Did you know that BlackBerry Pearls can be possessed?

I can mostly blame my recent lack of blogging and tweeting- and even my lighter emailing- on my recent issues with my BlackBerry Pearl. If you google "possessed blackberry pearl" that is what I had to deal with. --The worst was the night my phone resent the same text message 40 times in 4 hours to my friend. Seriously, it selected the required menu options repeatedly, I watched it when I noticed the unexpectedly lit screen. [open message window > open last message sent > open menu > select resend > exit > repeat in 1-3 mins] Kind of creepy, really. This experience was varied over tasks and times.

I took it apart a couple of times and cleaned off everything. The next time I tried scraping off the corrosion on the motherboard.

Yes, corrosion means I got it wet. I think it was a mistake to take my BlackBerry into the cloud forest at the top of a volcano in Costa Rica. For some reason I didn't think about the moisture and the potential damage to my trusty device at the time. But in my defense, it turns out that Pearls are extra sensitive to moisture.

Despite my best repair efforts, the possession persists. So, I bought a new one. And I am falling comfortably back into my normal habits.

(Let me know if anyone has any suggestions for what to do with my possessed Pearl...)

I wish I could try Zenbe

In the past I have blogged about my frustrations with and ideas about improvements to email. I just now saw the TechCrunch post on Zenbe. I missed out on an invite but it sounds like great progress towards the next generation of email. This makes me very very happy. Whether or not Zenbe is the answer, I think it is great that they are at least challenging the status quo for email management. Hopefully this will lead to even better opportunities.

Web 2.0 and Being One

So much of Web 2.0 is fundamentally different then how I remember the web initially. I remember clever screen names, self describing email addresses and having the freedom to represent yourself as whatever online personality you desired. And now, in the era of Web 2.0, we are just online extensions of our regular selves.

However, I like it. Maybe its my personality and my generation but I like that I am one- in that my online me and my real life me are the same. The idea that they blur is comforting...

TechCocktail DC 2 Tomorrow Night (and why we need it)

Tomorrow night is TechCocktail DC 2 and I am very excited. I am looking forward to seeing both old and new faces in the DC Tech community and just having a good time.

Now, I know there has been a lot of discussion about defining and organizing the community along with goals for DC Tech as a whole. But I really like the undefined part of tomorrow night. I think all of the focused events are very important to the individuals, the small defined groups and the larger community in DC. However, all of that can be nicely tempered by events like TechCocktail. I know I have been able to talk a few people into attending this as their first DC tech event because of this vagueness and the more cocktail party side of it.

We should keep this in mind. Having a mission is great. But sometimes just getting together and socializing is just as healthy for our community, (whatever it is).

Email Tagging and Auto-Filing

I dislike sorting my email inbox at work. It isn't that it is difficult, I have more of a problem with the fact that is inconvenient. I have to notice that it has become overwhelming and then tediously sort through it (search helps). Perhaps, the answer is to sort right away. Well, I don't like that idea.

So, I have come up with an idea that I like better: creating tags for email topics and inboxes that auto-file based on them. Now, I know the Gmail conversation sorting solves part of this, mostly for personal emails. However, in the work email context some "projects" span multiple conversations. And I have folders for these projects/topics to file my emails in but I have to do it manually. And auto-filters are an imperfect and obtruse alternative. If in the initial emails (non-replies), one could tag the email having that tag carry through the subsequent replies. If it is a new tag, there might be some prompt for all contacts involved to ok it. And a similar prompt could be used when someone wants to change the tag. A tag would be synced to an email folder for all involved contacts (mapping would be automatic). Ideally, one could control the timing an email remains in an inbox before being auto-filed and an action flag could also potentially delay that.

This is just some random rambling about possible improvements to the current way email is done. And I know I am not the first to notice or attempt to solve the fact that email is broken.

Also, not to get ahead of myself but the syncing of contacts, projects and emails could be integrated across software and users in a much better way than it is currently. MS Office seems to still be the norm but I think its time we revolutionized our approach to this stuff. (Google?)

Mobile Phones

So, after spending an hour yesterday cleaning the trackball on my BlackBerry Pearl while hoping I didn't break it, I have been thinking a lot about mobile phones:

First thought, can I even call it a phone anymore? I definitely email more from this mobile device than I speak into it. But then again, VOIP and Fring might revive this for others.

Second thought, how much does size matter in relation to capabilities? For those of you that know me in person, you know that the pockets on my clothes cannot be that big. That is why I own a little Pearl with little buttons on it. It fits me. If Apple was to release an iPhone with 3G and GPS, would I consider it worth the extra bulky pocket?

(Side thought, the new Google Maps app makes a pretty respectable attempt at finding me without GPS. Not creepy at all!)

Third thought, the cameras in phones still leave something to be desired. My digital camera is small and cute and has nice features and takes good pictures. The BlackBerry Pearl camera, well, I have to be pretty desperate to use it. (To be fair, I like that they got a flash in there.) And I know the iPhone takes pretty good pictures. But admittedly, they still have a ways to go.

Fourth thought, and you know what, I want video, too. (So, demanding!)

Fifth thought, I want my music to listen to and videos to watch without carrying another device. Again, still lacking here. My music collection wouldn't fit on any of the current phones.

Sixth thought, back to the dirty trackball. I will trust my friends with iPhones that touch screen is the way to go. At least I wouldn't be cleaning a tiny trackball for an hour every few months.

Last thought, I think Wi-Fi would be fun, too.

So, the final equation is: BlackBerry Pearl features and size + 3G + GPS + Canon SD1000 + video + 60 GB iPod + touch screen + Wi-Fi = perfect mobile device!

Now, I just have to wait for someone to make it - which is ok, I am stuck in a contract anyway :/

One Thing That Has Always Bugged Me About Facebook and Photos

This is pretty simple. Why are my profile pictures separate from my photo albums? Why can't I just select a photo from one of my albums to be my profile picture? A part of me cringes to say this, but think MySpace style. I can't imagine a good reason for not doing this.

In fact, their entire approach to photo management is a bit off. So, I have to go to three places to see photos of someone: profile pictures, photo albums and tagged by others. Conclusion: Facebook needs to rehash their approach to photo management. They could one-up MySpace if they added the tagged-in photos seamlessly, too.

DC 48 Hour Film Project

As the title implies, I am participating in this year's 48 Hour Film Project! Thanks to an invite, I was inspired to join a team: Green Llama Productions.

This year's competition will be held the weekend of May 2-4.

This will be my first big film project in a while - its been years of vacation filming and the occasional music video for a local band. So, I am very excited to be part of a larger and more organized project. The last time I participated in the production of a real short film had to have been in college.

Although, I am not heading the team, I am happy to be a part of one. I will keep posting updates. If anyone else is participating, let me know!

I Would Prefer My Centralized Me Reside Here

First, read this TechCrunch article.

I am a fan of multiple online services and the creation of new services. However, I have a bit of an issue with the idea of my profiles and content reside in multiple places in multiple forms. It has always felt like a necessary evil in the field. So, I have come to accept this decentralization although I still question its sustainability.

With the advent of FriendFeed and the opening of platforms like on Facebook, etc., I think it is safe to say that a movement towards re-centralization may have begun.

And long ago, I began thinking about profile aggregation to solve the issue of maintaining multiple profiles. But I have never been sure that creating a profile aggregation/alignment service wouldn't just further complicate this problem by merely acting as an icing on the cake. Nonetheless, more than one company is trying this.

To me, what I desire is one step beyond the Data Portability Project in that it is data that resides here that is made portable not just all of my data shared by major services. In short, I have no ultimate solution but I would really prefer that my Centralized Me was here- on my site and under my ultimate control. One main profile on my domain that feeds all of my other profile pages with varying granules and privacy controls. As for content, I want it here, too. And other services can be applied to my content to provide the extra features for accessing and further connecting to others' content. I am not sure where the monetization exists in these suggestions but a lot of current services lack monetization strategies, too. And if I came up with that, well, I'd have a startup...

Personal websites/blogs are kind of a centralized location for us in a conceptual and forced way, but I wish I could have it all for real and here.

Discovering New Music Part II

Thanks to Last.fm, I bought a few new albums today.

I finally got into Last.fm a few weeks ago and for a while I ignored it. And I'm sure I am still not completely utilizing it. But the similar artists feature has already led me to some new music. The Amazon MP3 link is a great add, too.

Ah, listening to a great new album... nothing beats the feeling.

Behavioral Economics and Predicting the Future of Social Media

Lately, I have been reading a book on behavioral economics called Predictably Irrational and I have been noticing quite a few articles and blog posts analyzing the future of social media.

Behavioral economics is a bit of a buzz phrase right now but I don't think that diminishes the strength in the lessons we can learn from that field. It seems to me that people are comfortable with the current state of social networks and are busy theorizing about advanced applications. I enjoy reading the different perspectives and predictions. However, most of them seem to be purely opinion and based on personal experience. Which is also reasonable but not theories I feel comfortable completely buying into.

I would love to see an analysis of the future of social media that took into account behavioral economics. (I haven't even finished reading my first book on behavioral economics, so, it won't be me doing the analysis right away.) I also think more companies should read into the basic aspects of human irrationality, especially the aspects that could directly impact their users' experiences and therefore the company's bottom line.

PlanetDC.org and the DC Tech Community

After my last post a few people mentioned PlanetDC.org to me. I am really glad that someone else in DC has already thought to put all of the blogs in one place. --You know they say no ideas are new, the difference is how you act upon them. So, I am still going to finish up my snazzy widget and get it out there.

As for DCTechBlogs.com, I'm not sure what I will do because I don't know if we need a copy website. And I know other blogs are talking a lot about defining and organizing the DC tech community. Perhaps some interesting ideas of "how to" will come out of the conversations, including a use for that domain.

However, the problem I see with the ultimate conversation is that it needs to be larger than us. A scene or a city doesn't become well-known or draw new talent and companies because the same inner people are conversing. Which I understand, there are a lot of really smart and talented people here that care about this stuff. As a newcomer into the community (if you guys will let me call it that) I have noticed that there is a bit of insularity going on. If this is going to be a thriving community/scene/city we need to open it up and get the rest of the world talking with and about us.

This is why something like a widget makes sense to me. We can get it out on different pages that the wider audience are likely to go to and show them what we know has been going on.

That said, I still see a value in the focused conversation but perhaps as one of many things that should be going on...

DC Tech Blogs Widget

I've said before that I am a fan of the DC tech community. So, in an effort to promote it, I have created this widget. However, it is a practice version. I plan on creating a new one from scratch and put in a Clearspring wrapper. Please send me more DC-based and tech focused blogs to add to the feed mashup. Or general comments...

(I also admit that I selfishly enjoyed messing around with pipes and widgets.)

Two Events This Week

Tonight: NetSquared DC
-APIs for Change.

Tomorrow: DC New Media and Next DC
-March Happy Hour.

I am looking forward to both for talking shop and getting some face time with other people in the DC tech industry.

All Connected

I feel very connected. Now I am on FriendFeed (as liz315) and it is linked to everything else that I am on. I like the simple idea of organization and I am a bit anxious for more. Aggregation is happening and I am not the first person to realize that this is a clearly refreshing direction and more will come in the near future.

Why Do We Still Use Checks?

Why are we still using paper checks in 2008, in this country?! Almost everyone has a bank account and most banks provide online banking. So, it seems like a natural option to be able to pay funds online to anyone else that banks online.

Sure, I can pay my bills online. But even that means in certain cases the bank is printing checks and mailing them for me. But I can't just send $20 to a person. I also know there online services that allow me to do this, for a fee, and online services that allow me to track payments to individuals. Yet no option for individuals through the banks?

Am I crazy? I can't imagine that banks have any good reason for this.

Discovering New Music

I am not the trendiest of people but I do enjoy discovering lesser known, newer music. I used to love to buy CDs, especially at live shows. I like possessing the freedom to listen to music on demand and giving to the artists in return.

When going digital became an option, I did it. But for a while I struggled with the purchasing and owning music in digital form because of DRM. Many of my 2006 posts talk about copyright issues and such.

The tides changed and now I shop regularly on Amazon and iTunes for DRM free music. I love the convenience. It makes me giddy.

However, now my music discovery skills are rusty and times have changed a bit. I am learning new ways. So far, I peruse my friends' music lists on their profiles, sample online and glance at Amazon's recommendations from my selections. I have found some but less success listening to Pandora. The trouble with Pandora is that my musical tastes seem to random for it and it requires some dedicated teaching. I wish there were better routes of discovery. I think there is definitely some room for shaking up the music industry here.

I am looking for new ways...

I am now on Twitter

I sometimes hesitate just a bit to join new services because I don't mind letting others be the first adopters. Then if I hear it from enough people or become substantially convinced that I can or want to put the service to good use, I join. So, I am now on Twitter: www.twitter.com/liz315

But don't expect to know what I eat for dinner every day... And sadly, I am not at SXSW enjoying the twittering bliss fest that those attendees are having.

Social Networking and Personal Websites

Lately, I have been on a bit of a mission to make my involvement in social networking more complete. (Anyone who actually reads my Blog at this point also notices an increase in recent activity here, too.) I am pretty excited to get all of these networks up to date, considering that I went for about a year being very passive in my involvement. However, the work is a bit overwhelming right now: updating my address book, following up on conversations via email, updating my LinkedIn contacts, adding friends on Facebook, thinking about getting in the habit of using Twitter, getting images up to Flickr, updating my RSS feeds to include new people/blogs and blogging- to name some of the things on my to do list for tonight. And this doesn't even count the newer services that may be cool to try out and use.

In the midst of all this I still don't know what to do with my regular old website (www.the315.com). It has had many purposes over the years but with all these other social networking sites and services, where does that leave my personal website? A lame repeat of information? A blog host? A page of links? Just 6 years ago it was getting good traffic as I showcased my design skills and logged my travels with updates and pictures the old-fashioned html way. But for the last 2 years it has been a homepage of links and space to host random things in the background.

I guess I need to dedicate some more effort to this issue. But I can't imagine that I am the only one that struggles with this. (Has a startup solved this problem for me yet and I just missed the post on TechCrunch!?!)

3D Interactive Advertising in Video

When I read this on TechCrunch I knew I had to share it with people. And since I couldn't think of anyone to email right away to share the news, posting again today seemed like a great idea.

The concept of placing realistic-looking 3D products or other virtual items into video and making them interactive for advertising purposes is not only incredibly intelligent in the promotional way but also in terms of technical advancement. As for the promotional aspect, this could be very powerful, aside from the initial novelty. The ability for me to interact with a product to capture my interest and then to be linked to where I can get a product closer to the moment I think I want it translates into a more likely sale. Ease of information and instant gratification is nothing new for our society. Make this a widget and get it to go viral and you've got a winner on all levels. Good marketing in a nutshell, right? Or did I miss something?

Placing 3D models/animation in actual footage has been a movie special effect for a while. The difference here is the interactivity aspect and the marketing angle. I don't know much about Innovid but I assume that this will be pretty simple to start- in that the 3D object will be the only interactive part. However, it does bring us one step closer to more true interactive entertainment. That is the part that could get really interesting in the future.

I don't usually cover technologies and this is probably my first post about anything 3D. But a little known fact about me is that I love 3D modeling and animation. For some reason I have always been attracted to the merging of two creative worlds - the real and the modeled - ever since I learned how it worked in college.