I’ve been kind of scratching my head, as I have just read an interesting, albeit strange study issued by MRSI (Marketing Research Services Inc.) for Boost Mobile that notes “on their [14-to-24-year-olds] journey to adulthood many of them will experience a positive pivotal moment in their lives.”
I would hope that on such a journey, regardless of teen angst and post-college job hunting, something positive will happen to you. It’s almost inevitable, but I guess this would depend on your outlook on life. If you’re the type of person that views the glass half full, then perhaps you are among the many to have, in fact, experienced a pivotal moment. Congratulations.
According to the release, “Respondents, who were asked to rank the most common positive pivotal moments in their lives, indicated that receiving a phone call from a friend or family member informing them that they were coming to visit or move to their city topped the list of special occasions that changed their lives by 67 percent.”
Examples of phone calls that almost half of today’s youth have personally received involved social and dating events:
"Where Did You Meet Him/Her?" - An invitation to a party where they met their boyfriend/girlfriend (47 percent)
"I Know We Just Met, But ..." - Someone they just met asking them out on a date (46 percent)
"Will You Go to the Prom with Me?" - An invitation to a prom or dance (45 percent)
Boost
Consequently, recording Artists Eve and Fat Joe have made fun of the ad campaign:
“Eve's commercial takes you back in the day when her friend "chirped" her to invite her to a block party. She pulls out her Boost Mobile phone and tells her she's on her way. There she sees a local MC in a heated rap battle. At this moment, she is inspired to become a rapper and the rest is history. The comedic twist in the commercial shows that had she not gotten the "chirp" and continued to dance, she would have placed second in a nationally televised talent show competition while in her teens and ultimately succumbing to a position as an assistant ballet instructor in eastern
”Fat Joe's commercial shows him standing on his neighborhood corner back in the day when he receives a "chirp" and one of his friends invites him to a rap performance. He goes and becomes obsessed with hip-hop from this moment on. Had he not gotten that pivotal "chirp" he would have continued to discover his hidden talent of communicating with animals and become a respected NYC pet psychiatrist. Without Boost, the world would never have known this lyrical legend.”
My life has been full of pivotal moments, none of which happened on the phone, unless you count the time when my fiancé-who-doesn’t-cook-but-heated-up-portobella-mushrooms-with-mayo-and-called-it-dinner called to tell me that he had just cooked a lavish meal of chicken basquaise and that I should hurry home before it got too cold. Come to think of it, this was certainly a pivotal moment. The man could cook, despite the fact that he denied it for so many years.
Men.
On that note, one little tidbit from the study:
"More females than males claim to have received a positive pivotal moment call; most notably for getting a job and having a close friend or family member visit or move to their city."
I've returned from my Roman holiday and I have to say, it was certainly a fantastic week. I'll have to go home and upload my pictures from my new Canon Powershot SD400 and do a sort of week in pictures.
Technologically related points from my Roman excursion:
While we're talking about technology in education.....
Florida Department of Education and Microsoft to roll out Sunshine Connections, designed to improve teacher efficiency, collaboration and access to statewide resources.
PANAMA CITY, Fla. -- Aug. 19, 2005 -- Starting today, teachers in Bay County, Fla., will be the first in the state to be able to easily and quickly share lesson plans and best practices and the first to be able to access real-time student performance data right from their desktop computers with just a few clicks of a mouse.
Gov. Jeb Bush announced the deployment of the first phase of Sunshine Connections, a leading-edge collection of online tools and a custom-designed interactive Web environment developed by the Florida Department of Education in collaboration with Microsoft® U.S. Partners in Learning based on direct input from teachers across the state.
“Teachers are the bedrock of our state’s education system, sculpting the minds and futures of our children. In Florida, we are deeply committed to addressing the needs of our education community by providing teachers with tools to help them succeed,” Bush said. “This pioneering approach will free teachers of burdensome paperwork, allowing them to focus on teaching.”
Teachers with access to the system will no longer have to wait until a scheduled conference, professional day or district-sponsored meeting to be able to share resources and best practices with fellow teachers. Sunshine Connections will put all those valuable resources at their fingertips every day. Through the Sunshine Connections Web-based interface, teachers will also be able to view their students’ Florida’s Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT) test scores in real time, marked with easy-to-read identifiers indicating strengths and weaknesses of each student in particular skills and content areas. This technological breakthrough will help allow teachers to find, modify or design curricular materials around the unique needs of each class or student as early as the first day of school.
“The Sunshine Connections Web site is a one-stop site for some of the most dynamic teacher-assistance tools available on the Web,” said Michelle Gainer, a high-school math teacher at A. Crawford Mosley High School in Bay County, Fla. “This site provides me with a way to find the information I need on planning and student assistance in a timely manner. The secure login allows me to analyze my students’ areas of weakness based on the previous year’s FCAT results. Much like a doctor analyzing patients before treating them, I can analyze my students’ needs before teaching them.”
“We are very encouraged by the enthusiasm we are hearing from our teachers, and their ideas will continue to fuel the project’s development over the next five years,” said John Winn, education commissioner for the state of Florida. “As teachers begin using these tools, we will continue to work together to identify ways in which we can enhance the system, offering greater functionality that will bring all teachers and administrators statewide closer to the ultimate goal of improving student learning and achievement.”
Within the next few months the program will expand beyond Bay County to 35,000 users in four school districts in Duval County and Miami-Dade County and some schools in the North East Florida Educational Consortium (NEFEC). By 2009, the system is expected to be available to more than 200,000 teachers and 2.2 million students across 67 districts statewide.
“Gov. Bush, the Florida Department of Education and Florida’s teachers are setting a new ideal for how public-private partnerships can address major education concerns,” said Gerri Elliott, corporate vice president of World Wide Public Sector at Microsoft. “We commend Florida on its forward-thinking approach to distributing resources, driving statewide collaboration and inspiring changes at the classroom level to increase student achievement.”
For the past two years, Microsoft has been working with the Florida Department of Education and a statewide advisory council made up of teachers, administrators and principals to build Sunshine Connections from the ground up through an array of investments including technology development, consulting services and project management. The goal is to create a tool that is tailored to educators’ specific needs and serves as a replicable model for programs in other states. Microsoft, through its U.S. Partners in Learning program, also will contribute $6 million to the project over the next five years.
Building on technologies that have proved to be cost-effective in education, government and commercial sectors, Sunshine Connections is also designed to be economically sustainable in the long term. Because Sunshine Connections is Web-based, administrators and teachers will be able to easily access student performance data, collaboration management and communication tools, and curricular materials on the computers they already have regardless of their computing environment.
“Securing Florida’s economic future starts with investing in our children’s education,” said Tom Lee, president of the Florida Senate. “We appreciate Microsoft’s generosity and believe this innovative relationship will not only benefit our teachers and students today, but will also result in higher student achievement for years to come.”
Through its U. S. Partners in Learning program, Microsoft is taking its long-standing commitment to education to the next level by focusing its resources — people, partners, services and products — to empower students and teachers. Working with state and local education communities, U.S. Partners in Learning is helping build sustainable models for using technology to meet local education needs and to prepare teachers and students for the changing demands of the 21st century.
I wonder if the craze of the white ear buds will be overthrown by listening to your very own jelly bean?
On Monday evening, my fiance and I are embarking on a Roman holiday. Being the gadget geek that I am, I have composed a checklist for myself so that I do not forget all of my essential (and not so essential) technological items to ensure that I do not fall bored on the plane.
Yes you have noticed that all of these come from comic books. Very observant!
That's all this techno-gal is bringing on her trip. I will not be without books, Advil, and plenty of water. But once in Rome, I plan to do as the Romans do....and I am still not really sure what that is.
Intel plans to work with 100 cities globally in an effort to expand on services utilizing WiMAX technology.
In an article issued by Reuters, it is reported that Intel will add to its success of WiFi by assisting city officials to develop a market for WiMAX which will eventually offer high-speed wireless to entire cities.
From the article:
Cities outside of the United States that are working on the wireless initiative include Taipei and Jerusalem, both of which have plans to test WiMax within a year, added [Anand] Chandrasekher. (vice president of sales marketing group, Intel)
U.S. cities involved in the wireless projects include Philadelphia and Cleveland, which wants to see how wireless can help its city workers such as police and building inspectors do their jobs more efficiently.
Officials in Corpus Christi, Texas are also testing technologies such as wireless video links that could potentially help police and medical workers prepare for emergency situations, Chandrasekher said.
Intel is stepping up to the plate to help government, business and citizens through wireless technology.
News release below:
SANTA CLARA, Calif., Aug. 18, 2005 – Intel Corporation today announced an initiative to help communities use wireless technology and innovative applications to expand and improve services for municipal governments, businesses and citizens.
Under the "Digital Communities" initiative, Intel is leading a diverse group of high-tech companies to help 13 "pilot" communities design, develop and deploy comprehensive solutions and services to enhance government efficiency, promote economic growth, foster greater community satisfaction and bridge the digital divide. The applications range from automating mobile workers such as meter readers and building inspectors to increasing the safety and enhancing resource management of first responders by remotely monitoring vehicle location to enhancing parent, teacher collaboration for improved student success.
Cleveland; Corpus Christi, Texas; Philadelphia; and Taipei, Taiwan are among the worldwide pilot communities using technology industriously today.
"As wireless technology continues to evolve, local governments are seizing the opportunity to address critical issues in their community including equal and affordable access to broadband and more efficient and effective government services," said Anand Chandrasekher, vice president and director, Intel Sales and Marketing Group. "We are working closely with these communities to help them take the next step and harness the benefits of wireless technology. The benefits include lower cost of operations, enhanced public safety and security, and a foundation for growth and competitiveness."
"Philadelphia is working closely with Intel on the Digital Communities initiative, which has helped advance the concept that wireless networks deliver multitudes of benefits beyond broadband access," said Dianah Neff, Philadelphia's chief information officer. "We believe our wireless network will ensure efficiencies for government, business and citizens in the areas of reducing processing time by as much as two hours per day for field operations staff; lowering cost of high-speed Internet access for small and disadvantaged businesses to help them grow or create new companies; connecting parents with schools to access homework, tutorials and advanced classes, ensuring a successful future for all children; and providing computers, training and affordable connectivity to all people regardless of their economic status."
Digital Communities Worldwide
The Digital Communities pilots span major geographies including the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific. In addition to the four pilot communities previously mentioned, other participating cities include Portland, Ore. in the United States, along with Mangaratiba, Brazil; Dusseldorf, Germany; Gyor, Hungary; Jerusalem, Israel; Principality of Monaco; Seoul, South Korea; Osaka, Japan; and Westminster, United Kingdom.
Intel is working closely with Cisco, Dell, IBM, and SAP to help communities around the world replicate the successful installments in the pilot communities, which span from small cities to major metropolitan areas.
Corpus Christi, for example, is deploying solutions under a large wireless network that will soon span 147 square miles. This "multi-use" network, consisting of Tropos' mesh technology and Pronto Networks' security and management software, allows private and public users to securely share the same infrastructure, accessing only authorized applications and services. The city expects to significantly benefit from mobile solutions, given 70 percent of its employees work in the field. Three of the solutions deployed focus on building inspection, video surveillance and vehicle location. Dell outfitted the city's Construction and Permits Department with a mobile solution to re-engineer building inspectors' work processes with the ability to update permit data from a construction site, improving accuracy and reducing the inspection cycle by up to six days. IBM equipped police cars with the capability for streaming video, providing insight and the tools for better decision making! regarding incident response and documentation of violators at a crime scene. SAP developed a vehicle asset location tool that allows the city to track vehicles more affordably, dispatch work crews more efficiently and ensure the safety of its first responders.
With a population of 2.63 million, Taipei is utilizing its extensive wireless infrastructure to enhance education and government services. The city created an online e-University program which offers citizens almost 700 classes covering topics such as management, language and humanities. Government efficiencies are being realized in a number of diverse areas including paperless administration, security surveillance and automated transportation systems. Utilized citywide by 500 agencies, including land registration and building management, the administrative e-paper exchange system handles 400,000 documents every month, eliminating the need to have physical certificates. Taipei's transportation information system can quickly collect traffic information and help plan traffic control strategies.
Mobile workers and first responders are the initial focus of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio's Digital Communities effort, which is powered by OneCleveland, the region's nonprofit ultra broadband and applications delivery network. The first solution deployed by the City of Cleveland is an enterprise e-permitting application that utilizes mobile and wireless technology from Cisco Systems, IBM and Accela. The e-permitting application, which transforms the outdated paper-based system, integrates the workflow activities of 11 departments and impacts 500 employees, giving them the ability to file reports, schedule inspections and issue permits from the field. Inspectors, such as building, housing and water department representatives, accomplish more in a day by reducing the inspection cycle, automating the review process and downloading new assignments from remote locations. Cleveland is expecting to broaden the use of the wireless network in the future to include applications t! hat enhance public safety, improve access to health care information and services and expand distance learning.
The Digital Communities Consortium
Cisco, Dell, IBM and SAP are joined in the Digital Communities program by Accela, Airpath Wireless, Alvarion, British Telecom, CapGemini, CDW Government, Inc (CDW-G), Check Point, Civitium, EarthLink, iMove, Panasonic Computer Solutions Company, Pronto Networks, Szintezis Rt., Telindus, Tropos and Vertex.
Intel is also working closely with Muniwireless.com, an online site devoted to municipal wireless broadband, detailing the return on investment that local governments can realize from technology deployment. In conjunction with the Intel Digital Communities initiative, Muniwireless created a solutions library with case studies that highlights how applications can help governments increase productivity, save money and improve services.
Additional information on Intel's Digital Communities initiative and pilot communities is available at www.intel.com/go/digitalcommunities.
I can't help but Google WiMAX on a daily basis considering, you know, I am the primary WiMAX ("and other type things") blogger here at TMCnet. In today's Google escapade, what to my wandering eyes should appear but WiMAX news in German.
Author Richard Sietmann writes:
Als Unterwegs-Surfer könnte man meinen, es gäbe mit GPRS, UMTS und WLAN-Hotspots bereits genügend Wege, die drahtlos ins Netz der Netze führen. Weit gefehlt: Jetzt tritt mit Wimax ein weiterer Spieler an, die Partie an sich zu reißen.
If you speak German, good on ya. I hope this was insightful. Since I am still in the process of learning how to grasp basic Italian phrases for my Roman holiday next week (shh! don't even mention to my Italian family that I do not speak anything beyond the bad words!), I used AltaVista's Babel Fish translater:
As a on the way unterwegs-Surfer one could do mine, it would give with GPRS, UMTS and WLAN Hotspots of already sufficient ways, which lead wirelessly into the net of the nets. Far been missing: Now a further player start to actually tear the portion with Wimax.
Hmm. I see. Wirelessly into the net of the nets. I get it. I think.
To clarify, let's pay a visit to heise online, shall we? Yes, this is where I originally found Richard Sietmann, so forgive a girl for trying her darndest to find info that would otherwise be entertaining, if not insightful.
Really, the news is coming from Heidelberg gets city-wide Wimax network:
DBD of Heidelberg aims to set up a Wimax network to cover its entire home town next week. Access will initially be restricted to business customers. However, in the mid-term private users may also be able to take advantage of the DSLonair model for wireless broadband access.
Which makes so much more sense, don't you think?
Heavyweight contender Microsoft gave the ol' right-uppercut-left-hook combo on middleweight champion, Apple. (Sorry, Apple - as much as I love you, you're just not a heavyweight. Yet.)
Recently, the US Patent & Trademark office rejected a patent request for the beloved iPod because Microsoft had already filed for a similar request just 5 months prior.
That's right. That means Apple never filed for a patent with the inception of the iPod. I mean, let's talk protection here. If I were the inventor of say, the Pet Rock, you bet your sweet noggin that even though my Pet Rock might not sell, I'd still want a patent. As long as I could at least have "patent pending" slapped on that sucker because my Pet Rock? Totally better than yours.
But it's not as bad as one might think. This combo-throw is just merely a stun move, and Apple still has a few moments to collect itself and regain stamina for the next round. According to a recent article from AP, "Apple could file a declaration stating that it invented the technology before Microsoft filed its patent request — as evidenced by all the iPods already on the market at the time. In such cases, a company can ask the patent office to launch an investigation to determine the inventor."
No word was issued as to why Apple sat on this matter for so long.
And so the patent battle continutes. Stay tuned for the sequel to "Pirates of Silicon Valley: Revenge of the iPod".
Intel & Nokia are partnering up to offer WiMAX for gamers
Intel and Nokia will support WiMAX development in hopes that this will be the be-all for video games.
From gameshout.com: Intel will focus on IEEE 802.16e, a mobile version of the technology that will offer broadband Internet access to users playing video games on the move. This standard is currently under development.
Just be sure to take regular breaks, drink plenty of fluids, and avoid 50 hours of straight gaming.
Perhaps I should warn fellow blogger David Butcher about mobile phones taking over countries. Well, maybe not take over, but they're certainly outnumbering the citizens.
AFP reported today that in Lithuania, there are more mobile phones than there are people. 4.1 million mobile phones for 3.4 million people? That's a lot. Don't you think?
Reading this little snippet of news today has me wondering, if there is such a surplus of mobile phones, what is to happen with all of the extra, probably soon-to-be obsolete equipment? It's no surprise, then, that in a country completely awash in mobile phones, landline subscription is down.
Another no-surpriser is that Internet subscription in Lithuania has more than doubled in the last year alone. They're also one of 10 countries to join the EU last year.
So I guess Lithuania has had all sorts of changes - technologically and politically.
Now -- what to do with the extra mobile phones?
An interesting release issued today by ABI Research examines offerings in the automotive/navigation market, specifically satellite radio and streaming video.
Sirius Satellite Radio announced earlier this month that Ford will offer Sirius Satellite Radio as a factory-installed option, and Toyota and Lexus will offer SSR hardware. Land Rover was also among the players in the automotive industry to offer factory-installed SSR. ABI Research wants to know, however, when will streaming video grace auto consumers via satellite radio?
Through bandwidth expansion, satellite radio service providers "will fuel an expansion of services from audio and data content to the realm of broadcast video."
"If automotive broadcast video services arrive in 2006, the impact may not be as profound as the satellite radio firms expect," cautions ABI Research senior analyst Dan Benjamin. "Even with bandwidth expansion, the satellite radio firms can only offer a few channels of lower quality video without sacrificing audio content and quality. Video-compatible radios will also be considerably more expensive than existing devices, not to mention the competition, namely from satellite TV and wireless Internet."
From the release: Benjamin points out that satellite TV from DirecTV and Dish Network is already available in the vehicle from firms such as KVH Industries and RaySat, though these devices are still hamstrung by high prices and bulky antennas, limiting the potential market to SUVs and larger vehicles. He adds: "Don't underestimate Internet from wireless carriers either. When 3G services arrive, there will be enough bandwidth for video at comparable or better quality than the satellite radio providers. Unlike satellite radio which will be limited to broadcasting, the Internet can provide content on-demand."
Perhaps this is proof that supports Michael Stanford's SoIP (services over IP): Said Rich Tehrani in his blog entry, "VoIP is the baseline feature that opens the door to new services such as wideband audio, video, IM, push to talk, presence, document sharing, rich collaboration, and the further rapid innovation of new features and service combinations."
Made you read!
I promise this will not be a prolonged post about baseball players. In fact, this will not be about baseball at all.
Whilst surfing through WiMAX news, I found --yet again-- the overly-used term to describe WiMAX - WiFi on steroids.
I feel it is my duty as an editor and part-time WiMAX blogger to challenge the public to come up with something a tad more creative, perhaps innovative to describe this, er, WiFi on....<insert drug of choice>.
(For the record, I'm certainly no advocate of any drug whatsoever, which is sort of the reason for this entry today. That, and I'm just really curious as to how everyone else would describe WiMAX, if given the opportunity.)
Why is it that when we're trying to describe something as strong, or "kicked up a notch" (thanks Emeril) we grab the subject and throw it "on steroids"? Just the other day, I fell victim to this sad cliche when trying to describe the music genre of psychobilly to a friend who had never heard of it.
Me: Basically, you take some good ol' fashioned rockabilly and put it on steroids.
I should have just shut my mouth. And should have been arrested. I could have attempted to be slightly more original. Moving on...
So I decided to do a Google search for "WiFi on Steroids". Oh.Dear.
The first four:
OK. Before I end up linking for the rest of the day, let me tell you -- so far pages 1-6 all have articles that describe WiMAX as "WiFi on Steroids"....
Who originated this term? Are you out there? Are you reading this? Because it seems to me that the rest of the WiMAX reporting world is very fond of this expression.
So here is the challenge - how would you describe WiMAX? And moreso, when something more powerful than WiMAX emerges, how will we describe it then? WiMAX on steroids?
And now you can be just like Peter Parker, too....
No, I don't mean you'll be bitten by a radioactive spider, causing your body to mutate and do odd things, such as swinging from building tops or scaling walls. And no, you won't get to wear that really cool suit or shoot webs from your hands.
Well, if you really want, I'm sure you can wear the really cool suit. But for reality's sake, let's talk photography. Specifically, your camera phone.
Launching tomorrow (August 4th for those without a calendar), Scoopt, the first citizen journalism picture agency, is offering a job to those who possess none other than a camera phone. No resume required -- members of Scoopt will be able to submit pictures using MMS and mobile technology straight from the crime --err-- scene. According to the release, "Scoopt members retain copyright to their photographs, and receive 50% of each and every licensing and syndication deal. This is in direct contrast to signing over universal copyright in exchange for a one-off flat fee, which is what usually happens when a member of the public tries to sell directly to a picture desk."
Said Kyle MacRae, founder of Scoopt, "The shocking events in London on 7th and 21st July brought citizen journalism into sudden, sharp focus, demonstrating once and for all that images taken by members of the public can be startling and evocative. Citizen journalism is here to stay and set to change the nature of news. Scoopt is at the forefront of this revolution, ensuring that frontline citizen reporters are properly and professionally represented. The key thing is joining Scoopt now so that you can send in your photos immediately next time you find yourself in the right place at the right time."
If you own a mobile phone with photographic capabilities, you are certainly in a position to digitally document almost any event that happens around the globe. Why not use that contraption for something other than say, taking pictures of yourself while you're at your desk?
And who knows -- maybe you'll nab a picture of Spider-Man.
Some interesting news just hit my inbox and I had to post. TowerStream announced an alliance with
What's this all about? Well, of course there is WiMAX in here! This is the WiMAX blog afterall. Allow me to share the release:
With the new alliance, TowerStream will offer businesses a true alternative to the existing phone companies for both voice and broadband in one offering. Customers in
"TowerStream and
TowerStream's pre-WiMAX service offers a flexible alternative to the integrated T1s most businesses use today. With the quality of service provided on TowerStream's network, businesses are able to configure their Internet traffic to ensure VoIP calls are always given pr
"We have been using
"Vonage welcomes TowerStream as this alliance gives customers yet another avenue to purchase the company's flat-rate, full featured broadband telephony service," stated Mark Lyons, vice president, VAR Sales of Vonage Marketing. "Further, our ability to offer the Vonage solution via TowerStream's massive fixed wireless broadband network makes our service even more useful to customers."
Very big news indeed.