Dragon Express May be the App to Bring Voice Recognition to the Masses

Prior to using Dragon [D]ictation on my iPhone and ~~series~~ Siri on my iPhone, I was very dubious of voice recognition applications.

However, once I experience[d] Dragon
[D]ictation and ~~in series~~ Siri, I realized that there may be more to voice recognition software than I first thought.

I am very excited about Dragon Express, the new $50 application for Macs. I am dictating this blog post using Dragon [E]xpress.

You can see the corrections I had to make. As you will see, Dragon Express does an excellent job of capturing my voice. This is especially impressive, given my southern drawl.

I don’t know how much I will use Dragon Express, but if these initial results are indicative of its capabilities, I expect ~~how we~~ I’ll use it fairly often.

I wish there was an easy way to insert URLs, or at least placeholders for links.

So far, I have to give Dragon Express ~~in the phones~~ a thumbs up.

Google+ Isn’t the New Facebook, It’s the New Blogosphere

I’ve been reasonably active on Google+ since Google Apps users were finally allowed into the party. So far, I am very impressed with the technology, particularly the way it seems to be improving on a Chrome-like pace.

google_plus But it’s not going to replace Facebook, for me or anyone else. Mainly because, as far as I can tell, there are no non-geeks on there. I have asked quite a few of my IRL friends if they use or have heard of Google+. Roughly half say they have heard of it. None of them- that’s right, zero- use it. That may change a little over time, but not in any meaningful way. There’s nothing compelling enough about Google+ to cause the non-geek herd to migrate from the familiar confines of Facebook.

We geeks can fawn over Google+ as much as we like, but until it gets traction with the non-geek crowd, it will be just a side show on the path to the big blue tent.

Google+ is replacing something, though. Sadly, not Twitter. Nothing would improve the quality of life on earth quite as much as if we could go back in time and prevent Twitter from being created. Maybe that’s how Terra Nova will end.

So, Google+ is not the new Facebook. Or the new Twitter. It’s the new blogosphere.

Fear not, this is not another Gatekeeper thing. Granted, it could be, inasmuch as most folks on Google+ seem to have their circles populated on a slope (in the circles of those down the tech/popularity/whatever slope and having circles populated by those up the slope). But no one cares about that sort of thing anymore. We’re more into shares and retweets and asking Siri if she can open the pod bay doors.

With Google+ brand pages now enabled, there is a mad rush to set up shop in this new blogosphere. There are some limitations that prevent the digital land barons from collaborative empire building, but many of those limitations will likely get worked out over time. It’s sort of like when early web developers had to grind out websites with Front Page Express and whatnot.

The hope for Google+, as the new blogosphere, is that it becomes such a good platform that it attracts the sort of content that gets it past the realm of slide rules and pocket protectors and into the realm of college buddies and teenagers. In other words, lots of big media sites operate on a blogging platform, but are much more like CNN than some nerdy online diary.

First the nerds, and then the soccer moms.

But limitations, challenges and good intentions aside, the boundaries of Google+ are being determined right now. Google+ users, much like early bloggers, are busy staking out their territory. Circles are both the new Bookmarks and the new RSS. Selective sharing and privacy settings are the fences of this digital frontier.

Mostly, it’s just chaos at the moment. Which isn’t always such a bad thing. The tale will be told when we see how (and whether) things come together into some semblance of a coherent social network. And whether Google makes the correct, but hard, choice to keep Google+ from turning into another digital Tupperware party where sellers in friends’ clothing create thinly disguised ads in the hope of selling goods and services to the theoretical consumer. Twitter is a brilliant business because it legitimizes spam and takes a cut for the house (by monetizing the page views as it is delivered and consumed). Twitter is also boring for those who aren’t drunk on the Kool-Aid, for the same reason.

I hope Google+ becomes better than Twitter and the blogosphere. Only time will tell.

It’s always interesting to watch a new platform and technology that supports it evolve. There’s a lot to like about Google+. And there are some issues- many of which seem familiar to long-time bloggers.

Meet the new blogosphere. Hopefully not the same as the old blogosphere.

Crazy Stats: AOL Edition

This post has a soundtrack (trust me, it’s worth it). If you don’t have Spotify, go get it.

I wondered in passing the other day if you could still log on to AOL. I was pretty sure you couldn’t. Now I’m less sure.

Because in a mind-boggling statistic, it turns out that AOL still has 3.5 million dial-up subscribers. I kid you not when I admit that I didn’t think there were 3.5 million people in A who still use dial-up to go OL.

In another mind-boggling statistic, the average AOL user has been a customer for over 10 years. This makes one wonder how many of those people actually use AOL any longer. I paid for AOL long after I quit using it, because it was an automatic charge on a credit card, and I wasn’t paying enough attention.

Being the inquisitive cat that I am, I did some intensive Google work and found that, yes, AOL is still hawking its dial-up service.

There are a few questionable dishes on the premium menu, but if you have to have dial-up, $10.00 a month for unlimited access is pretty good.

Or you could, you know, move. Or camp out at Starbucks.

And one more thing: AOL actually gained 200,000 new dial-up subscribers last quarter.

Maybe we can get CompuServe back while we’re at it. It has a great Sports Simulations forum back in the day.

Google Apps Users (Finally) Get Google+

Just when I had all but given up on ever getting invited to the Google+ party, I come home tonight and see that Google has, finally, enabled Google+ for Google Apps users.

This is great news. Period.

I happily set up my Profile, and added a few people to my Circles.

2011-10-27_20-12-54

I’m a little concerned that the train may have left the station, and that people already have their Circles filled, but only time will tell.

Here’s my Google+ page, if you’re interested. I’ll be spending some time this weekend exploring Google+ and trying to create some traction.

We’ll see how it goes. But either way, it’s good to have the ability to use Google+.

Late, but good nonetheless.

The Essence of Facebook in 3 Easy Pictures

I’m participating on a social networking panel tomorrow at a conference here in Houston. Someone suggested a PowerPoint sort of thing.

Here’s mine. The essence of Facebook (and social networking in general), in three easy pictures.

Facebook is like a transporter. You can instantly interact with people in any location. One of the best things about Facebook is that it breaks down the geographical barriers to communication and relationships. And, of course, one of the dangers of Facebook is that it breaks down the geographical barriers to communication and relationships.

Facebook is like a time tunnel. You can not only connect or reconnect with people and places from your entire past, you are also creating a digital archive of your life. One that can be viewed by you, as well as your future friends, business associates and employers. Once you put something in the social stream, there’s no way to take it back.

Facebook is like a bottle of tequila. It will, over time, break down your inhibitions and, if you’re not careful, allow you to do things you shouldn’t. Things that will get on the transporter and into the time tunnel, and follow you around the rest of your life (and afterwards).

That’s one powerful combination. One that can be really fun and rewarding, and one that can be tremendously destructive. The important thing, with transporters, time tunnels and tequila- and with Facebook- is to have a plan. And stick to it.

Decide what your social networking goals and philosophy will be. Ask yourself if those goals and philosophy will still make sense in 5, 10 and 15 years. Ask yourself if social networking will increase your happiness. Make sure it won’t end up feeling like a chore.

Then get to it. Find old friends. Make new friends. Make it what you want it to be. But remember that you are responsible for whatever it becomes.

Because as the renowned Southern philosophers The Drive-By Truckers have been heard to say:

You know the [Facebook] ain’t to blame and I ain’t trying to
It don’t make you do a thing, it just lets you.

(buy that great record at Amazon)

You Don’t Need a Weatherman: The State of the Cloud

Let’s talk about the cloud.

Cloud_Computing

Old people (like Bob Dylan?) and decision-adverse corporate IT departments are still scared of the cloud. But it doesn’t matter. It’s not up to them, any more than it was up to their forefathers and mothers who were horrified by the prospects of giving up their safe, reliable horses for cars.

We are all moving to the cloud.

You can embrace it, and make it work for you. Or you can elect, as many do, to make no decision and get left behind. The same mentality that results in so many large companies using 10 year old software will probably result in many large companies protesting the cloud while their data continues to rise into it.

The cloud is inevitable. And mostly wonderful.

I was going to spend the first part of this post comparing iCloud and Google Sync, concluding that if you spend at least 60 seconds a day on a Windows computer, Google Sync is by far the best bet for email, contacts and calendaring. Thankfully, Lifehacker did it for me, in a must-read post. Even the most devoted Apple fans are often forced to use Windows computers at work. And since sync today is almost as fragmented as IM was a few years ago, there is no universal solution. I’ll use iCloud to push apps and photos to my devices, but my email, calendar and address book will stay on Google.

Back-ups are another matter. I use a Time Capsule to back up my iMac and MacBook Air locally, and, despite a horrible customer support experience, SugarSync (you and I each get free storage if you sign up for a free or paid account via that link) to back up most of my data to the cloud. The initial upload can take a long, long time, but once you get your stuff in the cloud, the incremental backups are largely unnoticed.

google-music

For music in the cloud, I have tried both Amazon and Google Music, and settled for now on Google Music as my primary cloud player. Apple’s iTunes Match will generate a lot of buzz when it comes out, but I don’t think my old, eclectic and significantly out of print music library is particularly likely to get matched. Amazon has a lot to offer, particularly if you buy your music from Amazon, as I do. But I like Google Music’s interface a lot better.

For general cloud storage, I use both Dropbox (you and I each get free storage if you sign up for a free or paid account via that link) and Box.net. I have been a more active Dropbox user over the years, but Box.net’s recent 50GB promotions make it a very attractive option. I think when corporate America gets drug to the cloud, Box.net is best positioned to be the destination.

So, here’s the deal. You and your data are going to the cloud, one way or the other. So why not get in front of the curve and take advantage of all the cloud has to offer.

Because it offers a lot. Almost everything you want. Except a choice.

Confessions of an Ex-Windows User

win_vs_mac

It’s been almost two months since I dumped my last Windows computer, and returned to full-time Apple fan boy status. It’s been great. Almost perfect, in fact.

Here are my observations, two months in.

1. Macs are beautiful. Period. That may seem a little silly to those who are still beating away on their dusty, loud and aesthetically challenged Windows computers. But think about it. Many of us spend large parts of our day tethered to a computer for one purpose or another. There’s something really Zen-like about sitting down in front of my cordless, contained iMac, compared to the mess of gear and cables that used to percolate on and under my desk.

All I have to do is sit down there, queue up All Things Must Pass (buy @ Amazon), and I am good with the world.

2. With only one exception, I don’t miss any of the software that isn’t available on Macs. For one, the cloud has made much installed software irrelevant. I only use 5-6 local programs regularly, and all but one of them have Mac versions. As Macs continue to gain market share, we’ll see less and less Windows-only applications.

3. Much of the core Mac software is wonderful. I absolutely love iPhoto. Love, love, love it. iMovie is not as powerful as Video Studio Pro, but it is incredibly easy to use. And not owned by Corel. I expect Final Cut Pro is plenty powerful, but I haven’t tried to tackle it yet.

I can’t really talk about video without mentioning… the Guy on a Buffalo. I’ve watched those videos teens of times, and they are still hilarious.

4. The Magic Trackpad lives up to its name. I was such a fan of Microsoft’s Trackball Explorer that I bought a bunch of extras when they stopped making them. But after a week or so with the Magic Trackpad, I can’t imagine using anything else, by choice. I still have to use a 5 year old, dusty, crash-prone Dell box at work. My morning buzz-kill-of-a routine consists of booting up that dinosaur, and waiting for it to crash when I try to email a big attachment. If I had my way (sadly, I don’t with the IT folks at my company), I’d bring my own iMac up there, install Parallels, let them put all the corporate bloatware in there, and otherwise maintain my computing efficiency and karma.

5. The day to day experience is, well, just better. I added iOS 5 to three iPhones and two iPads this week, which also required updating iTunes and other computer programs. The process was really easy on Macs. But on the one remaining Windows computer in our house- my daughter’s laptop- it was kludgy and hard. The Windows navigation system seems cluttered, and the laptop touchpad is almost painful to use. I really hate having to add software to that computer.

But it’s not all perfect in Apple land.

icon21

Anyone who believes that Macs never lock-up or crash, hasn’t used one very much. They do. Not as often as Windows machines, but it happens. I have had a few moments where I wanted to find every beach ball in the world, and rip them to shreds.

But, all things considered, I can’t imagine ever going back to Windows. That just doesn’t seem, you know, fun.

Sadness

jobs-5

Steve Jobs, 1955-2011

The Possum Posse Hunts Up a Big Batch of Win

A post in which we demonstrate that:

a guy on a buffalo + great music + social networking = awesomeness.

It all started when I came across these hilarious videos. Seriously, if you can watch these without howling, dial 911 immediately, because your brain isn’t working right.

I haven’t laughed that hard since that iPhone video. Straight-up got mauled by a cougar. Epic.

Being the curious sort, I discover that those videos were made by The Possum Posse, an Austin band, as a way to generate interest in their music, and to finance a record.

That led me to their SoundCloud page, where I discover some fantastic music, including the excellent Pocket Dial.

This is some seriously great music. Going through this discovery process was reminiscent of the day I stumbled onto the Wrinkle Neck Mules, who remain my all-time favorite alt. country band.

From there, I went back to The Possum Posse’s YouTube page, where I see even more audio video excellence, in the form of a video mashup of another one of their excellent songs and a really old Tom & Jerry cartoon.

Humor in songs, especially humor that doesn’t rise to the level of complete stupidity, is an under-utilized tool, that works. Remember this song, one of my favorites from last year?

Ultimately, I ended up on The Possum Posse’s Kickstarter page, where they are seeking funds for their next record. Having just kicked in for my upper case Friend Mary Lou Lord’s (I’ve not met her IRL, but we have mutual musician lower case friends) next record, I gladly pledged a few bucks.

Any time we can reward hilarity, great music and smart marketing, we should do so. It’s like the anti-Twitter.

And, finally, for an added bonus, here’s the entire Buffalo Rider movie, that helpfully provided the raw materials for the (much better) Guy on a Buffalo videos.