Consumer Semiconductor Girl's Place on the Web

Take this blog and shove it

Ok, well, not quite yet.

Is blogging becoming the next Friendster, ready to burn out in flames, passe and embarrassing for those doing it?

After being listed on the top analysts who Twitter list, I decided I had better Twitter to earn my keep.  I was once told you either Tweet, or you don't, it's in your DNA, or it isn't.  I really wasn't sure, but now, I am addicted.

Twitter, a microblog allowing up to 140 characters per entry, is so much more alive than blogging or facebooking.  Not only can you have community in real time, the whole point of Twittering is connecting and sharing with others, actively, regularly, not passively and wheneverly.

I love the genuine connection aspect on Twitter.  My only issue, as those of you who know me would attest to, is my ability to shut up.  It's good practice using 140 characters.  But there are limitations.  While many famous Tweeters have decreased posting to or have even given up their blogs, blogging remains a great way to say more about a subject, to form a narrative rather than a conversation.  The two tools work great together.

It will be interesting to see if microblogging becomes a mainstream business and communications tool, and it's certainly good fun to help plan a role in the medium's growth as such.  Please follow me on Twitter, and keep the conversation going.

Sylvester Likes to Tweet?

http://technobabble2dot0.wordpress.com/2008/05/05/top-analyst-twitters-micro-bloggers/

Much to my surprise and quite to my chagrin, I found myself (through the help of a Facebook friend) staring at my name at the list of top analyst twitters (I always thought it was tweeters or twitterers, I stand corrected).  Of the top 49, I am ranked #46, a fabulous showing for having but a handful of followers and a very irregular tweeting habit.

I do now find that my followers have increased 400% since the story broke, and now, the chagrin kicks in--people care what I have to tweet and people are interested in sharing with me vis a vis that medium, yet I hardly know how to use it.

For several weeks, I've promised myself to re-explore Twitter, now that it is plainly obvious this is a critically important tool used by the technical literati, one with cred and staying power.  I've heard fantastic stories from twitters about building enormous, amazing online and IN PERSON communities based on the tanglements of twitter webs, and I've been watching from the sideline, waiting for a spare creativity cycle to dive in.

Interestingly, while the aforementioned article points out that Twitter is a viable tool for analysts to use, that microblogging in fact builds credibility, helps analysts collaborate, and helps clients gain fast insight, it's not exactly a tool my employer encourages.  In fact, I am not sure I consider myself an analyst who tweets, simply because I never tweeted under my company name or on anything immediately related to my research--but in my world, the professional and personal online personas collide without mercy.  Obviously, if I tweet more, my ranking on that list will likely climb, even if I tweet about my dog, treasure hunting or the price of gas, and not the digital consumer experience.  Then again, maybe knowing me is to love me, and that helps bring my community closer to me.

Maker Faire 2008--Changing Rapidly

Yesterday, I attended the annual Maker Faire, an annual tradition for me since it began.  For those who don't know the festival, it's sponsored by both Make and Craft magazines, two quite cool and modern pubs similar in purpose to Popular Mechanics and Women's Day, but aimed at a very different demographic.

Every year, I have been inspired and moved by unique art and technology, and have had great conversations about collaboration and creation.  I've always left the festival with new projects to try and a deeply reawakened creative spirit.  This year, I did not, and this saddens me.

I have three key complaints about the festival:

1.  Commercialization.

2.  Redundancy.

3.  Crowds.

First, and most shocking, was the blatant commercialization.  I walked into a "craft" area, anticipating demos of crafts.  What I found was an entire building of vendors.  Sure, the crafts were unique, but none of this was here to inspire my creativity, au contraire, I didn't need to be inspired if I could buy.  Next, the giant corporate brands were here, some pitching wares as they do at many festivals--the SF Chronicle, the Examiner.  Then, others like HP, MSFT and GOOG were there.  The later seemed to be recruiting engineers, and not much else.  HP had a cool booth with Kung Fu Panda photo opps and a make-your-own-thing area using HP projects (found on their website and often cute).  I made a Mother's Day card, thinking better their ink than mine.  But, honestly, Maker Faire is not supposed to be about crap from a kit; it's supposed to be about creativity and originality, pushing the limits, not following others.  In fact, one table existed to make cards from found materials, but was so tiny that only two people could work on projects at a time. 

While I admire Make for being able to attract major corporate sponsors, at what cost do they come?  The HP demo was all about commercialism and cutting creative corners-tsk tsk.  And Kung Fu Panda?

Second, many of the displays, albeit cool ones, were identical to last year, including many of the major art installations.  Yes, many of these are very cool, but where is the new art to make things interesting and inspiring to regulars?  Or is Maker Faire not seeking regulars, but rather a whole new demographic?

Which leads me to my last point--the crowds.  I do not know what attendance looks like this year compared to last, but I can tell you I never sat on the highway offramp an HOUR to get there.  Instead of being one big party, the Faire felt like a tradeshow or tourist site, with people pushing and shoving.  Demos and displays were hard to see around the crowds.  And while I love seeing children be creative and included, I was surprised to see so many at Maker Faire this year, where things shoot fire, sharp edges abound, and things spin, cut and zap.  It would be GREAT to see Make do a kids zone, where those 10 and under can safely be inspired, but I was downright scared to see kids near some of the exhibits. 

I also noted that many people in booths were less friendly and less willing to talk to people.  Neil and I were independently ignored by booths we went to where we really wanted to learn.  I attribute this in part to the overwhelming crowds which probably tired exhibitors out.

I've already said I will likely not go next year.  The homogenization and commercialization of the event really saddened me.  I hear Burning Man has evolved in a similar way, albeit more slowly, and still maintains a spirit.

I hope Make and Craft hear this message and make some changes.  Put the corporate sponsors in their own room.  Give bigger booths at low prices to truly creative ventures, and stop shoving these guys into the corners.  Decrease the amount of stuff for sale.  Encourage new installations of major art.  Give kids a safe and creative space--a mini Maker area.  Bring back the emphasis on demos from magazine projects.

Here's holding out hope for Maker Faire...

I've been found by StreetView

Last spring, I gained a minor amount of interest from my posting about Google's StreetView feature.  In brief recollection, a fury of complaints were hurled at Google about the supposed invasion of privacy.  Of course, there was also a good amount of humor about what Google inadvertently captured: people leaving porn shops, picking their noses, standing naked in windows, and so on.

Mostly, I was amused.  I did have a bit of concern over the debate of what is private and not (my home is entirely visible to anyone who drives by, but do I want a permanent, digital print of my home available to anyone for no amount of effort?).

Who was I to judge?  My home was not yet canvased by Google.  Of course, being in Google's hometown, I knew my day would come.  And yesterday, I found out it did.

As feared, my yard is something of a mid-spring (last year, based on the status of the new roses) mess, with blooming and out of control roses.  Interesting, as far as I can tell, the photo was snapped before the big controversy, so I never would have had a chance to sell the rights to print an ad on my house) Thankfully, there is nothing embarrassing- -bending over in the yard, naked people in the window.  What is interesting is the car wash supplies in the drive--a historical moment, given this is a once a year happening.  Disturbing, such that it is, is a full view of the license plates of both cars, not immediately readable but certainly capable of being zoomed and likely read by someone who cared enough.  More sadly, no cute cats are gaining celebrity in the window, my biggest disappointment.

Home address available upon request for you voyeurs out there.

CES: I was right!

For weeks, I postulated that CES would have NOTHING new, interesting, exciting...and people ignored me.  All week, I've listed to people who are shocked that show offered nothing new.  Well, people, listen to me next time, and save yourself the $500 hotel room, hour long taxi lines, and cartons worth of cig smoke!  The consumer semi girl knows what's happening out there and what it means.

The coolest products launch outside of CES:  take the Lab 126's Kindle or next week's Apple announcements (I bet, on the later).  It's just sad that 6000 companies converge in Las Vegas to make announcements, and the sum total of their impact is far less than Steve Jobs will have in one hour, next week.

Of course, CES is all about networking.  About building and improving relationships.  Or at least it is for me.  So if you are disappointed, talk to some new people next time!!

The coolest thing at CES is not new product, but how the event is covered

Link: CES Bloggers » Our 2008 Blogger Party at CES!.

As far as I can tell, nothing particularly interesting is happening at CES.  Apple has stolen much of the CE industry's thunder, and does not participate, saving its 'breathtaking' announcements for its own party the following week.  Most of the GPS companies are missing--supposedly the next big thing.  Retailers like Best Buy do not appear to be attending. 

But, how the event is being covered IS interesting.  Bloggers have surpased the traditional media in terms of importance and credibility.  There is a 24-7 BlogHaus at the posh Bellagio, to serve and care for bloggers.  The "blogger" resource area at the convention center is larger than the traditional press room.  And, we bloggers have this cool party (link above) at the Atomic Test Museum.  I really look forward to wearing my blogger hat and promoting the role of blogging as a new, important form of professional communication, and I certainly look forward to all the support I will get.

Best Internet Video 2007

Link: Here Comes Another Bubble! | BoomTown | Kara Swisher | AllThingsD.

It's the time of year during which CSG turns her thoughts to other things, like laughter.

This video is the funniest little virally-spread tech paraody video of 2007, bar none.  It's great that I know some of the people in the group who did this masterpiece--hats off to Silicon Valley's own Richter Scales.

Go Away, Bert and Ernie are too G....

Link: Virginia Heffernan - The Medium - Sesame Street - Television - Internet Video - Media - YouTube - New York Times.

The new DVD release of Sesame Street, the original episodes, comes packaged with the warning that the shows are only intended for grownups.

I was an early bloomer, precocious to a fault, so I guess I was not harmed watching these very episodes when I was merely 4 or 5 years old.

According to production executives, you just could not create these characters today.  Ernie is too dumb, Bert is too excited (Ritalin takes care of his kind now), Oscar, well, that guy is too depressed and should be on Prozac.  Big Bird was obviously taking drugs and hallucinating about Snuffleupagus (until 1985, when the show started to become more PC and everyone was allowed to see him).  Of course, kids talked to strangers, homelessness was glorified, cookies were consumed in dreadful quantities, leading to...well, not obesity, but I am sure to no good.

The article makes an interesting side note that the show was originally targeted to inner city, black children, and 99% of kids in such neighborhoods watched, while only 80% of kids in predominately white and suburban neighborhoods did.  I believe the idea was to create education and escape from the inner city, a VERY 1960s-70s ideal.

So sad that we sanitize everything these days, including children's minds.

A big week for tech stocks

To no suprise, Apple's market cap passed IBM today.  From a purely consumer technology impact perspective, their impact has been greater than IBM for some time. 

1.12M iPhones to date surprised me and certainly was higher than concensus.  Still something of a niche product, compared to the number of iPods sold in the quarter, or number of total mobile phones, for that matter.  10M iPods is great, but on a global basis, with annual PMP sales of about 200M this year across the category, Apple remains but one of many significant players (but a thought leader, for sure).

Arguably, the next quarter, with holiday sales, and a European launch of the iPhone, will be spectacular for AAPL and should sent the stock up another 20-30%, I think.  However, as new products loose luster and saturate the markets, where will the company go next?  12-18 months from now, things will look less robust, and we'll have to wait for the next Apple revolution, which will certainly come.

Google is also soaring, around $675 after hours today, and over $210B in market cap.  I don't claim to understand valuations in the "intangibles" sector, ie Google, FaceBook, and so on.  I am not sure anyone does, if applying classical valuation techniques.  Relative to Apple, though, Google appears fairly inline.

The hottest new consumer technology

Link: Avago Technologies - Set Up Box.

Wow, Avago has found the perfect, next generation, killer app consumer device.  Functioning much like a TiVo, the set up box helps you find and manage your favorite dates, queueing them up for you to interact with at your convenience.  The Set Up Box allows the busy professional the chance to date from the comfort of their couch, at their convenience.  No more noisy bars, annoying dating sites...

Coming soon, the SlangBox, which converts all your favorite programming into the dialect of your choice.

Easily amused :-)