Balcom Agency

UPDATED:

Disregard everything below except what I wrote about a book.

WOULD I BUY THE NEW iPad (iDud) for that price? Not a chance

I still love Apple, but they really missed on this one.

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I love books.

Granted, I hardly ever find time to sit down and read a good book these days. But, when I do, I love everything about it. The solitude. The quiet. The cover design (I am a designer at heart afterall.) The way my mind races with images I dream up from nothing but the words on the page. The feel of the pages between my fingers as I flip to that last page.

I love books.

I hate the Kindle.

Seriously? Couldn't they come up with something better than a bare, grayscale screen with text, and the occasional crappy illustration (only in the Kindle 2?) It's 2010 for pete's sake!

I never gave it the time of day. Never even considered buying it. Why would I want a cold, lifeless machine that I had to push buttons to turn pages? What about my beloved page flipping?

I love Apple.

Everyone who knows me (and some that don't) knows I LOVE Apple.

Only Apple could come out with a device that I would use to read a book. And, I almost guarantee, that this device will make the experience of reading books even more enjoyable.

I'm 37. My son is 7. He is learning to read. He's just now learning the idea that reading can be fun. Now, imagine if he gets his hands on this new device. Wow! He would love it!

I've only talked about reading. But, this device (I predict - among others) will revolutionize the medical industry, education and many others.

Tomorrow, just like the summer of 2007, will go down in tech history as Steve Jobs introduces the next wonder by Apple.

I told you I love Apple.

Oh, yeah, forgot.

Would I buy the new Apple Tablet?

You bet I would (am)!

p.s. That is obviously not the device above :-)

I think Google Wave is fantastic! I really do. It's pure genius.

My blog title might fool you, but I agree with my esteemed colleague, Chip Hanna.

Google Wave will revolutionize the way we use email and communicate with friends, family, co-workers and clients. In a nutshell it gives the user a real-time connection with other users to share text (think instant messages), photos, links, you name it. AND, they accomplish it all with a very user-friendly and intuitive interface. Plus, they made it free and open-source. Brilliant! Our very own John Robinson can't wait to sink his claws into it.

Watch the video (at least the first 20-30 minutes as Chip pointed out) and see for yourself.

Now, back to the title.

Why would I say Google Wave might take away your life? While I do feel that sometimes technology can go too far, Google Wave will actually help me in my day-to-day life, and I welcome it. The problem is that it makes it even easier for me to sit in front of my trusty Macbook Pro, click a few keys and tell...

Tom, I'm sorry :(

Dick, no thanks :/

Harry, you bet! :)

...When what I should have done was walk over to Tom, Dick and Harry and tell them in person. But in todays world everything travels at the speed of light, and we have to do whatever we can to keep up, or we're toast. And I'm cool with that.

I just wish I was able to slow down. Just a little bit. Leave the iPhone at home. Walk on over to Harry and say,

"YOU BET!"

The Saudi Royal Family has commissioned an architecture firm to redesign the city of Mecca, Islam's holiest of cities.

Many deaths have occured over the years due to the massive overcrowding. This redesign attempts to solve that terrible problem, while honoring the ancient architecture of Mecca.

Take a few moments and watch the video. It is very well done, and I think the architects propose a fantastic solution for the redesign of Mecca. Be sure and watch the entire video to see the concept come to life at the end.

Do you think it's a good solution? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I always check my nifty little iPhone app, Mobile News (created by The Associated Press) to keep up with current events. It lets me quickly scan and see what's going on in the world. It's not an in depth review of global news by any means, but it usually informs me of important events. Today, these two really caught my eye:

Study: Mockingbirds can tell people apart, react

Man calls 911 over 28-year-old son's messy bedroom

Out of the 10 stories, there were these two gems. The first discusses the findings that Mockingbirds can tell people apart. Oooohh, and maybe even more birds can do the same. Seriously? People are actually doing research on this? For what purpose? How could that possibly matter to anything or anyone?

The second story, while somewhat amusing, should not be considered important news. The best quote from that story was,

"The father declined to press charges and told police he doesn't want to ruin his son's political career."

Didn't want to ruin his career! Too late for that :-)

Let's hope the Associated Press can deliver some decent news in the future, because I still like my little iPhone app. And researching whether or not birds can tell people apart. Who cares. Let's research something important: out of 1000 births, 8 babies will have some form of congenital heart disorder.

If anyone knows of a better iPhone news app leave me a comment. Thanks!

I have a theory.

We are approaching a time where technology is attempting to replace basic human interaction, thought and intelligence.

We need to remember who we are. Humans. We are not machines.

These so-called emerging technologies (in the video above) merely replace basic human effort. If we start allowing computers to make our decisions, we lose one of humankind's basic truths: free thought and creativity.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE the internet, and think its an incredible, invaluable creation. I use it everyday, and my livelyhood is built around it. I just feel we should be looking for ways to better ourselves through it.

I also believe this is already happening. We caught a glimpse of it when Chris Hughes orchestrated the online portion of President Obama's campaign. He used the Internet to virtually mobilize people in real time in real space.

My theory: a big component of Web 3.0 will be empowering people via the internet to accomplish real things in real life.

There is a social consciousness to move into the future where technology truly helps us as humans evolve and live our lives without destroying our planet and each other (good example: Honda FCX Clarity).

Not all my posts will be this heavy. Promise. But, I've been thinking about this one for quite awhile and wanted to get it out there.