Twentysomething

37Signals - I stand corrected

I blogged a few weeks ago that while AJAX applications are cool to look at, they really didn't provide much value to the end consumer or investors.

Today, I stand corrected, as I've begun using 37Signals online webware. They provide a service to help manager your life, as well as project management that makes MS Project look like a headache. It's all very nice looking AJAX, and it's a great service. Best of all it's free for limited personal usage and very cheap for commercial usage.

The features are too numerous to list here. I suggest you check it out if you're interested in the next generation of applications. It's definitely a valiant effort.

They are starting to get it

Reading all these articles about convergence, it seems the big internet companies and, some of the big media companies (eg. Time Warner) are starting to understand what the internet can and will do for people.

2006 will be the year of digital video and content and, as new products and services are released throughout the year, I think a clear winner for the platform will be established. All the companies (Yahoo, Google, MS etc.) are releasing similar products, so only time will tell which one sticks the most with the consumer.

I think it's a great move for Microsoft to team with MTV for their music downloading service called Urge. Only MTV could make Microsoft "cool" again in the average teenagers eyes. Hopefully the music selection will be as diverse as they tout, I'll certainly sign up for the service if it is. What I really like about the service is one time monthly fee, vs. the pay per download fee of Itunes, which I was never able to understand (or use for that matter).

My dad was and is an early adopter of this convergence technology. He's been using Microsoft's Media Center ever since the beta, bug filled version came out 3-4 years ago. It's evolved a lot since then, and I think the experience they've gained will also help Microsoft in this department. Yahoo has offered pretty much the exact same service, with Yahoo Go!. I think they will have more trouble gaining popularity with this concept, because they don't have the same manufacturer connections that Microsoft has had for the past 20 years.

Now on to the seemingly invanquishable Google. I was so excited when the Google PC rumor came out, and all I got was a lousy video service. I'm not sure this will be a huge revenue generator for Google. While the video is easy to access, I don't see myself wanting to pay to download anything from it. I only don't see the marketing effort behind it. I simply don't like the way it's being delivered, and I was very disappointed that's all Google had to offer for CES.

I do think this intense competition will be great for the consumer, as everyone tries to outdue each other. Hopefully this will lead to some great innovations and at least one great product. I've been ready for mass adoption of online content for awhile, just been slow in the coming.

Oh, and watch out for VoIP in 2006. Like a teenager who's finished with school, I think it's ready for the real world. Skype is only the beginning. Apparently the VC's agree with me.

Trip to Singapore

So it's been a full week now in this crazy place. I haven't heard good ol American talk in that long and it's strange

This island is pretty small but there is so much to see.

I started off the week with a brunch at the Ritz-Carlton, with some of the bombest food ever, complimentary champagne (they just kept filling it up !) and as much food as I could stuff down my throat.

Takashiaya Plaza

I then witnessed the downtown area for the first time. People here LOVE to shop. I don't mean like I mean LOVE. The Takashimaya shopping complex has got to be one of the biggest friggin malls in the world, its 6 stories and has hallways everywhere, leading to, you guessed it, more shops.

All the shops are packed full of people, I really had not imagined Asia to be such a consumer driven society, but I tell you, it's almost worse than the United States.

Little India

Chinese Garden

Or so I thought, until I got off the subway and took a stroll around the Chinese garden. It was amazing to get off a super busy subway and arrive at this lonely, tranquil, serene spot. I saw maybe 5 whole people in my entire 2 hours there. Everything was so beautiful there, and it really displayed the whole zen thing the Asians seem to have got down.

The whole city is spotless. The shopping malls are very Vegas style, but it's so CLEAN. I've never felt more safe in my life here. You can walk around at night and not have an ounce of worry that something's going to happen.

People also, much like myself, love there food here. I've tried a dozen different places and thus far, they have all been great and cheap. Chinese food is somehow never bad. I don't get it.

The whole city is surrounded by trees, plants and other greenery. This gives it a tropical vibe that I did not expect, but was very warm and inviting.

Tomorrow morning I head for Phuket in Thailand. Supposedly its a pretty crazy place to vacation at. I'm really looking forward to sitting on the beach, trying out the local beer and not really doing much else.

This has been a very relaxing trip, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.

America is in Trouble

Getting to know Asia, it's easy to see why America is in trouble. Everywhere I look and turn, I can see Asia overtaking us in almost any industry. While in Thailand, I spent some time listening to a podcast from the BCC called the World Technology. They had an award winning series where they interviewed scientists all over the world concerning stem cell research. America is just about the only super power who actively choosing NOT to use our full potential for this miraculous technology. This is all due to the religous right and, quite frankly, religious Americans everywhere. China, meanwhile, has no qualms about advancing rapidly into the field, and already has world class labs built to do so. Worse yet, they are already treating people with stem cells. This is bad news. In Singapore, where I currently am, schools are sprouting through out the island. The main goal here is to make Singapore the education capitol of Asia, so that young, bright Asians, will choose to stay in Asia rather than come study and then work in the United States. Many of these schools specialize in science. Many young students see more opportunity in their continent than in ours. What is America doing about this ? Not much, if anything. Carwise, there seems to be more than a handful of Nissans and Toyota's that do not exist in America, but easily shadow our big 3. It's almost like they have a car model for every purpose and more, and if needed, could readily roll it out in the US, which will probably happen now that people are buying less and less SUV's. Consumerism also runs rampant, at least on this island. I've never seen so many malls in my life, many with the same shops, all filled with people on each level. That's great for their economy, and on the plus side some, but not many of the stores are American owned. This will also change as more Asian brands take advantage of there clear advantage in manufacturing. I see a semi grim future in America unless we start making some smart changes in the right direction. We need to focus much less on religion and much more on keeping our economy on top, by any means necessary.