Apparently the Milky Way loses a few arms, gains a bar in the center.

 The Milky Way Gets a Facelift -- ScienceNOW

My faves:  #2, #8, #95, #17, #26(creepy), #79, #82, #89, #86, #57, #42
What, no Star Wars? :)

TCCANDLER.com -- The 100 Best Movie Posters of All Time

As a kid living outside NYC, I used to enjoy riding mass transit- to take the train into the city through Hoboken, the transfer to the Path and the trip under the Hudson River to appear in a strange land smelling faintly of pierogies, burned pretzels and er other things.  When we moved to Seattle over a decade ago, I was amazed to learn there was no light rail or commuter rail service to speak of.  Just dreams of a monorail that haven't changed much since highlighted in the movie, "Singles".

Now that gas is getting above $4 a gallon and the lines at the Issaquah Costco Discount Gas Station are actually blocking the entrance to Costco's massive parking lot, we witnessing a turning point. 

I can see it with the Microsoft Connector bus service. New routes are being added like crazy and seats on the bio-diesel powered fleet are hard to come by.  Unfortunately I live in an area not easily served by the bus service but I have to wonder - is there finally enough momentum to get the Eastside Rail Project on the right track with trails and rails?  It seems from the East Coast corridor to CA, a part of the solution is light rail and/or commuter rail.  What will it take - $5 gas?  $7?

I'm hoping the Seattle P-I will update this article on high-speed light rail along I90 with a hard look at the topic of connecting the Eastside as well as Seattle proper.

AT&T and Starbucks have finally rolled out free WiFi to Starbucks Card users registered with AT&T.  The catch is that this is actually an ad-funded service- in exchange for letting AT&T send you four emails a year, you get a single WiFi session of up to two-hours per day at ~7000 US-based stores.  Nice.

Free AT&T WiFi now at Starbucks - Engadget

Nvidia is touting their new system on a chip (SOC) called, "Tegra".  The new unit, Tegra 650 is primarily targeted at consumer electronics devices such as phones where it will be capable of 3D graphics, 30 hours of HD video playback, includes up to 1080p video and WSXGA+ resolutions along with an 800Mhz ARM processor.  It's being optimized for Windows Mobile phones.

While I can't see myself watching 1080p HD video on my phone, I can see it storing and playing back a single file from local screen or docking it to watch on the big screen when I get home.  Oh and the entire unit is about the size of a dime.

Handheld computers are right around the corner it seems...

Release

Apparently the deal is for all US and Canadian consumer PCs.  (I hear HP ships a few of those.)  Silverlight powers the Live toolbar.  Nice work Silverlight team!

My son was recently named a finalist in a recent photo competition - voting ends Thursday with the winners to be announced during the Duvall Days parade next week which he will be participating in.  So I'm asking for your votes.

Voting closes this 4pm PST Thursday. Each person is allowed to vote once a day, but there is no restriction on getting family and friends to vote from all over the country. That is where you come in. Please copy/paste #14 below and email to laurie@serendipitypics.com once a day thru Thursday. Ryan appreciates your votes!

All entries can be viewed at http://www.serendipitypics.com/portraits.

Please copy/paste this list into your email vote:

3-4 years = #14

As for the pic - my son had his first "big boy bike crash" the day before.  My wife and the photog thought the band-aids would work well in the pic.  I agree.

If he wins, I'll post a picture of me in the same pose after crashing my bike.  Sorry, won't shave my head this time :)

Image Copyright (C)Serendipity Pictures

After receiving a letter from my local Toyota dealership offering a Starbucks card for giving them the opportunity to appraise my Prius for over-market buyback, I decided to do some digging.  Apparently they're holding their value extremely well (e.g. nearly 2x residual) and the local dealership is going to take months to get inventory.  NBC News and a family member report similar waiting lists in CA and ATL where they can't even get a test drive. due to demand. 

So... I'm planning to buy out the Prius at the end of my lease and will be adding some new mods.  My first was an aftermarket adapter for my Sirius Radio, Zune and iPod from www.vaistech.com.  It plugs directly into the MiniDisc adapter on the back and includes hands-free control among other features.

Next up: An EV - Electric Vehicle button.  Available in pretty much every country except the US, the Prius is capable of running in battery-only mode, switching to gas only when the battery needs charging or if you go over ~34mph.  More MPG for in-town running to the store.  Sure, it's no Honda S2000, but it gets me to work and back. Perhaps someday I'll hack the touchscreen to run MCE. ;)

If you own a Prius, you can find great hack ideas at www.priuschat.com.

Hack: Prius Convertible

Earlier this week at Microsoft’s Advance08 conference, Robbie Bach and Mark Kroese presented some examples of how the company is putting the fun in ad-funded experiences on three screens – TV, PC, and Mobile devices, with content examples including Gaming , Video, Music, and Mobile scenarios.  I wanted to provide a few additional thoughts about what was shown to the audience of advertisers but with a consumer perspective.  It’s our job to make sure there is a clear value for the consumer, often in the form of “free stuff” in exchange for a sponsorship message that’s lightweight (read, doesn’t piss off the consumer) while meeting the goals of the brand advertiser who is footing the bill.  Here are a few examples:

Gaming – Among the 12M+ Xbox 360 owners, nearly 10M have Xbox Live accounts, connecting to the community to participate in multiplayer games and community activities such as tournaments.  One of the most popular features on Xbox Live are the free downloads – for example, a recent Nissan/Forza 2 Motorsport promotion involved a free downloadable car pack for in-game play, and an online tournament where the winner won an actual Nissan car. 

The Result: Over 350,000 downloads of the free car pack, and over 6.7 million game sessions played during the tournament.

Video -  Movies are universally appealing, and Xbox Live Video Marketplace is no different.  McDonald’s recently completed their “Burgercon” promotion on Xbox Live by offering a free movie download to all Xbox Live users, in this case “Austin Powers”.

The Result: The movie became the most popular movie ever downloaded on Xbox Live.

Music  & Mobile – Like Movies, Music is also universally appealing and a largely social type of experience.  Zune Social is an online community where Zune owners can opt-in to share their music interests and listens with friends.  In the past four months, nearly 2 million Zune owners have chosen to participate the new Zune Social.  One concept we’re piloting this summer is the ability to connect with artists and music events as “friends” on the Social.  The goal is to take what’s been so successful on Xbox with gaming and video, and extend that value exchange to music enthusiasts on Zune Social.  The experience is a microsite on Zune Social, offering free music and video downloads, sponsored by brands such as Doritos in the example shown and connected to music downloads from the CMJ Music Festival. 

Rule #1 is, “Put music in their ears and a smile on their face,” so we’re going to be very careful in how sponsorship messages are presented.  In the example shown this week, it’s just a background wallpaper with attribution to Doritos – no in-song ads as some have speculated.  As a Zune Social member, I'd have to opt-in to download this Zune Card, and even then, it would be presented separate from my music library.  Brand sponsorship might be displayed in album art or wallpaper on the downloaded playlist that includes a small brand logo such as the image of the Zune 80 from the demo at the right.  We've had no discussions about putting ads into song tracks or the like- that would go against rule #1!  But like game and movies downloads, someone has to pay to offer the free and legitimate download. We’re finding just like at music concerts, there are plenty of brands interested in sponsorship opportunities, in this case offering free downloads in exchange for creating a positive connection with music lovers. 

As mentioned, this is a pilot launching this summer, will always be opt-in and the team will be actively soliciting your feedback.  Just like on Xbox, the goal is to put the “fun” in ad-funded downloads with Zune.  Trust is earned and there are plenty who will assume the worst- that's part of the fun (and the challenge) of my new job.

I've always been a fan of Roku's Soundbridge devices, back to demonstrating them on-stage with BillG for the "Digital Entertainment Anywhere" event in 2005.  Bill and I had a long conversation about UI and interaction model during rehearsals back then, so I'm eager to see what Roku is up to with their newly announced NetFlix Player.  Engadget has their impressions here, reporting video quality maxes out at 480p today, until NetFlix gives the go-ahead for HD.  Some HDMI problems to be sorted out as well.  (Note: My Apple TV still freezes up on the Apple logo and my TiVo Series 3 won't display intermittently when switching HDMI sources - this is an industry-wide problem).

Will it rival the Apple TV?  Time will tell but something tells me this is a feature that needs to be built into multi-function devices such as mainstream consumer DVD players, not a dedicated box.  For some folks like my Father (a converted NetFlix user), this might be the right solution provided NetFlix is able to beef up their library.

I'm hoping to review the unit at some point in the future.  Review roundup so far:

Read - Roku Netflix Player officially introduced
Read - PCMag review (4 out of 5)
Read - CNET review (7.7 out of 10)
Read - Wired review ("...just shy of totally amazing.")

ZatzNotFunny is reporting Seven Media Group is prepping to launch TiVo in Australia, minus the subscription fees. How about the US?  I ditched all but one of my TiVo boxes (the one that was grandfathered in years ago for a hefty fee).  I would probably own another TiVo were it not for the subscription fee on top of the hardware purchase.  I wonder what the margins are on the hardware... even the performance of the hardware is starting to look long in the tooth compared to solutions I've seen recently...

A Microsoft VP once told me, "In the world of business, there are Pioneers and there are Settlers.  Microsoft needs both."  I've always gravitated toward the startup opportunities within Microsoft.  A few years ago, I was given the opportunity to help take a fledgling technology called, "WPF/E", name it, brand it, and launch it as "Silverlight", with my team.  The response has been phenomenal, with over 1M downloads/day and a developed balance of features for RIA-focused and Media-focused features. 

A number of months ago, I learned of a new opportunity that what right in my wheelhouse of consumer-focused digital media as a steward of user experiences in the Entertainment and Devices Division as Director of Product Planning for Ad-funded Experiences.  Looking back on the most personally rewarding times of my career so far, I've most enjoyed building teams that focus on the user experience, and deliver "free stuff" for consumers. One could argue my first attempt there was developing the original XP Digital Media Fun Pack and Powertoys, many of which included a small sponsorship message.  Following the acquisitions of aQuantive, ScreenTonic, and Massive Inc., it became clear to me where opportunity intersects with my personal interests.  Put another way, working on the Silverlight platform and seeing so many cool apps developed helped me to realize I missed having a hand in building consumer products myself.  It/s hard to leave the amazing leadership of Scott Guthrie, Soma and so many friends, but I'm not going far.

So what does the job involve?   It starts with working with many of the teams in Entertainment & Devices - Zune, Mobile, Xbox, and more to identify market opportunities where the consumer wins and brand advertisers get impressions.  This is a new area and we're going to step lightly and take feedback as we did with over 10M enthusiasts on Xbox Live who regularly download free add-ons for their games - Map packs, cars, tracks, and even feature-length movies sponsored by brand-name companies like McDonald's, Frito-Lay, Nissan, Ford, Nike, and many others.  The question is can we do the same thing for more media types and devices.  In a nutshell, that's my job - to put the fun in ad-funded entertainment experiences.

And I'm hiring. More on that later :)

At last I can talk about Live Mesh - Dave Zatz you got it right.  Many articles have now been written on the topic, such as Mary Jo's, On10's Video Demos, TechCrunch, the NYT's John Markoff, Scoble, and the Beeb so I won't rehash that here.  What I will say is that it's changing how I work fundamentally, even in it's nascent form.  I'm storing most of my documents and recent photos in the "Cloud" for easy and secure access from work and home.  I'm using Remote Access to "RAS" into my office computer from my Mac.  And when I've been away from home, I've been able to retrieve documents using the web-based UI.  And soon, sync with Mac and other devices. 

This is just the tip of the iceberg. Live Mesh is a computing platform, a merging of software + services that seems simple in concept. What winsock was to enabling the Internet on Windows, Mesh can and should be the same to personal sync, network app enablement and so much more.  It's hard to see what's on the Horizon (wink), but this is the platform that I really hope developers stand up and take notice of, give feedback on.  The Tech Preview goes out shortly.  If I have invites, I will offer them up here.

Congrats to the Live Mesh team and thanks for solving a major pain point.  If you're a consumer and asking, "Huh?" to all of this, check out the On10 Video.