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Siri sings Stairway To Heaven (The Verge) and the future now seems bleak.

A Vending Machine with Free Wifi........Now Why Didn't I Think of That!

Asahi Beverages of Japan will be launching their own vending machines with free wifi. Any potential customer can use their free wifi within a 50 meter radius and will have a 30 minute time limit. Much like the Post It Note, this is one of those apropos ideas that's in front of your face, but you were completely blind to it. PSFK, Japan Trends

I've long believed that piracy is largely a business model problem not a human behavior problem

Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures

Is Tech Really That Geek Anymore?

Yes, that's Dennis Crowley of Foursquare looking hip with his fashionista girlfriend. He's featured in a day-in-the-life NY Times article about his typical weekend and all the cool spots he frequents. This is a stark contrast to the geek stereotype within technology. We all know the image of nerdy guys with bad eyewear and misfortuned by little female contact.The image still has a grain of truth, i.e. Mark Zuckerberg. Yet as technology becomes an everyday consumer obsession, the industry demands cultural tastemakers with an eye and ear for today's zeitgeist, i.e. Steve Jobs. You need entrepreneurs and visionaries who know what people want and why. This requires an appreciation for popular culture and how we're consuming it. To design a website or operating system, you need aesthetic-minded thinkers who can coordinate a visually appealing and UI friendly experience. Who would have thought good design would be a Microsoft mandate, see Windows 8.

Flat is the new up.

The pain was felt on the [Las Vegas] Strip, too. The year 2009 saw the worst dip ever in gambling revenue, with receipts plunging over 10%; 2010 managed only a 0.1% increase. Flat is the new up.

Matt Carmichael, AdAge

Moms, the Forgotten Smartphone Users

Moms are known to do which of the following: a) set up calendar reminders b) make grocery lists c) clip coupons d) decide which cereal to buy e) share photos of their kid's recital g) all of the above Obviously, option G. If I asked which of the above options are ideal for smartphone use, it would be option G. Connect the dots yet? Moms are one of the prime groups to embrace smartphones and yet they are largely neglected by the mobile industry. According to a study by BabyCenter, smartphone penetration among moms hits 59% while the rest of the population stand at 30%. Driving the nail further, 53% of moms in the same study get smartphones after they become moms. Who better to use their phone to do comparison shopping for back-to-school, look up reviews for the best kid's cereals, or take advantage of a mobile coupon while grocery shopping. And we know moms love to take pictures and videos of their kid's first recital, 5th birthday, or first homerun and show it to the world. Moms tend to be great sharers whether it be a coupon, a review, or a recipe. It's no surprise that 79% of moms with children under 18 are active on social media. All it takes is a smartphone and a Facebook app. Speaking of apps, according to the same study 52% of moms have 10 or more apps. Given the obvious smartphone advantages for moms, it's hard to believe mobile marketers haven't done more to target them. When was the last time you saw a smartphone ad touting why a mom should have one?

#smartphones #Facebook #moms

[2011] was the year the IT industry figured out mobile, and it’s the year that mobile figured out IT … Every small, medium and large enterprise around the world is going to be deploying smartphones and tablets at scale over the next 12 to 18 months.

Bob Tinker, CEO of MobileIron,

#Mobile #smartphone

An installation piece by artist Erik Kessels who printed every photos uploaded to Flickr in a 24-hour period. PSFK

Digital ads are the "gasoline that runs much of the Web."

Seattle-based SEO and Web strategist Cyrus Shepard

Does Technology Dream of Real Sheep

The fashion site Style.com recently announced a print magazine version eponymously titled Style.com/Print. A print magazine yes, but its handle is all Web 2.0. The magazine mimics the 140 characters-or-less, sound bite aesthetic of the internet with an aggregation of the best Tweets, on-the-street photos, best dressed as voted by viewers, and compact editorials of the best must-haves. And oh yeah, there's some articles thrown in as well. It is a magazine after all.

So what does all this mean with digital entities itching back to analog. Perhaps it speaks of the great irony of consumer technology, as it strives to deliver an all encompassing digital world it really aims to be more human. The human, analog world as we know it involves intuition, physical movement, context, and seamless mental task management. For the past 30 years in consumer technology, we have seen the most innovative developments in intuitive operating systems, seamless user interfaces, touch screens, and now talking smartphones that understand conversational context. Successful consumer technology succeeds in providing a human user experience. At the end of the day, we'd much rather turn a page or mimic the movement of turning a page, then having to click on the virtual or intangible.

#Style.com #Zappos #user interface

Obviously, I'm all for technology and all its greatness. Yet it's easy to forget to absorb life in analog. Here's a lovely rant by comedian Louis CK on the digital life. Enjoy!

#Louis Ck

If Facebook has one clear advantage over traditional display advertising, that's the ability to leverage consumer word of mouth at scale.

Dave Williams, AdAge

#Facebook #Scale

So how's the new look?

Like trying out a new hairstyle, Veni_Vidi_Digital is trying a new design scheme. Let us know what you think.

How many times do I have to blog about it....this whole AI/robots thing is CREEPY!

-AllThingsD

#Email #App

The Rise of Private Social Networks

As Facebook becomes ever more integrated with our everyday lives, people will likely seek the refuge of private social networks. A private ecosystem built around a niche interest or movement. We are already seeing the early seedings of theme specific networks such as Unthink, Nextdoor and ManWall. Unthink is a social ecosystem premised on the belief that we have control over our personal information. The Unthink network does not share profile information with advertisers unless the user choses to make it available. Nextdoor is a private neighborhood network consisting of community residents. Members are free to post and comment on local happenings and issues such as a yard sale, noisy neighbors, new trash pickup days, etc.. ManWall is a men's only network that takes the locker room conversations online. I had to laugh at first sight, but after a few clicks around I could see the scalability. Centered around several "ManVersations" walls such as sports, girls, man caves, etc, members can share links, photos, and comments with fellow bromancers.

In taking the trend of private networks further, expect to see out-of-box applications that allow the users to create and design their own social network much like bloggers can with Tumblr or Wordpress. Imagine that, being able to set your own private Facebook in a matter of clicks.

#Facebook #Private Social Networks #Nextdoor #ManWall #Unthink

"Men have become tools of their tools"

Interesting quote from Henry David Thoreau over a century ago. Read an interesting article from Sam Graham-Felsen of Good.is about stripping himself away from the internet and technology to live a more simpler life. He said good-bye to having mobile internet access, real-time tweets and status updates, instant boarding passes and so forth. Keep in mind, this is the same person who worked for Obama's digital campaign strategy in 07. In exchange, he said hello again to having a dumbphone and to handwritten directions....ahhh remember the days. By getting rid of his electronic leash, he was able to do things like "savor an idea and allow it to gestate." Believe me, I'm all for technology as I am the blog's founder and I have yet to find another commercial medium as creative and as dynamic. Yet, I do think it's important to drop the smartphone from time to time and just live it. What do I mean? Just walking aimlessly and discovering a great restaurant instead of Yelping it in advance. Having a conversation instead of texting a conversation that should really take place one on one. Flirting with a girl on the fly instead of orchestrating a great one-liner over text or email. To really live life you can't always Google it ahead of time, instead you have to say fuck it from time to time and see what happens.

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