next week.  The apparent source of said rumor is an hourly-wage employee at a major retail chain.  I've helped to train said types of employees in a former life and I can tell you these guys are the last ones I would trust to have inside skinny on product releases or even how to market them. 

Case in point: I was recently forwarded pictures of a major retailer placing multiple Apple iPods in the PlaysforSure section of one of their stores, in demo stations with security wire and PlaysforSure logos, all of which was likely an honest mistake by a sales employee/manager type, but is highly deceptive to consumers.

So is a 4GB Clix coming next week?  I checked with our friends at iRiver and while they don't normally speak about future product plans, I can tell you a 4GB version is not expected to be released next week.  What about the week after?  Come on guys, I'm not going to do that to you.  If you're in the market for a Clix, now is a good time to buy.  If a 4GB comes out, you can always put your existing device up on eBay or Windows Live Expo (which just launched) and sell it there.

I've expressed my desire for a 4GB as have many customers via forums and contacting iRiver and Reigncom (their parent company) directly, but there is no news to communicate at this time.  If this changes, I will report it here from a confirmed source. :)

Xbox Live's Major Nelson interviewed my VP, Amir Majidimehr for his podcast while I was out on vacation.  This is a frank and highly informative look at HD-DVD, Blu-Ray and DVD.  Even if you have no idea what I'm talking about, I still recommend you listen to this interview to learn more about why Microsoft got behind HD-DVD, and continues to supply technology that will ship in both formats.

Back in the saddle at work today after an extended vacation :). 

Billboard has a good write up about a new Microsoft project under the brand name, "Zune". I've received a few phone calls and emails asking for comment, but prefer to make my thoughts known here.  Let me first say I’m not a member of the Zune team and in no way speak for them or Microsoft in an official capacity on this topic.  With that out of the way, here’s my take.

From what I've learned, Zune is a new brand for Microsoft - Zune is about community, music and entertainment discovery.  You'll experience Zune with a family of devices and software that bring it all together. Yes, we all want more details, but we’ll have to be a little patient for more details. Check out www.comingzune.com and sign up if you want more details.

One question that gets asked here is the relationship to our existing PlaysforSure program. The Windows digital media team (of which I've been a member) has been focused on raising the tide for all boats, raising the experience for many partners through programs like PlaysforSure, giving sessions on 360 degree product design at partner events, offering frank feedback on product designs when requested and more.  We want Windows to be the best place to experience digital music and entertainment.  The Windows team will continues to work closely with service and device partners to make Windows a great platform for any digital media.

And one need only look as far as the MP3 player/portable media player market to find other examples of taking multiple approaches.  At least two of the largest consumer electronics manufacturers compete on not one, not two, but three levels:

• They supply memory for their own, and competitive MP3 players
• They design and sell MP3 "engines" (systems on a chip) for their own, and competitive MP3 device manufacturers
• They design, build and compete for retail space for their own, branded MP3 players

There are many other examples that can be drawn within Microsoft as well – for example, Microsoft Game Studios competes with independent game publishers for consumer dollars on the same platform (Xbox) also built by Microsoft. In all these cases, relationships of trust must be established independently between product groups or divisions.  The same holds true here as well.   It’s hard to understand unless you’re inside Microsoft but these groups have separate P&Ls (Profit/Loss metrics) and that sometimes means trying different strategies.  To quote Jonathan Sasse, President of iRiver America in a recent CNet News.com article:

“Microsoft is a great partner and we expect continued success moving forward. The potential launch of a device by Microsoft does not appear to threaten our relationship in any way.”

I personally hope, like Jonathan, that this new effort will help to raise the tide once again for all players as the so-called digital lifestyle continues to evolve.  PlaysforSure continues to be a Windows effort with some 140+ products in the market today and with the recently updated PlaysforSure 2.01 specification, the experience bar will be raised even higher.  Zune is a part of a different group and P&L,  but an integral part of Microsoft’s vision for “connected entertainment” that spans across offerings including as games, music and devices. So that’s my take on it. 

(To learn more about the Zune community, check out Cesar’s new site at www.Zuneinsider.com or the official teaser site at www.comingzune.com, which will offer more information when available. For more on PlaysforSure devices available today, see http://www.playsforsure.com)

Update0: Brier Dudley of the Seattle Times weighs in on my post here.
Update1: Richard Winn, a member of the Zune team and new to Microsoft is blogging at www.madisonandpine.com
Update2: Chris Pirillo says the post is a link worth loading and notes I'm one of the Microsoft employees he trusts - thanks Chris :)

While Senator Stevens is still trying to explain how the Internet is a series of tubes (must see: Jon Stewart clip), I'm thinking about a different kind of tube- the kind that you leisurely go down a river in.  The weather is going to be sweltering here today so I'm thinking about going tubing while I'm still on vacation.  A quick search on the 'Net yields few references to tubing in Western Washington so I may just go down the Snoqualmie or Tolt Rivers in Carnation/North Bend and hope for the best. 

Q1: Any suggestions or resources on great tubing/canoeing areas in Western Washington or a short drive from the area?

Q2: Is it time for "Geek Tubing" ala Geek Dinners?

P.S. Apologies to those who were up for a Geek Dinner in NJ, things were just too hectic for me to peel away.  I'll definitely set something up next time I'm in town.

While still on vacation, the 'Net blackout period of my vacation is over - 1.5 weeks with almost no access to the internet, though little Ocean Grove, NJ had many unsecured freely accessible wifi access points available to siphon a little 'nettage off.  The family reunion's soundtrack during happy hour/dinners was powered by Urge's radio stations, and ironically we settled on "Reunion" (Classic rock) as our fave. 

Here's my "Top 10 Things I Learned on Vacation" list:

Top 10 Things I Learned on my Beach Vacation

10.  When getting a 3 year old up at 3:30am for a 6:30am flight, do not tell him the night before he will be going on an airplane in the morning.  He won't sleep.

9.   Learn to Surf.  Yes, at the Jersey Shore.  Go in the AM before the lifeguards arrive and at 5:30pm when they leave.

8.  When in a body surfing competition, tucking your head in so you can't see where you're going may result in injury to you and/or other people who can't see you torpedoing at their legs (but at least you'll win- sorry Jack). 

7.  The guy who does all the grilling and BBQing doesn't have to do too much cleaning.

6.  Always wear sunscreen. At least on your nose, ears, and tops of your feet.

5.  Do not wait in line going around the block for ice cream.  I don't care if it's a $1.50 single scoop that looks like the leaning tower of Piza, just go get some Friendly's at the store.

4.  When two adults volunteer to take two 8 year olds, a 12-year old, and a 3-year old to the Aquarium, Arcades, Boardwalk, Lunch, Games, and Ice Cream on said boardwalk, ask for a third parent to go; you'll still always have two kids in rotation.

3.  Meet the locals.  Even if said local is 12 yo boy called "The Mayor" by the locals for the fact he knows everyone (and can get a 3 year old a tour of the fire station on his birthday making Dad a hero).

2.  When going out to a nightclub at the Jersey Shore with old friends on "Pirate Night", a fake mustache and eye patch can start all sorts of interesting games and conversations.

1.  When it's 99 degrees at 89% humidity, close up the house and crank the window air conditioners up upstairs to the max.  You're not paying more for the power and cool air falls quickly.

I brought a few gadgets along (a Toshiba Gigabeat-S and an iRiver Clix) and both received responses I've never seen.  I had 7 and 12 year olds, 40+ year olds and 50+ year olds all asking me how they can get them saying things like "Cooler than iPod" and "Why don't people know about this?".  I can't speak for marketing budgets.  Rumor has it Apple spends 9 digits on advertising per year.  But what I can say is that the iPod has opened doors because all of that marketing spend is coming back to users now understanding the value, and wanting more features at a lower price. 

Overall this was one of the most enjoyable vacations we've had in years, we'll definitely be doing this again.  Thanks to our local hosts D and J, and to Grandpa for pulling this Reunion together. Grandma was there in spirit and smiling the whole time.